│3rd Person POV │
[Douluo Continent, Heavenly Soul Empire, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect…]
As Ye Chen finished writing in his Diary, a servant arrived to remind him that it was nearly time to depart. He nodded, put his things away, and quickly went about his morning routine.
Roughly half an hour later, he stood near the Main Gate of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect alongside his parents, waiting for Elder Yu to arrive.
His mother, Bai Xinlian, was by his side, her expression filled with a mix of concern and reluctance. This was the first time her son would be stepping into a Soul Beast forest—a place filled with danger, even for experienced Soul Masters. Although she knew Elder Yu and her husband would be accompanying him, it did little to ease a mother's worry.
"And remember," she said gently, brushing an invisible speck of dust off his shoulder, "no matter what happens, always stay within your father's sight, alright?"
With a smile on his face, Ye Chen nodded and replied earnestly, "Yes, Mother. I'll definitely follow all your advice, I promise."
Bai Xinlian looked at her son, trying to memorize every line and contour of his expression.
He had grown so fast.
It felt like only yesterday when she held him in her arms for the first time, worried he was too small, too fragile. Now, he stood tall, relative for his age, and steady beside her; already showing glimpses of the man he was becoming. Pride welled up in her chest, but so did a trace of helplessness.
Suppressing the urge to pull him into another hug, she simply straightened his collar and smiled. "Good. That's all I ask."
Sounds of footsteps approaching down the path drew the family's attention.
"Elder Yu," Ye Xuan greeted with a short bow as the Soul Douluo arrived, his figure tall and commanding in the sect's deep-green robes. Ye Chen and Bai Linxian followed suit.
Elder Yu nodded in return, a gentle smile on his face. Despite being a Soul Douluo, he never put on airs before inner sect members like Ye Xuan and Bai Xinlian, treating them with the same quiet courtesy he extended to everyone.
"We should get going now. I trust you're both prepared?" he said calmly.
Ye Xuan placed a steady hand on his son's shoulder and nodded. "We're ready, Elder Yu."
Bai Xinlian let go of Ye Chen's arm and took a small step back. "Be safe."
"I'll be back soon, Mother," Ye Chen replied with a bright, reassuring smile.
With their farewells said, the trio turned and departed from the Main Gates of the Sect, their figures soon disappearing into the light of early morning.
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[Douluo Continent, Heavenly Soul Empire, Outskirts of the Sunset Forest…]
The Sunset Forest stretched along the border between the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire.
Apart from the Star Dou Great Forest, it was once the region with the highest diversity and density of Soul Beasts on the original Douluo Continent.
As the trio ventured deeper into the forest, Ye Xuan began explaining the local terrain and Soul Beast ecology to his son. Ye Chen listened attentively, committing every detail to memory.
Elder Yu walked behind them in silence, his gaze calm but vigilant as he watched their rear and kept a close eye on their surroundings.
After Ye Xuan finished explaining that the Sunset Forest mostly housed Soul Beasts in the 100- to 1,000-year range, Ye Chen asked with curiosity, "What about 10,000-year-old Soul Beasts, Father?"
Ye Xuan shook his head. "Not a single one, son. To my knowledge, no 10,000-year-old Soul Beast has appeared in this forest for at least the last three thousand years."
At that moment, Elder Yu spoke from behind with a measured voice, "The Soul Beast population here has been steadily declining for thousands of years. Ten thousand years ago, it was still possible to encounter several 10,000-year-old beasts within the forest's core area—but that's no longer the case."
He paused before continuing, "According to what I've gleaned from the sect archives, the drop in higher-age Soul Beasts sharply accelerated around ten thousand years ago. No one knows the exact reason. Or if someone does, they've kept it from the public."
A faint breeze rustled the canopy above as Elder Yu added quietly, "At this rate, another ten thousand years from now… the Sunset Forest, and the Soul Beasts within it, may disappear entirely."
Ye Chen fell silent for a few moments, recalling how, in Soul Land 3, the entire Soul Beast race was on the brink of extinction, not just those in the Sunset Forest.
He shook his head lightly and pushed the thought aside. It wasn't something he could worry about right now.
"So," he asked, "what kind of Soul Beast are we looking for to get my first Soul Ring?"
Ye Xuan replied promptly, "We're looking for Soul Beasts with Holy or Light attributes. Since you're aiming for amplification-type Soul Skills for your early rings, that narrows down the candidates to the Golden Sunflower, Bright Holy Butterfly, and Sacred Sun Lion."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "However, Bright Holy Butterflies and Sacred Sun Lions are extremely rare—especially in the Sunset Forest. It's unlikely we'll come across either."
"But don't worry, Xiao Chen. There are plenty of Golden Sunflower Soul Beasts here. You can find them in various cultivation stages—10, 100, even 1,000 years old."
He gestured ahead with a hand, "In fact, Golden Sunflowers are the reason this forest is called the Sunset Forest. There's a massive field of them deep within the core region. It's as breathtaking as it is dangerous."
Time passed as the party moved deeper into the forest. After nearly half a day of travel, they finally reached the summit of a modest hill. And as they stepped past the final thicket of trees, the view that greeted them left Ye Chen momentarily speechless.
Spread out in the valley below was a vast field bathed in hues of gold and amber.
Countless Golden Sunflowers stretched as far as the eye could see, their luminous petals shimmering under the dappled sunlight. Each sunflower stood tall and proud, their thick stalks swaying faintly with the breeze as if dancing in silent rhythm. The golden crowns atop their heads seemed to glow, giving off a soft, ethereal radiance that painted the entire valley in a warm, sunset hue, even though it was just an hour past noon.
It was beautiful, breathtaking, even.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ye Xuan commented, prompting Ye Chen to nod. "However, don't make the mistake of getting lost in this beauty. For anyone below the Soul King level, walking into this field is a death sentence."
With that reminder, Ye Chen broke out of stupor. He could feel it now, a faint pressure lingering in the air, like something was watching from beneath the golden waves. This wasn't just a field of flowers. It was a Soul Beast habitat.
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A/N: Here's another chapter of Diary System. I hope you guys like this and it would be much appreciated if your share your thoughts about the fic so far.
If you guys see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out.
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As of now, this is how far along each story is.
First Tier:-Five Advanced Chapters for the following stories:
>>One Piece: As Portgas D. Ace.
>>One Piece: Copying The Phoenix Fruit At The Beginning.
>>DxD | A Devil with Three Essences.
>>Chaos' Chaotic Snippets.
>>Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Diary System in Unrivaled Tang Sect.
Second Tier:- Seven Advanced Chapters for the following stories:
>>One Piece: As Portgas D. Ace.
>>DxD | A Devil with Three Essences.
>>Chaos' Chaotic Snippet.
>>Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Diary System in Unrivaled Tang Sect.
So this is how it is. If you are joining my Patreon for my One Piece TL fic, don't purchase the Second Tier as I haven't yet posted any chapters for that fic in this Tier yet.
Also, while your support would be appreciated, don't feel pressured to join. I'll upload stuff outside it and not keeping it behind a paywall forever.
Anyway, Good day. See ya guys later.