The Nether Ghost Tiger was one of the very top-ranked soul beasts.
As its name suggested, compared to an ordinary Ghost Tiger, its advantage lay in the word "Nether." Its body appeared more illusory than normal soul beasts, shrouded in a greenish glow.
This was its ability called Phantomization.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't truly a soul skill, but more like a martial soul instinct that only top-tier human martial souls might possess.
This phantom state didn't need to be actively triggered—so long as its soul power wasn't depleted, it remained active.
This alone showed the Nether Ghost Tiger's terrifying strength.
The one before them was only three meters long and about 1.2 meters tall at the shoulder—a relatively small size for a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Yet its presence weighed on them immensely.
Not only was it incredibly fast, but its innate soul skills were also extremely difficult to guard against.
Even Zhang Lexuan frowned slightly.
In direct confrontation, this fifteen-thousand-year Nether Ghost Tiger was no match for her.
But it had immense patience, maintaining a distance of about a kilometer. At such a range, even her powerful soul skills would weaken considerably.
Hidden among towering trees and dense shrubs under nightfall, it was extremely difficult for the group to track its movements.
Xu Zihuang, however, was an exception. With the innate ability of his Golden Pupils, as long as the tiger entered his field of view, he could trace its trajectory.
But if it didn't approach, he couldn't unleash his second or third soul skills—both powerful control abilities with limited ranges.
His third skill, Time Distortion, only covered a hundred-meter radius.
His second skill, Mirror of Ruin, required locking on with spiritual power. Though his spiritual power was approaching the formless-yet-substantial stage, his projection range was still limited to about five hundred meters.
He could extend it farther by focusing in a straight line, but that consumed too much energy, and the Nether Ghost Tiger wouldn't sit idly to be targeted.
It would be a losing trade.
Bathed in silver moonlight, Zhang Lexuan calmly watched her surroundings.
"This Nether Ghost Tiger is cunning. It's deliberately wearing down our patience. Prepare for a prolonged fight."
"Yes," Ye Liu and Chu Qingtian answered together.
Though Wu Ming felt stifled, she didn't disobey. As inner court disciples of Shrek Academy, none of them were fools.
She had a fiery temper but wasn't brainless. Charging recklessly would only expose weaknesses.
Time passed, the atmosphere thickening. Maintaining high alert for so long tested not only their patience but also drained their stamina.
Xu Zihuang, though the lowest in cultivation, had the strongest spiritual power, giving him the advantage here.
The first to falter wasn't fiery Wu Ming, but Ye Liu.
His Swan martial soul, though technically beast-type, didn't enhance physical endurance as much as the others'. Maintaining focus wasn't just visual—it required his body to stay in prime readiness.
Sweat trickled down his brow, and as he subconsciously took a deep breath to steady himself, a green rift of light suddenly split open behind him.
The Nether Ghost Tiger emerged from it, its dark claws glowing with eerie green light as they slashed toward Ye Liu's neck.
Xu Zihuang and Zhang Lexuan, both capable of projecting spiritual power, reacted instantly—their expressions grave.
That green light had masked their perception, allowing the beast to appear undetected.
The Nether Ghost Tiger was a rare variant, even less common in the Star Dou Forest than the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear.
Even Xu Zihuang and Zhang Lexuan were facing one at the ten-thousand-year level for the first time.
This ability, known as Netherworld, was its innate soul skill upon reaching the ten-thousand-year stage.
It allowed the beast to slip into the Netherworld and reappear at will through rifts of green light—essentially teleportation, with freely chosen destinations.
It could also completely conceal its aura, even from spiritual detection.
It utterly outclassed other instant-movement skills.
But once it exited this Nether state, it could be locked by spiritual power.
The moment it emerged, Xu Zihuang's crimson crystal enveloped it—his second skill, Mirror of Ruin.
No matter how fast, it couldn't outpace spiritual targeting.
Yet as a top-tier beast, the Nether Ghost Tiger had more than one innate skill.
Its body expanded, and a massive green phantom split from it, shattering the crystal prison.
When the prison cracked open, it was empty.
Shadow Clone—the Ghost Tiger's innate skill. As a mutated evolution, the Nether Ghost Tiger's version was even stronger.
This was the second soul beast ever to break free of Xu Zihuang's Mirror of Ruin—the first being the Dark Devilgod Tiger that became his third soul ring.
But the tiger wasn't facing Xu Zihuang alone.
As it reappeared ten meters away, Zhang Lexuan's first and third rings lit up. A moonbeam shrouded her, then another struck the tiger.
With a resounding boom, the tiger staggered, bleeding from its nose and mouth.
Her power was overwhelming, and her Moon martial soul carried light attributes—its natural counter. Even her first and third skills injured it.
The tiger's eyes glinted with hatred. Another green rift opened before it, and it tried to slip away again.
In that instant, golden radiance erupted, freezing the space within a hundred meters.
The beast was locked midair.
Zhang Lexuan's fifth ring flared—the crescent moon above her turned gold and split, one half plummeting down.
Fifth Soul Skill: Moonfall!
The golden crescent became a scythe of death. In a flash, the tiger was cleaved in two.
Blood and entrails spilled, filling the air with stench.
Its phantomization, usually able to negate physical attacks, was useless. Zhang Lexuan's fifth skill was pure energy, and with light attributes, it countered the beast completely.
Its vaunted ability was worthless.
With the crisis over, everyone's eyes turned to Xu Zihuang, who was gasping from overexertion.
Perfect control—that was the essence of a control-type soul master.
It had all happened in an instant. Wu Ming hadn't even unleashed her skill before it was finished.
She looked at Xu Zihuang in disbelief.
"You did that?"
Even working with Senior Sister Zhang, she doubted they could've subdued a Nether Ghost Tiger so easily—a beast rivaling the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear.
Zhang Lexuan gave Xu Zihuang a deep look.
"A soul skill that controls time."
This junior's talent surpassed even her expectations.
Her smile blossomed with relief.
Chu Qingtian and Ye Liu both sucked in sharp breaths.
Was he really just an outer court junior? Were the new generation this terrifying?
Truly frightening.
Zhang Lexuan waved her hand.
"Alright, Qingtian, finish off the tiger. This soul ring suits your Thunder Leopard martial soul well. Ming'er, Ye Liu, stay on guard."
"Yes, Senior Sister."
Chu Qingtian rubbed his hands in excitement.
He had hoped to obtain the Nether Ghost Tiger's ring—but now that the chance was real, it felt unreal.
Passing Xu Zihuang, he patted his shoulder firmly.
"Junior Brother Yu, thank you. From now on, your business is mine."
The shameless fellow immediately acted like a sworn brother, but everyone could see Xu Zihuang's boundless future.
Xu Zihuang only smiled and then turned to Zhang Lexuan.
"Senior Sister, I'd like to cultivate for a while."
"Go ahead, Tianhuang. We'll handle the rest," she replied softly, her voice carrying unshakable reassurance.
Meanwhile, the tiger's life was ebbing fast. Chu Qingtian drew a dagger and easily pierced its green eyes, ending it. Sitting cross-legged, he began absorbing its ring.
A pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul ring slowly rose.
Its oppressive aura thickened the air itself.
Chu Qingtian steadied himself, drawing it in with soul power.
The tiger's corpse kept lesser beasts at bay, serving as natural protection.
His body shook violently at first, but after withstanding the spiritual shock, he stabilized.
For most level-sixty soul masters, absorbing a fifteen-thousand-year ring would be nearly impossible. But as an inner court disciple, raised on the academy's finest nourishment, Chu Qingtian's physique was exceptional.
At last, the process ended safely.
Wu Ming and Ye Liu guarded him, while Zhang Lexuan stayed by Xu Zihuang.
Thanks to the tiger's deterrent, half an hour passed without further danger.
Xu Zihuang exhaled and opened eyes that gleamed like blades—meeting Zhang Lexuan's flawless face framed by flowing black hair.
He stood.
"Senior Sister."
She nodded with a gentle smile.
Wu Ming, less reserved, asked eagerly,
"Junior Brother Yu, that soul skill you used—was it time-attribute?"
She had belatedly grasped the nature of his third skill.
Xu Zihuang didn't conceal it. He always answered Wu Ming's questions frankly.
Ye Liu chimed in as well, and their chatter filled the time.
Absorbing the Nether Ghost Tiger's ring was arduous. It took Chu Qingtian nearly five hours.
Finally, his rings rose one by one—two yellow, two purple, two black.
When the sixth appeared, his aura retracted fully into his body.
Awakening, he immediately hugged Xu Zihuang tightly.
That tiger's soul ring had given him an extraordinary soul skill—all thanks to Xu Zihuang and Zhang Lexuan.
Pulling away, his fists clenched, trembling with excitement.
"Senior Chu, let me say first, I don't like men," Xu Zihuang teased, easing the awkwardness.
Chu Qingtian grinned.
"Funny, me neither."
"Really? I don't believe you." Wu Ming's eyes widened with suspicion.
Even Ye Liu nodded seriously.
"If you were straight, Qingtian, would you still be single?"
Laughter filled the air. Even Zhang Lexuan's lips curved faintly.
At that moment, Tianmeng Iceworm's voice rang out in Xu Zihuang's mind, brimming with excitement.
"Zihuang, fifteen degrees to the left, five kilometers ahead—there's a soul beast perfect for you in both attribute and age!"
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