On the main road leading from the Heaven Dou Empire to the Star Luo Empire!
A caravan of over a dozen carriages traveled in a line from the Heaven Dou Empire toward the Star Luo Empire.
Inside the second carriage, Li Jin sat by the window with an ancient book in his hands.
The ancient book had come from Yu Xiaogang's Storage Soul Tool and originated from Spirit Hall. It contained detailed descriptions of various Soul Beasts, including their names, ages, skills, and more.
Li Jin had nothing else to do. Since he was heading to the Star Dou Great Forest and happened to have a book on the subject, he casually browsed through it.
Suddenly!
Li Jin noticed everyone else in the carriage growing tense and asked in confusion,
"Boss Phelps, why are you all so nervous?"
Phelps was the owner of the caravan. Hearing Li Jin's question, he patiently explained,
"Young Brother Li Jin, you may not know this, but Black Wind Ridge lies ahead. It's the true border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Both empires fear the outbreak of war, so their armies don't dare set foot there lightly. That's turned it into a paradise for outlaws."
"Caravans like ours are fat sheep in those outlaws' eyes. That's why we're being so vigilant."
"The Douluo Continent isn't as peaceful as it looks on the surface. Young Brother Li Jin, after you graduate from the Soul Master Academy, you must put caution first in everything you do. You can't keep that innocent academy mindset, or you'll suffer badly for it."
Phelps spoke with earnest concern, and he had also been willing to give him a ride to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Grateful for his help, Li Jin smiled and reassured him,
"Boss Phelps, you can put your hearts back in your bellies. With me here, your journey will definitely be safe and sound."
Phelps smiled, but he did not lower his guard.
"Then let's hope your auspicious words come true."
Meanwhile, in a bandit stronghold deep within Black Wind Ridge!
From the stronghold's gates all the way into its depths, mountain bandits, brigands, and robbers lay sprawled every which way, clutching their stomachs and howling. A foul stench filled the entire stronghold.
In the assembly hall!
The stronghold's leader, Overlord Tiger Zhou Tong, clutched his stomach and roared, his expression so ugly that he looked ready to eat someone alive.
"Son of a bitch! The whole stronghold is down! Can someone fucking tell me who's trying to screw me over?"
Just then, a lean, wiry middle-aged man clutched his stomach and scrambled into the assembly hall.
With a mournful face, he said:
"Boss, we've figured it out. Nobody was trying to harm us. Some of the brothers picked red mushrooms in the mountains. They were bright red and looked fresh, so they had the cook add them to the soup. The brothers drank the mushroom soup, and they all got poisoned."
Zhou Tong's eyes went round and his mouth fell open. He had thought that, at the very least, a rival stronghold or one of the two empires had plotted against them to wipe them out.
Yet their entire stronghold had been taken down by nothing more than a pot of poisonous mushroom soup.
If word got out, would he, Overlord Tiger Zhou Tong, have any face left? How would he keep making his way in the underworld?
They had planned to go robbing today, but now they could not even leave their stronghold.
"Bastards! Chop the heads off every one of those mushroom-picking bastards! If anyone ever picks mushrooms in the mountains again, I'll have his head!"
Zhou Tong gave the order through gritted teeth.
A while later!
The caravan reached a place not far from the Star Dou Great Forest.
Boss Phelps specifically had the caravan stop. Pointing toward the Star Dou Great Forest, he explained to Li Jin:
"Young Brother Li Jin, just head that way. You'll reach the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest in less than ten minutes."
"We're heading to the Star Luo Empire, so this is as far as we can take you."
Li Jin thanked him with a smile, then set off alone for the Star Dou Great Forest.
With Soul Power in his body, he felt no fatigue even after walking for ten minutes. The surrounding forest grew denser, and the mist among the trees thickened. The smell of earth mingled with the scent of rotting branches and fallen leaves and washed over him.
This was the Star Dou Great Forest!
Spanning the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, it covered a vast area and abounded in Soul Beasts. It was both a paradise for Soul Masters and a forbidden land for them.
As a Soul Scholar without a Soul Ring, Li Jin entered the Star Dou Great Forest looking utterly at ease, as though on an outing, without the slightest tension.
"What Soul Beast will my first Soul Ring come from? I really can't wait!"
Li Jin's eyes sparkled.
My name was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!
I came from the Far North and belonged to its weakest clan, the Ice Silkworm Clan. Aside from a Simulation skill, I had no abilities worth showing off.
I fell in love with a Soul Beast. She was the Ice Silkworm Clan's natural enemy, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
To catch sight of her, I was always lingering near the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan's territory.
That day, I went to peek at the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion as usual.
But the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion discovered me. Although I loved her deeply, I did not want to become her food.
Pursued by the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, I fled and fled and fled, until I accidentally fell into a crevice.
There was an endless supply of ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow there. I could not get out, so every day I just ate and ate and ate. Once I was full, I slept; once I had slept enough, I ate.
After who knew how long, I ate all the ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow in the crevice, and my cultivation reached 990,000 years.
That day, the ice broke apart, and I drifted out to sea with it. I had no idea how long I drifted or where I ended up.
Until a group of terrifying creatures captured me and gazed greedily at my plump, succulent body.
Those creatures imprisoned me after capturing me and began extracting the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi I had accumulated in my body from eating ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow.
I raged, I hated them, but when I cried to heaven, heaven did not answer; when I cried to earth, earth gave no response.
As a 990,000-year Soul Beast, I had advanced by eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. My combat ability was close to nonexistent.
Just when I thought my fate was to be devoured by those terrifying creatures until nothing remained.
I suddenly entered a state of enlightenment, rapidly refining the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi accumulated within my body and leaping straight into the ranks of million-year Soul Beasts.
Although I had become a million-year Soul Beast, I was still the same Sky Dream Ice Silkworm whose combat ability was close to nonexistent.
I could not beat those terrifying creatures.
But I could escape.
I used my Simulation ability to create a false body, deceiving those terrifying creatures by hiding the sea-crossing from heaven itself.
Then my true body escaped that mysterious space.
I wanted freedom, I wanted to go home, I wanted Bingbing.
But there was still one problem. The false body created with my Simulation ability could fool them for a while, but not forever.
To escape the Star Dou Great Forest, I needed to pull the wool over heaven's eyes once more.
I discovered a human child. That child's fate was peculiar. He enjoyed the protection of heaven and earth, and providence concealed every piece of information about him.
I had a way!
As long as I hid on him, those terrifying creatures would not be able to find me, and I could follow him out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Then I would find a chance to slip away and return to the Far North.
To find my Bingbing.
Plan accomplished!
I really was a little genius!