Getting Familiar with the Sea of Consciousness and Acting Like a Rogue

Xue Xiao Ran handed Xiao Xiao to Wang Dong, and the group set off once more. This time, however, everyone moved with extreme caution.

They were deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, where they had to remain wary of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts appearing at any time.

Yet things went far more smoothly than they had expected. Perhaps Shrek Academy had informed Beast God Di Tian beforehand, but the group's journey was remarkably uneventful. Other than encountering several Thousand-Year Soul Beasts with no hostility, they did not see a single Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Xue Xiao Ran let out a breath of relief. He did not like the feeling of being followed, either.

Only after the group left the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest did they all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Xue Xiao Ran turned and looked back, vaguely making out a woman with long green hair.

She smiled gently at him and nodded.

In the blink of an eye, the woman vanished as though she had never been there.

"One of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, Bi Ji."

Xue Xiao Ran muttered to himself. Why were the Ten Great Fierce Beasts treating him so strangely?

Still, everything was over.

He glanced at the sky, called out to the others, and took the lead forward.

During their escape, he had discovered a cave well-suited for shelter. Now, he led everyone there.

"Only a few days left."

Xue Xiao Ran calculated the time and sighed.

Xiao Xiao had recovered from her illness, and the days of wilderness training in the Star Dou Great Forest had come to an end.

That day, two pillars of light rose simultaneously from opposite directions within the Star Dou Great Forest.

One was green, and the other was red.

The green one belonged to Shrek Academy, while the red one belonged to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Academy.

"It's finally over."

Xiao Hong Chen breathed a sigh of relief. These two weeks of wilderness training had felt especially long to him.

Relying on his own strength, he had hunted a Thousand-Year Soul Beast and turned it into his third soul ring.

Thinking of that, he looked at Xue Xiao Ran, who was speaking with Wang Dong not far away, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.

"Let's go back."

Xue Xiao Ran punched Wang Dong lightly on the shoulder, deliberately avoiding those pink-blue eyes filled with reluctance.

The two stood there without moving.

As if resigned, Xue Xiao Ran sighed and rubbed Wang Dong's short pink-blue hair. "When the term ends, I'll come find you. This isn't a place where we should linger."

"It's a promise. When the term ends, you'll come. If you don't, I'll charge into the Sun Moon Royal Academy and snatch you away."

At that moment, Wang Dong seemed to become Wang Dong'er. A blush appeared on her face, leaving Xue Xiao Ran briefly stunned.

Then, as if realizing he had lost his composure, he coughed and turned to leave.

"Hehe, dummy. See you when the term ends."

Wang Dong said with a soft laugh.

Xue Xiao Ran did not turn back, merely raising a hand to wave at her.

Xiao Xiao, Huo Yu Hao, and the others nodded to the five members of Xue Xiao Ran's team. Though they came from different factions, fighting alongside one another over the past few days had left them with a trace of admiration for each other.

Xiao Hong Chen could not even be bothered to lift his eyes. He snorted. "See you at the Youth Soul Master Competition—if we even meet there."

With that, he turned and left with Meng Hong Chen.

Yan Yuyan and Yu Ling Lin likewise said nothing as they followed behind the two, gradually disappearing into the distance.

"See you at the Youth Soul Master Competition."

With his hands in his pockets, Xue Xiao Ran spoke calmly before striding toward the red light.

The next time he met these people again would probably be at the Soul Master Competition.

By then, he would no longer hold back.

At that thought, the corners of Xue Xiao Ran's lips curled upward. Then, with a light tap of his Shadowless Kick, he overtook the four ahead of him and shot toward the red light.

When the group saw Gu Tian Yuan again, he was dressed in casual summer clothes and drinking an iced beverage alone in a small town beside the Star Dou Great Forest.

After everyone from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Academy had gathered, the elder gave all the students half a day off. Their journey to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Academy would begin the next day.

The moment the students heard they had time off, they scattered like birds. Only Xue Xiao Ran's group felt that wandering around aimlessly was boring; sitting down and enjoying themselves was the proper thing to do.

"Five iced fruit juices."

Xiao Hong Chen spoke to the busy attendant behind the counter, then leaned back against the sofa beside him and let out a long breath.

The hellish days were finally over.

Xue Xiao Ran agreed with that. In the Star Dou Great Forest, they had needed to stay alert every moment in case a soul beast suddenly appeared. Now that they were somewhere safe, the group almost felt unaccustomed to it.

Xue Xiao Ran glanced at the nearly ruined bracelet. The second-grade Defensive Soul Tool had been struck several times during that night's pursuit and was already on the verge of being scrapped.

I should properly apologize to Nana Senior Sister.

Thinking that, he accepted the fruit juice handed over by a waiter and took a sip.

None of the five enjoyed talking much. They simply sat in silence and drank, the oppressive atmosphere making the diners at nearby tables lower their voices for fear of being too loud.

They did not know which academy Xue Xiao Ran's group came from, but their uniforms meant they were soul masters. Ordinary civilians and mercenary groups might have plenty of capable fighters, but they were still no match for soul masters.

Even compared to ten thousand years ago, there were still not many people who could become soul masters.

"I'm going to rest first."

After finishing his fruit juice, Xue Xiao Ran placed a silver soul coin on the table and headed upstairs. He was indeed exhausted.

At the same time, there was something he needed to confirm.

After entering an ordinary guest room, Xue Xiao Ran locked the door, sat down cross-legged, and sent his consciousness into his body.

He tried to contact the Ice Empress on his own initiative.

Previously, it had always been the Ice Empress who contacted him. He had always been in the passive position.

After sleeping in the Imperial Auspicious Beast's territory, he felt that his Sea of Consciousness had expanded by more than double.

His Purple-grade Demonic Eye had also entered the realm of Minute Observation.

As his eyes slowly closed, his heart gradually calmed.

Before him, light slowly seeped into the darkness. The beam grew brighter and brighter, and Xue Xiao Ran gradually saw his own body.

Completely naked.

He nodded, feeling as though his vision had been blurred. He could not see anything clearly.

So even though his understanding of the Sea of Consciousness had deepened, he still lacked training?

"You pervert!"

A furious cry rang out, and he felt his body instantly freeze into an ice sculpture.

Xue Xiao Ran immediately recognized the Ice Empress's voice. He wanted to say something, but after looking at his naked body, he found himself unable to explain.

Frowning, he said, "Ice Empress, stop messing around. I'm getting familiar with the Sea of Consciousness. Releasing the five senses and experiencing it directly through my own body is the best training method."

The Ice Empress stood before him in a rage. Xue Xiao Ran widened his eyes, yet he could only see a blurry figure.

"S-So you barged into my bedroom completely naked?"

Xue Xiao Ran twitched his mouth. What the hell...

"My mistake, my mistake. I can't see anything right now—I'm practically blind. Ice Empress, please be magnanimous and forgive me."

Xue Xiao Ran bowed toward the figure before him.

He turned to leave, then immediately slammed headfirst into a wall.