The core region of Sunset Forest.
On a hill covered in pine trees, a tiger-type soul beast was licking its fur.
White eyes, white fur.
Yet, bizarrely, two savage blue fangs protruded from its mouth.
"Finally found you."
Chen Zhuo's eyes lit up.
The White-Eyed Demon Tiger King also rose with a shake of its body, tilting its head as its eerie white eyes locked firmly onto the newcomers.
"Roar!" A tiger's roar rang through the mountain forest.
How could the White-Eyed Demon Tiger King swallow its anger at these human soul masters who dared offend it?
The enormous sonic wave swept up every tree in its path, brutally tearing them into countless fragments.
That was merely the physical destruction.
The truly terrifying part of this attack was the mental damage hidden within it.
"You're courting death!"
"Sixth soul skill, Jade Phosphorous Heavenly Shield!"
The phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor coiled before Dugu Yan and Chen Zhuo, then transformed into a shield that protected them both.
"Head Soul Bone skill!"
"Medusa's Gaze!"
A grayish-green beam burst from Dugu Bo's forehead, petrifying everything in its path, even the tiniest wood splinters.
In the air, the sonic waves became tangible ripples, likewise unable to escape petrification.
This was one of Dugu Bo's trump cards, hidden at the bottom of his chest.
Ordinarily, he would not have needed a soul bone skill to fight a mere seventy-thousand-year beast king.
But he would not allow Dugu Yan or Chen Zhuo to suffer even the slightest harm.
Thus, he attacked with all his strength from the outset.
Petrified chunks rained down everywhere.
Only then did the White-Eyed Demon Tiger King realize that the human elder before it was far beyond its ability to contend with.
It whimpered, turned, and fled.
Gone was its earlier domineering momentum of a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
Wind whistled around its paws as it covered several yards with each stride, decisively fleeing into the depths of the forest.
"Eighth soul skill, Time Freeze."
As Dugu Bo's words fell, everything within several thousand square meters instantly froze in place.
The White-Eyed Demon Tiger King was also suspended in midair.
Just as Dugu Bo prepared to make his next move.
Bang!
The White-Eyed Demon Tiger King's head suddenly burst like a bloated winter melon.
Its contents splattered across the ground.
Dugu Bo turned and saw Chen Zhuo's lips curl upward as he smiled at him.
A pitch-black soul ring emerged from the beast king that had dominated Sunset Forest.
Without a soul master to absorb it, this high-age soul ring would dissipate on its own after two to four hours.
Returning its nourishment to the world.
This tiger king was another opportunity hidden within Sunset Forest.
After its death, it would drop a soul bone.
Chen Zhuo would not waste its flesh and blood either.
The tiger form of his Twelve Animal Form Fist still lacked a genetic bloodline, and this White-Eyed Demon Tiger King was a perfect fit.
"A seventy-thousand-year White-Eyed Demon Tiger King right arm bone!"
Unlike the shocked Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, Chen Zhuo remained utterly calm.
"The Star Luo Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will certainly be interested in it."
This soul bone was indeed of exceptional quality, but its soul bone skill was not particularly compatible with any of the three of them.
Chen Zhuo tossed the soul bone straight to Dugu Bo, telling him to sell it and exchange the proceeds entirely for Gold Soul Coins.
Dugu Bo was dumbfounded.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone sell a high-age soul bone.
Even if its attributes were incompatible, it could be kept for barter.
He stated plainly that if Chen Zhuo needed money, their Dugu Family still possessed some modest assets.
There was no need to exchange such a rare treasure for worldly silver and gold.
In truth, as long as someone was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, they had essentially already achieved financial freedom.
Even if they had no head for business, all they needed was to lower their standards.
They could claim a mountain as their stronghold and rule over the surrounding territory.
Or join a powerful faction and serve it. Gold, silver, jewels, and fine silks would never be lacking.
Naturally, Chen Zhuo knew this too.
But he needed this first pot of gold.
And a few scraps would not suffice. His plan required Gold Soul Coins in the tens of millions.
Only then could he establish a certain commercial monopoly.
"I said."
"Exchange it all for Gold Soul Coins."
"Then buy up all the ten-thousand-year whale glue available on the market!"
At his stern wording, Dugu Bo trembled with apprehension, while Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed crimson.
She thought to herself.
Why does the young master want to buy so much whale rubber?
Could he be planning to...
Everyone knew whale rubber was something nobles used to spice up their nighttime pleasures.
"Uh..."
Seeing Dugu Yan's strange expression, Chen Zhuo could only mutter under his breath, "What an unbelievably off-putting woman."
The ability of whale rubber to improve one's constitution would only be discovered by soul masters nearly ten thousand years later.
Its use in this era could only be described as squandering heaven's treasures.
After Chen Zhuo explained, the grandfather and granddaughter finally learned that, after consuming whale rubber, as long as one did not release its effects through sexual activity.
It could improve a soul master's constitution, thereby raising the maximum ages of their first four soul rings.
The older the whale rubber, the better its effects.
Ten-thousand-year whale rubber could raise the soul ring absorption limit by approximately five hundred years.
Thus, in theory, a soul master could select a soul beast over a thousand years old when acquiring their second soul ring.
"Hiss!"
Even Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, who had seen all manner of grand spectacles, could not help drawing sharp breaths.
Then both felt somewhat ashamed, lamenting how shallow their knowledge truly was.
After wandering for several days, the three found a soul beast, a Split-Head Viper, around two thousand years old.
Dugu Yan successfully acquired her third soul ring.
According to Yu Xiaogang's riddled-with-holes Ten Great Martial Soul Theories.
The absorption limit for a soul master's third soul ring was 1,760 years.
Yet Dugu Yan had now broken through that so-called limit with ease.
Thinking that such a man was even hailed as a theoretical grandmaster of the Soul Master World.
Chen Zhuo could not help laughing.
"If circumstances allow, you should acquire your next six soul rings from lesser dragons or soul beasts with true dragon bloodlines."
That was Chen Zhuo's advice to Dugu Yan.
If, one day, Dugu Yan's martial soul could evolve once more.
Transforming from a flood dragon into a true dragon.
Then reaching Super Douluo would essentially be like receiving guaranteed admission, with little difficulty.
After leaving Sunset Forest, they did not choose to return to Heaven Dou City.
Instead, they followed Chen Zhuo to the cities in the western Heaven Dou Empire, tracking down the Madman Wolf Pack.
They were hybrids born from the crossbreeding of Gale Demon Wolf soul beasts and humans.
Half-human, half-wolf monsters.
Commonly called "Wolf Bandits."
During this time, Dugu Bo's status as an imperial guest elder provided considerable assistance in gathering intelligence.
Eventually, in a village, they found a Wolf Bandit Gang burning, killing, and plundering.
Ordinary Wolf Bandits were only comparable to soul masters with roughly two or three rings.
After witnessing the deeds of these human-beast hybrids, Chen Zhuo unleashed a slaughter.
Wherever the gaze of his Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils fell.
Wolf Bandit heads burst open one after another.
All manner of yellow, white, and red matter spilled out.
Like spent ceremonial cannons, they lay sprawled every which way across the muddy ground.
Dugu Yan joined the battle as well.
Once they drew out the Wolf Bandit leader, whose cultivation approached that of a Seven-Ring Soul Sage.
Only then did Dugu Bo act, killing him.
After the Wolf Bandit leader died, a thirty-thousand-year Bloodthirsty Berserk Gale Right Leg Bone dropped.
Chen Zhuo made the decision to give it to Dugu Yan.
Because of the flaw in her Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul, the girl had never dared throw herself fully into cultivation.
As a result, at fifteen, even after consuming an immortal herb, her soul power was only at rank thirty.
Among the Shrek Seven Devils of the same age, the likes of Dai Mubai spent every day drinking and carousing, yet had already reached rank thirty-seven.
But now.
With Chen Zhuo's guidance, the immortal herb cleansing her meridians and marrow, and the soul bone's enhancement, things would soon be different.
In another year or two.
Chen Zhuo believed that Dugu Yan's transformation would absolutely leave everyone astonished!
After this period of training, it was time for him to retire with his mission accomplished.
Of course, the main reason was that school was about to start.
And he was still a student.
Before they parted.
Chen Zhuo instructed Dugu Bo to handle a few matters.
In the past, the Clear Sky Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects, had four subordinate clans.
The Strength Clan, the Defense Clan, the Speed Clan, and the Breaking Clan.
The Speed Clan possessed something that greatly interested him.
He wanted Dugu Bo to retrieve it for him.
Before you continue