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After finishing breakfast, Jiang Shuo took a short walk in the courtyard in front of the hall.
There, he saw his grandfather, Jiang Yundong—the oldest and most powerful elder on the entire continent.
According to Jiang Shuo's memory, not even Dragon God Douluo Mu En of Shrek Academy or Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao of the Holy Spirit Cult could compare in age to his grandfather.
Though thinking this, the boy didn't slow his pace. He walked until he stood a zhang away from Taixu Douluo, then bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Grandfather…"
Before he could finish, Jiang Yundong waved him off with a cheerful laugh.
"All right, all right. When it's just the two of us, there's no need for such formality."
"You've never been outside the sect, have you, Shuo'er? Come, Grandpa will take you out to broaden your horizons!"
The old man chuckled as he stroked his beard, then lifted the boy with his arm and stepped into the air.
Jiang Shuo's vision blurred for a moment, and in the next instant, they had already left Zhuozheng Peak behind.
With another step, the towering Zhuozheng Peak shrank into a black dot.
Such speed!
Was it Shrinking the Earth into Inches?
Or a Limit Douluo's spatial ability?
Jiang Shuo couldn't be sure—but before he could ponder further, the changing scenery caught his attention.
Once outside the Taixu Sect's boundaries, the surrounding architecture drastically changed.
Unlike the purely wooden palaces of the sect, the town below had more Western-style buildings.
In Jiang Shuo's memory, the Taixu Sect had many customs different from the Douluo Continent.
Eating rice, using chopsticks, pasting spring couplets, ancestral worship during festivals—all of it resembled his former world's Huaxia.
He had once asked his father, Jiang Yuanshi, who explained these were customs left behind by their sect's founder, the ancestral god Taixu.
This strange similarity sparked suspicion in Jiang Shuo's heart. With so many differences from the original story, could it be that their ancestor Taixu was also…
The Taixu Sect was located in the eastern region of the Tianhun Empire. Traveling southward would eventually lead to the former tri-empire border.
It also happened to be the border between Star Dou Forest and Shrek Academy.
The grandfather and grandson journeyed for half a day, crossing countless miles—
Until finally, towering ancient trees came into view in the distance.
The vast, primeval forest radiated a wild, untamed aura, filling one's heart with awe even from afar.
Trees over a hundred meters tall stretched across the skyline, forming a natural barrier.
Judging by the texts and his own memory, Jiang Shuo estimated that the Star Dou Great Forest was absurdly massive—likely close to half the land area of his former world's China.
(The original story is contradictory, so we'll go with our own interpretation.)
It was said the forest contained various ecosystems and more than ten million species of soul beasts.
His grandfather had likely brought him here for the sheer variety of choices available.
Jiang Yundong ignored the taboo against flying over the Star Dou Forest and carried Jiang Shuo directly into the Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast Region, bypassing the 500-kilometer outer zone before landing.
"Shuo'er, remember this—causing a stir in the shallows isn't impressive. Surviving in deep waters is what truly deserves praise."
"Soul beasts in the ten-thousand-year zone—even those with a thousand-year cultivation—are far stronger than those on the outskirts. In the future, you can do this too."
The old man smiled kindly, offering his wisdom.
Jiang Shuo nodded seriously, clearly in agreement.
Of course, that was also because his soul ring's ideal age was far from low—his first soul ring's optimal age was around 460 years.
With his body tempered by herbs and training since childhood, a mere hundred-year soul ring wouldn't be enough.
Furthermore, the divine-level Taixu True Essence Technique didn't just increase soul power—it also constantly improved and expanded his meridians. Having cultivated it to the third level, Jiang Shuo estimated he could now bear a soul ring of around 3,000 years.
Maybe even higher.
Inspired by his grandfather's words, the boy summoned his first martial soul and held it in his hands.
He suddenly had a thought—if he never retracted it, would the bond between him and his martial soul eventually become perfect?
No sooner thought than done—he strapped the spear to his back with a cloth.
Jiang Yundong watched quietly, smiling.
He said nothing, but inwardly, he was deeply pleased by his grandson's insight. So quick to grasp and adapt—just like him!
The two walked through the dense forest, searching for prey.
With Silver Shuo Spear being a powerful assault-type martial soul, it couldn't absorb just any soul ring. And since they also wanted a high-quality match, Jiang Yundong was extremely picky—he even ignored several suitable sub-dragon soul beasts.
Jiang Shuo didn't complain at all, seriously following behind, scanning the surroundings just as intently.
But the Silver Shuo Spear, containing a trace of Silver Dragon King's origin, wouldn't be satisfied with just any ring.
Firstly, it rejected the seven elemental attributes—water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, and space. That alone eliminated more than half of all soul beasts.
The two searched for nearly an hour but found no true dragon-class beast, nor any with true dragon blood.
Jiang Yundong remained at ease, showing no sign of impatience.
Seeing this, Jiang Shuo calmed himself as well, continuing to observe and learn.
After all, the search itself was a kind of experience.
Half an hour later—
Finally, Jiang Shuo spotted a black tiger lying beneath a hundred-meter-tall Silver Flower Tree.
The giant tiger's body was jet black, without a single stray hair. It was over three meters long.
Its blood-red vertical pupils emitted a chilling aura, as though ready to devour all in sight.
Its tail stood upright like a sharp hook. Strangely, it wasn't made of flesh and blood—it was composed entirely of bony segments!
The moment Jiang Yundong laid eyes on the black tiger, his gaze narrowed.
Moments later, he smiled.
"Shuo'er, your luck is excellent. We didn't find a soul beast with true dragon blood, but instead, we found a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger with the bloodline of an Evil God."
"It doesn't just possess one attribute—it's a perfect match for your Silver Shuo Spear."
The boy gasped, his face full of astonishment. Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?!
Wasn't that the soul beast that nearly defeated Sea God Tang San?
He vaguely remembered that a 60,000-year-old Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had nearly killed Tang San, who was already half a god.
Fortunately, this one likely wasn't ten thousand years old. Jiang Shuo sighed in relief.
Then excitement overtook him. That very danger only proved how elite this beast was!
"Grandfather, I want this one!" the boy declared firmly.
Taixu Douluo turned slightly, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Shuo'er, this is a 4,000-year-old Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Are you sure?"
"That's nine times beyond the optimal age for a first soul ring."
Jiang Shuo nodded lightly, his expression calm and confident.
"With Grandpa here, why not take a bold step? If life has no risk, then what's the point of coming into this world at all?"
"Hahaha! Well said! You truly are Taixu Douluo's grandson. This one it is!"
With that, the old man took a step forward and thrust out his palm.
The black tiger beneath the silver flower tree instantly sensed danger. Its fur bristled, and a jet-black bolt of lightning the size of a man's arm shot from the "王" (King) character on its forehead.
BOOM!!!
The dark lightning carried violent, destructive energy. Wherever it passed, plants were reduced to ash.
Even the ground split, gouged into a trench two meters wide.
(End of Chapter)