Chapter 3: Star Dou Great Forest

Star Dou Great Forest,the entrance to the Heaven Dou Empire.

After being away from home for a month, Zhou Hao looked weary as he chewed on dried meat. He gazed at the endless expanse of towering trees not far away, knowing that he had finally reached his destination.

Zhou Hao couldn't help but feel stirred in his heart. He didn't expect that his grand plan to hunt Soul Rings would take a whole month just to travel. He blamed himself for not calculating the distance and blindly relying on his memories from his previous life. Fortunately, despite the hardships along the way, he finally arrived at the right place.

Zhou Hao quickly made some preparations and glanced at the sign at the entrance warning of the dangers ahead. He then entered the largest Soul Beast forest on this Continent, spanning across two empires.

Every tree here is over twenty meters tall, and the air is moist and fresh. However, the sunlight manages to penetrate through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting an even glow, which made Zhou Hao marvel at the wonders of life's evolution.

This place is like a green ocean, with vines entwined and the shadows of trees cast densely, as if the temperature here is several degrees lower than the outside world. From deep within the forest, occasional roars of soul beasts can be heard, seemingly warning intruders.

Zhou Hao takes a deep breath of the fresh air, and his right hand reveals a dark golden claw that he swung lightly. The bushes and grass ahead instantly cleared away, as he needed to go deeper into the forest for the desired soul rings. The outer periphery of the forest is inhabited by at most hundred-year soul beasts, which are not suitable for him. Therefore, he doesn't want to linger here for too long.

As twilight approached, Zhou Hao wanted to find a place quickly to eat something and take a rest. However, several pairs of emerald-green eyes fixated on him from a distance, trailing behind. They belonged to the Spectral Wolves, the most common group of soul beasts found on the outskirts of the Starry Forest. The leader of the pack had a tuft of white fur on its forehead, a sign of a hundred-year soul beast.

They had decided to hunt this young human but also feared his sharp dark-golden claws. It seemed they planned to follow him and launch their attack during the night.

Zhou Hao had long noticed the pack of wolves behind him but couldn't be bothered to pay them any attention. Dealing with this wolf pack was no big deal, but the scent of blood would bring him a lot of trouble.

Finally, Zhou Hao found a suitable clearing. He took out a tent and some dried meat from his ring. Concentrating his soul power, he quickly warmed up the dried meat. He ate a few mouthfuls and drank some water.

He glanced towards the depths of the forest behind him, where the pack of wolves with fierce green eyes dared not approach. Suddenly, Zhou Hao felt something was amiss. He turned his head abruptly, but the forest and bushes ahead were eerily quiet, without the slightest rustle.

It wasn't until Zhou Hao's nostrils twitched, catching a faint smell of blood that spread through his nasal cavity. Suddenly, a gust of wind rose, and a massive black figure pounced towards him. Zhou Hao had no choice but to lower his head, and his right hand's dark golden claw swept across. A warm liquid had already splattered onto his face.

Zhou Hao focused his gaze and saw a black ghost tiger with nine purple stripes on its tail, revealing its 900-year cultivation base. The wound on its abdomen inflicted by Zhou Hao earlier wasn't deep, but it continued to bleed, further arousing his ferocity.

The ghost tiger bared its teeth and let out a fierce roar, its figure shrouded in black mist as it pounced once again. Zhou Hao felt displeased, as he had finally taken a rest only to be disturbed by this insolent creature. He gathered his strength and delivered a powerful punch, combining it with the immense force of his martial soul. The head of the 900-year-old ghost tiger was instantly smashed into the ground, deformed and sunken, blood flowing from its seven orifices. Its entire body trembled, and a deep yellow soul ring floated out, waiting to be drawn in.

Clearly, the speed-based ghost tiger wasn't the type of soul ring Zhou Hao needed. He could only wait for it to dissipate on its own. The wolf pack in the distance had long since fled, recognizing that this territory belonged to the ghost tiger. There shouldn't be any other soul beasts nearby for now. Zhou Hao quickly processed the body, extracting a few pieces of meat to keep, and remained vigilant while meditating until daybreak.

Fortunately, the ghost tiger's territory was large enough that not many soul beasts could detect the scent of blood beyond its domain. Zhou Hao had a comfortable night of rest.

After filling his stomach with some dried meat, Zhou Hao continued on his journey. His speed had slowed down as he entered the territory of thousand-year soul beasts. Perhaps the power-based soul beast he was looking for was nearby.

Zhou Hao proceeded cautiously, his martial soul already embodied, and the dark golden claws indicated his strength. The intimidating aura emanating from the depths of his martial soul's bloodline made many restless thousand-year soul beasts wary and hesitant to approach.

As Zhou Hao observed the distant 1000-year Armored Ape, who had been observing him for a while, and the Mandala Snake disguised as a vine on a tree, he frowned. He thought to himself that the truly formidable ones had yet to appear, but there seemed to be no shortage of minions.

Taking out the corpse of the Ghost Tiger from yesterday, he released the scent of blood and roared with his soul power. The monkey and the snake finally retreated with wariness. Zhou Hao knew that most 1000-year soul beasts had developed some level of intelligence and wouldn't rashly approach, even when enticed by the scent of blood. Unless, of course, this area was their territory.

Moments ago, Zhou Hao had already noticed a series of massive footprints on the ground. It was highly likely that the soul beast in this territory was highly suitable for him. He used his claw shaped soul bone to flatten a large rock and sat down, patiently waiting for an opportunity.

Before long, a majestic and domineering tiger roar resounded through the air. Clearly, the master of this territory was extremely displeased with the intruder. A gigantic Sabertooth Tiger emerged from the forest, standing at a staggering two meters tall, its cold gaze fixed upon Zhou Hao.

A Millineum Sabertooth Tiger, a soul beast whose strength and attacks reached the pinnacle among soul beasts of the same rank. Zhou Hao was overjoyed, as he had finally found the soul ring he needed.

His body was enveloped by the dark golden aura of the Bear Spirit, and his sharp and robust bear claws emerged. The Sabertooth Tiger crouched low, then suddenly pounced, its pair of fangs gleaming with a radiant light.

Sensing a great threat from the human before it, the Sabertooth Tiger immediately activated its innate skill - Saber Fang. During this duration, it could easily bite through any sturdy skull.

Zhou Hao swiftly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the foul-smelling jaws of the Sabertooth Tiger. However, its claws tore through his clothes. Seizing the moment when the tiger's momentum waned and its new strength had yet to emerge, Zhou Hao unleashed a powerful punch with his right hand. The immense force propelled the huge blade of the soul bone between his fingers, effortlessly piercing into the body of the Sabertooth Tiger.

The terror of the Dark Gold Fearclaw Bear was evident as it tore any daring soul beast into pieces. The Sabertooth Tiger, in pain, crashed into a tree. As it rose again, its eyes turned bloodshot, and it lunged from the side to bite. Zhou Hao didn't dodge, instead, he seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful punch to its lower jaw. The tremendous force lifted the fierce beast into the air, and the dark golden radiance sliced through space, piercing the Sabertooth Tiger's neck.

The massive body fell to the ground, and warm blood gushed out. A faint purple-colored soul ring quietly condensed. Zhou Hao let out a long breath, finally bringing an end to the chaos.

There is no time to waste. There are no soul beasts nearby, so I have to act quickly. Zhou Hao silently recited in his heart, " Sign-in! "

[ Ding! Sign-in successful! The first soul ring will be strengthened after the host completes absorption. Please rest assured during the absorption process. ]

Zhou Hao sat down cross-legged, calming his mind and focusing his energy. Despite the system's enhancement to his body, absorbing a thousand-year soul ring was still challenging for his six-year-old self. The purple soul ring gradually merged with him as it was being drawn in, accompanied by faint echoes of the roars of the Swordtooth Tiger. However, under the intimidation of the Dark Gold Fearclaw Bear, those echoes quickly dissipated into nothingness.

The enormous dark golden claws, spanning three meters, were accompanied by an imperceptible white glow. In the blink of an eye, the tree, which could be encircled by three people, was now divided into several pieces. The first soul skill could imbue attacks with special effects, rendering them unstoppable and capable of shattering anything in their path.

The 1000-year soul ring of the Swordtooth Tiger, under the enhancement of the system, had already reached its maximum limit of 1800-years. The soul bones in Zhou Hao's right arm had also grown much stronger, now possessing an age of 5000-years. Zhou Hao arrived at a small stream and noticed that he seemed to have grown taller and his appearance had become even more handsome and refined than before.

Open the system panel.

[ Host: Zhou Hao ]

[ Realm: Rank 14 Spirit Master ]

[ Martial Soul: Dark Gold Fearclaw Bear (Upgraded once) ]

[ Soul Bone: 5,000-Year Dark Gold Fearclaw Bear ( Right Hand-Attached externally) ]

[ Soul Tool: Storage Ring ]

[ Unlocked Achievement: Check-in Novice ]

Zhou Hao thought to himself, Tang San must have just finished hunting that Mandala Snake. He could go back to the city of Noding and register as a Spirit Master, then return to the village to let Grandpa Jike know he's safe. After that, he can set out on his adventures.

At this point, Zhou Hao couldn't help but think about the mysterious Pope he had never met. The Martial Soul Temple seemed so appealing! They offer benefits without any conditions, and there's the incomparably beautiful Pope. However, the Martial Soul Temple is not suitable for him at the moment.

After Zhou Hao fully adapted to the increase in his spiritual power, he walked out of the forest. As for the deeper regions and the core area, they were inhabited by formidable beings such as the Azure Bull Python, Titan Ape, and several other fierce beasts that had yet to reveal themselves. They were not adversaries he could provoke at the moment. He knew that when he became stronger in the future, he could "communicate" with them.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Hao finally felt the warm sensation of sunlight on his body once again. It was time to set off and return to Nuo Ding City.

......