Bei Bei took a deep breath, calmed herself, and regained her composure before continuing to chatter with Xiao Ya and Chen Feng.
Another hour passed before Huo Yuhao finally awoke from his cultivation.
A pale golden light appeared in his deep blue eyes, and a bright yellow spirit ring rose from beneath his feet. His overwhelming joy surged forth, and he jumped up excitedly, shouting, "I succeeded! I've finally become a true spirit master!"
However, seeing Chen Feng and the other two watching him, he snapped out of his daze and lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.
"Senior Brother, Teacher Xiao Ya, thank you,"
Xiao Ya said with a smile to Huo Yuhao. "Little Yuhao, this Purple Spirit Wolf is quite rare in the Star Dou Great Forest. If it weren't for Chen Feng, we might not have been able to obtain such a good spirit ring this time."
"You're welcome,"
Chen Feng smiled and waved his hand, getting up and walking to Huo Yuhao's side.
"My name is Chen Feng. I heard from Senior Sister Xiaoya that you're also a freshman at Shrek Academy this year. Maybe we'll even be classmates. Please take care of me in the future."
"You... Hello, my name is Huo Yuhao. Please take care of me." Huo Yuhao quickly replied, a little embarrassed.
Tang Ya turned to Chen Feng and said, "Chen Feng, I came to the Star Dou Great Forest this time to hunt soul beasts to increase my soul rings. If you don't mind, we can go together. After we finish hunting, we can go to Shrek Academy together."
"Senior Sister Xiaoya, I originally planned to hunt a few soul beasts in the outer area of the Star Dou Great Forest to collect materials to exchange for some living expenses.
Going together would be good for mutual support. However, I have somewhere else to go, so I won't go to Shrek Academy with you."
Chen Feng didn't plan to go directly to Shrek Academy. Instead, he planned to go to the far north first to make Ice Emperor his second martial soul, and then go to Shrek Academy.
With his ultimate martial soul and twin martial souls, Chen Feng would become the core of Shrek Academy.
Chen Feng planned to stay in the Star Dou Great Forest for a little longer. If he couldn't find any remnants of Ilex's divine consciousness, he wouldn't waste any more time.
The plot had changed drastically because of Chen Feng, and he wasn't sure if he'd encounter Ilex, but being with Huo Yuhao and the other two was the best option, especially since the original owner of this body was right beside him.
Thinking this, Chen Feng glanced at Huo Yuhao beside him.
"Let's not delay, let's set off." Tang Ya was also excited about acquiring a spirit ring.
No spirit master could resist the temptation of advancement.
Chen Feng and Tang Ya walked in front, with Huo Yuhao in the middle and Bei Bei following at the back.
After obtaining his first spirit ring, Huo Yuhao clearly felt his cultivation improve significantly, especially his physical condition, making his journey much easier.
With his first spirit ring, Huo Yuhao gained a weakened auxiliary spirit skill. Huo Yuhao was in a great mood, feeling the sky was bluer and the grass greener.
Then, looking up at Teacher Xiaoya and Chen Feng chatting and laughing, he glanced back at his senior brother Bei Bei and noticed that the gentle smile on his face had vanished.
Huo Yuhao thought to himself, "What... what's going on??? I don't understand at all?"
Tang Ya needed a thousand-year-old soul beast, so the group continued deeper into the mixed zone, stopping near it to begin a lateral exploration.
The mixed zone was too dangerous, potentially even containing ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts, so no one planned to take the risk.
Along the way, Chen Feng released his spiritual power, forming a sensory circle.
"Senior Sister Xiao Ya, I found the soul beast you needed." Relying on his powerful spiritual power, Chen Feng found a thousand-year-old Mandragora Snake a few hundred meters away.
Tang Ya asked happily, "Chen Feng, what kind of soul beast is it?"
Chen Feng smiled and said, "A Mandragora Snake, its cultivation is roughly between one thousand and fifteen hundred years."
"Perfect! That's great!" Tang Ya jumped for joy, a sweet smile on her pretty face.
Soon, the group headed towards the Mandragora Snake's location.
The thousand-year-old Mandragora Snake was three meters long, entirely peach-colored, with a small bump on its forehead, resembling a flower.
At this moment, Bei Bei's expression was solemn. Although he was already a Soul Venerable level expert, he still found it difficult to defeat a thousand-year-old soul beast.
At this moment, Bei Bei glanced at Chen Feng. From the beginning, Bei Bei had noticed that Chen Feng's perception was exceptionally sharp, but his martial soul was a blade.
Bei Bei guessed that Chen Feng must have a soul skill for perception, but as for the external projection of spiritual power at the Soul Saint level, Bei Bei didn't even dare to think about it.
"Xiao Ya, protect Yu Hao." After saying that, Bei Bei gave Chen Feng a demonstrative look, as if showing off his power.
The first soul ring on his right arm was already shining, and under the intense fluctuation of soul power, a dragon claw formed of blue-purple lightning with a diameter of about one foot shot out and struck the Mandragora Serpent.
Thunder Dragon Claw, Bei Bei's first soul skill.
The Mandragora Serpent was very cunning. It had been coiled on the ground, but as soon as Bei Bei launched his attack, it suddenly sprang up and leaped into the air. Its long tail suddenly lashed out in the air, instantly becoming a pink light, and pounced on Bei Bei.
Instead of retreating, Bei Bei advanced, instantly crouching low while simultaneously using the Ghostly Shadow Steps to swiftly flash forward. His previously unleashed lightning dragon claw unexpectedly curved in mid-air, chasing after the Mandragora Serpent from behind.
At the same time, his second spirit ring on his right arm lit up, countless electric snakes enlarging simultaneously, transforming into lightning arrows that flashed wildly in the air. This formed a dense net of lightning, enveloping the Mandragora Serpent.
The previous lightning dragon claw was merely to provoke the Mandragora Serpent into action; this second spirit skill, Thunderous Might, was the true trap. Once covered by the net, the lightning dragon claw's pursuit from behind, even if it couldn't severely injure the serpent, would at least give it the upper hand.
However, the Mandragora Serpent was no pushover. As the net closed in, a cloud of pink mist spewed from its mouth, its sweet fragrance ten times stronger than before spreading outwards.
The lightning bolts, formed from the thunderous force, were sprayed with the pink poisonous mist. They were like water splashed on them; the power remained, but they instantly shattered into tiny fragments.
Chen Feng, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao retreated swiftly, fearing even a speck of contamination. A look of worry appeared on Tang Ya's pretty face.
(End of Chapter)