Choosing the Third Ring, Encountering a Red-Gold Fire Ape

For ordinary people and low-level Soul Masters, the Star Dou Great Forest lay a long way from Heaven Dou City—roughly eight hundred kilometers. But for a Soul Saint, it was not far. Traveling at full speed, they soon arrived.

At the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, Cangwu first took a moment to steady his breathing and bring himself into peak condition. Only then did he lead Huo Linfei inside.

The Star Dou Great Forest was far too dangerous. Even as a powerful Soul Saint, Cangwu could not guarantee their safety if they stayed in the outer and middle regions, let alone when he had someone with him—and that someone was extremely important.

So before going in, he had to be at his best.

"Is this the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Huo Linfei gazed at the ancient-looking forest, countless times more magnificent than the Soul Hunting Forest, and murmured to himself.

After the two entered the Star Dou Great Forest, a tall, thin figure followed them in. He did not show himself, though, and watched them from afar.

He was Snake Lance Douluo, sent by Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) to protect Huo Linfei in case anything went wrong.

The fact that she had even sent a Titled Douluo showed just how much Huo Linfei mattered.

"Right. How old a Soul Beast do you want for your third ring? And what kind?"

Cangwu turned to Huo Linfei with the question.

Huo Linfei did not answer at once. He fell into thought.

Cangwu did not rush him. He spread out his spiritual senses and kept watch over the surrounding miles.

His Second Soul Ring had come from a Soul Beast nearly three thousand years old, yet after absorbing it, Huo Linfei had felt nowhere near his limit. That had been about the strongest Soul Beast Director Su could help him hunt, though, and about the strongest the Soul Hunting Forest had to offer.

What about a ten-thousand-year one?

The thought seemed risky when it first surfaced. Yet the more he tried to dismiss it, the stronger it grew.

Somewhere deep down, he felt he really could absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.

"Ten thousand years, I think. Preferably one with strong attack power."

The words left Huo Linfei's mouth almost before he realized he had spoken.

"Ten thousand years?!"

"Are you joking?!"

Huo Linfei's answer gave Cangwu a fright. Please don't do this.

Even if Huo Linfei was a peerless genius who had reached level thirty before turning ten, a Soul Ring was not something to gamble with!

For an ordinary Soul Master, even a thousand-year ring was difficult as a third ring. Those with exceptional gifts could barely absorb a low-end Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

But ten thousand years...

Was he serious?

"Do you understand what you're asking? I know your talent is extraordinary. You might even be the greatest genius from ancient times to this day. It's good for a young man to aim high, but you can't be blindly overconfident."

Cangwu spoke again, his tone earnest.

"Mm, I know. But how will we know unless we try?"

As he spoke, two Soul Rings shining purple slowly rose from beneath Huo Linfei's feet.

"Pur... purple!"

"Thousand-Year Soul Rings!!"

"And... there are two of them!!!"

Cangwu stared at the two purple Soul Rings beneath Huo Linfei's feet. His eyes widened like bronze bells, and his mouth hung open.

In just a few hours, this young man had shocked him three times.

He's too damn incredible!

"Ev... even if your first two rings are both thousand-year rings, neither is close to ten thousand years. Absorbing a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring would still be far too dangerous."

Cangwu pulled his gaze away and pressed on, though his words came out haltingly. The shock had clearly hit him hard.

Shaken as he was, he remained a Soul Saint and kept his head.

"We can try first. If I can't manage it, you can interrupt me. At worst, the backlash will leave me laid up for ten days or half a month."

Seeing that Cangwu would not budge, Huo Linfei kept coaxing him.

"Besides, if I pull it off, won't Brother Xue give you a huge reward when we get back?"

At that, Cangwu hesitated. The idea tempted him.

They would only be trying. If it failed, the consequences should not be too severe; he might get scolded, at worst.

But if it worked, a fortune beyond his wildest dreams would fall right into his lap.

How could he not be tempted?

"Th-then let's try. But I'm warning you now: if it doesn't work, don't regret it."

After weighing it over, Cangwu gritted his teeth and finally gave in.

"I won't. Guaranteed."

Huo Linfei thumped his chest as he promised him.

"All right."

With that settled, the two searched even more carefully for a suitable Soul Beast.

Behind them, Snake Lance Douluo heard every word with his Titled Douluo senses.

His face darkened again and again. His eyelid twitched, and the corner of his mouth jerked.

He could not tell whether these two were fearless because they had the skill to back it up or simply reckless.

Neither of them gives me a moment's peace.

Snake Lance Douluo sighed to himself and continued following them.

Time passed quickly.

The two searched the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest all afternoon without finding a suitable Soul Beast.

As expected, luck mattered in a hunt like this. They could not count on finding the right one every time.

Either the species was wrong or its age was wrong. It was like trying to have both the fish and the bear's paw.

Huo Linfei finally understood why some people spent so long hunting Soul Beasts.

Only a lucky few found a suitable one right away. Most spent days or even ten days searching; some took half a month or a full month.

Night fell, and the two had no choice but to stop. They chose a large tree as their resting place and planned to resume the search at dawn.

At night, Soul Beast cries rose and fell throughout the Star Dou Great Forest.

In such a dangerous place, Huo Linfei naturally did not dare sleep. A Soul Saint was guarding him, but it was not that he doubted Cangwu's strength. He simply did not feel safe.

He trusted himself more than anyone else, even if he was weaker than Cangwu.

It only takes one mishap. What if he reacts a moment too slowly?

Huo Linfei put the thought aside, cleared his mind, and meditated instead of sleeping.

That way, he could cultivate while remaining somewhat alert. It served two purposes at once.

Cangwu did the same, though his senses were much sharper than Huo Linfei's.

Even as he meditated, Cangwu swept his spiritual senses over the surrounding area again and again.

If he had been alone, he would not have needed to go so far. But a peerless genius was beside him, and the young man was his young master's sworn younger brother. He could not afford the slightest carelessness or mistake.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning.

Not long after the two set out, they encountered a Soul Beast that looked ideal.

The beast stood three meters tall. It resembled an ape, with fur like flames and dark-gold markings across its body. It radiated a fierce, domineering presence!

It spotted them too. Beating its solid chest with both fists, it roared at them!

"That's a Red-Gold Fire Ape, about twelve thousand years old!"

"Looks like our luck is good!!"