Trial activity? Su Linfeng looked blank.
"The so-called trial is a Soul Hunt."
Lordeira explained, "According to tradition, Spirit Hall Academy organizes batches of students every month to go to the Valley of Death, where they must independently complete a Soul Hunt."
Lordeira patiently laid out the rules of the trial for Su Linfeng.
Indeed, this was a unique teaching method of Spirit Hall Academy.
Unlike the noble academies on the continent, true strength was never raised through pampering. Spirit Hall Academy students were sent on monthly Soul Hunts to grow under extreme pressure.
Though academy teachers secretly protected them, unless the students faced life-threatening danger, the teachers would not intervene.
In Spirit Hall's words: if you can't rely on birth, then work hard to change it.
This was also a reason Su Linfeng admired Spirit Hall Academy.
"So? Dare to compete with me?"
Hu Liena gave him a provocative look. "Let's see who can defeat more soul beasts during this Soul Hunt."
Why wouldn't he dare?
Su Linfeng smiled. If it came to hunting soul beasts, he might actually have an even greater advantage—one could even say more experience.
After all, though he had taken human form, he was still a ten-thousand-year soul beast at heart. Thinking about it, this kind of contest almost seemed unfair—to them.
And someone might ask:
Since Su Linfeng himself was a soul beast in human form, why didn't he oppose humans hunting soul beasts?
Stop being so fragile.
Reality was far harsher than those soft-hearted "don't eat the cute bunny, bunnies are adorable" sentiments.
Rabbits ate grass, and Blue Silver Grass was also a soul beast.
In the soul beast world, the law of the jungle reigned supreme. Survival of the fittest. Su Linfeng knew this best.
Over these hundred thousand years, countless apex predators had seen him as nothing more than delicious prey.
If soul beasts actually had unity, they might have wiped out humans long ago. But their intelligence was generally low—only at the hundred-thousand-year level could true wisdom be awakened. To most soul beasts, the world was nothing more than a food chain.
"What's your condition?" Su Linfeng asked, accepting the challenge.
"You agree?"
Hu Liena's face lit up with joy.
She was confident. With her experience in Soul Hunts and her Uncle Lordeira's help, she was certain of victory.
Seeing her scheme succeed, Hu Liena couldn't wait to declare: "If you lose, you'll have to join me and Zhang Ping for dinner."
"Fine."
Su Linfeng shrugged indifferently. "And if you lose?"
Hu Liena: "If we lose, then… We'll join you for dinner."
Su Linfeng: "???"
Before he could react, Zhang Ping quickly tugged at her arm. Who made bets like that? Girl, are you not even pretending anymore?
You just blurted out your real thoughts!
"Oh, no, I mean…"
Hu Liena laughed awkwardly. "If we lose, we'll grant you one condition—dinner included if you want."
Su Linfeng: "…"
Valley of Death
Located northwest of Spirit City, the Valley of Death was Spirit Hall's prime training and Soul Hunt ground.
It wasn't named for its harsh environment alone. The place teemed with powerful poison-type soul beasts.
The valley was divided into three zones: the Outer Forest, the Poison Miasma Zone, and the Lava Core. The deeper one went, the stronger—and more dangerous—the soul beasts became.
In the outer forest lived ordinary soul beasts of ten to a hundred years. Spirit Hall Academy's hunts took place here.
Further in lurked thousand-year and even ten-thousand-year beasts like the Phantom Demon Fox and the Death Demon Spider.
As for the lava core, even academy teachers dared not venture there lightly—soul beasts like the Blazing Scorpion King and Rock-Armored Earth Dragon, each over fifty thousand years old, prowled those depths.
At this moment—
Su Linfeng had arrived with Hu Liena and thirty-one other new students of the junior class at the valley's entrance.
Lordeira served as the overall commander for this trial, accompanied by nine other Spirit Hall Academy teachers, all Soul Emperors above rank 60, responsible for ensuring the students' safety.
When Su Linfeng beheld the vast mountain forest ahead, he was surprised. The environment was no worse than the Star Dou Great Forest—in fact, it even felt darker, more sinister.
At the valley's edge stood towering iron fences, bristling with spikes, over a hundred meters tall. Outside, squads of a hundred Spirit Hall soldiers patrolled, clad in iron armor, spears in hand, their strict formation exuding a killing aura.
The captain on duty, upon seeing the academy teachers, immediately showed respect and ordered his men to clear a passage.
After passing through the fences, the group entered the forest. Lordeira did not rush ahead. Instead, he habitually gave the thirty-one boys and girls a final reminder:
"Within a hundred-li range, Spirit Hall has already cleared the valley of stronger beasts. You'll mostly encounter ten- to hundred-year soul beasts. This trial tests your individual ability."
"The soul beasts will actively attack you. Your task is to capture them alive within the allotted time. Spirit Hall guards will then transport them to the Heaven Dou Empire's Soul Hunting Forest for captivity. Teachers will grade your performance by the number and age of soul beasts caught."
"Now, you may enter the valley in sequence. Unless your life is at risk, we will not intervene."
Capture alive? Not kill?
And deliver them to Heaven Dou's Soul Hunting Forest?
Su Linfeng's eyes flickered. So that's why students from Heaven Dou needed Spirit Hall's Soul Hunting Order to enter the forest.
He'd always thought Spirit Hall interfered with Heaven Dou's authority. But in reality, Spirit Hall supplied the beasts themselves!
The empire merely provided the grounds, which were then turned into the "Heaven Dou Soul Hunting Forest" for academy students to harvest rings.
So—Spirit Hall wasn't undermining Heaven Dou's authority. They were basically Heaven Dou's hardworking employees!
When Lordeira finished speaking, the thirty-one students began filing into the valley.
"Nana, are you ready?"
Yan glanced smugly at Su Linfeng, then turned obsequiously to Hu Liena. "With me here, I won't let you lose to him again."
"Are you stupid?"
Hu Liena rolled her eyes. "This time, the main player is Zhang Ping. We need to make sure she wins."
"…Got it."
Yan scratched his head awkwardly, then solemnly declared, "Then all the beasts I catch will count toward her score. If—"
"Shh, keep your voice down!"
Hu Liena hastily motioned for silence, stealing a glance at Su Linfeng, afraid Yan's words had been overheard.
"Hehe…"
Hu Liena gave Su Linfeng a sheepish grin, then quickly pushed the Golden Generation to enter the valley.
Uh…
Do you not even want to pretend anymore? You think I didn't hear that?