Rise in Douluo Continent with the help of bean buns

After finalizing the overall plan for the Star Journey, preparations began in earnest.

The doors and windows of the quiet room in the backyard are always closed, with curtains drawn low, isolating it from all outside sounds and light.

Lin Chen spent most of his time here, honing his proficiency with his third soul skill while having Doubao combine the original records with the latest intelligence from the Star Dou Exploration Center transmitted by Shadow Seven to make final time and coordinate calculations.

This hijacking operation, planned for years, allows no room for error. Every time point and every location coordinate must precisely align with the original story's trajectory.

The Starry Sky Fortuitous Deduction is complete, and the final version has been confirmed.

Timeline: Three months and seven days later, Huo Yuhao entered the western outer area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest; on the third day after entering, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm awoke and took the initiative to make contact, initiating the sacrificial fusion.

When Electrolux's remnant soul appeared: During the middle of the Heavenly Dream Sacrifice, a million years of spiritual power fully impacted the Sea of ​​Spirit, causing a slight tremor in the spatial barrier, and the remnant soul was drawn out accordingly.

Precise coordinates: The outer area of ​​the Starry Sky Forest, the hilly area extending from the north side of Star Lake, around the underground ice cave where the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm has been hiding for many years.

Subsequent milestones: Three days after the Tianmeng sacrifice, Shrek Academy's admissions officially began, with assessments lasting fifteen days.

Doubao's notification sound rang clearly in my mind, and all the data had been verified by both the original trajectory and the current forest ecology.

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, a flash of blue light disappearing from them.

The three-month window of opportunity was more than he had anticipated. It was enough time for him to arrive at the outer edge of the star system ahead of time, familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain, find a hidden stronghold several miles away, and wait for the right moment to arrive.

More importantly, the timeline is perfectly connected—after intercepting the enemy, there is no need to return to Tiandou City; simply head east, and you will be able to catch up with Shrek Academy's admissions assessment.

Step by step, each link connected to the next.

"We'll set off half a month in advance," Lin Chen decided on the itinerary in his mind. "First, we'll settle in Blackstone Town on the outskirts of Star Dou, then gradually infiltrate the target hills and set up monitoring points in advance. After that, we'll head straight to Shrek City."

[Route already planned: From Tiandou City southwards, passing through Blackstone Town and Xiyue City, entering the Star Dou Great Forest from the western entrance, the entire journey takes approximately twelve days. Two alternative routes are available to handle unforeseen circumstances such as mountain closures or beast tides.]

With the general direction set, all that remains is to prepare every detail.

The first thing to prepare was all kinds of medicines.

He personally guarded the private alchemy room and prepared a batch of the highest-grade exclusive version, which was 20% more potent than the top-grade version sold by Qinghetang. He put them all in light-proof jade bottles and sorted them into his storage bag.

The healing category includes Tier 3 healing potions and bone-regenerating ointments, which can stabilize a severely injured state in a short time and keep one alive even if hit by the aftershocks of a thousand-year-old soul beast. The detoxification category covers four major categories: broad-spectrum detoxification, nerve paralysis, plant toxins, and insect toxins, covering almost 90% of the common toxins in the outer reaches of the star system, preventing one from being caught off guard and suffering a fatal accident.

For sustaining his energy, he has concentrated calming liquid and stamina potion, one bottle of which can support him for two days and two nights of high-intensity consumption without the need for meditation to recover. In addition, he also has breath-concealing potion, insect repellent powder, and emergency explosive powder. He has prepared dozens of bottles of all kinds, enough to support him to stay hidden in the forest for three months.

The formula for each bottle has been optimized by Doubao, achieving the best possible efficacy, duration of effect, and minimizing side effects.

Secondly, there are auxiliary soul tools.

Lin Chen didn't choose any offensive soul tools—firstly, their soul power fluctuations would be too strong and easily expose him, and secondly, the outer area was mainly inhabited by hundred-year-old and thousand-year-old soul beasts, so there was no need for high-level offensive soul tools. He chose only low-level, low-fluctuation, and highly practical auxiliary tools.

The first item is a concealment cloak woven from black silkworm silk. After being infused with soul power, it can conceal 80% of one's own soul power fluctuations. Unless one is a Soul King level person probing at close range, no one can detect anything unusual. The second item is a detection jade pendant, which can sense soul power fluctuations within a radius of 100 feet. Together with Doubao's full-area scanning, it forms a double insurance. An extra layer of warning means an extra layer of safety.

The third item is three disposable rock shield soul tools, which, when activated, can support an eight-foot-thick stone shield, enough to block a full-force attack from a Soul King, serving as a life-saving trump card in extreme situations; finally, there is a storage soul tool with a capacity of half a zhang, which is not large but just enough, so that there is no need to carry large and small bags to hinder movement.

All the soul tools were chosen to be the simplest style, with an unremarkable gray appearance and minimal soul power fluctuations, perfectly in line with Cang Feng's style of doing things.

The most crucial and cautious step is the sealing of the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife.

This treasure, forged from the gold of life, is the only key to intercepting Electrolux, but also the greatest source of risk.

  

The life force of the Life Gold is too special. If it is leaked, it will not only alarm the high-level soul beasts in the star constellation, but may even attract other soul beasts, completely disrupting the plan.

Lin Chen created three layers of seals for this purpose.

The innermost layer is a warm jade box. The warm jade itself can neutralize and absorb energy fluctuations, firmly locking the aura of the carving knife inside the box. The middle layer is wrapped with three layers of black scale beast hide, which is a material specially used to seal high-level soul guide materials, and can completely block the detection of soul power and spiritual power. The outermost layer is placed in the deepest part of the storage soul guide device, surrounded by concealing powder and ordinary medicinal materials, completely covering up all abnormal auras.

With three layers of protection, even a ten-thousand-year-old spirit-type spirit beast would only see a bag of ordinary medicinal herbs and would never discover that a divine treasure is hidden inside, let alone an ordinary thousand-year-old spirit beast.

"Never open the seal until the last moment the remnant soul appears," Lin Chen repeatedly reminded himself.

The closer you get to the target area, the more you need to remain calm.

The supplies were prepared one by one, but the choice of accompanying personnel remained unresolved.

Old Chen and several other elders took turns trying to persuade him, saying that even the outer areas of the Star Dou Forest were dangerous, and that he would only feel at ease if he brought at least two Soul Kings with him.

Shi Feng even volunteered, saying he would keep his aura hidden and not say a word throughout, only responsible for emergency protection.

But Lin Chen ultimately decided to go alone.

This decision was not made rashly, but rather after careful consideration.

The first consideration is the risk of exposure.

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm is a million-year-old soul beast, and its spiritual power is among the strongest in the entire Star Dou Great Forest.

Its senses are extremely sharp; even the fluctuations of soul power at the Soul King level are as conspicuous as a torch in the dark within its perception range.

While having a bodyguard may seem to increase safety, it actually greatly increases the probability of exposure.

If Tianmeng Ice Silkworm discovers that an outsider is spying on them, and if the other party immediately terminates the fusion or takes Huo Yuhao to a hidden location, then the plan that has been in the works for several years will be completely ruined.

Being alone is a different story. With the invisibility cloak and concealment potion, plus the natural herbal scent of Blue Silver Grass, he can minimize his presence, hiding in the forest like a speck of dust, completely unnoticed by anyone.

The second consideration is one's own confidence.

He was no ordinary businessman without any means of self-defense. He was a level 32, three-ring Soul Master, with his third Soul Ring in five thousand years, and his Martial Soul was evolving into the Blue Silver King.

The outer area is mainly inhabited by hundred-year-old and thousand-year-old soul beasts, with very few ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts venturing there. Moreover, most of them have fixed territories, so as long as you avoid them in advance, there is no fatal risk.

Doubao's full-area scanning covers a radius of one kilometer, accurately identifying the age, location, and strength of each soul beast, providing early warning of danger several quarters of an hour in advance.

As long as you don't actively venture into the territory of high-level soul beasts, you can completely avoid all the risks.

The third soul skill, Distributed Blue Silver Forest, is a perfect blend of offense and defense.

In the event of an emergency, it can instantly erect multiple layers of defense, forming a Blue Silver Fortress to withstand damage, while simultaneously using vines to bind and disrupt opponents, buying time to retreat. Even if it encounters a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast, escaping is more than enough.

Moreover, his plans were never about direct involvement.

He only needed to hide in a secluded valley several miles away, observe from a distance, and release the aura of the Life Gold the moment the remnant soul drifted out, drawing away Electrox's remnant soul.

The external environment is not very dangerous to begin with, and with the addition of dual early warning and area defense, the risk is completely controllable.

Bringing bodyguards can actually restrict your actions, as you have to protect people while also concealing your true intentions, which makes it easier to make mistakes.

Having figured out these two points, no amount of persuasion could sway him.

The rest of the time was spent arranging the back affairs of Qinghetang.

He had already delegated authority for a long time and didn't need to worry about daily affairs. This time, he simply made the division of responsibilities even clearer to ensure that the Chamber of Commerce could operate steadily even if he was away for several months.

Business and distribution channels are overseen by Lao Chen, who can make decisions on routine collaborations, channel expansion, and price adjustments independently. Only large investments exceeding one million gold or major cross-regional collaborations require approval through the communication device. Production and planting bases are entirely managed by Lao Li, with quality control, production capacity, and seedling distribution handled according to established procedures, eliminating the need for constant reporting.

For security, the four guardians were divided into two groups. Shi Feng and Zhou Yan were stationed at the main altar in Tian Dou City, guarding the workshops and core warehouses; Ying Qi and Su Wanqing led teams to patrol various branch warehouses and planting bases, rotating monthly. If they encountered problems they couldn't solve, they would then communicate via message.

The company has reserved two million gold in working capital, which is sufficient to support expansion and turnover for more than six months and will not cause a cash flow crisis.

Finally, the overall tone was set: stability is paramount, avoid rash actions, avoid making enemies, and expand step by step.

The entire arrangement was well-organized and clearly defined in terms of authority and responsibility. Even in his absence, the entire Qinghe Hall could operate smoothly like a finely tuned gear. Remote control was sufficient.

The departure date was set for a morning at the end of May.

Before dawn, as the east began to lighten with the first hint of light, a side gate of the south city quietly opened.

Lin Chen changed into a faded blue outfit, covered with a dusty gray outer robe, and wore a wide-brimmed straw hat that obscured his eyebrows and eyes.

With an ordinary storage bag hanging from his waist and an inconspicuous black horse standing beside him, he looked like a lone, low-level Soul Master who had traveled all over the country and could be easily lost in a crowd.

There was no procession to see them off, and no one was alerted.

He gently mounted his horse, glanced back one last time in the direction of Qinghe Hall, then looked away and lightly spurred the horse's flanks. The black horse trotted steadily southward along the official road shrouded in morning mist.

The sound of horses' hooves was very soft, quickly fading into the dawn mist.

The fields on both sides of the official road were lush and green, and the morning breeze rippled through them, creating waves of wheat.

Lin Chen sat upright on horseback, his eyebrows and eyes under the bamboo hat calm and gentle, showing no sign of the tension of about to head to a dangerous place.

In the Star Dou Great Forest, thousands of miles away, a million-year-old soul beast awakens, the protagonist of the original story has an opportunity, and the remnant soul of the Necromancer Saint God comes from across planes. It is a move he has been planning for years, and an opportunity that is enough to change his destiny.

There are unknown variables ahead, but we have enough confidence.

All preparations have been made, and all simulations have been completed. All that remains is to be there in person, wait for the right moment, and seize the opportunity that should have belonged to someone else.

The black horse walked at a leisurely pace, its figure gradually disappearing into the morning mist.

In the southern sky, the rising sun slowly pierces through the clouds, casting down a golden glow.

A journey spanning thousands of miles has begun. In the hills surrounding the Starry Forest, a silent shift in destiny is quietly brewing.