Profiting from the Fisherman

Xue Xiaoran followed the smoke and looked into the distance, but under the cover of night, he could not make out anything clearly.

All he could hear was the roar of soul beasts in the distance.

Perhaps someone had wandered into a soul beast's territory.

Xue Xiaoran fell silent for a moment, then turned and left.

The traps and medicinal powder he had set up would effectively deter soul beasts from intruding.

Besides, not every soul beast could climb trees.

The night passed without incident. Only the distant booming sound drew everyone's attention.

The next day, Xue Xiaoran was the first to get up from the tree. He had slept in a hammock strung between two branches the night before. Though it had been quite comfortable, he could not avoid waking up sore all over.

He yawned. Seeing that dawn had yet to break, he silently dropped from the tree and headed toward the stream to wash up.

Before long, Xiao Hong Chen came over as well. The twitching look on his face made it obvious that he had not slept well the previous night.

"What's the plan for today?" Xiao Hong Chen plunged his face into the stream, trying to wake himself up.

"We'll head a little deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest. Don't you still need to find a soul beast?"

As Xue Xiaoran wiped himself down, he planned out their route.

"Don't go too far. I suspect that booming sound last night came from someone encountering a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

"Don't jinx us."

Xue Xiaoran snorted irritably, took out breakfast, and the two began eating quickly.

Girls all liked sleeping in, especially after yesterday's long journey. They had been exhausted last night as well. By the time the three girls got up, the sun had fully risen, while Xue Xiaoran and Xiao Hong Chen had already patrolled the area around them several times.

Xue Xiaoran checked the poison he had used the previous night and found no trace of intruders, prompting him to nod in satisfaction.

"We're ready." Meng Hong Chen smiled at Xue Xiaoran and said eagerly.

"Mm." Xue Xiaoran nodded, then clapped his hands to gather everyone together.

"Today's task—or rather, our task for the next few days—is to hunt Xiao Hong Chen's third soul ring. Any Thousand-Year Soul Beast associated with poison can be considered."

Xue Xiaoran spoke calmly, informing them of the plan ahead.

"Today, we'll still focus on exploration. Don't get too close to the center."

All four nodded together. No one wanted to encounter a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast with such strong territorial instincts.

"Let's go."

After speaking, Xue Xiaoran leaped onto a tree. Then, fixing his direction, he started forward at full speed.

The others followed Xue Xiaoran's example and jumped into the trees, which allowed them to avoid direct contact with soul beasts.

If anyone could have seen the direction Xue Xiaoran was heading, they would have realized that he was circling around the center of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Everyone in the group was a two-ring soul master. They could barely put up a fight against a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but facing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast meant only death.

Along the way, Xue Xiaoran passed two small camps belonging to other students. They had adopted the usual camping method of pitching tents on the ground, and their eyes showed surprise when they saw Xue Xiaoran approaching.

"Just patrolling."

His voice drifted over from afar, and only then did the five students relax. They had initially thought Xue Xiaoran was fleeing from a soul beast.

The second day passed peacefully. They made a round of patrols, avoided several Thousand-Year Soul Beasts on the move, and then returned to camp.

Unless someone was especially confident or simply an idiot, no one would take the initiative to provoke soul beasts.

The fifth day.

"We can already see Thousand-Year Soul Beasts."

Yu Ling Lin spoke softly behind Xue Xiaoran.

"Mm, because we're getting closer and closer to the center." Xue Xiaoran nodded, agreeing with her.

Suddenly, as if he had sensed something, he stopped on a tree branch.

Seeing him stop, the others halted as well, thinking that Xue Xiaoran must have discovered something.

Otherwise, he would not have stopped so abruptly.

Xue Xiaoran's pair of Jade Eyes lit up, a flash of purple glinting within them as he quietly activated his Purple-grade Demonic Eye.

Beyond the dense layers of foliage, he saw a small team locked in battle with a soul beast.

The soul beast was a Thousand-Year Jungle Poison Scale Python.

"There's something going on." Xue Xiaoran said calmly. "A battle has broken out ahead. A team has encountered a Thousand-Year Jungle Poison Scale Python and is fighting desperately."

When Xiao Hong Chen heard the words "Thousand-Year Jungle Poison Scale Python," a sharp gleam burst from his blue eyes.

They had searched everywhere without success, only to find it without any effort.

"Don't rush. Let's go take a look first. If that Thousand-Year Poison Scale Python has a group nearby, it'll be troublesome."

Xue Xiaoran patted Xiao Hong Chen on the shoulder, signaling for him to calm down.

Xiao Hong Chen nodded with a faint smile. "I'm fine."

"I'll take the lead. You follow behind me."

Xue Xiaoran spoke quietly, activated his Shadowless Kick, and darted through the woods like a shadow.

Even the four people watching him leave lost sight of Xue Xiaoran.

Yan Yuyan's black eyes narrowed as she murmured, "What a terrifying peer."

Yan Yuyan had previously believed that Xue Xiaoran was merely strong in combat. After interacting with him over the past few days, her impression of him had changed into complete admiration. She had initially not thought much of Xiao Hong Chen and Meng Hong Chen either, but the methods they displayed and the cultivation experience they possessed made Yan Yuyan sigh in admiration. As expected of Class A students.

Xue Xiaoran went a short distance ahead, hid in the tree's shadow, and peered outward through the branches.

What entered his sight was a green school uniform.

He had not expected them to be students from Shrek Academy.

Xue Xiaoran muttered to himself. Had they already come this far?

Especially conspicuous among them were a golden-haired youth with the White Tiger martial soul and a black-haired girl beside him with a cold expression and a cat martial soul.

Xue Xiaoran blinked. These two looked somewhat like the uncle and aunt from his memories.

Could they be descendants of those two families?

"What should we do?"

Xiao Hong Chen followed the path Xue Xiaoran had just taken and arrived at his side. Clearly, he had seen Shrek's battle as well.

"Sit back and reap the benefits? I don't think they'll be able to resolve this anytime soon."

Meng Hong Chen giggled and pointed at them. "Those Shrek students probably happened to run into this Thousand-Year Soul Beast while patrolling. None of them have reached Level 30."

"They can't escape, so they're stuck in a stalemate now."

Xue Xiaoran agreed with Meng Hong Chen's assessment. He then sat on a thick branch, leaned against the trunk, and somehow had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.

Seeing everyone looking at him, he explained, "We'll wait until they and the Jungle Python have exhausted more of their strength before moving in. Otherwise, if we just show up like this, what kind of attitude will Shrek have toward us? By then, Xiao Hong Chen can forget about absorbing his soul ring in peace."

"For now, we just wait. Shrek won't die, and the Jungle Python won't die anytime soon either."

"Got it."

The four of them chuckled, their laughter carrying a hint of sinister delight.

This move was truly brilliant.