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"That should be the Moonlit Mist Fox's nest," Ke Jie said excitedly, pointing to the slope ahead.
The group lit their torches and entered, led by Dugu Bo.
As they stepped into the cave, the narrow passage gradually widened, revealing an expansive underground world.
Huge stalactites hung from the ceiling in various shapes, resembling a stone forest. Under the flickering torchlight, they shimmered with a silvery glow. The damp air carried the occasional crisp sound of dripping water.
"This place is truly extraordinary."
It was as if Dugu Bo had opened the door to a new world.
Even someone like him, who prided himself on knowing everything about Sunset Forest, was seeing this underground marvel for the first time.
Ke Jie bent down, the torchlight swaying, and faintly spotted footprints on the ground.
"Heh, we guessed right. There are tracks from multiple fox-type soul beasts here."
Based on the size of the footprints, one could roughly estimate the age of the soul beasts. After careful observation, Ke Jie concluded that there were at least four thousand-year-level fox-type soul beasts in the cave.
Whether they were Moonlit Mist Foxes or if any of them were around 4,000 years old remained unknown.
Dugu Bo extended his spiritual perception, sensing the vastness of the underground world. "Even if there are soul beasts inside, this place is so enormous that finding them won't be easy."
With only the dim light from the torches, it was difficult to see even the ground clearly, let alone what lay deeper in the cave.
"However, there might be other treasures here, such as soul bones," Ning Tianchen remarked.
Soul beasts often fought each other for food. Given the immense strength of the 70,000-year-old Moonlit Mist Fox, it likely preyed on ten-thousand-year soul beasts as well.
Though the chance of a ten-thousand-year soul beast dropping soul bones was slim, over time, even the lowest probability could occur.
Soul bones were useless to soul beasts. After devouring their prey's flesh and blood, the soul bones would be discarded like trash.
"By following fluctuations in soul power, the soul bones will have nowhere to hide," Dugu Bo chuckled, striding deeper into the cave.
Even if they didn't find suitable soul rings, obtaining a few soul bones for free wouldn't be bad.
This theory was new to everyone, and they exchanged puzzled glances.
Oscar couldn't help but ask, "Does that mean there could be hundred-thousand-year soul bones in the lair of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast?"
Ke Jie answered for the group, "In theory, yes. But considering the strength of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, even a Title Douluo might not stand a chance. Even if you know where its lair is, you shouldn't attempt it lightly."
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes and muttered, "Don't even think about it. Hundred-thousand-year soul bones are practically legendary. Even after a thousand years of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's existence, no one in the sect has ever obtained one."
Ning Tianchen remained calm and optimistic. "Rongrong, just because we don't have one now doesn't mean we won't in the future. All of us have great talent, and we've absorbed immortal herbs. If we work hard in our cultivation, obtaining a hundred-thousand-year soul ring or soul bone won't remain a dream."
In terms of raw power, if the Sword and Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect attacked together, even the two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts deep in the Star Dou Forest would meet their end.
"The little guy is right. With your talents, you might one day be worthy of absorbing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring," Dugu Bo said with a smile, agreeing.
Ke Jie didn't object to looking toward the future, but he preferred to focus on the present. He cautioned the group, "Focus on the here and now. Future matters aren't something to worry about yet."
In the time that followed, the group followed behind Dugu Bo and soon discovered a thousand-year soul bone.
This soul bone belonged to a soul beast that had just reached seven thousand years of age. Its body lay nearby. Unfortunately, the soul bone was cracked, with less than thirty percent of its integrity remaining.
"Let's sell it at auction. This soul bone should fetch tens of thousands of gold soul coins. You all can split the money," Dugu Bo said regretfully, handing the soul bone to Ning Tianchen, stating he wouldn't participate in the division.
Ke Jie similarly declined to take part in the distribution.
Ning Tianchen examined the soul bone and said, "At a glance, this soul bone is worth no more than forty thousand gold spirit coins. Here's what I'll do: I'll keep the soul bone, and after deducting my share, I'll distribute the rest among you. How does that sound?"
With that, he took out seven gold spirit cards, each worth five thousand gold spirit coins.
The lower the integrity of a soul bone, the weaker the soul skill gained from absorbing it.
Since everyone was talented, there was no need to waste a soul bone slot on such a damaged item.
Thus, the group readily accepted Ning Tianchen's arrangement.
Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly and pushed away the gold spirit card Ning Tianchen offered. "Tianchen knows that Rongrong doesn't lack pocket money."
Five thousand gold spirit coins was just pocket money!
The corners of everyone's mouths twitched slightly—such was the world of the wealthy.
Oscar, who had grown up never even knowing what five thousand gold spirit coins looked like, felt particularly envious.
"Alright. Next time, if there's something good, I'll give it to Rongrong."
"Tianchen is the best."
"Eww~ So cheesy," Yu Die couldn't help but tease.
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By dawn,
After a night of battle, Gu Rong had left the two soul beasts on the brink of death.
If not finished off quickly, these two soul beasts would regain mobility in half a month and fully recover in a year or two.
"They're decent soul beasts. Consider yourselves lucky—I'll let you live a little longer."
Before leaving, Gu Rong covered their bodies with leaves to hide them from other soul beasts.
In his eyes, the soul rings of these two soul beasts would become candidates for Ning Rongrong's eighth and ninth soul rings in the future.
Throughout history, there had been no successful precedent of cultivating the Nine-Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul. Preparing backup soul rings for Ning Rongrong now would give her more options in the future.
After departing, Gu Rong searched the area for some time but found no trace of the group.
However, knowing that Ke Jie and Dugu Bo were with them, he wasn't worried about their safety. After some thought, he decided to gather medicinal herbs nearby to replenish the sect's treasury.
---
Over the next two days, the Seven Treasures team spent their time exploring the cave.
Inside, they discovered six ten-thousand-year soul bones. One was given exclusively to Dugu Yan.
After all, Dugu Bo had contributed the most during the search for soul bones, so it was only fair to allocate one to Dugu Yan.
The remaining five were temporarily kept by Ning Tianchen and would be awarded to the top five performers after the Soul Masters Tournament.
Notably, there were three Moonlit Mist Foxes and one White Fox in the cave.
Among them, two Moonlit Mist Foxes were 4,100 and 3,900 years old, respectively—perfect matches for Yu Die and Cai Die's soul rings.
After finishing their exploration of the cave, the group decided to leave.
On their way back, they happened to encounter the Pink Queen. Oscar finally had his "bitter end turned sweet," obtaining the soul ring he desired.
Thus, after a month and a half, the Seven Treasures team completed their soul ring hunting.
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Soul Beast Town
After exiting the forest, the group came here to rest.
Just as they entered the inn, Ke Jie suddenly stopped. Dugu Bo's gaze instinctively turned toward him.
Suddenly, a powerful surge of soul power erupted from his body, shattering the furniture in the inn's lobby.
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