After returning to his room, Tianlin waited until Ning Rongrong entered deep meditation. Once everyone else was either meditating or asleep, he quietly slipped out of the hotel and into a small grove nearby.
"Grandpa Ying, you're here, aren't you?" Tianlin called into the shadows.
A figure suddenly appeared perched atop a treetop. "I'm here, Xiao Tian. You were too reckless today. How could you reveal your soul rings so easily?" the figure, Ying Yang, admonished.
"Do you realize how recognizable your soul ring colors are? If the Spirit Hall finds out you've left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they'll never pass up the chance to assassinate you," Ying Yang scolded.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Ying. After this trip to the Star Dou Forest, I'll quickly return to the sect or the academy. The Spirit Hall won't have the opportunity to send a Titled Douluo after me. If it's just Soul Sages or Soul Douluos, isn't that why you're here?" Tianlin said with a smile.
"As long as you know what you're doing. So, why did you call me out here?" Ying Yang asked with a nod.
"I'd like you to do me a favor. Tomorrow, we'll reach the Star Dou Forest. Could you go ahead and..." Tianlin explained his plan to Ying Yang, who nodded in agreement. What Tianlin was asking for wasn't difficult, and with his strength as a Titled Douluo, it wouldn't take long to accomplish.
As Ying Yang was about to leave, Tianlin suddenly called out, "Wait, Grandpa Ying. Have you seen Tang Hao recently?"
"You! How do you know Tang Hao was here before?" Ying Yang asked, astonished.
"Seems like you've met him," Tianlin said without answering directly. Judging by Ying Yang's expression, he had guessed correctly. "With your abilities, you must have figured out the true identity of that little rabbit. Did Tang Hao promise you something in exchange for keeping her identity a secret?"
Hearing this, Ying Yang was even more surprised. From Tianlin's tone, it seemed he had also seen through the identity of the 100,000-year soul beast. Ying Yang wanted to confirm but hesitated, bound by an oath he had sworn.
Seeing Ying Yang's conflicted expression, Tianlin realized something was off. "So, it wasn't that he promised you something in exchange for your silence. He forced you to swear an oath using brute force, didn't he?"
Ying Yang nodded in resignation, marveling at Tianlin's intelligence. Since Tianlin had deduced everything on his own, he hadn't technically broken his oath.
"Well, well. Tang Hao, you've gone too far this time. You're treating the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect like it's nothing." Tianlin's gaze turned icy. He then asked, "Grandpa Ying, if I recall correctly, you don't have any soul bones, right?"
"No, I don't. Soul bones are incredibly rare. Although the sect master offered me a few, none of them were compatible with me," Ying Yang replied, his tone tinged with melancholy. A Titled Douluo without a single spirit bone—he truly was an anomaly.
Tianlin smiled faintly, his voice tempting. "What about a 100,000-year soul bone? Would you like one?"
"A 100,000-year soul bone?!" Ying Yang exclaimed. "That's not just a matter of liking. A 100,000-year soul bone is something people would fight to the death for, even if it's not compatible with them."
"Good. I know Tang Hao has one. I promise, one day, I'll take it from him and give it to you as his apology!" Tianlin vowed. He hadn't originally cared about Tang Hao's Blue Silver Emperor leg bone, the flight ability is pretty useless in a later stage. But since Tang Hao had wronged Grandpa Ying, he couldn't let it slide without consequences.
...
The next morning, everyone gathered at the hotel entrance. In addition to paying the room fees, Tianlin gave the owner a gold soul coin card to repair the road he had damaged the night before.
"Big Sister, is the boss always like this?" Ma Hongjun asked in surprise.
As a soul master, Ma Hongjun was well aware of their destructive power. After battles, it was common for large areas to be left in ruins, often causing collateral damage to civilians. However, soul masters rarely bothered with compensation, viewing ordinary people as inferior and not worth their attention.
Ning Rongrong nodded. "Brother Sword has always been like this. He often says that while he isn't a saint, he has his principles. He even came up with a few life mottos for himself."
"Life mottos? What kind of mottos?" Tang San asked, intrigued. He thought they might be similar to the precepts of the Tang Sect or his Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, which he regarded as his life mottos.
"They're not particularly special," Ning Rongrong replied with a smile. "One, repay kindness and seek revenge. Two, never bully the weak. Three, own up to your mistakes. Four, never rely solely on others."
"That's it?" Tang San was puzzled. He had expected something profound from someone like Tianlin, but the mottos sounded rather ordinary.
Ning Rongrong explained, "You might think it's simple, but my father said these mottos are excellent. If someone can adhere to them for a lifetime, even an ordinary person without soul power could achieve great success in other fields. Maybe I'm not mature enough yet to fully understand their meaning."
"If even the master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect says so, then perhaps I'm still too inexperienced to grasp the deeper wisdom in such simplicity," Tang San thought to himself. He had yet to experience what it meant to be a leader, and his perspective was still limited.
"All right, let's go!" Tianlin said as he finished paying.
Ma Hongjun approached him. "Boss, your mottos are amazing! If I stick to them, will I become as strong as you one day?"
"Mottos? Haha, did Rongrong tell you about them? Yes, if you stick to them, I guarantee you'll transform yourself one day!" Tianlin replied cheerfully. "But for now, just focus on two simple things: airing out your bedding on sunny days and walking 20,000 steps daily to stay healthy."
Tianlin didn't explain further. Some life lessons had to be realized on one's own.
If Ma Hongjun could comprehend these principles, he might not just become the Phoenix God but ascend to the level of a true first-class deity—perhaps even the God of Fire.
Leaving the small town, the group quickened their pace and eventually reached the Star Dou Forest shortly after sunrise.
It had been years since Tianlin last visited this vast forest.
As the largest gathering place for wild soul beasts, the Star Dou Forest was a destination soul masters longed to visit. Coming here symbolized the opportunity to advance to greater heights.
No one knew how long this ancient forest had existed. Its dense, towering trees seemed to whisper tales of its timelessness.
"Everyone, stop!" Zhao Wuji suddenly turned around, his expression serious. "Listen carefully. The Star Dou Forest isn't like the soul beast reserves managed by the kingdoms. The soul beasts here are extremely dangerous. At any moment, you could face attacks from beasts over a thousand or even ten thousand years old. Once we enter the forest, no one is allowed to stray more than twenty meters from me. Ning Rongrong, Oscar, you two must stay close to me. Without my orders, no one is to attack a soul beast recklessly. Understood?"
"Yes, Teacher Zhao!" the group responded.
Zhao Wuji then turned to Tianlin. "Sword Prince, although you're not my student, since you're with us, I'm responsible for your safety as well. Please stay close to me, all right?"
In truth, Zhao Wuji was terrified of Ying Yang. If anything happened to Tianlin here, the four Titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would tear him apart.
"Teacher Zhao, you don't need to worry about me. I'm confident I can protect myself. After all, our target is just a thousand-year soul beast. I don't think we'll encounter anything over ten thousand years on the outskirts," Tianlin said confidently.
Zhao Wuji shook his head. "That might have been true in the past, but twelve years ago, there was a beast riot in the forest. Although it ended quickly, ever since that day, the soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest have inexplicably grown stronger. No one can afford to let their guard down."
"Twelve years ago? Wasn't that the day of the meteor across the sky? I remember Sword Grandpa mentioning it," Ning Rongrong recalled. "He said that on that day, several terrifying presences appeared in the Star Dou Forest. Even from a thousand miles away, they could be felt at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Sword Grandpa was extremely wary of them."
"Later, the Spirit Hall and the seven major sects sent experts to investigate, but those presences seemed to vanish without a trace, and the search yielded nothing," she added.