Star Dou Great Forest

"All right, since you don't mind, let's talk about how we're going to act!" Having stopped dwelling on it, Hu Jiu readily began discussing how to hunt Lightning Rabbits with Xiao Wu.

In a few more days, the academy would be on break again. Hu Jiu decided to use that time to obtain his Third Soul Ring.

Ever since that unpleasant exchange with Grandmaster, Hu Jiu had consciously concealed his soul power cultivation. So far, the academy only knew that he was a Soul Grandmaster; they had no information on his exact level.

And for this Soul Ring hunt, he did not intend to let the academy know—or rather, he did not want Grandmaster to know.

After all, the academy could not offer much help when it came to obtaining Soul Rings.

"Let's go to the Star Dou Great Forest!" Xiao Wu suddenly said.

Seeing Hu Jiu's puzzled gaze, she looked away and lowered her head, refusing to let him see her expression. "I never told you this, but I'm actually an orphan. I grew up in the Star Dou Great Forest. A giant ape and an ox python raised me."

"To me, the Star Dou Great Forest is my home. I'm familiar with everything there, including the Lightning Rabbits you're looking for. I know where to find them."

Xiao Wu's words filled Hu Jiu's eyes with pity.

He gazed deeply at Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Wu, no, little sister, you're not an orphan. My mom is your mom, my dad is your dad, and there's me too. I'm your brother!"

So Xiao Wu was an orphan! Hu Jiu took a deep breath and silently etched that fact firmly into his heart.

"Brother!" Xiao Wu raised her head delicately and replied in a low voice.

The atmosphere gradually thickened...

A few days later, the annual holiday arrived.

Hu Jiu, Xiao Wu, and Tang San left the academy together and returned to Holy Soul Village.

Xiao Wu's arrival made Emma very happy. In private, she even gave Hu Jiu a thumbs-up.

But a few days later, Emma was no longer happy.

"What did you say? You want to leave with Xiao Wu for a while?" Without a second thought, Emma flatly refused. "No. You're still too young. You're not going anywhere. Stay home and behave."

That year, Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu were a little over eight years old. Because they were soul masters, their bodies had developed quickly, and they had already grown into a young man and young woman.

But in Emma's eyes, that was still unacceptable. No matter how grown-up they looked, they were only eight. At that age, they should be attending school and cultivating properly. How could she let them run off somewhere? Besides, she could not bear to part with them.

Helpless, seeing how firm she was, Hu Jiu could only tell her the truth. "Mom, it's not that we want to leave. We have to. My cultivation has reached a bottleneck, and I have to obtain a Soul Ring before I can continue improving. This concerns my cultivation, so I have no choice but to go!"

After much persuasion, Hu Jiu finally convinced Emma and had her keep his Soul Power Level a secret. Thirty levels of soul power at the age of eight was far too conspicuous; he needed to keep a low profile at all times.

Once Emma had been convinced, the rest was simple.

Without saying goodbye to Tang San, Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu quietly left Holy Soul Village early the next morning and headed for the Star Dou Great Forest.

Xiao Wu said she would handle everything concerning this Soul Ring. Hu Jiu did not need to do anything but follow her.

Tang San could not come along either. According to Xiao Wu, one more person meant one more danger. The Star Dou Great Forest was unlike other places; even she, who had lived there since childhood, had to proceed with caution.

But Hu Jiu felt that Xiao Wu was lying. She simply wanted to be alone with him, to enjoy their own little world together.

Unfortunately, Hu Jiu did not dare say that aloud.

As they hurried along, Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu both changed their appearances using Transformation Skills, making themselves look utterly ordinary.

Sure enough, no more troublesome incidents occurred.

After rushing nonstop, they reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest ten days later.

"Xiao Jiu, watch our surroundings. We'll enter the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest first, then I'll have Er Ming come pick us up." Upon arriving at the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Wu seemed as happy as if she had returned home. Well, this really was her home.

"Mm, don't worry. With my Perception Ability, aside from a very few Soul Beasts skilled at hiding, no one can escape my senses."

The Level 8 Five Senses Strengthening Technique allowed Hu Jiu to detect the aura of Soul Beasts in advance. Especially in such a complex environment, it was like a fish in water.

This was Hu Jiu's first time in the Star Dou Great Forest. Compared to the Soul Hunting Forest he had visited before, Soul Beasts were much more densely distributed here, and their strength was on an entirely different level.

Hundred Year Soul Beasts were everywhere in the Star Dou Great Forest, and Thousand Year Soul Beasts were no longer rare.

It could be said that Thousand Year Soul Beasts were everywhere, while Hundred Year Soul Beasts were less common than dogs. The comparison was not exaggerated in the slightest.

As Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu ventured deeper, stronger Soul Beasts began to appear. In only half a day, scattered Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts had already entered Hu Jiu's perception range.

Their auras made Hu Jiu's heart turn cold. With his current strength, encountering a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast meant death. He would not even be able to escape.

"Xiao Wu, are we still going? It's so dangerous here." Hu Jiu looked nervously at Xiao Wu, who seemed completely unaware. These Soul Beasts were not standing still. Many of them moved around freely, especially those Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts. Every movement they made left Hu Jiu trembling in fear, afraid that they possessed Perception Ability as well and would discover them in advance.

"Don't worry, Xiao Jiu. When you come here with Sister Xiao Wu, just treat it like coming home. Don't be scared. I'll protect you." Seeing Hu Jiu like this, Xiao Wu found it very amusing. After all, she rarely got to see him this way.

"Stop messing around and contact your good friend Er Ming already!" Hu Jiu rolled his eyes at Xiao Wu irritably.

The Five Senses Strengthening Technique was indeed incredibly effective, but Hu Jiu suffered because of it as well. After all, he could sense beings capable of threatening his life at every moment. It was like a sheep wandering into a pack of wolves, terrified that he might be eaten if he was not careful.

"Hehe, all right, I'll stop teasing you. I already notified Er Ming. He should be heading our way now. Just wait peacefully. Once he gets here, we won't have to worry about safety for much longer." Xiao Wu patted Hu Jiu's shoulder reassuringly.

"All right, then let's find somewhere to rest first." Having traveled for most of the day, Hu Jiu was tired as well.

The main thing was the immense mental pressure. He needed to rest.

"Mm, I'm hungry too. I want carrots!" Xiao Wu rubbed her stomach and said pitifully.

"Eat less, or you'll get fat." Smiling, Hu Jiu made a carrot and casually tossed it to Xiao Wu.

This rabbit was just greedy. How could she actually be hungry? She simply wanted something to snack on!

Finding a secluded spot, Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu rested while waiting for Er Ming to arrive.

As they chatted, Xiao Wu began introducing Da Ming and Er Ming to Hu Jiu.

However, Hu Jiu knew that only ninety percent of what Xiao Wu said was true. The remaining ten percent was false, meant to conceal her identity.