"Should we go take a look?" Huo Wu suggested, glancing at Wang Teng, who was deep in thought beside her.
"This…" The teacher looked at his three students and sighed after a long pause. "We can observe quietly, but if anything happens, we leave immediately. No reckless actions—follow my orders."
He was merely a lowly Soul Sage, and none of these three were people he could afford to offend.
To compete against academies like Elephant Armor Academy and Tian Shui Academy, which had Title Douluo, as well as Thunder Academy, which was heavily supported by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Divine Wind Academy and Blazing Fire Academy had no choice but to merge.
Feng Xiaotian was the son of the current vice-dean, while Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang were the dean's daughter and son.
All three were beyond his status to provoke. If they reported him later, he might even lose his teaching position and be demoted to toilet duty.
Of course, part of it was also his own curiosity about the situation ahead.
Thus, after setting three strict rules with his students, Wang Teng led them deeper into the forest.
Above the forest canopy—
The crimson glow in the sky began to condense.
A broad-bladed sword, wreathed in faint flames, hovered midair.
"ROOOAAAR—!" A six-to-seven-meter-tall Titan Giant Ape, resembling a small hill, opened its bloody maw and lunged forward, covering nearly a kilometer in a single leap as it charged directly at Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong remained calm, watching the massive figure of the Titan Giant Ape grow larger in her pupils. She exhaled softly and uttered a single word:
"Slash."
In that instant, the Angelic Sacred Sword descended with a resounding cleave.
The sword, radiating intense sword intent, was enveloped in zhenqi, forming a ten-meter-long luminous projection.
BOOM—!
The Titan Giant Ape let out a pained howl as it was sent flying backward at an even greater speed than its initial charge, smashing through countless trees and foliage.
"T-This…"
Huo Wu and the others, who had just arrived nearby, witnessed this terrifying scene with their own eyes.
"Such a huge monkey, sent flying with just one move?" Huo Wu covered her lips in shock.
Regardless of anything else, judging by its thick hide alone, its defensive capabilities were clearly extraordinary. Based on the sheer force of its movements, it might even be more terrifying than any ten-thousand-year soul beast they had ever seen.
"N-No way!" Wang Teng's pupils dilated abruptly, his expression shifting rapidly.
"What's wrong, teacher?" Feng Xiaotian also felt that the giant, blood-spewing monkey looked familiar, but he couldn't recall where he'd seen it before.
"A T-Titan Giant Ape! Why would such a creature exist in the Blazing Wind Forest?" Wang Teng shook his head. "No—wait. Legends say that a Titan Giant Ape does reside in the Blazing Wind Forest, but that was recorded in ancient texts from a thousand years ago. I always thought it was just a myth."
"Titan Giant Ape?!" Feng Xiaotian froze in place.
As the son of Divine Wind Academy's former dean and a possessor of innate full soul power, he had naturally read about such a terrifying soul beast in books.
"Teacher, Feng Xiaotian, why are you two so shocked?" Huo Wu was puzzled, sensing that their astonishment differed from hers.
"That's a Titan Giant Ape!" Feng Xiaotian exclaimed, but seeing the girl he liked asking, he quickly explained, "I once read about it in Divine Wind Academy's library."
"Legends say that the Blazing Wind Forest is home to a Titan Giant Ape. As for why it's so terrifying…"
"According to a relatively reliable legend on the continent, even a mere hundred-year Titan Giant Ape possesses strength comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast. And the one before us is definitely not just a hundred-year soul beast."
"A hundred-year soul beast… comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast?" Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
"Feng Xiaotian is right." Wang Teng's body trembled slightly. He wasn't worried for himself—he was terrified for the three students under his care. If even one of them were harmed, it would be his greatest failure.
One with innate full soul power, one with innate ninth-rank soul power, and one with innate eighth-rank soul power.
These three were essentially the future of their academy and families.
"Then… how old is this Titan Giant Ape?" Huo Wushuang asked curiously.
"At least a thousand years. No one has ever observed a Titan Giant Ape up close. We know nothing about its abilities or habits."
"Both Divine Wind and Blazing Fire Academies' ancient texts mention that a thousand years ago, someone once saw a Titan Giant Ape deep in this forest from afar. But they were too terrified to approach."
"What makes the Titan Giant Ape terrifying isn't just its attack power—it's its incomparable speed and defense."
"Especially its defense. That's likely why even a hundred-year Titan Giant Ape can rival a ten-thousand-year soul beast."
"And once you become its enemy, it will hunt you down relentlessly."
"It won't stop until its foe is dead. That's another reason why it's so feared."
"How horrifying… To think I'd see a Titan Giant Ape with my own eyes in my lifetime."
Wang Teng could feel his heart pounding. He swallowed hard and instinctively said,
"Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, Feng Xiaotian—we've seen enough. Before the Titan Giant Ape notices us, let's leave immediately. Otherwise, we might not get another chance."
"But…" Huo Wu pointed ahead. "Teacher, that Titan Giant Ape doesn't seem all that impressive now."
"Huh?"
After imagining the worst, Wang Teng followed Huo Wu's finger and looked.
"Hiss—!"
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
His voice trembled. "N-No way… That's a thousand-year Titan Giant Ape!"
A massive wound stretched from its lower left abdomen all the way to its shoulder, blood seeping out.
With every step the Titan Giant Ape took, the ground trembled from its sheer weight. Its body quivered slightly, and blood gushed from its mouth—clearly, it was severely injured.
"What kind of existence could inflict such damage on a Titan Giant Ape with a single strike?"
He hadn't noticed earlier, but now Wang Teng's gaze shifted to the figure standing atop a tree branch.
A young girl with shoulder-length brown hair stood there calmly, the strands fluttering gently in the wind. Beside her hovered what appeared to be a flaming sword—her Martial Soul.
Wang Teng didn't know what kind of Martial Soul it was, but judging by the oppressive aura of its flames…
It was undoubtedly a top-tier Martial Soul.
And the most bizarre thing—
The flaming sword had no Soul Rings. Meaning, she hadn't even activated them.
It seemed that the attack that had wounded the Titan Giant Ape was executed purely through her Martial Soul and soul power, without even using a Soul Ring.
"A… self-created soul skill?" Feng Xiaotian also noticed this. As Divine Wind Academy's former top student, currently in the process of developing his own soul skill, he was highly sensitive to such techniques.
"She's so young!" Only Huo Wushuang paid attention to the girl's youthful appearance. "She looks even younger than us."
"Wushuang, never judge a soul master by their appearance," Wang Teng said. "Title Douluo can maintain their looks at a certain age. It's possible this woman is the same."
"Ah, right!" Huo Wushuang suddenly recalled something. "No wonder Dean Shui of Tian Shui Academy looks like she's in her twenties, even though she's much older than my parents."
Title Douluo could do that too?
The more you lived, the more you learned.
As the two conversed, the girl on the tree branch brushed aside the brown hair covering her eyes and sighed softly:
"Really… Even after being injured like this, you still refuse to leave?"
"Did I dig up your grave or desecrate your tomb? Why so much hatred?"
"Fine. I'll respect your choice."
"As someone once said—you've brought death upon yourself."