Sunset Forest

Just as Xue Qinghe was muttering to himself, She Long emerged from the shadows.

"Young Master, I have something to report."

She Long respectfully bowed to Qian Renxue.

"What is it?"

Xue Qinghe slowly turned around and looked at She Long.

"Young Master, when I took Xiao Xi out for a meal today, we ran into Xue Beng. Xiao Xi then came up with an idea. I think it's feasible and leaves plenty of room to maneuver."

She Long truthfully told Xue Qinghe about what had happened that evening, Chen Xi's proposal, and his own thoughts and views.

"Leaving Xue Ye with no choice?"

Xue Qinghe's fingers lightly tapped against the table before him, producing a steady tapping sound. His eyes filled with contemplation as he continuously weighed the pros and cons.

Suddenly, Xue Qinghe thought of the saying, One careless move, and the whole game is lost. A fleeting glint flashed through his eyes.

If outside forces influenced Xue Ye into naming Xue Beng as heir apparent, it truly seemed possible for him to lose everything.

Although Xue Beng was a wastrel and appeared to pose no threat to his position as Crown Prince, Prince Xue Xing standing behind Xue Beng held real power.

Xue Qinghe looked in the direction of the Prince's Manor, his eyes gradually turning cold.

"I understand."

"Uncle She Long, go back first."

"Also, tell Xiao Xi that once I've dealt with what I have on hand, I'll go see her."

Xue Qinghe lightly waved a hand at She Long.

After bowing to Xue Qinghe, She Long vanished back into the shadows.

After She Long left, Xue Qinghe rose and walked to the window. Looking at the brilliant starry sky, he softly uttered two words: "Ci Xue!"

The moment his voice fell, a figure appeared in the corner.

"Young Master."

Ci Xue respectfully bowed.

"Have Yang Wushuang come see me."

Xue Qinghe's voice was soft and gentle, yet a faint chill radiated from his deep eyes.

"Yes, Young Master."

Ci Xue answered, then silently withdrew.

Meanwhile.

After returning to the manor, She Long went to Chen Xi's room. He quietly released his Mental Power to investigate the room, and only after discovering that Chen Xi was obediently asleep did he return to his own room to rest in peace.

Over the next few days, Chen Xi's life followed a very regular routine.

In the mornings, she learned basic knowledge from She Long. In the afternoons, she learned basic combat abilities.

Until the third day.

Once Chen Xi had completely adapted to her martial soul, she finally confirmed the path most suitable for her development.

"Uncle She Long, I think the path of Mental Power attacks suits me best, so I want to develop my mental attacks to the extreme."

Chen Xi stood before She Long, her expression exceptionally serious.

After several days of exploration, Chen Xi discovered that the core abilities of her martial soul, the Pen of Destiny, were peering into destiny and Writing the Future, followed by its capability for mental attacks.

That was also why she had decided to develop in the direction of mental attacks.

"Since you've made your decision, I'll take you to the Soul Beast Forest and add a suitable soul ring for you."

"Let me teach you something else, Xiao Xi. When choosing soul rings, you need to take a long-term view. For example, with your Innate Full Soul Power talent, your future upper limit is destined to be extremely high. As long as you work hard, becoming a Titled Douluo may not be impossible."

"Therefore, you can choose soul rings that enhance yourself for your first two rings. That way, no matter how far you advance, your first two soul rings will remain useful."

"If you add attack-type soul rings later, your first two rings can still provide considerable boosts. But if you choose attack-type rings for your first two, once you gain stronger offensive soul skills later, those first two rings will become rather useless."

As She Long earnestly instructed her, he led Chen Xi out of the manor.

"I understand, Uncle She Long."

Chen Xi nodded seriously.

Seeing how earnest Chen Xi was, She Long smiled in satisfaction.

Over the past few days, She Long had discovered that Chen Xi was truly very talented and willing to work hard. If he had not been unskilled in mental attacks, he might even have wanted to take Chen Xi as his disciple.

After leaving the manor, She Long hired a carriage and took Chen Xi toward Sunset Forest, the Soul Beast Forest closest to Heaven Dou City.

At first, the carriage was not moving very quickly. Only after it left Heaven Dou City did its speed gradually increase.

Moreover, the carriage cabin was fitted with soft cushions and excellent shock-absorbing furnishings. Thus, even though the carriage was moving very fast, Chen Xi felt barely any bumps inside.

Sunset Forest lay east of Heaven Dou City, around a hundred li away.

By the time She Long and Chen Xi arrived at Sunset Forest by carriage, roughly five hours had passed.

Chen Xi stepped out of the carriage and looked at the primeval forest before her, unable to hide the admiration in her eyes.

"Xiao Xi, with your current physical strength, you can probably only withstand a soul ring of around five hundred years. So, we only need to search the outskirts of Sunset Forest for a soul beast that specializes in Mental Power, preferably one with some special attributes."

She Long took the lead into Sunset Forest, while Chen Xi closely followed behind him.

After entering Sunset Forest, Chen Xi looked at the towering ancient trees around her and listened to the occasional beast roars from deep within the forest. A trace of vigilance appeared in her eyes.

But then she looked at She Long walking ahead of her and felt that she probably did not need to stay too alert. After all, she was accompanied by a Titled Douluo.

She Long released his Mental Power to investigate every movement around them. Whenever a soul beast suddenly launched an attack, She Long would casually send it flying.

As they passed a large river, a koi about two meters long leaped from the water. Its entire body was covered in golden scales and gleamed gold all over.

"Wow, it's so beautiful."

Seeing the koi leap from the water, Chen Xi's eyes involuntarily lit up.

"This is a Golden Scale Koi. It is said to possess a trace of dragon blood in its body. It mainly possesses water attributes and Mental Power, making it a very rare kind of soul beast."

"This Golden Scale Koi is around two meters long, so it should be between four hundred and fifty and five hundred years old. It's just right for you. According to an ancient record from Spirit Hall, a very small number of Golden Scale Koi possess an ability called Blessing."

"However, the ancient record does not state the exact effects of Blessing."

"So, what do you think? Will you choose this Golden Scale Koi, or should we keep looking for another type of soul beast?"

She Long introduced the Golden Scale Koi's situation and looked at Chen Xi questioningly.