Even though we could probably just hide for an hour and pass the test, that sounds boring…
Should I… stir things up a little?
Though Nan Fusheng stood at the center of their formation with a vigilant expression, a hint of mischief sparked in his heart.
Up front, Tang Wulin carefully pushed aside the dense underbrush with Blue Silver Grass vines, leading the team forward step by step.
Because this was their final exam, survival was their top priority for now—lasting at least an hour came before hunting soul beasts.
"Rear and flanks are clear—no soul beast activity," came Zhang Yangzi's report.
Tang Wulin nodded and summoned his Thousand-Forged Heavy Silver Hammer in his left hand, silver glinting faintly. His right hand remained empty, ready to call forth his Golden Dragon Claw at a moment's notice.
Just then, a low growl echoed ahead, and a huge silhouette burst through the foliage.
It was a massive, muscular iron-armed ape, with a stench of blood and fur as dark as charcoal. Its red, bloodshot eyes radiated primal fury.
Since their first entry into the Spirit Ascension Platform, Class Zero had been drilled by Wu Zhangkong to study soul beast taxonomy. After months of combat experience, their recognition skills had sharpened.
This was a Hundred-Year Iron-Arm Ape—a humanoid-type beast known for its speed, strength, and most annoyingly, its Terrifying Aura—a passive field-like effect that weakened the fighting spirit of those with weaker spiritual power.
The best tactic? Strike first.
"Swoosh!" Tang Wulin wasted no time. His hammer whistled through the air in a perfect arc, smashing toward the ape's chest. At the same time, golden scales shimmered up his right arm as he launched forward, charging head-on.
Blue Silver Grass slithered along the forest floor in every direction, silent and hidden beneath the underbrush, creeping toward the beast like serpents ready to strike.
Tang Wulin moved, and Xie Xie moved too. The speed-type assassin blurred into motion, reaching Tang Wulin's back in an instant. Tang Wulin gripped a vine tied around Xie Xie's waist and threw him upward.
Xie Xie flipped midair with practiced ease and soared over the ape's head, a Light Dragon Dagger flashing into his palm, aimed precisely at the creature's vulnerable hindbrain.
Two small fireballs also streaked through the air like arrows, each with a faint aura of wind wrapped around it. Though not strong in raw power, their velocity was incredible.
Tang Wulin's charge and the fireballs created a distraction. The Iron-Arm Ape raised its head in alarm, completely missing Xie Xie diving in from behind.
The trio's coordination—Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue—was seamless.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi stuck close to Nan Fusheng, shielding him and scanning for other threats. Though their Martial Soul Fusion Technique wasn't fully formed, it still packed a punch in emergencies.
The Iron-Arm Ape lowered its head and smashed through the fireballs with its reinforced skull—sparks flying everywhere. One massive arm then swept sideways to block the hammer.
BOOM!
Tang Wulin's hammer was knocked back, but the ape staggered as well—his hammer weighed over a thousand pounds.
At the same time, Blue Silver Grass vines latched onto the ape's limbs like ivy, wrapping its body tightly. Its brute strength wasn't enough to break free immediately.
Then, just as it tried to retaliate, its hindbrain exploded in pain.
Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger had found its mark, slipping into the brainstem just as the ape reeled from the fireball impact.
"ROAR—!"
The ape howled in agony, red eyes flaring.
But as it raised an arm to strike, a spiritual wave slammed into its consciousness.
Its mind went blank. The feral light faded from its eyes. Then, like a toppled statue, the Iron-Arm Ape collapsed to the ground.
Xie Xie withdrew his dagger. A soft yellow spiritual glow rose from the ape's corpse and circled him—it was the soul energy it left behind.
As expected, spiritual energy was absorbed more slowly during the riot phase of the Spirit Ascension Platform—but it was still a hundred-year soul beast, and wouldn't take too long to digest.
Xie Xie hadn't killed it with the initial stab—its skull had resisted the blow—but by activating Light Dragon Blade inside the skull, he shredded its brain. Nan Fusheng's spiritual assist had sealed the deal.
"Left side—clear!" Zhang Yangzi called from the rear.
The group quickly relocated, unwilling to linger. From the ape's appearance to its death had taken only seconds.
Despite having only one or two rings, they had taken down a hundred-year beast with clean efficiency—a testament to three months of combat training in the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Talent alone wasn't enough—actual combat experience was key.
That's why Wu Zhangkong focused on developing battle instincts. A battle soul master's role was combat, not display. And the real battle was the fastest teacher.
Xie Xie's technique of activating his soul skill inside a soul beast had come from direct experience.
After retreating several hundred meters, Tang Wulin halted.
"Rest here for a bit. Yangzi, scout the area."
"Got it!" Zhang Yangzi climbed a nearby tree, eyes scanning the horizon while his Black Hawk Soul Spirit scouted another direction.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie sat down to recover soul power, with the others standing guard.
Maintaining peak form in the platform was vital—only then could they last longer.
"Three incoming. Two boys and a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old. One Soul Elder, two Soul Masters. Two show signs of recent soul energy absorption."
Zhang Yangzi's voice came through. But before he finished, a red beam tore through the sky, headed straight for him.
They'd been spotted!
He leapt from the tree, wings unfolding to soften the landing. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie immediately sprang into action. Xie Xie vanished behind a tree. The rest formed up defensively.
From the trees emerged three figures. Nan Fusheng's gaze landed on the girl, and he froze for a moment.
He recognized her—Mu Xi.
Over her head floated a blazing solar fireball. That red beam had been hers.
Her Blazing Sun Martial Soul was like a long-range cannon, far stronger in offense than any of Gu Yue's elemental attacks. And now, she had three soul rings. A Soul Elder.
"You?" Mu Xi also paused when she saw Tang Wulin.
"Senior Sister!" Tang Wulin stepped forward respectfully.
"…Hmm." Mu Xi nodded, then said, "Let's go." She turned, leading her teammates away.
"Senior Sister?" Zhang Yangzi smirked at Tang Wulin. "Not bad! She's cute. Why didn't you introduce us?"
He called after her, "Hey Senior Sister, wanna team up?"
Mu Xi didn't even glance back.
As a Soul Elder, she had no interest in tagging along with a bunch of low-rank Soul Masters.
"She's my teacher's daughter," Tang Wulin muttered. "She's… not fond of me."
Xie Xie chuckled. "That girl's temper is legendary. She's in Class One, Grade Five."
Zhang Yangzi quickly waved off the idea. "Nah, I don't like getting smacked around. We're too young for that stuff anyway—we should focus on training."
Xie Xie rolled his eyes. "I just said meet, not marry. Chill."
Zhang Yangzi straightened proudly. "By the time I hit Grade Five, I'll be a Soul Elder too!"
Nan Fusheng asked Tang Wulin, "What's our next move?"
Tang Wulin responded without hesitation, "We wait. This area seems less populated by soul beasts. Let's survive the hour first, then hunt."
They resumed their formation, building a small defensive circle among the trees.
Though the Riot Phase of the platform had raised soul beast aggression and numbers, they stayed mostly safe.
In the next twenty minutes, they faced over twenty soul beasts, mostly ten-year types that were quickly dispatched.
A few hundred-year beasts appeared too, but Nan Fusheng only used his skills in those cases, conserving soul power across the team.
Even the hundred-year Iron-Arm Ape had given Xie Xie only ten years of spiritual gain across two rings.
The final exam was already half over, and things were going smoothly—too smoothly.
"So this is the Riot Phase, huh? Not so bad," Zhang Yangzi said, relaxing a bit.
But that kind of mindset could be dangerous.
"Oh really?" Nan Fusheng glanced at him, an idea forming. "Let's turn up the heat."
Suddenly, Zhang Yangzi staggered, face turning pale.
"No—Blackie!"
The group looked up—just in time to see a yellow-green web descending from the treetops.
Their eyes widened as Blackie, Zhang Yangzi's soul spirit, was impaled by multiple spear-like limbs and torn apart.
The destruction of a soul spirit severely weakens a soul master. Zhang Yangzi's power dropped by nearly a third.
A violent wind erupted at the center of their formation—Gu Yue reacted first.
But shockingly, her wind blew through the yellow-green net, having no effect.
"Retreat!" Tang Wulin roared.
Blue Silver Grass lashed out and barely blocked the net—but as they touched it, smoke sizzled up, and the vines began melting.
A massive form dropped from above—eight legs spread wide like spears.
Though the team escaped the net, their formation was shattered.
Its enormous black-and-white body resembled a millstone, each leg over two meters long, exuding eerie energy.
But what horrified them most was the beautiful human face on its underbelly.
Man-Faced Demon Spider! the six shouted in unison.