Lin Xiao began to understand how those men had developed such seamless teamwork.
If they brought a client into the Star Dou Great Forest under the pretense of protecting them, surrounding them in the middle, even a soul master capable of resistance would be caught off guard and fall to their attack. For soul masters with food-type or support-type martial souls, there would be no chance to struggle at all.
Though they weren't evil soul masters, their actions were no different from those of one. No wonder they said they'd be dead if they left this place—they had been targeted by Shrek Academy.
It also explained why Lin Xiao's swift killing of Old Third had stunned the others. They weren't battle-hardened veterans; they were merely used to preying on ordinary soul masters.
"There are all sorts of dangers in the Star Dou Great Forest. Even if one or two people go missing occasionally, not many would care, right?" Lin Xiao said, finishing the thought Zhang Lexuan had left unsaid.
"Mm," she responded.
"It's quite a… cliché story," Lin Xiao remarked.
"Have you seen many things like this?" Zhang Lexuan suddenly asked.
Lin Xiao was momentarily taken aback. Stories like this, whether from his past life's memories or within the Holy Spirit Cult, weren't something he'd seen firsthand often, but he had certainly heard of many. Even in a world like this, how many truly new things were there?
"For the families of those soul masters, one moment they might be overjoyed because someone in their family has shown great talent as a soul master, and the next, they're struck with tragic news," Zhang Lexuan said, her eyes tinged with melancholy. "No one can predict what will happen next."
The moonlight illuminated her gentle profile. Lin Xiao looked at her and, for a moment, didn't speak. If not for certain events, the person before him might also be happily celebrating her talent with her family.
If no accidents had occurred, perhaps even he himself wouldn't be alone in this world.
"By the way, they had a fifth member," Lin Xiao said, breaking the silence. "He was dealt with earlier."
"Mm," Zhang Lexuan nodded. "You…"
"Shrek Academy lets you handle these people on your own?" Lin Xiao interjected, sensing she was about to ask something and quickly changing the subject.
After all, ordinary people wouldn't come to the perilous Star Dou Great Forest unless they were hunting for soul rings.
"The academy wants to train us to handle crises independently," Zhang Lexuan replied.
Lin Xiao listened to her response, but his mind was elsewhere, wondering if there were other Shrek Academy members secretly protecting her.
If Zhang Lexuan was accompanied by a Titled Douluo, he might be able to use Shrek Academy's strength to escape the Holy Spirit Cult.
From his past life's memories, he knew Shrek Academy had varying reputations, but their stance against evil soul masters was unwavering. If they heard about the Holy Spirit Cult, they would surely be interested.
Moreover, with Mu En at Shrek Academy, even the Holy Spirit Cult couldn't touch them.
But if Zhang Lexuan was truly out here alone, involving her would not only drag her into trouble but also yield no benefit for him.
"Do you have something you want to say?" Zhang Lexuan asked.
"Hm?" Lin Xiao snapped back to attention. "I just realized that after meeting twice, I still don't know your name."
"My name is…" Zhang Lexuan began.
Before she could finish, a piercing wail cut through the air, drowning out her words.
Lin Xiao's expression changed drastically.
He hadn't sensed its aura the entire way, assuming it wasn't targeting them. But now, it was clear that the appearance of this hundred-thousand-year soul beast was absolutely connected to the Ghost-Faced Owl captured by Nightmare Douluo.
The sound, as if it could tear through the night, came from behind them.
"Run!" Lin Xiao shouted.
Before his words fully landed, his figure shot forward.
Zhang Lexuan quickly followed, but how could the speed of two soul masters compare to a hundred-thousand-year soul beast?
The oppressive aura grew closer, accompanied by the sound of snapping trees. A chaotic gust of wind sent the forest's accumulated leaves swirling into the air.
Lin Xiao's face darkened. He hadn't expected that even after discarding the Ghost-Faced Owl, the soul beast would still pursue them.
Was it that vengeful? But it was chasing the wrong people.
Glancing back at Zhang Lexuan, he suddenly moved closer and grabbed her wrist.
In the next moment, under her slightly startled gaze, Lin Xiao's speed surged again.
Zhang Lexuan opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a sudden immense pressure on her body.
The air seemed to solidify, and a tremendous force pressed down on her from ahead.
Only then did she notice the beams of light surging from behind Lin Xiao.
Not all soul mentors favored soul thrusters. Compared to soul masters, soul mentors typically had weaker physical constitutions, and not all could withstand the pressure exerted by soul thrusters.
But the pressure that most soul mentors couldn't endure also highlighted the device's formidable power.
As soul power poured recklessly into the soul thruster, dazzling light erupted from behind Lin Xiao. Even he could feel his body straining under the tearing sensation of the immense pressure.
The roaring wind in his ears drowned out nearly all other sounds. Occasionally, a tree blocking their path was too close to dodge and was snapped in half by his collision.
A Titled Douluo hiding himself and letting his disciple face the wrath of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast—Nightmare Douluo was truly a "great" teacher.
Lin Xiao's soul power drained rapidly, his mind racing with thoughts.
If he could escape this soul beast, at the very least, this incident might delay the Ascension Ceremony for a while.
But—
This hundred-thousand-year soul beast had been active for so long, yet no one from Shrek Academy had appeared. Could Zhang Lexuan really be out here alone?
Just as Lin Xiao was considering whether to leave Zhang Lexuan behind, her voice reached his ears.
"Head toward the forest's edge. I can hold it off for a bit. With the academy nearby, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast won't easily appear outside the Star Dou Great Forest."
As expected of Shrek Academy's future senior sister, Zhang Lexuan had already adapted to the pressure of the soul thruster's rapid flight in just moments. She enveloped herself in a soul power shield, her voice reaching Lin Xiao clearly.
Without responding, Lin Xiao locked onto the direction and crashed through several more trees, snapping them at the waist.
A wave of soul power fluctuations came from behind. Lin Xiao instinctively felt a flicker of caution but, after a moment's thought, didn't look back.
In the next instant, a dazzling golden light flared up, and a dragon's roar echoed through the entire Star Dou Great Forest.