Coward? Fool? Or prey!

"Forget it."

Tang Wulin took a deep breath, suppressing the helplessness and a trace of irritation in his heart. "We cannot let him disrupt our rhythm. Following the original plan, we will first find favorable terrain to ensure our own safety, then plan our next move."

He had to be responsible for the remaining four people.

Gu Yue withdrew her gaze from the direction Situ Xuan had left, a complex and unreadable expression flashing in her eyes.

She could feel the dangerous aura emanating from that direction, but at the same time, she also sensed the indomitable, resolute fighting spirit radiating from Situ Xuan.

"Let's go."

Gu Yue said softly, supporting Tang Wulin's decision.

The moment the six members of the Zero Class entered the Rioting Spirit Ascension Platform, they had effectively split into two groups due to Situ Xuan's departure.

One part was the five-person group led by Tang Wulin, seeking cooperation and survival.

The other part was the lone hunter, Situ Xuan, who had voluntarily thrown himself into danger and battle.

Deep in the forest, Situ Xuan's figure moved rapidly through the trees. His perception was pushed to the limit, not only tracking the movements of Soul Beasts but also keenly searching for the presence of other "travelers."

"Peak of the third ring... don't keep me waiting too long."

He licked his slightly dry lips, his eyes flashing with a cold and excited light.

The "exam" that belonged to him had only just truly begun.

He wanted to verify his own path during this riot period, using battle and baleful energy to pave his way to becoming a powerhouse!

Situ Xuan's figure wove through the dense forest, his movements swift and silent, like a ghost blending into the shadows. His goal was clear: he was precisely hunting for lone Soul Beasts at the century-level.

Soon, his gaze locked onto a Tusk Wild Boar that was gnawing on tree roots.

This wild boar was sturdy, emitting a soul power fluctuation of about two hundred years.

Situ Xuan did not hesitate in the slightest; he pushed off the ground, his body shooting out like an arrow from a bowstring.

Soul power condensed on his fist, wrapped in cold, solid baleful energy.

"Puff!"

With a muffled thud, his fist precisely shattered the wild boar's throat bone. The boar collapsed with a crash, and a yellow halo of light, several times denser than usual, drifted up from the corpse. As if attracted by something, it quickly gathered around Situ Xuan, circling his body and rotating slowly.

Situ Xuan didn't even look at this halo of spiritual energy, nor did he stop to absorb it.

Instead, using the cover of the trees, he quickly changed his position. However, this time, he did not deliberately hide; he simply stood at the edge of a relatively open clearing, letting that yellow halo shine around him like a lighthouse.

"The first one," he muttered to himself, his gaze scanning the surroundings calmly.

He no longer hid, choosing instead to wear this bait openly!

He wanted to tell every predator in this forest—there is a mobile "spiritual energy treasury" here; if you have the guts, come and take it!

This was not recklessness, but a grand, righteous path based on absolute confidence in his own strength!

He used himself as bait to lure in those fools driven by greed, and... the true powerhouses qualified to cross blades with him!

Soon, it wasn't just Soul Beasts that were attracted by the spiritual energy fluctuations.

Behind the bushes on the right, faint footsteps could be heard, followed by three figures emerging cautiously.

These were three youths who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, with impressive soul power fluctuations surging from their bodies; they were clearly two-ring Great Soul Masters. At a glance, they saw Situ Xuan, who was alone and surrounded by the conspicuous yellow halo.

"Big brother, look! That kid has a spiritual energy halo on him! Only one, he probably just killed a century-level Soul Beast."

A thin, tall youth's eyes flashed with greed.

The leader was a sturdy youth who cautiously sized up Situ Xuan. Finding that the opponent was just a younger boy and that his soul power fluctuations didn't seem very strong, his courage grew instantly.

"Kid, be smart and leave the Spirit Ascension Platform, and you'll save yourself some suffering."

The sturdy youth stepped forward and said in a deep voice, simultaneously releasing his Martial Soul. One white and one yellow soul ring rose from beneath his feet.

The other two also immediately released their Martial Souls, approaching Situ Xuan in a semi-encircling formation.

Situ Xuan looked at them, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking at three moving rocks.

He couldn't even be bothered to talk, simply beckoning to them with his finger.

This contemptuous gesture completely infuriated the three youths.

"You're courting death!"

"Do it!"

The three launched their soul skills simultaneously: a wind blade, a fireball, and a figure with surging speed all attacked Situ Xuan from different directions.

Facing the attacks, Situ Xuan moved.

His movements were simple, direct, and efficient.

His footwork shifted, easily dodging the wind blade and fireball like a phantom, and he went straight to meet the agility-type Soul Master who was the fastest.

In the stunned gaze of that Soul Master, Situ Xuan's palm arrived first despite starting later, precisely gripping the wrist that had been swung at him, then pulling and twisting in one fluid motion!

"Snap!"

A sickening sound of bone fracturing rang out, accompanied by a shrill, miserable scream.

Situ Xuan did not pause for a second, his elbow slamming backward like a heavy hammer, meeting the sturdy youth who had lunged at him from behind.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the sturdy youth flew backward even faster than he had come, his chest caved in as he spat out a spray of blood.

The last Soul Master, who had been unleashing long-range attacks, was scared out of his wits and turned to run.

Situ Xuan flicked a pebble up from the ground with his toe, infused it with soul power, and kicked it out with force!

"Whoosh—thwack!"

The pebble chased the fleeing man like a cannonball, piercing straight through his calf. The man collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony.

From the start of the fight to its end, only a few short seconds had passed.

The three two-ring Great Soul Masters were like clay chickens and pottery dogs before Situ Xuan, unable to withstand a single blow.

Three yellow halos of varying sizes drifted up from where the three youths had vanished, quickly flying toward Situ Xuan to merge with his original halo, making the spiritual energy glowing around him even more dazzling, as if he were a walking miniature ball of light.

Situ Xuan still did not absorb them; he did not even spare the three losers another glance.

He stood where he was, flicking his wrist lightly as if he had just done something utterly trivial.

"Trash... they don't even count as an appetizer."

He muttered to himself, his gaze turning once again toward the depths of the forest with a hint of dissatisfaction, "I hope the next ones are a bit more durable."

The four spiritual energy halos around his body were now radiating an even greater allure.

This was no longer simple bait; it was more like a banner, a banner declaring, "The strong are here, the weak keep away!"

He continued his stride, walking unhurriedly through the perilous forest. Wherever he passed, the roars of Soul Beasts and the gazes hidden in the shadows became more frequent and dangerous.

He was using the most direct method to filter his opponents.

Those who could resist the temptation of this spiritual energy and dared not attack were cowards; those who were blinded by the temptation and attacked rashly were fools; only those who could sense the temptation, judge the danger, and still choose to fight... perhaps they were the only ones worthy of being called—prey!

Situ Xuan's hunt began in this overbearing and direct manner.

He was like a drop of cold water thrown into boiling oil, destined to stir up monstrous waves within this chaotic Spirit Ascension Platform!