Spirit Ascension Platform During the Riot Period (Seeking Recommendation Tickets, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Hmm? Tang Wulin, is this the thing you spent two days crafting?" Xie Xie pointed at the Cloud Peptide Vest on the table.

"Yeah, it took two days of hard work to finish. Put it on and see if it fits," I said, reaching out to push the Cloud Peptide Vest on the table toward Xie Xie.

Xie Xie put it on with a skeptical look, stretching his arms and twisting his body back and forth. "Not bad at all, it fits quite well and doesn't restrict my movement."

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he explained casually, "I specifically called Lin Chen and Gu Yuena to ask them earlier. Both of them said they didn't need one, so I didn't make extra. I only crafted four in total."

"Try them out later; if they don't fit, I can still make minor adjustments."

Xie Xie touched the Cloud Peptide Vest on his body, feeling more satisfied the longer he wore it. "With this close-fitting protection as a safety net, the final exam is definitely in the bag."

Tang Wulin nodded heavily. "That's about the size of it. We're set for the riot period in the Spirit Ascension Platform. Let's go find Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi and have them try them on for size too."

Upon entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, Lin Chen spoke in a low voice, "Follow the plan."

Tang Wulin stood at the very front of the team, closely followed by Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi. Considering the Emerald Demon Bird, Lin Chen decided against having Zhang Yangzi fly into the air for reconnaissance to be safe.

Xie Xie took on the role of the team's scout, while Lin Chen and Gu Yuena brought up the rear.

Before entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, Lin Chen had already informed everyone to stay put for an hour first, then begin hunting soul beasts, prioritizing any they encountered.

At this moment, Xie Xie was nimbly perched in a tree, his body lowered and hidden among the leaves. His gaze was locked firmly ahead as he lowered his voice, "Captain, we have a situation. There's a century-old Iron Arm Ape up ahead."

Lin Chen had already moved to the front of the team at some point and responded to Xie Xie, "Check if there are any other soul masters around. If not, I'll paralyze it first, and you guys follow up with the finishing blow."

The Iron Arm Ape was squatting under a tree, eating a banana with great relish. Sensing someone approaching, it was just about to roar when Lin Chen struck its torso first. The Iron Arm Ape shuddered violently, able only to emit a muffled groan.

"Move," Lin Chen said calmly.

Xie Xie's figure dove down from the tree, the Light Dragon Dagger in his hand driven fiercely into the Iron Arm Ape's vital point with the momentum of his descent, while Tang Wulin smashed his forging hammer toward its head.

The Iron Arm Ape didn't even have a chance to roar or struggle before it was taken out by the group.

Lin Chen scanned the surroundings and ordered slowly, "Rest here for a while. Zhang Yangzi, Xie Xie, you two scout the area and keep an eye out for any traces of other teams."

Xie Xie nodded immediately upon hearing this, his figure flickering as he turned into the side bushes, while Zhang Yangzi released his soul power.

After a while, Zhang Yangzi lowered his voice and reported, "Captain, someone is coming this way. Two men and one woman, one is a three-ring, the other two are two-rings. They should have just finished absorbing spirit power."

As his voice fell, a scorching red light shot toward Zhang Yangzi in the tree.

The remaining members, including Lin Chen, looked in the direction of the attack. When they saw the appearance of the newcomers, Tang Wulin couldn't help but be slightly startled.

Wasn't one of the girls his senior sister, Mu Xi? Lin Chen noticed Tang Wulin's unusual reaction and asked, "Wulin, do you know them?"

Tang Wulin nodded, a flash of complexity in his eyes. "I do. That girl is my senior sister."

Lin Chen's gaze lingered on the opposite side for a moment before turning to look at Tang Wulin, asking for his thoughts, "Wulin, how do you intend to handle this?"

Tang Wulin shook his head gently. "I'm fine with anything; I'll follow the Captain's arrangements."

Lin Chen quickly made up his mind, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears, "Let's stick to the original plan: lay low for an hour. Once the time limit is up, we start clearing the field."

Gu Yuena, standing to the side, glanced at the wary Mu Xi and her two companions in the distance and chimed in, "Let's finish the final exam first."

It had to be said that the soul beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform during the riot period were significantly more numerous than usual.

During the hour the group spent lying low, they bumped into no fewer than twenty soul beasts. Fortunately, these were all ten-year level beasts and were easily dealt with.

Lin Chen stretched his arms and gave a light yawn, while Gu Yuena beside him also raised her hands to loosen her shoulders and back.

Lin Chen turned to look at the others, his tone light, "Alright, the time limit is up. Is everyone ready to clear the field?"

Xie Xie immediately flashed his two daggers, excited, "I've been waiting for this moment. I've been holding back for a whole hour; I was about to burst."

The group cleanly and efficiently finished off a Man Faced Demon Spider. Without further delay, they cleaned up the scene and headed deeper into the area.

They hadn't gone far when a roar came from ahead. Everyone looked up in unison to see a bizarre-looking python appearing in front of them, with three arms on each side of its body—it was a Six-Armed Fire Snake.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, thunder quietly surging around his body. Just as he was about to strike first to suppress it, a sudden change occurred.

Before he could launch his attack, the body of the Six-Armed Fire Snake instantly developed dense holes, and it was then sliced into several segments, its spirit power absorbed by two figures in front.

It was a youth who looked about seventeen, with two yellow and one purple soul ring floating around him. He held an ice staff in his right hand, and beside him was a little girl with twin tails.

Lin Chen recognized them at a glance: the future strongest control-type under the starry sky, Xu Xiaoyan, and beside her was Xu Xiaoyu.

Xu Xiaoyu noticed Lin Chen's group standing ahead and walked straight toward them.

Xie Xie frowned and asked, "Captain, what do they want?"

Lin Chen said, "Not sure. Let's see what they're trying to pull."

Before Xu Xiaoyu had fully approached, the ice staff in her hand launched an attack directly at Lin Chen, who was at the front of the team. Lin Chen reacted extremely quickly and easily dodged the blow.

"You're twenty thousand years too early to try and ambush me."

Under the stunned gazes of the Xu siblings, three thousand-year soul rings with a hint of black rose slowly from beneath Lin Chen's feet. He said in a low voice, "Since you struck first, we have no choice but to counterattack. Na'er."

"Understood," Gu Yuena replied. Her purple eyes showed no hesitation as the surrounding water vapor suddenly condensed, and several sharp ice shards pierced toward Xu Xiaoyu.

Xu Xiaoyu raised her hand to channel her soul power to resist, but before she could steady her stance, the first soul ring at Lin Chen's feet lit up. Violent thunder erupted from his palm, blasting straight toward Xu Xiaoyu.

The crackling cyan lightning tore through the air, the roaring sound causing the surrounding vegetation to shake violently, and it was torn apart by the lightning in an instant.

Because Xu Xiaoyan was in the back, she didn't receive much of the impact. After Gu Yuena and Lin Chen exchanged a glance, they walked toward her.

Gu Yuena slowly walked up to Xu Xiaoyan, looked down at the girl squatting on the ground, and smiled, "Are you going to withdraw from the Spirit Ascension Platform voluntarily, or are you going to be beaten out just like that ice-staff guy?"

Xu Xiaoyan looked up at Gu Yuena, whose gentle smile now radiated a chilling aura. Her eyes quickly misted over, and she hurriedly waved her hands in surrender: "Don't, don't, don't! Please don't lay a hand on me, I'm afraid of pain. I'll withdraw on my own."

As soon as the words left her lips, Xu Xiaoyan pressed her distress signal. A soft white light instantly enveloped her figure, and in the blink of an eye, she was withdrawn from the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Having witnessed the entire scene, Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie gulped, their gazes toward Gu Yuena filled with a newfound sense of wariness: "I have to say, Gu Yuena, you're too much. You managed to say such icy words with a thirty-six-degree mouth; the pressure you exerted was off the charts."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena knitted her brows slightly and let out a soft huff through her nose: "They ambushed Lin Chen first."

Lin Chen scratched his head: "Thank you."

Xie Xie poked his head out: "What is it, Captain?"

Lin Chen rubbed his forehead: "I wasn't calling you."