Chapter 31: The Star Dou Great Forest, the Millennial Dragon Crocodile

Xiao Xian couldn't help but step back two steps.

At this moment, Fulangde sprouted a pair of massive wings on his back, a dense covering of feathers grew over his whole body, his eyes turned orange‑yellow, and seven Soul Rings emerged on his body.

Especially the three black Soul Rings among them exuded a strong sense of oppression.

In an instant, Fulangde grabbed Xiao Xian's shoulder and flew toward the southeast; the destination, naturally, was the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest borders a small stretch of the Barak Kingdom's southeastern frontier; Suotuo City lies in the kingdom's southeast, and it is only a little over four hundred kilometers from the forest.

At Fulangde's speed, the sun was still high in the sky, and the two were already nearly there; Xiao Xian, soaring above, had long seen the boundless green forest in the distance.

Skimming over a fairly large Hunshi Xiaozhen, Fulangde swiftly landed Xiao Xian on a clearing, glanced at the sky, and said gravely, "We still have time; show me the map."

Xiao Xian reached to his waist, took a small notebook given by Master from the Soul Guide Device, opened it, and handed it to Fulangde.

"A Dragon Crocodile?"

"Its tracks were found in a lake to the northwest of the Star Dou Great Forest..."

Fulangde searched the map for the Hunshi Xiaozhen they just passed, squinted slightly, and estimated the distance.

"Alright, we can make it before nightfall; let's go." Fulangde glanced at Xiao Xian, "Remember, except for Support Type Soul Masters, a Soul Master's Soul Rings generally must be hunted down personally."

"That's how Mu Bai did it back then."

"I'll clear all other interferences for you, or give you a slight aid, but this Soul Beast must be killed by you yourself."

"If you can't even confront it, there's no talk of absorption."

Xiao Xian nodded, "I understand, Senior Master."

A Soul Master's Soul Rings must be hunted personally; this rule exists for a reason.

The absorption of Soul Rings has a limit.

The First Soul Ring limit is over four hundred years, the Second over seven hundred, the Third over seventeen hundred; these figures are not research results but records in the Spirit Hall of successful Soul Ring absorptions by Soul Masters throughout the ages.

Accurate? Not entirely.

Yet a normal-bodied Soul Master following these limits will be roughly correct and almost never err.

Ten thousand years ago, even a thousand years ago, or perhaps even today on the Douluo Continent.

Before Master announced the Soul Ring Absorption Limit, the vast majority of Soul Masters were unaware of these limits.

Facing a Soul Ring, how could they know whether they could absorb it or if absorption would cause their body to explode and die?

Naturally, through combat.

Winning means it's basically possible.

Without knowing one's own limit years nor the opponent Soul Beast's age, this is the simplest, brute‑force method.

Originally, these figures were secret among the major forces, but now Master has made them public for many years.

For the myriad ordinary Soul Masters, this is undoubtedly a great merit.

However, for those major powers...

Xiao Xian sometimes, not without malice, wonders whether the Spirit Hall originally let Master so recklessly peruse their data in order to push Master to publish these theoretical teachings.

The foundation of the Spirit Hall comes from the countless common Soul Masters.

The stronger the common Soul Masters, the stronger the Spirit Hall.

Yet, even if they grasp these theories, because of the major sects and forces,

they are never easy to make public.

Master, surnamed Yu, is the Heir of the Blue Electric Overlord Sect, one of the three major sects on the Douluo Continent.

Having him publish it under his name is most appropriate.

After all, who would dare to criticize Master?

His father holds the title Douluo Yu Yuan Zhen, a ninety‑five‑level ancient dragon.

"Alright, then let's go." Fulangde didn't delay, folded the map, grabbed Xiao Xian's shoulder, and rose into the air once more.

Not long after entering the Star Dou Great Forest, even Fulangde became cautious, lowering his altitude, weaving between the towering trees toward the goal, unwilling to fly too high recklessly.

After all, he's only a Soul Saint; a careless brush with a powerful ten‑thousand‑year Soul Beast would truly be fatal.

The Star Dou Great Forest is exceedingly dense; deep inside, sunlight scarcely penetrates, and Fulangde's speed slowed considerably as he darted among the branches.

As the sun was about to set, finally the two discovered a fairly sizable lake.

Unfortunately.

After a careful inspection, Fulangde found no Dragon Crocodile inside.

Fortunately, there are many lakes nearby.

After traveling another ten‑plus kilometers forward, Xiao Xian finally spotted the Dragon Crocodile's trace.

"Senior Master, it should be nearby."

A hint of purple flickered in Xiao Xian's eyes as he stared at a six‑seven‑meter, barely breathing Black Wolf Soul Beast in the jungle below.

Its back bore a distinct crocodile‑like bite mark, and the pierced spot glimmered with a unique purple hue.

Fulangde, of course, also noticed.

He isn't very versed in Martial Soul Theory, but he knows Master well.

A disciple of Master would naturally have a decent grasp of Martial Soul Theory.

Currently, their position is neither the outermost nor the innermost ring of the Star Dou Great Forest; the strongest surrounding Soul Beast is only about a thousand years old.

Fulangde circled the Black Wolf Soul Beast, boldly tracing outward in concentric circles, searching.

Not long after.

Fulangde flapped his massive wings and perched on a branch of a giant tree.

"Is that the kind of Soul Beast?" his orange‑yellow eyes pierced through the trunks and shrubs, locking onto a Soul Beast a kilometer away in the gap.

The moment he asked, he already felt a bit of regret.

They are a Cat Eagle Soul Saint, being able to see clearly is normal, Xiao Xian……

Xiao Xian braced the tree trunk, just steadied their body, yet nodded and replied: "Yes, but the age limit is insufficient, less than a hundred years, perhaps just born. The Dragon Crocodile I'm looking for has a dark‑gold surface and is under eleven meters in length."

A kilometer away, there is a lake of moderate size; at the lake's edge lies a tiny Dragon Crocodile, about one to two meters long.

Fulangde's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but it vanished in an instant.

Fulangde nodded and said in a deep voice: "Since it may have just been born, it's probably a whole family……"

Fulangde paused, spread the folded wings again, hand hooked like a claw, and once more seized Xiao Xian's shoulder.

Fulangde flapped the wings while flying backward.

"I'll find you a quiet place and catch one over there."

"Whether you can slay it is up to you."

"……"

Soon after, Xiao Xian landed on the trunk of a massive tree dozens of kilometers away, while Fulangde vanished without a trace.

Xiao Xian had a sentence left unsaid: this dark‑gold‑surfaced Dragon Crocodile, also called Dark Gold Dragon Crocodile, can match an ordinary ten‑thousand‑year Soul Beast in just five thousand years.

What Xiao Xian needs is only a mere two thousand years.

But the other side is a whole family, living in the lake; if luck is bad, they might be seven or eight thousand years old.

Hunting is simple, capturing alive……

Xiao Xian quickly returned to Fulangde, without hope.

He turned his head to glance at the nearby towering trees, twenty to thirty meters high; with a light step, he leapt a few strides through the air to a particularly stout tree hundreds of meters away, and took a chisel from the Soul Guide Device.

Not long after, Xiao Xian carved a hollow in the big tree, just enough to sit cross‑legged, then tore a piece of bark from a higher branch, and as he slipped into the hollow, he sealed it shut.

Then he waited silently.

……