After obtaining his spirit skill, Jiang Bai quickly bonded with the Rui Beast.
[ TL/N: The Royal Beast is also known as the Rui Beast. Hence, the term will be used interchangeably. ]
At this moment, he was riding on the back of the Rui Beast like a knight, moving smoothly through the forest.
"Charge!"
The Rui Beast's four paws were constantly climbing and leaping, and the surrounding spirit beasts scattered at the sight, not daring to challenge it.
Anyone who dared to block the Rui Beast would essentially be serving themselves as a meal.
To make the Rui Beast willingly accept him, Jiang Bai showcased his culinary skills.
He had found its weakness — its appetite.
Most of the fierce beasts here ate their food raw, and even the Rui Beast would gobble its meals down directly, which was a sight Jiang Bai couldn't bear.
But after he grilled some meat, the Rui Beast instantly lost its appetite for raw food.
Thanks to the grilled meat, its grievances against Jiang Bai were wiped clean!
Now, riding on the Rui Beast's back was no problem at all.
"Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai! What's for dinner?"
Looking at the blazing sun high above, Jiang Bai said helplessly, "We just had lunch, and you're already thinking about dinner?"
"Then… an afternoon snack?"
The Rui Beast's voice was clear and pleasant, and although it was running, its eyes would glance around every now and then.
"Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai, I want grilled wings!"
As soon as the Rui Beast said this, every creature with wings within a few thousand miles immediately took off in a frenzy, desperately flying towards the outer edges of Star Dou Forest.
Anyone unaware might have thought a beast tide had broken out!
Behind them, the Myriad Demon King and Scarlet King leisurely strolled through the forest, following the two young ones.
[ TL/N: The Ten Thousand Beast King is also as the Myriad Demon King in the fandom. The Scarlet King is one of the ten fierce beasts of the Star Dou Forest. ]
One was there to watch over Jiang Bai, and the other to look after the Rui Beast.
However, within Star Dou Forest, no beast would dare harm these two. It was only to prevent any humans without sense from approaching.
After running for a while, the Rui Beast hadn't spotted a single winged spirit beast, leaving its little face looking disappointed.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops and fell on a small creek in the forest.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soft, whispering sound as the two young ones arrived by the creek.
In the water, a duck was lazily swimming around, occasionally tilting its head and glancing around with a silly expression.
Seeing this, the Rui Beast's eyes immediately lit up.
"Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai! That one — grilled wings! I want to eat it!"
The yellow duck was paddling along, tilting its head from side to side, quacking, and looking incredibly foolish.
Jiang Bai: …
"Eating anything and everything could be bad for you," Jiang Bai couldn't help but say. "This duck seems so dumb. Won't eating it make you dumb too?"
"No problem, as long as I don't eat the brain!"
With that, the Rui Beast put Jiang Bai down, crouched on the riverbank, and, with a powerful kick from its hind legs, leaped straight at the duck.
In just a moment, the Rui Beast swam back, shaking off the water droplets from its body, clutching the duck by its neck in its mouth.
It tossed the lifeless duck onto the ground in front of Jiang Bai, then firmly pressed its paws down on either side, causing blood to flow instantly.
The scene was pure carnage-just blood and gore.
"Grilled wings, Jiang Bai! Grilled wings!"
Seeing this, Jiang Bai felt a headache coming on, utterly exasperated.
This was exactly why he didn't like keeping dogs — they were energetic, always bouncing around, and wanted to taste everything.
Wasn't the Rui Beast exactly the same?
At that moment, the Rui Beast looked up at him with its golden eyes, filled with anticipation, wagging its tail pitifully.
Hungry! Hungry! Food! Food!
"Jiang Bai, please make it for me!" it pleaded. "I swear, I'll listen to you! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I won't even think about going west!"
It then spat a golden flame in front of Jiang Bai, the fire lingering and unwavering.
Well, it seemed he had no choice but to roast it.
...
And just like that five whole years passed! Yeah.... Just like that.
Unknowingly, Jiang Bai had explored every inch of Star Dou Forest, inside and out.
He could navigate the Star Dou Forest with his eyes closed; he knew every path and where everything was located.
During this time, he had considered returning to the Soul Village to check on the village chief.
Unfortunately, Di Tian never allowed him to leave the Star Dou Forest.
Even when he encountered other humans in the forest, he could only learn about the village chief through letters, which confirmed that the chief was still in good health.
After all, the Star Dou Forest was abundant with all sorts of treasures.
Simply taking out some medicinal herbs infused with life energy to feed to the ordinary village chief would be enough to prolong his life.
At this moment, eleven-year-old Jiang Bai stood at a height of 1.5 meters. His youthful, angular face was a mix of innocence and handsome features.
Dressed in white, he appeared ethereal against the backdrop of the Star Dou Forest.
Beside him, the small Rui Beast, resembling a little lion, was pawing at the ground, its expression slightly displeased.
At this point, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to ride the Rui Beast.
"You humans change so quickly!" the Rui Beast exclaimed, reflecting on the past when it could still be ridden by him.
It longed for those days when he would ride on its back.
Time truly passed in the blink of an eye!
[ TL/N: Yeah, it do be like that. ]
At this moment, within the ancient trees, a shadow lingered, as if something was feeding.
Now, eleven-year-old Jiang Bai had already reached the thirtieth level.
He was currently out to hunt for his third soul skill, which had a limit of one thousand seven hundred years.
As for the Blue Silver Emperor, he still hadn't accepted the offering from the other party.
Three years ago, the Blue Silver Emperor successfully survived the two hundred thousand year tribulation.
Now, it resided in his pocket, tasked with closely protecting him—something even the Rui Beast did not enjoy.
It could only be said that plant-type soul beasts were excellent at hiding themselves; they lacked the fierce aura typical of soul beasts.
A being that concealed its presence was nearly impossible for even the strongest humans or soul masters skilled in mental energy to detect.
"First soul skill! Independent atop the mountain!"
Jiang Bai shrank down to one-fifth of his size, entering a special state while standing on the Shadow Vine Beast.
This was a symbiotic soul beast, formed by a special vine soul beast parasitizing a phantom beast, resulting in a state of symbiosis.
Over time, the two would eventually completely merge into a single soul beast.
It excelled at stealth and operating in darkness, using vines to ensnare enemies unexpectedly.
This was the soul skill that Di Tian recommended for him, which was why he had tracked it down.
However, his little follower insisted on tagging along.
He could only repeatedly remind it not to intervene; he would obtain his soul ring himself.
It was just the right time to test his current strength.
At this moment, the Shadow Vine Beast was enveloped in shadows when suddenly, a surge of green light rose above it.
Looking up, it was startled to see an unknown object hovering above its head.
"Second soul skill! Wind Blowing Wood Flute!"
A yellow soul ring rose from under Jiang Bai's feet.
The Nine-Colored Deer appeared on his back, complete with its own special animation.
In an instant, a green halo rose from his back, releasing numerous small yet dense green orbs that shot toward the Shadow Vine Beast like bullets.
This was the soul skill he had obtained from defeating the Emerald Swan.
These energy spheres could be used not only for attack but also for healing.
However, the damage was somewhat lacking.
When the orbs struck the Shadow Vine Beast, they caused no noticeable harm.
Frightened, it dove into the shadows and bolted away in an instant!
Jiang Bai couldn't keep up with its speed, floating like a ghost as he pursued it.