Who Gave You the Guts?

The next day, dawn had barely broken.

Nuoding Academy was still shrouded in a hazy morning mist.

Below the dormitory building, Yu Xiaogang had long been standing ramrod straight, like a stone statue gazing longingly into the distance.

When Lin Xi, Tang San, and Xiao Wu appeared at the entrance, he jolted and hurriedly went to greet them.

"Good morning, Teacher! Good morning, Tang San! Good morning, Xiao Wu!"

He bowed at a ninety-degree angle, his posture humble to the extreme.

Having not slept all night, dark circles hung beneath his eyes, yet he was unusually energized.

Xiao Wu yawned, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she muttered, "That crazy old man really waited all night."

As though she had not seen him at all, Lin Xi walked straight past him and calmly spoke two words.

"Follow."

"Yes, Teacher!"

As if granted a pardon, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly jogged after them.

The group of four left Nuoding Academy under the dumbfounded gazes of the students who had risen early.

Soul Hunting Forest lay a hundred li east of Nuoding City.

It was one of the places where the Heaven Dou Empire officially raised soul beasts. The outer regions were relatively safe, making it an ideal place for low-level Soul Masters to obtain their first two soul rings.

Since they were short on money, the four did not choose to ride in a carriage and instead set out on foot.

Along the way, Yu Xiaogang once again demonstrated his astonishing "theoretical knowledge."

"Teacher, look, those red berries are called Fire Sun Fruit. They resemble mock strawberries, but they contain a weak fire toxin. If ordinary people eat them by mistake, they will suffer diarrhea for no less than three days."

"And that tree is Iron Birch Wood. Its timber is hard, ordinary blades can hardly damage it, and it is good material for making low-level shields."

"At the fork ahead, the left path is flat, but there are many snakes, insects, rats, and ants. The right path is rugged, but it can save us half a shichen of travel..."

Like a tireless fly, he buzzed around Lin Xi's ear, trying to display his value in this manner.

Xiao Wu grew impatient from listening and rolled her eyes.

Tang San silently memorized some plant knowledge he had not known before, secretly admiring Yu Xiaogang's broad learning and knowledge.

Yet from beginning to end, Lin Xi gave him no response whatsoever.

She merely walked quietly, as though everything in the outside world had nothing to do with her.

Until Yu Xiaogang spoke again.

"Teacher, according to my research, the strongest soul beast in the outer regions of Soul Hunting Forest is only an eight-hundred-year Nether Wolf. This time, our goal is to find a suitable soul ring for Tang San, so..."

"Shut up."

Lin Xi finally stopped and glanced back at him.

Her gaze was calm.

Yet it made Yu Xiaogang feel as if he had fallen into an ice pit. All his remaining words caught in his throat, and he could not utter a single one.

"If you want to follow, then use your eyes to observe and your brain to remember."

There was not a trace of warmth in Lin Xi's voice.

"In front of me, put away that ridiculous experience of yours, which has long since become outdated."

"You think you are worthy of instructing me?"

Yu Xiaogang's face instantly flushed the color of pig liver.

Shame, embarrassment, utter mortification.

He wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Yes, how had he forgotten?

Before a "Teacher" capable of drawing down divine blessings and overturning the entire continent's understanding, what did his pitiful little "research" amount to?

He was merely a frog at the bottom of a well, showing off the tiny patch of sky above his head to a giant dragon.

How foolish! How laughable!

"This student... knows his mistake."

He lowered his head deeply, his voice strained.

Lin Xi ignored him and turned to continue onward.

After that, Yu Xiaogang truly did not utter another word. He merely followed closely behind them, like an actual mute.

Two hours later, the entrance to Soul Hunting Forest came into view in the distance.

It was a magnificent barrier constructed from massive timber and steel, stretching for who knew how many miles and enclosing the vast forest.

Spirit Hall knights guarded the entrance, inspecting the Soul Masters passing through.

Anyone wishing to enter Soul Hunting Forest had to obtain a permit from Spirit Hall and pay a fee of ten Gold Soul Coins.

"Halt! Permit!"

A knight clad in standard armor stopped Lin Xi's group.

His gaze was arrogant as it swept over the four of them. When he saw Lin Xi, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, three young children, a trace of disdain flashed through his eyes.

Especially when he saw their travel-worn appearances and plain clothing, that disdain became even more apparent.

Yu Xiaogang hurried forward, took out a token from his robe, and handed it over.

"Spirit Hall Senior Consultant, Yu Xiaogang."

When the knight saw the Hexagram Emblem on the token, his expression changed slightly, and his attitude became much more respectful.

"So it is Master. My apologies for the disrespect."

Though he did not recognize Yu Xiaogang, a Spirit Hall token could not be forged.

"Master, you are taking these three children inside?" The knight glanced at Lin Xi and the others hesitantly. "Although Soul Hunting Forest is safe, it is still risky for children this young."

"It is fine," Yu Xiaogang said calmly.

He was now filled with blind confidence in Lin Xi.

Not to mention a mere Soul Hunting Forest, even if Teacher said she was taking them to slay a dragon, he would not doubt her in the slightest.

The knight said no more and waved them through.

Just as the four were about to enter the forest, a burst of arrogant hoofbeats and clamor came from behind them.

"Make way for this young master! Good dogs do not block the road!"

Seven or eight richly dressed young men and women came charging over on tall horses.

At their head was a brocade-clad youth of around fifteen or sixteen, with shifty eyes and a thoroughly arrogant expression.

Seeing Lin Xi's group blocking the middle of the road, he frowned and lashed his riding crop at them without hesitation.

"Get lost! Blind fools!"

The whip sliced through the air, heading straight for Yu Xiaogang, who was walking at the rear.

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed. As a twenty-ninth-level Soul Grandmaster, how could he evade such a sudden whip?

Tang San's eyes turned cold. Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track activated instantly, and with a flicker of his body, he was about to step forward to intercept it.

However, someone was faster than him.

It was Lin Xi.

She did not even turn around.

She simply stood there quietly.

When the heavy whip was still half a foot from Yu Xiaogang's back, it seemed to strike an invisible wall and could not advance another inch.

The brocade-clad youth's expression changed. He felt a terrifying force surge back from the tip of the whip, numbing his tiger's mouth and knocking the whip from his grip. It struck the ground with a crack.

"Hm?"

He stared uncertainly at Lin Xi's slender back.

What had just happened?

"Young Master Xiao, what is it?" His companions behind him urged their horses forward.

"Nothing." Young Master Xiao's face darkened. He dismounted and strode up to Lin Xi, shouting down at her, "Little girl, was that your doing just now?"

Lin Xi slowly turned around, her cool gaze falling upon his face.

Her eyes were calm.

There was no anger, no killing intent.

It was as though she were looking at a stone by the roadside, an ant at her feet.

Yet that absolute indifference sent an inexplicable chill through Young Master Xiao's heart, and he could not bring himself to say the threats that followed.

"Kneel."

Lin Xi softly spoke two words.

Her voice was not loud, yet everyone present heard it clearly.

"What?" Young Master Xiao thought he had heard wrong. He dug at his ear, then flew into a rage. "What the fuck did you say? You dare tell this young master to kneel? Do you know who this young master is? My father is the Lord of Nuoding City!"

"I do not care who your father is."

Lin Xi's tone remained completely flat.

"I told you to kneel."

"You are courting death!"

Young Master Xiao was thoroughly enraged. His Soul Power surged, and three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—rose abruptly beneath his feet. Behind him appeared the phantom of a ferocious wolf-shaped martial soul.

"A Three-Ring Soul Master!"

Cries of surprise rose from the surroundings.

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed as well.

A Soul Elder at fifteen or sixteen was unquestionably a top-tier genius in a place like Nuoding City.

"Little girl, today, this young master will show you why flowers are so red!"

Young Master Xiao sneered viciously and clawed at Lin Xi's crown.

His soul skill, Nether Wolf Claw, could easily tear through iron and stone!

Yet Lin Xi remained where she was, utterly motionless.

Just as the wolf claw gleaming with cold light was about to touch her hair—

She raised her eyes.

Within those cool eyes, two blood-red moons seemed to flash past.

Bzzzz!!!

An invisible yet terrifying pressure, as though capable of crushing the eternal heavens, descended with a roar!

Young Master Xiao felt as though his soul had been seized tightly by the hand of a demon god from the Nine Nether Hells!

The three soul rings around him flickered wildly, letting out mournful cries as though they could no longer bear the strain!

The wolf-shaped martial soul behind him released a shrill scream before being crushed apart by that pressure!

Thud!

Under everyone's horrified gaze—

The once-unrivaled son of the city lord, Young Master Xiao, had his legs go weak and dropped stiffly to his knees before Lin Xi, completely beyond his control.

His body trembled violently like chaff in the wind, all color drained from his face, and nothing remained in his eyes but boundless terror.

"Can you hear me clearly now?"

Lin Xi looked down at him from above, her voice as cold as a blade.

"I told you to kneel."