Xiao Han possessed the Flight Ability, allowing him to see farther from the air.
He soared above the Star Dou Great Forest, his gaze sharp as a torch.
Before flying far, he spotted a deep, tranquil lake.
Xiao Han noticed quite a few fish-type Soul Beasts leisurely swimming through the lake.
There might be a thousand-year Soul Beast in that lake suitable for Yu Hairou.
Xiao Han swiftly turned back, landed before the group, and excitedly shared his discovery.
"I found one. There's a lake not far away, and a large number of fish-type Soul Beasts have gathered there."
Everyone was pleasantly surprised at his words.
Shui Bing'er said:
"Time is of the essence. Let's head over now."
"Alright, I'll lead the way. Follow me."
Led by Xiao Han, the group quickly made their way toward the lake.
Before long, they arrived at the shore.
The lake's full expanse appeared before them.
The lake was not very large, only a few hundred meters across, but judging by the color of its surface, it seemed quite deep.
Fish-type Soul Beasts could clearly be seen swimming within it.
Yu Hairou, Gu Qingbo, Shen Liuyu, and Qiu Ruoshui all possessed fish-type beast martial souls and could easily move through the lake water.
Shui Yue'er could also bring out the advantages of her martial soul underwater.
Xiao Han, Shui Bing'er, and Xue Wu possessed Ice Attributes that shared the same origin as water. While their advantages in the water were not as obvious as those of the other five girls, they could transform water elements into ice elements for attack and defense.
Everyone cautiously approached the lake.
Lin Zhiruo and Liu Yan remained behind on the shore.
Shui Bing'er reminded them:
"There are many unknown Soul Beasts in this lake. Be careful, everyone, and don't spread out too much."
"Understood."
Suddenly, a large fish three meters long caught Xiao Han's attention.
Its body was covered in blue stripes, and its serrated dorsal fin glinted with a cold light beneath the sun.
Xiao Han recognized it as a Bluefin Sawtooth Fish.
"Look, that Bluefin Sawtooth Fish! Its cultivation should be over a thousand years but under two thousand. It's exactly what Hairou needs."
Following Xiao Han's gaze, the others saw the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish.
It floated on the lake's surface, chewing something in its mouth as though it had just caught prey.
Its two rows of serrated teeth gleamed with a dark, cold light and looked incomparably sharp.
"That's the one. Prepare for battle. It should have companions, so everyone be careful."
After speaking, Shui Bing'er immediately released her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul and prepared to attack.
As her First Soul Ring suddenly lit up, the Freeze skill activated instantly.
The surrounding temperature plummeted, and a layer of hard ice crystals began forming across the lake's surface.
That layer of ice rapidly spread toward the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish.
At almost the same moment, the others also released their respective martial souls and Soul Rings.
Xiao Han's figure flashed as he arrived above the lake.
Sensing the threat, the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish let out a piercing hum the instant it was frozen, drawing the attention of its school.
A group of Bluefin Sawtooth Fish rushed in from every direction.
The lake surface began to shake violently.
In an instant, countless sharp Water Blades shot out from beneath the water like a dense rain of arrows, hurtling toward them.
Faced with the sudden attack, the girls did not panic in the slightest. They swiftly gathered atop the ice, forming a circular formation as they counterattacked the fish school.
At this moment, the thousand-year Bluefin Sawtooth Fish had already been completely controlled by Shui Bing'er, trapped in the ice beneath her feet.
Once they drove back the fish school, they could kill it.
Just as they were fiercely battling the fish school, a much larger Bluefin Sawtooth Fish suddenly charged over from not far away.
Its powerful impact made the lake surface churn even more violently.
Seeing this, Xiao Han flew into the air and fixed his gaze on the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish over six meters long.
The Soul Power fluctuations it emitted were even stronger than those of the three-thousand-year Soul Beast he had encountered in the Ice Sealed Forest.
Clearly, it had cultivated for at least three thousand years. It might even have been the leader of this Bluefin Sawtooth Fish school.
"Everyone be careful! The boss of this fish school is here!"
As Xiao Han spoke, he drew his bowstring to its limit.
First Soul Skill, Frost Shot, activate.
An ice-blue arrow shot forth instantly and struck the enormous creature directly.
Enhanced by his Third Soul Skill, Frost Shot's attack power had increased by one hundred percent.
To Xiao Han's surprise, the strike seemed not to have harmed the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish at all, nor did it stop its advance.
Seeing this, Liu Yan on the shore could not help frowning.
"Dean Lin, that's a five-thousand-year Soul Beast. They're also being surrounded by the fish school. Aren't we going to intervene?"
"Don't rush. Let's watch a little longer."
Lin Zhiruo stood on the shore with a calm expression.
She knew that being in danger could better draw out the potential of these young Soul Masters.
His probing strike had failed to stop the powerful Bluefin Sawtooth Fish, but Xiao Han did not lose heart.
His gaze sharpened. Without time to think further, he drew his bowstring once again, spread his Ice Wings, and dove toward the enormous creature at tremendous speed.
This time, he would use his Second Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Arrows Firing.
Although it was a long-range attack skill, closer range would maximize its power.
Seeing that this human youth Soul Master dared to disregard it, the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish flew into a rage. It opened its enormous mouth and spat out a huge Water Blade that shot toward Xiao Han.
Xiao Han beat his wings and narrowly brushed past the Water Blade.
The Bluefin Sawtooth Fish opened its massive mouth again, spitting out sharp Water Blades one after another.
Xiao Han darted through those Water Blades at high speed.
Though he was fast, the dense Water Blades still grazed him, and a burst of pain surged through his body.
But Xiao Han had no time to care about the pain. His eyes suddenly lit up.
At this moment, the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish's massive mouth had opened at just the right moment, ready to attack.
Xiao Han gave a wicked smile and roared:
"Perfect timing! Eat this!!!"
Countless ice-blue arrows suddenly shot into that enormous mouth, violently colliding with the Water Blades it had unleashed.
Boom—
The instant the two forces collided, a deafening explosion erupted.
The enormous Bluefin Sawtooth Fish was blasted into repeated rolls and halted its advance.
Using the shockwave, Xiao Han rose with the momentum and retreated backward.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
As Xue Wu danced gracefully, Dark Clouds suddenly gathered above the lake, and goose-feather snowflakes drifted down from the sky.
Shui Bing'er released the power of her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul's origin.
Under Shui Bing'er's control, those snowflakes actually condensed into a massive blue phoenix seven meters long.
The temperature in the space occupied by that phoenix suddenly dropped to freezing.
Under that powerful chill, the lake surface for hundreds of meters instantly froze over.
Even the Water Blade attacks unleashed by the Bluefin Sawtooth Fish school froze in midair.
The Bluefin Sawtooth Fish that Xiao Han had stopped was also completely frozen and unable to move.
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
Liu Yan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Dean Lin, could this be..."
"That's right. It's Bing'er and Xue Wu's Martial Soul Fusion Skill. The two of them have finally succeeded."
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