Star Dou Great Forest

After returning to his room and washing up with Xiaotao's help, Ning Bei felt a little excited at the thought of obtaining the first spirit ring of his life tomorrow.

However, many fanfictions from his previous life described protagonists absorbing First Spirit Rings beyond their limits and ending up covered in blood, which made Ning Bei's heart pound uneasily.

"Xiaotao, did it hurt when you absorbed your First Spirit Ring?"

"Huh? It didn't hurt. Why would you ask that, Young Master?"

Ning Tao looked at Ning Bei in confusion, unable to understand why he was asking.

"Then, how many years was the spirit ring you absorbed?"

After pondering for a moment, Ning Tao answered:

"I think it was a Star Demon Tiger around 280 years old."

"I see."

Thinking that, as a support-type Soul Master, he had no need to pursue a spirit ring beyond his limits, and that absorbing a spirit beast of a normal age would not be too painful, Ning Bei felt somewhat relieved.

Besides, even if he wanted to absorb a spirit ring beyond his limits, his Parents and the two elders would never agree.

He was already the Sect Master's youngest child and had always been dearly loved. Now that he had awakened a Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power, they treasured him even more. Absorb a spirit ring beyond his limits? Not a chance.

Ning Bei fell asleep filled with anticipation. In his dream, Nine Soul Rings appeared atop his Pill Pagoda, the last one a dazzling red spirit ring.

When the other children in the Sect saw him arrive, they secretly whispered among themselves:

"Look, it's the Medicine God Douluo."

"It really is! He's so handsome."

"Come on, my kidneys haven't been well lately. Let's ask Medicine God Your Majesty for an Elixir!"

The morning sunlight streamed into the room as Ning Bei slept soundly in bed.

A series of knocks sounded in his ears.

"Young Master, Young Master, get up quickly! Sword Douluo is waiting for you at the Sect entrance!"

Ning Bei rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed.

"I'm coming. Why are you more excited than I am about Soul Hunting?"

After Xiaotao helped him wash up, Ning Bei finished breakfast and arrived at the Sect entrance, where his parents and Chen Xin were already waiting.

"Bei Er, come here quickly."

Ning's Mother waved to Ning Bei from afar.

After skillfully greeting all the elders, he walked over to Ning's Mother's side.

"It's your first time traveling far from home, so listen to your Sword Grandfather in everything, understand? And this is for you."

As Ning's Mother instructed Ning Bei, she took out a Necklace and hung it around his neck.

"What is this?"

"This is a Storage Necklace. It has twenty cubic meters of space. Mother has already put food, water, and your clothes inside. I was originally going to give it to you yesterday after you awakened your Martial Soul, but you ran off to the Library instead."

Looking at the beautiful Necklace on his chest, Ning Bei smiled happily. Now that he had Soul Power and a Storage Soul Tool, storing things would be much more convenient in the future.

"Thank you, Mother!"

Ning Fengzhi also stepped forward and reminded him:

"The Star Dou Great Forest is not like the Sect. Keep your temper in check, follow your Sword Grandfather, and don't wander too far."

"I understand."

The couple then nodded to Chen Xin.

After returning the gesture, Chen Xin did not waste any more words. He summoned his Martial Soul, the Seven Kill Sword, which hovered horizontally above the ground, and stepped onto it.

"Bei Er, come up."

This was not Ning Bei's first time riding Chen Xin's Sword. When he had first arrived, everything had seemed novel to him, and he had clamored for Chen Xin to let him experience the feeling of flying several times.

"I'm coming, Sword Grandfather."

He deftly jumped onto the Seven Kill Sword and stood in front of Chen Xin.

"Let's go, Sword Grandfather."

Under Ning Fengzhi and his wife's gaze, the two rose into the sky and headed straight for the Star Dou Great Forest.

Clouds occasionally drifted past Ning Bei, yet he felt none of the wind scraping against him.

Chen Xin had wrapped him in a protective barrier formed from Soul Power.

After several hours of flight, the two finally reached their destination.

Jumping off the Seven Kill Sword, Ning Bei looked at the endless forest before him, excitement surging in his heart.

"Finally, I'm taking the first step toward becoming a Soul Master."

The two walked into the forest, and the surroundings immediately grew dark. Towering trees that blotted out the sky blocked the sunlight, while countless Blue Silver Grass plants added faint glimmers of light to the pitch-black forest, creating a fantastical visual experience.

"Bei Er, from now on, don't leave my side. The Star Dou Great Forest is filled with danger everywhere."

"I understand, Sword Grandfather."

Seeing how obedient Ning Bei was, Chen Xin smiled.

"You needn't stay tense at all times. I can still handle minor dangers."

"Our target this time is the Spirit Devouring Rhinoceros. It is a spirit beast that likes to absorb and exhale spiritual energy, and it feeds on Blue Silver Grass. So, we only need to search places where Blue Silver Grass grows densely. The growth of Blue Silver Grass can also produce a little spiritual energy."

"Then aren't these rhinoceroses already on the Way to Death?"

Ning Bei was happy that they would not have to wander around like headless flies. He nodded, silently mocked them, and followed Chen Xin deeper into the forest.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered several spirit beasts that did not know their place. Chen Xin merely released a trace of his aura, and they fled in fright.

Before long, the two found a valley. It was noticeably brighter than the path they had taken, indicating that much Blue Silver Grass grew there.

The two continued deeper into the valley and found several spirit beasts standing in place, lowering their heads to chew on the Blue Silver Grass beneath them. They were precisely the Spirit Devouring Rhinoceroses they sought.

"We found them. To determine a Spirit Devouring Rhinoceros's age, look at the length of its tail. A tail under one hundred years old will not exceed ten centimeters. After that, it grows another ten centimeters every hundred years."

Having found their target, Chen Xin explained how to judge a Spirit Devouring Rhinoceros's age to Ning Bei.

Following Chen Xin's method, Ning Bei calculated the tail lengths of the several Spirit Devouring Rhinoceroses and found that one was nearly four hundred years old.

"That one, Sword Grandfather."

"Alright."

As Chen Xin spoke, he vanished from Ning Bei's side. In the next instant, he appeared above their target's head, moving so fast that Ning Bei clicked his tongue in amazement.

"A Titled Douluo... terrifying indeed."

With one punch, he knocked out the unlucky Spirit Devouring Rhinoceros, grabbed it, and returned to Ning Bei's side, tossing the prey to the ground. The entire process took less than three seconds.

Ning Bei watched with a face full of envy, but as a small support-type Soul Master, this kind of Battle method was ultimately beyond his reach.

Chen Xin took an exquisite dagger from his ring and handed it to Ning Bei.

"Bei Er, its eyes are its weak point. Go on."

Ning Bei took the dagger and swallowed hard. Between his past life and this one, he had never even killed a chicken.

After five minutes of mental preparation, Ning Bei closed his eyes and ended the Spirit Devouring Rhinoceros's life with a single strike. A yellow spirit ring floated up from the corpse.

"Release your Martial Soul, then try using your Soul Power to guide the spirit ring."

Ning Bei immediately did as he was told. The spirit ring seemed drawn to the Pill Pagoda and slowly settled around its body.

An hour passed quietly. Ning Bei opened his eyes and looked at the Light Yellow spirit ring on his Martial Soul, an excited smile appearing on his face.

Seeing that Ning Bei had finished absorbing the spirit ring, Chen Xin stepped forward and asked:

"How was it, Bei Er? What is your Soul Skill like?"