At dawn the next day, on a quiet road far from Sea God Lake, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong walked side by side in silence. Neither spoke, and the sound of their footsteps was the only thing breaking the calm morning air.
Their destination was the same — the front gates of Shrek Academy — but their paths would soon diverge. Wang Dong was returning to her sect; Yuhao was joining the spirit hunting expedition.
"See you next month," Yuhao said simply, waving as he turned toward the gathering hunting team without hesitation.
This expedition was led by a Spirit Saint named Lie Yong, a power-type soul master whose Martial Soul was the Molten Flame Lion, a mutated Flame Lion King. His cultivation stood at Rank 73.
Besides Yuhao, three other students had joined the team.
Normally, only the top three teams from the freshman entrance exam earned the right to have an academy instructor lead their spirit hunt for free. The others could pay a hefty gold soul coin fee to tag along with official hunting teams — a safer, more reputable alternative to hiring private mercenaries.
Within Shrek's inner court, even greater hunts could be arranged, but only through extraordinary merit or accumulated task contributions.
Wang Dong looked as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only managed a quiet, "Goodbye," before quickly turning away.
Lie Yong, used to such scenes, merely glanced between them and smiled faintly. Having witnessed countless student farewells over the years, he didn't interfere.
He looked over the group and spoke in a deep, steady voice.
"My name is Lie Yong. You may call me Instructor Lie. I believe Director Du has already shown you my credentials, so I'll skip the long introductions."
"Hunting spirit beasts is always dangerous. Even if we're only heading to the outer region of the Star Dou Forest, don't get careless."
"Inside that forest, even I — a Spirit Saint — can't guarantee absolute safety. If any of you feel uncertain, you may withdraw now. Once we enter, there's no turning back."
"As for the hunt itself, I won't act against ten- or hundred-year beasts. Those will be your responsibility. I'll only intervene if a beast over five hundred years appears."
"Any questions?"
The three students shook their heads. Yuhao stayed silent. If something goes wrong, he thought, I'll probably be the least unlucky one anyway.
"Good. You three are all at Rank 20, aiming for your second ring. Introduce your martial souls and first soul skills to each other so we can avoid accidents during battle."
One by one, the students gave brief introductions.
The first wielded a Shield-type weapon soul, a defense-class battle soul master whose first skill reduced incoming force.
The second used a Bow-type weapon soul, a speed-based attack-type master, with a wind-element arrow technique.
The third possessed a Beast-type martial soul, the Mad Sound Queen Bee, a support-class spirit that offered group speed enhancement for up to five people.
"Hmm," Lie Yong nodded. "Defense, agility, support, and control — a well-balanced team. Let's move out."
And with that, the five of them set off for the Star Dou Forest.
The journey took several days. The group's pace was limited by the stamina of the younger students, but by the fourth day, the towering treeline of the forest finally came into view.
Yuhao's expression turned solemn as he spotted a familiar signpost.
Beyond this point was the very area where he had first crossed into this world.
Though he'd survived that chaotic moment, the memory remained vivid. Now, however, he felt nothing but calm resolve.
Before stepping inside, Yuhao activated the Eye of Truth in its basic form.
Through it, he scanned the forest's surroundings — the faint claw marks on bark, disturbed soil, residual energy traces. His keen perception allowed the group to avoid powerful beasts that weren't suitable hunting targets.
Lie Yong, stationed in the middle of the formation, observed both Yuhao's performance and the area with his own senses.
Even in the forest's outer perimeter, thousand-year beasts occasionally appeared, and those were far beyond a one-ring student's ability to fight.
'This kid's composure is remarkable,' Lie Yong thought.
'He hasn't even activated a soul skill, yet his observation ability is sharp. No wonder he's a core student.'
After some time, fortune smiled upon them — their first suitable target appeared.
A tiny bird, no larger than a palm, darted between blooming Wind Chime Flowers, themselves plant-type soul beasts of around five hundred years.
Hovering above was a Sonic Hummingbird, a wind-attributed beast renowned for speed. Its aura indicated it had just crossed the five-hundred-year threshold.
It was a perfect match for the bow-type student.
Lie Yong gestured for calm and quietly entered Martial Soul Possession. His aura constricted tightly, flames flickering only along his right arm as it transformed into a red lion's paw.
Then — boom! — a crimson palm imprint burst forward, precisely striking the bird midair. It fainted instantly without dying.
Lie Yong's hand twitched, summoning a stream of energy that coiled around, dragging the unconscious hummingbird back. Though the attack hadn't killed it, the bird's body was charred and battered — death was inevitable.
Yuhao's gaze, however, wasn't on the prey. He was focused entirely on Lie Yong — memorizing the flow of soul power, the trajectory of energy through his meridians, and the construction of the attack itself.
Moments later, the bow user stepped up and delivered the finishing blow before beginning to absorb the spirit ring.
Under Lie Yong's protection, the process went smoothly.
"Good," the instructor nodded. "Let's continue."
Not long after, they encountered another target: a Giant Rock Turtle — a large, defensive-type beast with rocky plates across its body.
"Rock Turtle," Lie Yong said, "can any of you determine its age?"
The others hesitated, but Yuhao answered immediately.
"The shell tells the story," he said.
"For turtles under a thousand years, the shell is earthy yellow. It starts with ten separate plates. Every hundred years, one plate fuses with another. When it becomes a single seamless shell, it reaches the thousand-year threshold."
"This one's shell has six main plates, each etched with seven fine lines. That puts it around six hundred seventy years, give or take thirty."
Lie Yong smiled approvingly. "Accurate. Very well, this one's yours. I'll watch."
The turtle immediately withdrew into its shell — pure defense, no offense. Its innate skill, Shell Fragmentation, absorbed and dispersed incoming damage by breaking one of its engraved lines.
Even so, its defense was monstrous.
The group attacked repeatedly, metal clashing against rock, sparks flying — yet only one of the shell's lines broke.
Lie Yong chuckled softly. The point of the exercise wasn't to kill, but to let the students practice. Especially the bow user, who had just gained a new soul skill — a live test against a perfect training target.
When it was clear the group had reached its limit, Lie Yong simply sighed and stepped forward.
With a casual strike, his blazing lion's paw shattered the shell completely, exposing the exhausted creature within.
"Finish it off," he said. "The rest of you, set up camp nearby."
The defensive-type student stepped forward with a low-grade melee soul tool and did as instructed.
That night, the students took turns keeping watch while Lie Yong only intervened when necessary.
Thanks to Yuhao's careful choice of campsite, the night passed uneventfully.
Over the following days, the group continued deeper, soon finding a six-hundred-year Queen Bee — a perfect match for the support-type student's martial soul.
Everything proceeded flawlessly.
By the time the forest's outer perimeter had been thoroughly explored, Lie Yong decided it was time to turn back.
"The outer region's nearly cleared," he said. "Going deeper leads into the mixed zone, and that's where it becomes tricky — especially for spirit masters with spiritual attributes."
"Such beasts are rare, solitary, and difficult to locate. But don't worry, Yuhao. Since the academy promised to help you obtain a suitable ring, we'll keep that promise. We'll return to rest first, then I'll personally escort you deeper into the mixed area."
The others had no objections — they had already achieved their goals and were eager to leave the forest behind.
Yuhao nodded. He already knew, from Skydream Iceworm's earlier guidance, exactly where to go next: the territory of the Bighead Spirit Ape.
That region lay right on the border between the outer forest and the mixed zone — conveniently along their return route.
During the past few days, Yuhao had subtly steered the group's path in that direction under the guise of scouting.
"Alright," he said mildly, "let's head back. Who knows — maybe we'll stumble upon something ideal on the way."
And so, under his quiet lead, the team moved toward the Spirit Ape colony —
a powerful tribe of psychic beasts whose group strength far exceeded that of ordinary creatures.
Skydream's lingering spiritual memory of the area was still clear. After all, only a year had passed.
There was no reason such a species would have vanished so soon.
(End of Chapter)