Vajra Bear!

The group found a concealed spot and hid, waiting quietly.

Second by second, time passed.

Time passed slowly in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Without any clocks, they could only roughly estimate the time by the changing angle of the sunlight overhead.

Ma Hongjun leaned against a tree trunk, maintaining a half-crouched posture and trying to keep his movements to a minimum.

His eyes remained fixed on the clearing in the woods, and he did not dare relax in the slightest.

Oscar crouched beside him, breathing somewhat rapidly. It was impossible to tell whether he was nervous or excited.

Behind them, Shao Xin had already condensed a Candy Bean in his palm, ready to use it at any moment.

Li Yusong and Lu Qibin guarded the left and right sides respectively, preventing other soul beasts from suddenly intruding.

Flender had his eyes closed, but his ears remained pricked, catching every unusual sound around them.

Zhao Wuji lay prone on the ground with his ear pressed to the soil, using the instincts of his Vajra Bear Martial Soul to sense the aura of nearby soul beasts of the same kind.

Waiting.

A long wait.

The sun moved from the east to directly overhead, then slowly began to tilt westward.

About half a day passed.

Just as Ma Hongjun thought they would return empty-handed today, Zhao Wuji suddenly raised his head, his eyes lighting up.

"It's here."

Everyone perked up and looked toward the clearing in the woods.

A huge bear-shaped soul beast emerged from the forest.

It was over two meters long and roughly one and a half meters tall at the shoulder, its entire body covered in coarse, stiff brown fur.

Its limbs were thick as pillars, its paws enormous, and its claws gleamed with a cold light.

The most striking parts were its shoulders and back.

The muscles there bulged high, as if it wore a thick layer of armor, filled with explosive power.

A Vajra Bear.

The bear moved at an unhurried pace, half a prey carcass still clamped in its jaws. It had clearly just returned from hunting.

It walked to the center of the clearing, tossed the prey carcass aside, and lazily sprawled on the ground.

Zhao Wuji stared fixedly at the bear, his gaze rapidly sweeping over its physical characteristics.

"Its shoulders are over three feet wide, its paws are nearly half a foot long, and the thickness of its back armor... is at least two inches."

He spoke softly, a trace of excitement in his voice. "This bear is at least seven hundred years old."

Flender saw it as well.

The Soul Power fluctuations emanating from the bear were indeed far stronger than those of a five-hundred-year soul beast, yet they lacked the terrifying pressure of a thousand-year soul beast.

Just over seven hundred years.

This age was right near the absorption limit for Oscar's second Soul Ring.

Any higher would be dangerous, while any lower would not be ideal.

"That's the one." Flender made the decision.

With the target confirmed, all that remained was to end this quickly.

Flender moved first.

He silently darted out of hiding. His Four-Eyed Owl Martial Soul Possession activated instantly, and seven Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—appeared around him.

He moved as fast as lightning, circling behind the Vajra Bear in just a few bounds.

Zhao Wuji followed close behind. His Vajra Bear Martial Soul Possession activated as well, and seven Soul Rings rose around him.

His body grew even taller, and a terrifying pressure radiated from him.

Li Yusong and Lu Qibin flanked the bear from both sides. The Dragon Pattern Staff and Chessboard Martial Souls lit up at the same time, with four Soul Rings rotating around each of them.

They surrounded it from all sides, leaving no blind spots.

The Vajra Bear sensed the danger and sprang up from the ground, letting out an earth-shaking roar.

Roar!

The sound was like a clap of thunder, shaking leaves down from the surrounding trees.

But it was too late.

Flender struck first.

The first Soul Ring of the Four-Eyed Owl lit up, and invisible Wind Binding precisely wrapped around the Vajra Bear's limbs.

The bear's movements abruptly stalled, as though it had been bound by invisible chains.

Zhao Wuji charged forward from the front.

The Vajra Bear's strength was considered formidable among soul beasts, but before a human Soul Saint like him, it was simply not enough.

He swung his fist and smashed it into the bear's shoulder blade. The sound of cracking bone was clearly audible.

The Vajra Bear let out a pained howl and struggled wildly, trying to break free of the Wind Binding.

But with every struggle, Flender tightened the restraint further, firmly pinning it in place.

Li Yusong followed up from the side, sweeping his Dragon Pattern Staff horizontally and striking the bear's knee joint with precision.

The bear's hind leg gave way, and it dropped to one knee.

Lu Qibin did not attack directly, but his Chessboard Martial Soul had already spread out, an invisible domain covering an area dozens of meters wide.

Within this domain, any soul beast that tried to flee would be trapped by the Chessboard, unable to escape even with wings.

The four teachers worked together seamlessly. In less than a minute, the Vajra Bear, just over seven hundred years old, had been beaten to the brink of death.

"Little Oscar, go!" Flender shouted.

Oscar had been ready for a long time.

He pulled a dagger from his waist, gripped it tightly with both hands, and rushed forward.

The seven-hundred-year Vajra Bear lay on the ground, covered in wounds, its brown fur dyed red with blood.

It was still breathing, but it no longer had any strength to resist.

Oscar rushed before the bear's head, gripping the dagger with both hands and aiming at its throat.

His hands were trembling.

This was the first time he had personally ended a life.

Ma Hongjun shouted from behind him, "Little Oscar, do it!"

Oscar gritted his teeth, shut his eyes, and drove the dagger down.

Blood sprayed forth.

The Vajra Bear released a low whimper. Its enormous body suddenly stiffened, then completely went limp.

A Soul Ring slowly rose from the bear's corpse.

Dark yellow.

Its color was much deeper than Ma Hongjun's four-hundred-year Soul Ring.

This showed that this Vajra Bear was at least seven hundred and fifty years old, already extremely close to the limit for a second Soul Ring.

Oscar stared at the dark-yellow Soul Ring, breathing rapidly as his eyes shone.

This was his second Soul Ring.

It was also his first step toward becoming an all-around fighter.

He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and released his Martial Soul. The phantom of a Sausage appeared behind him, while his first Soul Ring rose beneath his feet and slowly rotated.

Sensing his summons, the dark-yellow Soul Ring slowly drifted over and descended around him from above his head.

The Soul Ring entered his body.

Oscar's body suddenly shuddered, and his expression twisted.

A seven-hundred-and-fifty-year Soul Ring was indeed somewhat beyond his limits.

But he possessed Innate Full Soul Power. His physical constitution and Soul Power purity far surpassed those of ordinary people. If he gritted his teeth and endured, he might still be able to withstand it.

Zhao Wuji watched Oscar nervously, his fists clenched until they creaked.

As the owner of a Vajra Bear Martial Soul, he understood better than anyone how violent the Soul Ring of such a soul beast could be.

One careless mistake, and the absorber would suffer a backlash from the bear's power. At best, their meridians would be damaged; at worst, their Martial Soul would shatter.

Flender was tense as well, his Soul Power gathered and ready to act at any moment.

Li Yusong and Lu Qibin stood guard around the perimeter, watching the surrounding activity in fear that other soul beasts would be drawn over by the scent of blood.

Shao Xin held a Candy Bean in his hand, ready to replenish Oscar's stamina and Soul Power at any moment.

Ma Hongjun stood beside Oscar, watching the dark-yellow Soul Ring gradually merge into his body, his heart pounding like a drum.

Would he succeed or fail? Could the all-around path truly be realized?

The answer would soon be revealed.