After the competition, Jun Tianlin returned to his usual routine—spending his days practicing swordsmanship, physical training, and studying spells, while cultivating soul power at night. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
During these six months, nothing major had occurred. Everything remained peaceful.
The Emperor Team had returned to the academy to complete their graduation procedures together. Although Meng Shenji was deeply reluctant to part with these ten prodigiously talented youths, as a teacher, he couldn't restrain their growth. With Jun Tianlin already close to level 60, let alone being a student—he was qualified to serve as a Heaven Dou-level instructor.
The vast world beyond awaited these geniuses.
In the meantime, Jun Tianlin had attended several weddings: Qin Ming and Teacher Zhou Yan, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, the Shi brothers and their wives, as well as Huanyin and Yufeng.
As for Jun Tianlin himself, he was still young—it wasn't yet time for marriage. However, Ning Fengzhi had honored his promise and held an engagement ceremony for him and Ning Rongrong. Meanwhile, Gu Ran continued to pursue Ye Lingling—though not yet victorious, his efforts were steadily paying off.
Jun Tianlin often sighed at how swiftly time passed. Unknowingly, everyone in the Emperor Team had found their path and their place.
Yet, there lingered a faint sense that he'd forgotten something. But he was too lazy to dwell on it. After all, their Emperor Team was filled with geniuses—surely none of them would end up single, right?
At this point, Jun Tianlin had officially surpassed level 60. But he wasn't in a rush to hunt for a spirit ring. Instead, he had been focused on something else entirely.
Today, that effort bore fruit.
Inside his room, a talisman gleaming with golden light and radiating boundless sword energy floated quietly in the air. This was the Shushan single-target attack talisman: the Devil's Flame Flash Sky Slash.
Its power was tied to the maker's cultivation, capable of unleashing several times the creator's ultimate attack. With Jun Tianlin's current strength, this talisman could easily slay ordinary Title Douluo.
"Devil's Flame Flash Sky Slash—finally complete!" Jun Tianlin's excitement surged. With this talisman, coupled with the plan he'd been preparing for years, he was fully confident he could hunt a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring alone.
His target? Naturally—the Behemoth. But that creature resided deep within the Star Dou Great Forest. Jun Tianlin couldn't bring Chen Xin along. With Chen Xin's cultivation and sword energy, their presence would undoubtedly attract the attention of formidable beasts.
He had to face this alone.
With the Devil's Flame Flash Sky Slash complete, the time had finally come to hunt the Behemoth.
Jun Tianlin said nothing to Ning Fengzhi or Chen Xin. He didn't reveal the truth, knowing they'd never allow him to undertake such a perilous mission solo.
But as the soul hunt approached, his determination grew stronger. He had to keep becoming stronger—only then could he protect his loved ones in the future.
That night, Jun Tianlin quietly opened his door, used instant teleportation, and slipped away from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan without disturbing anyone. With him, he carried the newly crafted Devil's Flame Flash Sky Slash and two space transfer Talismans.
Unbeknownst to him, his every move had already been detected by Chen Xin and Gu Rong. After all, Chen Xin had reached level 98, and Gu Rong was a Title Douluo adept in spatial techniques. Teleportation wasn't enough to hide from them.
"Old Sword" Gu Ron muttered, "Xiaotian's going to hunt his sixth ring, isn't he? He's being so cautious, deliberately avoiding us. His target must be no small fry. Are you really sure he can do this alone?"
Chen Xin closed his eyes serenely. "It's fine. I know my disciple. He wouldn't risk his life unless he was absolutely confident. I've taught him everything I could. The path he chooses—he decides."
He added softly, "And if he's ever truly in danger, he'll call for me."
In his hand, Chen Xin held a space transfer Talisman.He had already resolved: until Jun Tianlin returned, he wouldn't eat, drink, sleep, or cultivate—he'd simply keep watch, ready at any moment.
Gu Rong rolled his eyes. "This old sword is such a stubborn fool!"
After leaving the sect, Jun Tianlin didn't immediately head for the Star Dou Great Forest. Instead, he traveled to Fierce Wind Valley in the Sunset Forest—the place where he'd obtained his third and fifth spirit rings. He had preparations to make.
The Behemoth's lair wasn't just guarded by the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear—it was also dangerously close to the Lake of Life. Even if Jun Tianlin had a way to defeat it, hunting it there was impossible. Attempting to absorb the ring in that perilous zone would be suicide.
Therefore, the true battleground would not be the Star Dou Great Forest—but Fierce Wind Valley.
"Perfect. All set." Jun Tianlin inscribed coordinates onto the cliffside and whispered via soul transmission, "Brother Tianmeng, now, let's avenge your grudge. Before facing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear—let's take its brother as interest."
"Hahaha! Brother's been waiting forever! Go, Xiaotian! With us together—no enemy can stand in our way!" Tianmeng was eager. It had long awaited this moment.
A few days later, Jun Tianlin and Tianmeng once again stepped into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
With Tian meng's ability to mask their presence, they easily located the familiar cave. But the Behemoth and Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear were absent. According to Tianmeng, they usually resided at the center of the Lake of Life to cultivate, returning every few days to feed.
The purpose of their return? To eat. Both creatures bore the Golden Behemoth's bloodline—ferocious carnivores with a peculiar craving for gold, explaining why they occupied this golden cave as their domain.
In other words, Jun Tianlin had to wait.
Rather than stay inside the cave, he hid atop a towering tree nearby, suppressing his aura. He remained motionless through wind and rain, subsisting on medicinal pills and dew.
After all, this was deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, where countless ten-thousand-year soul beasts lurked. A single slip could spell doom.
He waited for half a month. Finally, in the dead of night on the sixteenth day, he felt the earth tremble beneath him—two colossal beasts lumbering closer, step by thunderous step, toward the cave.
"They're here at last. Greedy things—you stayed at the Lake of Life more than half a month just to train before coming back to feast." Jun Tianlin smiled faintly.
Then he leapt down from the tree, sprinting five kilometers away.
With his ascended level and his Wind Wolf Right Leg Bone evolved into a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, his teleportation range had expanded a hundredfold.
His first move? To lure the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear away—then teleport back. As long as it remained beside the Behemoth, he'd have no chance to strike.