"Junior Brother, don't worry!"
"Senior Sister promises you won't suffer even a scratch~"
Hu Liena was overjoyed, holding Ye Han's hand affectionately as they walked out.
At the same time, she didn't forget to call out to the two women still standing in the courtyard:
"Teacher! Elder Ling Yuan! Let's hurry up and set off to get Junior Brother his spirit ring!"
This made Bibi Dong furious, while Ling Yuan felt a complicated mix of emotions.
And so, the group of four set off toward their destination—the Sunset Forest.
...
The Sunset Forest.
One of the three most famous soul beast gathering places on the continent.
However, whether in terms of area or the number of soul beasts, it ranked last among the three.
The limited living environment made it difficult for high-level soul beasts to thrive here.
Not to mention hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, even seventy or eighty-thousand-year soul beasts were extremely rare.
This indirectly led to soul seekers pursuing powerful spirit rings rarely setting foot here.
The reason the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well remained unknown to the outside world for so long was due to the lack of strong explorers venturing deep into the forest.
Of course, the main reason was the protection of the Seven Treasures Glazed Lily, which kept those who weren't adept at dealing with poison at bay.
Young soul masters in their growth phase also preferred coming to the Sunset Forest to hunt for spirit rings due to the reasons mentioned above.
The distance between Spirit Hall City and the Sunset Forest was vast.
But for Titled Douluo, it was nothing.
Ling Yuan carried Ye Han as they traveled, while Bibi Dong brought Hu Liena along.
As the sun began to set, the four of them successfully arrived at the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
As soon as they landed, Hu Liena ran over and hugged Ye Han, smiling sweetly:
"Little Han, make sure to stay close to Senior Sister once we go in, okay~?"
During the journey, she had recognized Ye Han as the dirty child from yesterday and had grown even more fond of him.
After all, Ye Han had looked so pitiful yesterday, and she was determined not to let something like that happen again!
"Mm, I'll stay close to Sister Nana~"
Ye Han nodded, leaning into her embrace and putting on an obedient act.
Ling Yuan, watching this scene, felt a slight pang of discomfort but quickly adjusted.
Bibi Dong, on the other hand, was seething but could only pretend to remain calm as she interrupted:
"It's getting late. Let's move!"
"Once we're inside, we'll prioritize getting Nana her third spirit ring!"
With Bibi Dong's command, the four of them entered the Sunset Forest.
The dense trees blocked the last rays of the setting sun, and the light dimmed.
Sunlight could only filter through sparse gaps, casting mottled patterns on the ground.
Following the plan, they first searched for a suitable third spirit ring for Hu Liena.
After some searching, they quickly found a suitable fox-type soul beast on the outskirts.
Bibi Dong easily incapacitated it, and Hu Liena finished it off before beginning to absorb the spirit ring.
"Little Han, were you scared by what just happened?"
Ling Yuan bent down and asked softly.
Ye Han snuggled into Ling Yuan's arms and cooed:
"With Sister Ling Yuan protecting me, I'm not scared at all~!"
Ling Yuan smiled tenderly, lovingly ruffling Ye Han's hair.
Their intimate interaction annoyed Bibi Dong, who suddenly interrupted:
"According to the intelligence, there are quite a few four-hundred-year dark-attribute sub-dragons on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest."
"Elder Ling Yuan, you stay here and guard Nana. I'll take Little Han to hunt for his first spirit ring."
Hearing about hunting for spirit rings, Ye Han immediately remembered the contents of his second trial and quickly said:
"Teacher, for my first spirit ring, I want to absorb a two-thousand-year soul beast's spirit ring!"
This statement stunned both Ling Yuan and Bibi Dong.
After recovering, Bibi Dong frowned and scolded:
"Nonsense! The upper limit for the first spirit ring is 423 years. Exceeding that will cause your body to explode from the strain!"
Ye Han didn't need to guess to know this was that trash Yu Xiaogang's nonsense theory. He immediately retorted:
"The upper limit for spirit ring absorption isn't fixed or absolute!"
"The limit can be surpassed as the soul master's physical strength improves!"
"A powerful martial soul, consuming high-level whale glue, or absorbing spirit bones can all enhance a soul master's physical strength!"
"I've eaten three pieces of ten-thousand-year whale glue and absorbed a ninety-thousand-year spirit bone. My body is strong enough to absorb a two-thousand-year spirit ring!"
Ling Yuan listened patiently and found his reasoning quite convincing.
Bibi Dong, who had already been displeased, now looked even darker.
The 423-year upper limit for the first spirit ring was a conclusion Xiaogang had reached through exhaustive research.
And it was through her efforts that this rule had been strictly enforced across the entire Douluo Continent.
If increasing physical strength could raise the absorption limit, then Xiaogang's theory would be wrong!
And since she was the one who had promoted this rule, wouldn't that make her and Xiaogang responsible for misleading the world?!
Xiaogang's theory couldn't be wrong!
Bibi Dong immediately denied it with a dark expression:
"No matter how strong your body is, the upper limit for the first spirit ring is 423 years. Not a single year more!"
After saying this, she was so angry that she couldn't calm down.
She immediately lost interest in taking Ye Han to hunt for spirit rings and waved at Ling Yuan:
"Elder Ling Yuan, I'll leave this to you. Make sure it's done properly!"
Ling Yuan was more than happy to oblige and quickly nodded in agreement.
She took Ye Han's hand and left, as if afraid Bibi Dong might change her mind.
Ye Han was also relieved. Ling Yuan would definitely agree to help him hunt for a two-thousand-year spirit ring.
If Bibi Dong had taken him, she would have undoubtedly followed that trash's nonsense theory!
"Bibi Dong, I'll prove with my actions that your beloved Yu Xiaogang's ridiculous theory is wrong! Just wait and see!"
Before leaving with Ling Yuan, Ye Han gave Bibi Dong a mocking glance, secretly determined.
He wondered how she would react when she saw his first spirit ring was two thousand years.
Would she start to doubt Yu Xiaogang's theory, or would she continue to blindly believe in it?
Just thinking about it made him excited!
...
"Little Han, are you still determined to hunt for a two-thousand-year soul beast's spirit ring?"
After walking some distance, Ling Yuan turned to Ye Han and asked seriously.
"Mm, Sister Ling Yuan will support me, right~?"
Ye Han shook Ling Yuan's hand and cooed, his eyes filled with hope.
The success of his Dragon God's second trial hinged on Ling Yuan's decision!
"Alright, I'll support you. Let's go find a suitable soul beast now~"
Ling Yuan picked Ye Han up with affection and headed deeper into the forest.
She firmly believed this little guy could do it!
However, not long after they started, some traces on the ground caught Ling Yuan's attention.
"These are... traces of a Dark Thunder Sub-Dragon?"
"Judging from the footprints, it's around two thousand years old!"
"Dual-attribute sub-dragons are extremely rare. This soul beast is perfect for you!"
Ye Han was delighted and quickly said:
"Then let's hurry and chase it!"
Ling Yuan nodded and followed the trail.
Before long, they caught up and saw the creature.
The Dark Thunder Sub-Dragon was pitch black, with large wings on its back.
Its body was covered in dark lightning currents, writhing like thunder snakes, making it look incredibly fierce and majestic.
However, it seemed to have been severely injured, lying at the base of a large tree, barely alive!
"It looks like it just fought with another soul master or soul beast and was heavily injured."
"We've stumbled upon a great opportunity. Let's finish it off and absorb its spirit ring."
Ling Yuan chuckled, her eyes gleaming as she took out a dagger.
Ye Han took the dagger and walked over excitedly, ready to deliver the final blow.
But at that moment, a stern shout suddenly rang out:
"Stop!!!"
The voice, accompanied by a surge of soul power, sent the dagger flying from Ye Han's hand.
Ye Han and Ling Yuan turned to see a middle-aged man in green robes walking toward them.
Behind him were two others, a man and a woman.