Star Dou Great Forest
Zhou Hao, dusty and tired from a month on the road, chewed on dried meat.
In front of him stretched the endless towering forest, the destination of his trip.
He felt his heart race.
He had come to hunt soul rings with great pride, but it had taken a month just to reach here.
Fortunately, though the road had been rough, he had arrived safely.
After some simple preparations, Zhou Hao glanced at the warning sign at the entrance, then stepped into the Star Dou Great Forest, the largest known soul beast forest in the Douluo Continent, spanning two empires.
The trees here towered over twenty meters high.
The air was moist and fresh.
Here Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the canopy, painting patterns on the forest floor.
Zhou Hao couldn't help but sigh at the magic of life.
Vines twisted around trunks, shadows deepened under the leaves, and the occasional roar of a soul beast echoed from within, warning outsiders to stay away.
He flexed the dark gold claws on his right hand and swung lightly.
The bushes and weeds in front of him instantly cleared.
The weak soul beasts near the outskirts were at most a hundred years old, not worth his time.
He needed to go deeper for stronger soul beasts and valuable soul rings.
As dusk approached, Zhou Hao looked for a place to rest and eat. In the distance, multiple dark green eyes watched him from behind the trees.
A pack of Nether Wolves, the most common group soul beasts in this part of the forest, had noticed him.
The leader bore a streak of white on its forehead, a sign of its century-long cultivation.
They seemed to want to hunt him but hesitated, wary of the sharp dark golden claws in his hands.
Zhou Hao had already noticed them but didn't bother.
It was fine to clear the pack, but the smell of blood could attract unnecessary trouble.
Finally, he found an open space.
He took out a small tent and his dried meat from his ring.
Using his soul power, the meat quickly warmed.
The wolves remained at the edge of the forest, not daring to come closer.
Suddenly, the air grew unnaturally still, and a faint fishy smell reached his nose.
Before he could react, a huge black shape rushed at him.
Zhou Hao ducked instinctively, swinging his dark gold claw. Warm liquid splattered across his face.
A Black Ghost Tiger appeared.
Nine purple lines streaked its tail, showing 900 years of cultivation.
Zhou Hao's strike had barely scratched it, but the bleeding aroused his viciousness.
The tiger roared violently and charged again.
Zhou Hao no longer held back.
Summoning the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, he struck using his palm soul bone.
The tiger's head was smashed into the ground, dented and bleeding from multiple wounds.
A dark yellow mixed with purple soul ring floated out, it wasn't the one he needed, so he let it drift away.
The wolves in the distance had already retreated.
Ghost Tiger's territory was large enough that few other soul beasts would smell blood nearby, allowing Zhou Hao to rest for the night.
The next day, he pressed deeper into the forest, entering the territory of thousand-year-old soul beasts.
His claws shimmered with Martial Soul energy.
The aura of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear made nearby beasts fearful.
In the distance, a 1000 year Stone Ape and a mandala snake twisted in the trees.
Zhou Hao frowned, they weren't the ones he wanted either.
Using the corpse of the Ghost Tiger, he released its scent.
The intelligent thousand-year-old beasts avoided such confrontations unless it was within their territory.
Soon Zhou Hao found a series of huge footprints on the ground.
The spirit beasts in this new territory were very likely to be suitable for him.
He flattened a big rock with his fear claws and sat down to rest
Soon, there was a majestic and domineering roar of a tiger.
Obviously, the owner was extremely dissatisfied with the intruder into his territory.
With a roar the thousand-year-old Saber-Toothed Tiger appeared, two meters tall, his eyes fixed on Zhou Hao.
Its strength and attack were unmatched among same-level soul beasts.
Zhou Hao didn't know exactly what kind of soul beast it was, but something about its aura, the way its energy resonated with his Martial Soul, told him it was powerful and compatible.
His instincts screamed that this was the one.
Clenching his fists, he readied himself.
Finally, he might claim the soul ring he had come for.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Spirit possessed his body fully, with his claws extended.
The Saber-Toothed Tiger lunged, at him, trying to grab and bite his head off.
Zhou Hao dodged precisely, the attack missed, but the claws tore through his clothes.
In return he struck with full force, his claws piercing the tiger's body.
The beast slammed into a tree, and then fell, bleeding.
A purple soul ring emerged from the tiger.
Zhou Hao muttered, "Sign in!"
"Ding! Sign-in successful! The first soul ring will be strengthened after absorption. Please proceed carefully."
Zhou Hao sat cross-legged, carefully absorbing the energy.
Though strengthened by the system, absorbing a thousand-year-old soul ring at six years old was not easy.
The purple soul ring slowly merged with Zhou Hao.
Over five hours, he fully integrated the energy.
The purple ring hovered around him, radiating fierce power.
His soul power had jumped to fourteenth level, befitting a thousand-year-old soul ring.
He tested his first soul skill: Blade Claw.
Three-meter-long dark gold claws, covered in faint white light, sliced through a nearby tree.
The skill even added special effects to his attacks.
The Saber-Toothed Tiger's soul ring age had now reached 1900 years, and his right-arm spirit bone now had a cultivation of 5,000 years.
Zhou Hao examined himself in the nearby stream, he looked taller, more delicate, and sharper than before.
Opening the system panel, he checked:
Host: Zhou HaoRealm: Level 14 Soul MasterMartial Soul: Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear (upgraded once)Soul Bone: 5,000-year-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear ClawSoul Guidance Device: Storage Ring
Zhou Hao thought in his heart, Tang San should have just finished hunting that mandala
snake by now.
'I can go back to Notting City to register as a soul master first, and then go back to the
village to report to Grandpa Ji ke that I am safe, and then I can go out to make a living.'
Thinking of this, Zhou Hao couldn't help but think of the mysterious Pope whom he had never
met before, how wonderful the Soul Hall is, Unconditional benefits, and plus the Pope's
peerless appearance, it's a pity that the Soul Hall is not suitable for him for the time
being.
Zhou Hao didn't go out of the forest until he had fully adapted to the improvement of his soul
power.
For now, the deeper forest circles remained off-limits.
Only when he grew stronger could he face the Azure Bull Python, Titan Giant Ape, and other fierce beasts.
Emerging from the forest, sunlight warmed his body.
Zhou Hao felt renewed, ready for the challenges ahead and started his departure, to the Notting City.