Douluo Continent, my martial soul is a mushroom.

Chapter 23 Star Dou Great Forest, Heart-to-Heart Talk

Star Dou Great Forest is one of the three most famous gathering places of soul beasts in Douluo Continent. The other two are the Frozen Forest in the far north and the Sunset Forest of the Heaven Dou Empire or the Panlong Great Forest of the Star Luo Empire. The last one is disputed by the two empires.

The Star Dou Great Forest is recognized as the largest in area and has the most diverse range of soul beasts.

The Star Dou Great Forest is almost the same size as the Barak Kingdom, straddling the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Two-fifths of it lies within the Heaven Dou Empire, and the other three-fifths within the Star Luo Empire. It is a vast primeval forest with complex terrain, including wetlands and swamps.

The spirit beasts here are extremely terrifying, and the closer you get to the center of the forest, the higher their cultivation level. In the core area, there is a legendary 100,000-year-old spirit beast.

The next morning, Chi Ping and Dai Mubai packed their things and waited for Zhao Wuji on the playground.

The main items, such as flint and steel, seasonings, food, and insect repellent, were all stored in Dai Mubai's storage soul tool.

Once Zhao Wuji appeared, the three of them set off.

The Starry Sky Forest is located in the southeast of the Barak Kingdom, with a small portion bordering it. Soto City itself is also in the southeast of the Barak Kingdom, not far from the Starry Sky Forest, less than 500 kilometers away.

Soul Masters possess remarkable speed, and both Chi Ping and Dai Mubai have strong physiques. Chi Ping's first soul skill, White Mushroom, also has the effect of restoring stamina. With an unlimited supply of White Mushrooms, they arrived at a small town on the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest in less than a day.

The town survives by providing services to Soul Masters who enter the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Souls. Since Soul Masters are all very wealthy, at least much wealthier than ordinary people, the town's economic situation is quite good.

Such towns are scattered around the periphery of various soul beast forests, with a particularly large number in the Star Dou Great Forest.

……

The three rested in the town for one night, and the next day, just as dawn broke, they quickened their pace and entered the Star Dou Great Forest before noon.

Before entering the forest, Zhao Wuji stopped the two and spoke seriously.

"Listen up, all of you! The Star Dou Great Forest isn't some place where the government keeps spirit beasts. The spirit beasts here are extremely dangerous. You could face attacks from thousand-year-old or even ten-thousand-year-old spirit beasts at any moment. Therefore, once you enter the forest, none of you should stray more than twenty meters from me. Without my order, no one is allowed to attack any spirit beasts. Do you understand?"

Dai Mubai and Chi Ping nodded silently without saying a word.

Zhao Wuji nodded in satisfaction and led the way into the Star Dou Great Forest.

Since Dai Mubai and Chi Ping were both Great Soul Masters, the task of clearing the way naturally fell to Zhao Wuji.

Chi Ping followed closely behind Zhao Wuji.

He spent six years at Notting Academy, studying under Yu Xiaogang for those six years, and his knowledge of spirit beasts was the most extensive in Shrek Academy. In addition, his nascent spiritual intuition allowed him to sense danger in advance, almost as if he had foreseen it; this intuition was even more profound and efficient than Zhao Wuji's perception.

The number and quality of the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest were terrifying. The three of them encountered their first wave of soul beasts after only going less than 500 meters in.

"These are Rockhorn Goats, gregarious spirit beasts with great strength. You can judge their cultivation level by their coiled horns; the larger the horns, the higher their cultivation. The highest cultivation level among these goats should be less than a hundred years old."

Zhao Wuji asked, "Is it possible to go around it?"

Indiscriminate killing in the Star Dou Great Forest is an extremely foolish act. No one knows what monsters the stench of blood might attract. If you're unlucky enough to summon a soul beast beyond your control, you're simply waiting to die.

Chi Ping nodded. "The rock horned sheep don't have very strong senses. They mainly rely on group cooperation to avoid predators. If you're careful, you can get around them."

"Alright, let's be quiet and not disturb these argali sheep."

Zhao Wuji pushed aside the bushes on the side and led Chi Ping and the other two around the flock of argali sheep to continue deeper into the area.

"Xiaoping, what are your thoughts on the third spirit ring?"

"Ideally, it should be a water or wind attribute spirit beast, as my spirit rings lack proper buff and support abilities."

Zhao Wuji could travel three to four hundred kilometers a day on the official road with Chi Ping and Dai Mubai, but in the Star Dou Great Forest, the straight-line distance they covered in an afternoon was no more than twenty kilometers.

As darkness fell, Zhao Wuji dared not travel at night, so he simply told Chi Ping and Dai Mubai to find a place to set up camp.

Setting up camp was a trivial matter that Soul Saint couldn't handle. Zhao Wuji jumped into a tree to gain a field of vision and guard against sneak attacks, Dai Mubai used his tiger claws to clear a space, and Chi Ping took on a series of chores such as spreading insect repellent, starting a fire, and cooking.

With mushrooms from Ikebei as their staple food, along with food and water purchased in town, they easily solved their hunger problem.

After dinner, Chi Ping asked Zhao Wuji if they should put out the fire.

Zhao Wuji stroked his chin and said, "That's not necessary. Although soul beasts aren't afraid of fire, and a campfire can't drive them away like it would ordinary wild animals, fire is also a symbol of power. Low-level soul beasts won't easily provoke enemies with fire abilities. With a campfire, we can avoid a lot of trouble."

Dai Mubai asked, "Aren't you afraid the fire will attract powerful ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts?"

Zhao Wuji said, "If there really is a soul beast of that level, it can find us even without this campfire. In that case, it's better to light a fire, which can also provide vision in the dark."

Dai Mubai and Chi Ping suddenly realized.

Zhao Wuji added, "Xiaobai, you and Xiaoping keep watch for the first half of the night, and I'll keep watch for the second half. Remember to wake me up if there's any danger."

The two nodded in unison.

After Zhao Wuji finished speaking, he leaned against a large tree root and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he fell silent, with only the sound of his steady, powerful breathing remaining. Chi Ping was envious of this quality of sleep.

The ability to force oneself to sleep unconditionally in any environment is also a manifestation of strong willpower. Zhao Wuji has been wandering the mainland for decades, and his willpower is undeniably strong. Chi Ping estimates that he would need another year or two of training to achieve that level.

……

Although the sky is covered by tall, ancient trees, the nights in the Star Dou Great Forest are not pitch black. Many insects, fungi, and plants under the trees exhibit bioluminescence due to their soul power. The glowing mushrooms of Chi Ping are one such example.

This light is a cold light, specifically designed to attract nocturnal animals. They use this method to make themselves visible to nocturnal animals, who then consume their seeds, thus allowing them to reproduce and spread.

Chi Ping and Dai Mubai sat on either side of the fire, ensuring they had a clear view.

"Chiping, your training is so tough every day, how do you manage to keep going?"

The firelight shone on Dai Mubai's face, the interplay of light and shadow making his already handsome face even more three-dimensional, but also adding a touch of gloom and darkness.

Chi Ping paused for a moment and stopped spreading the mycelium.

Dai Mubai continued, "To be honest, the speed at which your soul power has increased has shocked me. But I know it's what you deserve. I know your training intensity better than anyone. Thinking about it, it's not surprising that you can advance so quickly. Fatty and I have tried your training methods before, but neither of us could stick to it."

Dai Mubai looked up, the flickering light dispelling the shadows, his gaze intense.

"Can you tell me how you managed to persevere?"

Looking into those double-pupiled tiger eyes, Chi Ping felt surprisingly calm.

"How did you manage to keep going...? Probably because it was fun."

Dai Mubai repeated, puzzled, "Interesting?"

Chi Ping nodded. "Cultivation is very interesting. It's interesting to feel yourself getting stronger and better little by little. Things you couldn't do before, you can do now, so it's very interesting. Things you couldn't get before, you can get now, so it's very interesting. Things you wouldn't even dare to dream of before, you can now reach, so it's very interesting."

As he spoke, Chi Ping laughed.

"I actually have a strong desire to find the place where I was born and see my parents."

I don't think I've told you this before, but I'm an abandoned orphan, picked up and raised by the village chief. The village chief is very kind to me, and I love Xiaoyun Village. I never thought of leaving. But I want to know how I came to be here, and why I was abandoned in that snowy field.

Everyone needs roots. I need to find my old roots; only by getting rid of them can new roots grow.

Dai Mubai lowered his head again, burying his face in the shadow of the firelight.

"But what if you try your best and still can't do it?"

"That means you're not trying hard enough!"

His words were powerful and resonant, capable of cutting through metal and dispelling gloom!

Chi Ping looked at Dai Mubai, who remained silent.

The camp was deserted except for the crackling of flames, the rise and fall of breaths, the beating of hearts, and... the rushing of blood!

Zhao Wuji's lips curled up slightly.

(End of this chapter)