The Great Star Dou Forest lay directly south of the Tian Dou Empire, straddling the borders of both the Tian Dou and Star Luo Empires.
It teemed with soul beasts—and was also the region where the boundary between the two great empires was most ambiguous.
According to maps, the majority of the Star Dou Forest fell within Star Luo territory.
Yunluo City sat on the very edge of the Star Luo Empire, less than 200 kilometers from the forest's outskirts.
Even so, by the time Yang Fan finally stood before its entrance, three days had already passed…
He'd been running the entire way—resting only when exhausted, eating quickly when hungry, then pressing onward without delay.
Even before entering the forest, a cool breeze brushed against his face, carrying the crisp, refreshing scent of dense vegetation—soothing and invigorating in a way words couldn't describe.
In the distance, an endless sea of green stretched toward the horizon.
For Yang Fan, the first goal of his training journey was clear: acquire his first soul ring.
Though he knew the soul ring bottleneck wouldn't hinder his soul power growth, he couldn't wait any longer.
He was desperate to gain his very first soul skill!
"Master," he asked suddenly, "could you beat a Title Douluo?"
On the Dou Qi Continent, Yao Lao had reached the peak of Dou Zun. Even while hiding in his spatial ring after being betrayed, he still possessed strength comparable to a Dou Huang.
Yang Fan was curious—just how powerful was Yao Lao now, after being swept into Soul Land by the temporal rift?
"I might not even win against your grandfather," Yao Lao replied honestly.
He wasn't being modest.
Right now, he existed only as a fragment of a soul.
Back in the Dou Qi world, he might have retained Dou Huang-level power—but here in Soul Land, where Dou Qi was virtually nonexistent, his strength had dwindled to roughly that of a Dou Ling.
It had been ages since he'd even used Dou Qi.
"You little rascal—what scheme are you hatching now?" Yao Lao chuckled.
"Nothing! Just asking…"
"There's a place in another forest—the Sunset Forest—where rare heavenly treasures grow."
"But it's occupied by the Poison Douluo!"
Yang Fan had long planned to visit the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well after his awakening.
After all, it was the most renowned source of top-tier spirit herbs in all of Soul Land.
In the original story, it was precisely because the Shrek Seven Devils consumed those divine-grade herbs that they all broke through to Soul Ancestor rank before the Soul Tournament.
And beyond that—their future achievements owed much to those miraculous plants.
"The Poison Douluo?" Yao Lao raised an eyebrow. "You mean the one whose martial soul is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent?"
Yao Lao hadn't spent his years in Soul Land sleeping idly.
He'd thoroughly studied the continent's power structures, major factions, and notable experts.
"Yes—him."
"If it's him… well, perhaps it's worth a try."
Against anyone else, Yao Lao would have zero confidence.
But he'd heard rumors that Dugu Bo was the weakest among all Title Douluos.
And more importantly—Dugu Bo specialized in poison.
After dominating the Dou Qi Continent for decades, what kind of toxins hadn't Yao Lao seen?
"Then after we get our soul ring, let's head to the Sunset Forest," Yang Fan said eagerly.
"Foolish boy—it's not that simple," Yao Lao chided gently. "Even if we go, we must be fully prepared."
As they talked, master and disciple soon stood at the edge of the Star Dou Forest.
Tower-like trees blocked out the sky, each soaring over twenty meters high.
The dense canopy swallowed paths whole, and the once-refreshing air now carried a chilling, ominous weight.
Yang Fan had already summoned his Soul Breaking Spear.
He dared not be careless.
In this forest—where soul beasts lurked at every turn—even a moment's lapse in attention could cost him his life.
Stepping inside, Yang Fan carved his way forward with his spear, each swing a deliberate exercise in refining his control over soul power.
A few low-level soul beasts leapt from the underbrush—but none caught his interest.
His goal was crystal clear:
He needed a soul ring that enhanced his offensive power.
His grandfather had once told him that the Soul Breaking Spear had existed for thousands of years in Soul Land.
Over that time, generations of wielders had experimented with countless cultivation paths—all in an attempt to break the curse that prevented them from becoming Title Douluos.
All had failed.
Centuries of trial and error had proven one truth: extreme offense was the only viable path for a Soul Breaking Spear soul master.
"Take good advice, fill your belly," as the saying went.
Yang Fan had no intention of deviating from this path.
He'd analyzed it himself:
Soul masters generally specialized in one of five directions—defense, offense, agility, control, or support.
With a martial soul as inherently aggressive as the Soul Breaking Spear, branching into other roles would be foolish.
Yao Lao agreed: pure offense was the way.
And Yang Fan had strict requirements for his first soul ring: it had to be a thousand-year soul ring.
It was widely accepted that the maximum safe limit for a first soul ring was 423 years.
But that wasn't absolute.
In truth, the maximum age-limit a soul master could absorb depended entirely on their physical strength.
The "423-year limit" existed only because most soul masters attempting to exceed it would literally explode from the strain.
Over time, no one dared test the boundary—and so, 423 years became a rigid, unbreakable rule.
There was a clear pattern:
- First soul ring: 423 years
- Second: 764 years
- Third: 1,760 years
- Beyond that? No fixed numbers—only vague estimates in the thousands.
This proved that as soul masters grew stronger, the gap in physical resilience between them widened dramatically—allowing some to absorb far older soul rings than others.
Just then—
A sudden disturbance ahead snapped Yang Fan back to reality.
He gripped his Soul Breaking Spear tightly, crouched low, and assumed a battle stance.
Even before his awakening, the clan had trained children like him as if they were already Soul Breaking Spear soul masters.
So for the past three years, while relentlessly forging his body on the rear mountain, he'd also learned basic combat techniques from the elders.
"Be alert!" Yao Lao warned. "Fifty meters ahead—a flaming tiger is approaching."
This was Yao Lao's first time seeing a living beast-type soul beast in Soul Land.
It looked intimidating enough—but he wasn't sure about its actual strength.
He'd sensed the creature the moment they entered the forest but deliberately withheld warning Yang Fan.
He wanted to test just how capable his disciple truly was.
And sure enough—
He wasn't disappointed.
"ROOOAR—!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the opposite side of the thicket, beads of sweat instantly forming on Yang Fan's forehead.
Yao Lao might be new to soul beasts—but so was Yang Fan!
Here he was—a 21st-century youth who'd trained for three years straight—now about to face a fire-breathing tiger in mortal combat.
To claim he wasn't nervous? That would be a lie.
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