After breakfast, the group rested for the morning and resumed their journey toward the Great Star Dou Forest when the noon sun was shining brightly.
Gu La had honed his blood qi power, continuously improving his physical prowess. His third soul ring's upper limit was around thirty thousand years.
"Thirty thousand years!?"
Flender couldn't believe his ears, and the others were equally astonished.
Tang San looked dazed. Could he really hope to catch up to such a gap?
Dai Mubai wished he could shrink into himself. His eighteen-hundred-year third soul ring paled in comparison to Gu La's, making the proud third prince of the Star Luo Empire feel utterly uncomfortable.
"That's right."
Gu La still needed Flender's help for hunting soul rings, so he spoke the truth. He wouldn't weaken himself just to hide his strength.
Flender calmed himself and, after a while, asked, "Do you have any specific ideas? I know a few locations where ten-thousand-year earth-attribute spirit beasts reside since I've helped friends hunt soul rings before."
Gu La had already foreseen this moment and waited for Flender to ask.
"The superior variant of the Earth Bear—a Ground Demon Bear."
A flicker of surprise crossed Flender's eyes. "What a coincidence! I happen to know the location of a twenty-eight-thousand-year-old Ground Demon Bear. I encountered it while helping a friend hunt for their seventh soul ring. If not for its relatively low age, this top-tier spirit beast would've been perfect for my friend's seventh soul ring."
He then frowned. "However, the Ground Demon Bear has no weaknesses in attack or defense. It can also manipulate stone pillars and hurl boulders for ranged attacks. It would be difficult for me to take it down alone."
In fact, shortly after breaking through to Soul Sage, Flender had come to the Great Star Dou Forest with Zhao Wuji, Shao Xin, and three others to hunt soul rings. Even with their assistance, neither he nor Zhao Wuji could break through the rock-hard defenses of the Ground Demon Bear.
Had the bear not been unable to fly, at least two of them would have perished.
Such was the overwhelming dominance of top-tier spirit beasts over soul masters.
"It's fine. This should help."
Gu La took out a prepared Mega Evolution device, crafted from one of the three ten-thousand-year soul bones Xiao Wu had gifted him—the left arm bone of a White-bellied Sword Falcon.
The midday sun filtered through the canopy, casting dappled light on the forest floor. Flender adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting an odd glow.
He stared at the metallic device in Gu La's palm, engraved with the falcon totem, his throat bobbing nervously. "This… is this the soul-guiding device mentioned in Professor Oak's papers?"
He glanced at Gu La, his expression hesitant. What exactly was Gu La's identity? Zhu Zhuqing's Mega Evolution device might be linked to her family background, but this dial, engraved with bird motifs, clearly didn't match Gu La's martial soul—how could he possess…
Wait!
"Lava Behemoth martial soul! You're the Ultimate Earth soul master mentioned by Oak!"
Flender finally pieced everything together. No wonder Gu La seemed so extraordinary—a thousand-year first ring, a ten-thousand-year second ring, profound martial soul theories, and even knowledge beyond Yu Xiaogang.
If that man was behind him, everything made sense.
Flender believed he had figured it all out.
Gu La neither confirmed nor denied, tossing the device toward Flender. The dark silver metal traced a smooth arc under the sunlight:
"Mega Evolution Device—White-bellied Sword Falcon form. It will temporarily evolve your Owl martial soul, granting it the powers of the sky-dominating White-bellied Sword Falcon."
He deliberately emphasized the word "temporarily," catching Dai Mubai secretly probing the device with his soul power out of the corner of his eye. A faint smile tugged at Gu La's lips.
Dai Mubai's expression cleared, his stubborn pride softening momentarily. "So that's how it is. This is why Gu La is so powerful—his theoretical mastery and ultimate martial soul make him incomparable."
Yu Xiaogang suddenly understood, his confidence surging. It wasn't that he was incapable—it was that Gu La had a great teacher.
His thoughts began racing, wondering if he could communicate with Oak through Gu La. If successful, he could surely learn much and refine his own theory of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls.
Each person had their own thoughts, but Tang San and Xiao Wu quietly bowed their heads. They knew that the revered Oak was merely one of Gu La's aliases.
Flender took the soul-guiding device, realizing his slip of tongue, and quickly changed the subject: "Let's not talk about this. Mubai, keep this a secret. If Gu La's identity is exposed, you'll never find a place for special training again."
"Principal, I understand."
Flender's words were realistic, and Dai Mubai immediately grasped their meaning. Setting aside other factors, compared to others seeking Gu La and Oak, he had no real competitive edge. Once exposed, he'd lose all chances.
"Alright. We're heading deeper into the forest. First, I'll drop you off… Never mind, just follow along."
Thinking of Shi Nian, Flender abandoned the idea of letting Yu Xiaogang take the others back first.
Given Shi Nian's despicable nature, the chance of him ambushing Flender's lone friends was extremely high.
For safety's sake, it was better to stick together. Besides, with the Mega Evolution device, Flender was confident he could protect everyone in a one-on-one confrontation with Shi Nian.
Thus, Flender led the way toward the lair of the Ground Demon Bear from his memory.
On the way, Yu Xiaogang seized the opportunity to showcase his knowledge:
"The Ground Demon Bear is a variant of the Earth Bear, with its earth-element manipulation reaching the pinnacle of capability."
"It's said to have awakened a trace of ancient Behemoth bloodline, inheriting the abilities of the so-called Earth Demon. As long as it stands on the ground, it gains an endless, inexhaustible source of power."
"Of course, that's the legendary ability of the Behemoth. The Ground Demon Bear isn't nearly as exaggerated, but it does possess the innate talent to recover stamina and soul power while standing on the earth. Among its kind, the strongest can rival the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, which also inherits Behemoth bloodline."
Yu Xiaogang went on to detail some historical instances of soul skills gained from absorbing Ground Demon Bear soul rings. Since soul skills were private to soul masters, most of these were speculative guesses by later generations and weren't entirely accurate.
Gu La listened to the stories with interest, finding them quite entertaining.
The group moved slowly due to their weaker overall strength, avoiding potential ambushes.
"Be careful."
Flender suddenly interrupted Yu Xiaogang's chatter, faint shadows of broad wings flickering behind him.
Seven soul rings hovered beneath his feet, radiating the pressure of a seventy-eight-level Soul Sage, forming a deterrent.
Only then did the group realize that the forest's insect sounds had fallen eerily silent.
Flender flapped his wings, hovering thirty meters above the ground, his sharp gaze piercing through layers of tree shadows: "Three li northwest—there's a chaotic battle among soul masters. Let's go around."
Before his words faded, three soul masters came rushing from afar. One middle-aged man among them bore seven soul rings, identical to Flender's configuration, while the other two were six-ring Soul Emperors.
Upon seeing Flender, the leading Soul Sage frowned, then noticed the group of youths behind Flender and shouted, "Old Li, we've got the soul bone—let's move!"
Flender's expression turned grim.
Diverting trouble here? They were courting death!
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