Chapter 33: Arrival at the Star Dou Forest - Douluo's spirit bead sword

## Chapter 33: Arrival at the Star Dou Forest Three days later, they reached the Star Dou Forest. Chen Xin and Tian Lin had arrived at the edge of this gathering place for soul beasts. That day, when Tian Lin returned to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan to inform Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin about his breakthrough to level 20, they were as dumbfounded as his parents. It had been just over a month since Chen Xin returned from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and Tian Lin had already broken through another bottleneck. This startled Chen Xin, making him wonder if Tian Lin used some hasty method to accelerate his progress. Thankfully, after thorough examination, he found Tian Lin’s soul power to be both refined and robust, evidently the result of normal cultivation, which set his mind at ease. Even though the speed of cultivation was unusually swift, considering it was Tian Lin, it seemed more acceptable. So, under Gu Rong's envious expression—bitter as if he had drunk vinegar—Chen Xin proudly took Tian Lin to hunt for his second soul ring. No doubt, Gu Ran would soon face rigorous training from Gu Rong again. Having been under Chen Xin’s shadow his entire life, it seemed his disciple would also be surpassed by Chen Xin’s disciple, an irksome reality for him. Now, though, Chen Xin found himself troubled because of his disciple's audaciousness. "Tian Lin, do you truly intend to absorb a millennial soul ring? From what I see, with your current mental strength and physical condition, plus the assistance of the Sacred Breath Barrier, a soul beast around 900 years old would be optimal. I can almost guarantee a 100% success rate." "But stepping into the millennium realm is a different story. The success rate would drop to less than 60%." Tian Lin smiled calmly, "60 percent—that's more than half, right? A soul master is inherently a risky profession; only through challenges come rewards." The reason for Tian Lin’s boldness was also the Wa Sovereign Meditation Technique. Since shifting to this top-tier meditation method, his soul power had become exceedingly pure. In terms of quality, his tier-one soul power equated to about one and a half to two levels of an average soul master of the same rank. Thus, Tian Lin’s actual combat prowess was already comparable to a high-level Soul Grandmaster of around level 27 or 28. After acquiring the second soul ring, he might even contend with a newly advanced Soul Elder at level 30. "Challenges bring rewards, do they? Well said. As your master, I won’t dissuade you anymore. But remember, you must persevere no matter what." Affection flickered in Chen Xin's eyes. Having no child in his lifetime, Tian Lin was his sole disciple, and he had long prepared to pass on everything to him. "Don’t worry, Master. So, next, we need to consider what kind of soul beast to seek. This time, I aim for a fire attribute. I've thought of several: Flame Lord, Fiery Arrow Eagle, Volcano Gorilla, Earth King. What do you think?" Tian Lin listed several options, all of which Chen Xin rejected after some thought. "If your target was merely around 900 years, these would indeed be fine, but as they are millennial soul beasts, their aggressiveness is far too intense." The more aggressive a soul beast, the more violent its soul ring, though the offered soul skill would be stronger. Although Chen Xin agreed to let Tian Lin absorb a millennial soul ring, it didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. Therefore, he decided to find an inherently more gentle, less aggressive soul beast. After all, Tian Lin sought merely the attribute from the soul ring. "Oh right, there seems to be a suitable candidate." Given Chen Xin’s position as the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan’s guardian Douluo, while not particularly keen on soul beast lore, he had absorbed a fair amount under Ning Fengzhi’s influence, possessing more knowledge than the average person. Soon, he identified an apt candidate. With that, Chen Xin swiftly grabbed Tian Lin, riding his sword towards a certain direction. The surrounding temperature began to rise, indicating they had reached an area favored by fire-attributed soul beasts. "Master, who exactly are you taking me to find?" Tian Lin couldn't suppress his curiosity any longer. "The Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast," Chen Xin responded with a name. "Violet flame—does that mean purple due to high temperatures, or does it possess unique abilities that make it purple?" Tian Lin asked an insightful question. The distinction was substantial: if it were purely due to temperature, it would mean the beast’s fire attribute energy was considerably strong. The flame’s color is determined by temperature, evolving from red/orange (3000 degrees) to yellow/white (4000 degrees), then to cyan/blue (5000-6000 degrees), and finally purple (over 7000 degrees), changing hues with rising temperatures. If the Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast achieved purple purely by temperature, it would indeed be remarkable. However, Chen Xin shook his head; if that were the case, he wouldn’t consider such a dangerous soul ring for his disciple. "The Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast’s flame is purple because it’s a kind of toxin fire, though not lethal. Its only use is to seal an opponent’s soul power," Chen Xin explained. This meant that the Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast's offensive capability was indeed weak, thus safer for Tian Lin to absorb its soul ring. "Tian Lin, be cautious later. Although the Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast doesn’t have a strong combat ability, it has two other traits: high intelligence and keen alertness. With its golden eyes, it can see everything within kilometers, down to how many legs a mosquito has." "Due to these traits, it often becomes the tactical advisor for muscular but simple-minded groups, like the Volcano Gorilla you mentioned." "So, facing the entire group is part of hunting the Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast, right?" Tian Lin understood the implication in Chen Xin’s words. "Indeed, the Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast is inherently despicable, achieving its ends by any means. Many of the beast tides initiated by the Star Dou Forest have shadows of the millennial Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast behind them." Chen Xin, influenced by Ning Fengzhi, did not see pure strength as everything; at times, intelligence is indeed more fearsome than power. "Fortunately, the one we aim to hunt is merely a millennial Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast; its intellect probably hasn't developed to such heights yet." Saying this, Chen Xin landed on the ground. As mentioned, the Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast’s strengths were its wisdom and eyesight; flying in the sky would make them too conspicuous. The two walked through the jungle, still in the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, where the soul beasts weren't particularly strong, most possessing only ten or a hundred years of cultivation, with the strongest barely reaching a millennium. Because of Sword Douluo's presence, even the fiercest soul beast dared not attack them, but Tian Lin noticed something off. "Master, don’t you find it odd there are so many soul beasts around?" Thinking back to the hunt in the Hunting Forest, where even the weak soul beasts dared not approach due to Sword Douluo's sharp sword aura, could it be that, despite both being century-millennial class, the Star Dou Forest’s soul beasts are significantly stronger than those in the Hunting Forest? Sword Douluo smiled faintly, pleased with his disciple's acuity. "Indeed, there are a few too many. Rather than fearing me, these soul beasts seem to be encircling us without attacking!" "It appears… we've already been spotted by the Violet Flame Golden-Eyed Beast!"