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The night passed quietly.
At the crack of dawn, with the sky just beginning to brighten, the group set out.
The Star Dou Forest, one of the three major wild soul beast territories on the Douluo Continent, sprawled across both the Star Luo and Heaven Dou Empires. It was a vast, untamed expanse teeming with soul beasts of all kinds.
Even from a distance, a cool, refreshing breeze greeted them, washing away the morning's stillness and leaving them invigorated.
Ning Tian and Zhao Wuji had been here before, so the sight didn't faze them. For Xiao Wu, who'd spent tens of thousands, maybe even a hundred thousand years in this forest, it felt like coming home.
The others, though, were a different story. Tang San included, they looked at their surroundings, their expressions a mix of awe and nervous anticipation, like newcomers stepping into a world far bigger than themselves.
As they reached the forest's edge, the group slowed from a brisk march to a cautious walk. Oscar handed out recovery sausages and detoxifying sausages, a practical precaution for whatever lay ahead.
Ning Tian summoned his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword and took point. They trekked for about an hour with nothing to show for it until Zhao Wuji called for a break.
Another half-hour ticked by before Ning Tian, Zhao Wuji, and Tang San all snapped their heads toward the same direction.
"Something's coming. Stay sharp," Zhao Wuji barked.
Ning Tian moved swiftly to shield Ning Rongrong and Oscar, the team's support soul masters. Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun spreaded out, forming a loose protective ring around them.
'There it is—the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent,' Ning Tian thought, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
Tang San had picked up on it with his Purple Demon Eye, Zhao Wuji with his Spirit Saint level mental strength. Ning Tian, though, owed it to his second martial soul: the Gold Devouring Beetle. Using it drained his soul power and mental energy, but with Tang Hao as a handy power reserve, he'd honed his control over the beetle swarm, sharpening his senses far beyond most soul masters his age.
That said, he had no plans to let Oscar snag this soul ring. A standard thousand-year ring would suit him just fine.
"Tang San, Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Fatty guard Rongrong and Oscar. I'll scout it out," Ning Tian said, channeling soul power into his legs. He leapt up, scaling a nearby tree with practiced ease, and soon spotted the beast: a Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent, roughly seven meters long, with pale red wings shimmering in the dim light.
"It's a Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent, about fifteen hundred years old," he called down. "It's heading our way and something's chasing it."
Zhao Wuji's eyes gleamed. "Perfect for you, Oscar!" He didn't care what was pursuing it, this was the forest's outskirts, far from the haunts of ten-thousand-year beasts.
Ning Tian nodded. "The crest on its head has some unique traits. If Oscar absorbs it, he'll likely gain a speed boost maybe even a flight skill. Plus, it's non-venomous. It just sprays a pink mist to disorient foes, so it's not too dangerous to catch."
He wasn't about to let Tang San steal the show.
Ma Hongjun let out a low whistle. "Boss Ning, you're like a living soul beast guidebook, pinning down its age just like that."
The group shot Ning Tian admiring glances, though Tang San and Oscar simmered quietly. Tang San bristled at being outdone again, while Oscar knew Ning Tian's brilliance only dimmed his own shot at impressing Ning Rongrong. Still, as the one set to gain a soul ring, he couldn't exactly gripe.
As he spoke, the serpent burst into view, wings beating frantically. Without a second thought, Ning Tian launched himself from the tree. His yellow-purple-purple soul rings flared to life, and his third ring pulsed. His body split into three azure shadows, each streaking toward the serpent, sword in hand.
The serpent twisted sharply, dodging the first shadow with a flick of its body. But the second and third were too much. One shadow slashed its wing, sending it spiraling off balance, and the third—Ning Tian himself dropped from above, driving his sword through its back and pinning it to the dirt.
"Done," Ning Tian said, straightening up as the serpent thrashed weakly beneath him.
The group stared, dumbfounded. They hadn't expected the famously elusive Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent to go down so fast.
"Something wrong?" Ning Tian asked, turning to them as the azure glow faded from his frame.
Zhao Wuji shook his head, half-laughing. "Not wrong, just… surprising. That's a Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent. Even Spirit Emperors have a hard time catching one alive."
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun nodded in sync. Ning Tian's skillset was unreal—speed, power, precision, and those wild sword techniques. His three soul rings punched way above their weight.
Tang San's fists tightened, frustration bubbling up. Without his second martial soul or hidden weapons, he knew he couldn't match that.
Xiao Wu stepped up beside Ning Tian, her eyes lingering on the serpent with a flicker of pity. "Do we really have to kill it?"
Ning Tian pointed to the deep wound on its underside. "Someone was already hunting it before us." He tilted his head skyward. "And in this world, soul masters need soul rings to grow. If we don't take it, someone else will."
Xiao Wu's face paled. "There's no other way?"
"Not unless you can rewrite the rules of this place," Ning Tian said, his tone calm but pointed.
He didn't push further, but the question hung there. In the story he knew, Xiao Wu had eventually drifted from her roots, standing by as soul beasts suffered.
Xiao Wu fell quiet, her gaze distant.
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