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Silves Kingdom, Silves City
"My dear Idol! Can we please go into the city and take a break? We've been traveling for two whole days! Yanyan is so very tired~" Dugu Yan whined, clinging affectionately to Ye Lan's arm.
Seeing Dugu Yan refusing to let go of Ye Lan's arm, Ning Rongrong immediately grabbed his other one and countered just for the sake of it.
"No breaks, no breaks!! Let's hurry to the Star Dou Great Forest!! I simply cannot wait any longer to see Xiong Er and Da Ju!"
Hearing Dugu Yan's plea, Ye Lan glanced around at everyone inside the six-horse carriage.
Aside from Xiao Xue, who looked perfectly calm, the others all showed varying degrees of fatigue in their eyes.
"Rongrong, we can see Da Ju and Xiong Er a little later. It won't make a difference. We'll rest in Silves City for one night first," Ye Lan stated decisively.
Ning Rongrong didn't feel disheartened by Ye Lan's decision, because she was genuinely tired too!
She had only been trying to contradict Dugu Yan out of pure habit.
When Dugu Yan heard Ye Lan agree to her suggestion, a triumphant smile appeared on her face, and she immediately began to flaunt her victory at Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong, in turn, hugged Ye Lan's arm tighter, pretending she didn't see Dugu Yan at all.
On the other side of the carriage, Xiao Xue stretched languidly and turned to look at Ye Leng Leng.
"Sister Leng Leng, would you like to go explore Silves City with me?"
"Alright, Xiao Xue, let's get off the carriage. We should let Senior Dugu and the others know as well," Ye Leng Leng agreed.
The reason Xiao Xue had invited Ye Leng Leng was that she wanted to understand what kind of person she was.
Ever since she had first met Ye Leng Leng, she had never perceived the unassuming girl as a threat. Yet, she had now come to realize that the ever-quiet Ye Leng Leng was, in fact, her greatest rival!
Originally, Xiao Xue had been incredibly confident in her own appearance.
The stunned reaction Ye Lan had when he first saw her had only confirmed this for her.
But when Ye Leng Leng removed her veil, for the very first time, Xiao Xue felt threatened by another woman.
She was intensely curious about what kind of person Ye Leng Leng was and why she remained so calm and composed all the time.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing, who hadn't stretched her muscles in a long time, was feeling the familiar itch for a battle.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Ye Lan with anticipation in her eyes and said, "Teacher, after we finish dinner, how about we go check out the Great Spirit Arena in Silves City?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Lan nodded in agreement.
Besides appreciating flowers and drinking wine, there really weren't many other entertaining places on the Douluo Continent.
It wasn't a major holiday, so there were no traditional festivities to attend.
The Great Spirit Arena had become practically the only place of amusement for every Spirit Master to pass the time.
Inside a Teahouse
"Hey! Have you all heard? The incredibly arrogant 'Ferocious God Team' was just instantly defeated by a Spirit Elder-level silver-ranked team!!!" a skinny man exclaimed excitedly.
"Tell us more, what happened?!" Hearing the man, the people nearby immediately and eagerly asked for details.
"Hehe, let me tell you. Today, a new Spirit Team from out of town arrived in Silves City, called the 'Shrek Team'."
"This 'Shrek Team' is really bizarre. They wear the strangest clothes, and even the girls on the team have extremely short hair."
"And what's more, the 'Shrek Team' only has five members, yet they actually dared to participate in a seven-person Spirit Ancestor-level battle!"
"How could they dare? Not even the Emperor Team One would try something so reckless, would they??" a Spirit Elder who knew a thing or two about the competitions quickly interjected.
The skinny man explained, "Under normal circumstances, that would be true, but all five members of the Shrek Team were equipped with some sort of hidden weapon."
"Under the combined volley from the five members' hidden weapons, the 'Ferocious God Team' was riddled with bloody holes, their bodies completely mutilated!! The scene was just… splat, splat, splat!"
"Was it really that bloody? The 'Shrek Team'? They should just rename themselves the 'Ferocious God Team' at this point."
"The 'Ferocious God Team' was always brutal in their fighting style, but that was all in the pursuit of victory."
"This 'Shrek Team' seems like they're just out to kill people, aren't they?! I thought this was going to be a story about a Spirit Elder team overcoming a Spirit Ancestor team, but it turns out they just relied on external objects to murder them."
A regular patron of the Great Spirit Arena worriedly said, "If future battles in the Great Spirit Arena aren't about competing with Spirits but with these kinds of hidden weapons, who would even want to watch anymore?!"
"I have a relative who is a high-level manager at the Great Spirit Arena, and I heard they've already called an emergency meeting to deal with teams like this 'Shrek Team'!"
"I hear that in the future, Spirit Masters will only be allowed to carry melee-type weapons in the arena. All ranged weapons will be strictly prohibited."
"Now that sounds more reasonable. Otherwise, if those hidden weapons become widespread, will future Spirit Fights be a competition of hidden weapons or a competition of Spirits?"
"If it really comes down to hidden weapons, then why even hold a Spirit Fighting competition? They might as well just rename it the Great Hidden Weapon Tournament!"
Hearing the conversation among the Spirit Masters in the teahouse, Ye Lan's eyebrows furrowed tightly.
What an unfortunate coincidence. How could they run into the Shrek Team right after arriving in Silves City?
Just as Ye Lan finished the thought in his mind…
The noisy chatter in the teahouse suddenly fell silent. It turned out that five figures with sickly green, short hair had appeared at the teahouse entrance.
Dugu Yan followed everyone's gaze and saw the five Shrek members, frowning as she said:
"What a total killjoy!"
The moment Ye Lan saw the five from Shrek, a golden light flashed in his eyes as he directly activated his Golden Pupils.
He would not reveal the slightest weakness to Tang San's group, who were now equipped with the Godly Zhuge Crossbows.
The instant Tang San made a move, he would let him know the true power of the triple-ultimate-attribute 'Blue Silver Grass - Radiant Life'!
The lecherous Ma Hongjun immediately switched into scanning mode the moment he entered the teahouse, trying to take in every beautiful woman in sight.
However, the second Ma Hongjun's eyes fell upon Dugu Yan, he hastily averted his gaze!
He no longer dared to offend Dugu Yan in the slightest.
Ye Lan?
The moment Tang San saw Ye Lan, the little finger behind his tiger-like fist couldn't stop trembling.
Over the past few months, the components for the Godly Zhuge Crossbows that he had commissioned from the blacksmith's forge had finally been completed.
He had successfully acquired over a dozen Godly Zhuge Crossbows. With these weapons to rely on, Tang San no longer saw Ye Lan as a threat at all.
A wave of killing intent gradually surfaced in Tang San's eyes. He wanted revenge!
He would never forget the humiliation Xiao Wu had suffered!
"Third Brother! Let's find another place to eat, shall we?!" Xiao Wu, now dressed as a tomboy, had an immediate stress reaction upon seeing Ye Lan.
Interrupted by Xiao Wu, the killing intent in Tang San's eyes vanished. In a few moments, he had thought through the potential consequences.
If they were to commit murder in a public place, they would absolutely never make it out of Silves City.
Moreover, he didn't know if that silver-armored Spirit Douluo was anywhere nearby.
The Spirit Saint Zao Wou-Ki had been beaten by that Spirit Douluo without any chance to fight back. He had no desire to test the power of a Spirit Douluo with his Godly Zhuge Crossbows.
Having weighed the pros and cons, Tang San dug his nails into his palm and said through gritted teeth, "Mubai, Old Ao, Hongjun, let's go."
After the five of them left, the Spirit Masters in the teahouse collectively let out a breath, and the room once again filled with noisy chatter.
After hearing the conversations in the teahouse, Zhu Zhuqing said with a sense of relief, "It's a good thing Ning Rongrong and I left the Shrek Team. Otherwise, the two of us would probably have become cold-blooded killers by now."
Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's words, Ning Rongrong immediately wore a smug expression.
She had put in considerable effort back then to convince Zhu Zhuqing to withdraw from Shrek Academy. At that moment, her acting skills had reached the absolute peak of her life.
Now that she was at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, she could see Ye Lan every single day!
This is great!
Happy every day!!
In a corner that no one had noticed, a dark figure instantly departed from the teahouse's perimeter.
Originally, Tang Hao had been thinking of helping his son clean up his mess. But after he sensed the presence of two Titled Douluo and one Spirit Douluo who was approaching the Titled Douluo level within the teahouse…
Tang Hao was instantly aghast with shock.
Ye Lan now travels with two Titled Douluo as his guardians?
Even if that darned 'New Spirit Core Competitiveness' theory was published by Ye Lan, the Spirit Hall wouldn't go so far as to arrange such an absurd lineup, would they?!
Tang Hao had also read that theory.
Part of it was information about Spirits that was already circulating in high-level Spirit Master circles, and part of it consisted of theories whose specific details Tang Hao was unaware of.
But for Tang Hao, who had already become a Titled Douluo, these theories were practically useless.
Since they were useless to him, they should logically be the same for the Titled Douluo of Spirit Hall.
So how on earth did that kid Ye Lan get Titled Douluo to protect him?
If Ye Lan knew what Tang Hao was thinking, he would definitely throw up his hands and say:
I don't know either! All I did was publish a few theories.
After moving a safe distance away from Ye Lan's teahouse, Tang Hao heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he hadn't intervened to help Zao Wou-Ki against the Holy Emperor's Guard back in Soto City.
Besides feeling fortunate for not having acted last time, Tang Hao instantly felt that the disguise spirit bone he had spent tremendous effort to obtain was well worth it.
Otherwise, at this moment, he would probably be killing Xiao Wu to take her spirit bone.
After the small interlude in Silves City, Ye Lan's group successfully arrived at Soto City, which was adjacent to the Star Dou Great Forest.
The ten of them left their six horses in the care of a stable in Soto City and then proceeded on foot towards the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Star Dou Great Forest was encircled by a hundred rivers, lush and verdant, with towering ancient trees everywhere.
Ning Rongrong ran about excitedly on the grassy fields; it was her first time visiting the Star Dou Great Forest.
Aside from Ning Rongrong, the rest of the group greedily breathed in the fresh, clean air.
At this moment, Ye Lan's entire body and mind entered a state of relaxation. Ever since his 'Nature Domain' had awakened, his affinity with plants had grown much stronger.
The moment he arrived in the Star Dou Great Forest, he could feel the joy of countless plants.
Dugu Bo looked at the endless expanse of flowers and plants in the Star Dou Great Forest and remarked with a sigh:
"It's been a long time since I last came to the Star Dou Great Forest. The flowers and plants here are much more pleasing to the eye than those in the Sunset Forest!"
Hearing Dugu Bo's nostalgic comment, the Snake Lance Douluo said:
"I never thought the Poison Douluo would also be interested in these flowers and plants."
Dugu Bo scratched his head in embarrassment. It was precisely because of these flowers and plants that he had gotten into a conflict with the Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Once, while in the Star Dou Great Forest, he discovered a garden. Seeing how exceptionally beautiful the flowers in the garden were, he intended to pick a few to bring back for his Yanyan.
But just as he was about to pick the flowers, the Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly descended upon the garden.
Seeing that Dugu Bo was about to destroy the flowers he had so carefully nurtured, the Chrysanthemum Douluo flew into a rage and attacked him.
The long-standing conflict between the two had originated from that incident.
After her initial excitement wore off, Ning Rongrong quickly looked at Ye Lan and asked:
"Ye Lan, where are Xiong Er and Da Ju?!"
Xiao Xue asked quizzically, "Rongrong, who are this Xiong Er and Da Ju you keep talking about?!"
Ye Lan smiled and said, "They're just a couple of silly spirit beasts! Rongrong, don't be anxious, I'll find their whereabouts right now."
The Porpoise Douluo looked at Ye Lan with great interest.
He wanted to see just how Ye Lan would locate two spirit beasts in this vast and uninhabited Star Dou Great Forest.
Ye Lan sat cross-legged on a patch of dry grass and immersed his consciousness.
He began to call upon the Blue Silver Grass within his body, and in a short while, countless strands of Blue Silver Grass grew up around him.
Zhu Zhuqing instantly exclaimed in amazement, "Teacher's Blue Silver Grass has become even more beautiful!! It's truly gorgeous~"
Even Dugu Bo, who had seen Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass before, couldn't help but stare for a few extra moments. These Blue Silver Grass vines looked far too superior.
The entire length of the vines seemed to be covered with a pattern resembling a river of stars and golden clouds.
After the Blue Silver Grass appeared, a verdant green light flashed from within Ye Lan's body, rapidly covering an area of over ten thousand square meters.
The moment the 'Nature Domain' appeared, countless plants began to bow in Ye Lan's direction.
With the exception of Dugu Bo, everyone else looked at Ye Lan with astonishment.
"It's actually a domain!!" the Snake Lance Douluo said in shock. One must know that even with the Young Lord's Six-Winged Angel Spirit, she would have to wait until reaching the rank of a level seventy Spirit Saint before she could awaken the Angelic Domain.
And yet, Ye Lan already possessed a domain at only level thirty?!
The women felt a shared sense of pride and looked at Ye Lan with excitement.
They all marveled inwardly, He truly is my Ye Lan!
After activating his domain, Ye Lan instantly gained the ability to communicate with natural life.
He began to call upon these plants, asking for their help in finding Xiong Er and Da Ju.
Of course, Xiong Er and Da Ju were not within the ten-thousand-square-meter area around Ye Lan's position.
However, the plants within the domain began a chain reaction of communication.
The plants at the very edge of the domain continuously transmitted ripples of information to the plants further away; ten thousand trees passed the message to a hundred thousand, and a hundred thousand trees passed it to a million.
Before long, the conscious communication of the plants, with Ye Lan as the epicenter, spread out in an arc, instantly penetrating deep into the Star Dou Great Forest and continuously expanding.
Once the plants located Xiong Er and Da Ju, they immediately transmitted the information back toward the center of the Nature Domain.
Half an hour later, Ye Lan, having received the information, opened his eyes.
"Found them!!" Ye Lan said with a pleasant surprise.
Ye Leng Leng asked curiously, "Ye Lan, does your domain have some special ability related to plants?"
Ye Leng Leng didn't mention the unusual stirrings of her 'Nine Heart Saintly棠'. She could feel that her Spirit was very active, a different kind of fluctuation from when it fused with Ye Lan's Spirit.
Ye Lan instantly understood what Ye Leng Leng meant; this was an effect of the 'Nature Domain'.
Ye Lan shook his head and said, "I have news on Xiong Er and Da Ju. Follow me!"
The group of ten headed deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.
Dugu Bo asked, puzzled, "Little Lan, are the two spirit beasts you're raising over five thousand years old? We're about to enter the inner-circle boundary of the forest."
Ye Lan replied, "No, they're not that powerful."
"We're almost there! I'm also not sure why all the spirit beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest have migrated so much closer to the core region."
"Right now, in the outer forest, aside from ten-year and a few hundred-year spirit beasts, you can't find a single thousand-year spirit beast."
This information had been fed back to him through the consciousness of the plants, and he was quite perplexed as to why the ecosystem of the Star Dou Great Forest had changed so drastically.
Before long, Ye Lan's group arrived in front of a mountain cave.
At that moment, the roars of a bear, along with another slightly softer bear's roar, continuously echoed from within the dark cave.
Dugu Yan instantly realized what was happening, and her cheeks flushed red.
The Snake Lance Douluo, on the other hand, began to whistle playfully.
A dark line appeared on Ye Lan's forehead. That blasted bear, all it does all day is that.
Ye Lan casually kicked a stone into the cave.
AOW!!
Xiong Er let out a miserable cry.
It rushed out of the cave furiously, thinking to itself, You had better be my master, or else I'll show you the might of the Bear Tyrant of the World!!
Xiong Er charged out of the cave, but the moment it saw Ye Lan, its blood-red eyes instantly turned into a dazed and cute expression.
With a sliding pounce, Xiong Er landed right in front of Ye Lan.
It continuously licked Ye Lan's trouser leg with its large tongue.
The moment Zhu Zhuqing saw Xiong Er, she immediately threw herself onto its shoulders.
Ning Rongrong, seeing the fierce-looking but dopey-eyed Xiong Er, also let out a cry of delight.
She repeatedly rubbed Xiong Er's head with both hands.
Xiong Er stared blankly at the women surrounding Ye Lan and couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Master is even more of a womanizer than I am, so why does he always interrupt me when I'm trying to make babies!?
Dugu Bo looked at Xiong Er and remarked with amazement, "Are spirit beasts this clever nowadays? It feels like a dog raised by a common family."
The Snake Lance Douluo said, "I have never witnessed such a harmonious scene between humans and spirit beasts. The relationship between Spirit Masters and spirit beasts can be described as being like fire and water. Today has truly been an eye-opener for me."
Xiao Xue, however, was exclaiming in her heart.
Is this the charm of a king?
To think that even spirit beasts can fall for it?!
The Porpoise Douluo patted Xiong Er's back and said, "This bear is built really solidly, much stronger than any Bloodthirsty Demon Bear I've ever seen!"
Ye Lan also noticed that Xiong Er was different. Compared to before, its muscles were much firmer.
Is it because of the Blue Silver Grass? Or something else?
Ye Lan didn't dwell on it too much, as Xiong Er was already signaling for him to climb onto its back.
It had been a long time since Ye Lan had ridden Xiong Er. With a swift leap, he landed on the back of Xiong Er's neck.
After Ye Lan jumped on, the women also climbed onto Xiong Er's broad shoulders one by one.
Ning Rongrong gripped Ye Lan's arm tightly, letting out a cry of excitement.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's frightened reaction, the others couldn't help but laugh heartily.
The Silver Wolf and the three Titled Douluo followed behind Xiong Er.
Seeing that his master and mistresses were seated securely, Xiong Er hurriedly dashed towards the dense forest at the foot of the mountain.
His good buddy, the Vajra Tiger, was still in the forest!
After a roller-coaster-like sprint on Xiong Er's back, the group arrived beneath a colossal, ancient tree.
Although the Vajra Tiger on the tree was sound asleep, its ears were extremely sharp.
Hearing the familiar sounds, it assumed Xiong Er had come to bother it again.
So, it pretended not to hear Xiong Er's approach and remained motionless on the tree branch.
Seeing that Da Ju was sleeping again, Ye Lan infused his legs with spirit power and instantly leaped more than ten meters into the air, landing on Da Ju's back.
Sensing the familiar aura behind it, the Vajra Tiger quickly woke from its slumber.
It turned its head and continuously licked Ye Lan's left hand.
Ye Lan, in turn, vigorously rubbed Da Ju's head a few times, then signaled for it to come down from the tree.
The Vajra Tiger leaped down in a single bound, landing without making the slightest sound.
When Ning Rongrong saw the oversized cat, the 'Vajra Tiger', her eyes sparkled, and she immediately hugged Da Ju's head, kneading the Vajra Tiger incessantly.
Reacting in the same way as Ning Rongrong were Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Xue, and Dugu Yan.
The four of them gathered around Da Ju, constantly rubbing and petting it. It was clear they were all cat lovers.
Seeing how popular the Vajra Tiger was with his mistresses, Xiong Er lay down on the ground with a dejected whimper.
Ye Leng Leng found Xiong Er's jealous display quite amusing and comfortingly stroked his head.
Feeling Ye Leng Leng's touch, the grievance in Xiong Er's heart instantly vanished.
As I thought, there is a mistress who likes my type!
The Porpoise Douluo frowned and said, "Yu Long, aren't there a few too many ten-thousand-year spirit beasts here?"
Dugu Bo added, "And for some reason, these ten-thousand-year spirit beasts aren't fighting each other. It's truly strange!!"
The Silver Wolf said, "Whatever the reason, let's help Little Lan get his spirit ring and leave the Star Dou Great Forest as soon as possible. I have a feeling something strange is happening here."
The Snake Lance Douluo nodded in agreement. "We haven't even reached the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest yet. I've heard that no Spirit Master, regardless of their cultivation level, has ever come out alive after venturing into the core area."
After Ye Lan and the women finished petting Da Ju and Xiong Er, he summoned a large amount of Blue Silver Grass into his palm.
The moment Da Ju and Xiong Er saw the Blue Silver Grass, they immediately pounced on Ye Lan, then proceeded to lick his cheeks nonstop.
Ye Lan helplessly pinched their mouths and feigned anger, "If you keep licking, there'll be no more Blue Silver Grass!"
Da Ju and Xiong Er gave a silly grin and turned to munch on the Blue Silver Grass on the ground.
Once the two beasts had eaten their fill, Ye Lan's group prepared to begin the spirit hunt!
Xiao Xue inquired, "Ye Lan, what kind of spirit beasts are we looking for to help Rongrong and Sister Leng Leng?!"
Everyone turned to look at Ye Lan, eager to know what the 'Scholar' Ye Lan's strategy was.
Ye Lan answered without hesitation, "The 'Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda' and the 'Nine Heart Saintly棠' are both extremely unique. The spirit skills of the 'Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda' are almost fixed to a dozen or so types, involving strength, defense, speed, spirit power, and so on. The 'Nine Heart Saintly棠' is even more special; no matter what spirit beast the spirit ring comes from, it will only ever produce one type of spirit skill: group healing."
"Given the characteristics of their Spirits, we should choose spirit beasts that are the most gentle and the most compatible with gems and plants, respectively. The priorities are gentleness and compatibility."
"For Ning Rongrong, I recommend choosing a gentle, gem-type spirit beast with immense spirit power. For Ye Leng Leng, a gentle plant-type spirit beast would be best."
"Since you have all absorbed immortal herbs and have also been practicing the spirit power control method I taught you, the age limit for Ning Rongrong's third spirit ring is around two thousand five hundred years."
"As for Leng Leng, her fourth spirit ring can be from a beast of around eight thousand years."
The Silver Wolf worriedly said, "Isn't that too risky? This far exceeds the maximum age limits you proposed in your 'New Spirit Core Competitiveness' theory!"
Ye Leng Leng, however, trusted Ye Lan completely and stated decisively, "Ye Lan, I'll listen to you!"
"I'll listen to Teacher too!!" Ning Rongrong echoed.
"Uncle Wolf, having absorbed the 'Star Illusionary Dream', you should know how terrifying the enhancement effect of these immortal herbs is on one's physical constitution and Spirit. Besides, they will be absorbing the most compatible and gentle types of spirit beasts, so there will be absolutely no conflict with the Spirits inside their bodies!"
Uncle Wolf nodded. "In that case, I am relieved!"
Xiao Xue, however, looked a little disappointed. If only she had been born seven years later.
If that were the case, wouldn't she have also received a perfectly planned spirit ring configuration from Ye Lan?
Wouldn't her current strength be even more terrifying?
Seeing the downcast Xiao Xue, Ye Lan took the initiative to walk over and give her a hug. "So much has happened recently that I almost forgot to tell you about the 'Limit Spirit Power Attachment Method' and the 'Spirit Avatar Adaptation Method'!"
Xiao Xue asked, puzzled, "Ye Lan, what are you talking about?"
Ye Lan leaned in and whispered in Xiao Xue's ear, "I'll tell you privately when we get back to the academy~"
Feeling Ye Lan's warm breath, Xiao Xue's ears couldn't help but turn red, and she nodded slightly.
Instantly, she forgot all about the unhappiness of being born seven years too early.
Ye Lan released Xiao Xue and immediately sat down to meditate.
He needed to find a specific gem-type spirit beast. This spirit beast was known as the 'Tourmaline Spirit Fox'.
The 'Tourmaline Spirit Fox' had an exceptionally gentle and kind temperament. It was not aggressive towards other creatures and would only retaliate if it or its companions were threatened. It enjoyed living in harmony with nature and was full of love and care for its surrounding environment.
The 'Tourmaline Spirit Fox' fed on the ambient spirit energy of the world and certain special minerals, especially favoring the energy emitted by gems containing spirit power. Therefore, it primarily lived in the hidden valleys or deep forests of the Douluo Continent, places that were typically rich in mineral resources and abundant natural energy.
(End of Chapter)