A week later, in the inner region of the Star Dou Forest.
"Principal Flender, do you think the Fire Phoenix and the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear have gone extinct?"
Walking through the forest, Chu Chengzhou asked Flender with a somewhat frustrated tone.
They had been wandering around the Star Dou Forest for a week, yet neither a Fire Phoenix nor a Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear had appeared.
Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but suspect that there might not be many of these two types of soul beasts left in the vast Star Dou Forest.
---
"Your requirements are quite high, and it's only been a week. What's worrying you?"
Flender remained optimistic. It was common to spend ten days or even half a month in the Star Dou Forest without finding a suitable soul ring, let alone when the target was a top-tier soul beast like the Fire Phoenix or the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear.
"CHIRP—!"
Just as Chu Chengzhou was about to reply, a bird's cry echoed from the distant sky.
Instantly, the two exchanged glances and quickly climbed onto a nearby towering tree, looking toward the direction of the sound.
Standing above the sea of trees, Chu Chengzhou saw a fiery red figure flying toward a large mountain with sparse vegetation in the east.
"Principal Flender, is that a Fire Phoenix?"
Chu Chengzhou turned to ask Flender.
"I didn't see clearly, but it's probably one. Let's go check it out!"
Without hesitation, the two jumped down from the tree and headed toward the mountain in the east.
This was the inner region of the Star Dou Forest, where ten-thousand-year soul beasts frequently appeared. Flender didn't dare to fly through the air with Chu Chengzhou, fearing they'd encounter flying-type soul beasts and find themselves at a disadvantage.
In less than half an hour, they arrived at the mountain they had spotted earlier.
Perhaps because the mountain was a dormant volcano, its vegetation was sparse, and the air felt slightly hot.
Avoiding soul beasts along the way, the two carefully climbed to the summit.
What greeted their eyes was a massive depression. Around the edges of this enormous pit, surprisingly, there were still plants.
Amidst a patch of low, fiery red shrubs stood a ten-thousand-year fire-attribute plant-type soul beast: the Fire Parasol Tree, over thirty meters tall with a canopy covering more than a hundred square meters.
On one of the branches of this ancient Fire Parasol Tree sat a huge, fiery red bird's nest.
Inside the nest perched two noble-looking avian soul beasts, one large and one small, both emanating a scorching aura.
Seeing the two fiery red birds in the distance, Chu Chengzhou's heart raced with excitement.
These two fire-attribute birds were none other than the King of Birds he had been searching for tirelessly over the past few days—the Fire Phoenix.
Chu Chengzhou couldn't determine the age of the larger Fire Phoenix, but judging by the aura of the smaller one, it was likely around five thousand years old—perfect as his third summon.
Chu Chengzhou: Finally found you~. Good thing I didn't give up~
"Principal Flender, can you handle the larger one?"
Chu Chengzhou turned and whispered to Flender.
According to level equivalency, hundred-thousand to million-year soul beasts corresponded to Soul Masters between levels 91 and 100.
However, soul beasts had stronger physiques, while most soul masters' martial souls and soul ring configurations were subpar, lacking domain powers. Except for rare exceptions, a level 91 Title Douluo was no match for a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
A newly nine-ring Title Douluo could barely handle a ninety-thousand-year soul beast and be considered competent, if not top-tier.
Soul beasts older than ninety thousand years matched nine-ring Title Douluos, while those over fifty thousand years matched eight-ring Soul Douluos.
The Fire Phoenix was a top-tier flying-type soul beast, excelling among its peers. Moreover, Flender's Owl martial soul, being a flying-type, would be somewhat restricted against the Fire Phoenix. If the Fire Phoenix were forty thousand years old, Flender, at level 78, would likely not stand a chance.
"It's around thirty-thousand years old, so it shouldn't be a problem. What, you want to take care of the smaller one yourself?"
Flender clicked his tongue, curiosity evident in his voice.
"I probably won't be able to handle it," after pondering for a moment, Chu Chengzhou replied.
Ten-thousand-year soul beasts were comparable to five-ring Soul Kings. A five-thousand-year Fire Phoenix's strength, converted to a soul master, would roughly equal an outstanding four-ring Soul Ancestor, or a weaker five-ring Soul King with poor martial soul and soul ring configurations.
Relying solely on himself, Chu Chengzhou was at a significant disadvantage.
But with the help of two summons, it would be like having a three-ring healing-type Soul Elder and a three-ring auxiliary-type Soul Elder as teammates, making the situation manageable.
Of course, the likelihood of him hunting it alone was slim, as the Fire Phoenix could fly, and he couldn't.
"What?! Are you serious?!"
Hearing Chu Chengzhou's words, Flender immediately shot him a surprised look.
Ordinary Level 30 soul masters might struggle against soul beasts aged seven or eight hundred years. And here you are, claiming you want to fight a five-thousand-year Fire Phoenix by yourself?
Is it that I, Flender, am out of touch with the times, or are you, Chu Chengzhou, getting too cocky?
"Just watch!"
With that, Chu Chengzhou pulled out his silver bow from his storage soul-guidance device.
"Alright, kid, be careful."
Nodding, Flender activated his Owl martial soul, seven soul rings glowing—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.
"CHIRP?"
Wild soul beasts had keen senses. The soul power fluctuations caused by Flender's martial soul activation were immediately detected by the Fire Phoenix in the distant nest.
"CHIRP!"
The crimson phoenix wings flared, and the thirty-thousand-year Fire Phoenix soared into the air, glaring menacingly at the two intruders.
It had encountered these strange two-legged soul beasts with glowing rings before and knew them to be wicked creatures who loved to hunt soul beasts—'Evil Soul Beasts.'
If not for Flender's impressive aura, numerous glowing rings, and apparent superior strength, it would have attacked with Phoenix Flames without hesitation.
"Heh~, the King of Birds, the Fire Phoenix—I, Flender, have never fought one before!"
Flender's first, second, and third soul rings lit up successively. His eagle wings flapped, propelling him into the air.
First soul skill: Eagle Soaring Through the Sky, enhancing attack capability while increasing speed.
Second soul skill: Eagle Eye, locking onto the opponent and improving the accuracy of soul skills.
Third soul skill: Seek Weakness, using the unique perspective of an owl to locate the opponent's weak points and strike.
"Fourth soul skill, Air Blade Slash!"
With three soul skills already active, Flender unleashed his fourth. Amid the surge of soul power, ten sharp orange-gold air blades shot out explosively.
"CHIRP—!"
Seeing Flender's aggressive approach, the Fire Phoenix became enraged. With a loud cry, it spat out a torrent of blazing Phoenix Flames from its slender beak.
If Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flames were like the flicker of a lighter, then the Fire Phoenix's flames were like the roaring inferno of a flamethrower.
On one hand, the gap in strength between the two was immense. On the other hand, how could a mutated old hen compare to a true Fire Phoenix?
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