Soul Hunting Squad

"They're here."

"Are they our senior disciples from the Inner Court?"

"Mm." Lin Feng nodded to Wang Dong, then turned his gaze toward the three figures approaching in the distance.

The one in the middle stood out especially. Her icy blue hair swayed gently as she walked, and her cool, distant bearing made her conspicuous among the crowd.

She was none other than Ling Luochеn, whom Lin Feng had met in the Inner Court cafeteria two days earlier.

The three of them soon noticed Lin Feng and the others as well. When Ling Luochеn's gaze fell on Lin Feng, delight showed on her face, and she raised a hand to wave lightly.

"You know each other?" Chen Zifeng asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We only met recently. Those two are the junior disciples who'll be coming with us on our field training." Ling Luochеn lowered her hand and replied cheerfully.

Before long, all five had met up at the academy gates.

"Hello, senior disciples. I'm Wang Dong from New Student Class Nine, a Level 30 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master." Wang Dong stepped forward and spoke first, politely. "I came along this time to ask for your help obtaining my third Soul Ring."

"Level 30?" Chen Zifeng, standing at the front, looked surprised for a moment, then laughed heartily. "This year's new students really are a hidden trove of talent. I'm Chen Zifeng of the Inner Court, a Level 57 Power Attack System Battle Soul King."

"Ling Luochеn, Inner Court." The woman with icy blue hair gave a slight nod. Her gaze lingered briefly on Lin Feng. "Level 55 Control System Battle Soul King. It's nice to meet you."

"Xixi, Inner Court. Level 56 Agility Attack System Battle Soul King." The unremarkable-looking girl standing a little farther back gave a quiet, succinct introduction. She concealed her presence exceptionally well; unless you made a point of sensing for her, it was easy to overlook her entirely.

"Hello, senior disciples." Lin Feng stepped forward too, smiling easily. "I'm also from Class Nine. My name is Lin Feng. I'm currently—currently a Level 47 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor."

The moment the words left his mouth, the group fell briefly silent.

"What?" Xixi abruptly lifted her eyes to look at Lin Feng, her voice filled with undisguised shock. His level had clearly caught her off guard.

"Level 47... Soul Ancestor?!" Chen Zifeng's smile froze. He studied Lin Feng carefully, his surprise growing. "You look only twelve or thirteen. With cultivation like that... you've probably already surpassed Beibei and Xu Sanshi, the Outer Court's twin stars. There's someone like you among the new students?"

"That's only natural. He's Dean Yan's personal disciple and Ma Xiaotao's favorite Junior Disciple Brother."

Compared with their astonishment, Ling Luochеn's reaction was much calmer.

She had already learned a little about Lin Feng from Yan Shaozhe. Hearing his exact level now made her marvel, but it didn't surprise her.

"You're too kind, senior disciples. I still have a lot to learn from you." Lin Feng replied modestly.

Beside him, Wang Dong quietly curled her lip and grumbled inwardly, This guy always manages to shock people whenever he gives his level.

Their brief introductions had already made the atmosphere among this hastily assembled Soul Hunting Squad somewhat peculiar.

After several days on the road, the Soul Hunting Squad finally reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Towering ancient trees gradually replaced the level road. The air was steeped in the primal scent of grass, trees, and earth, while faint roars and insect cries drifted from deep within the forest, reminding them that they had entered Soul Beast territory.

"Actually, our main purpose in coming out here isn't simply field training." Chen Zifeng leaned against an ancient tree, his expression more serious than before. "The academy received a report that an Evil Soul Master squad has been active nearby. They're ruthless and have already attacked several nearby villages, causing considerable casualties."

Ling Luochеn picked up where he left off, her voice cool and clear. "From what we've learned, their leader is a Soul Elder, and he has quite a few Soul Grandmasters under him. They're elusive, targeting villages with weak defenses to plunder resources and practice evil arts. The academy sent us here to uncover their background and purpose, and... to eliminate this scourge if possible."

Xixi silently nodded beside them. She still said little, but her expression had grown grave.

At that, the easygoing look vanished from Wang Dong's face, and she furrowed her brow slightly.

Dealing with Evil Soul Masters was far more dangerous and complicated than simply hunting Soul Beasts.

The Soul Hunting Squad now had three Soul Kings, one Soul Ancestor, and one Soul Grandmaster, giving them far greater overall strength than the Evil Soul Master squad described in the report.

Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully, showing no trace of fear. Instead, he asked, "Does the report specify roughly where they're active, or mention any distinguishing features?"

Chen Zifeng glanced at him, appreciating his composure, and answered, "They're active along the edge of this area near the mixed zone, but their exact movements are unpredictable. They practice evil arts, though, so their aura is cold and sinister, and the traces they leave behind differ from those of ordinary Soul Masters or Soul Beasts. A careful search should turn up something."

After half a day of tracking and searching, the Soul Hunting Squad finally located its target, thanks to Lin Feng's Spiritual Detection, which far surpassed that of Soul Masters at his level.

The entrance to a hidden mine lay concealed behind a jumble of rocks in a mountain hollow. A cold, foul aura seeped faintly from within.

"The report was wrong." Lin Feng withdrew his detection and lowered his voice to the others. "Based on the Soul Power fluctuations inside, there are at least two Soul Elders and seven Soul Grandmasters. There are no guards at the entrance. They must have gone to transport something."

"No matter." A sharp glint flashed in Chen Zifeng's eyes, but he showed no fear. "We have three Soul Kings on our side. The advantage is ours."

"I'll seal off the entrance to keep them from escaping and provide control support as the battle requires." Pale wisps of frost already curled around Ling Luochеn as she spoke concisely.

Chen Zifeng quickly laid out their plan. "Lin Feng, Wang Dong, once the fight begins, focus on holding off those seven Soul Grandmasters. Don't let them interfere with the main battle. Xixi, Luochеn, and I will take out the three Soul Elder leaders as quickly as possible. We need to move fast and catch them off guard."

The five of them silently slipped deeper into the mine.

In the dim light, two black-robed figures with cold, sinister auras were talking in a slightly wider cavern ahead. They were two of the three Evil Soul Elder leaders.

"Kill!"

Chen Zifeng barked the order and struck first.

A thick, viscous crimson glow suddenly shot skyward from his body.

The instant the light appeared, Lin Feng felt a concentrated aura of blood-soaked slaughter wash over him, as tangible as a real sea of corpses.

If he hadn't already known who Chen Zifeng was, this aura would have seemed even more sinister than that of an Evil Soul Master.

Chen Zifeng abruptly threw back his head. In an instant, his eyes turned a terrifying blood red, brimming with an unmatched killing intent.

He pressed the index and middle fingers of his right hand together and pointed into the air before him.

"Clang!"

A clear, ringing sword cry rang out.

A concentrated streak of blood-red light shot from his fingertips.

Only then did Lin Feng see that the streak of blood-red light was actually a strange slender sword.

The sword was three feet six inches long and barely an inch wide. Its blade was long and sleek, with no guard or hilt, and three deep blood grooves ran along it, a sight that made the skin crawl.

Stranger still, Chen Zifeng's five Soul Rings did not circle his body. Instead, they revolved around the blood-red slender sword.

The sword paused briefly in midair. A vivid arc of blood tore through the air, streaking across the cavern at a speed beyond the limits of reaction.

Almost soundlessly...

The Evil Soul Master leader, whose Soul Rings had just begun to glow, was split in two by the blood-red sword light and killed on the spot.

Thick, foul blood mixed with sinister Soul Power and sprayed in every direction.