Shangguan Mo was pleasantly surprised after seeing the Earth Beetle's attributes.
The previously reflective black beetle was gone, replaced by an inconspicuous brown bug, still with a pair of scythe-like curved horns on its head.
Although this little creature hadn't changed in size, still only thumb-sized, its abilities had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
Being able to manipulate the surrounding soil to form an Earth Wall, wasn't this equivalent to another form of Earth Release: Earth Wall?
The defensive power of an Earth Wall released by a Ninja depended on how much Chakra the user infused and their understanding of the shape and nature transformation of Earth Release Chakra.
The Earth Beetle's ability to manipulate soil to form an Earth Wall was more like an innate talent, a product of life form evolution achieved through the Synthesis System.
At this moment, the Earth Beetle lay quietly in Shangguan Mo's palm, its flat, round head facing him, seemingly observing Shangguan Mo, its creator, in return.
Shangguan Mo's lips curled into a smile, then he looked back in the direction of Inoshita Riya and the other students, a slight frown on his brow.
He had walked a bit further away. He was already eager to test this little guy's abilities, but he was worried about making too much noise.
After walking a few more dozen steps, he noticed that Earth Dragon Beast was still standing rooted to the spot, while Little Thorn, the Iron Hedgehog, held its head tightly with its four short legs, looking at him with pitiful eyes, as if waiting for him to change his mind.
"Little Dragon, why are you standing there like a fool? Come over with Little Thorn!"
Shangguan Mo waved to the two of them, and only then did Earth Dragon Beast, which had been standing upright, lie down again and quickly move towards Shangguan Mo.
Squatting down, Shangguan Mo's hand gently touched the ground and he whispered.
"Little Beetle, let me feel your ability."
The Earth Beetle seemed to understand his meaning and obediently crawled from his right palm to the ground.
Its several slender legs bounced curiously on the ground a couple of times, then it looked back at Shangguan Mo, its body trembling slightly, seemingly a little excited.
A clearly joyful emotion emanated from the Earth Beetle, which surprised Shangguan Mo slightly.
He nodded slightly towards this little guy, and only then did the Earth Beetle tentatively begin to crawl on the ground. Shangguan Mo did not rush it; this little guy's current state was like a newborn, with an instinctive affinity for the earth and full of curiosity about the outside world.
"It's very cute, at least better looking than that Earth Dragon Beast and Iron Hedgehog..."
Shangguan Mo complained in his mind.
Then, the beetle rolled slightly in the mud a few times, then became still, but in an instant, Shangguan Mo lost sight of it. Its entire body was the same brown color as the mud, making it perfectly integrated with the earth.
"This invisibility ability is indeed not bad, Little Beetle, use Earth Wall."
Shangguan Mo nodded with some satisfaction, then issued a new command.
The next moment, the soil beneath the Earth Beetle began to vibrate rapidly, then quickly gathered, and a brown Earth Wall, smelling faintly of fresh earth and as tall as a person, rose from the ground before Shangguan Mo's eyes.
"Not bad, not bad, the speed and scale of the ability's activation are quite nice!"
Shangguan Mo hadn't expected that a white-quality Summoning Beast, synthesized casually, could bring him such a big surprise.
He stepped forward and kicked the Earth Wall, but he himself was thrown back two steps by a recoil force.
Shangguan Mo's expression did not show anger but a smile, and he issued a command to the curious Iron Hedgehog beside him.
"Little Thorn, try the power of your Iron Spikes on this Earth Wall. Just shoot a few, don't shoot them all at once."
Although the spikes on the Iron Hedgehog could regenerate after being shot out, and their growth speed was astonishing, completely defying normal regenerative characteristics, it still took some time for them to fully recover.
Facing the Evil God Cult followers who might appear at any time, Shangguan Mo had to ensure that he and his Summoning Beasts were always in good condition, and the Iron Hedgehog, as his only offensive Summoning Beast, was even more important and needed to maintain its full combat capability at all times.
...
Shangguan Mo, who was trying to quietly return to the team, was still discovered by his homeroom teacher, Inoshita Riya, immediately. However, he thought the boy had just gone out to relieve himself, so he didn't say much at the moment.
Seeing that all the team members were present, Inoshita Riya then said.
"We walked over twenty kilometers this morning. Now, students, please bear with it a bit longer. Once we find a Village tonight, we can get some good rest."
"Okay, Riya-sensei."
...
The sun gradually disappeared below the horizon, leaving only a faint, dim yellow struggling at the edge of the sky.
Just then, Inoshita Riya suddenly saw faint wisps of cooking smoke rising gently from the forest ahead in the distance.
He looked back at his listless students and couldn't help but smile bitterly, but still patiently comforted them.
"Everyone, put in a little more effort. There's a Village ahead, and we can stay at a villager's house."
Several boys who had initially been excited had long lost their former liveliness. Hearing this, they only responded listlessly.
"Oh..."
"Still walking, Riya-sensei, I really can't walk anymore..."
Shangguan Mo shook his head slightly. These guys, they still had a long way to go to become true Ninja. Not just in terms of strength, but these children's mentality was truly too poor.
However, on second thought, these were all just ten-year-old children. In his previous life, they would still be in elementary school. He really couldn't look at others with an adult's perspective.
But for some reason, Shangguan Mo always had a bad premonition in his heart.
Turning to look at Inoshita Li, Shangguan Mo whispered.
"Li, don't stay too far from me from now on. If anything unexpected happens, we can look out for each other."
"Mm-hmm."
Inoshita Li's pretty face just froze for a moment, then she nodded obediently.
Having been in the Ninja World for so long, if he had only one friend, Shangguan Mo felt that only Inoshita Li, this gentle little girl, counted as half. But he only pitied her background and treated her like a younger sister. After all, he was an adult inside, his psychological age much more mature than this ten-year-old girl. To call her a friend, he felt it was a bit inappropriate.
...
Just as Inoshita Riya led his somewhat impatient students to the gate of this Village, his expression suddenly became very grim, and his eyes became incredibly sharp. He quickly scanned the surroundings of the Village and immediately shouted in a deep voice.
"There are enemies ahead! Everyone, stay alert! Form a circle formation and remain vigilant!"
Shangguan Mo's face registered surprise, then he subtly pulled the Earth Beetle out of his Ninja tool pouch and placed it on his head.
He also silently summoned Earth Dragon Beast from underground in his mind.
"Maintain formation, and stick close to me."
Inoshita Riya's voice came from the front, not loud, but extremely grave.
Shangguan Mo and his group instinctively suppressed their breathing and quickly followed Inoshita Riya's footsteps, cautiously moving towards the interior of the Village.