Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

"Sister Xiaoya, hurry up and absorb the spirit ring! Once you're done, we'll leave immediately." Shi Yu urged urgently, looking at the purple spirit ring floating in the ashes.

"Huh? Why the rush?" Tang Ya asked, puzzled. "Didn't we already take care of the most powerful spirit beast in this forest?"

"Who told you there's only one Zombie Tree?" Shi Yu rolled her eyes. "This one is probably one of the weaker ones in the forest. And even though it's burned to ashes, it will quickly revive after a rain and grow back in no time."

"Wh-what?! There's more than one soul beast like this?" Tang Ya's eyes widened, her face filled with shock. Thinking of the terror of the zombie tree just now, cold sweat broke out on her back.

"Don't just stand there, absorb it quickly!" Shi Yu urged again.

Tang Ya didn't dare to delay and quickly walked to the purple spirit ring, extending her right hand. Dark Blue Silver Grass slowly appeared. Thanks to the nourishment from the delicious food she had eaten these past few days, her physique had undergone a qualitative leap, and the process of absorbing the spirit ring was much smoother than that of ordinary spirit masters.

Even so, the will of the zombie tree contained in the spirit ring was still exceptionally ferocious. For a ten-year-old girl, fighting against the will of such a thousand-year-old spirit beast was still a huge challenge.

She sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and focused all her soul power on guiding her soul rings.

His forehead was soon covered with fine beads of sweat, and his face turned pale, clearly indicating that he was under great mental pressure.

"Xiao Shiyu, should we go and help Tang Ya?" Tianmeng Bingcan felt a pang of pity seeing Tang Ya's pained expression.

"No need." Shi Yu shook his head, his eyes firm. "This is also part of the training."

If she wants to take revenge herself, she can't be a hothouse flower; she must learn to face these difficulties on her own.

"Alright." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had no choice but to give up and stood guard beside Tang Ya, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

"Sister Tianmeng, you stay here and protect Sister Xiaoya. I'm going to the forest to see if there are any soul beasts I want." After saying that, Shi Yu pushed off the ground and sped off into the depths of the forest like an arrow.

His goal for this trip was clear—the aloe vera lizard. The aloe vera that grows on the neck of this spirit beast is not only a top-quality skincare ingredient, but it can also nourish hair, making it a perfect gift for Tang Ya.

Not long after, Shi Yu spotted the target in a damp thicket.

A bright green lizard is basking in the sun on a rock, with a thick ring of green aloe vera around its neck. The leaves are plump and juicy, emitting a faint fragrance.

"Aloe lizard, capture level 10, just what I'm looking for." A smile flashed in Shi Yu's eyes.

Upon hearing footsteps, the aloe vera lizard abruptly turned its head and let out a low roar at Shi Yu. The aloe vera on its neck instantly grew wildly, and several sharp aloe vera leaves stabbed towards Shi Yu like blades.

"Little lizard, may I borrow the aloe vera from your neck?" Shi Yu nimbly dodged the attack, his footwork shifting as he instantly rushed in front of the aloe vera lizard. Before the lizard could react, he gathered his soul power at his fingertips and gently tapped it, striking the aloe vera lizard's pressure point.

The aloe vera lizard froze instantly, as if it had been frozen in place by a spell, lying motionless on the spot.

Shi Yu stepped forward and carefully removed the aloe vera from the aloe vera lizard's neck, nodding in satisfaction: "This aloe vera has excellent moisturizing effects, good for both skin and hair. Sister Xiaoya will definitely like it."

After dealing with the aloe vera, Shi Yu turned and went back. As soon as he returned to the spot, he saw that Tang Ya had finished absorbing the spirit ring and was standing there stretching her arms and legs, her face showing a hint of fatigue, but more so excitement.

"Shi Yu, you're back!" Tang Ya greeted Shi Yu immediately upon seeing him, her gaze falling on the aloe vera in his hand. She asked curiously, "What are you holding? Is it something delicious?"

"Sister Tianmeng, this isn't for eating." Shi Yu smiled and waved the aloe vera in his hand. "This is aloe vera from the aloe vera lizard. It has a particularly good moisturizing effect and is very helpful for skin and hair." He turned to Tang Ya and handed her the aloe vera. "Sister Xiaoya, this is a gift for you."

"For me?" Tang Ya's eyes lit up instantly. She carefully took the aloe vera, feeling the warmth of the leaves, and a happy smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Shi Yu!"

"Shi Yu, I want one too!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm immediately came over, looking at Shi Yu with anticipation.

"Sister Tianmeng, you're a soul beast and you still care about skin?" Shi Yu said, somewhat amused and exasperated.

"What do you mean soul beasts don't care!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said confidently, hands on her hips. "Every female soul beast cares about her appearance and fur, okay!"

"Alright, alright," Shi Yu reluctantly conceded. "Then you two can split it in half."

Tianmeng Bingcan immediately excitedly moved closer to Tang Ya, and the two of them carefully divided the aloe vera in half together.

"By the way, Sister Xiaoya, what soul skill did you acquire?" Shi Yu asked curiously.

"Let me see..." Tang Ya concentrated her mind and activated her soul power. The dark blue silver grass grew rapidly, and several grass leaves with black and red patterns wrapped around her and moved forward.

"It seems somewhat similar to the Blue Silver Entanglement of my ancestors, but it's not quite the same. The severed Blue Silver Grass regenerates quickly, and after absorbing the Soul Ring of the Zombie Tree, the vitality and toughness of my Blue Silver Grass have been greatly enhanced."

She paused, then added, "And its ability to absorb life energy has also increased considerably."

Upon hearing the words "Blue Silver Entanglement," Shi Yu almost lost his composure, but then he thought about it again. The Zombie Tree itself hunts by entangling, so it was reasonable to endow it with such a soul skill.

"Alright, now that you've absorbed your spirit ring, it's time for me to get my first one." Shi Yu stretched, and just as the thought of getting a spirit ring arose in his mind, a huge surge of energy suddenly erupted from his body, and a black spirit ring appeared out of thin air, slowly encircling his spirit.

"Huh?!" Shi Yu's eyes widened, looking completely bewildered.

Tang Ya was so shocked she couldn't speak. Pointing at the black spirit ring on Shi Yu's body, she stammered, "You...you still say you're not a spirit beast in human form? You even have a spirit ring that condenses on its own!"

"No! Let me explain!" Shi Yu quickly waved his hands. "Sister Xiaoya, I don't know what happened. I was just thinking about getting a spirit ring when suddenly a surge of energy came out of my body, and then this spirit ring appeared!"

"This is clearly the same characteristic as a soul beast transforming into a human!" Tang Ya insisted.

"Um, can I say something?" Tianmeng Bingcan suddenly interrupted the two's argument.

"Sister Tianmeng, what do you want to say?" Shi Yu and Tang Ya looked at her at the same time.

"The energy that Xiao Shiyu just released is quite different from the energy that a soul beast uses to condense a soul ring," Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said earnestly after carefully recalling the events.

"If I had to say what it's like, it's more like the delicious energy that flowed through our bodies when we ate the Rainbow Fruit."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yu immediately fell into deep thought.

Based on the changes in his body after consuming the ultimate delicacies, he quickly concluded: "In other words, the energy contained in the delicacies we usually eat not only improves our physical condition, but the excess is stored by the body. When we need it, this accumulated energy may be transformed into spirit rings?"

"That should be roughly the idea." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm nodded.

"So, does that mean humans don't need to kill soul beasts to obtain soul rings?" A hint of excitement flashed in Tang Ya's eyes. She had always been somewhat opposed to the method of hunting soul beasts to obtain soul rings, so if there were other ways, it would undoubtedly be a good thing.

"It can't be that absolute." Shi Yu shook his head. "This can only be considered another path, and the soul rings he condenses seem to be more compatible with his martial soul."

The reason you don't feel this is because your innate soul power was originally only level 5. Most of the energy you absorbed before was used to improve your physique and increase your innate soul power, leaving no extra energy to condense a soul ring.

"I see." Tang Ya suddenly understood, then asked curiously, "Shi Yu, what is your first soul skill?"

"Let me see..." Shi Yu concentrated on sensing the abilities brought by the soul ring, and a speechless expression gradually appeared on his face. "My first soul skill is called 'Loud Roar,' which reduces the enemy's energy attack by 20%."

"Can we keep using them indefinitely?" Tang Ya asked.

"Theoretically, yes, at most it can reduce the opponent's energy attack to only 20%," Shi Yu said.

"How can there be such a disgusting soul skill!" Tang Ya's gaze towards Shi Yu changed instantly, as if she were looking at some kind of "cheating artifact".

"But the physical attack hasn't been reduced yet!" Shi Yu explained somewhat awkwardly.

"You think that with your physique, even a thousand-year-old soul beast would only scratch you like an itch, and you'd be afraid of physical attacks from people your own age?" Tang Ya mercilessly exposed his lie.

"Uh..." Shi Yu was speechless after being rebuked, and quickly changed the subject, "Let's not talk about this anymore! I remember there's something incredibly delicious in the Forest of Dogs, let's go find it!"

"What is it?!" Upon hearing "delicious," Tianmeng Ice Silkworm immediately forgot the previous topic and stared at Shi Yu with bright eyes.

"BB popcorn!" A hint of longing flashed in Shi Yu's eyes. "This kind of popcorn has an overwhelming aroma and rich flavor. Just take one kernel, stir-fry it over high heat until it pops, and it will instantly become enough to feed a hundred people!"

"Just hearing about it makes my mouth water!" Tianmeng Bingcan swallowed hard and said excitedly.

"Not only that," Shi Yu added with a smile, "There's also a fruit called 'Dog Star Sauce.' The sauce made from it has a unique flavor and tastes amazing with any ingredient!"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go find it!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm couldn't wait any longer and dragged Shi Yu and Tang Ya into the depths of the forest.

"BB Popcorn should grow at the top of the Dog Forest," Shi Yu said as he ran.

The three of them leaped nimbly through the dense forest, avoiding various carnivorous plants and lurking dangers, and slowly approached the top of the forest.

Finally, after passing through the last dense foliage, the three leaped out of the forest's cover. The blinding sunlight instantly shone into their eyes, causing them to instinctively squint.

"Finally, we're out of that dark place!" Tang Ya opened her eyes and looked around after her eyes adjusted to the light. She saw that the top of the forest was a wide open platform covered with golden corn, each ear of corn as thick as an arm.

"What huge ears of corn!" Tang Ya exclaimed in surprise. "Is this the BB popcorn you're talking about?"

"Yes, but no." Shi Yu looked around, a hint of regret on his face. "These are immature juveniles. A truly mature BB Popcorn can be as big as a small mountain. It seems we came too early; they haven't absorbed enough nutrients yet."

"Oh, what an awful feeling!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm looked at the little corn in front of her and complained with a disappointed expression. Her original anticipation instantly plummeted.

"Alright, don't be disappointed." Shi Yu patted her shoulder. "Let's go down and find the fruit of the Dog Star Sauce first. We can come back and check if these BB popcorns are ripe when we have time later."

"Alright," Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The three returned to the Forest of Dog and, while searching for the Dog Star Sauce Fruit, encountered several more Aloe Vera Lizards.

Shi Yu casually picked the aloe vera, packed it up, and took it with him, intending to store it properly when he got back.

After wandering through the forest for about half an hour, the three finally found their target by a stream.

On several low-lying fruit trees hung fruits that resembled stars. The fruits were deep purple, with a faint sheen on their surface, and emitted a rich aroma of soy sauce.

"Found it! This is the Dog Star Sauce Fruit!" Shi Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward.

The fruit was fully ripe and fell from the branches at the slightest touch.

Shi Yu carefully picked the fruit and put it into the container that had been prepared in advance.

"Alright, we've had a great haul, let's go back!" Shi Yu said with satisfaction, looking at the Xu Zhi Xing sauce fruit and the packed aloe vera in his hand.

The three of them did not linger and returned along the same route, soon arriving back at the Lake of Life.

At this moment, the closed-door soul beasts had not yet emerged. The lake was as calm as a mirror, and the sunlight shone on the water, creating a shimmering and peaceful scene.