Huo Wushuang couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Sure, he knew Huo Wu had feelings for Lin Jie—but how long had it been? And now she was already this smitten?
"Heh, is that so? Then I really ought to thank Brother Lin, shouldn't I?" he said, forcing a smile.
Lin Jie chuckled. "No need to be so polite, Brother Wushuang. After all, it's all for Xiao Wu's sake. Right, Xiao Wu?" His voice softened as he looked at Huo Wu.
Huo Wushuang clenched his fists, barely restraining the urge to punch Lin Jie in the face.
This guy… he's seriously shameless.
Did he think I didn't see where his hands were just now? And since when did he get to call her 'Xiao Wu' like that?
He'd once thought Lin Jie was a powerful and upright Spirit Master. But after seeing what had just happened with his sister, that image had completely collapsed.
Judging from the mood, Lin Jie decided it was time to leave. If Huo Wu's father showed up—and Huo Wushuang added some "colorful commentary"—getting away wouldn't be so easy.
"Xiao Wu, do you remember what I told you?" he asked.
Huo Wu nodded. "I do."
"In that case, I should get going. I have something important to handle. So… wait for me. And don't miss me too much, alright? Focus on cultivating and raise your strength quickly."
Having finally resolved the knot in her heart—and with their feelings now out in the open—Huo Wu didn't want to part from Lin Jie so soon. But she knew: at her current strength, the distance between them would only grow. She had to catch up.
Her tone was soft. "Mm, Lin Jie. I understand. Don't worry."
Huo Wushuang stared at his sister in disbelief.
Is this really my sister?
Has she been completely enchanted by Lin Jie?!
"Alright then, I'm off. Before I go—something to remember me by."
Lin Jie leaned in and kissed Huo Wu lightly on the cheek.
Huo Wushuang had originally wanted to stop Lin Jie—he couldn't just charm his sister and leave like that, right? But Huo Wu blocked him.
That sealed it for Huo Wushuang. His sister had definitely been bewitched.
He'd been dying to know what Lin Jie had said to her during their private talk. Afterward, when Huo Wu finally told him… he was so stunned that he immediately rushed off to inform their father. As for what happened after that—Lin Jie didn't know, nor did he care.
By now, Lin Jie was already en route to the Star Dou Forest.
And not just walking—he was soaring through the sky, riding a sleek black iron sword at incredible speed.
Now that he had fully mastered electromagnetic force, it was only natural that he could fly. The only reason he hadn't shown this ability before—not even during the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament—was because he'd deliberately kept it hidden.
Magnetic Sword Flight—this was one of Lin Jie's unique abilities.
He'd started with simple magnetic levitation. But after relentless testing and training, he finally developed a method of sword flight using magnetic propulsion. Its speed… was fast enough to shock even a Titled Douluo.
Flight—one of mankind's deepest desires. To glide through the skies and gaze down upon the land… it was exhilarating.
Standing atop his pitch-black blade, Lin Jie quietly enjoyed the sensation. This wasn't his first time flying—but every time felt different.
Five days later, Lin Jie arrived at the Star Dou Forest.
He was quite familiar with this place by now. As the largest Spirit Beast gathering zone on the continent, the Star Dou Forest straddled the borders of both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Two-fifths of the forest lay within Heaven Dou territory, and the remaining three-fifths within Star Luo.
A vast, primeval wilderness—its terrain complex and treacherous, with wetlands, swamps, and countless dangers. The deeper one went, the stronger the Spirit Beasts became. There were even Spirit Beasts that had lived for over 100,000 years.
For any Spirit Master with sufficient strength and a bit of luck, this was the best place to find a suitable Spirit Ring.
Within the inner region of the forest dwelled two known 100,000-year Spirit Beasts: the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.
Lin Jie had already encountered one of them—and it had been terrifyingly powerful.
But those two weren't the only apex creatures here.
In the deeper core of the forest, Lin Jie knew of even more formidable existences—like the Silver Dragon King, currently in deep slumber, guarded by Di Tian, Bi Ji, and Xiong Jun—ferocious beasts whose strength surpassed even Da Ming and Er Ming.
In fact, Da Ming and Er Ming didn't even qualify to enter the true core. They were, at best, glorified gatekeepers.
This visit marked Lin Jie's third time in the Star Dou Forest. And each time, his feelings about this place had been different.
Upon entering the forest, the first thing he did was activate his Mind Web.
Thanks to his growing Spirit Power and mental strength, Lin Jie's Mind Net had become extremely potent. At full capacity, it could cover a radius of 50 kilometers—though the broader the range, the less precise the detail.
At the moment, he kept the range to within 5 kilometers, ensuring he could detect anything of interest with sharp clarity.
Lin Jie's Martial Soul was lightning-based—but that didn't mean his Spirit Beasts needed to be. Of course, if they were, even better.
He'd already planned the kind of Spirit Ability he was looking for. He had more than enough offensive power, and his speed was outstanding. Now he was hoping to find a beast that could grant him a particular type of utility ability—something strategic.
Still, what he valued most were his self-created Spirit Abilities. In terms of power and efficiency, they were often on par with—or superior to—conventional Spirit Abilities, and consumed far less Spirit Power. That said, he still wanted a solid ability from the next Spirit Ring.
His fourth Spirit Ring came from an 18,000-year-old Spotted-Eyed Giant Lizard. At the time, he'd absorbed it with his powerful physique and immense spiritual strength—even while only at Rank 40.
His body had been tempered in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and enhanced by various immortal herbs. More importantly, his lightning-forged body had reached a saturation point—what he called the Spirit Body stage.
His physique was so strong that even many high-level Spirit Sages couldn't match it. And with each advancement, his Spirit Body would grow stronger still.
But Lin Jie's mind wasn't just sharp—his spiritual power was already extraordinary.
After absorbing the Spirit Wisdom Skull Bone and the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, his mental strength had reached—or even surpassed—the level of a Spirit Douluo.
Absorbing a Spirit Ring from a beast over 10,000 years old was dangerous mainly because of the residual willpower and mental backlash caused by the beast's death.
And soul resistance was directly linked to spiritual strength.
With his current body and spirit, Lin Jie was confident he could safely absorb any Spirit Ring under 50,000 years. Beyond that, the risk increased substantially.
Because the forest was so vast, Lin Jie spent two full days just navigating the outer perimeter.
Most of the beasts he encountered there were between 100 and 1,000 years old—completely unsuitable.
He didn't want to harm weaker Spirit Beasts unnecessarily, so he used his Mind Net to steer clear of them and headed straight for the inner region.
Meanwhile, deep within the Star Dou Forest, beside a tranquil and beautiful lake...
A young girl dipped her delicate, bare feet into the crystal-clear water. The lake reflected the towering trees around it, with sunlight streaming down, turning the scene into a dreamlike world of light and shadow.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes lit up. She'd sensed something—and turned her gaze toward the distance.
Lin Jie had spent two days traveling from the outer edges to the forest's inner region.
He periodically expanded his Mind Net to scout the area. When there were no signs of danger—or of the Spirit Beast he was looking for—he would shrink the net again to focus.
With weapons like his Electromagnetic Railgun and Rail Cannon, Lin Jie feared no ordinary beast.
He knew very well that even a Titled Douluo would be severely injured—or killed—if they let their guard down and got hit by his Rail Cannon. Just like Shi Nian had—struck through the chest, dead before he hit the ground.
Inside the inner region, Spirit Beasts were indeed much stronger—particularly those over 1,000 years old. Lin Jie had already detected many.
But none of them had yet crossed the 10,000-year threshold—until now.
After several more hours of trekking, he finally discovered one.
At first, he was excited. But upon closer inspection, the Spirit Beast's aura and strength were weaker than the Spotted-Eyed Giant Lizard he'd killed before.
Disappointed, Lin Jie lost interest.
He pressed further inward, traveling until nightfall, but still didn't find a suitable candidate.
Finally, he stopped, expanded his Mind Net once again, and—after confirming no immediate threats—decided to camp here for the night.
He set up a temporary perimeter, released his Mind Net to maximum range again, and only then allowed himself to close his eyes and rest.
Even in sleep, Lin Jie remained alert—his finely tuned danger sense ready to wake him the moment a threat drew near.
The night sky was clear, and the moon hung high above the vast and quiet forest. All around him, the chirping of frogs and the calls of birds echoed softly.
Unbeknownst to Lin Jie...
A familiar figure was steadily approaching.
Had he seen her, he would've recognized her instantly—
Xiao Wu.