Hundred Herbs Valley, Ghost Wolf Beast

"Swoosh~"

Suddenly, the vegetation behind them rustled, startling He Yu and the others.

"It's you!"

A familiar voice rang out. At the front was a blue-haired young man, handsome and sharp, with a hint of pride.

The newcomer was none other than Mu Bai. Behind him were the other students of Group One.

"The cave's right there!" Zhao Kun San said excitedly, lifting his foot to step inside.

"Wait." Mu Bai reached out to stop him. "The bounty mission isn't that simple. Haven't you noticed Qin Yuan and the others haven't gone in yet?"

In some ways, Mu Bai's mind was sharper than Mo Fan's—more level-headed, and with his background from a major clan, he was well-versed in many things.

"Then... we wait for more people before going in?" Zhao Kun San suggested.

"Let's go."

Qin Yuan didn't share that idea. After a brief discussion with Mo Fan, he led Group Three into the cave.

Seeing this, Mu Bai refused to be outdone. With a wave of his hand, he said, "We're going in too."

Group One and Group Three entered the cave.

From a distance, Zhan Kong and his men watched the scene clearly.

"Bai Yang, have your Ghost Wolf Beast hold back. Try to avoid large-scale injuries," Zhan Kong instructed.

"...Yes, boss."

Bai Yang replied absentmindedly.

Inside the cave.

There were quite a few Light mages among the students—five in total. They now acted as 'light bulbs,' illuminating the way for everyone.

But even with the support of 'Radiance,' the cave remained shrouded in deep darkness, sending a chill through everyone's hearts.

The Light mages lit the way, Wind mages scouted ahead, Earth mages guarded the flanks, and Ice and Water mages controlled the center—each fulfilling their role.

"Hoo Hoo Hoo~!"

Suddenly, a foul, stinking Demonic Wind blew in from the darkness ahead, rushing straight toward the forty students.

"Ice Vine—Freeze."

As if he had anticipated it, Qin Yuan raised two small ice walls ahead, forming an inverted 'V' shape.

The Demonic Wind passed by, sparing the group from being sickened by the stench.

Qin Yuan's move stunned everyone.

"Damn, that was amazing!"

"Sigh, Qin Yuan's reaction is so fast!"

"His magic control is so smooth—I barely even noticed!"

A wave of shock rippled through the group.

Mu Bai, however, stared at Qin Yuan with a grave expression.

Just that one move from Qin Yuan was far beyond him—not just the ability to predict ahead, but also the speed of his Ice Vine release.

The group continued forward.

"Awooo~!"

Before they had gone far, a roar similar to that of a One-eyed Demonic Wolf echoed from deep within the cave, growing closer.

Before anyone could react, a dark figure stepped out from the shadows. Under the light of Radiance, its form slowly revealed itself.

A hideous, terrifying head, rows of jagged fangs, two upper canine teeth hanging down past the lower jaw, green saliva dripping slowly—utterly chilling.

Green-furred paws, claws as sharp as blades digging into the ground...

Just its appearance alone struck fear into their hearts.

When the thirty or so students saw the Ghost Wolf Beast, they froze in place, faces filled with terror.

A demon!

There really was a demon!

They had heard about demons time and again, been curious about them, even fantasized in their minds about fighting them for three hundred rounds.

But now, seeing a demon with their own eyes, they realized it was more than ten times more terrifying than they had ever imagined.

"Run... run!"

Zhao Kun San turned and fled in panic.

His panic awakened the cowards among them, and they followed suit, scrambling out of the cave.

In an instant, the group fell into chaos.

Qin Yuan: "..."

The Ghost Wolf Beast was indeed more intimidating than expected, but their collapse was far too fast.

A perfectly good team, gone in three seconds.

The student responsible for lighting had already bolted, plunging the cave into darkness.

Helpless, Qin Yuan could only follow them out.

Though he relied on his Great General Grade Physical Body and had no fear of the Ghost Wolf Beast, he knew when to keep a low profile.

At least until he possessed absolute power, the secret of his Physical Body must never be exposed—otherwise, he would undoubtedly become a 'Calamity Survivor' in the eyes of the Holy City.

Driven by the Ghost Wolf Beast's momentum, the group fled out of the cave.

In the distance, Zhan Kong and the others wore amused smiles.

"Standard rookie mentality—panic at trouble, run at a demon." Zhan Kong shook his head.

Several instructors and teachers nodded in agreement, but they didn't look down on them; everyone had a first time.

Weren't they the same back then?

Tang Yue kept her eyes fixed on Qin Yuan's figure, thinking: "Little Yuan, let your older sister see how long it takes you to take down the Ghost Wolf Beast."

She believed Qin Yuan would definitely defeat it.

No one noticed that Instructor Bai Yang's expression darkened slightly, his lips twitching faintly as if issuing some kind of command.

Hundred Herbs Valley.

"Awoo!"

In a flash, the Ghost Wolf Beast chased out of the cave, less than ten meters from the group and closing fast.

It had already held back; otherwise, there would have been casualties inside the cave.

"F-Fire... Fire Seed..."

Zhou Min connected her Star Seeds, trying to cast magic.

But a single roar from the Ghost Wolf Beast made her mind tremble, and her connection snapped at the fifth Star Seed.

She wasn't the only one—Mo Fan, Mu Bai, Zhang Xiao Hou, and the others were the same.

Seeing a demon with their own eyes, even forcing down panic, instinctive fear still took hold.

"Holy crap, where's the rope!!!" Zhao Kun San shrieked, making some students who were still running in confusion look over.

Then.

"What the hell!!!"

"What the heck, the rope's gone?!"

"Oh my god, how did the rope we came on disappear?!"

Several students were scared out of their wits, some even collapsing to the ground.

"Awoo!"

By then, the Ghost Wolf Beast had arrived.

Whether intentionally or not, its first attack targeted Zhao Kun San and the others, who were already terrified out of their minds.

The Ghost Wolf Beast was incredibly fast, reaching them in seconds.

"Mommy, I want to go home!" Zhao Kun San wailed pitifully, drool and snot streaming down his face.

"Ice... Ice Vine... damn it!"

Mu Bai, seeing his 'loyal little follower' about to 'die', immediately connected his Star Seeds, but his inner trembling snapped the Star Track.

"Roar!"

The Ghost Wolf Beast opened its massive maw.

The sight horrified everyone, and Zhao Kun San fainted on the spot.

Just as Zhao Kun San was about to be eaten—

"Extreme Cold—Ice Vine—Freeze!"

A familiar voice rang out, and a piercing ice-blue chill shot toward the Ghost Wolf Beast, precisely enveloping its thick limbs.

"Crackle crackle~"

In an instant, the Ghost Wolf Beast's limbs were frozen solid.

"Awoo awoo~"

The Ghost Wolf Beast struggled violently.

But a second-level Ice Vine empowered by a Spirit Seed wasn't so easy to break free from.

For the time being, the Ghost Wolf Beast couldn't move.

"What are you all waiting for? Such a perfect live target—aren't you going to use it?" Qin Yuan walked over with one hand in his pocket, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

That move was cool enough.

"Holy crap, Old Qin, you've got nerves of steel!" Mo Fan exclaimed in shock.

Every single one of them had been too scared to connect their Star Tracks, yet Qin Yuan had completed his Star Track connection so quickly.