Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Where did the speed bumps in Chapter 95 come from?

Ye Guyi's gaze lingered on Lu Ren's face for a few more seconds without her noticing.

The light from the campfire filtered through the branches of the ancient tree, casting dappled shadows on his face.

His handsome profile was now filled with seriousness and focus, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his lips were tightly pursed, giving him a sharp look that was completely different from his usual nonchalant demeanor.

This guy is actually quite handsome when he gets serious.

He's handsome and strong, and although he can be incredibly sarcastic at times, he's always the first to step up and protect everyone when it matters.

Thinking about it carefully, his conditions are actually quite good.

and many more!

Thinking of this, Ye Guyi shook her head violently, her long golden hair flying wildly in the night wind.

What was I thinking just now?!

Just then, another figure walked over carrying a plate.

It is a dream of the mortal world.

Her long, silver ponytail gleamed with a cool sheen under the moonlight, and her icy blue eyes were warmed by the glow of the campfire.

Carrying two plates of roasted meat, she walked lightly to the other side of Lu Ren and sat down naturally.

"Why are you here alone? Why don't you come over and eat with us?" She handed one of the plates of grilled meat to Lu Ren in a soft voice.

"I'm using my mental energy to search for any suitable soul beasts for you," Lu Ren replied, his tone exactly the same as before.

Meng Hongchen's hand paused slightly, and a clear hint of emotion flashed in her beautiful eyes.

Her fifth spirit ring is still nowhere to be found. Lu Ren has been busy all day, and he still has to worry about finding a spirit beast for her.

This person, though he doesn't say anything, is always silently thinking of everyone.

Upon hearing this, Ye Guyi's pretty face instantly darkened.

So this guy was just giving me the runaround?!

No, then why would he say the exact same thing?

Even their tone is almost the same!

This means he wasn't really paying attention; he was just using the same excuse on two different people!

This guy was a total jerk!

Pooh!

She had just thought Lu Ren was pretty good—she almost got her hopes up!

Ye Guyi took a big bite of the roasted meat, chewing it fiercely as if she were chewing someone's bones.

Meng Hongchen didn't notice Ye Guyi's strange behavior. Her gaze was fixed on Lu Ren's profile, which was closed and serious. She couldn't take her eyes off him.

From the side, Lu Ren was quite handsome, with three-dimensional yet gentle features and a clean, sharp jawline. He sat cross-legged on the boulder in a relaxed and upright posture. Although he didn't deliberately show anything, the sense of power hidden beneath his seemingly slender body could not be hidden from her.

For a moment, Meng Hongchen was completely mesmerized.

The young girl, just beginning to experience love, felt a slight warmth in her heart. Ever since the day she met Lu Ren, his image had lingered in her mind.

Later in the arena, he showed her mercy and gave her guidance in her cultivation.

Every scene replayed in her mind over and over again, and each recollection made her heart beat faster.

Even Lu Ren himself didn't know that, unintentionally, a naive girl had developed a pure and intense affection for him.

He must be very lonely.

Looking at Lu Ren's exceptionally handsome face under the moonlight, Meng Hongchen felt a gentle ripple in her heart.

She couldn't help but imagine Lu Ren's experiences before coming to the academy: all alone, without companions or friends, only his fists and his formidable strength that inspired awe.

He must have suffered a lot and experienced many hardships that ordinary people cannot imagine.

It was because of those experiences that he developed the habit of shouldering everything on his own.

Especially Lu Ren's lone wolf style, he almost always acts alone, and even Ji Juechen just silently follows behind, never walking side by side with him.

As she pondered, a maternal tenderness welled up in Meng Hongchen's heart for some reason.

She wanted to offer warmth to this seemingly strong but actually lonely man, to let him know that she was still there for him, to hold him in her arms, to gently pat his back, and to say, "You've worked hard."

An absolute powerhouse, and the loneliness that comes with it, will teach him about love—

Meng Hongchen's hand involuntarily rose, about to reach for Lu Ren's shoulder.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch his collar—

"It's ready, everyone come and get ready to eat!"

Xiao Hongchen came running over from the campfire with a smug look on his face.

He was holding two large plates of golden-brown, fragrant meat skewers, his face marked with black streaks from the charcoal fire, but his smile was incredibly bright.

Then he saw three people sitting on the boulder. Lu Ren was in the middle with his eyes closed, and his younger sister and the blonde girl were sitting on either side of him.

Xiao Hongchen paused for a beat.

"What are you doing? And little sister, dinner's ready!"

"elder brother!!"

Meng Hongchen almost growled through gritted teeth.

She finally mustered up the courage to reach out her hand, it was such a difficult time!

As a result, his entire composure was ruined by his brother's shout, who had absolutely no sense of propriety.

Her shout left Xiao Hongchen completely bewildered: "What's wrong? Can't I even call you to eat? I personally baked it for you, your favorite flavor—"

"Okay, okay!"

Meng Hongchen glared at him fiercely, jumped off the rock, and stormed off toward the campfire.

As she walked over to Xiao Hongchen, she didn't forget to step on his foot, causing Xiao Hongchen to wince in pain, completely unaware of what he had done to offend his sister.

At this moment, upon hearing the word "eat," Lu Ren finally opened his eyes.

"Is the food ready? Let's eat."

He leaped off the boulder, faster than anyone else, and headed straight for the campfire.

If someone isn't proactive in their work, they're out of their mind.

Ye Guyi sat on the boulder, watching Lu Renjian's swiftly moving back, and the corner of her mouth twitched violently.

This person is incredibly serious when doing things, but turns into a starving ghost when it comes to eating. Which one is his true nature?

Xiao Hongchen, who was still standing, hadn't reacted yet. He watched Lu Ren head straight for the campfire, and then looked at Ye Guyi, who was still standing there.

"Um—I'm going to eat too!"

Ye Guyi stood up and quickly chased after him.

"Wait a minute—you all ran away, who's going to help me with the plates?!"

Xiao Hongchen, carrying two large plates of roasted meat, looked bewildered as everyone left.

Unfortunately, nobody paid him any attention.

Laughing at the World:

'

'

After a hearty meal, without Lu Ren saying anything, everyone spontaneously began taking turns keeping watch.

It's not safe at night on the outskirts of the Jingyang Mountains.

Although this place is not yet at the level of the mixed zone where ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts roam everywhere, thousand-year-old soul beasts are already appearing from time to time, and occasionally a few chilling low roars can be heard coming from the depths of the dense forest.

Arranging a night watch is necessary; it's a basic requirement for any Soul Master team when spending the night in the wild.

Ji Juechen volunteered to take the first night watch, leaning against the trunk of an ancient tree while holding his silver-white longsword, his eyes slightly closed, looking as if he were asleep.

But everyone could see that his spiritual power had been spread out, and at the slightest disturbance, the silver-white longsword would be drawn immediately.

Others started setting up tents.

Orange, Coco, and Ye Guyi huddled together in the same tent, chatting in hushed tones, occasionally letting out suppressed giggles.

Jing Ziyan, on the other hand, sat by the fire, adjusting her new soul tool by its light. Her gaze frequently drifted towards Ji Juechen, her meaning quite clear, but unfortunately, the other was a sword fanatic and completely oblivious.

Meng Hongchen wanted to take over the night watch for the next round, but her brother Xiao Hongchen stopped her, claiming that staying up late was bad for a girl's skin. This remark caused the others to burst into laughter, and they all teased Xiao Hongchen for being a fiercely protective brother.

This made Xiao Hongchen blush deeply. With his arrogant personality, how could he admit his true intentions? So he volunteered to keep watch in the next round.

However, before that, he and his sister Meng Hongchen had already occupied another tent and begun to meditate.

Lu Ren lay in another tent with his eyes open, showing no intention of entering meditation.

That faint, chilling aura remained like a thorn stuck in his heart.

If the other party's self-identification is Ye Guyi, then the situation is very bad. Ye Guyi does not yet have her fifth spirit ring, and her combat power is not yet complete. If the evil spirit master discovers her Holy Angel Martial Soul while she is absorbing the spirit ring, then there will be big trouble.

However, if the target is him personally, the situation becomes more complicated, meaning that the other party already has some information about him and came prepared.

In either case, it is essential to find out.

Lu Ren sat up and unzipped the tent.

The campfire had reached the middle of its burn, its orange flames flickering in the night wind, casting the shadows of the surrounding trees onto the tent, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

Ji Juechen heard the noise and opened his eyes to look over.

"Old Ji, I'm going out to take a leak."

Lu Ren casually tossed out a sentence.

"Oh." Ji Juechen's eyes twitched, slightly speechless.

Do I really need to run outside just to pee?

Why not just find a bush and solve the problem?

But he didn't ask any more questions, because he sensed something unusual in Lu Ren's eyes.

Judging from his intuition, Lu Ren didn't look like he needed to go to the toilet; rather, he looked like he was about to get down to business.

But Ji Juechen didn't move, because if Lu Ren needed his help, he would definitely come and tell him.

Since the other party hasn't said anything, Ji Juechen hasn't gone either, for fear of holding them back.

After all, in terms of strength, he was far inferior to his opponent.

Ji Juechen sighed inwardly, realizing that his rate of becoming stronger was still not fast enough.

Lu Ren stepped out of the camp, pushed off with his foot, and disappeared into the dense forest.

He unleashed his full mental power, the mental power of the peak Spirit Abyss Realm spreading out in all directions like an invisible spider web, capturing every rustle of grass within a radius of several hundred feet.

At the same time, his spell power and soul power circulated faster within his body, ready to deal with any sudden attack.

Faced with the problem of someone following them, Lu Ren chose to take the initiative.

He was completely in the dark, having no idea who the other party was, what their cultivation level was, or what their purpose was.

This completely passive and defensive situation made him very uncomfortable.

He needs intelligence, even just a little bit, even if it's just knowing who the other side's target is.

So he needs a test.

Lu Ren chose to go alone, away from the group.

If the other party remains inactive and continues to track the team, then the target is most likely Ye Guyi, or someone else in the team.

Then he can make targeted preparations in advance.

But if the other party follows him—then the target is him.

He's going to take a gamble.

Lu Ren's pace quickened.

The soul power and spell power beneath his feet exploded into rings of air waves, sending dirt and gravel flying backward as he streaked through the dense forest like a black lightning bolt.

Instead of walking in a straight line, he drew a large arc around the camp to ensure that he was always in a certain direction of the group without straying too far.

Not fast enough.

He wanted to find out who the other party's target was.

With a thought, Lu Ren activated a projection spell, choosing to leave the camp directly this time.

The world suddenly slowed down in his eyes; the night wind froze into still waves, falling leaves hovered in mid-air, and even the speed at which dewdrops slid off the leaves was stretched into a slow-motion shot.

Frame after frame of white phantom images stretched forward in front of him, like pre-drawn storyboards.

His body executed the twenty-four frames of motion with incredible speed and precision, one after another. In the process, the air blasts from his feet exploded into a series of shockwaves, causing the ancient trees along the way to tremble.

A hundred meters can be covered in an instant.

Finally, Lu Ren stood on the branch of an ancient tree, withdrew the projection spell, and the world returned to its normal flow in his eyes.

Then he held his breath and concentrated his mental energy to the extreme to sense the faint aura behind him.

They've arrived!

About two hundred feet away from him, that chilling aura was moving at high speed, even faster than his.

The other party no longer made any deliberate attempts to conceal themselves, because Lu Ren's speed was too fast. If they continued to suppress their aura and sneak around as before, they simply couldn't keep up.

Moreover, the other party did not stay in the same place.

Instead, she followed him.

"That's strange."

Lu Ren muttered to himself, realizing that the other party's target was indeed him.

He had thought Ye Guyi was more likely to be exposed, but he never expected that this powerful figure hiding in the shadows was after him from beginning to end.

But when did I leave a flaw?

"This shouldn't be happening," Lu Ren frowned.

This is unbelievable! Did the other party have a God's-eye view?

Thoughts swirled in his mind. After learning that the target was him, Lu Ren took action once again.

This time, he didn't stop for a moment, and his speed continued to increase. The projection spell had been stacked several times, and the initial velocity after each twenty-four-frame action was soaring again on the basis of the previous cycle.

The thrill of this rapid movement made him slightly intoxicated. Each start and end of the projecting spell was like a perfect symphony, pushing the balance between speed and power to the extreme.

Just as he was reveling in the rhythm of this ultra-high-speed movement, he seemed to bump into something.

"Bang!!!"

A muffled, deafening roar exploded in the dense forest.

Lu Ren felt as if he had crashed into a not-so-sturdy wall, but it wasn't quite a wall, because it had been knocked away.

Looking over, one immediately saw a huge soul beast being directly hit by Lu Ren's body. Before it could even scream, it flew out at an angle like a baseball hit at home run, breaking several trees as thick as bowls along the way, and finally crashing into a bush, lying on its back with its belly spread out, completely unconscious.

Lu Ren stopped, the impact on his body was buffered and dissipated by his soul power, but the force of stopping still crushed two deep grooves into the ground beneath his feet.

"—Where did this speed bump come from?"

He muttered something under his breath.

The speed achieved after the projection spells were stacked was already terrifying.

At that speed, he was like a human cannonball, and with his terrifying physical strength, he was practically a humanoid giant moving at high speed.

Things that are struck by a stroke of bad luck are more likely to turn out badly.

He walked toward the bushes with some curiosity, pushed aside the twisted and crooked branches, and looked down.

Good guy.

A giant, golden toad lay upside down in the bushes, its belly turned white, its eyes rolled back, and bubbles were coming out of its mouth, looking as if it had been hit so hard it was about to die.

It is at least three meters long, and its entire body is covered with golden scales, each scale gleaming like a gemstone, making it look quite luxurious.

However, on that scale that should have been smooth and flat, there was a clearly visible mark, the mark left by Lu Ren when he crashed into it.

"This... how could this be such a coincidence?"

Lu Ren looked at the golden toad beast that he had knocked unconscious, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

He recognized it; it was a Golden Toad Beast of the Ten Thousand Kang level.

Judging from its size and its golden scales, it is estimated to be around 10,000 years old.

The quality is quite good. Normally, finding such a wild beast would require at least half a day of searching throughout the Jingyang Mountains.

As a result, it crashed into itself—no, it crashed into itself.

He found that he was quite lucky; at least every time he went out, he would have an unexpected gain.

"Could it be that I'm also blessed with good fortune, a potential candidate for the next Chosen One?"

Lu Ren stroked his chin, lost in thought.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he shuddered and quickly shook his head.

Wait a minute, the thought of becoming the chosen one and then being targeted by Tang San is terrifying.

Huo Yuhao, the true chosen one of destiny, was treated all too well. From beginning to end, he was manipulated by Tang San as a pawn. Every step of his path was paved by Tang San, and even his romantic relationships were arranged meticulously.

He couldn't accept this kind of treatment.

"It looks like a golden toad beast with a strength of around ten thousand taels. Let's see if it's suitable for Xiao Hongchen."

Lu Ren lowered himself and turned the golden toad beast that was blowing bubbles over, examining it carefully.

It's confirmed. It's a 12,000-year-old Golden Toad Soul Beast, of superior quality, with positive metal attributes, making it very suitable for Xiao Hongchen's Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul.

The corpse of this thing is quite valuable. If it were sold at an auction house, it would definitely cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins.

However, Lu Ren had no concept of money anymore. The money he had plundered from the Holy Spirit Cult's stronghold was enough for Nana and the others to maintain their livelihood for several years.

Having confirmed that the stalker's target was him, Lu Ren didn't want to linger outside any longer.

If this drags on any longer, the people on the other side of the team will start to worry.

He bent down, grabbed one of the Golden Toad Beast's thick hind legs, and then suddenly...

He lifted the giant toad, weighing several thousand kilograms, off the ground as if it were a chick, sent it flying through the air in an arc, and landed heavily on his shoulder.

With Shan Cheng supporting the body of the Golden Toad Beast, Lu Ren walked steadily toward the direction of the Five Lands.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow; the thousands of kilograms on his shoulders were nothing to him, as if lifting them was an insurmountable burden.

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