Chapter 42 Deeper into the Mixed Zone.
After resting, the group continued their journey, dealing with several more troublesome soul beasts. They were now venturing deeper into the mixed zone.
Because they were searching horizontally, they maintained a safe distance from the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Of the four zones in the Star Dou Great Forest, the outer and mixed zones were undoubtedly the largest. The core zone was much smaller. Of course, the soul beasts living in the core zone were extremely powerful. Without considerable resources, which soul beast would dare to live in the core zone?
As for further inward from the core zone, in its center lay the Great Perilous Land. The Great Perilous Land was a forbidden area that human soul masters dared not easily set foot in.
The distribution of the Star Dou Great Forest, with its inner strength and outer weakness, had its reasons. The further inward, the denser the life force in the air, as Wu Xuan could feel. This life force was beneficial to any creature. Presumably, the Great Perilous Land in the core zone was actually a blessed land, the most suitable place for soul beasts to cultivate.
By this time, it had completely darkened, and night had fallen. The mixed zone was now a completely different scene. The roars and howls of soul beasts echoed constantly, along with the distant, drawn-out chirping of insects and birds.
"Third Soul Skill, Golden Crow True Fire Explosion!"
With a slap, Wu Ming unleashed a burst of blazing Golden Crow True Fire, blasting away the thousand-year-old soul beast, the Steel-Toothed Wild Boar, that had charged at them.
"With such meager abilities, you dare to sneak up and attack me? A pig is a pig! Even with a thousand years of cultivation, you have no brains!" Wu Ming stood with her hands on her hips, one foot stomping on the Steel-Toothed Wild Boar's head, cursing and swearing. Still seemingly unsatisfied, she stomped on the boar's head twice more.
Wu Ming's ferocious display completely overturned Wu Xuan's initial understanding. Now he finally understood the meaning behind Chu Qingtian's words. He knew what a "living volcano" in the inner courtyard meant. Along the way, any low-level soul beast that had attacked them, if its corpse wasn't valuable, would be instantly charred into charcoal by the roaring Golden Crow True Fire, some even leaving no trace. The steel-tusked boar in front of them was relatively well-preserved, at least its carcass was intact.
"See that, Junior Brother Wu Xuan? This is its true face. When you enter the inner courtyard, don't be fooled by the pretense of those senior girls. You should know that on the continent, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names." Chu Qingtian, standing to the side, whispered to Wu Xuan, "Yes, yes, yes! Senior Brother Chu, you're such a good senior." Wu Xuan kept giving him a thumbs up.
"Chu Qingtian, what are you saying?!" Wu Ming looked up and glared at Chu Qingtian.
"Ah! Nothing! Junior Brother Wu and I were just chatting, haha!" Chu Qingtian hooked his arm around Wu Xuan's neck, his expression nonchalant.
Wu Xuan nodded quickly.
"If there's nothing else, hurry up and deal with this steel-tusked boar." Wu Ming said with a stern face.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming." Chu Qingtian quickly ran over, and with just a few slashes, the steel-tusked boar was instantly cut into several pieces and put into his soul tool.
Zhang Lexuan, ignoring the three playful individuals, glanced at the sky through the dappled shadows of the trees and said in a deep voice, "We should now venture deeper into the central part of the mixed zone. Nighttime is not conducive to travel, so let's rest here tonight. Ming'er, Junior Brother Wu, go and clear this area."
Hearing Zhang Lexuan's instructions, Wu Ming didn't argue with Chu Qingtian anymore. He followed the direction Zhang Lexuan indicated.
It was a relatively high earthen slope, surrounded by dense shrubs, but offering the best view.
In the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest, caution and rest were the best course of action, as hunting for spirit rings often depended on luck; after all, no one knew where to find the most suitable spirit beast.
Wu Ming unleashed a torrent of Golden Crow True Fire, rapidly withering the surrounding dense shrubs, turning them to ashes in an instant.
Seeing this, Wu Xuan stepped forward, waving his hand, and a howling wind instantly dispersed the ashes. A large, relatively flat clearing was revealed.
Zhang Lexuan placed two mats made of soul beast fur on the open ground, and the four of them sat down.
Zhang Lexuan and Wu Ming sat on one mat, and Wu Xuan and Chu Qingtian sat on the other. They sat facing each other.
Venturing deeper into the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest meant they would have to endure the elements. Because they needed to be prepared for any eventuality, sleeping in tents was absolutely out of the question.
Zhang Lexuan looked at everyone and pondered, "Soul beasts are very densely populated in the mixed zone, but judging from our journey so far, there shouldn't be any powerful soul beasts that have claimed this area as their territory. Tonight, Ming'er and I will take turns keeping watch. Ming'er, you keep watch for the first half of the night, and I'll take over for the second half. As for Junior Brother Chu and Junior Brother Wu, you two can rest assured."
"Does anyone have any objections?"
"Senior Sister, I have no problem." Wu Ming stood up and nodded readily.
"Junior Brother Wu Xuan, come sit here with me." Wu Ming had only taken a few steps when Zhang Lexuan's gentle voice suddenly rang out.
Wu Xuan was about to speak when he heard Zhang Lexuan's voice and froze! He thought he had misheard. But when he met Zhang Lexuan's gentle and clear eyes, he was certain he hadn't misheard.
This time, Chu Qingtian didn't wink at Wu Xuan. If it were any other senior female student from the inner academy, they might have teased her, but he couldn't say such a thing in front of the senior sister.
This was simply because Zhang Lexuan's image in the hearts of the inner academy students was too perfect, so perfect that no one dared to have any improper thoughts or make any jokes.
Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan smiled and explained, "Before leaving, Dean Yan instructed me to take good care of you on the journey. Anything can happen in the Starry Sky Forest at night, so it'll be safer for you to sit among us."
"That's right, Junior Brother Wu Xuan! Senior Sister only asked you to come over for your safety. What? Are you afraid Senior Sister will eat you? Although you're good-looking and talented, you're too young, not our type." Seeing Wu Xuan's stunned expression, Wu Ming teased with a mischievous smile.
"Um, Senior Sister! Senior Sister Wu Ming, actually, you don't need to trouble yourselves so much. You don't even need to keep watch." Hearing Wu Ming's teasing, Wu Xuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and he touched his nose.
"?" Hearing this, the three looked at Wu Xuan in surprise.
Seeing this, Wu Xuan no longer concealed his intentions, saying, "My martial soul controls the wind element, so I'm particularly sensitive to the movement of air currents around me. You could say I have a certain degree of perception within a radius of nearly a thousand meters. I can detect any significant fluctuations in energy immediately, so you don't need to take turns keeping watch."
"Hiss~!" The three looked at Wu Xuan in disbelief.
"A martial soul's innate ability?" Zhang Lexuan asked, regaining her composure.
Wu Xuan nodded slightly.
"Great! Then we don't need to keep watch this time during the soul hunt! Junior Brother Wu Xuan, you're amazing!" Wu Ming cheered, then took out another mat from her soul tool and lay down on her back.
Zhang Lexuan looked up at Wu Xuan, then smiled gently, "In that case, everyone should rest early!" She then took out another mat and handed it to Wu Xuan.
"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Wu Xuan accepted the mat and thanked her.
Not long after lying down, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's lazy voice rang out from his spiritual sea: "Little Wu Xuan, your senior sister's spiritual power level is quite high, able to cover such a long range."
"Hmph! That woman really doesn't know what's good for her. Little Wu Xuan already told her she could rest peacefully, but she still went to all this trouble." Ice Emperor's voice also rang out at the right time.
"Alright, let's talk about serious matters first." Wu Xuan smiled helplessly. He could understand Zhang Lexuan's actions, after all, it concerned the safety of the entire team, and it wasn't wrong for the senior sister to be cautious.
"Tianmeng, what is the limit of the spirit rings my current physical condition can withstand?" Wu Xuan asked curiously.
"Hmm! Considering your spiritual power, which is comparable to a Soul Douluo, and your physical condition, which is comparable to a Soul Saint, absorbing spirit rings under 50,000 years old shouldn't be a problem. Besides, didn't I say before that I could help you seal part of the spirit ring's energy? You can unseal it once your physical condition is strong enough." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm smiled smugly at the end.
"Hmm, you good-for-nothing are actually somewhat useful now," Ice Emperor said with a hint of arrogance.
"Hehe!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm chuckled.
"Tianmeng! Do you remember that Dark Demon Evil God Tiger you saw in my memories?" Wu Xuan asked coldly.
"I remember, little Wu Xuan, you don't mean to...?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's smile vanished, and his expression turned serious.
"With the Shrek Academy experts accompanying us this time, there's no better opportunity than this. I'm going to kill that beast and avenge my parents. If possible, I'll choose it for my fourth spirit ring," Wu Xuan said through gritted teeth.
"Tianmeng, don't fall asleep again in the next few days. I'll be taking them around the mixed zone a few more times. If you sense that Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, remember to remind me."
"Hmph, don't worry! Do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to slack off?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm grumbled.
"..."
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