Squad Mission

"Success!"

Li Zishuo sprang to his feet, thrilled as he watched the yellow Soul Ring circling around him.

That's right. After letting the five-person team go, Li Zishuo had killed the Giant Strength Elephant with Li Changsheng's help.

As it happened, they'd been lucky. The Giant Strength Elephant was perfectly suited to Li Zishuo, both in attribute and age.

Li Changsheng nodded. He watched the yellow Soul Ring slowly rise and then drift back down, nodding with satisfaction as well.

"Then let's head back."

Li Changsheng estimated the time. If they set out now, they'd probably reach the Pre-Education Academy in the afternoon.

Li Zishuo put away his Martial Soul and nodded, still excited. "All right."

"Stay close to me. We'll use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to travel. Keep your Soul Power under control."

Incidentally, Li Zishuo's Soul Power had now reached level eleven.

It seemed that because he'd advanced too quickly before, his excess Soul Power had gone toward filling in the gaps.

Li Zishuo nodded without speaking. As he familiarized himself with his Soul Power as a Soul Master, he began to use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

Li Changsheng took the lead, his footsteps a blur as he moved so swiftly that he was almost impossible to make out.

The two of them raced along the path they'd cleared earlier.

Sometimes Li Zishuo would run out of stamina, and Li Changsheng would stop. While Li Zishuo recovered his Soul Power, he'd take the opportunity to give him some pointers.

Along the way, Li Changsheng and the others encountered several teams still searching for Soul Beasts.

But they paid them no mind and quickly left the area.

By around noon, they reached the outskirts of the Pre-Education Academy.

The moment he stepped outside, Li Changsheng felt a wave of relief. He also spotted a tent set up on the outskirts, its entrance left wide open.

Inside, Gu Feibai and several others, including Centrifugal Killing Mirror, sat cross-legged.

Were they meditating?

Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo had actually been the first team to return.

Seven Absolute Zither Master was the first to open her eyes. Beneath her mask, her sky-blue gaze landed on Li Changsheng, and she gave him a slight nod.

Li Changsheng did the same, nodding in greeting.

Soon, Gu Feibai opened his eyes too. His deep gaze swept over Li Zishuo, and he nodded. Then his eyes settled on Li Changsheng, his brow furrowing as confusion crossed his face.

Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo walked up to the tent.

Before anyone could speak, Li Changsheng released his Martial Soul.

A plain, ancient book appeared in his hands.

A yellow Soul Ring circled around him.

Cradling the book in his palms, Li Changsheng seemed to radiate an elegant, scholarly air. From a distance, he even appeared to be enveloped in a sacred golden light.

Beside him, Li Zishuo also released his Martial Soul.

A verdant green chessboard appeared in his hands, and his Soul Ring floated around him. His aura was in no way inferior.

Gu Feibai nodded, his thoughts inscrutable. "Not bad. You completed the assessment in two days. You can choose a team."

Beside him, Centrifugal Killing Mirror handed over a list.

It contained the names of the upper-year teams.

Li Changsheng saw No One in the Tomb, the team led by Exquisite Dice. Its members were Tearing Terror Claw and someone called Sky-Stepping Swallow. Every member had Soul Power above level twenty, and they were all nearing graduation.

There was also a team called Mirror Sword, made up of Centrifugal Killing Mirror, Iron Armor Linked Shield, and a Soul Master called Star Universe Flying Sword. Every member's Soul Power was almost at the level of a thirtieth-level Soul Elder!

Li Changsheng's eyes settled on the Mirror Sword team.

His own name was listed there, too.

And right beside his name, the words Seven Absolute Zither Master stood out as well.

Noticing Li Changsheng's puzzled gaze, Centrifugal Killing Mirror walked over and said with a laugh, "I reserved you ages ago. We'll definitely have to spar on the way."

He didn't explain why Seven Absolute Zither Master's name was listed there too.

After all, Seven Absolute Zither Master was a student of the Pre-Education Academy's dean.

The academy's dean was a Titled Douluo, and rumor had it that she was a level ninety-seven powerhouse. Her title was also imposing: Sun-Extinguishing. That's right, Sun-Extinguishing Douluo. Her Martial Soul was the sun.

Li Changsheng nodded, not minding that someone else had arranged things in advance.

On the contrary, he wanted to spar with Centrifugal Killing Mirror.

Since a three-person team could only take one new student being assessed, Li Zishuo had to choose another team.

Soon, Exquisite Dice pulled Li Zishuo into her team and led him away.

Li Changsheng gave Li Zishuo a few instructions. While no one was looking, he used his Genesis Book to perform a Soul Skill called "Blessing."

Unlike "Curse," "Blessing" was, more or less, a kind of blessing.

The Genesis Book Martial Soul was truly wondrous. Whatever Li Changsheng said would come true. It might not happen exactly as he said, but it still had some effect.

At present, one ring allowed him to speak one word; all nine rings together could create a world.

Li Changsheng had practically forgotten all about his Immortal Execution Painting Martial Soul.

The more he used the Genesis Book, the more satisfying it became.

At the same time, he looked forward to gaining more Soul Rings in the future, so he could bring to life, through Soul Skills, the techniques from his past life that had existed only in legends.

He wanted to stand beneath a clear blue sky, look down upon the world, and shout, "Sword, come!"

Just thinking about it was imposing beyond compare.

Meanwhile, Li Changsheng followed Centrifugal Killing Mirror, Iron Armor Linked Shield, and Seven Absolute Zither Master to a small courtyard to find the last member of their team: a Soul Master called Star Universe Flying Sword, a level-twenty-five Soul Grandmaster who was eleven years old.

"They're assigning missions as soon as someone arrives?" Li Changsheng walked behind them, glanced at Seven Absolute Zither Master beside him, and asked curiously.

Centrifugal Killing Mirror and Iron Armor Linked Shield seemed to be discussing the details of their mission. It sounded like they were going to investigate a village near the Mingdou Mountain Range, where people had recently been disappearing one after another. Travelers passing through the area often vanished too. That seemed to be the gist of it.

Seven Absolute Zither Master nodded. Her hair was loose today, silver-white as snow. Her enchanting mask made it impossible to read her character or gauge her strength. "From the first day, every team was assigned a mission. The difficulty goes up according to the overall strength of the team."

"So that means our mission will be difficult? If we'd joined a team of lower-level Soul Masters, our mission would've been easy?" Li Changsheng asked.

"Mm. Some teams were assigned to find a cat."

Li Changsheng nodded. This was probably what Exquisite Dice had mentioned earlier.

The strong had their own way of growing stronger; the weak had their own way of surviving.

With so many geniuses, there would inevitably be those above the rest and those below them.

Without a doubt, Li Changsheng belonged among those above the rest.

He took the short Soul Tool sword from inside his robe and returned it to Seven Absolute Zither Master. "Thanks. You really helped me out."

Seven Absolute Zither Master merely nodded, then reached out to take the short sword. Feeling the warmth on its cold scabbard, she froze for a moment. "Y-you kept the sword in your robe?"

"Of course. If I'd kept it in a Storage Soul Tool, it would've wasted time to take it out when I needed it, wouldn't it?"

Li Changsheng found the question baffling, but answered anyway.

Of course, he hadn't used it at all, but it was a harmless lie.

Hearing that, Seven Absolute Zither Master made no further comment. Under Li Changsheng's gaze, she acted as if it didn't matter and put the short sword directly inside her own robe.

Soon, they arrived at a small courtyard.

Even from far away, Li Changsheng could hear the sharp whistle of something cutting through the air inside.

The sound was a lot like the one Li Changsheng made when practicing with a spear, but it was more ethereal and much crisper. It seemed to be the sound of a sword cutting through the air.

Soon, Li Changsheng saw her.

The Soul Master called Star Universe Flying Sword. She was...?

That's right, she was a woman.

The proof was the slight swell of her chest.

She had neat short hair, and beneath her mask seemed to be a face with sharply defined features. Dressed in white, she carried a fierce sword aura. With each light, flying movement, one sword stroke swept out after another, bold and unrestrained.

Li Changsheng watched in amazement.

The long sword in her hand was an ordinary one.

That was a rare sight.

After all, in this world, Martial Souls were everything. Soul Masters of this age devoted all their attention to meditating and cultivating their Martial Souls. Almost no one would wield an ordinary long sword, much less do it with such effortless grace and gallant flair.

Even after Li Changsheng and the others arrived, Star Universe Flying Sword didn't stop. She thrust once through the air, producing the sharpest whistle yet, and only then did she pause and look at them with clear black-and-white eyes.

Centrifugal Killing Mirror didn't waste words. "We're leaving."

Star Universe Flying Sword first glanced at Li Changsheng, then at Seven Absolute Zither Master beside him. She nodded, seemingly unconcerned, and promptly took off the white outer robe she was wearing, revealing the soft armor beneath. She was tall and long-limbed, with striking proportions and a flawless figure... It was just a shame they couldn't see what her face looked like.

Watching her, Li Changsheng couldn't help sighing. My, my, the girls in this world really are gallant and bold.

Li Changsheng definitely wasn't looking at her mature figure. Absolutely not!

"Ow."

Li Changsheng suddenly felt a pain in his waist.

He saw that Seven Absolute Zither Master beside him had pinched his stomach with her little hand. Her chin was raised, and beneath her mask, those blue eyes glared fiercely at him.

Scary.

Li Changsheng's stomach was rock-hard. He practiced all kinds of skills, and his body had been nourished by his blood and energy, so his physique was top-notch. But even so, that pinch still hurt a little.

No, was that even the point?

The point was those eyes!

For some reason, Li Changsheng felt as though he'd seen that look somewhere before.

Yes, where had he seen it?

Before he could think any further, Seven Absolute Zither Master spoke. "Next time, I won't pinch you here."

"Where will you pinch me next time?" Li Changsheng nearly blurted out, but managed to hold his tongue.

Hey, hey, hey!

What kind of development was this?

Li Changsheng looked at Seven Absolute Zither Master. What was up with this six-year-old girl? She was way too mature. Could she be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?

No, she wasn't. At least, the God of Wisdom had told him she was human.

Well, with Innate Soul Power at level twenty, perhaps she was an early bloomer?

He gave an awkward laugh and said nothing. He wasn't angry, and finally turned his gaze away.

My, my, I'm so charming that even a genius little girl has a crush on me.

Beneath his mask, Li Changsheng struck a pose that said, I'm amazing.