Deep in the forest, the earth was tainted with the stench of blood.
Ning Feng stood among the corpses, his breathing steady.
Around him, Vina and Mu Xue stared at the carnage, speechless for a long time.
To be honest, Vina and Mu Xue hadn't intended to stand by and watch the whole time.
When the battle had just begun, Vina had wanted to use Mental Interference to hold back the two Soul Masters on the far left...
But Ning Feng had been far too fast!
By the time Vina had picked her targets, she hadn't even had a chance to fully release her mental power before Ning Feng's fists smashed their heads apart.
So Vina had had no choice but to switch targets and prepare to launch another mental attack.
But who could have guessed Ning Feng would launch another attack so quickly?
That made it look as though Vina had been slacking off the whole time.
Meanwhile...
Mu Xue had been in the same position.
She had planned to use wind and snow to restrain the enemies, but before her moves had even fully taken shape, Ning Feng had already charged right up to them.
Then the sounds of "smack, smack, smack" rang out.
The dozen or so Evil Soul Masters had been wiped out in no time at all, from the moment Ning Feng spotted them to the moment he finished them off.
At that moment...
Vina lowered her hands and walked over to Ning Feng, looking him over carefully.
He had only a few spots of blood spattered on him. Even the hem of his clothes was still neat.
Then she looked over at Mu Xue. Before long, their expressions held not only shock but also unmistakable bewilderment.
"Junior Brother, what you just did... That was unbelievable!"
Vina spoke first, her voice full of disbelief.
She turned to look at the Evil Soul Masters' corpses, then back at Ning Feng. "There were more than ten Soul Masters! They weren't stray dogs on the roadside... And you just took them all out?"
She let out a helpless laugh. "Did you digest even more of the insights you gained before? Otherwise, how could you have gotten even stronger in just a few days, compared to when you tested your strength against the elder?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... If the elder knew you killed those Evil Soul Masters as easily as chickens, wouldn't he be completely dumbfounded?"
Mu Xue clearly agreed with Vina. She nodded and chimed in. "That's right."
"Elder Li would definitely be dumbfounded if he found out."
"If he'd known how strong you were beforehand, he wouldn't have needed to put us through such a strenuous test. It would've all been a waste of effort!"
"Wait, no, that's not quite right. You really are a monster, so there was no need to test you. But the princess and I are normal people, so testing us was fair enough..."
Ning Feng was wiping the blood from his fists.
After hearing Vina and Mu Xue, he turned to look at his two senior sisters and shook his head, replying modestly, "Don't make fun of me, Senior Sisters."
"If you hadn't used Mental Interference and your Martial Souls to restrict them, those people would definitely have scattered and fled."
"It wouldn't have been so easy to deal with them then."
"I only managed to do this because you helped me."
Vina and Mu Xue looked even more bewildered at his words.
Helped?
Us?
Junior Brother's ability to lie through his teeth really was getting better and better.
If that could really be considered helping...
Then at most, their contribution had been "supporting him with their eyes," hadn't it?
But the three of them soon put that behind them.
Although they had dealt with that group in the forest, there was no guarantee that none of their accomplices were nearby.
To prevent any stragglers from hiding and causing trouble again after they left...
The three quickly regrouped and continued searching the forest in a combat formation.
They had to wipe out every last one of those Evil Soul Masters!
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, inside the Body Sect.
The afternoon sun shone into a side hall of the sect's main building, and steam rose from the teapot on the table.
Du Busi sat in a wooden chair, leisurely sipping his tea.
Across from him sat Elder Li, who had presided over the test last time.
Elder Li set down his teacup, his brows knitted tightly. Every so often, his gaze drifted toward the hall entrance.
He seemed restless, his fingers tapping absentmindedly on the table.
"It's been several days already." Elder Li sighed, his voice heavy with worry.
"I wonder how Ning Feng and the others are doing with their mission."
"A place like the Great Rock Forest has complicated terrain. If they run into any powerful Evil Soul Masters, can three people with their level of experience really handle them?"
Du Busi glanced at him and set down his teacup, his tone calm. "You worry too much."
"They may be newcomers, but you know how strong that boy Ning Feng is. Don't worry. They'll be fine."
Elder Li shook his head and sighed. "Strength is one thing, but I'm worried they might get outsmarted by the Evil Soul Masters!"
"This is their first mission away from the sect. I just can't shake the feeling that something's wrong. I hope they come back safely."
Just as Elder Li finished speaking, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.
A young sect disciple hurried into the side hall.
His forehead was covered in sweat, and he looked flustered, clearly bearing urgent news.
The disciple came before the two men and immediately bowed, speaking quickly. "Reporting to the Sect Master and Elder Li, the royal family of the Heaven Dou Empire has sent an urgent request for aid."
Du Busi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What happened?"
"Another group of powerful Evil Soul Masters has appeared within the Heaven Dou Empire," the disciple replied.
"There are about ten of them, and their Soul Power is above level thirty-five. They're ruthless and are ransacking the surrounding villages. The empire can't deal with them and hopes the Body Sect will help."
Du Busi frowned and shook his head helplessly. "These Evil Soul Masters have been getting more and more brazen lately."
He didn't seem too concerned. Turning to the disciple, he asked, "Where exactly are they operating?"
The disciple didn't dare delay and immediately replied, "According to reports from the royal family's informants, they're near the Great Rock Forest."
The words fell, and the side hall sank into deathly silence.
Du Busi had been about to pick up his teacup, but his arm stopped in midair.
Elder Li, sitting beside him, turned ashen the moment he heard the words "near the Great Rock Forest."
He sprang to his feet, his body trembling slightly with agitation. Looking at the disciple, he asked, "What did you say? Near the Great Rock Forest?"
"Yes, Elder Li." The disciple lowered his head. Though he didn't know why the elder had reacted so strongly, he answered carefully.
Elder Li's expression darkened at once. Du Busi set down his teacup, his face turning grim as well.
He looked at Elder Li, his voice growing low. "If the royal family's report is accurate, Ning Feng and the others are there."
"If Ning Feng and the others run into that group of Evil Soul Masters, we'll be in trouble..."
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