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Two years later, in the Great Star Dou Forest.
"Xiao Ao, this is already deep within the Great Star Dou Forest, a gathering place for ten-thousand-year soul beasts. There should be something suitable here for your fourth spirit ring."
Li Luochen was guiding a silver-haired youth through the forest.
The silver-haired youth was none other than Oscar. At fourteen years old, Oscar's soul power had already reached level forty, and Li Luochen had taken him out to hunt for a spirit ring.
Li Luochen, now eighteen years old, had reached level sixty-seven in soul power. His actual combat strength was incredibly formidable—ordinary Soul Sages could be defeated with ease, and even Soul Douluos would struggle to win against him.
Even Dai Tianxing, at eighty-five levels of soul power, couldn't defeat Li Luochen, let alone suppress him.
Since Li Luochen's soul power was too high for him to remain a student, Flender had directly appointed him as a teacher—and not just any teacher, but the head of the teaching department. With his extensive theoretical knowledge, Li Luochen was perfectly suited for the role.
Li Luochen felt it was appropriate and accepted the position. By now, Oscar and Ma Hongjun's soul power levels far surpassed those of their original timeline counterparts.
Oscar had already hit the level forty bottleneck, while Ma Hongjun had just reached level thirty-nine a month ago. Compared to their original timeline levels of twenty-nine and twenty-seven respectively, they were like entirely different people.
Moreover, both Oscar and Ma Hongjun had completed the Great Battle Spirit Arena trials—not just meeting the requirements, but exceeding them. Both had earned Gold Battle Spirit badges, surpassing even Li Luochen's achievements at graduation.
When Li Luochen had gone to Tian Dou City, he had been just a few matches short of earning a Gold Battle Spirit badge. However, due to the effects of the celestial herbs, he had advanced to Soul Ancestor within a few months and hadn't returned to the Suotuo Great Battle Spirit Arena.
Oscar and Ma Hong Jun had completed their trials a month and a half ago, both earning Gold Battle Spirit badges. All that remained was for them to break through to level forty and graduate as Soul Ancestors.
As for Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai's soul power remained at level thirty-seven, though he was at the peak of that level and would soon break through to level thirty-eight. Due to his earlier conflicts with Li Luochen and the others, Dai Mubai had become somewhat isolated, spending even more time indulging in pleasures in Suotuo City.
That Dai Mubai's soul power could still reach this level was thanks to Li Luochen's intervention. However, the speed at which Dai Mubai's soul power was increasing came at the cost of his potential, and the hidden injuries in his body were worsening.
Dai Mubai should already be feeling increasingly powerless, a sign that his body was deteriorating. This was the price of his arrogance and loose talk.
"Big Brother Chen, what do you think I should choose for my fourth spirit ring?"
Oscar was unsure about his choice for the fourth spirit ring. Li Luochen's recommendation was a spirit skill that provided all-attribute enhancement.
However, such top-tier spirit skills were hard to come by. Soul beasts with these abilities usually possessed a skill called "Berserk," but its side effects were too severe—it was essentially a life-risking spirit skill and not suitable for Oscar.
Li Luochen wanted a nine-thousand-year spirit ring with all-attribute enhancement. The boost didn't need to be significant, nor did it need to last long—but it had to have no side effects.
This made the selection difficult. Oscar's current spirit skills included recovery, flight, and detoxification. His fourth spirit skill should ideally be an enhancement-type ability without side effects. His fifth and sixth spirit skills would serve as his offensive capabilities.
With this setup, Oscar's foundation would be complete. Adding some spirit bones would make him nearly unstoppable.
"Alas, we'll just have to keep looking. Unfortunately, I can't suppress Dark Golden Terror Claw Bears above five thousand years. Their spirit ring energy is too chaotic, and I'm not sure you'd be able to absorb it. Otherwise, a Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear would be perfect for you."
Li Luo Chen knew that Dark Golden Terror Claw Bears, as versatile soul beasts, never disappointed when it came to enhancement-type spirit skills. However, their power was too overwhelming—even with Oscar's well-honed physique, absorption might still be impossible.
The higher the age of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, the stronger it became. Oscar could handle one under five thousand years, but anything above that might be too much for him. Li Luochen had a bit of obsessive-compulsive tendencies; he wasn't comfortable with Oscar's fourth spirit ring being less than three thousand years older than his third.
If nothing else worked, Li Luochen planned to find a Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear close to five thousand years.
Though the age difference wouldn't be ideal, the quality would be sufficient. However, Dark Golden Terror Claw Bears were extremely rare—finding one wouldn't be easy.
*Roar—*
Huh? A thunderous roar echoed through the forest, startling Li Luochen and Oscar. The roar was thick and violent, likely from an incredibly powerful soul beast. Li Luochen decided to investigate.
Li Luochen grabbed Oscar, released his Dragon Wings, and flew quickly toward the source of the roar.
There, they saw a massive creature standing nine meters tall with fiery red fur battling a King of the Earth soul beast.
Surrounding them were the corpses of Pink Empresses, including the leader of the Pink Empresses, whose body was torn to pieces at the edge of the battlefield.
The scene was breathtaking. On the battlefield, only the giant red-furred creature and the King of the Earth remained, locked in single combat. However, the King of the Earth was at a disadvantage.
"Big Brother Chen, what kind of soul beast is that? It killed so many Pink Empresses, even the leader! And the King of the Earth is being suppressed? This King of the Earth must be close to forty thousand years old!"
Oscar stared at the battlefield in awe.
"The King of the Earth is indeed close to forty thousand years—likely around thirty-eight or thirty-nine thousand. Moreover, this King of the Earth seems to have undergone some mutation, as its flame temperature is extremely high!
The leader of the Pink Empresses was probably around thirty-five thousand years old, yet it was reduced to this state. That red creature over there looks like a bear, about nine thousand years old. But I don't recall any pure strength-type red bears like this.
Generally, red bears possess fire attributes, but this one has numerous burn marks on its body, suggesting it doesn't have fire attributes.
This seems to be beyond my knowledge. What's going on? Could it be a new type of soul beast?"
Li Luochen was momentarily stumped, unable to identify this new bear-like soul beast.
*Roar—*
The King of the Earth was now on the verge of collapse, but upon seeing the corpse of the Pink Empress, it ignited itself with flames, burning its own soul power to forcibly elevate itself to the forty-thousand-year level.
Both the King of the Earth and the Pink Empress were scorpion-type soul beasts, existing in a symbiotic relationship. The King of the Earth's immense combat power protected the Pink Empress colony, while the Pink Empress's red mist helped the King of the Earth grow stronger.
In the world of soul beasts, relationships were simple: if you're useful to me and can protect me, I'll bear your children. No complications, no hidden agendas.
This King of the Earth was now staking everything to avenge its mate. That detestable red bear—it would kill it, even if it cost its own life. What did it matter?
The King of the Earth's attacks grew fiercer, and the balance began to shift. Now it was the red bear's turn to be suppressed. Its burn wounds worsened, and realizing the danger, its eyes turned crimson, and its red glow surged once more.
Its body expanded further, growing to over ten meters in height. The red bear launched a counterattack, activating a special ability to drastically boost its strength—it was using its trump card. If it didn't act now, it might be exchanged for this King of the Earth before its very eyes.
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