Chapter 28: Star Dou Great Forest
Ruo Ling had no idea about Xiao Wu rejecting Tang San.
In the Pope's Hall's council chamber, Bibi Dong was preparing to take Ruo Ling to obtain his soul ring.
Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena were all present.
"Teacher! Take me with you too! I'm already at level 29, and maybe after training a bit in the Star Dou Great Forest, I'll break through to level 30!" Hu Liena clung to Bibi Dong's arm, acting coquettishly.
Xie Yue and Yan were both a year older than Hu Liena, so their soul power levels were higher—both had already reached level 30, while Hu Liena was still at level 29.
Bibi Dong sighed helplessly. Of course, she knew this was just Hu Liena's excuse.
Her motive was clear as day.
Glancing at Ruo Ling, who stood calm and still beside her, Bibi Dong noticed how much he had matured in a year.
He looked even more handsome now, and with his naturally gentle and refined aura, he could easily be called a "heartthrob for girls."
Bibi Dong knew very well that many female spirit masters in the Spirit Hall admired Ruo Ling.
Even Xie Yue glanced over at his sister helplessly—only a year, and she was already smitten.
He turned to look at Ruo Ling and had to admit that the boy was indeed more handsome than him, and that aura of his only made it worse.
"Teacher, why not let Senior Sister come with us? We're only hunting thousand-year soul beasts, so we won't go too deep into the forest. It won't be dangerous," Ruo Ling suggested.
Hu Liena's face lit up instantly. She knew just how fond their teacher was of Ruo Ling—his requests were rarely refused.
"Very well, she can come," Bibi Dong sighed, then glared at Hu Liena. "But when we get to the Star Dou Great Forest, you'd better focus and train properly!"
"Last time in the Soul Hunting Forest, your performance was terrible! Even Xiao Ling did better than you!"
"That's only because little brother Ruo Ling's martial spirit is so abnormal…" Hu Liena mumbled under her breath.
"What was that?" Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow.
Hu Liena immediately shut up.
In the end, the group heading to the Star Dou Great Forest was set: Bibi Dong, Ghost Douluo, and Ruo Ling—four in total.
The reason for bringing Ghost Douluo was simple. As a Titled Douluo with a dark attribute, his abilities would greatly help Ruo Ling during soul hunting.
It was a special favor from Bibi Dong to her prized student.
...
Three days later.
A carriage arrived at the spirit master gathering point outside the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ruo Ling lifted the curtain and looked ahead. The vast stretch of forest beyond the settlement was majestic beyond words.
Compared to this, the Soul Hunting Forest was nothing but a backyard grove.
Towering trees rose into the clouds, their crowns shrouded in mist. From above came faint cries of unknown flying soul beasts.
"What do you think?" a soft voice asked from beside him.
Ruo Ling turned to see Bibi Dong smiling at him.
"It's magnificent," Ruo Ling replied.
"Little Ling, this must be your first time in the Star Dou Great Forest, right?"
"Yes."
"How much do you know about the Star Dou Great Forest?" Bibi Dong asked suddenly, testing him.
Ruo Ling raised an eyebrow. Though he had never been there, the Spirit Hall's library contained plenty of records.
Recalling what he had read, he began to speak:
"The Star Dou Great Forest is one of the continent's three most famous habitats for wild soul beasts, also known as the Forbidden Land for Humans.
The forest spans both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Its terrain is complex and teeming with wild soul beasts."
"Hmm, the forest is divided into several zones based on the age of the soul beasts—the Peripheral Zone, the Outer Ring, the Mixed Zone, the Core Zone, and the Land of Ferocity.
Each zone has beasts of different ages, but occasionally high-level ones appear near the edges."
"That's roughly how it's divided. Teacher, did I get it right?" he asked.
Bibi Dong blinked. She realized some of the details he mentioned were things even she had never heard before—such elaborate divisions of territory were new to her.
This was, in fact, the first time she'd learned the forest could be categorized in so much detail.
"Ahem." Bibi Dong cleared her throat, hiding her slight embarrassment. "You did quite well. Where did you find this information?"
She looked at Ruo Ling curiously.
"In the library, of course," Ruo Ling replied casually.
He noticed the faint awkwardness in her eyes and almost laughed. It seemed she hadn't known those details before. Still, he wouldn't embarrass his teacher openly.
"Then explain the divisions more specifically," Bibi Dong said, regaining her composure and trying to sound authoritative again.
"The Peripheral Zone mainly has ten-year soul beasts. The Outer Ring ranges from ten to a thousand years, occasionally with ten-thousand-year beasts. The Mixed Zone mostly holds ten-thousand-year beasts. The Core Zone contains beasts over fifty-thousand or even a hundred-thousand years old."
"As for the Land of Ferocity…" Ruo Ling paused, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Bibi Dong.
She was listening intently, comparing his description to her own understanding. Everything sounded reasonable. Just as she was about to hear his explanation of the Land of Ferocity, she realized he was looking at her with a teasing smile.
Her face reddened slightly—he had clearly seen through her act.
For a moment, she froze but quickly masked it with a stern expression, glaring at him sharply as if to say, You saw nothing.
Ruo Ling chuckled lightly and continued as if nothing had happened.
"The Land of Ferocity is where soul beasts over a hundred-thousand years gather. The records I found didn't say much about it, but one thing's clear—it's a forbidden zone within the forbidden zone."
"I had no idea the Star Dou Great Forest had so many divisions," Hu Liena said innocently, oblivious to the subtle tension between teacher and student.
"Correct!" Bibi Dong chimed in immediately. "The forest is extremely complex. The last time I brought you all here, we only reached the outer ring.
Even there, ten-thousand-year beasts can appear, so you must all stay alert when we enter!"
"Yes, Teacher!" Hu Liena nodded earnestly.
Ruo Ling watched quietly, saying nothing more.
By the time their conversation ended, the carriage had reached the edge of the forest.
From here, they could go no further by carriage—they would have to walk.
Around them were many other spirit masters, all glancing curiously at the Spirit Hall entourage.
Bibi Dong descended first, her face masked so that no one could recognize her.
Ruo Ling and the others followed behind, faces uncovered.
The moment they stepped down, they drew attention—especially Ruo Ling and Hu Liena.
His elegance and calm demeanor contrasted perfectly with her golden-haired charm.
Even though Xie Yue was handsome himself, he was clearly overshadowed by Ruo Ling.
As for Yan… he was practically invisible.
Ignoring the stares from others, Bibi Dong led the group forward, leaving the carriage at the post station before guiding them into the forest.
(END CHAPTER)
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