Time passed imperceptibly.
In the blink of an eye, over half a month had gone by.
While sightseeing and traveling, Yunxiao and Qian Renxue eventually arrived at their destination after many twists and turns.
—Star Dou Great Forest—
It could be said that apart from the Arctic Land,
this Star Dou Great Forest was one of the largest Soul Beast forests on the Douluo Continent.
Similarly, the entire area of the Star Dou Great Forest
was almost equivalent to the combined territory of the four great kingdoms within the Heaven Dou Empire.
Not only that, the Star Dou Great Forest also spanned across the territories of both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
At this moment, it was early morning, and the sky had just brightened not long ago.
Within the Star Dou Great Forest, damp mist coiled like sheer gauze between the towering ancient trees.
In the quiet of the Star Dou Great Forest, Yunxiao and Qian Renxue strolled hand in hand.
Thick vines hung down like giant pythons, and the accumulated rotting leaves on the ground made soft, muffled sounds beneath their feet.
Yunxiao looked up, catching glimpses of fragmented sunlight occasionally filtering through the canopy, only to be sliced into dappled golden spots by the overlapping layers of branches and leaves.
It was then that Yunxiao finally spoke up with a sigh.
"Heh, Xiao Xue, the scenery here is quite nice."
"If this Star Dou Great Forest weren't one of the three most famous Soul Beast habitats on the Douluo Continent,"
"Honestly, I'd want to live here."
The moment they stepped into the inner regions of the Star Dou Great Forest, Yunxiao felt as though he had entered a natural grand hall constructed by ancient trees.
The sky-obscuring canopy resembled a deep green dome, with towering ancient trees—whose age was unfathomable—soaring straight into the heavens.
Their trunks were so thick that it would take several people to encircle them, their bark cracked like furrows carved by time, covered in moss and parasitic ferns as if clad in mottled armor.
Vines coiled around them like giant serpents, hanging from the treetops all the way to the ground, weaving an intricate green curtain.
Some branches twisted and gnarled like countless bulging veins stretching toward the sky.
Others spread out in layers like enormous canopies, sifting sunlight into fine, scattered specks that sprinkled the forest floor.
There were even peculiar trees with bark glowing faintly blue or bearing crystalline, translucent burls, exuding an aura of mystery and danger within this forest.
Each tree seemed like a guardian of this forest, silently yet majestically recounting the vicissitudes of time and the grandeur of nature.
At this moment, hearing Yunxiao's musings,
Qian Renxue nodded slightly before responding unhurriedly.
"Hmm, Yunxiao, you're absolutely right."
"After all, this Star Dou Great Forest has existed here since ancient times."
"To this day, no one in the entire Douluo Continent knows exactly how many years it has witnessed."
Having been tempered by the passage of time, the scenery of the Star Dou Great Forest was naturally unique and beautiful.
It could be said that apart from the peculiar Arctic Land,
any Soul Beast forest was bound to have breathtaking scenery.
Of course, though the scenery of Soul Beast forests was splendid,
they were not suitable for living.
Just then, Qian Renxue retrieved a map from her Storage Soul Guidance Device.
The map clearly marked the habitats of many Soul Beasts,
starting from the outermost fringes and extending into the peripheral zones.
Next came the inner ring area and the mixed ring area.
And finally, the core ring area.
It could be said that the closer one got to the core ring area, the stronger the Soul Beasts became.
Seeing Qian Renxue marking and sketching on the map, Yunxiao also turned his gaze toward it.
"Xiao Xue, is the Soul Beast you're looking for in the inner ring area or the mixed ring area?"
The outer ring area of the Star Dou Great Forest was mostly populated by Soul Beasts ranging from a hundred to a thousand years in age.
The inner ring area, however, was different—here, the Soul Beasts were almost exclusively at the ten-thousand-year level.
Of course, there was also the mixed ring area, where the Soul Beasts were generally high-level ten-thousand-year ones.
For example, the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger from the original story.
Or the three Thousand Jun Ant Emperors, who were unjustly caught in the crossfire and hunted by Tang San in the original story.
As for the remaining core ring area, there was no need to say much.
That was the domain of the Sky Blue Bull Python, Da Ming.
And the Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming.
The dwelling place of these two "simp beasts."
According to the standard Soul Ring absorption limits on the Douluo Continent,
Qian Renxue's seventh Soul Ring should typically be between thirty thousand and fifty thousand years in age.
The region housing Soul Beasts between thirty thousand and fifty thousand years just happened to span the inner ring and mixed ring areas.
"Mmm, the Soul Beast I'm looking for this time is indeed in the mixed ring area."
"Yunxiao, after two years of hard work, I've not only successfully broken through to the seventieth rank but also absorbed a piece of the Angel Suit Soul Bone."
"Because of this, my target this time is a sixty-thousand-year Light Bear King."
"The Light Bear King—this type of Soul Beast contains pure light energy within its body and possesses formidable offensive and destructive power."
"It can be said that the Light Bear King is a perfect match for the attributes of my Six-Winged Angel Spirit."
After saying this, Qian Renxue put away the Soul Beast map in her hand.
Having confirmed the details, she had already determined the exact direction.
Now, all she needed to do was head to the mixed ring area with Yunxiao.
Once there, the two of them could regroup with Ci Xue and She Long.
A few days earlier, after leaving Heaven Dou City,
Yunxiao and Qian Renxue had parted ways with She Long.
To use Qian Renxue's words at the time—why would a young couple on a date need to drag along She Long as a third wheel?
In terms of strength, She Long was no match for Yunxiao.
In terms of mobility, She Long still couldn't compare to Yunxiao.
And so, shortly after leaving the vicinity of Heaven Dou City, Qian Renxue had sent She Long away.
"Oh? A sixty-thousand-year Light Bear King?"
"Xiao Xue, are you planning to absorb a Soul Ring beyond the standard limit?"
With the Immortal Herb Fierce Flame Apricot Flood, whale glue, and two ninety-nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year Angel Soul Bones,
Qian Renxue absorbing a Soul Ring ten thousand years beyond the norm shouldn't pose any problems.
"Xiao Xue, since you've chosen to absorb a Soul Ring beyond the standard limit,"
"then you must be careful when the time comes."
"If you encounter any danger during the absorption process, I will intervene and halt it."
Although he knew Qian Renxue was capable of absorbing a sixty-thousand-year Soul Ring,
he would still worry when the situation called for it.
Yunxiao understood Qian Renxue's personality well—asking her to give up on the sixty-thousand-year Light Bear King
and settle for a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast instead
was something she would absolutely refuse.
After all, Qian Renxue's personality was one of relentless determination.
Soon after, Yunxiao and Qian Renxue set off together toward the mixed zone.
Guided by the map of the Soul Beast habitat, the two headed toward the territory of the Light Bear King.
Soul Beasts, regardless of their age, all possessed territorial instincts.
Under normal circumstances, Soul Beasts rarely changed their habitats.