"Young Master, the Mingdou Great Forest, like the Mingdou Mountain Range, straddles the borders of both the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire. It spans an area nearly half the size of the Star Dou Great Forest and takes up one-third of the Star Luo Empire's borderlands.
The forest is rich in mutated soul beasts. While their overall strength may not match those in the Star Dou Great Forest, the danger level remains extremely high.
The fact that those Evil Soul Masters can plunder, murder, and pillage along the forest's outskirts is proof of their formidable strength."
On the Soul Guidance vessel, Yue Lao was still steering, while Soul Sage Zhisen, acting as Xu Tianxi's guardian, took the time to explain the dangers of the mission ahead.
"Though Evil Soul Masters are like rats scurrying in the shadows, they are infamous for their ruthless and unpredictable methods. It's not uncommon for them to operate across borders with tactics well beyond ordinary expectations.
And keep in mind—fighting near the Mingdou Great Forest also means risking attacks from the mutated soul beasts within. These creatures are far more aggressive than typical ones. If you're caught in their encirclement, you might not get out alive…"
Xu Tianxi's eyes gleamed slightly as he pondered aloud:
"From what you're saying, this Mingdou Great Forest sounds like a spiritual treasure trove. Other than the Star Dou Forest, is there any other soul beast territory in the three former empires that can rival it?"
Mutated soul beasts—now those were interesting. He'd never found anything exciting about the standard variants. It was the mutated ones, with unexpected traits and wild evolution paths, that truly caught his attention—especially rare silver-soul beasts.
Zhisen hadn't expected Xu Tianxi's attention to shift away from the Evil Soul Masters so quickly. It was almost as if this young lord didn't take them seriously at all.
But since he was asked, he answered steadily, giving a brief overview of the Mingdou Great Forest:
"You're quite right. The Mingdou Great Forest lies adjacent to the Mingdou Mountain Range. It covers a vast area, and the soul beasts there are generally of excellent quality. It's one of the best locations for soul masters of the Sun Moon and Star Luo Empires to hunt for soul rings.
Rumors even suggest there are mutated hundred-thousand-year soul beasts deep within the forest. Ordinary Titled Douluo would be throwing their lives away trying to confront them—only Super Douluo could contend with those monsters.
As for whether there are any legendary Savage Beasts… I cannot say for sure. If there are, only someone like Ice Phoenix Crown—one of the strongest among Super Douluo—could deal with them."
"Any mention of impressive silver-soul beasts or powerful spiritual-type beasts? Even something connected to the moon or stars would be great," Xu Tianxi pressed, clearly excited.
Zhisen's eye twitched. That… was quite the demanding list.
"…Theoretically, they should exist. In practice? Hard to say. Still, I've heard a few things—might be helpful.
For example, the Star Crown Martial Soul passed down in the Star Luo Royal Family has several soul skills that are said to only be compatible with soul beasts found in the Mingdou Great Forest—likely stellar-type soul beasts. Also, more than three thousand years ago, the Sun Moon Empire hunted a silver dragon rumored to have come from this forest…"
Xu Tianxi's eyes sparkled even more, deeply intrigued. He eagerly continued chatting with Zhisen about the forest's soul beast ecosystem, clearly enthusiastic.
With a territory half the size of the Star Dou Forest, even if it didn't breed peak Savage Beasts, it should be capable of nurturing beasts like the Titan Snow Demon King or Little White, the Ice Bear King. And with legends of a silver dragon? It might hold soul beasts uniquely suited to his needs.
After all, he still had six soul ring slots left for his Illusory Moon Mystic Eye Martial Soul, and none of them could afford to be wasted. Most of those future rings would have to be earned by his own hand—it was time to start planning seriously.
Zhisen, who was mentally exhausted trying to field Xu Tianxi's rapid-fire questions, couldn't help but feel a little dizzy.
Wait… is this kid here to hunt Evil Soul Masters or to find rare soul beasts? Didn't he just recently break through to the third ring?
And wasn't he a little too confident?
Then again, Ice Phoenix Crown had mentioned Xu Tianxi once single-handedly killed five Evil Soul Masters at Soul Ancestor level—like chopping vegetables. Perhaps his confidence wasn't unfounded…
Time passed quickly. After thoroughly mining Zhisen's knowledge, Xu Tianxi—clearly pleased—began shifting the conversation toward training techniques, looking completely relaxed.
No nervousness, no fear. Only ease and bright-eyed curiosity.
And truthfully, Xu Tianxi didn't see the Evil Soul Masters as much of a threat.
If they needed to be caught, he'd catch them. If they needed killing, he'd kill them. If it became too taxing on his soul power or stamina, he'd just switch to soul tool bombardment.
Though this mission was a test of his martial strength as a soul master, that didn't mean he was foolish enough to avoid using soul tools.
Thanks to Yue Lao's all-out mentorship these past years, Xu Tianxi's soul tool knowledge had reached Tier 4 Soul Engineer level.
Where he once had to buy Tier 4 fixed-mounted soul guidance shells, he could now craft them by hand—provided he had the materials and time. Xiao Changfeng had even sold his creations on the black market, turning quite a profit.
He couldn't craft Tier 5 gear yet, not because he lacked the skill to carve fifth-tier core arrays, but because his soul power wasn't yet sufficient to finish one solo.
During his one-month closed-door training, he had refined several basic thunder-element attack methods, like Lightning Step, Thunder Palm, and Shockfist—all to early proficiency.
More importantly, he finally managed to craft his first Tier 5 soul tool—a cold-element fixed-mounted soul cannon shell. Though based on an imitation design from the Sun Moon Empire's Royal Soul Engineer Academy, it was still a major milestone.
If detonated near a Soul Emperor, there was a high chance of a kill. Even a Soul Sage would find their body frozen and slowed.
Since he built it himself, it was naturally part of his strength. Why wouldn't he use it?
If the Evil Soul Masters pushed him, he'd just roll out the artillery and let them feel the terror of soul tool warfare!
In celebration of the new year, Xu Tianxi had even custom-made a Gatling-style launcher for Tier 4 cannon shells. If anyone from the Douluo Continent annoyed him, he'd send up fireworks they'd never forget.
Three Days Later – Dusk
After traveling by water and land, Xu Tianxi's group arrived at a medium-sized town fifty li from the Mingdou Great Forest and decided to rest.
The town, located near a soul beast forest, had a rugged architectural style with practical layouts catering to soul masters. Along the way, they heard all sorts of hawking and commotion.
Some soul masters were recruiting temporary hunting partners; others were selling rare soul beast parts taken from within the forest.
What surprised Xu Tianxi was the presence of a small garrison of 500 soldiers. Fully armed knight patrols strode the streets, their polished armor gleaming with killing intent.
"Young Master," Yue Lao said, "the Star Luo Empire's Western Army has 500,000 troops stationed along the Mingdou Mountains. This town serves both as a supply station for soul masters and as a watchtower to guard against soul beast raids."
Zhisen swept his gaze around. "There's likely more to it. Since Star Luo has deployed troops here, they must have full control. I'd bet every person who enters this town gets screened."
Xu Tianxi shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We're all wearing soul tool face masks made by Yue Lao. With our soul power fully restrained, these ordinary people won't detect anything useful."
He had already taken a good look—these soldiers were tall and burly, trained warriors clearly forged through battle.
But without Martial Souls, even if armed to the teeth, they couldn't match a proper Soul Ancestor—much less their group. Five hundred of them wouldn't be enough to stop any one of the three.
Yue Lao specialized in ranged bombardment. Zhisen was a control-type powerhouse. Both excelled at group combat.
After a brief tour, they entered the largest inn in town—Lai Fu Inn—and picked a quiet corner for rest and dinner.
Since they were near a soul beast forest, some of the local cuisine was made from hundred-year soul beasts. The prices were steep—but not a problem for them.
While waiting for the food, Xu Tianxi's gaze swept over the other soul masters boasting and drinking, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Then, the door opened—and the entire inn quieted.
Two middle-aged soul masters led a group of seven young men and women inside. They were elegant, confident, and clearly of noble status, drawing everyone's eyes and hushed whispers.
"Look at that entourage—must be some top-tier academy or sect elders taking their juniors to hunt soul beasts."
"You idiot, can't you see the Star Crown badge on their chests? That's the emblem of Star Luo Royal Academy!"
"Star Luo Royal Academy?! That's the second-best soul master academy on the continent, only behind Shrek! That means these youths are the nation's elite!"
"Exactly! I think three of them are Soul Kings or near-Soul Kings. The rest are all high-level Soul Ancestors. They might even be Star Luo's official team for the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!"
"Hey, look at that girl in the front. Isn't she too gorgeous? I've never seen a girl like that in my life…"
"Shut up, fool! These students are all nobles—she might be a duke's daughter! You wanna die talking like that?!"
Smack! A sweaty, panicked older brother slapped his loose-tongued younger sibling, terrified that someone might overhear.
Forget a noble's revenge—those two leading soul masters had power he couldn't even gauge. Probably Soul Sages or higher. What idiot would provoke them?
Among the Star Luo Royal Academy entourage, Xu Jiujium walked like a radiant moon among stars. Her golden hair was braided into a soft twist, her face as fair as snow. A subtle, graceful smile played on her lips. Dressed in a golden gown, she exuded nobility, elegance, and quiet confidence.
Many eyes—some admiring, some malicious—fell upon her, but Xu Jiujium remained composed. From a young age, she had attended countless formal occasions. This was nothing.
Xu Tianxi glanced at her briefly, then looked away after confirming her identity. Xiao Changfeng's intelligence reports had listed her as a person of interest.
"The angry old man wasn't wrong about her beauty, but his guess was off—no duke in Star Luo has a daughter like her."
Still, no matter how noble she was, it had nothing to do with him. Once he dealt with the Evil Soul Masters and handled his White Tiger Duke visit, he'd head straight to the Sun Moon Empire. No need to cross paths.
As the food finally arrived, his gaze locked onto the soul beast dishes—and lit up like fire.
Heaven and earth are vast—but nothing is greater than eating.
Meanwhile, Xu Jiujium's gaze casually swept across the room—and paused on Xu Tianxi.
She caught the sudden shift in his expression when the food arrived. In his eyes, the allure of fine cuisine seemed to surpass even her own presence.
"Huh? Those three… something's off." She studied the group more closely. All three wore masks and showed no trace of soul power—only Soul Ancestors or stronger could achieve such restraint. People like her.
"Your Highness, is something wrong?" one of the accompanying Soul Sages asked, concerned.
"Nothing. Just… noticed someone interesting."