After clearing the weeds in front of the grave, Jiang Hai rose and set off with Zhang Lexuan to acquire his first soul ring.
Although Pinghai City had "sea" in its name, it was not a coastal city. Quite the opposite-it lay entirely inland, under the jurisdiction of the Star Luo Empire, but close to the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire. It was one of the regions where the three nations met, which was why traces of evil soul masters had appeared in neighboring Dujing City.
The "sea" in Pinghai City referred to a sea of trees.
Forests covered two-thirds of Pinghai City's territory, their leaves swaying like ocean waves when the wind blew.
With its lush vegetation, Pinghai City was not particularly far from the Douluo Continent's largest primeval forest, the Star Dou Great Forest.
Naturally, the Star Dou Great Forest was the best choice for acquiring a first soul ring.
The Star Dou Great Forest stretched over a vast area, with countless soul beasts of all varieties. It was a natural treasure trove for human soul masters.
Of course, the Star Dou Great Forest represented not only opportunity, but death as well.
It was forbidden ground for humans. Even powerful soul masters died there in considerable numbers every year.
"The Star Dou Great Forest has no shortage of soul beasts, but cultivation is far more difficult for them than it is for humans. A single soul beast might need a thousand years, or even ten thousand, to cultivate, yet there's no limit to what humans take from them. According to the records in Shrek Academy's library, the Star Dou Great Forest has lost a tenth of its territory over the past ten thousand years. Perhaps one day, it really will vanish into the Douluo Continent's history."
Perhaps simply to pass the time, Zhang Lexuan spoke.
Jiang Hai said evenly, "The conflict between soul masters and soul beasts is difficult to reconcile. As long as humans still have soul masters, they'll keep hunting soul beasts, unless one day human soul masters can advance without soul rings. But even then, human hearts are selfish. No one could resist the temptation of the soul skills granted by soul rings. Besides, even if human soul masters went extinct, the Star Dou Great Forest's timber, minerals, and potential farmland could all become reasons for humans to nibble away at its territory. Human desire has no limits!"
People had already discovered the Douluo Continent's problems ten thousand years ago, but had anything changed?
Had Tang San not known that as the territory occupied by humans grew, the Star Dou Great Forest would shrink?
Yet had he changed anything?
There was no claiming that Tang San, who already controlled the rules, lacked the power to change how soul masters on the Douluo Continent cultivated. It was simply that he, too, was a soul master. What did the survival or extinction of soul beasts have to do with him?
Humans hunting soul beasts to cultivate could also weaken the Soul Beast Clan.
When did the rule that soul masters on the Douluo Continent had to hunt soul beasts to advance first emerge? Perhaps when the Douluo Continent produced its first invincible divine beast!
Jiang Hai pondered this.
Zhang Lexuan gave Jiang Hai a surprised look. Quite a few teachers at Shrek had expressed similar views, but every one of them was a learned scholar who had read widely. Anyone qualified to teach at Shrek Academy was among the continent's elite. For a boy of ordinary birth to possess such insight was no small thing.
Moreover, Zhang Lexuan always sensed something strange about Jiang Hai, as though he were an old man who had seen all the mortal world had to offer. She had previously assumed it was the loneliness of losing his family, but now it seemed to be something different.
"Once you obtain your first soul ring, you'll be a soul master. Have you thought about what you'll do next?" An idea stirred in Zhang Lexuan's mind, and she asked.
"No. The world is vast, so I'll make my home wherever I go. Still, I think I'll probably go to the Sun Moon Continent someday and live there!" Jiang Hai shook his head as he spoke.
Over the past three years, he had traveled through more than half of the Star Luo Empire and had stopped holding out any hope for the original Douluo Continent's three nations. Perhaps, for a soul from another world like him, the Sun Moon Continent would offer a little of the familiarity he once knew.
Moreover, the Sun Moon Continent was home to the Holy Spirit Cult, the evil soul masters' stronghold. Perhaps there, he could find traces of the evil soul master who had killed the old man.
"The Sun Moon Empire?"
Zhang Lexuan frowned and said, "You're still too young, and you haven't experienced much. I admit that there are people in the Douluo Continent's three nations who bend the law for personal gain, but overall, things are still good. Shrek Academy also works to change things and keep everyone in check. Besides, the Sun Moon Empire harbors a wolf's ruthless ambitions. It isn't necessarily any better than the Douluo Continent's three great empires."
Zhang Lexuan knew why Jiang Hai wanted to go to the Sun Moon Empire. He had lost faith in the Douluo Continent.
Although Jiang Hai was merely a young Soul Scholar with only half a rank of innate soul power, hearing that he wanted to go to the Sun Moon Empire still made Zhang Lexuan feel a twinge of discomfort.
She had been born and raised on the Douluo Continent. Although she, too, had lost both her parents as a child, the Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy had adopted her when she was very young, allowing her to feel the Douluo Continent's warmth. Thus, she did not want anyone to lose faith in it.
Jiang Hai smiled without saying anything more.
He felt considerable gratitude toward Zhang Lexuan, the first character from the original novel he had encountered on the Douluo Continent.
There had been quite a few members in the Shrek Academy group sent to eliminate the evil soul masters back then, but Zhang Lexuan was the only one who had not looked down on his background. She had been willing to lend him a hand, awaken his martial soul, and help him obtain his first soul ring.
But was justice that came late truly still justice?
His martial soul had come two years too late, and the price had been more than he could bear.
Before Jiang's Father's grave, he had truly laid bare the guilt in his heart.
Yet resentment still lingered in Jiang Hai's heart!
"If you have nowhere to go, there might be a sect that would suit you very well. I can introduce you so you can join them directly. That sect also has close ties to Shrek Academy. If you join them, you could still have a chance to study at Shrek Academy. They receive one admission exemption every year, so you could study at Shrek Academy without even taking the entrance assessment!" Zhang Lexuan said.
The present-day Shrek Academy was nothing like it had been ten thousand years ago. It was the continent's undisputed number one academy and had nurtured countless talented soul masters.
If Jiang Hai joined Shrek Academy and simply made it through to graduation, then even if he did nothing afterward and remained a Soul Master or Soul Grandmaster his entire life, he would be an honored guest wherever he went.
That was the allure of Shrek Academy.
Jiang Hai also knew which sect Zhang Lexuan meant.
The Tang Sect.
One of the most glorious sects of ten thousand years ago, it had been founded by Sea God Tang San himself. It was also a continuation of the legendary Tang Sect from Jiang Hai's previous life.
Even though the Tang Sect had now declined, it remained something a young Soul Scholar with only half a rank of innate soul power like him could see but never reach.
"We'll see!" Jiang Hai said.
Zhang Lexuan nodded and continued, "All right, then. Although the Tang Sect is weak now, its supreme techniques haven't been lost. And precisely because of that, many restrictions won't hold you back. Its current sect master isn't much older than you and is a good person, too. The Tang Sect is definitely the best choice for you!"
When she mentioned the Tang Sect's master, a flicker of complicated emotion passed through Zhang Lexuan's eyes.
Jiang Hai knew about the matter between Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei, but his attention was focused entirely on the woods ahead, and he did not notice that fleeting look in her eyes.
They had already reached the Star Dou Great Forest.
With his rubbish talent, Jiang Hai naturally could not sense anything like a greater concentration of the world's vital energy. Still, he felt the air grow fresher, and a hint of danger seemed to permeate it.
"This is only the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. There shouldn't be any danger..." Seeing Jiang Hai's solemn expression, Zhang Lexuan could not help speaking.
But the next moment, the once-clear sky suddenly darkened. An explosive peal of thunder rang out overhead, and in that instant, darkness completely swallowed the sunlight. A suffocating pressure hung in the sky.
"With sun and moon in hand, I pluck the stars; without me, this world... hmm? To think a strand of my divine consciousness still hasn't dispersed. Two interesting little fellows-which one should I choose?" An ethereal consciousness emerged within that oppressive presence.
Was this... the arrival of the Undead Calamity?
A scene from the story surfaced in Jiang Hai's mind. The heavens and earth had darkened. Did that mean Huo Yuhao was also outside the Star Dou Great Forest, obtaining the power of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Soul Ring?
Just then, a bright moon rose into the air, dispelling the darkness.
Eight soul rings appeared around Zhang Lexuan. Her eighth soul ring was actually blood-red.
The instant the bright moon appeared, the consciousness hovering in the sky seemed to make its decision. In a flash, it rushed toward the other side of the forest, and the pressure abruptly vanished.
After a while, Zhang Lexuan withdrew her martial soul as well, her expression growing more solemn. "That pressure came out of nowhere. Who knows what has happened in the Star Dou Great Forest? We'd better leave as soon as possible. Come on, I'll take you to find a suitable soul beast!"
Zhang Lexuan caught Jiang Hai by the shoulder. A faint fragrance drifted from her, but before Jiang Hai had time to entertain any romantic thoughts, the scenery around them was already streaming past.
They were moving very fast, far beyond anything Jiang Hai could manage on his own, but he did not feel uncomfortable.
Zhang Lexuan was certainly fast, but could she be faster than a high-speed train?
Moreover, as Zhang Lexuan flew, a layer of soul power enveloped both their bodies. It really was no different from riding a high-speed train.
They had already been close to the Star Dou Great Forest, and after barely half a quarter of an hour, Zhang Lexuan brought Jiang Hai to a halt.
Ancient trees towered all around them. Jiang Hai felt as though he had entered an age-old primeval forest.
This was the Star Dou Great Forest.
Upon reaching the Star Dou Great Forest's outer ring, Zhang Lexuan put away her martial soul. Although almost none of the soul beasts here could threaten her, long-standing habit still made her instinctively suppress her aura.
"Do you have any requirements for the soul beast that will provide your first soul ring?" Zhang Lexuan asked.
Jiang Hai thought for a moment, then asked, "Would a dark gold terrorclaw bear work?"
Zhang Lexuan rolled her eyes at him. "Dark gold terrorclaw bears are one of the Star Dou Great Forest's dominant species, and an unimaginably terrifying overlord of their kind lives deep within the forest. You have practically no chance of encountering a three- or four-hundred-year-old dark gold terrorclaw bear on the outskirts, so give up on that idea. If you have no other requirements, I'll choose one for you!"
"All right!" Jiang Hai nodded.
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