Yang Podi looked rather serious. "Dad, although you might find it unbelievable, I really do feel something in Sunset Forest drawing me strongly toward it. I've always suspected that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was in Sunset Forest, and the deductions I've made from ancient texts have only made me more certain."
"You have to trust my instincts and deductions. I think there must be a great treasure in Sunset Forest."
Pressed until he had little choice, Yang Podi finally revealed the matter of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. After all, this was his own father, someone he could trust relatively well.
Yang Zhentian now looked somewhat serious. "Have you thought about what exactly the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is? Ancient texts do record it, but the conditions required for it to form are almost impossible."
"Since you say it can't exist, why would ancient texts record it? Don't forget, the Douluo Continent is a place where many miracles happen. Take the Lake of Life in the center of the Star Dou Great Forest, for example. In many people's eyes, that's a miracle of life too."
"Fine, son, I can't win an argument with you. But have you thought about how exactly we're supposed to find the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"
"I think, since there's no news of anything like it anywhere on the continent, that means the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is somewhere extremely well hidden, or somewhere extremely safe. But don't forget, based on its characteristics, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would be somewhere highly poisonous, especially somewhere with a natural barrier of poisonous miasma."
Hearing this, Yang Zhentian considered it for a moment, then actually took a map of Sunset Forest out of his Soul Tool.
"Since you have a map of Sunset Forest, why didn't you take it out sooner? We'd have been much safer."
Yang Zhentian adopted an instructive tone. "Sunset Forest has already been explored by plenty of people. What's so strange about there being a map? But there are many Soul Beasts in the forest, and many of them have no fixed abode. A map can only serve as a reference."
"Remember this. In any Soul Beast forest, a map is only a reference. Don't look at anything other than the basic terrain. Otherwise, you'll fall into a fixed way of thinking, assuming that a certain place is safe or that it has powerful Soul Beasts, and overlook sudden attacks. Surprise attacks are the most frightening thing in a Soul Beast forest."
Hearing this, Yang Podi began recalling what had happened since they entered Sunset Forest. Many Soul Beast attacks really had caught them off guard, especially that Titan Giant Python. There was even less chance of it being marked on a map, or the major sects would have surrounded and attacked it long ago. Even the Purple-Eyed Demon Tiger he had encountered had appeared without warning.
In a Soul Beast forest, especially a high-level one, the most frightening things were the unpredictable Soul Beasts of all kinds, whose attacks were impossible to guard against completely.
"I understand. I'll be very careful whenever I enter a Soul Beast forest from now on."
The two then began studying the map. Its markings were extremely simple, showing only mountains, rivers, and the like in certain places, without specifically marking where any powerful Soul Beasts were.
Looking at the map, Yang Podi couldn't help grumbling inwardly. No wonder his dad hadn't taken it out. Following this map, they would one hundred percent end up stuck in the forest, and the danger would probably increase substantially too.
But after studying the map carefully, his dad began explaining it to Yang Podi.
"Take a look too. These spots I've marked should be places we've already passed through. There's absolutely no need to explore the forest's outer edges. That leaves only the unexplored areas as possible locations, especially places that aren't clearly marked on the map."
"Isn't this map a little too vague? I feel dizzy just looking at it. Besides, what are you basing those markings on?"
Hearing this, Yang Zhentian couldn't help smiling. "Son, let me teach you another principle. The only point of reference in the Soul Hunting Forest is the sun overhead. No matter which direction we travel in, we have to remember how far we've gone. That way, we can form a rough outline in our minds. Otherwise, we're bound to get lost in the forest."
"For example, we've traveled about three and a half kilometers from that swamp to our current position, heading forty degrees southeast. Based on our route over the past few days, I estimate we're at this point on the map, with a margin of error of no more than three kilometers in any direction."
As he finished, he pointed to a spot on the map.
Hearing this, Yang Podi couldn't help grumbling inwardly. There's actually this much to learn about training in a Soul Beast forest? I was a proper junior college graduate in my previous life. Why do I feel like an illiterate now?
Then Yang Zhentian added earnestly, "You're still young, and there's plenty you need to learn. You can learn it little by little from now on."
Looking at his dad's smug expression, Yang Podi was speechless. His own dad had actually managed to show off in front of him.
Over the following days, the two continued searching Sunset Forest. They even found several poison-type Soul Beasts, most notably a Man Faced Demon Spider over forty thousand years old, which chased them for quite a while and left them in a sorry state. His dad even lost his bearings.
By the time they stopped, they had reached an unknown location.
Yang Podi looked around at their surroundings. "Dad, don't you think there's something strange about this place?"
"Son, please don't say that. If we run into another high-level Soul Beast, the two of us will be in trouble."
Yang Podi was speechless. Why does it feel like we've both become birds startled by the twang of a bowstring?
"Dad, carefully sense our surroundings. Doesn't something seem off?"
Yang Zhentian activated his Soul Power and carefully probed their surroundings. He only felt that the range of his probing seemed much shorter than usual, and there seemed to be a strange scent in the surrounding air, something he had never encountered before.
Then Yang Zhentian carefully sniffed the air and confirmed that it did indeed contain a mild toxin.
"Son, something really is wrong around here. This place is extremely remote. Judging by the growth of the surrounding flowers and plants, no one should have been here before. Looking at the terrain, there seems to be a volcano nearby."
"And I think there seems to be a toxin in the air that we've never encountered before. If we stay too long, it could harm our bodies."
"Dad, do you know what kind of toxin it is? What attributes does it have?"
After carefully investigating for a moment, his dad couldn't help speaking. "Why does this toxin feel so strange? It has both freezing ice and blazing fire attributes. How did those two attributes get mixed together?"
Hearing this, Yang Podi was ecstatic. "Dad, don't forget what we came here mainly to find!"
Hearing his son's words, Yang Zhentian couldn't help swallowing. "You mean the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is nearby?"
"Dad, there probably isn't any Soul Beast in this world that can produce a toxin with both ice and fire attributes at once. Our destination, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, should be nearby."