Douluo Continent: Beginning with Signing in with Yan Lingji

By the Lake of Life,

Xiao Wu clung to Zhao Ming's arm as they walked through the Star Dou Forest.

The Lake of Life, aside from the numerous fierce beasts of the Star Dou Forest, was devoid of any other soul beasts. So, the two of them could quietly enjoy the beauty of nature.

"Are you hungry? I can have them prepare something for us."

"I'm not hungry yet." Xiao Wu leaned on Zhao Ming's shoulder, shaking her head.

"Even if you're not hungry, you should eat. My precious Xiao Wu is so slender. If you get weak from hunger, I'd be heartbroken." Zhao Ming chuckled, gently pinching Xiao Wu's flat, trim stomach.

"Hmph, I don't believe you. If I get fat, you won't like me anymore." Xiao Wu pouted, speaking softly.

"No way. Even if you turn into a chubby little bunny, I'll still love you." Zhao Ming laughed.

"I don't want to become a chubby bunny." Xiao Wu puffed her cheeks, pretending to be angry, but her heart felt warm and sweet.

As they walked along the lakeshore, they soon encountered the Titan Giant Ape.

He had come to invite Zhao Ming and Xiao Wu for breakfast.

The Star Dou kitchen was a newly built, elegant little house.

Unlike humans, Di Tian and the other fierce beasts didn't need three meals a day; as soul beasts, they had no such habit.

When they entered, they were greeted by a seductive, enchanting woman.

She had long, purple-black hair, a long dress of the same color, and an alluring, cold aura—truly perfect.

At that moment, Zi Ji was facing away from them, diligently cooking a pot of porridge. Her tight, purple-black dress accentuated her figure perfectly.

Seeing her alluring silhouette, Zhao Ming smiled. The kitchen, indeed, was a wonderful place.

While he might not be able to win over Gu Yuena in the short term, Zi Ji, on the other hand, would be his as long as he set his mind to it.

In his heart, Gu Yuena was a unique girl.

And Zi Ji was, too.

She was a completely different kind of beauty from Bi Ji.

While Bi Ji was gentle and serene, Zi Ji was seductive and bewitching, captivating the soul.

Zi Ji was stunning—he had already experienced her allure last time. But he hadn't seriously pursued her yet. If he put in some effort now, he might win her over quickly.

"Master." Sensing Zhao Ming and Xiao Wu's arrival, Zi Ji immediately turned around, bowing respectfully to Zhao Ming.

"Rise." Zhao Ming smiled, walking over with Xiao Wu.

"What are you cooking? It smells so good." Zhao Ming lifted the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. Breathing it in, he felt his spirit rejuvenate, and his soul power circulation quickened.

"This is brain meat from a fifty-thousand-year-old Sky Spirit Tiger. It's excellent for nourishing the body and greatly aids in cultivation," Zi Ji explained.

Such extravagance. Zhao Ming couldn't help but sigh.

A fifty-thousand-year soul beast could yield a soul bone, and they just killed it? A soul bone from a fifty-thousand-year soul beast wasn't something ordinary.

"Master, is something wrong?" Seeing Zhao Ming's expression fluctuate, Zi Ji asked nervously.

Could it be that the master had dietary taboos?

Or was her cooking not up to par?

This was Zi Ji's first time cooking. She was the Hell Demon Dragon King, and it wasn't often that anyone had the privilege of asking her to cook. Moreover, soul beasts generally didn't have such elaborate meals.

However, Zhao Ming was their master. The responsibility for meals naturally fell to Zi Ji, as she was the only female soul beast among them.

"It's nothing. The smell is quite nice." Zhao Ming replied calmly.

Looking at the fifty-thousand-year-old Sky Spirit Tiger, a thought suddenly excited him.

Soul bones.

For Zi Ji and other soul beasts, soul bones weren't particularly important. But for soul masters, their value was immense.

He could now use his status to have Zi Ji and the others collect soul bones.

Even if they hadn't paid much attention to these things before, now that he had given the order, the number of soul bones they could gather would be significant.

Most importantly, he was interested in high-level soul bones.

Over the past few thousand years, humans had hunted many soul beasts, but high-level ones were rarely killed. Such soul beasts were often slain by even more powerful beasts or perished when failing their tribulations. These high-level soul bones were the most valuable.

Ten-thousand-year soul bones were rare in the human world but were abundant in the Star Dou Forest. In the past thousands of years, humans hadn't killed more than ten hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. Most of those that died did so due to failed tribulations. Although many of those bones might have been consumed by other beasts, there must still be some left untouched.

In the vastness of the Star Dou Forest, there must be some hidden treasures.

For the powerful beasts, they might have kept these soul bones. If he scoured the forest, he was bound to find some.

Although taking the soul bones of one's own kind was akin to desecrating graves in human terms, he certainly wouldn't do it himself.

After all, wasn't Zi Ji right here?

The Hell Demon Dragon clan was notorious for its brutality. Sending her to various soul beast clans to collect soul bones shouldn't be a problem.

"You fierce beasts must have quite a few soul bones around, right?" Zhao Ming asked after a moment's thought.

"Soul bones? Is Master interested in those?" Zi Ji was momentarily surprised and then mentally scolded herself. How foolish—of course, now that the master had taken human form, he would have a need for soul bones.

"Indeed. From now on, don't waste any soul bones from the beasts you hunt. Even if we can't use them, they can be traded with humans to gain more benefits for our soul beast race," Zhao Ming said casually.

"Yes, I will have Di Tian issue the order to collect all the high-level soul bones in Star Dou. However, we haven't paid much attention to these things before. Although soul bones don't have special uses for us soul beasts, they are very nourishing, so I'm afraid we might not be able to gather too many," Zi Ji said respectfully.

"Just pay attention from now on. I'll leave this task to you. If you don't handle it well, there will be punishment." Zhao Ming's smile carried a hint of mischief.

"Yes, I will do my best to complete the task for Master." Hearing Zhao Ming's words, she couldn't help but recall the time he had teased her. Her heart felt a strange sensation.

Punishment? Was Master planning to do that to me?

However, when she thought about Zhao Ming's noble status, she didn't reject the idea.

Master was the soul beast supreme, the leader of the fierce beasts of Star Dou. If she offered herself to him, so what? It would be an honor.

Besides, if she became one of the master's women, even Di Tian and the others would have to treat her with utmost respect.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.