Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

Looking at the enormous creature lying quietly on the ground, Zhu Lu's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an apple, her eyes filled with shock: "Your third soul skill is actually this powerful?"

"This isn't the effect of my third soul skill," Shi Yu explained while dealing with the corpse of the giant crocodile, "My third soul skill is called 'Sketching,' which allows me to use other people's soul skills and also speeds up the learning of various soul skills."

What he didn't elaborate on was that although this soul skill couldn't copy Pokémon's skills, it could perfectly adapt to his original martial soul, "Gourmet Demon," allowing him to utilize many abilities from the world of Toriko in his mind.

He is currently studying Master Ma's martial arts heritage. Even if he cannot directly unleash the Martial Arts Bear Master's Water Flow Combo and Dark Nether Strike, he can still extract the attribute energy and transform it into pure martial arts training.

"What about your first and second soul skills?" Zhu Lu pressed, her curiosity fully piqued.

"You've already seen the second soul skill, 'Look at Me,' which forces the enemy's attacks to be transferred to me." Shi Yu's hands continued moving. "The first soul skill is called 'Loud Roar,' which can reduce the enemy's non-physical attacks by 20%."

Are there any restrictions?

"The opponent's non-physical attacks can only be reduced to a maximum of 20%."

Zhu Lu clicked her tongue: "I'm already starting to sympathize with your future opponents."

"You're not the first person to say that."

"And it won't be the last one."

As the two chatted and laughed, Shi Yu's thoughts drifted to Zhu Lu's training plan.

Zhu Lu's martial soul is the Netherworld Cat. Her first soul skill, Netherworld Thrust, focuses on a swift and powerful strike, while her second soul skill, Netherworld Hundred Claws, excels at continuous attacks. This perfectly matches the martial arts inheritance she is currently learning from Master Ma. The one-hit-kill philosophy of Dark Netherworld Strike aligns with her hunter instincts, while the continuous water strike technique complements the Netherworld Hundred Claws.

"Zhu Lu, I have a training method that's perfect for you." Shi Yu cut off a large piece of crocodile meat covered in golden fat and handed it to her.

"Wow! Delicious! It's so much better than duck and whole roasted pig!" Zhu Lu took the roasted meat and immediately began to devour it. The tender meat mixed with the unique salty and fragrant flavor made her forget to ask any further questions.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Shi Yu looked at her helplessly.

"I'm listening, I'm listening!" Zhu Lu responded indistinctly, her mouth full of meat. "What did you just say?"

"I said, I have a mature training program that is tailor-made for you."

Zhu Lu then slowed her chewing, her eyes becoming serious: "So, what's the price?"

"The price is becoming one of our core members."

"That doesn't sound like a price to pay."

"Let's talk after we eat. I'll take you somewhere, and you'll understand."

The two swept through the enemy ranks like a whirlwind, and the enormous Kaera Crocodile was quickly reduced to a pile of clean bones. Shi Yu clapped the debris off his hands: "Let's go, I'll take you to the core."

Zhu Lu followed behind him, her heart growing increasingly uneasy with each step. The scenery along the way became more and more unfamiliar, and the air was filled with an increasingly intense pressure from the soul beasts. Every breath she took made her heart pound – this was clearly beyond the boundaries of the mixed zone.

"arrive."

Shi Yu stopped in his tracks, and a breathtaking view suddenly appeared before him. A crystal-clear lake came into view, its waters shimmering with a faint fluorescent glow. The surrounding vegetation was lush and verdant, exuding a rich sense of life. This was the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest—the Lake of Life.

"Which 'core' are you referring to?" Zhu Lu's voice trembled, and she subconsciously took a half step back.

"The core of the Star Dou Great Forest core area," Shi Yu said casually.

"Gulp... Shi Yu, listen." Zhu Lu took a deep breath, her eyes becoming incredibly determined. "I like you. The core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest is too dangerous. If we encounter any danger later, I will desperately hold them off. You must take this opportunity to leave!"

"Huh? This is my home." Shi Yu looked bewildered.

"Huh?!" Zhu Lu was completely stunned.

Just then, a majestic voice came from the depths of the lake: "Why did you bring another human back?"

Di Tian's figure slowly emerged, his enormous dragon wings unfurling, bringing a strong sense of oppression.

Shi Yu quickly stepped forward and explained his idea of ​​taking Zhu Lu as his disciple and passing on his martial arts skills, thus wanting her to join the Star Dou Great Forest family.

"So, you want to take her as your disciple, and what you teach her is very important, so you brought her here because you want her to join us?" Di Tian's gaze fell on Zhu Lu, scrutinizing her.

"That's right." Shi Yu nodded.

The two looked at Zhu Lu at the same time, waiting for her answer.

"Guh, kill me!" Zhu Lu cried out like a steam engine, her cheeks flushed red.

"Wake up!" Shi Yu grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously a few times.

"Stop shaking me! Stop shaking me! I'm awake now!" Zhu Lu was so dizzy from being shaken that she almost threw up.

Shi Yu released his grip, and Zhu Lu took a while to recover before looking at him seriously and asking, "Shi Yu, are you a soul beast in human form?"

"No, I am human, a human who grew up in the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest."

"Why can I recognize these words individually, but not when they're put together?" Zhu Lu asked, looking puzzled.

"That's not the point," Shi Yu interrupted her. "The point is your thoughts. Don't try to change the subject."

"So if I join, will I become a traitor? If I don't join, will I die?"

"I don't know any of that." Shi Yu shrugged. "If you don't join, I'll let you go back, but I won't teach you those things anymore."

"Aren't you afraid I'll go back and tell on you?"

"The Starry Sky Forest is nothing to us." Shi Yu's tone carried an inexplicable confidence.

Zhu Lu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "I don't care."

Just as Shi Yu thought it was the magic of the "Love Continent" taking effect, Zhu Lu put away her smile and her tone became serious: "Although I don't want to say it, humans nowadays are really too closed off, including me at the beginning. Perhaps it was because I was more greedy than others that I secretly came to steal food when they dared not touch the things in the Star Dou Great Forest."

"At first, I didn't accept soul tools either, thinking that a soul master's strength didn't need external force. It wasn't until that day when I hunted a whole roasted pig and used the soul tool dagger my father gave me that I realized that at level 10 or so, using soul tools was much more efficient than simply using soul skills."

"I've been a hunter for two and a half years. You know what? A year ago, I had never seen any ingredients from the Star Dou Great Forest on the tables of Star Luo City. They were unwilling and dared not try them until the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire declared them edible. It was only half a year ago that they dared to come into contact with them."

"These foods can make Soul Masters stronger, and they discovered this after eating them. But do you know what those nobles did? They monopolized these foods, and ordinary people are no longer allowed to enter the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain ingredients."

Zhu Lu sighed, her voice choked with emotion: "But the Star Dou Great Forest is not short of food at all! Some of the ingredients they collect are eaten twice and then thrown away, while others are left untouched and rot. These foods made me stronger, and I am very grateful to them. At first, some of the soul beasts I hunted were not tasty, and I thought about throwing them away, but a voice in my mind always reminded me: since I decided to hunt them, I cannot waste them."

"But they are different. They throw away the food that is not tasty or the food that they cannot finish, but they will not leave even a single thing for the common people. I often bring food back to Xingluo City from the Star Dou Great Forest and share it with the common people. They dare not accept it until I put down the food and leave, and only then do they dare to secretly pick it up long afterward."

"I had never experienced the lives of ordinary people before. It was only after becoming a hunter that I discovered that nobles had an endless supply of delicacies on their tables, while for ordinary people, even a piece of black bread was considered a luxury. I told them that there were many safe ingredients in the outer ring of the Star Dou Great Forest. Since then, every time I pass by, I can see happy smiles on their faces."

"But half a year ago, the nobles monopolized everything. Commoners were not allowed to eat these ingredients that could make them stronger, and the price of grain was driven up to a high level. The reason I encountered the thousand-year-old roasted whole pig in the mixed zone was not only due to negligence, but also because the outer ring was in a mess due to the indiscriminate hunting and poaching by those nobles. I could only go deeper into the area to find enough ingredients."

"I only understood after becoming a hunter that their actions would destroy the ecosystem. In the past, the ecosystem could probably withstand the hunting of spirit beasts for spirit rings, but now they hunt without restraint for their own appetites. Before long, the ecosystem of the Star Dou Great Forest will collapse, but they don't care at all. They only care about their own enjoyment."

Zhu Lu raised her head, her eyes shining with determination: "Humanity's demise will never be because of soul beasts, but only because of themselves. Therefore, I am willing to join you. I want to become stronger, to protect this ecosystem, and to ensure that those who truly need these things can also eat them."

Shi Yu looked at the girl in front of him with an approving smile in his eyes.

Di Tian nodded slowly, and the dragon wings gently retracted: "Since you have made up your mind, then stay. The Star Dou Great Forest never rejects those who truly respect life."

Zhu Lu looked at the clear waters of the Lake of Life, then at Shi Yu beside her and Di Tian not far away, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

She knew that from this moment on, her life would be completely different.

She was no longer the noble lady of Xingluo who would sneak out to forage for food, but a true hunter and a core member of the Star Dou Great Forest.

A new journey has begun.