Arrival at Star Dou Great Forest

"Evil Soul Masters?"

Surprise appeared on both Xie Yue and Hu Liena's faces.

Hu Liena said, "Meng Xuanji, are you really sure Evil Soul Masters did this? This is Papal City, where the strongest angel resides. How could Evil Soul Masters have infiltrated it?"

"How should I explain this? Let me sort it out. Do you think someone who doesn't even have a first soul ring could truly leave Papal City alone without making a sound?"

"This..." Hu Liena hesitated. "No."

Security within Papal City was extremely tight. Without the guidance of a high-ranking Soul Master, Yan could never have left without any warning.

"I don't deny the Grand Consecration's strength, but he isn't a god either. He may not be able to ensure that everything is foolproof. If an Evil Soul Master disguised himself as an ordinary Soul Master and took Yan away, I doubt the Grand Consecration could be bothered to deal with something like that."

"Unless an Evil Soul Master at the Title Douluo level appeared, there was no way they could attract the Grand Consecration's attention."

Yan was merely a child who had yet to obtain his first soul ring. Though his talent was rare, in the eyes of someone as powerful as Qian Daoliu, he was probably as ordinary as a grain of sand in the desert.

Without becoming a Title Douluo, one could hardly enter the Consecration Hall's sight.

"What you said makes so much sense."

Hu Liena lowered her head worriedly.

"Then do you think Yan might be in danger? Would those Evil Soul Masters do something inhuman to him?"

"I don't know about that. But I don't think you need to worry. Since Evil Soul Masters dared to risk their lives to come in and take him away, they would definitely invest effort in Yan. What we should be considering instead is how to defeat him when we meet again."

"Don't forget, Evil Soul Masters level up at an absurdly fast rate, especially a Soul Master like Yan who possesses a top-tier martial soul."

"Meng Xuanji is right, little sister," Xie Yue said.

"No matter where Yan has gone, we should become stronger. Only strength is the foundation for us to gain a foothold in Spirit Hall in the future. Once we have enough strength, no matter what the continent becomes, we can make our own choices with our own hands—and even change this world."

"Mm, that's exactly right." Meng Xuanji nodded approvingly.

Hu Liena's gaze suddenly became calm and resolute.

"I understand. I'll work hard to become stronger! If Yan truly becomes an Evil Soul Master who harms Douluo Continent in the future, then I'll kill him with my own hands."

Hu Liena undoubtedly hated Evil Soul Masters. Her friendship with Yan was nowhere near enough for her to spare his life.

Anyone who endangered Douluo Continent could be killed.

The Purple Cloud Eagles flew at incredible speeds, and Spirit Hall's convoy reached the edge of Star Dou Great Forest after only two hours.

"We're here. All Purple Cloud Eagles, land."

The Purple Cloud Eagles landed steadily two kilometers away from the forest. The skies above Star Dou Great Forest were a true no-fly zone. Without the strength of a Title Douluo, being exposed there was practically a death sentence.

And if one was a Title Douluo, they would draw out the fierce beasts in the core region of Star Dou Great Forest. Therefore, regardless of their cultivation level, Soul Masters would choose to travel on foot within Star Dou Great Forest.

Qin Shi gathered everyone in an open clearing.

"All of you have three hours to enter the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest and hunt the soul rings you need. Once the sun sets, this soul-hunting operation will officially end. At that time, you will be evaluated according to the ages of your soul rings. The team with the highest average soul ring age will receive ten trial points as a reward. These points will also determine your future standing in Spirit Hall."

"I will issue each of you a signal flare. When you encounter a soul beast you cannot defeat, you may immediately pull the fuse, and I will rush over to support you at once. However, as long as even one person in a team chooses to fire a signal flare, that entire team's trial points will be canceled, and your soul-hunting operation for today will be declared over. If you want to obtain soul rings, you can only wait for the next assembly."

"Since you are the first group to reach level ten soul power, each of you will receive three trial points after sunset. If you lack confidence in your own strength, you may naturally choose to remain at the gathering point. Even if you do not obtain a soul ring, you can still take your three trial points back to exchange for rewards and prepare for the next operation."

"However, remember this: once you choose to fire a signal flare, all your efforts today will be wasted, and even the basic three points will be taken back by me. Those who do not dare to hunt soul rings should also take note. Sooner or later, you will have to face the threat of soul beasts. By the second group, you will no longer have guaranteed points. Those who still have not obtained soul rings by the third group will be assigned to the Miscellaneous Hall and spend the rest of their lives as the lowest-ranking Soul Masters."

"The chance to turn your lives around is right in front of you. Whether you can seize it depends on yourselves. There is no limit to team size, and of course, you may choose to enter the forest alone. But if you overestimate yourselves and venture too deep, failing to fire a signal flare as a result, I will not save you. At most, I will bring back your corpses. Understood?"

"Understood!"

"Good. Then I announce that the soul-hunting operation begins!"

With Qin Shi's command, everyone immediately began forming teams. However, those who had already recruited their teammates entered the forest even faster, pulling ahead of the unprepared from the very start.

There were only so many hundred-year soul beasts in the outskirts, nowhere near enough to divide among all of them. If they wanted stronger soul rings than the others, they had to act first.

One step ahead meant every step ahead. That was the cruelty of competition within Spirit Hall.

Xie Yue had originally intended to turn back and team up with Meng Xuanji, but the moment he turned around, Hu Liena had already dragged Meng Xuanji into the woods of Star Dou Great Forest.

"Forget it. I can obtain a suitable soul ring on my own. Why should I need others interfering?"

Xie Yue retained his pride. Since he had no teammates, then he would hunt soul beasts alone and put his heart of a strong man into practice.

"Meng Xuanji, why didn't we bring Xie Yue with us? Xie Yue is already very strong among everyone here. Wouldn't it be easier for us to hunt soul beasts if we brought him along?"

It was Meng Xuanji who had deliberately pulled Hu Liena away, giving Xie Yue no opportunity to join them.

"More people doesn't necessarily mean lower difficulty. If a team gathers ten people, then they need ten soul beasts. If they fail to obtain enough soul rings before sunset, those who fail to get one will become burdens to the team. They might even resent it enough to fire a signal flare, causing the entire team's points to drop to zero."

"Though the chances of that are low, that doesn't mean there aren't truly idiots like that in this world."

"But what about Xie Yue? With him, there would only be three of us. That situation shouldn't happen, right?"

At that, Meng Xuanji stopped walking.

"Why did you stop?" Hu Liena looked at him in confusion.

"Hu Liena." Meng Xuanji looked seriously at her face.

"I'm not an outgoing person, and I can't hand my back over to someone I'm unfamiliar with. Other than you, I don't trust anyone."

Meng Xuanji suddenly raised his head and moved closer to Hu Liena, his face nearly pressing against hers as an intense sense of pressure bore down on her.

"If you choose Xie Yue, then you can only abandon me."

"Now, if I asked you to choose between us, who would you choose? If it's Xie Yue, I'll willingly leave, and from then on, we won't be friends anymore. But if you choose me, don't mention bringing him into our team again. I don't want my woman constantly bringing up another man's name in front of me."

Meng Xuanji stepped back another half-step, giving Hu Liena a sliver of room to breathe.

"I hope you can understand me, Hu Liena. I don't want to share you with anyone else. After all, I'm a selfish person."