Mei is on high alert.
"Oh, Luminous said in amazement as they went deeper into the forest and jumped with joy and curiosity.
The forest is so alive, much more alive than my previous home. The creatures here are so curious, too.
Ahead, Katy, now in her spirit form with cat-like ears twitching atop her head and sharp claws extended, suddenly paused and raised a hand.
"Contact," she whispered, her voice taut. "A small pack of Hundred-Year Bladefang Wolves. They've already caught our scent. They're circling."
Liu Xin's White Wolf spirit flashed behind him, his eyes turning predatory. "Positions! Guili, front! Pei, with me on the flank. Mei—" He glanced back at her. "Get ready. It's time to earn that twenty percent."
Mei's breath hitched, her earlier excitement solidifying into a sharp, focused calm. The rustling leaves and distant birdcalls of the forest suddenly seemed laden with threat.
Okay, Mei, she told herself, falling back on the mental discipline of a performer before a live show. This is it, no room for mistakes.
Mei manifests her martial soul, and two yellow soul rings appear, then they lit up and Mei started singing.
Her domain expands and envelops the surrounding area, and a colorful light envelopes her teammates. Which surprises Mei since it didn't happen before.
Pei exclaimed excitedly, "Wow, this feels amazing!"
"Guili, now!" Liu Xin's command was a low growl that brooked no argument.
The stocky man grunted, slamming his foot onto the forest floor. "Wooden Shield, arise!" A shimmering barrier of knotted, spectral wood materialized before him, wide enough to protect their front line.
Two yellow spirit rings rose from his feet, solid and dependable.
Almost simultaneously, the underbrush exploded. Three lean, grey forms shot out, their movements a blur of coordinated aggression.
Bladefang Wolves. Their namesake teeth, longer than daggers and gleaming like polished steel, snapped at the air. Their yellow eyes burned with a primal hunger.
The lead wolf lunged straight for Guili's shield, only to be deflected with a jarring thud. But the other two split off, attempting to flank them.
"Pei, with me! Katy, to the right!" Liu Xin barked. His body seemed to grow more formidable, a faint silver aura clinging to him as his first spirit ring glowed.
"First Soul Skill, Wolf's Swiftness!" He became a streak of motion, intercepting one of the flanking wolves with claws that now seemed to extend from his own hands.
Pei laughed, a bold sound in the tension. "Bronze Sword, manifest!" A solid, gleaming bronze longsword appeared in his grasp.
His first spirit ring lit up. "First Soul Skill, Heavy Slash!" He didn't aim to be fancy, putting all his strength into a powerful, straightforward chop that forced the second flanking wolf to scramble backward.
Katy was already a ghost. In her spirit form, she was a ripple of white, her claws leaving faint trails of light in the air.
She didn't engage directly but shadowed the wolf Pei was fighting, her presence a constant distraction, forcing it to divide its attention.
Pei's next Heavy Slash fell with more explosive force, making the wolf yelp and slash the wolf like a hot knife, slicing butter, leaving a yellow soul ring.
"Whoa!" Pei exclaimed, a grin splitting his face as he felt the boost. "Now that's what I call support!"
But Mei wasn't done. The second wolf, the one harried by Katy, saw an opening and darted past Pei, its sights set directly on her—the source of the strange light.
"Mei, behind you!" Katy yelled.
The wolf leaped, jaws wide open, a killing machine aimed right for her.
A cold fear shot through Mei, but it was instantly met by a surge of defiance. This was her stage. No one interrupted her performance.
The nature of the light within her domain shifted. The soft, silver luminescence flashed with a sharp. As the Bladefang Wolf crossed the boundary of the Starlight Stage, it was met not by a physical assault but by a mental assault.
It let out a pained, confused whine in mid-air, its coordinated leap turning into a clumsy, disoriented stumble.
Its head shook violently as if trying to dislodge a swarm of bees from its mind. It landed awkwardly at her feet, momentarily stunned.
Seizing the opportunity, a white blur shot past. Katy, empowered by Melodic Rhythm, was faster than ever.
Her claws, now glowing with a sharp white light—her own spirit skill, "Raking Claws"—slashed down across the wolf's flank. It howled in genuine pain, scrambling away with a deep gash.
The battle's tide had turned. Empowered by Mei and facing a disorienting mental field, the wolf pack's coordination broke. With a few more coordinated strikes from Liu Xin and Pei, the pack leader, sporting a fresh wound from Liu's claws, let out a short, sharp yelp.
The remaining wolves disengaged, melting back into the shadows of the forest as quickly as they had appeared.
Silence returned, heavy and panting.
Guili let his wooden shield dissipate, turning to look at Mei with an entirely new expression: outright respect. "Kid... that was something else."
Liu Xin nodded, his predatory gaze softening. "Your control? Timing? Excellent. The domain is one thing, but to use it under pressure like that..." He didn't finish, but the approval was clear.
Pei walked over, sheathing his bronze sword. "I take it back. We're not paying you extra." He winked. "We're paying you double. You just saved us a lot of trouble."
Mei let the Starlight Stage fade, a slow smile spreading across her face.
The adrenaline was still coursing through her, but it was mixed with a profound sense of accomplishment. Her first performance in this dangerous new world had been a success.
Bravo! Ai cheered. A standing ovation! Did you see their faces?
The harmony of light and mind was perfectly conducted, Luminous added, fluttering happily by her ear.
"Alright, enough lollygagging," Liu Xin said, his voice back to its pragmatic rumble, though it lacked its earlier sternness.
"That was just a scout pack, the main pack shouldn't be far. Let's head deeper, the target should be there. Guili, take point. Mei, stay in the middle with me. Let's move."
The team reformed their marching order and pressed on, leaving the small clearing and the memory of the brief, sharp fight behind.
The forest canopy grew thicker here, the light dappled and green. The air was cooler, filled with the rich scent of damp earth and decaying leaves.
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