Chapter 46: Encounter in the Star Dou Great Forest
Early one morning a few days later, a carriage drove out from the main gate of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
Seated inside the carriage were the father and son duo, Yu Xiaogang and Yu Yuanzhen.
For such a major event as his son obtaining his first spirit ring, Yu Yuanzhen naturally had to accompany him.
Especially since his son needed a dragon-type Soul Beast with no additional attributes and a Bloodline as pure as possible.
Such Spirit Beasts were hard to find; for instance, although the Thunder Forest near Blue Lightning City also had dragon-type Soul Beasts, they were all of the thunder attribute.
Thus, Yu Yuanzhen was taking Yu Xiaogang to the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable Spirit Beast.
Once they were in the carriage and it had steadied a bit, Yu Xiaogang closed his eyes and began to meditate.
Seeing this display of diligence, Yu Yuanzhen—who had originally planned to read a couple of travelogues or similar books—felt a bit embarrassed to even look at him.
It is said that a father is a role model for his son.
But in front of Yu Xiaogang, he, as a father, hadn't set much of a good example.
Instead, because he often saw Yu Xiaogang's hardworking manner, Yu Yuanzhen felt too ashamed to rest, and his own time spent on Cultivation increased as well.
So, between this father and son, it was actually the son who set the example for the father.
"If word of this got out, people would probably laugh themselves to death."
Shaking his head, Yu Yuanzhen eventually entered a state of meditation, just like Yu Xiaogang.
And so, the journey to the Star Dou Great Forest passed with both Yu Xiaogang and Yu Yuanzhen focused on their Cultivation.
Of course, it wasn't as if they did nothing but Cultivate.
Some activities for rest and recreation were still necessary.
It wasn't good to just bury oneself in bitter Cultivation; balancing work and rest was the Righteous Path.
In short, after a long journey, Yu Xiaogang and Yu Yuanzhen arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Lush, green trees appeared before the two of them. Looking out from a higher vantage point, the layers of verdant foliage resembled an endless ocean.
From time to time, the roar of a wild beast or some strange cry would echo from the distance, startling the birds nesting in the forest into flight.
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the dark, cavernous forest ahead and couldn't help but marvel. As expected of the largest Spirit Beast forest on the Douluo Continent, it was indeed far more terrifying than the Thunder Forest he had visited before.
"Father, legend says that many hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts are hidden within the Star Dou Great Forest. Just how many is 'many'?"
Yu Xiaogang asked curiously.
"That sort of thing... I'm afraid only the heavens know."
Yu Yuanzhen shrugged. Exactly how many hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts resided in the Star Dou Great Forest had always been a matter of curiosity for Spirit Masters in the outside world.
Once, a group of people wanted to uncover this secret—and, of course, they also coveted hundred-thousand-year spirit bones and hundred-thousand-year spirit rings—so they assembled a team to venture deep into the Star Dou Great Forest.
The lineup of that team could be called luxurious: one Titled Douluo, two Spirit Douluos, and three Spirit Saints.
With such a lineup, logically speaking, even if they encountered a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, they should have definitely been able to put up a fight.
Even if they couldn't win, they could have split up and fled, returning safely to bring back intelligence from within the Star Dou Great Forest.
But the result was that after the team entered the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, they never appeared again.
No one was seen alive, and no bodies were found; they had completely vanished.
"So since then, the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest have become a place feared and avoided by everyone."
"Even the Clear Sky Douluo Tang Chen, who was invincible on the continent back then, and the Angel Douluo Qian Daoliu of the Spirit Hall, never ventured into the deepest parts of the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Though, it's also possible they did go in and we just don't know about it."
Yu Yuanzhen shared some of the secrets and legends of the Star Dou Great Forest with Yu Xiaogang.
These matters were not recorded in books but existed only in the idle chatter of the powerhouses of the Douluo Continent.
Thus, while listening to these secrets, Yu Xiaogang showed an expression of great interest.
Yu Yuanzhen also felt a rare sense of pride for sharing knowledge that Yu Xiaogang didn't already know.
Not long after entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Yu Xiaogang saw for himself why this was a paradise for Spirit Beasts and a Forbidden Land for humans.
Every short distance they traveled, they would see a Spirit Beast. Most of those appearing before them were hundred-year ones, though there were quite a few thousand-year ones as well.
It was only because Yu Yuanzhen would release his Titled Douluo Aura to scare them off whenever he saw these Spirit Beasts; otherwise, they would have had to fight countless battles along the way.
"The Star Dou Great Forest is just like this; Spirit Beasts are everywhere."
"Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many Spirit Beast forests across the Douluo Continent keeping low-level Spirit Beasts for commoner Spirit Masters to obtain spirit rings."
"Having those commoner Spirit Masters come to the Star Dou Great Forest for their first spirit ring would be too risky and the reward too small; it's simply not worth the cost."
Yu Yuanzhen walked ahead, explaining things to Yu Xiaogang.
"Father, I've always felt that the method of Cultivation on the Douluo Continent is a bit strange."
"For human Spirit Masters to grow stronger, they must kill Spirit Beasts to obtain spirit rings. If one day all the Spirit Beasts are killed off, wouldn't Spirit Masters be unable to grow stronger anymore?"
Yu Xiaogang voiced the doubt that had lingered in his mind since he first understood the Cultivation system of the Douluo Continent.
"Hahaha, don't you worry about that. The number of Spirit Beasts consumed by Spirit Masters is negligible."
"The vast majority of Spirit Beast deaths are always from internal predation among the Spirit Beasts themselves."
"A Spirit Master only needs nine spirit rings in a lifetime; even with twin spirits, adding them all up only makes eighteen."
"But a Spirit Beast? It has to eat every day."
"Every time it eats, it has to kill another Spirit Beast."
"There are even some bloodthirsty Spirit Beasts that kill a couple of others just for fun when they're bored."
"Compared to the Spirit Beasts themselves, the number consumed by us human Spirit Masters is undoubtedly far, far too few."
Yu Yuanzhen said with a laugh. Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang finally realized the truth.
"That makes sense when you think about it."
Having understood, Yu Xiaogang stopped dwelling on the issue.
Over the next few days, Yu Xiaogang and Yu Yuanzhen continued to wander through the Star Dou Great Forest.
During this time, they encountered many dragon-type Soul Beasts, but these beasts either had the wrong age or possessed attributes; in any case, none of them were the Spirit Beast Yu Xiaogang needed.
Just when Yu Xiaogang thought they would have to keep searching like this, at noon that day, the roar of a wild beast suddenly reached his ears.
Coming along with it was a shout filled with both shock and anger.
"Oh no, stop them!"
Hearing this voice, Yu Yuanzhen immediately quickened his pace.
"Is someone fighting Spirit Beasts?"
"Judging by the noise, there's quite a lot of them!"
Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Xiaogang quickly assessed the situation.
"Let's go take a look!"
Yu Yuanzhen lifted Yu Xiaogang with one hand and then sped toward the direction of the sound.
When they arrived, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but be shocked by the scene before him.
For at this moment, a large pack of Spirit Beasts was besieging two Spirit Masters.
And behind the two Spirit Masters was a young girl currently absorbing a spirit ring.