Douro Continent

Chapter 122 Star Dou Great Forest (Part 2)

Oscar nodded and said, "The Star Dou Great Forest is a wonderful place, but it's also an extremely dangerous one. It's the cradle of soul beasts and a favorite spot for powerful soul masters. Of course, it's also where soul masters suffer the most casualties."

Tang San asked, "Is that the forest where our Heaven Dou Empire raises soul beasts?"

Oscar said, "Of course not. Those forests where spirit beasts are kept are nothing compared to this; you can hardly even encounter a thousand-year-old spirit beast there. Only spirit warriors and spirit masters go there. The Star Dou Great Forest is one of the three most famous spirit beast habitats on our Douluo Continent. Its area is almost equal to the size of the Barak Kingdom, spanning the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Two-fifths of its area is in our Heaven Dou Empire, and the other three-fifths is in the Star Luo Empire. It's a vast primeval forest with complex terrain, including wetlands and swamps. The spirit beasts there are extremely terrifying; the closer you get to the center of the forest, the stronger the spirit beasts become. It's said that there are even hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beasts there. Any spirit master, as long as they are strong enough and lucky, can find the most suitable spirit ring for themselves there. I obtained my second spirit ring in the Star Dou Great Forest."

Tang San's eyes lit up. "So that's how it is. I hope you'll have an even better harvest this time."

Oscar laughed heartily, "If that's really the case, there will be plenty of sausages from now on, everyone can eat as much as they want. After all, we're family. Haha."

With only one day to prepare, the group didn't have much to do. The next morning, after breakfast, when everyone gathered on the playground, Zhao Wuji was already there waiting for them.

Upon seeing Zhao Wuji, the students were somewhat taken aback, wanting to laugh but not daring to actually do so.

Zhao Wuji did look rather disheveled, with at least three bruises on his face that hadn't faded, especially the panda-like appearance around his left eye, which was quite amusing.

Of course, while they found it amusing, the seven students, including Tang San, were also simultaneously astonished. How could Zhao Wuji have become like this? Tang San remembered clearly that although he had caused Zhao Wuji some trouble that day, he hadn't left any marks on his face. The injuries on Zhao Wuji's face were clearly caused by blunt force trauma. With his level 76 Soul Saint strength, plus the defensive power of the Mighty Vajra Bear, who could have injured him? Could it have been Dean Flander? However, Flander, who possessed the Cat-Owl Martial Soul, was an agility-type Soul Master. It seemed impossible for him to injure Zhao Wuji like that.

"What are you looking at, you little brats? Are you asking for a beating?"

Hearing the words "little brat," Xiao Wu was clearly displeased and whispered, "Why not say 'blind bear'?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes widened. "Xiao Wu, what are you saying?"

Tang San subconsciously took a step to the side, waving to Xiao Wu behind him while shielding her behind him, his protectiveness evident in his words.

Upon seeing Tang San, Zhao Wuji's expression clearly showed a hint of embarrassment. He didn't pursue Xiao Wu's teasing any further, and with a snort, said, "Alright, everyone, let's get going. Mu Bai, you lead the team."

Dai Mubai nodded, his expression immediately turning serious. He addressed the others, "The Star Dou Great Forest is no place to be trifled with. It's teeming with spirit beasts, and they're all extremely aggressive, showing no kindness towards us humans. Everyone must be careful. Tang San, you're in front. Oscar and Ning Rongrong, you two follow behind Tang San. Fatty and Xiao Wu, you two are on the left and right flanks. Zhu Zhuqing and I will be at the rear. Once we enter the forest, we must maintain this formation and remain vigilant at all times. Let's go!"

Tang San secretly admired Dai Mubai's arrangement. As the oldest and strongest student, Dai Mubai's arrangement was just right. He placed the two support-type Soul Masters in the center of the team for protection. In terms of overall strength, Tang San was second only to Dai Mubai and ranked at the front. Dai Mubai himself, the strongest, was responsible for the rear. The rear guard was always more important than the front-line vanguard. After all, Tang San had Fatty and Xiao Wu on the left and right flanks to provide reinforcements at any time, but Dai Mubai, who was at the rear, had to be vigilant about a much wider area.

Zhao Wuji observed coldly from the sidelines, not joining their group, and walked out of the academy with the seven students. Of course, there were no carriages here, so as soon as they left the academy, everyone started running.

Not long after they began their journey, the trainees started to understand the importance of the second lesson that Dean Flander had given them the day before.

Because of yesterday's experience and Dean Flander's reprimand, everyone was no longer so averse to Oscar's sausages.

As they continued their journey, even the strongest Dai Mubai and Tang San were constantly losing their stamina.

But with Oscar's sausages as a supplement, they were surprised to find that the exertion from running was nothing at all.

By eating a sausage conjured from Oscar's martial spirit every hour, everyone's energy remained high, and even Ning Rongrong could barely keep up with the others.

Without real application, one will never understand the importance of auxiliary spirits. Oscar also impressed everyone with the amazing effects of his sausages and received the best treatment. Since they had not yet entered the forest, the strongest Dai Mubai and Tang San took turns supporting Oscar's arms to share some of his weight and help him move forward, making it easier for him to recover his spirit power and continue his auxiliary role.

Ning Rongrong naturally didn't receive such treatment. She remained silent and didn't use her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to provide any support along the way. She became very quiet, neither refusing Oscar's sausage nor using her martial soul. In a way, she seemed to isolate herself from the rest of the group.

The Starry Sky Forest is located in the southeast of the Kingdom of Barak, with a small part bordering the Kingdom of Barak. Soto City itself is also in the southeast of the Kingdom of Barak, not far from the Starry Sky Forest, less than 500 kilometers away.

Therefore, this is naturally the best choice for Shrek Academy students to obtain spirit rings.

With Oscar's sausage help, the Shrek Academy group traveled over 400 kilometers in just one day, and by nightfall, they were very close to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Seeing that they wouldn't reach their destination that day, Zhao Wuji ordered a rest. They had just arrived at a small town, and it was uncertain whether they would have any supplies if they continued forward.

Upon entering the town, Tang San found it to be much more bustling than he had imagined. The town was about three times the size of the village where Shrek Academy was located. Apart from lacking city walls, it resembled a small city, with shops lining the streets and offering all sorts of goods.

Tang San observed carefully and found that the shops here mainly dealt with things related to Soul Masters. For example, some shops sold weapons, some sold armor, some sold antidotes and recovery potions, and even the shops that sold clothes sold special clothing with more than a dozen pockets that could hold a lot of miscellaneous items, suitable for Soul Masters to use on their adventures.

Oscar sighed, "The saying 'those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water' probably applies here. This town clearly relies on the Star Dou Great Forest for its survival, and there are probably quite a few towns like this around the Star Dou Great Forest."

Tang San asked in surprise, "But it's still nearly a hundred kilometers away from the Star Dou Great Forest. Isn't that a bit far?"

Oscar chuckled, "You must have gotten used to the national captive spirit beast forest. Those captive spirit beasts are relatively docile and don't attack humans much. Wild spirit beast habitats like the Star Dou Great Forest are different. The spirit beasts there are not only much fiercer, but some of them even frequently venture out of the forest's boundaries. If a town is too close to the Star Dou Great Forest, things could get very bad."

Tang San smiled and nodded, thinking to himself, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. It's true. You can learn so much more by going out and exploring."

At this moment, Zhao Wuji pointed to a rather ordinary-looking hotel in front of them and said, "Let's stay here. We'll rest for the night and set off tomorrow morning. You'll have to pay for your own accommodation and meals."

Shrek Academy was not wealthy to begin with. People like Zhao Wuji and Flander had no income and their economic situation was really not good. On the other hand, Tang San and the others received subsidies from the Spirit Hall, so their daily expenses were naturally enough.

The hotel was a two-story building. The lobby on the first floor was a simple restaurant, and the accommodations were on the second floor. Zhao Wuji booked a single room for himself and went upstairs. After a brief discussion with the others, Dai Mubai booked a four-person room for the four boys and a three-person room for the three girls.

"Let's eat first before going up. I'm getting nauseous from eating sausages all day," Ma Hongjun said, echoing everyone's sentiments. Even Zhu Zhuqing nodded in agreement. The seven of them found a table in the corner and sat down.

Tang San asked Dai Mubai, "Should we invite Teacher Zhao to eat with us?"

Dai Mubai shook his head and said, "No need. Although the teacher won't pay any fees for us, he also won't accept any benefits from us. This is a rule set by Dean Flander."

The fat man laughed and said, "Isn't this pretty good? Everything is clear and transparent. What I like most about the academy is its unpretentious atmosphere."

(End of this chapter)