Mingdou Mountain Range, western war zone.
Dawn had just broken, and a thin layer of mist still lingered over the wilderness.
A hundred-man Soul Engineer operation unit advanced rapidly along the edge of the mountain range. The formation was not fully spread out, and everyone kept low, using rocks and short shrubs to conceal their movements.
They wore uniform black battle armor. There was no legion insignia on their chests, only a round moon cleaved by dark golden lines.
They moved in groups of five, each group separated by several dozen meters.
The five Soul Masters at the front were responsible for scouting, with small spiritual detection Soul Tools hanging from their waists. The units behind them were divided into two columns, carrying foldable reconnaissance devices, directional explosive Soul Tools, and short-range spatial interference devices.
No one spoke along the way. Only the low hum of the Soul Tool core formations continued to sound amid the mountain wind.
At the very front of the unit, a young man stepped through waist-high wild grass and glanced up at the distant ridge.
He had a slender build, and his black battle armor fit tightly against his body. He carried no large Soul Tools on his back, but two longswords hung at his waist.
His sharp brows and eyes gave him a fierce air, yet his expression remained calm. His pace never changed. This was Xu Tianyao, who had been honing himself on the front lines.
A year had passed in the blink of an eye. Through his training in the military and the aid of immortal herbs, his Soul Power had already broken through to rank sixty-four.
Behind him, the vice-captain suddenly stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, according to the detection Soul Tools, Soul Power fluctuations have