Moving into the Core Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest

Lan Hong raised a hand and summoned five Spirit Rings—red, blue, purple, green, and yellow.

"Eh? Lan Hong, what's going on with your Spirit Rings? Why are they so colorful?"

"Is that all you're paying attention to?"

"No, that's not right. I can't sense any resentment from Spirit Beasts in your Spirit Rings! You're also a Shapeshifted Spirit Beast, and your Spirit Rings are Self-Condensed Soul Rings!

That's not right either! You don't have even the slightest aura of a Spirit Beast. You definitely aren't a Shapeshifted Spirit Beast!"

Er Ming understood even less. His ape brain was already full of question marks.

In essence, Spirit Rings were formed from the condensed bloodline power and souls of Spirit Beasts after death, so they would inevitably carry the resentment of the Spirit Beasts before they died.

In Spirit Rings that were a thousand years old or less, the souls left behind by the Spirit Beasts were incomplete, so they could not produce Soul Impact.

However, Spirit Rings over ten thousand years old retained the complete souls of Spirit Beasts, which was what caused Soul Impact on Spirit Masters.

The souls of hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts could even lie dormant within their Spirit Rings without being completely erased by Spirit Masters.

Lan Hong had displayed his Spirit Rings to prove that he had not killed Spirit Beasts for Spirit Rings. This would not only reduce Da Ming and Er Ming's hostility, but also make them realize his value, laying the foundation for future cooperation.

"Lan Hong! You condensed your Spirit Rings yourself? I remember now. You asked me for blood before—it was for Self-Condensed Soul Rings, wasn't it?"

"That's right!"

"If every Spirit Master could condense their own Spirit Rings, then Spirit Masters wouldn't need to kill Spirit Beasts!"

"It's not as simple as you think! But changing the current situation where Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts slaughter each other is my goal!"

"Lan Hong! You're amazing!"

Xiao Wu threw herself at Lan Hong again and hugged him tightly. Helpless, Lan Hong patted her back.

"Da Ming, Er Ming, Lan Hong is my best friend. You can't bully him, understand?"

"Human! We'll listen to Sister Xiao Wu, but you'd better not let us find out that you have any ill intentions. Otherwise..."

The Sky Azure Bull Python's threat was obvious, but Lan Hong did not mind. For now, gaining Da Ming and Er Ming's trust was enough.

"Xiao Wu, there's something else I need to tell you!"

"Hm? What do you want to say?"

"Two other companions came to the Star Dou Great Forest with me. One is Dugu Yan, whom I told you about before. The other is a student I've taken in, named Zhu Zhuqing!"

"The two girls from when you registered at Shrek Academy!"

"Yeah! It's them! Hm? Xiao Wu, what kind of look is that?"

"Lan Hong, answer me honestly. Do you like them big?"

Clang! Lan Hong raised his hand and smacked Xiao Wu.

"Ow! Why did you hit me? Feeling guilty?"

"I was knocking some sense into you! What nonsense are you thinking about? Look at how strong you are now! You can't even beat that Tang San, can you?"

"Who says I can't? I can beat him up every day!"

"That's only because he lets you! Can you dodge Tang San's Hidden Weapons? He's also an expert at using poison! If you really fought, do you think you'd be his match?"

Although Xiao Wu was unconvinced, what Lan Hong said was true. Xiao Wu knew all too well about Tang San's various methods. If she truly fought Tang San, she definitely would not be able to beat him.

"Next, I'll bring them here. For some time afterward, I'll guide all of you in your cultivation! You're not allowed to slack off anymore!"

"I haven't been slacking off! After you left, I cultivated seriously every day and read lots of books. I'm not who I used to be!"

"Good! You can be taught! Wait here for me!"

"Okay!"

Lan Hong turned and left. At that moment, Da Ming's voice sounded again.

"Sister Xiao Wu, can this human be trusted?"

"Da Ming, what do you think?"

"I truly did not sense any malice from him. His aura is very pure! If he did not lack the aura of a Spirit Beast, I would definitely think he was a Shapeshifted Spirit Beast."

"I believe in him! Maybe he really can do it—make humans and Spirit Beasts stop killing each other!"

"That's too difficult! It's almost impossible!"

"Even so, I believe in him!"

Lan Hong returned to the camp on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. By then, Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan had already awakened.

Only upon seeing Lan Hong return safely did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"That's great, you're okay! What exactly happened? Why were the Spirit Beasts causing such a huge disturbance just now?"

"It's a long story! This isn't the time to talk about that. Pack your things and come with me!"

Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan did not ask any more questions. After packing up the camp, they followed Lan Hong deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Teacher, are we going to the Core Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"Mm! We'll be cultivating there from now on! Don't worry about safety. Whatever you see afterward, don't be surprised, and don't ask questions either. Understood?"

"Yes, Teacher!"

There was no danger along the way. The surrounding Spirit Beasts had all been frightened away by the battle between the Titan Giant Ape, the Sky Azure Bull Python, and Tang Hao.

Before long, Lan Hong brought Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan to meet up with Xiao Wu.

"Let me introduce you. This is my good friend, Xiao Wu!

This is my student, Zhu Zhuqing, and this is Dugu Yan!"

"Hello, I'm Xiao Wu—Wu as in dancing! Follow me!"

Xiao Wu led the way. Before long, they arrived beside a lake called Star Lake, Da Ming's habitat.

This was completely different from the Lake of Life in the Land of Great Dread.

"What a beautiful place. There's actually such a beautiful place in the Star Dou Great Forest!"

"Pretty, right? I picked this place myself!"

At that moment, the ground began to tremble as the Titan Giant Ape's mountain-like body appeared.

At the sight of such an enormous Spirit Beast, Dugu Yan immediately went pale, while Zhu Zhuqing was not doing much better.

"Don't be nervous! He won't hurt you!"

"Er Ming! Why are you running around instead of recovering from your injuries?"

"Sister Xiao Wu, I brought you some food!"

The Titan Giant Ape set down a huge pile of fruit. With his massive body, picking fruit could not have been easy for him.

"Alright, alright! Thank you! Go recover properly. Sister Xiao Wu still needs you two to protect her!"

"Mm!"

Er Ming then went to sleep on the other side of the lake.

"Lan Hong, what exactly is going on?"

"I told you, don't ask anything! We'll be cultivating here from now on!"

"Alright!"

Xiao Wu walked over at that moment.

"Sorry, Er Ming scared you. Don't worry, they won't hurt you. The fruit Er Ming brought is delicious—give it a try!"

"Thank you!"

Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan did their best to accept the situation before them.

Meanwhile, without Xiao Wu, Tang San seemed to have lost his soul, and the others were also somewhat frightened.

With no other choice, Zhao Wuji had to personally take Oscar to find a Spirit Ring. There would be no more cultivation training.

Perhaps it was fate. Oscar's third Spirit Ring still came from a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, though whether it was the same one from the original story was impossible to know.