Chapter 33: Arrival at the Star Dou Forest

Three days later, Star Dou Forest. Chen Xin and Tian Lin had already arrived at the outskirts of the Soul beast gathering area. The day Tian Lin returned to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan to share the news of his breakthrough to rank 20, both Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin, along with everyone else, were completely stunned—just like his parents had been. It had only been a little over a month since Chen Xin returned from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and yet Tian Lin had broken through another bottleneck. Chen Xin was so shocked that he suspected Tian Lin had used some kind of shortcut or unnatural method. Fortunately, after thorough testing, they discovered Tian Lin's soul power was both pure and dense, clearly gained through normal cultivation. Only then did Chen Xin feel reassured. Although Tian Lin's cultivation speed seemed almost inhuman, considering it was him, it somehow didn't seem so impossible. And so, with Gu Rong looking as sour as if he had drunk vinegar, Chen Xin smugly took Tian Lin to hunt for his second soul ring. It was easy to imagine that Gu Rong would soon start training Gu Ran even harder. After all, Gu Rong had spent his entire life being outdone by Chen Xin. Now, his disciple would also be overshadowed by Chen Xin's disciple—how could he take it? However, Chen Xin also had his worries about his disciple. The reason was simple: Tian Lin was too bold. "Xiao Tian, are you planning to absorb a millennium soul ring? Based on my assessment of your mental strength and physical condition, even with the assistance of your Holy Breath Domain, a soul beast around 900 years would be the optimal choice. I'm almost certain your success rate would be 100%." "But once the soul beast reaches a thousand years, it's a completely different matter. The success rate would drop to less than 60%." Tian Lin smiled calmly. "Sixty percent? That's still more than half. Being a soul master is a dangerous profession—there's no reward without risk." In reality, Tian Lin's boldness stemmed from another reason: the Nuwa Emperor Meditation Method. Ever since he switched to cultivating this top-tier meditation technique, his soul power had become astonishingly pure. In terms of quality, his rank-one soul power was equivalent to one and a half to two ranks of a typical soul master at the same level. Thus, Tian Lin's actual combat ability was already comparable to that of a high-level rank 27–28 Soul Grandmaster. After absorbing his second soul ring, he might even be able to contend with rank 30 Soul Elders. "No reward without risk, huh? Well said. If that's the case, I won't try to dissuade you anymore. But remember—no matter what happens, you must persevere," Chen Xin said, his eyes glinting with affection. Having no children of his own, Chen Xin regarded Tian Lin as his only disciple, and he had already decided to pass everything he knew down to him. "Don't worry, Master. Now, we just need to decide what kind of soul beast to hunt. My target this time is a fire attribute beast. I've thought of a few options: Flame Lord, Blazing Arrow Eagle, Magma Gorilla, and Earth King. What do you think?" Tian Lin listed a few creatures, but Chen Xin shook his head at all of them. "If your goal was a soul beast around 900 years old, these would indeed be good choices. But since you're aiming for a millennium soul beast, these are far too aggressive." The more aggressive a soul beast, the more violent its soul ring would be—though its soul skill would also be stronger. While Chen Xin had agreed to let Tian Lin absorb a millennium soul ring, that didn't mean he wasn't worried. This time, he planned to find a soul beast with a relatively gentle temperament and low aggression. After all, Tian Lin only needed the attribute contained within the soul ring. "Ah, I think I know just the one," Chen Xin said suddenly. As the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's Sword Douluo, Chen Xin wasn't particularly fond of studying soul beasts. However, under Ning Fengzhi's influence, he still knew more than most. It didn't take him long to think of a suitable candidate. With that, Chen Xin grabbed Tian Lin and flew off in a specific direction on his sword. The surrounding temperature gradually began to rise. It was clear that they were entering a region favored by fire-attribute soul beasts. "Master, what kind of soul beast are you taking me to hunt?" Tian Lin couldn't contain his curiosity. "The Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast," Chen Xin replied. "Purple Flame? Does that mean purple-colored flames? Is the purple flame due to its high temperature, or does it have some special ability that gives it that color?" Tian Lin asked, posing a critical question. The distinction was significant. If it were the first case, it would mean that the Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast's fire attribute energy was incredibly strong. The color of a flame is determined by its temperature. As the temperature increases, the flame shifts from red and orange (around 3,000 degrees) to yellow and white (around 4,000 degrees), to cyan and blue (5,000–6,000 degrees), and finally to purple (over 7,000 degrees). A purple flame generated purely by temperature would be no trivial matter. Unfortunately, Chen Xin shook his head. If that were the case, he wouldn't bring his disciple to hunt such a dangerous soul beast. "The Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast's flames are purple because they are a type of poison fire. However, this poison fire isn't lethal—it only serves one purpose: sealing the soul power of its target," Chen Xin explained. In other words, the Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast's offensive capabilities were quite weak. Absorbing such a soul ring would indeed be much safer for Tian Lin. "Tian Lin, be cautious later. While the Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast isn't strong in combat, it has two notable traits. First, it's highly intelligent. Second, it's extremely vigilant. With its golden eyes, it can see everything within several kilometers—even the number of legs on a mosquito." "Because of these two traits, it often serves as a tactical advisor for physically strong but less intelligent species, like the Magma Gorilla you mentioned earlier." "So, to hunt the Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast, we'll likely have to deal with an entire group of soul beasts, right?" Tian Lin deduced. "Exactly. The Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast is cunning and ruthless, willing to do anything to achieve its goals. Several beast tides in the Star Dou Forest were orchestrated by ten-thousand-year-old Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beasts," Chen Xin said. Due to Ning Fengzhi's influence, he didn't believe raw power was everything. Sometimes, intelligence was far more dangerous than strength. "Fortunately, the one we're hunting is only a thousand years old, so its intelligence shouldn't be that developed," Chen Xin added as they landed on the ground. As mentioned earlier, the Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast's greatest strengths were its intelligence and vision. Flying in midair would make them too conspicuous. The two walked through the forest. They were still in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest, where the soul beasts weren't particularly strong. Most were at ten or a hundred years of cultivation, with the strongest barely reaching a thousand years. Thanks to the presence of the Sword Douluo, even the most ferocious soul beasts didn't dare attack them. However, Tian Lin soon noticed something unusual. "Master, don't you think there are too many soul beasts around us?" When they had gone to the Spirit Hunting Forest before, the sharp aura of the Sword Douluo had scared away weaker soul beasts, preventing them from even approaching. Could the soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest—at the same level—really be so much stronger? Chen Xin smiled faintly, pleased with his disciple's keen observation. "You're right—there are too many. Rather than fearing me, it's more like they're circling us but not attacking." "It seems the Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast has already noticed us!"