In the present era, three great regions were recognized as the primary habitats of Spirit Beasts across the Douluo Continent: the Sunset Forest within the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Dou Forest located at the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Star Luo Forest deep within the Star Luo Empire itself.
In terms of overall strength and quality, the Star Luo Forest ranked the lowest, the Sunset Forest stood somewhere in the middle, and the Star Dou Forest far surpassed both combined. However, because Spirit Masters were unable to explore its deepest regions, the three were generally regarded as being on roughly the same level.
Even so, the Sunset Forest was by no means lacking. The number and variety of Spirit Beasts within it remained vast.
At this point in time, it had yet to become the desolate wasteland it would one day turn into—after being eradicated by Tang San using the Jade Phosphorous Exotic Flower to conceal the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. For now, it was still a thriving, vibrant land teeming with life.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay deep within the forest, but Dugu Bo led Chen Ming outward instead, venturing toward more suitable terrain.
Relying on Dugu Bo's memory, the two soon arrived at a massive rift valley. It appeared to have been formed by some ancient geological upheaval—deep cracks tore through the earth, splitting it into several enormous chasms. The largest stretched over ten kilometers in length, while even the shortest spanned two to three kilometers.
As for depth, most of the fissures reached two to three hundred meters, with the deepest plunging to over five hundred.
Exposed mineral veins glinted faintly in the open air, and in some places, hot vapor tinged with the scent of sulfur drifted upward from below. Around these vast cracks, large numbers of earth-attribute and neutral Spirit Beasts had made their homes.
Dragon-type Spirit Beasts, by nature, preferred the best environments available to their kind. Searching in such optimal locations significantly increased the chances of finding them—especially earth-attribute dragons, which were particularly drawn to areas rich in minerals and sulfur.
Without hesitation, Dugu Bo led Chen Ming deeper into the rift. Following a methodical search pattern, it took less than half an hour before they discovered their target.
Or rather… something close to it.
The creature they found was undeniably powerful—far too powerful, in fact. Its cultivation had already surpassed fifteen thousand years, approaching twenty thousand.
It resembled a dragon in overall shape, but its wings were shriveled and underdeveloped, its neck noticeably shorter, and its head… looked more like that of a rat than a dragon. The appearance was almost comical, yet the ferocity it radiated was anything but weak. The oppressive aura of draconic bloodline power was unmistakable, marking it as a formidable existence even among top-tier Spirit Beasts.
The moment it noticed Chen Ming and Dugu Bo, the strange earth dragon let out a deafening roar. Then, activating its innate ability, it transformed the rock beneath its feet into soft earth and burrowed into the ground, moving through it like a fish through water as it prepared to launch a surprise attack.
But no matter how one judged him, Dugu Bo was still a Titled Douluo.
With only a brief moment of focus, he locked onto the creature's position underground.
Grabbing Chen Ming, he sidestepped the incoming strike with ease. Then, summoning his Martial Soul, he casually released a thin veil of poison.
The effect was immediate.
The massive, fearsome sub-dragon convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground, foam bubbling from its mouth as it lost all ability to resist.
"This is a Rat-Headed Earth Dragon," Dugu Bo explained calmly. "A mutated sub-dragon formed when a rodent-type Spirit Beast is tainted by dragon blood. It has no reproductive ability. It's said that the stronger ones possess physical capabilities comparable to true dragons—but they can never shed that rat-like head to become one."
He glanced at the fallen creature, then added, "It could serve as a Spirit Ring for you later, but for now, let's leave it here. I've controlled the potency of my poison—given its vitality, it'll only suffer for a while."
After a brief pause, he looked deeper into the rift, his expression steady.
"If a sub-dragon like this exists here, then it's likely the other fissures also harbor dragon-blooded creatures. There's no need to rush—we'll find what you're looking for."
"Senior Dugu, could you take me down along these fissures for a closer look? I have a feeling I'll be able to find a Spirit Beast that suits me," Chen Ming said, glancing around as he crouched to touch the ground. After summoning his Martial Soul, he gave a light sniff, his eyes sharpening as if something had just clicked into place.
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Dugu Bo asked.
"Senior, can you smell it? There's a faint trace of sulfur in the air, and if you listen closely, you can hear water flowing underground. That suggests there's a hot spring nearby beneath the surface. Environments like that can support fish and certain plants, which in turn satisfy the basic conditions for sustaining life."
He gestured toward the surrounding terrain as he continued, his thoughts flowing smoothly.
"On the way here, I also noticed several exposed veins of high-quality ore. That means this place is actually an undeveloped mineral deposit, only revealed because of geological shifts. The ambient energy here might not compare to a true treasure land, but it's still quite rich—definitely above average within the Sunset Forest."
"and Since the Rat-Headed Earth Dragon is a creature transformed by dragon blood, it means there are traces of dragon blood contamination here—or at least, high-quality sub-dragon species will be attracted to this environment."
"We can follow the clues—water flow, mineral distribution, plant growth, even footprints—and track them down."
"…We'll do it your way," Dugu Bo replied after a brief pause, scanning the surroundings again. He couldn't quite comprehend how Chen Ming had pieced together so much useful information from such subtle details, but he still nodded in approval.
In truth, Dugu Bo himself had once possessed keen observational skills in his youth. Back then, he could read terrain and trace clues with ease—otherwise, he never would have stumbled upon such achievements, nor discovered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well hidden deep within the forest.
But after becoming a Titled Douluo, he had grown accustomed to relying on sheer strength, charging through obstacles with overwhelming power. Coupled with age, his once-sharp instincts had dulled—not gone entirely, but certainly diminished.
...
Over the next few days, Chen Ming followed Dugu Bo through the depths of the rift, carefully tracing signs of life through vegetation, water sources, and terrain patterns.
Just as Chen Ming had predicted, this place was far from empty.
Hidden within the fissures were numerous earth-attribute sub-dragon Spirit Beasts. Considering how rare such creatures usually were, this area could almost be called a small sub-dragon gathering ground.
Among those Chen Ming discovered were several hundred-year-level creatures: intermediate Earth-Walking Dragon, as well as advanced species like Spiked Earth Dragons and Long-Tusked Earth Dragons.
There was even a thousand-year-level sub-dragon—but its bloodline was too impure, and its age exceeded four thousand years. By every measure, it was completely unsuitable for Chen Ming.
After several days of searching, Chen Ming finally discovered a concealed tunnel tucked away in a remote corner. Following the faint traces within, he entered a natural cavern rich with mineral deposits.
Warm spring water trickled quietly along one side of the cave. Sparse clusters of blue silver grass grew in the corners, while rock vines crept across the walls.
At the center, a mound of high-quality ore had piled into a small hill—and atop it lay a massive, imposing creature.
A Heavy Armored Earth Dragon.
It sprawled across its mineral bed, fast asleep, its fierce, rugged form rising and falling with each deep breath. Thick, viscous drool dripped lazily from the corner of its mouth.
Completely unaware of the two uninvited guests who had entered its domain.
The moment Chen Ming laid eyes on it, his gaze lit up.
Back at the academy, he had deliberately studied the relationship between his Martial Soul and compatible Spirit Beasts. Because of that, he was quite familiar with the heavy-armored earth dragon.
Carefully observing the creature, he quickly began piecing together its details from subtle features.
"There are two main ways to estimate a Heavy Armored Earth Dragon's age," he murmured. "One is by the accumulation of armor on its back, though that can be heavily influenced by the surrounding mineral environment. Judging from the luster and structure of this one's armor, it's developed quite well."
"The second method is by the patterns along its jaw. As its body grows and its scales thicken, layered markings form there—almost like the growth rings of a tree."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the creature more closely.
"It's said that particularly powerful individuals, especially those that feed on special minerals over long periods, develop jaws as hard as hammers. Some can even slam their chins into the ground to unleash vibration-type soul skills."
After a moment, he turned to Dugu Bo, certainty already settling into his tone.
"Senior Dugu, I'd estimate this Heavy Armored Earth Dragon is just over a thousand years old. Could you help flip it over so I can take a closer look?"
...
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