Douluo: Divine Dragon Pattern Staff

Thank you to our new Patrons: Hunter Hartjen, Little Demon, Ted R, Divinenature, crimson reaper, Dragonwolf, Nathan Baxter, cshami, Joshua Desouza, Mohanad Tamimi, ar4ngel, Savagesmiley, w1212m, Raingori and DTShadow! You are what makes this possible! We are up to Chapter 60: Spirit Hunting 2.0 (Part Three) on Patreon!

There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A soul ring under 2,500 years—his second soul ring had already reached this level. On the continent, the general third soul ring was typically under 1,760 years.

The fact that Li Luochen's second soul ring would surpass others' third soul rings was terrifying to even think about. Based on his calculations, his third soul ring might reach a level of seven or eight thousand years.

As long as his mental strength was sufficient, a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring wasn't out of the question. Moreover, Li Luochen felt that his mental strength was indeed quite strong, at least one level higher than other soul masters at the same cultivation stage.

Perhaps this was part of what made him special.

Since Li Luochen's requirement for this soul ring was under 2,500 years, there were no suitable soul beasts in the cultivated soul beast forests of the various principalities. Even if there were soul beasts within the required age range, they wouldn't be dragon-type.

A fire-attribute dragon-type soul beast under 2,500 years was an extremely rare and demanding condition, but Flender wasn't worried. He believed that the stricter the requirements for Li Luochen's soul rings, the stronger he would become in the future.

Once absorbed, a soul ring became a lifelong part of a soul master. Li Luochen didn't have the ability to replace soul rings like Tang San did, so he demanded high quality for every single soul ring.

At this point, the strictness of Li Luochen's soul ring requirements had even surpassed that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family. He wanted to refine his Dragon Pattern Staff into a multi-attribute divine weapon.

After all, dragons weren't lacking in strength. By adding multiple attributes while maintaining their inherent power, perhaps the Dragon Pattern Staff could evolve into an entirely new super martial soul.

Li Luochen had already predetermined the seven attributes he needed to gather by the time he became a Title Douluo. As for reaching the ultimate number of nine, that might only be possible after ascending to godhood.

For now, Li Luochen had chosen a fire-attribute dragon-type soul beast for his second soul ring. His first soul ring was wind-attribute, which didn't conflict with fire, so he could absorb it without worry. However, the further he progressed in his cultivation, the more dangerous it would become.

After all, combining opposing attributes could cause a violent reaction unless Li Luochen had the strength to control it or the Dragon Pattern Staff evolved into a top-tier Tool Martial Soul capable of withstanding such instability.

Though this path was fraught with danger, the rewards would undoubtedly be immense. Attacks that combined elements were extraordinarily powerful—after all, fusion of elements went beyond the capabilities of ordinary soul masters.

This time, Li Luochen prepared to head to the Great Star Dou Forest.

One of the three most famous soul beast habitats on the Douluo Continent. Its vast area was almost equivalent to the landmass of the Barak Kingdom, spanning the borders of the Tian Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Two-fifths of its area lay within the Tian Dou Empire, while the remaining three-fifths belonged to the Star Luo Empire. It was a massive primeval forest with complex terrain, including wetlands, swamps, and more.

The soul beasts there were also extremely formidable. The closer one ventured to the center of the forest, the stronger the soul beasts became. There were even ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts within. Any soul master, provided they had enough strength and luck, could find the most suitable soul ring for themselves here.

Why had they chosen to hunt for soul rings in the Great Star Forest this time?

Because during the previous trip when Flender and the others had obtained Li Yusong's sixth soul ring, Flender had spotted a Fiery Flame Dragon with over two thousand years of cultivation.

The Fiery Flame Dragon was a dragon-type soul beast with true dragon bloodline, an exceedingly rare fire-attribute dragon-type soul beast. Flender had noted its location.

It had only been less than half a year since then, so it was unlikely to have been hunted yet. This Fiery Flame Dragon was exceptionally suitable for Li Luochen's second soul ring. Of course, if it had already been hunted by another soul master, they could settle for alternatives like the Crimson Scale Earth Dragon or the Scarlet Flame Dragon Lizard, both sub-dragon fire-attribute soul beasts.

The Great Star Forest was located directly south of the Tian Dou Empire, spanning the territories of the two empires. Due to the abundance of soul beasts here, this region had the least defined border between the two nations. From the map, most of the Great Star Forest fell within the Star Luo Empire's territory, though the Tian Dou Empire had never officially acknowledged this.

As one of the three major wild soul beast habitats, this place was naturally the most coveted destination for soul masters. Each visit here signified that they were about to advance to the next level.

No one knew exactly how long the Great Star Forest had existed on the Douluo Continent, but once inside, the dense, towering trees that blocked out the sky were enough to tell people of its ancient origins.

The towering trees, at least twenty meters tall, were only found at the outermost edges of the forest. The dense forest had no clear paths; shadows of trees overlapped, obscuring the true scene within.

As they approached the forest, the air became more refreshing, as if the temperature had dropped slightly. The cool sensation, mingled with the aroma of damp earth, continuously stimulated Li Luochen's sense of smell.

"The environment of the Great Star Forest is truly excellent. No wonder it can nurture so many powerful soul beasts."

Li Luochen sighed in admiration. The current state of the Great Star Dou Forest was due to the Silver Dragon King, who was sleeping here. Before entering her slumber, she had released her life energy, giving birth to the Great Star Dou Forest.

This was also one of the reasons why the Silver Dragon King was considered the sovereign of all soul beasts. The soul beasts of the Great Star Dou Forest had all benefited from her grace.

"Of course. As the most fertile soul beast forest on the Douluo Continent, the Great Star Dou Forest has a long history. No one knows how long it has existed, but we do know that high-level soul masters need to come here to advance."

Flender adjusted his glasses and spoke indifferently.

In truth, no one in this world understood the terrifying depth of the Great Star Forest better than Li Luochen.

There were seven great ferocious beasts and at least several ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts. The current soul master world only knew of the Titan Ape and the Azure Sky Python as the rulers of the Great Star Forest.

Little did they know, these two were merely the gatekeepers. Though they possessed decent talent from a soul beast perspective and had the potential to become ferocious beasts, the true rulers of the Great Star Forest were still the ferocious beasts. They were simply lying low in this era, likely because of that unfortunate Ice Silkworm.

But it had nothing to do with him. He wasn't Huo Gua. This time, he was here only to obtain a soul ring.

{T/N: Referring to Huo Yuhao, the protagonist of Douluo 2.}

Flender led Li Luochen to the inner side of the Great Star Forest, where hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts gathered.

The Fiery Flame Dragon resided in a pile of boulders, reigning supreme over the area. No other soul beasts dared to challenge it.

After walking for an hour, Flender and Li Luochen arrived.

How should one describe the pile of boulders before them? More accurately, it resembled a massive artificial rock formation.

A fiery red dragon was curled up, sleeping soundly.

A Fiery Flame Dragon became a thousand-year soul beast once it exceeded ten meters in length, and for every additional meter, it gained another thousand years of cultivation. Although the Fiery Flame Dragon was coiled up asleep, a soul master's trained eye could estimate its size.

This Fiery Flame Dragon was just over twelve meters long, approximately 2,250 years old. Its age was perfect. Though Li Luochen's current absorption limit was 2,500 years, he was well aware of how domineering dragon-type soul beasts could be.

A high-quality soul beast like this, still some distance from the 2,500-year mark, was ideal. Perfect!

------------------------------------------------------

Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow