"But they hide in this valley, and the Empire has given us only limited intelligence. How do we dig up the most information, find clues, and locate these notorious Evil Soul Masters?" NPC Wang Yan smiled at everyone.
"I taught you this in class…"
Everyone: "…"
It's over. The immersion is too real. Who designed this trial ground? Teacher Wang Yan must have helped, right?
"He taught this in class—I know!" Wang Bo clapped his hands in delight.
"Wenlan Tree!"
Prompted by him, Zhang Leng and the others recalled Wang Yan's lessons. The area was full of Wenlan Trees, which thrive in cold and whose heartwood greatly aids in cultivating ice-type Evil Soul Masters.
Of course, all this was learned under Su Wen's relentless pressure, bitterly studying knowledge they'd once scorned.
"Applying what you learn." Zhang Leng patted his head.
This kind of exam, drawn straight from what they'd studied, felt good…
At least now, the once tedious knowledge didn't seem so bad.
"Since it's an instance, clearing it might give loads of points!" another inner court disciple said eagerly.
"Starting from here, search for Wenlan Trees with hollowed-out heartwood."
"Got it!" Everyone was eager.
They soon "found" a cave and charged ahead, faces full of joy at the expected victory.
Only when the classic evil laugh "kekeke" echoed, did the real brutality of this mountain raid become clear.
"No!!!" Zhang Leng's terrified cry echoed as the cave erupted in explosions. Corpses littered the ground, now deadly talismans. He didn't even have time to react before a blast from a Soul King's corpse slammed him into the wall, making him spit blood, his organs shifting.
"Buzz…"
Continuous ringing in his ears and a dizzying sense of weightlessness made him nearly black out.
Pain in his arm made him look down—his right arm was gone, the wound black and foul with corpse poison, slowly eating away at his flesh.
Barely standing, dazed, he staggered over the corpses of his teammates.
Twelve teammates—four dead on the spot, seven severely injured or unconscious, plus him and one other barely hanging on.
Wang Bo wasn't much better, clutching his stomach and coughing up dark purple blood.
If not for his invincibility shield, as a soul engineer, he'd be worse off.
Seeing the black-robed man step out, still at full strength, followed by puppet-like corpses, he understood.
They'd lost.
Lost completely.
The strongest enemy was indeed a Soul King, but the Evil Soul Masters' powers… were too strange. Did such overpowered Evil Soul Masters really exist?
"Ahhhh!"
The next moment, a burly, earth-yellow figure burst in from the cave entrance, nine soul rings and a powerful aura both familiar and strange.
"Elder Xuan? Does this mean we had a top expert leading us on this mission?!" Zhang Leng asked in disbelief.
"Heh…" Wang Bo smiled bitterly. "Does it matter?"
Zhang Leng twitched.
Seeing the "offline" teammates around him, he fell into silence. After all, this was all real…
Watching Xuan Zi rage and get toyed with by the Death Messenger before fleeing, the truth became clear. This must be what happened in the Mingdou Mountains years ago.
He remembered being carried back after serious injury.
But the seniors back then all avoided talking about it, making it a secret until today…
"Phew…" Zhang Leng exhaled.
"I can't imagine how we could have won the first time."
"But the Young Pavilion Master did—he kept his cool and saved the core team, though they were still carried back for treatment. No one was crippled, and… he killed the Death Messenger."
Looking at the devastation, both fell silent.
Only now did they realize how comprehensive Su Wen really was…
Just how much weight did the four words "turning the tide" at Shrek's commendation carry?
After this, Chen Zifeng and others were called "the weakest generation in Shrek's history."
But was that really the truth?
"Tsk tsk, nearly a total wipeout." Su Wen grinned, quietly observing everything in the light screen.
Inner court disciples around him gradually woke up, but all kept their heads down in silence.
Indeed.
This was the "trial ground" he'd set up, using Deye's immense spiritual power and the Sea God's authority, and godly power stored in the Golden Tree, to create virtual "worlds" in a stage-clearing format, simulating Evil Soul Masters from his own experience (slaughtering the thirteen Holy Spirit Cult branches, six Titled, two Super, and even one Extreme).
It was a bit like the "Qian Kun Wenqing Valley" adventure—after all, it borrowed faith power, so it could be fully 1:1 recreated.
Mingdou Mountains was naturally the highlight.
This instance was truly set at ultimate boss difficulty.
"No worries, just run it a few more times and you'll clear it." Su Wen smiled.
The dozen or so inner court disciples still stood in silence.
The scariest thing was, this wasn't fiction—it was all based on real events. The results were chilling…
"Alright, dismissed. Training is over for the afternoon." Su Wen waved.
It was meant to strike hard, to break before building anew.
Right now, the inner court disciples were still too slack.
Mingdou Mountain Range.
The White Tiger Duke frowned at the battle report. Lately, the Sun Moon Empire seemed restless, provoking trouble at the border. The years of tacit loafing were over…
Which likely meant, something big was coming.
"Report!"
Outside, the roar of a flying soul device and the sound of sliding across the ground as the tent flap lifted. The messenger knelt, sliding in on momentum.
"A letter from the Duke's mansion!"
Dai Hao's expression tightened.
After so many years, he and his wife were still in sync. He'd handed all power at the mansion to her, feeling guilty for being away so long.
Zhu Ling was understanding—over ten years, her letters were few. At first, she wrote about her woes; later, she simply didn't disturb him.
He appreciated that.
But today…
Opening the envelope, it was not Zhu Ling's neat handwriting, but—
"Damn!!!"
Dai Hao's eyes bulged in fury as he slammed the table.
"How dare Shrek insult me!"