Douluo Continent, my martial soul is a mushroom.

Chapter 74 A Long Journey, to the North

Mycelium decomposes the corpses of plants, animals, and insects to obtain soul power. After acquiring elemental attributes, it can transform natural elements to a certain extent to obtain soul power. Since it contains the element of light, mycelium can perform a different kind of "photosynthesis" like plants, taking on some of the responsibilities of a "producer" in addition to being a "decomposer".

In other words, the mycelium accumulates soul power by accelerating the natural cycle, and then accelerates the accumulation through the cluster effect, ultimately providing Chi Ping with "unlimited soul power".

The mycelium's "infinite soul power" is not truly infinite, but rather its supply exceeds Chi Ping's consumption, meaning Chi Ping "cannot use it all up."

But for the Tree of Life species, the soul energy supplied by the mycelium is readily available. It's like a hungry baby, willing to consume any amount.

……

One month after the start of the Nine Trials of Life, in the main hall of the Crown Prince's residence.

"Are you leaving?"

Sitting in the main seat, Xue Qinghe felt a tightness in his chest.

Chi Ping sat in the guest seat, nodded, and said, "The Tree of Life requires too much energy; Heavenly Dou City cannot meet its needs. Before it sprouts, I need to travel all over the continent."

Mycelium acts as a decomposer, accelerating the natural cycle to obtain soul power. However, the amount of organic matter available for mycelium to accelerate the cycle in a given place is limited, and other organisms also need to live on it. Excessive exploitation will disrupt the balance of nature.

This is not what Ikehira wanted.

Fortunately, the mycelium has now spread throughout the entire Heaven Dou Empire, so Chi Ping no longer needs to be limited to collecting soul power in one place.

Xue Qinghe took a shallow breath and smiled, "Then I wish you a safe journey?"

Chi Ping narrowed his eyes. "What's with that expression? It's not like I'm never going back to Tian Dou City."

Xue Qinghe's face hardened with a sneer. "I'm afraid you won't come back? I'm afraid my five level-6 soul tools will be wasted!"

He then asked, "When are we leaving?"

"In a few days, I'll finish completing the sand table functionality for you and then leave. I'll also write to you every month after that, sending you my research findings."

"Let me know before you leave."

"certainly."

……

Of the five provinces controlled by the Heavenly Dou Empire, the northernmost is the Northern Province, which is located in the far north, a land frozen year-round and desolate.

The Frozen Forest is a coniferous forest located between the northern provinces and the far north, rarely visited by humans.

Located at the far north, this area is the second largest gathering place for spirit beasts on the continent, second only to the Star Dou Great Forest. However, due to the environment and the bias of spirit beast attributes, it is mainly cold-attribute spirit masters who come here to obtain spirit rings.

Outside the frozen forest lies a small town for hunting souls, called Cold Forest Town.

"call!"

I walked into a tavern, exhaled a puff of white mist, shook myself, and scattered a flurry of snowflakes on the ground.

It snows all the time in Hanlin Town. Even now in April, you'll turn into a "snowman" after just ten minutes outside.

The "snowman" pulled off the scarf covering his face, revealing it to be Ikehira.

Chi Ping walked to a small table and sat down. He tapped the table to attract the waiter's attention and shouted, "Waiter! One plate of boiled pork, one plate of grilled sausage, and a pot of hot water! Add chili to the dipping sauce."

"Please wait a moment, sir, I'll be right there!"

The tavern was packed with customers, all drinking and chatting, creating a lively atmosphere. Even so, the waiter's booming voice, like a suona, remained crystal clear.

Before long, the waiter brought two plates of meat, a small dish of dipping sauce, and a pot of hot water to Chi Ping's small table.

These meats are all prepared in advance. When guests arrive, they are chopped, steamed, or boiled, and served in just a few minutes.

"Enjoy your meal, sir!"

Chi Ping nodded. "Thank you."

Since the far north is far from human habitation, Chi Ping did not make much of a disguise, only covering the divine mark on his forehead.

Seeing that Chi Ping was friendly, the young man asked, "Would you like to try our shop's specialty, Qinglin Wine?"

Chi Ping's heart skipped a beat. How could he come to the North without drinking?

Moreover, he is 20 years old this year, which is already the age where he can drink alcohol.

"What are the characteristics of this wine?"

The waiter smiled and introduced, "This Qinglin Wine is a specialty wine developed by our shop owner. It is made primarily with frozen pine cones from the frozen forest, supplemented with snow-covered vanilla roots. It is refreshingly cool on the palate, with an endless aftertaste, and it warms and strengthens the body."

The only downside is that this wine has a strong aftereffect; only guests with a high alcohol tolerance should drink it.

"Give me a small cup. Hmm... the smallest cup."

"Okay!"

A moment later, the waiter brought the smallest glass of Qinglin wine to the pool.

Chi Ping took a small sip, and his cheeks flushed.

"It's indeed good wine, but it's also incredibly strong!"

"Young man, are you from out of town?" A burly man who looked like an older brother sat down opposite Chi Ping as if he knew the place well.

Chi Ping nodded. "I came from the south."

The older man laughed, "I knew it! What northerner can't drink? What brings you all this way to this far north, young man?"

Chi Ping looked at his elder brother and noticed several probing gazes, knowing that the other party had come to investigate.

"Go to the Frozen Forest to obtain a Soul Ring."

The older brother thought to himself, "Just as I suspected."

—To be able to run around outside alone in this weather, and not shivering from the cold when you come in, and to have such a calm demeanor, shows that you are definitely quite capable.

"Brother, I'm a veteran here. What level of soul ring have you acquired, young man? Want me to find you a team? The Frozen Forest isn't an easy place to deal with; it'll be better to find a local team for soul hunting."

Chi Ping shook his head and refused with a smile: "I'm afraid not many teams can help me obtain my sixth spirit ring."

The older brother nodded, then said with a sudden realization, "I see. You're a promising young man."

Chi Ping felt the gaze withdraw from him, smiled slightly, and then called over a waiter to order a large glass of Qinglin wine, placing it in front of the older brother. "I'm new here, and I may have overlooked some of the rules. Would you be so kind as to point them out to me, elder brother?"

The older brother finished the Qinglin wine in one gulp and let out a satisfied burp.

"Then I, Old Zhang, will give you some advice, brother!"

From local customs and traditions to the distribution of spirit beasts, the elder brother was incredibly knowledgeable and willing to share everything.

Chi Ping nodded in agreement as he ate his meat, but it was unclear how much of it he actually took to heart.

Half an hour later, Chi Ping paid the bill and left the tavern.

Following the elder brother's instructions, they quickly found a hotel, went in, paid the bill, and checked in.

"Xiao Ao and Rongrong left two months ago, what a pity..."

Chi Ping chose to head north, partly due to geographical considerations, but also because he wanted to see Oscar and Ning Rongrong.

Back in Heaven Dou City, Chi Ping couldn't contact his companions to avoid causing them trouble. Now, far from Spirit City, he could finally see for himself how they were doing.

With a sigh, Chi Ping took out a knife-shaped soul guide device covered with mycelium.

This is the third level 6 soul tool he has analyzed, averaging one every six months.

"Energy gathering... circulation... compression... another type of inscription, let's memorize it..."

(End of this chapter)