Seeing Xu Zihuang finish his comprehension, Chu Qingtian smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
Toward this junior with astonishing talent and willpower, his approval came from the heart.
A soul ring of more than thirty thousand years, absorbed just like that—he admitted that he himself could never do it.
"Congratulations, Junior Yu. After fusing a soul ring of over thirty thousand years, your soul power must have risen by more than one level, right?"
"By luck, I broke through to rank forty-two." Xu Zihuang smiled at everyone.
"Senior Chu, Senior Wu, and Senior Ye—if you don't mind, you can just call me Tianhuang like Senior Sister does."
Chu Qingtian and Ye Liu readily agreed. Building good relations with Xu Zihuang was something they eagerly wished for.
From Elder Xuan's attitude earlier, they could already see how much the Academy valued Yu Tianhuang.
As for Wu Ming, who was more forthright than most men, she naturally stepped forward, slapped Xu Zihuang on the shoulder, and laughed boldly:
"Not bad, you're to my taste. Men should be straightforward like this, not timid and hesitant. When you enter the inner court, your Senior Sister will cover you. If anyone dares to provoke you, just send them straight to me."
Watching this harmonious scene, Zhang Lexuan smiled faintly.
"All right. Tomorrow we still need to find suitable soul rings for Ming'er and Ye Liu. Everyone should rest well tonight."
"Yes, Senior Sister."
Sharing trials together was the best way to deepen bonds. Though Xu Zihuang had only been with these inner court disciples for less than three days, he was already clearly one of them.
Zhang Lexuan was happy to see it.
Evaluating a soul master's future potential was not only about personal strength—cooperation and character were equally important. A reclusive loner could hardly accomplish great things. To have help, one must first build good relations.
She was truly glad that the Academy had a student as gifted as Yu Tianhuang.
That night, though the group was attacked by a few soul beasts, they were all only thousand-year ones. Wu Ming easily dispatched them all on her own.
Taking advantage of the time, they also dealt with the corpses of the Nether Ghost Tiger and the Silver Shadow Beast.
Unfortunately, no soul bones were produced.
The stronger the cultivation of a soul beast, the higher the chance of producing a soul bone—or so theory said. But in reality, you might kill over a dozen ten-thousand-year soul beasts without getting anything, while by chance, a thousand-year beast might drop one.
In the end, it was still a matter of luck.
The meat of the Nether Ghost Tiger and the Silver Shadow Beast was not fit to eat, but the group harvested some valuable materials from them.
For example, the tiger claws of the Nether Ghost Tiger could be used to forge high-grade melee soul tools.
All the collected materials combined could be sold outside for at least several hundred thousand gold soul coins.
The Nether Ghost Tiger had been slain by Xu Zihuang and Zhang Lexuan together, but according to Shrek Academy's rules, spoils were shared by all who witnessed. Of course, the largest share went to Xu Zihuang and Zhang Lexuan.
This was also one of the main sources of income for inner court disciples.
Every time they entered the Star Dou Forest, it was a joyful occasion—not only for advancing with soul rings but also for earning a fortune.
After all, with Shrek Academy's teachers watching over them, accidents were few.
At dawn, mist filled the forest, heavy with dew and moisture, thickening the aura of life.
After a simple breakfast of dry rations and water, under Zhang Lexuan's lead, they once again searched the mixed zone.
Wu Ming and Ye Liu already had plans for their next soul rings. Compared with the Nether Ghost Tiger and Silver Shadow Beast they had faced earlier, the species they had chosen were far more common. As long as the years matched, it would do.
Yet, despite searching carefully under Zhang Lexuan's lead, two whole days passed without finding suitable soul beasts for them.
With food stored in soul tools, supplies were no problem. But living in the perilous mixed zone of the Star Dou Forest for days on end kept nerves taut and wore them down.
Still, it was exactly this danger that honed their cooperation. Tacit understanding only came from fighting together repeatedly, and this environment was the best training.
Xu Zihuang also gained a rough evaluation of his own overall strength.
"Roar—!" A deafening roar shook the sky. In front of them appeared a lion-type soul beast nearly five meters long and over two meters tall at the shoulder.
Its mane flared wide, its fire-red fur blazing even more majestic under the flames on its body.
Its muscles were clearly defined, its brown-yellow eyes radiating a cold aura.
After that roar, it charged directly at them. As it ran, flames rose higher and higher from its body, heat distorting the air around it.
"Flame Lion King, cultivation just over ten thousand years."
Xu Zihuang calmly made an accurate judgment.
Originally interested, Wu Ming lost her enthusiasm when she heard its exact cultivation and looked disappointed.
"Tianhuang, same as usual—you support me."
After days without finding a soul beast suitable in attribute and years, Wu Ming was already in a bad mood. Seeing this Flame Lion King attack them, her temper flared.
Even her voice carried a chill.
Chu Qingtian and Ye Liu instinctively shrank back.
Xu Zihuang understood and activated his second soul skill.
Dark-red ripples spread over the area. Under his spiritual lock, the Flame Lion King's huge body was instantly covered with heavy dark-red crystal.
Now that he had advanced to Soul Ancestor, the power of this second skill had become even stronger.
It might not heavily injure this ten-thousand-year Flame Lion King, but restraining it for a few seconds was more than enough.
The Flame Lion King froze mid-charge, trapped by the crystal.
For two whole seconds it struggled, then flames condensed on its body, forming a fiery clone identical to itself, shattering the crystal into pieces.
This was the Flame Lion King's innate skill—Flame Clone Strike.
But in those two seconds, Wu Ming had already launched.
Golden-red Sunfire rose over her body. With a sharp cry, she pointed skyward as her fourth soul ring flared.
A ruby-red orb, no larger than a dragon's eye at first, shot upward.
Though small when it appeared, it swelled rapidly. By the time it reached thirty meters high, it was the size of a basin. Then, like a meteor, it crashed down toward the Flame Lion King.
The Flame Clone Strike it had unleashed was instantly dissolved upon contact, like snow melting.
This was absolute suppression of both attribute and cultivation.
The Flame Lion King was strong among fire-type beasts, but before Wu Ming's Golden Crow Martial Soul, it was crushed.
The orb then slammed into the Flame Lion King's body.
It wasn't that the beast didn't want to dodge, but Xu Zihuang's "Mirror of Shattering" had pinned it too firmly. Just breaking free had exhausted its strength.
The restriction of a control-type soul master and the explosive power of an assault-type—this was the perfect combination.
The Flame Lion King was blasted dozens of meters away, its fiery red fur charred black. With a whimper, it staggered up, tucked its tail, and fled.
A ten-thousand-year beast already possessed considerable intelligence.
The Nether Ghost Tiger and Silver Shadow Beast had simply been unlucky—one killed instantly by Xu Zihuang and Zhang Lexuan's teamwork, the other subdued personally by Elder Xuan.
Compared to them, this Flame Lion King was fortunate. Since no one needed its ring, there was no reason to kill it.
Wu Ming happily stretched her wrist.
"Still the most fun fighting with you, Tianhuang. If you were ten years older, maybe I'd really claim you for myself."
Xu Zihuang gave a dry laugh—he dared not respond to such a bold senior.
From what he had seen of Wu Ming, she might not be joking.
Chu Qingtian and Ye Liu both gave Xu Zihuang teasing smiles.
Zhang Lexuan looked at the sky and, after a moment's thought, said solemnly:
"Prepare yourselves. We're heading into the core zone of the Star Dou Forest."
If they delayed longer, everyone's condition would only worsen.
The core zone was more dangerous, but also held the soul beasts most suitable for them.
As for Ye Liu, nothing needed to be said. Wu Ming's seventh ring had to push close to fifty thousand years. Such beasts might exist in the mixed zone, but they were far too rare.
Weighing the risks and benefits, Zhang Lexuan's choice was clear.
Besides, Xu Zihuang's strength over the past two days reassured her greatly.
At first, she had held back from leading them into the core zone mainly out of concern for Xu Zihuang's safety.
At her command, everyone nodded gravely.
The core zone was far more perilous.
It was early morning.
Though they occasionally encountered powerful beasts on the way, most were not overly aggressive. With careful avoidance, they made it through without major trouble.
They marched for three hours until noon before resting.
Xu Zihuang observed the surroundings.
"The vegetation here is denser, much older than outside. Senior Sister, we must be very close to the core zone now?"
Zhang Lexuan nodded approvingly. "Yes. We're at the edge of the core. Ahead is the true core area, the most dangerous region of the forest. Everyone must be careful."
They rested for a long time until all were in peak condition before moving on.
As they ventured deeper, ancient trees blocked out the sky, leaving the forest dim.
As a spiritual-type soul master, Xu Zihuang clearly felt the energy of heaven and earth here was far greater than outside. Training here for long periods would be hugely beneficial.
Just as they stepped into the core, they encountered a soul beast perfectly suited in attribute and years.
With the keen vision of his Golden Eyes, Xu Zihuang spotted a massive scorpion-like beast.
It was over ten meters long, its body deep blue, radiating killing intent from its joints. Its eight-segmented tail arched high, tipped with a fiery red stinger.
Sensing it too, Zhang Lexuan warned quickly:
"Careful! Five hundred meters ahead on the left—a King of the Earth, cultivation over forty thousand years!"
This was by far the strongest beast they had yet faced.
The Earth King also noticed them. Its dark blue body slithered swiftly along the ground, its grotesque pincers snapping, its eight small eyes gleaming cold and greedy.
This scorpion-type soul beast was domineering and bloodthirsty. Though not as feared for poison as the Man-Faced Demon Spider, few same-level beasts dared provoke it. It was a powerful second-tier beast.
The Flame Lion King they had fought earlier was strong, but against an Earth King of equal cultivation, it would stand no chance.
The Earth King came in three colors. Red ones were under a thousand years old, each tail segment equal to fifty years. At a thousand years, its huge body would shrink and turn white. At ten thousand years, it would turn dark blue and grow massive again.
Yet its huge size did not hinder its agility.
In the blink of an eye, it had closed the distance. From its eight tail segments, they could see it had cultivated for over forty thousand years, since above ten thousand years, each extra five thousand added a tail segment.
This kind of Earth King was stronger than an ordinary Soul Douluo.
Soul beasts were sensitive, and the stronger they grew, the sharper their senses. This one felt Zhang Lexuan's threat immediately and unleashed its innate soul skill without hesitation.
At this cultivation, it already had intelligence not inferior to humans.
Cunning, it would devour them if its first strike succeeded—or flee if it failed.
In an instant, its body glowed red, distorting the air for a hundred meters around. The ground cracked beneath it as its giant pincers hammered down, releasing a violent shockwave.
Its speed was terrifying. At only five hundred meters away, its innate skill—Magma Shattering Strike—covered an enormous range.
Its danger was not only the destructive force but the semi-circular field of warped air beforehand, which caused dizziness. The duration depended on the difference in strength. If the opponent froze, the erupting magma-hot pillar would deliver a fatal blow.
At ten thousand years, the range reached fifty meters. At forty thousand years, this one's covered over a hundred.
Zhang Lexuan could escape it, but the others could not.
Wu Ming, Chu Qingtian, and Ye Liu were stunned before they could react.
Zhang Lexuan hurriedly released her Martial Soul to shield them. Even she faltered slightly under the shock.
At that moment, an ethereal whale's song echoed. Everyone's spirits lifted, the dizziness vanishing instantly.
Without pausing to think, they fled the scorching ground beneath them.
Just in time, a crimson pillar of fire erupted skyward.
Five meters wide, it engulfed the spot they had just left.
Zhang Lexuan grasped Xu Zihuang's wrist, landing with him nearby.
Feeling the surging soul power from Xu Zihuang, not only she but Wu Ming, Chu Qingtian, and Ye Liu all looked instinctively at him.
A white whale with silver hexagonal scales on its forehead circled him joyfully, singing.
Purple, purple, purple, black—four soul rings pulsed rapidly, the first and fourth shining together.
Complex runes shifted around his pupils as if recording something. His aura skyrocketed.
Behind him appeared the phantom of the Earth King. For a hundred meters around, the air warped again—but this time, the target was the Earth King itself.
Immediately, a fiery pillar burst from its vulnerable abdomen, its color unfathomably deep.
Everyone gasped in shock as the massive Earth King was scorched, its belly blackened. It crashed down, thrashing wildly, tearing the area into chaos.
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