Post-Battle Respite, Enlightenment

As night fell, the hunting party settled the rescued villagers into the nearby village that had been razed by the Wolf Bandits.

Beyond the local villagers, there were also civilians from other regions among those saved.

These people were suffering from varying degrees of psychological trauma and required treatment from Spirit Masters specializing in mental arts before being sent back to their homes; should they choose not to leave, Spirit Hall would take responsibility for their resettlement.

Adults would remain to work at the local Spirit Hall branch, while the orphans would be sent to the orphanage—the very place where Ban Shu and the others had grown up.

With everything settled, the hunting party could finally rest. To maintain mobility and ensure the protection of the villagers, they set up camp in an open space near the village.

Throughout this Wolf Bandit Hunt, the hunting party had played a crucial role alongside Ban Shu and his companions, their presence felt in every encirclement and defensive stand.

Following the resounding victory, the group began a celebratory feast at the camp, which also served as a welcome for Ban Shu and Bibi Dong.

"..."

Inside the tent, Ban Shu slowly opened his eyes. "Where is this..."

"You're awake?"

As his vision cleared, Ban Shu saw Bibi Dong sitting nearby, her eyes fixed on him with concern.

"You've been asleep for several hours. How do you feel?"

Ban Shu pushed back the blanket and sat up slowly, only to feel a sharp ache in his head. "I'm alright, just a bit of a headache."

"That's a side effect of overdrawing your mental power. Only time will ease it."

In the first era of the Douluo Continent, there was no systematic method for cultivating mental power; one had to rely entirely on a Spirit Master's innate talent or use crude, brute-force methods to force it to grow.

Just then, Li Yan lifted the tent flap and stepped inside. Seeing Ban Shu sitting up, he nodded with a smile. "You're awake."

"Yes."

Bibi Dong helped Ban Shu to his feet, but he had one pressing concern. "What happened to those Fallen Ones?"

"Rest easy, not a single one escaped."

Li Yan held out his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. "The strongest one was subdued by Bishop Yue Guan and me, and the others were all killed by you and Dong'er."

"That's good."

Ban Shu let out a sigh of relief. If any of them had escaped, it would have been a devastating blow to the civilians here.

"However, we didn't kill the Spirit Emperor. He still holds a significant amount of control over the remaining Wolf Bandits, so we must get to the bottom of that before we can pass judgment on him."

"I understand."

"Right, everyone has prepared a welcome feast for you two. Let's go."

Li Yan stepped forward and patted Ban Shu, giving him a thumbs-up. "Also, I have good news for you. Congratulations, you have officially finished your training."

"I've seen your heroic performance today, and I am truly satisfied. There is nothing left for me to teach you."

Ban Shu looked at Bibi Dong, then back at Li Yan, and nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Uncle Li."

Li Yan laughed and patted Ban Shu's shoulder. "Come on, everyone is waiting for you."

"Yes."

Ban Shu nodded and followed the two out of the tent. Outside, the members of the hunting party were gathered around a bonfire, quietly waiting for their best teammate of the day.

Seeing Ban Shu emerge, the group broke into applause, and some even began to cheer.

"What's this about?"

Ban Shu was somewhat bewildered by the scene.

"Nothing, they're just thanking you," Li Yan said, crossing his arms with a smile. "A routine Wolf Bandit Hunt is never this simple; injuries and even deaths are common occurrences."

"But this time, because of you two, everyone in the team returned alive, save for a few minor injuries."

"God of War!"

Someone shouted the title, and the rest of the members joined in the chant.

"God of War! God of War! God of War!"

Although Ban Shu was young, no one present failed to respect him. He had proven himself with his formidable strength and had earned the admiration of all.

"Thank you, everyone."

Ban Shu sat by the fire and nodded at the crowd with a smile. "This wasn't just my achievement; everyone played a part. So, I've prepared a gift for you all."

With that, Ban Shu produced the spirit bone. "This is the spirit bone dropped by the Wolf Bandit leader. I've discussed it with Bishop Yue Guan, and we've decided to exchange it for its equivalent in Gold Spirit Coins to be split among us."

At these words, the entire group erupted in cheers. They had never expected Ban Shu to be so generous—sharing a thousand-year spirit bone without hesitation—and their respect for him deepened even further.

At that moment, Ban Shu suddenly scratched his head in embarrassment. "Um, when do we eat? I've been fighting all day, and I'm starving."

Hearing this, the group looked at one another and burst into laughter.

To thank the hunting party for saving them, the villagers had brought out a bounty of food to host them.

Once they had eaten their fill, Li Yan and Yue Guan remained to keep watch and guard the Fallen One, whose limbs had been shattered and spirit power crippled, while the rest of the group went to rest.

The next day, the group broke camp and set off in a grand procession back to Spirit Hall.

Qian Xunji at the Pope Palace received the news and was momentarily stunned: "How could this hunt have been so swift? Doesn't it usually take at least a week?"

The scout delivering the message wore an expression of pure admiration: "It is all thanks to Lord Ban Shu. Not only did he and the two bishops slaughter countless Wolf Bandits, but he also saw through their conspiracy and executed the wicked Fallen One."

"Oh?"

Seeing the scout's look of reverence when mentioning Ban Shu, Qian Xunji could not help but feel curious about what level his good disciple had reached this time.

"Summon Ban Shu and Bibi Dong to see me. Let the others return to rest, and have Li Yan and Yue Guan submit their reports to me tomorrow."

"Yes."

The scout nodded and turned to leave.

Qian Xunji slowly rose, hands clasped behind his back as he stepped away from his desk: "Xiao Ban, Dong'er, it seems you have both grown once again through this ordeal."

Before long, the two arrived at the Pope Palace.

"Teacher."

The two addressed Qian Xunji respectfully.

"Mm."

Qian Xunji stepped forward, observing them closely, and nodded with satisfaction: "Good, very good. It seems you have both made great progress; it was not in vain that I had you join the hunting party."

"Yes, Teacher. This time, I saw a great deal."

Ban Shu nodded, his tone calm: "Evil Soul Masters should all die."

"I agree with Xiao Ban."

Bibi Dong nodded firmly: "Those Evil Soul Masters should not exist; they must be completely purged."

"Hehehe, it seems you have witnessed the deeds of those Evil Soul Masters."

Qian Xunji stepped forward and patted both of their heads gently: "Given your age, you shouldn't have been involved in this, but you are my disciples, so you must be stronger than anyone else."

"As servants under the Angel God, we of Spirit Hall must always remember to purge all evil. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Teacher."

"Mm, go back and rest. There is no need for training for the next few days."

Qian Xunji nodded with satisfaction and urged them to return.