In the dark, deep forests of the Traceless Mountain Range.
Ye Xuan followed Hu Liena's footsteps as they weaved through the woods.
With Tian Meng's Spirit Detection and Vision Sharing, the two of them had avoided a direct encounter with a thousand-year-old Datura Snake.
"Junior Brother, your Spirit Detection and Vision Sharing are simply divine skills!"
Hu Liena's big eyes sparkled. This was the first time she'd ever fought with such an expansive view of the battlefield.
She knew very well that with this ability, they could seize the initiative completely in battle!
Hu Liena's voice brimmed with surprise and excitement. It was clear she was thoroughly enjoying the feeling.
At the same time, Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's gleeful voice rang out in Ye Xuan's mind.
"Hahaha, of course! The other abilities of our Ice Silkworm Clan might be a little lacking, but our support and scouting abilities on the battlefield are absolutely superior to those of other Soul Beasts!"
Seeing Tian Meng, who usually did nothing but sleep, getting so worked up, Ye Xuan—who had benefited from his abilities—didn't hold back his praise.
"Mm, Tian Meng has given me more than just these abilities. If you're willing, Senior Sister, I can even disguise your appearance and aura completely as those of a Soul Beast."
"Wow! That's an incredible ability. Once we meet up with Big Brother and Yan, we can plan our tactics around your abilities, Junior Brother."
With Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's abilities bolstering them, Ye Xuan and Hu Liena reached the meeting point in just over a minute.
When Xie Yue and Yan came bursting out of the woods, looking thoroughly disheveled, they hadn't been injured, but they were still in a sorry state.
Seeing Ye Xuan and Hu Liena, who weren't even out of breath, they were both perplexed.
"Nana, didn't you two run into any Soul Beasts on the way here?"
At Xie Yue's question, Ye Xuan and Hu Liena's lips curled slightly.
As Ye Xuan shared his "God's Vision" with Yan and Xie Yue, the two of them froze on the spot, unable to recover for a long while.
In the end, Yan was the first to blurt out a curse.
"Holy crap, what kind of ability is this?!"
Though Yan was a rough sort who couldn't appreciate the finer things, he immediately recognized just how absurdly powerful this ability was.
Xie Yue was also full of admiration.
"This ability is practically divine in the forest. As long as we make a point of avoiding the other students, they'll never find us."
But soon, Xie Yue seemed to realize something and looked toward Ye Xuan.
"Ye Xuan, is this the ability you gained from absorbing your Second Soul Ring?"
At his words, Yan also turned his gaze toward Ye Xuan.
Even though he was deeply unhappy that Ye Xuan had become Hu Liena's junior brother, he had to admit that Ye Xuan's Soul Skill was incredibly powerful. Everything within a thousand meters was laid bare.
With this ability supporting them, they had no need to worry about anyone ambushing them from the shadows.
They could even make plans in advance and ambush others.
"That's right. So from now on, I'll take over as the team's control-type Soul Master in place of Senior Sister. During battle, you'll need to follow my directions."
As he spoke, two exquisite Pokeballs appeared in Ye Xuan's hands.
As they burst open one after the other, the figures of Tian Meng and Xiao Wu gradually took shape before the four of them.
Seeing this, Yan and Xie Yue both nodded in agreement.
"Xuanxuan, what should we do next?"
Xiao Wu stretched lazily. The battle uniform designed by Spirit Hall made her figure look even more graceful and well-proportioned.
Tian Meng Ice Silkworm had also changed out of his old pajamas and put on the same uniform. He looked much more spirited—or rather, the silkworm looked much more spirited.
"Mm, Tian Meng and I will handle control from here on. I'll provide you with Vision Sharing, while Tian Meng will interfere with the enemy whenever you fight other students or Soul Beasts."
Ye Xuan paused.
"If we run into a powerful enemy, Tian Meng will temporarily take command in my place, while I fight alongside you."
Ye Xuan's plan was fair, without the slightest hint of favoritism. Even Yan, who loved to nitpick, surprisingly had no objections.
"All right, then our next task is to start clearing out thousand-year Soul Beasts from the central hills. If we run into students, we'll eliminate them first. Under this elimination system, the students pose a far greater threat to us than the Soul Beasts."
At Ye Xuan's plan, Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena all wore mischievous smiles.
They knew that the students nearby were in for a real "treat."
By the afternoon.
Relying on sheer force and their ability to learn where others were ahead of time, Ye Xuan's four-person team had eliminated dozens of students with almost no effort.
They slaughtered every thousand-year Soul Beast and group of Hundred-Year Soul Beasts they came across, too.
"First Soul Skill, Hell Magma Rush!"
With his thick skin and sturdy frame, Yan was always the first to charge into traps set by other teams.
And every charge was enough to eliminate an elite disciple outright.
"Damn it! How did you know we were hiding here?!"
This was a rare five-person team, with two agility attackers, two power attackers, and one support. Their team composition was nearly perfect.
Even so, they had divided up their roles and hidden themselves throughout a quiet forest. They used their numbers to prey on the unwary, eliminating unlucky students one after another.
If Yan and Xie Yue hadn't had Ye Xuan's help, they might indeed have had to go to some trouble to deal with the other team.
But the four of them already knew where everyone was. Fighting them was like swatting flies from a different dimension.
Yan used his First Soul Skill to smash straight through the most inconspicuous tree, leaving the support-type Soul Master at a complete loss.
The other four hadn't expected the big fool Yan to smash down the least conspicuous tree of all.
"Damn it! Forget about me—focus your attacks on him and eliminate him first!"
The support-type Soul Master was still shouting.
But in the very next moment, Xie Yue had already pressed the blade of his Full Moon Scimitar against the man's neck.
Yan watched the Soul Skills flying at him from all directions and flashed a classic Dragon King grin.
"Heh heh heh, Second Soul Skill, Granite Rock!"
In an instant, the flames enveloping Yan's body turned black, gleaming with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.
"BOOM—!!!"
Four Soul Skills struck him, kicking up a huge cloud of smoke.
But to Yan, their attacks were no more than an itch he couldn't scratch.
Just as they were wondering whether Yan had been eliminated, a figure with a ponytail appeared before them in the blink of an eye, as elusive as a ghost.
"Teleport!"
"Bone-Crushing Stomp!"
Xiao Wu teleported repeatedly between the tree trunks, then planted one foot on a person's shoulder.
"Crack..."
Before you continue