The next day, Chen Yu shielded Chen Xiaojun with Soul Power, then flew upward on his sword, soaring a thousand meters into the sky. He was much faster than ordinary Titled Douluo flying through the air.
Unlike the mere few miles they had traveled the night before last, Chen Xiaojun now felt the surroundings and everything in his field of vision blur all at once. A faint whistle of wind also sounded in his ears; they were clearly flying at tremendous speed.
Yet he felt no resistance from the wind as they rushed forward at high speed. Of course, Chen Yu, a Titled Douluo, had shielded him with Soul Power. It felt just like riding in the passenger seat of a car in his Previous Life: wind whooshing outside, while the interior formed a world of its own.
"Grandpa, several books I've read say that the Star Dou Great Forest, Sunset Forest, and Far North are the continent's three great gathering grounds for Soul Beasts. Is that true?"
Chen Xiaojun now felt that many books were sometimes neither entirely right nor entirely wrong, which left him somewhat doubtful. Now that he had come out to hunt Soul Beasts, the thought had occurred to him.
Chen Yu's lips curled into a faint smile. "Haha, so you've seen that claim too."
Chen Xiaojun asked, "Could you tell me more about it?"
Chen Yu considered his wording, then said, "How should I put it? There are many places where Soul Beasts gather across the continent. For example, our Xieluo Mountains, the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the south, the Eastern Great Rift in the east, the Dark Forest, the Blue Silver Forest in the southwest, Volcanic Island in the south, Infernal Prison Valley, the Raghanma Desert, Godwind Valley, Thunder Canyon, Death Canyon, the Dark Abyss, the Heaven Dou Mountains, the Tianshan Snowfield, the Tianling Mountains, the Wilds Desert, and so on."
"To give credit where it's due, the Star Dou Great Forest really is the largest on the continent. The other two may not be."
"But why are these three the so-called 'Great Three'? Can you see what they have in common?"
Chen Xiaojun said, "Please enlighten me, Grandpa!"
Chen Yu said pointedly, "The so-called Far North here actually refers more to the Frozen Forest on its outskirts, also known as the Ice Forest. Soul Masters are more active there; they don't dare venture deep into the heart of the Far North."
Chen Xiaojun thought it over and asked tentatively, "So all three are forests?"
"Right. There are several reasons they're called the three great gathering grounds."
"First, compared with other places, forests are less dangerous. Take our Xieluo Mountains, where we are now: they stretch for thousands of miles and are teeming with Soul Beasts."
"But compared with a forest, the terrain there is more complicated: sheer cliffs and rugged paths make it hard to get in and hard to get out. A Soul Master who enters has to cross several mountains, then climb again on the way out. It takes time and effort, and it's also more dangerous."
"If you kill a young Soul Beast and anger an old one, it's not easy to run away. There are far more flying Soul Beasts in the mountains than in forests, so even flying-type Soul Masters don't have much of an advantage."
"So, in terms of area, the continent's three great mountain ranges are not much smaller than the Star Dou Great Forest. In terms of Soul Beasts, they're far richer than the Sunset Forest and Frozen Forest, too. It's just that some major powers and Sects, large Academies, and inherited clans like ours prefer to be near these mountain ranges."
"For example, the Clear Sky Sect is in a snowy offshoot of the Tianshan Snowfield; the Star Luo Empire's Duke of Southern Defense rules lands facing the Hundred Thousand Mountains; Spirit Hall has a presence in Death Canyon; our Chen Clan is by the Xieluo Mountains; and the Mountain Bearer Gui Family is right at the foot of the Tianling Mountains, among others."
"There are also large gathering grounds specializing in a single attribute. For instance, Nine Dragon Mountain, where the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lives, has Thunder Canyon. The continent-famous Godwind Academy is not far from Godwind Valley. Blazing Fire Academy and several other Fire Type Academies are all in Mars City, outside Infernal Prison Valley. And so on."
"Second, forests need rivers. The Star Dou Great Forest has the continent's greatest water system, the Star Dou Great Ling River. The Sunset River, which rises on the southern slope of the Tianshan Snowfield, flows through the Sunset Forest. The Ice River, which likewise rises on the northern slope of the Tianshan Snowfield, passes through the Frozen Forest. That's how they became forests."
"They have rivers, woods, wetlands, swamps, lakes, meadows, and so on. They even have some peaks, basins, and hills. You could say they have almost every kind of terrain. Their Soul Beast species are diverse, making them suitable for the needs of most Soul Masters. It's also much easier to evade pursuing Soul Beasts there."
"In fact, the continent's major rivers-the Star Dou Great Ling River and its tributaries, the Left Ling River, Right Ling River, Star Dou River, and Waves River; the Tianling River; the Heaven Dou Yangtze River; the Sunset River; the Ice River; and the Golden Sand River, among other waterways-as well as several major freshwater lakes, also have many Water Type Soul Beasts, and their numbers are not low."
"As for how to defend against them, hunt them, and protect passing ships, that's another matter."
"Third, this claim was surely made by people from Heaven Dou. The Sunset Forest and Frozen Forest are both within Heaven Dou territory, so the people of Star Luo certainly wouldn't be convinced."
"The Blue Silver Forest outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains and the Afterglow Forest on the outer edge of the Eastern Great Rift, both in their territory, are no weaker than the Sunset Forest and Frozen Forest."
Chen Xiaojun listened quietly to the end, then tilted his head and sighed, "So it's a case of painting with too broad a brush and praising themselves."
Chen Yu smiled calmly. "That's right. The claim isn't entirely true, but it isn't entirely wrong either. It would be more accurate to say these are the large Soul Beast gathering grounds within the Heaven Dou Empire where Soul Masters face the least risk when hunting Soul Beasts."
"Anyway, when it comes to introducing Soul Beast gathering grounds and hunting them, the 'Great Three' claim isn't wrong for Soul Masters within the Heaven Dou Empire."
"Mm." Chen Xiaojun thought to himself, People really are like this, no matter the world.
Chen Yu's unhurried voice came again. "Xiao'er, how much do you know about the Wind Type Innate Skills of Soul Beasts?"
Chen Xiaojun gathered his thoughts and said, "In my humble opinion, based on the habits of us Soul Masters, Wind Type skills can be divided into Support Type, Strength Type, Attack Type, Defense Type, Recovery Type, and Combined Type."
"Support Type includes speed-boosting skills like 'Windwalking Art' and 'Flight Art,' as well as yesterday's Hurricane Wolf's 'Gale Shuttle.' Assistance skills include 'Wind-Binding Art,' 'Wind-Erosion Art,' 'Wind-Control Art,' 'Flying Sand Art,' and 'Gale Art.'"
"Strength Type refers to skills that strengthen the power of wind, like the fiendish 'Black Fiend Shocking Wind'; the 'Berserk Gale,' which strengthens attacks; the corrosive 'Endless Netherwind'; and the poisonizing 'Miasma,' among others."
"Attack Type includes cutting skills like 'Wind Blade Art,' 'Wind-Cutting Art,' and 'Wind-Raiding Art'; piercing skills like 'Wind Arrow,' 'Wind Pillar,' and 'Wind Cone'; wind-pressure skills like 'Wind Vortex' and 'Thermal Wind Pressure'; and even higher-level waterspout skills like 'Blade Storm' and 'Extreme Speed Storm,' among others."
"Defense Type includes 'Wind Wall,' 'Wind Barrier,' and 'Wind Rebound.'"
"Healing Type includes 'Wind Source' and 'Basking in the Spring Breeze.'"
"Finally, there are the more unusual skills that combine with other attributes, such as Fire Type's 'Blazing Firestorm' and 'Hot Sandstorm'; Water Type's 'Waterspout'; Wood Type's 'Falling Blossoms'; Lightning Type's 'Thunderous Storm'; Light Type's 'Fleeting Light, Passing Shadow'; and so on. When speed reaches a certain level, it can even involve Space Type skills, such as 'Sky-Rending Breakthrough.'"
"There are all kinds of Wind Type Innate Skills, too many to list. Their wondrous applications depend on the user."
"As for the Divine Horse's Innate Skills, the ones known so far include 'Horse Treading Wind Vortex,' 'Winged Wind Slash,' 'Wind Vortex Heavenly Barrier,' 'Fierce Wind Rebound,' 'Fleeting Light, Passing Shadow,' 'Extreme-Speed Void Break,' 'Light-Splitting Shadowless Form,' and 'Divine Gale Thorn Thrust,' among others. It remains to be seen how many abilities each of them can awaken."
Chen Yu nodded in satisfaction. "It seems you've really done your homework."
"The Divine Horse is the high-level form of the White-Feather Horse and White-Light Horse. As one of the very highest-ranked Soul Beasts among horses, a Ninth Grade Soul Beast, its combat strength is formidable. It's renowned for its physique and is one of the few spirits under heaven and earth."
"The 'Divine Horse' we speak of now is actually a degenerated species of the true 'Divine Horse,' also called the 'Heavenly Divine Horse.' It's a descendant of Divine Beasts!"
"Your Martial Soul is a Divine Sword. Only such a powerful Soul Beast is worthy of your Sword God Pearls. To wear the crown, you must bear its weight. That's why I approve of your choice."
Before you continue