We surrender. We concede.
The ice staff youth spoke the words. Not that he had a choice—he'd recognized those spatial ripples immediately. They were the same ones the opponent had just used to redirect his own Ice Wheel back at him. If he didn't admit defeat now, the next attack coming his way would undoubtedly be his own Ice Fury.
He wasn't someone who couldn't read the room. It was clear the boy in front of him had been merciful—otherwise, he could have simply teleported the Ice Fury directly onto him. There would've been no way to defend.
Even with spirit power at level 35, placing him among the top of his peers, there was no way he could've defended himself immediately after using a spirit-consuming thousand-year soul skill. He wouldn't have the time or buffer needed to release another ability.
And worse still, his every attack had been turned against him, while his opponent also demonstrated a spiritual disruption-like ability. It was obvious he was outmatched.
Even more importantly, his opponent wasn't alone. Behind him stood his teammates, all watching with sharp eyes. As an elemental control-type soul master, what else could he do? Throw down his staff and engage in melee?
The space ripples still hadn't dissipated. South Fusheng merely stood there, quietly watching him.
The ice staff youth let out a bitter laugh. He was just about to press the rescue beacons for himself and his sister when—
Whoosh!
A fireball came hurtling toward them, forcing him to throw himself over his sister to protect her. The fireball whizzed just over their heads and exploded on the ground nearby, leaving a small crater.
"We already surrendered! What more do you want?!" he roared in frustration. In his mind, the fireball must've come from the boy's teammates. But when he looked up again, he noticed something—
The space-controlling boy had already retreated to his group, face grim.
Then it hit him. The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Heavy impacts echoed in the distance, drawing closer. The forest rumbled like thunder, and in the distance, beastly roars rang out.
"There's a soul beast pack incoming." That was Zhang Yangzi's urgent voice, the team's scout. "A large one—at least thirty of them. Fire-Attribute Lions."
The news stunned everyone.
Lions—one of the most powerful land-based pack-type soul beasts.
Typically, the stronger a soul beast was, the more likely it would be solitary, to better hoard territory and resources. Lions were the exception. These beasts formed powerful prides centered around a dominant male and a group of females.
In places like forests or plains, they were the undisputed overlords. Even soul beasts stronger than the average male lion often chose not to provoke a pride—they were just too dangerous collectively.
"Xiaoyan!" The ice staff youth suddenly shouted, panicked.
Unbeknownst to them, one of the Fire Lions had silently flanked them and was now lunging at his little sister, jaws wide, ready to crush her skull.
From his angle, he could see it clearly—but there wasn't enough time to act. His soul skill wouldn't activate fast enough.
So he did the only thing he could—he threw himself over his sister, shielding her with his body. At the same time, his hand smacked down on the rescue beacon on her wrist.
"Brother!" the girl gasped, pale-faced, but her voice trembled when she saw her brother's protective stance.
I'm so useless… she thought. Since we entered the platform, it's always been my brother who has protected me. Now I can't do anything—I'm just holding him back.
But before the Fire Lion's bite could land—
Swoosh!
A two-meter-long ice spear shot through the air, impaling the lion through its torso. It let out a pained cry before dissolving into soul energy, absorbed by a nearby youth.
The brother and sister turned in unison. It was South Fusheng who had used the redirected Ice Fury to deliver the killing blow.
"Thank you…" The youth muttered, still in shock.
"No need," South Fusheng replied casually. "You were going to quit anyway. Better to do it yourself than get blasted out."
"…My name's Xu Xiaoyu," the boy finally said. "From Eastsea Academy's Advanced Division, Year Two, Class One. This is my sister, Xu Xiaoyan. Really—thank you. If you ever run into trouble, you can come find me."
Though South Fusheng's words had been a bit blunt, Xu Xiaoyu still spoke with sincere gratitude. He wasn't just being polite either—he was extending an olive branch. South Fusheng was young, clearly around Xu Xiaoyan's age, and already a two-ring space-type soul master.
Someone like that? Worth befriending.
Without waiting for a response, Xu Xiaoyu pressed the rescue beacons for himself and his sister. As she vanished, Xu Xiaoyan glanced at South Fusheng with wide eyes, mouthing the words: Thank you.
"Run!" South Fusheng shouted the moment they disappeared. Having absorbed their spirit energy, he didn't hesitate for a second.
Gu Yue raised her arms. This time, her wind-element boost wasn't limited to their feet—everyone's entire body felt lighter, and they immediately gained a noticeable speed boost.
Xie Xie took the lead, scouting ahead. Zhang Yangzi, with his soul spirit "Little Black" still recovering, maintained surveillance on the rear.
Behind them, roars erupted—a swarm of red shadows tore through the forest, pursuing fast.
Soul beasts could absorb spirit energy, too. The group's dense auras were practically bait. The Flame Demon Lions didn't need sight or sound to find them—they could sense the energy.
So they ran. Every second they survived meant more spirit energy absorbed.
Against a pack of Flame Demon Lions, they stood no chance. Unless every single one of them was at least rank 30 with three rings, there was no hope of survival.
Among all the soul beasts in the beginner-level Spirit Ascension Platform, the Flame Demon Lion pride was among the most terrifying. Even the powerful Man-Faced Demon Spider would avoid them if possible.
Most of the females were century-level beasts, and the pride's male lions were thousand-year soul beasts—some of them stronger than most early-stage soul kings.
This forest was their domain. Can the human soul master below four rings? No chance.