Departure

On the other hand, after leaving the Rose Hotel, Chen Xuan left a letter for Flender.

The letter roughly explained the reason for his departure: something urgent had come up at home, and he needed to return briefly to bring his only remaining sister to Heaven Dou City.

He knew that Flender would surely approve, as he was injured and unable to participate in the competition. Staying with the team wouldn't be meaningful, so he decided to take a few days off and go for a walk.

Before leaving the Rose Hotel, Chen Xuan also wrote a note specifically for Xiao Wu, mostly containing apologies. Whether she would read it or not was uncertain.

He explained that he would be away for up to six days and sincerely expressed his willingness to take responsibility for Xiao Wu, promising to spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

Chen Xuan headed south, and along the way, he used his wealth to rent a luxurious carriage, complete with three to five Soul Masters as escorts.

The destination this time was the largest soul beast forest on the continent—the Star Dou Great Forest!

Chen Xuan intended to enter the Star Dou Great Forest because something he needed was there. After last night, he noticed something unusual—his injuries had completely healed, even the gaping wound in his chest had fully closed, without leaving a single scar.

Moreover, he was astonished to discover that his soul power had also broken through, advancing from level 38 to level 40. As long as he could obtain a soul ring, he would become a Soul Elder.

"Could it be the effect of that strange fruit?" At this point, that seemed to be the only possibility.

The journey went smoothly, and the carriage sped along. After two days, they stopped in a small town.

The coachman informed Chen Xuan that this was the nearest town to the Star Dou Great Forest and that they could only take him this far. The road beyond was too dangerous for them to continue.

Chen Xuan had no choice but to get out of the carriage. This was understandable—under normal circumstances, without a Soul Emperor leading the way, who would dare approach the continent's largest soul beast forest?

The town was small but bustling with people. As he walked through the streets, he saw many Soul Master teams and students from intermediate academies.

Chen Xuan wandered around the town, surprised by the number of Soul Masters gathered here. Who would have thought this place would be such a hub for them?

Some teachers from academies were leading students on hunts for soul rings.

Of course, there were also groups that had formed alliances, traveling together. Some merchants were even hiring Soul Masters, offering generous rewards. In every case, their goal was to enter the Star Dou Great Forest together.

Mutual support and cooperation would always be stronger than individual strength, naturally reducing the risk of losses.

Chen Xuan entered a hotel and causally ordered a few dishes. As he sat at the table, he overheard people nearby recruiting Soul Masters, with the lowest offer being 100 gold soul coins per person.

He thought to himself, although he wasn't short on money, going alone wouldn't be ideal. Should he also find a team to join?

After all, his strength wasn't particularly high right now, and the Star Dou Great Forest was a paradise for soul beasts, with ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts roaming everywhere. Running into one alone would be troublesome.

Although he had prepared before coming here, bringing along five kunai, three of which were engraved with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

In addition, his soul-guided storage device contained hundreds of shurikens, all of which he had local craftsmen forge a few days ago.

He couldn't make hidden weapons, but crafting some ninja tools wasn't an issue.

Besides, his fighting style was well-suited to using hidden weapons and striking techniques.

It was already evening, and Chen Xuan planned to stay at this hotel for the night.

At that moment, five or six people burst through the door, with only one woman among them.

Their arrival caused a stir in the restaurant, and the rest of the patrons rushed forward to surround the group, discussing what had happened.

These people had recently entered the Star Dou Great Forest as part of a team hired by a wealthy merchant to hunt a soul beast for his child.

The six were covered in dirt, and all had varying degrees of injuries.

They wore pained expressions as they said, "We encountered a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast on the outskirts. The rest of our team was wiped out, and we were lucky to survive."

The restaurant fell silent, and fear flashed in the eyes of those present.

Someone in the know revealed that their team had set out with thirty members the day before, and now only six had returned—a survival rate of just 30%.

By any standard, such a survival rate made this a high-risk occupation.

Chen Xuan watched silently, sighing inwardly. Although Soul Masters stood above ordinary people, those born from humble backgrounds didn't have it easy, completely risking their lives for tomorrow. Even with a 50% survival rate, some people would still be willing to take the chance.

For noble children and sect disciples, money was easily obtainable. But on this continent, most Soul Masters were commoners, and some couldn't even come up with 100 gold soul coins.

If it weren't for the subsidies provided by the Spirit Hall, the lives of ordinary Soul Masters would be even harder.

However, those who managed to return alive would naturally receive substantial rewards. Once they had saved enough gold soul coins, they could exchange them for soul bones.

Though ten-thousand-year-old soul bones were rare, they were only suitable for geniuses and those with deep backgrounds. Thousand-year-old soul bones, however, were more plentiful and represented the highest tier that ordinary Soul Masters could hope to reach.

Not long after, people in the restaurant began forming teams to enter the Star Dou Great Forest together for mutual support.

Others were recruiting Soul Masters to hunt soul rings for a wealthy merchant's child. Due to the influence of the six who had just returned, the minimum offer was raised to 150 gold soul coins per person.

"Hey, young man, are you alone?" A bearded man approached Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan recognized him as the loudest one earlier, apparently searching for freelance Soul Masters.

With the previous team's experience fresh in their minds, few were willing to take such a risky job, even with the increased pay.

The bearded man had been shouting for half a day and had only found five people.

"Young man, what's your soul power level? Have you reached the level of a Grand Soul Master?" the bearded man asked expectantly.

Originally, the minimum requirement was Soul Elder, but with so few willing to join, they had to lower the standards.

Chen Xuan responded calmly, "Soul Elder, and I'm close to becoming a Soul Master."

The bearded man's eyes lit up with joy as he re-evaluated the young man before him, surprise evident in his gaze.

Chen Xuan looked to be about the same age as his son, sixteen or seventeen, but his talent was clearly superior.

"Young man, join us. How does 300 gold soul coins sound?" the bearded man offered.

Chen Xuan didn't rush to accept but instead inquired about the composition of the man's team and their levels.

Seeing his concern, the bearded man thumped his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, young brother. The rest of our team members may all be Grand Soul Masters, but we have a Soul King leading us."

He explained that his son had recently broken through to level 30 and only needed a thousand-year soul ring, which could be found on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, without needing to venture deeper.

"Alright, I'll be counting on you then," Chen Xuan said as he shook hands with the man, establishing an employer-employee relationship.

He didn't need the gold soul coins, but he also needed to hunt for a soul ring. It made sense to join the group, saving him the trouble of finding others and avoiding unnecessary complications.

Not long after, the bearded man recruited three more people, all of whom had reached the Soul Elder level.

Night fell, and the white moon hung high in the sky.

Chen Xuan paid no more attention to the commotion, returning to his room to rest. The night passed without incident, and soon it was the next day.

At dawn, as the morning sun rose, the team set out, leaving the town and heading toward the continent's largest soul beast forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest was not far from this town; after an hour of travel, the ten-member team arrived at their destination.

In front of them lay the Star Dou Great Forest, the continent's most ancient soul beast forest, filled with ancient trees, lush flowers, and the densest vegetation.

This place was the home of soul beasts, a rare and verdant land, but it was also filled with danger.

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