After seven days of travel, the group finally arrived near the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Star Dou Great Forest was much closer to Nine Treasure City than Thunder Grand Canyon.
The reason Lin Yan and Bei Bei had gone to Thunder Grand Canyon to obtain their first Spirit Rings was that the Soul Beasts there were better suited to Bei Bei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, so they had taken the longer route.
Several miles away from the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, dense warning signs had already appeared along the roadside.
They read: Ahead lies the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul Beasts are active. Danger. The large blood-red words were especially eye-catching.
The carriage stopped here, left in the coachman's care.
Afterward, Lin Yan and the others headed toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, a magnificent forest appeared before Lin Yan and the others.
Although he had been prepared, when Lin Yan saw this famous Soul Beast Forest of the continent with his own eyes for the first time, he was still shaken by the spectacular sight before him.
The Star Dou Great Forest had overturned his understanding.
It truly showed him what towering ancient trees were!
As far as the eye could see, lush ancient trees stood like giants, over a hundred meters tall. Their massive trunks were six or seven meters in diameter, while their dense canopies spread like enormous umbrellas, completely covering an area hundreds of meters wide!
Compared to these ancient trees, Lin Yan felt that nearly every tree he had seen before had become nothing more than a young sapling!
And compared to such towering trees, he himself was hardly any different from an ant or insect!
As expected of the Star Dou Great Forest!
Ning Tian and Wu Feng were equally stunned.
"This is the Star Dou Great Forest, one of the most dangerous Soul Beast habitats on the continent. There are millions upon millions of Soul Beasts here, even the legendary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Once we enter, you three must stay close to us. Do not wander off on your own. If you encounter some Soul Beasts skilled at hiding, even I may not be able to save you in time. Do you understand?"
Lin Yuhuan's stern voice rang out.
"Understood!"
Lin Yan and the other two answered together.
After giving them some instructions, the group entered the Star Dou Great Forest.
The formation had Lin Yan and the other two in the middle, Lin Yuhuan on the left, and the old steward on the right.
Before they had even entered the forest, swift figures darted through the roadside weeds like lightning before rushing out.
Ning Tian and Wu Feng, visiting a Soul Beast habitat for the first time, were so frightened that they screamed.
Lin Yan was slightly better off. At the very least, he could remain calm.
In an instant, their group was surrounded by a wolf pack.
The pack consisted of fifteen enormous green wolves. The largest alpha wolf was three meters long, its gaze ferocious, and the sharp fangs in its bloody maw sent chills down their spines.
"This kind of Soul Beast is called a Wind Wolf. They are pack-dwelling Soul Beasts known for their swift and nimble movements!"
As she spoke, Lin Yuhuan merely revealed a trace of her aura, and the Wind Wolves immediately tucked their tails and fled.
Whew—
Seeing the wolf pack leave, Ning Tian and Wu Feng immediately heaved a sigh of relief.
Lin Yan turned around and looked at Wu Feng, who had somehow hidden behind him. Teasingly, he said, "Little Sister Wu Feng, didn't you say you were going to protect Little Sister Ning Tian? Why did you get so scared by a Soul Beast that you hid behind me?"
The moment those words came out, Wu Feng, who had just relaxed, immediately flushed red. Stammering, she said, "I-I was just too nervous earlier! I definitely won't do that next time!"
Lin Yan chuckled softly.
After that little episode, the group finally entered the forest-covered region properly.
They walked forward while searching.
With a Titled Douluo and a Soul Sage by his side, Lin Yan did not feel nervous at all. He even felt rather relaxed.
He turned his head to look at Ning Tian walking beside him and asked, "Little Sister Ning Tian, have you decided what kind of Spirit Ring you want?"
Ning Tian glanced at Lin Yan and said softly, "Father said that our Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda is an auxiliary tool Martial Soul, so its Spirit Rings should focus mainly on enhancement. The first Spirit Ring can enhance either strength or speed."
"Then choose strength enhancement. My Martial Soul demands a lot of strength to use. If I can receive your support, using my Martial Soul will definitely become much easier," Lin Yan said casually.
"Really?" Ning Tian blinked and looked at Lin Yan happily.
"Mm." Lin Yan nodded.
"Then I'll choose a first Spirit Ring that enhances strength!" Ning Tian said.
Lin Yuhuan, who had been listening to their conversation nearby, did not say anything. However, the slight upward curve of her lips revealed her mood at that moment!
Like Thunder Grand Canyon, the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest were inhabited by Ten-Year Soul Beasts and Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
Since Ning Tian did not need a high cultivation age for her first Spirit Ring, only three or four hundred years, they began their search in the Outer Zone.
The Outer Zone was vast and contained many kinds of Soul Beasts. Finding one with an outstanding strength-enhancing attribute was clearly not something they could accomplish in a short time.
As the young sect mistress of the Nine Treasure Glazed Sect and Ning Xingzong's beloved daughter, Ning Tian naturally could not simply settle for an ordinary Soul Beast.
They would rather spend more time finding something better.
After walking for an hour, Ning Tian was the first to complain that she was tired.
She was only six years old, after all, and her Martial Soul was an auxiliary type that did little to enhance her physique. In terms of physical fitness, she was not even as strong as Wu Feng. Fortunately, she still had level ten Soul Power within her; otherwise, she would not have lasted even this hour.
"Lin Yan, carry Tian'er on your back. We'll keep going."
Lin Yan had been about to suggest taking a break when Lin Yuhuan suddenly said this.
Lin Yan froze slightly, then turned to see Ning Tian looking at him with her bright, blinking eyes.
"Fine!"
Lin Yan did not think much of it and simply treated it as an older brother carrying his younger sister.
To challenge a Millennium Spirit Ring for his second Spirit Ring, he trained every day. Ning Tian's weight was nothing to him.
The group continued onward.
Ning Tian lay on Lin Yan's back, her soft little hands wrapped around his neck. In a quiet voice, she asked, "Big Brother Lin Yan, am I heavy?"
"Not heavy." Lin Yan shook his head, his arms hooked beneath Ning Tian's knees as he walked forward steadily.
Upon hearing that, Ning Tian immediately revealed a happy smile.
No girl liked hearing someone say she was heavy, even if Ning Tian was only six years old.
Another hour passed, and Wu Feng could not take it anymore either.
So Lin Yan put down the rested Ning Tian and then carried Wu Feng on his back.
"Ah, I'll just treat it as physical training..."
After another fifteen minutes of searching, the group finally came across a Soul Beast suitable for Ning Tian.
"A Giant Force Ape with three hundred years of cultivation. It has one-quarter of the Titan Giant Ape's bloodline. Xingzong's first Spirit Ring was also from one. This is the one," Lin Yuhuan said.
"Titan Giant Ape bloodline?"
Lin Yan curiously examined the Soul Beast before him.
This Giant Force Ape had a humanoid body, like an incompletely evolved human. It walked on all fours and stood two meters tall; if it fully straightened up, it might reach nearly three meters. Its muscular body was covered in a layer of hard brown fur, and its arms were long and thick, making its astonishing strength obvious.
The Titan Giant Ape was a super Soul Beast, known as the ruler of the forest and especially skilled in strength. With one-quarter of its bloodline, this Giant Force Ape should not be considered weak among Soul Beasts of the same level.
Lin Yan set Wu Feng down and prepared to watch his grandmother step forward and subdue it in a single move.
However, Lin Yuhuan completely restrained her aura and made no move at all.
The next words that left her mouth immediately made Lin Yan's eyelids twitch.
"Lin Yan, you will deal with this Giant Force Ape. Let Grandma see the results of your cultivation over the past two years!"
Before you continue