Star Dou Forest

The moment everyone landed, Tang San came up to them, looking extremely concerned. "What happened?" Ever since Tang Hao had entrusted him with building a good relationship with Qian Ren Shuang...

Over the past few days, Tang San had been working hard to carry out that task. His concern for Qian Ren Shuang and Guilmon had grown visibly, almost to the naked eye.

"Nothing much. It's just too battle-hungry." Qian Ren Shuang sighed helplessly and reached out to pat Growlmon's thick foreleg, soothing its mood.

"The main thing is, I'm worried that one day, if it really gets vicious in a fight, even Guilmon might stop listening to me. So if there's a battle I can avoid, I'll do my best to avoid it."

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing rubbed at the completely nonexistent wounds and bruises on her face, her tone faint and resentful. "A few days ago, you looked like you wanted to break the bridge of my nose... and now you're telling me you'll avoid battles if they can be avoided?"

That aggrieved tone, paired with her coldly beautiful face, honestly packed quite a punch.

Qian Ren Shuang ignored the jab without changing expression and turned to Zhao Wuji. "Sorry, everyone. Looks like I can only see you this far. Go in and hunt for a soul beast. If you run into danger, run this way. Growlmon and I will come support you."

Growlmon gave a low growl, clearly not too pleased with this arrangement of "being left outside," but it still obediently crouched down. Its massive bladed forearms carved two deep trenches into the ground.

Tang San's eyes shifted, and he suddenly said, "Why don't we all keep an eye on Growlmon together and stop it from running around? That would work, wouldn't it? We can also study how to suppress this savage nature."

After spending the past few days with him, Tang San had already figured out a bit of the trick—if you said "study something," there was an eighty percent chance it would pique Qian Ren Shuang's curiosity.

Sure enough, Qian Ren Shuang's movements paused slightly, and he turned his head to glance at Tang San.

"No need." Qian Ren Shuang waved a hand, his tone calm but carrying a trace of certainty. "I already found a method before. Now it's only a matter of lacking time."

Tang San still wanted to say something, but Oscar had already stepped forward to smooth things over. "All right, Little San. If Growlmon comes with us, it'll be too easy for it to scare away the soul beasts suitable for my soul ring. Think about it—if something that huge plants itself in the forest, what soul beast would dare come close?"

There was some sense to that. Tang San opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only compromise and say, "Fine."

His tone carried an unconcealable regret.

He had originally been planning to use the dangerous environment of Star Dou Forest as the perfect chance to properly build some rapport with Qian Ren Shuang.

The whole hero-saving-the-beauty routine was clichéd, and the genders were wrong here, but it was effective.

In the end, he hadn't expected Qian Ren Shuang to have no intention of going in at all, not even wanting to brush the edge of the forest.

"Let's hope our luck is a bit better," Zhao Wuji said, looking up at the sky and narrowing his eyes as he estimated the time. "Hopefully we can find a soul ring suitable for Oscar within four hours."

After saying that, he waved a hand and led the team into Star Dou Forest.

In the distance, the instant Xiao Wu stepped into Star Dou Forest, the Titan Giant Ape's enormous body suddenly stiffened.

How sharp were its senses? The moment that familiar scent appeared, it recognized it—it was Sister Xiao Wu!

Without another word, the Titan Giant Ape's four limbs flew as it charged madly in the direction the scent came from at its fastest speed. The trees along the way were smashed crooked by its massive body, and the ground boomed beneath its steps like a string of muffled thunder rolling across the earth.

As it ran, the Titan Giant Ape muttered inwardly, When did a dragon-type soul beast appear in this world?

That unfamiliar scent instinctively made it uneasy.

Fortunately, judging from the scent, that dragon-type soul beast did not seem to hold any hostility toward Sister Xiao Wu. What was more, the two sides were very close—perhaps even in an intimate relationship.

Even so, the Titan Giant Ape still prepared for the worst—if that dragon-type soul beast dared do anything unfavorable to Sister Xiao Wu, then even if it had to get injured, it would tear it apart.

Who knew whether it was a matter of luck? This time, Oscar and the others wandered around the forest for two hours, yet they somehow did not run into a single suitable soul beast.

Either its age was too low—five or six hundred years, the kind Oscar looked down on—or the age was suitable but the attribute was wrong: ice attribute, wind attribute, and there was even a stink-soaked skunk that made the whole group tear up from the stench.

Zhao Wuji's expression grew darker and darker.

Just as he was about to change directions and try again, the earth suddenly began to tremble.

It was not an illusion.

The tremors came from far away and drew closer, growing stronger and more violent, until even the small stones on the ground began to jump. Zhao Wuji's expression changed abruptly, and he jerked his head up.

Then he saw the largest body he had ever seen in his life.

A gigantic ape like a mountain was charging wildly toward them from not far away. Its fur was black as ink, its muscles knotted, every one seeming forged from steel. Its eyes were blood-red, and the airflow it snorted from its nostrils kicked up waves of dust across the ground.

It was none other than the hundred-thousand-year soul beast, the Titan Giant Ape!

Its target was extremely clear: Xiao Wu.

Relying on its powerful body, the Titan Giant Ape ignored everyone present. Like an out-of-control locomotive, it charged straight toward Xiao Wu.

"This size..." Zhao Wuji naturally wanted to abandon the students and run, but at his age, that drive to "charge ahead" was already gone from his spirit. That was exactly why he had joined Shrek Academy, trying to clean up his identity.

If Zhao Wuji ran now, the Star Luo Empire was hard to say, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would definitely hunt him down. Wouldn't his plan to go legitimate be ruined?

With no other choice, Zhao Wuji could only activate his martial soul true body. He looked up at the colossal creature before him, the corner of his mouth twitching. "It's even more shocking to look at than Qian Ren Shuang's Growlmon."

As for everyone else? The Titan Giant Ape did not care at all.

In the end, Zhao Wuji let out an angry roar and was the first to charge at the Titan Giant Ape, secretly making up his mind: as long as he was hit once, he would immediately play dead.

That way, if something happened to the students, it would only be a matter of his insufficient ability. In terms of attitude, he would completely have the attitude of a good teacher.

Dai Mubai followed close behind. White Tiger Vajra Transformation activated, and his fists, wrapped in fierce soul power, blasted forward.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass surged out from all directions, trying to entangle the Titan Giant Ape's ankles.

Zhu Zhuqing's figure flashed to the side like a ghost, her cat claws going straight for the Titan Giant Ape's wrist.

Ma Hongjun's phoenix flames also surged out at the same time.

To the Titan Giant Ape, these attacks were pure tickles. It treated the people blocking it as speed bumps and went right over them.

The Titan Giant Ape stretched out a hand so broad it could blot out half the sky, grabbed Xiao Wu in one motion, turned, and was about to leave.