Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

In the core area of ​​the Starry Sky Forest, towering ancient trees pierce the clouds, their canopies cutting sunlight into tiny dappled spots that fall onto the damp, decaying leaves.

The air is filled with the sweet, pungent scent of grass and trees, and the unique oppressive aura of soul beasts. This is a sacred land for soul beasts, but also one of the most dangerous areas on the entire continent.

At the summit, a massive, jet-black rock stands silently, its surface etched with the marks of time, bearing witness to the rise and fall of countless spirit beasts.

A figure stood silently atop the giant rock, its golden-red dragon scales gleaming in the dappled light. It was none other than the uncrowned king of the Star Dou Great Forest—the Beast God Di Tian.

He gazed in the direction of the human city in the distance, his golden vertical pupils churning with complex emotions. The same thought as the Snow Emperor lingered in his mind.

Just like Xue Di, he had long known that this era was no longer the era of soul beasts.

"Di Tian! Why did you agree to this?! Why are you allowing humans to enter the Star Dou Great Forest again?!"

A sudden, loud shout shook the surrounding trees and startled a flock of birds perched on the branches.

The bear's massive body rushed in, accompanied by a gale, and its heavy paws slammed heavily onto the boulder, sending fragments of stone flying and falling in a flurry.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Di Tian's retreating figure, his hair standing on end. His voice was filled with disbelief, rage, and incomprehension. "Do you still remember what happened in the past! Those compatriots who died under the blades of human soul masters! Those soul beast cubs whose skins were ripped out and bones were pulled out! Those clan territories that were blasted apart by human soul tools!"

"All that happened in the past?" Di Tian slowly turned around, his golden-red dragon eyes flashing with cold light. His deep voice echoed like muffled thunder in the valley, causing the air to tremble slightly. "Are you referring to all that happened in the past? Of course I remember!"

Xiong Jun's voice suddenly rose, filled with anger and resentment suppressed for tens of thousands of years. He abruptly raised his claws, the sharp tips gleaming with a chilling light, pointing directly at Di Tian: "Di Tian, ​​where is your pride? Where is your pride as the Beast God?!"

Di Tian's roar shook the heavens, and the raging wind on the mountaintop seemed to be swept up by his anger, stirring up a sky full of fallen leaves.

"Where is my pride? Bear King, tell me, what use is my pride?! Can my pride bring a glorious path to survival for all the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest? Can my pride make the cultivation speed of soul beasts advance by leaps and bounds? Can my pride allow soul beasts to break through their shackles and truly become gods?!"

The roar was filled with an indescribable sorrow and helplessness.

He has lived for tens of thousands of years, witnessing the rise and fall of generations of soul beasts, the transformation of humanity from weakness to strength, and the birth and development of soul tools.

He had led soul beasts to fight against humans countless times, but in the end, he found that the growth rate of humans was much faster than the soul beasts had imagined.

Xiong Jun was momentarily stunned by his roar, but he still stubbornly roared, pounding his chest with his paws: "The Star Dou Great Forest is now teeming with powerful beings, and there are countless ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts. Isn't this the era of soul beasts?!"

"An era belonging to soul beasts?" Di Tian scoffed, his laughter laced with self-mockery. His golden-red dragon scales trembled slightly. "Lord Xiong, you've seen the growth rate of Shi Yu, Huo Yutong, Zhu Lu, Tang Ya, and the others! How many years would it take us soul beasts to reach that speed? A hundred years? A thousand years? Or ten thousand years?"

"They're different!" Xiong Jun roared, the crimson in his eyes fading slightly, but his stubbornness remained. "They grew up in the core area, we watched them grow up, they're our own people! Unlike those greedy outsiders!"

"Different?" Di Tian's voice deepened, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if it could pierce through Xiong Jun's chest and reach the depths of his heart.

"Yes, it is indeed different, but have you thought about it? How long has it been since humans developed soul tools? Only a few hundred years! And what about us soul beasts? We guard countless rare and precious materials in the Star Dou Great Forest, guarding those top-grade ingredients that can enhance soul power, but how many of us know how to cook them? How many of us can bring out the full potential of the ingredients?"

He paused, his voice filled with helplessness, and slowly lowered his dragon claws, gazing at the endless forest beneath his feet.

"Shi Yu and the others are indeed on our side, but what we are facing is the entire Soul Master world, tens of thousands of people! Their Soul Guidance Technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, from the earliest rudimentary Soul Guidance Devices to the Soul Guidance Cannons that can now kill Title Douluos, in just over a hundred years!"

"We're only temporarily stronger than them. Before long, they'll catch up step by step, using their soul tools! What will happen to the soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest then?"

As Di Tian finished speaking, the mountaintop fell into a deathly silence, with only the howling wind and the rustling of leaves echoing in the air.

Xiong Jun's massive body trembled slightly, and his crimson eyes gradually dimmed. He opened his mouth, but could not say anything. His words of rebuttal seemed to be stuck in his throat by Di Tian's words.

He recalled the various encounters Shi Yu and the others had with Zhu Lu in the core area, and the speed at which Zhu Lu had learned martial arts. Shi Yu had also taught them martial arts styles called One-Strike Style and Combo Style, but none of the soul beasts in the core area had learned them yet. He also remembered the magic of Shi Yu's cooking, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

Seeing his distraught appearance, Di Tian's voice softened slightly: "Lord Xiong, do you have anything else to say?"

After a long silence, Xiong Jun finally spoke in a muffled voice, his tone full of frustration, his huge head drooping slightly: "I have nothing more to say... No wonder you are the Beast God, I, Old Xiong, was short-sighted."

Di Tian nodded slightly, a resolute glint flashing in his golden vertical pupils. He knew that this decision was destined to cause a huge uproar in the Star Dou Great Forest, but it was the only way out.

"In that case, issue the order. After Shrek Academy's holiday, I will personally go there to discuss with them again the rules for human soul masters entering the Star Dou Great Forest. From today onwards, the Star Dou Great Forest will be moderately open to humans, but human soul masters must abide by the rules and must not wantonly destroy the ecological balance of the forest. The Star Dou Great Forest is willing to establish a peace treaty with humans, exchange goods and live in harmony—of course, this treaty will not include ruthless evil soul masters, but I believe they do not want any evil soul masters among their companions."

"I have another question." Xiong Jun raised his head, scratched his fluffy head, and showed a cute and curious look on his face.

"What's the problem?" Di Tian raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on him.

Xiong Jun grinned, revealing sharp fangs, his tone tinged with mockery: "Di Tian, ​​do you really like humans that much?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Di Tian's face instantly darkened, a hint of anger flashing in his golden-red dragon eyes. He slammed his dragon claw down on Xiong Jun's head. "Are you itching for a beating? Want to eat my Dragon God Claw?!"

"Your claws are sharp, but mine are no less sharp!" The bear king refused to back down, and met the attack with his paws, showing no intention of yielding.

Boom—

A deafening roar echoed through the mountains and forests as two enormous figures instantly clashed, sending gusts of wind and rocks flying. The sound of dragon claws colliding with bear paws thundered through the core area, and golden-red and brown-black lights intertwined and flashed, causing the surrounding trees to sway and tilt.

The soul beasts in the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest were terrified by the sudden fight and scattered in all directions, but no one dared to approach the mountain peak. All they knew was that after that day, the usually fierce Bear Lord, with a face swollen like a pig's head, would grumble and curse as he moved between the various tribes, conveying the decrees of the Beast God Di Tian.

The contents of that decree were enough to overturn the rules that had been in place for hundreds of thousands of years in the entire Star Dou Great Forest—

The Star Dou Great Forest will open its doors to human soul masters, except for evil soul masters.