Douluo Dalu: From Shinobi to Spirit Master

It must be said that this sudden five-level increase brought some unexpected complications for Su Chen.

If other soul masters heard about this, they would likely envy him to death.

But for Su Chen, not only had his plans been interrupted, but his research on soul bones had also been halted. He could only resume once he found another ten-thousand-year-old soul bone.

The soul bone he already had could still be absorbed, but Su Chen could feel that its energy and skill power were incredibly weak. Not only could it not improve his soul power or physical capabilities, but he would need to use his own soul power just to activate it. Nine-tenths of its potential had been diminished.

Moreover, Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo had been staring at them as if they were observing some kind of monster.

As they approached the great forest, Su Chen finally couldn't take it anymore. He spoke out, unable to ignore their scrutinizing gazes.

"I didn't want to break through this quickly, okay? Could you stop looking at me like that?"

Ghost Douluo: ...

Ju Douluo: ...

"Do you have any idea how much my research progress has been delayed because of this five-level increase? No, you wouldn't know. All you care about is yourselves."

Ghost Douluo: ...

Ju Douluo: ...

"If it were possible, I would trade this level increase just to get back the time I lost."

The young man sighed in frustration.

This wasn't just a display of arrogance. His soul power could increase easily, but research on natural energy wasn't something that could be rushed.

"No, I can't take this anymore! I'm so pissed!"

Ju Douluo's eyes turned red, and he rolled up his sleeves, preparing to deliver some "education" to this young troublemaker.

"Did you hear that?!"

"What kind of person says such things?!"

"Could you please explain what it means to trade a level increase for lost time?"

Ghost Douluo quickly grabbed his irritated comrade, giving him a serious warning.

"Calm down, Old Chrysanthemum. If you bully him now, he'll probably turn the tables and bully you ten years later. In the future, we might even find ourselves working for him."

Ghost Douluo's words stopped Ju Douluo in his tracks.

This kid was too gifted. Judging by Su Chen's overall talent and His Majesty's current affection for him, if he were to grow up safely, the Holy Son of Spirit Hall would almost certainly be Su Chen.

Ju Douluo became sullen.

What his old friend said made sense. Although he wasn't entirely happy, he couldn't argue with the truth of it.

The young man noticed the resentment in his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"What's the matter? Has Elder Ju finally realized how difficult my situation is?"

Ju Douluo:

"Old Ghost, stop holding me back! I'll deal with this brat today!"

"Calm down, Old Chrysanthemum, calm down!"

"Ahhhhh!"

In the midst of the chaos, the three finally arrived at their destination.

Star Dou Forest!

The ancient trees stretched into the sky, blocking out the sunlight, forming an endless green sea. The deep forest felt like an abyss, and fluorescent lights shimmered in the air.

No matter how many times Su Chen saw this forest, it never failed to leave an impression on him.

"Little Su Chen, do you have any thoughts about your second soul ring?"

Ghost Douluo asked, stopping in front of the forest.

As for Su Chen's soul ring, Bibi Dong had specifically instructed that they not interfere too much and that Su Chen should decide for himself.

Both Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo had no objections, especially since even they were puzzled by Su Chen's martial spirit, "Chakra."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Chen responded.

"Well, if possible, please help me find a water-attributed soul beast, around 4,000 to 6,000 years old."

Su Chen thought for a moment and then gave his answer.

From his research, the use of the Five Basic Nature Transformations required a soul ring with a corresponding attribute, and Su Chen preferred water for his first ring.

Water attribute ninjutsu strikes a balance between offense and defense. Unlike Fire or Lightning techniques, which are more aggressively offensive, or Earth techniques, which are primarily defensive, Water techniques offer versatility. On the offensive side, techniques like the Water Dragon Bullet deliver powerful, large-scale attacks. On the defensive side, techniques like Water Release: Water Clone create water-based clones that can be used for defense or as distractions. This balance allows Water users to adapt to various situations, combining both offensive strength and defensive utility.

What mattered most was that Su Chen wanted to experiment with how he could integrate the characteristics of the soul ring into his Bloodline Limit abilities.

Among these abilities, one of the simplest, and certainly one of the most powerful, was Wood Release, which combined both Water and Earth techniques.

Since Earth techniques were quite limited in their flexibility, Water was the obvious choice for the second soul ring.

Ghost Douluo pinched his chin and nodded. "No problem. Wait, four to six thousand years?" 

He looked at Su Chen in shock.

Did that master just say the limit for the second ring should be nine hundred years?

But if Su Chen's second ring will be between four thousand and six thousand years old—what about his fourth ring? How old will it be?

"Any questions?" Su Chen asked, looking at him doubtfully. "My first ring is three thousand years. Isn't the second ring being between four thousand and six thousand years a reasonable range?"

Ghost Douluo suddenly fell silent.

He realized that common sense didn't apply when it came to the monster in front of him.

According to Su Chen, this year was indeed reasonable! That's why it seemed only fitting that it applied to him!

"Forget it, forget it. This kid knows it well," Ghost Douluo muttered.

This time, it was Ju Douluo who comforted him. "Look, he didn't even ask for a ten-thousand-year soul ring, right?"

Ghost Douluo was grateful for the remark, though his tone was dripping with sarcasm.

"If the second ring would be ten thousand years. Do we, the Titled Douluos, even stand a chance?" he complained.

"Let's just look for it," Yue Guan patted Ghost Douluo's shoulder, his expression becoming serious. "We need to finish quickly and leave. We didn't get any results last time."

He was referring to the incident when the Linwu Silkworm and Millennium Wolf Clan appeared on the outer edges. Later, the Spirit Hall sent people to investigate, but found nothing.

Su Chen remembered that he had felt locked onto by some powerful presence during that time. However, with so many other things to focus on, he had forgotten about it.

It shouldn't matter, right?

With two Titled Douluo by his side, even if the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python emerged, they could either fight or escape, but they'd be fine in the end.

Unless those fierce beasts came together.

But that was unlikely. At this moment, they should be deep in the Great Fierce Land, absorbing the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. There was no way they'd have time to trouble him.

"Alright, let's split up and search, but don't go too far. Little Su Chen, follow me," Ghost Douluo nodded, grabbing Su Chen by the shoulder and flying deeper into the forest. The two spread their mental powers, carefully searching for soul beasts one by one.

_____________

Meanwhile, deep in the Xingdou Great Forest:

The nearly tangible spiritual energy of heaven and earth turned into a blue light that enveloped the area. A clear lake sparkled under the reflection of the colorful sunlight. Countless rare flowers grew here, luxuriantly competing for beauty, slowly stretching their bodies in the breeze.

This was a treasure land beyond words.

Yet, in the Star Dou Forest, where every inch of land was fought over and fighting continued day and night, this treasure land remained peaceful. Birds lived safely, and fish swam freely—a true paradise.

Not far from the lake, a round white silkworm-shaped soul beast cautiously moved its body. Its small golden eyes glanced at the two snoring behemoths in front of it.

Seeing that its movements seemed unnoticed, a cold sweat fell from the silkworm's smooth head. It breathed a sigh of relief and continued moving forward, slowly but steadily.

Finally, after much effort, it climbed to the other side of the lake.

Seeing that the two behemoths were still motionless, the silkworm soul beast couldn't help but grin, ecstatic inside.

Could this be the moment it would escape from this dark hell?

God knows what kind of life it had lived for so many years!

Thinking about the years spent being bullied and taken as a snack, its eyes grew red.

"If I knew how to cry, I would be in tears now!" the silkworm thought, but today, it would finally be free.

When it escaped, it would find a Titled Douluo to sacrifice himself and become a wisdom soul ring, and then—once it gained power—the mountains would be high, and the birds would fly free. The seas would be wide, and no one could stand in its way.

With this thought, the silkworm couldn't help but narrow its eyes and chuckle.

"Why are you laughing so happily, Tianmeng?"

A heavy voice came from behind. Tianmeng answered reflexively, "Of course, It's to kill all of you!"

But the next second, it realized its mistake. Its body stiffened, and its head slowly turned around.

A giant bear and three mastiffs stared at it with teasing eyes. Tianmeng could even feel the saliva dripping from their mouths, landing on the hot ground beside it.