The Suckling Tiger Roars in the Forest

It stood there at the feet of Situ Xuan, its tiny body seemingly transformed into an insurmountable mountain, attempting to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its master to face the overwhelming enemies filling the sky.

That posture seemed to declare—this forest, too, had a place for it!

Anyone who dared to offend its master would have to step over its body first!

This sudden scene caused the heavy atmosphere in the clearing to freeze in a bizarre moment of stagnation.

The crouching forms of several Shadow Leopards paused slightly, a flash of anthropomorphic confusion crossing their dark green pupils, as if they could not understand why this creature, so small it could be swallowed in one gulp, dared to emit such an "arrogant" sound.

The Earth-Shaking Giant Ape's chest-beating slowed by half a beat, its murky eyes glancing toward the Little Black Tiger with a hint of irritation at being provoked by an ant.

The flickering tongue of the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python paused, its cold, slit pupils locking onto that small black figure.

The Iron-Winged Goshawks in the air also emitted several sharp, questioning cries, their circling altitude seemingly dropping as if to confirm whether this suddenly appeared little thing posed any threat.

Even the Bloodthirsty Demon Rat pack, stirring within the thorn bushes, fell eerily silent for a moment, their teeth-grating gnawing sounds ceasing.

All the soul beasts seemed stunned by the Little Black Tiger's ill-timed and "courageous" entrance.

They might understand the fear of prey or the pressure of the strong, but they could hardly comprehend this pride and will to protect that erupted in the face of such an absolute disparity in power.

Situ Xuan himself felt his battle intent, which had been building to its peak, slightly interrupted by this unexpected scene.

He lowered his head to look at the little fellow by his feet trying to "back him up" with its tiny frame, the ghostly fire burning in his eyes flickering, a ripple of emotion appearing that was extremely difficult to detect.

It was not exactly being moved; it was more like a complex emotion—a mix of absurdity and a strange warmth—at being protected by his own pet.

The wild smile on his lips did not fade; instead, it gained an indescribable nuance.

"Heh..."

A soft snort escaped his throat, not knowing if he was laughing at the Little Black Tiger's overestimation of its own strength or mocking the soul beasts that had been intimidated by it.

The Little Black Tiger seemed to sense its master's gaze and the stares cast by the surrounding behemoths. Far from retreating, it straightened its small spine even further, a low, warning "woof" rumbling in its throat. Its front paws even scratched the ground restlessly, revealing tender, not-yet-fully-sharpened claws as it attempted to strike an attacking pose.

Its "defying the forest" appearance in this arena-like environment formed a scene that was extremely contradictory and absurd, yet carried a hint of tragedy and passion.

It was as if it were saying: With me here, don't even think about harming my master!

This tiny variation did not change the essence of the desperate situation, but like a stone cast into a violent lake, it stirred up a brief, strange ripple. The prelude to the slaughter gained an unpredictable color because of the "roar" of this Little Black Tiger.

Situ Xuan took a slow breath and shifted his gaze from the Little Black Tiger back to the powerful enemies surrounding him. The baleful aura around his body boiled once more, surging even more violently than before.

"Alright, little guy, step aside and watch."

His voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable power. "Watch how your master tears these... scum, apart one by one!"

Spirit Pagoda Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, Monitoring Room No. 5.

The air seemed to have solidified, leaving only the low hum of instruments and the distorted sounds of soul beast roars and attacks coming from the screens.

Six giant monitoring screens, adjusted by the staff, captured the tragic scene unfolding in the forest clearing from different angles, presenting the arena-like battle to the observers without reservation.

Wu Zhangkong's posture remained as straight as a pine, his hands behind his back as he stood before the screens. However, his eyes, usually as cold as ten-thousand-year glacial ice, were now as sharp as unsheathed swords, locked tightly onto the figure in the center of the screen who was dodging and weaving amidst the soul beast siege, constantly unleashing shocking attacks.

His fingertips curled slightly within his unseen cuffs, revealing a trace of imperceptible tension.

Beside him, Long Hengxu was far from being this composed.

His forehead was already covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, his hands clenched tightly together, his knuckles turning white from the force.

When he saw three Iron-Winged Goshawks dive down, the Earth-Shaking Giant Ape strike the ground, the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python spray toxic mist, and the black tide of Bloodthirsty Demon Rats swarm in, he almost suffocated.

"No! It can't go on like this!"

Long Hengxu turned abruptly to the staff member in the Spirit Pagoda uniform nearby, his voice raspy with urgency. "Forced disconnection! Forcefully disconnect him now! He's definitely going to die!"

The staff member was a calm-faced middle-aged man. He stared intently at the screen with furrowed brows, but his tone carried an unquestionable professionalism and coolness: "Director Long, I understand how you feel. But you should know the rules of the Spirit Ascension Platform. When a soul master's consciousness is fully immersed and they are in a state of high-intensity energy impact and combat, forcibly interrupting the connection and stripping away the consciousness will cause irreversible, severe trauma to his spiritual sea! That kind of damage is, in some ways, more fatal than the mental shock of 'dying' once inside the Spirit Ascension Platform!"

"All we can do now is believe in him and pray that he can create a miracle, find an opportunity to leave the area of intense energy fluctuations before he exhausts his strength, and press the distress signal."

"A miracle? Look at this situation!"

Long Hengxu pointed at the screen, his voice trembling. "Three five-hundred-year Shadow Leopards prowling, a thousand-year Earth-Shaking Giant Ape attacking head-on, a thousand-year poisonous python waiting to ambush, and Iron-Winged Goshawks in the sky! This is already a desperate situation! Not to mention the hundreds of Bloodthirsty Demon Rats! This is not a siege that should appear in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform! This child's fighting style... it's too fierce, too uncompromising. With this kind of consumption, how long can his soul power last?"

His concern was not without reason.

Situ Xuan's performance was indeed stunning. His sharp, ruthless strikes, his ghostly movement, and his terrifyingly precise attacks all showed that he possessed combat ability far beyond his peers, even surpassing the average Soul Master.

But his total soul power was a hard limitation. Under such a high-intensity siege, every dodge and every burst required a massive expenditure of soul power. Once his soul power was exhausted, the only thing waiting for him was being torn to pieces in an instant.

Wu Zhangkong also furrowed his brows tightly at this moment and said in a deep voice: "Now... we can only watch him."

One minute ago.

Just as the echo of Situ Xuan's "tear apart" had not yet fully dissipated in the clearing, at the very moment his battle intent and baleful aura climbed to their peak—

The Little Black Tiger at his feet, which had been standing tall and trying to intimidate the beasts, seemed to sense its master's resolute and fearless will.

It no longer insisted on declaring its presence with immature roars, but suddenly transformed into a streak of deep black light, like a tired bird returning to its nest or a black gust of wind, instantly merging into Situ Xuan's chest.