Level Six Defensive Soul Tool

The sun and moon rotated, and time slipped away quietly.

After a period of integration and high-intensity combat training, both the main team and the reserve team had made significant progress in their strength and synergy.

The opening day of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament was also right around the corner.

On this sunny morning, the fourteen students gathered once again within the Shrek Soul Fighting Area by the Sea God Lake.

Xuan Zi stood with his hands behind his back, watching these vibrant young people before him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"The tournament is imminent; we will set off for Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire."

Xuan Zi spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"However, before we officially depart, I intend to take you seven little ones from the reserve team to personally experience one of the tasks that our Shrek Inner Court students—the Shrek Inspector Corps—must perform daily."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Zi's figure shot into the sky without warning, like a cannonball piercing the clouds, his booming voice echoing from high above:

"Move out! Seniors, take the juniors; keep up with my speed!"

The seven members of the main team were long accustomed to this and acted immediately.

Ma Xiaotao flashed over, appearing directly beside Huo Yuhao, and laughed heartily:

"Yuhao, I'll carry you!"

Without waiting for Huo Yuhao to respond, she scooped him up from behind, and with the brilliant fire wings unfurling from her back, she soared into the sky.

Ling Luochen's gaze swept across the reserve team, finally resting on the petite Xiao Xiao, and she said indifferently:

"You, come with me."

She felt this little junior was the cutest in the reserve team, so she naturally preferred to take Xiao Xiao.

Xixi walked naturally toward the remaining female member of the reserve team, Jiang Nannan, blinked, and smiled:

"Junior Nannan, let's go."

On the other side, Wang Dong walked to Ji Jing's side and reached out her hand as a matter of course.

Although she possessed flight capabilities herself, her speed and soul power consumption during such long-distance, high-speed flight could not compare to Ma Xiaotao or the main team members using flight Soul Tools.

Ji Jing naturally understood her intent and smiled as he took her hand.

A gentle wave of soul power enveloped them both; Ji Jing released his martial soul, activated his third soul skill, and with a light tap of his feet, he carried Wang Dong up like a streak of light.

The others paired up accordingly, while the remaining two, Gongyang Mo and Yao Haoxuan, took out their own flight Soul Tools, channeled their soul power, and followed closely behind.

Fourteen figures, led by Xuan Zi, flew rapidly toward the direction outside Shrek City.

After a day of traveling, the group arrived at the western border of the Star Luo Empire.

Beside a cliff, a middle-aged man with a resolute face, wearing imposing armor and possessing a burly physique, had been waiting there for some time.

He was the renowned Duke of White Tiger, Dai Hao, who governed the western frontier of the Star Luo Empire.

The moment he saw Dai Hao, Huo Yuhao's body stiffened violently.

He stared fixedly at the Duke, his eyes erupting with an irrepressible, bone-deep hatred.

An icy, extreme aura radiated uncontrollably from him, causing even Xiao Xiao, who was standing beside him, to shiver; she glanced at him with suspicion and unease.

However, this state lasted only for a moment before Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and his eyes regained their clarity, though his face remained somewhat pale.

This subtle change did not escape Xiao Xiao's eyes.

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was exchanging greetings with Dai Hao, she quietly leaned toward Ji Jing and whispered:

"Class monitor, did you see that just now? When Huo Yuhao saw that Duke, he looked so terrifying... I'm a bit worried about him."

She hesitated for a moment and asked:

"Should we go ask him what happened?"

Ji Jing's gaze swept calmly over Huo Yuhao and Dai Hao, and he said indifferently:

"No need. If he wants to talk about it, he will naturally do so."

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao nodded. Although her eyes still held a trace of worry, the class monitor's words put her at ease, and she did not continue the topic.

Soon, Dai Hao and Xuan Zi finished their handover.

He handed a piece of intelligence regarding an Evil Soul Master to the team leader, Ma Xiaotao, and explained briefly:

"According to current intelligence, the target Evil Soul Master's strength should be at the Soul King level."

Because the opponent's strength was not too high, he and Xuan Zi departed first, leaving this mission entirely to the younger generation of Shrek.

Ma Xiaotao took the intelligence but did not examine it herself; instead, she turned and handed it directly to Ji Jing, saying straightforwardly:

"You are the strongest, you lead."

After this period of confrontation, she was already thoroughly convinced of Ji Jing's strength.

Ji Jing scanned the group, and seeing that no one had any objections, he nodded and accepted the responsibility.

He flipped his wrist, took a dozen metallic-shimmering bracelets from his storage Soul Tool, and said:

"These are Level 6 defensive Soul Tools. One for each of you, put them on now."

The members of the reserve team held immense trust in Ji Jing, stepping forward almost immediately to take the bracelets and putting them on their wrists without a moment's hesitation.

Huo Yuhao also curiously examined the metal ring on his wrist; as a Soul Tool master himself, he knew full well the difficulty of crafting high-level Soul Tools.

This Level 6 defensive Soul Tool felt heavy in his hand and was intricately structured; it was the first time he had ever worn such a finished product.

On the side of the main team, Dai Yueheng said nothing.

As the eldest son of the Duke of White Tiger, he understood the immense utility of Soul Tools on the battlefield and was the first to put on his bracelet.

As for the support-type Gongyang Mo, he had long been accustomed to arming himself with various Soul Tools and naturally would not refuse such a benefit.

However, the other members of the main team wore expressions of confusion and even disapproval.

Ma Xiaotao, who led them, frowned slightly; she possessed absolute confidence in her own strength.

Influenced by her teacher Yan Shaozhe, she held a deep-seated disdain for Soul Tools, viewing them as mere external crutches.

"It's just an Evil Soul Master at the Soul King level; is all this trouble really necessary?"

She voiced her opposition bluntly, "Do we, the people of Shrek, really need to rely on these hunks of iron to ensure our safety?"

Although Chen Zifeng, Xixi, and Ling Luochen did not speak, the look in their eyes mirrored that of Ma Xiaotao.

They were all the pride of the Inner Court, possessing extreme confidence in their own abilities.

Ji Jing looked at them and nodded calmly. He did not force the issue, simply flipping his wrist to store the remaining bracelets back into his storage Soul Tool, then said indifferently:

"Fine, let's move out."

He turned to Huo Yuhao:

"Huo Yuhao, Spiritual Detection Sharing."

"Yes, Squad Leader!"

Huo Yuhao responded immediately, his eyes lighting up as invisible spiritual power spread outward.

The group looked at one another, taken aback.

Ji Jing's crisp and decisive reaction caught them off guard; they had expected an argument, not for him to give up so easily.

Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips, saying nothing more.

Guided by Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, the group followed Ji Jing and stealthily advanced toward the target location marked in the intelligence report.