Chapter 9: Target: The Great Star Dou Forest (Part 2)
Xuan Mo snapped back to his senses upon hearing Flender's words.
After a moment's reflection, and after recalling the plots of several novels from his past life, something clicked in his mind.
His eyes lit up, and he said to Flender, "Uncle, I've decided. My spirit ring will have the attributes of earth and devouring. This is because my martial spirit, the Taotie Divine Bull, possesses these two powers."
Flender nodded slightly after hearing Xuan Mo's perspective, stroking his goatee proudly.
"You're quite good, young man. Your idea is pretty much the same as mine. So, as long as it meets these attributes and is of the right age, it can be your spirit ring."
Xuan Mo's words immediately intensified, as he didn't think any spirit beast would work.
"Uncle, wait a minute, that's not what I meant."
"Oh,"
Flender said, his brows raised slightly.
"Do you have any other ideas?"
"Uncle, listen to me first. I have very strict requirements for the soul beasts I choose for hunting spirit rings."
Then, before Flender could say anything, Xuan Mo unpacked his thoughts on the soul beasts he selected for hunting spirit rings.
"First, besides having matching attributes, they must also possess the bloodline of a top-tier soul beast. For example, a Titan Ape or a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Of course, soul beasts with matching attributes and dragon bloodline are best. Second, even if the attributes don't match, as long as the bloodline is extremely strong, that's fine. On the contrary, it must be used as a soul ring. Third, the worst case scenario is that the attributes match, but the soul beast must have some unique abilities."
Xuan Mo was already talking at his best, not noticing Flender's increasingly dark expression beside him.
"As for the spirit rings given by other spirit beasts, I don't need them. Otherwise, if they exceed this range, it will very likely disrupt my plan. As for the rest, I have no other requirements."
These words directly angered Flender so much that his face turned pale. At this moment, Flender really wanted to slap Xuan Mo to death, but Xuan Mo was completely unaware of it.
Before Xuan Mo could react, Flender's roar had already reached his mind.
"You said you had no other requirements, but you know you're already very picky about your spirit rings! The spirit ring configurations you described are even more difficult to deal with than the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex's spirit!"
Seeing this, Xuan Mo hurriedly said, "Uncle, wait a moment. I'm doing this to purify my spirit's bloodline."
"Then tell me, you brat! If you don't explain, I'll teach you a lesson."
"Uncle, my spirit, the Taotie Divine Bull, has the bloodline of a true dragon or divine beast, but because its bloodline is impure, it can only remain at the top level of spirit."
When Xuan Mo said this, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Flender.
"Uncle, have you ever heard of a god-level spirit?"
Flender's eyes, originally slightly angry, suddenly flashed with a hint of longing and a complicated expression.
He then glanced at Xuan Mo and slowly spoke, "I once heard an old friend mention this. Divine-level spirits are also called God-given spirits. They are mysterious and powerful, surpassing even top-tier spirits. It's said that the previous Pope of the Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji, possessed the divine-level spirit, the Seraph." As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Mo took over.
"So, I want to purify the bloodline of the Taotie Divine Bull by hunting spirit rings to see if it can evolve into a true divine-level spirit, the Taotie."
Flanders looked at Xuan Mo's determined gaze and recalled his persistence over the past few years. He knew he couldn't compete with Xuan Mo's stubbornness, so he had to accept it with a pinch of salt.
"Forget it, let's go."
Xuan Mo was taken aback upon hearing this. "Where are we going? Aren't you going to help me hunt spirit rings?"
"Of course, I'm taking you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt spirit rings. There aren't any spirit beasts like the ones you want in this Soul Hunting Forest."
As soon as he finished speaking, Flanders grabbed Xuan Mo, activated his martial spirit, and took off.
...
Later, at Xuan Mo's insistence, Xuan Mo and Flanders chose to ride in a carriage.
Of course, Xuan Mo paid for the carriage. As for asking Flanders to pay, that was just wishful thinking.
After three days and three nights in the carriage, Xuan Mo and Flanders finally arrived at a small town a hundred miles from the Star Dou Great Forest.
Entering the town, it was much busier than expected. Despite the lack of city walls, it resembled a small city, with shops lining the streets, offering a wide variety of businesses. As the saying goes, "live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water." Every shop here was related to the spirit master profession.
For example, some specialized in selling weapons, armor, antidotes, and healing potions. They even sold clothing with over a dozen pockets, capable of storing a wealth of miscellaneous items, perfect for spirit masters on their adventures.
Flanders glanced at the sky, realizing it was too late to enter the forest. He pointed to a hotel and said to Xuan Mo, "Mo, the Star Dou Great Forest is far too dangerous at night. So, let's rest here tonight and leave for the Star Dou Great Forest early tomorrow morning!"
Xuan Mo, naturally, agreed without further ado.
As for Flanders's accommodation and food expenses, Flanders simply said, "I'm here to help you hunt spirit rings. All other miscellaneous expenses will naturally be reimbursed by your employer."
The rest of the night passed in silence until the next day.
As the sky began to turn pale, Xuan Mo and Flanders simply cleaned up, washed, and ate.
Afterward, they bought a month's worth of food in the town and filled their soul guides before setting off for the Star Dou Great Forest.
Located directly south of the Tiandou Empire, the Star Dou Great Forest stretches vastly across the two empires. Due to the abundance of soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, this also creates a patch of land where the border between the two empires is least clearly defined. Maps suggest that most of the Star Dou Great Forest lies within the Xingluo Empire, though the Tiandou Empire would never agree.
As one of the three major habitats for wild soul beasts, it's naturally a place soul masters most desire to visit. Every visit here signals their impending advancement.
No one can say for sure how long the Star Dou Great Forest has existed on the Douluo Continent, but upon entering, the dense, lush forest that blocks out the sun speaks volumes about its age.
(End of Chapter)