The Cyclops noticed Xiao Mu and abruptly lunged at him, its body brimming with brute force as its claws came slashing down with a sharp whistle.
Xiao Mu was slender, but the 3D Maneuver Gear lifted him into the air. He spun rapidly along the forest currents, and two high-grade melee Soul Tools appeared in his hands. Their blades, wrapped in a fierce gust, forcibly split apart the attack.
A giant fist crashed into the ground, sending dirt flying. Xiao Mu skimmed sideways, neatly flipping backward to evade the heavy blow.
He kept darting around, maintaining his distance as he familiarized himself with the gear. He spun and changed direction in midair again and again, showering the ground with a dense rain of blade flashes.
The giant's body was ponderous and slow. It couldn't dodge in time, and every spinning slash from the air landed precisely on a vital spot.
After a few leaps and flips, Xiao Mu had had his fun and prepared to finish things off.
"Time to end this!"
He shot upward along the cable, twisted in midair, and brought both blades down with all his strength, cleanly severing the giant's neck.
Its massive body crashed into the forest floor, kicking up clouds of dust.
Golden motes of spiritual energy surged into Xiao Mu's body, and his two deep-yellow Soul Rings grew even darker.
Junwu circled overhead and sneered. "That Cyclops was useless. Back in my day, no human dared act so arrogantly in my presence."
Before his words had even faded, it opened its beak and let out a clear, piercing caw. The sound reverberated throughout the mountains and forest, making it plain that it intended to claim this stretch of the Spirit Ascension Platform for itself.
The flying Soul Beasts nearby fled in panic at the sound. The Soul Beasts lurking on the ground huddled deep in the undergrowth, not daring to move.
An instinct buried deep in their bloodlines warned them again and again: that sound belonged to a top predator at the very peak of the food chain.
In the observation hall outside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Wu Zhangkong stood before a light screen, his face dark. The screen had clearly replayed Xiao Mu's entire battle. He had relied on the 3D Maneuver Gear and Soul Tools for most of the fight, without showing his own strength at all.
He tapped the edge of the screen with a fingertip, his voice cool and flat. "Xiao Mu really is good at using Soul Tools."
At the same time, a Spirit Pagoda staff member nearby was taking notes. They glanced through Xiao Mu's file: a Body Martial Soul.
They could report this. The staff member's gaze shifted to another screen. That was Gu Yue; she needed to be reported as well.
Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, a stream murmured over shallow stones. Na'er stood by its bank, her Silver Dragon Spear lowered in her hand, warm beads of blood still running from its tip.
Not far away, a muscular Power Gorilla lay toppled on the ground. The pure-strength Soul Beast had just thrown itself into a fierce assault, but in the end, it hadn't withstood the Silver Dragon Spear's attack.
Holding her dragon spear, Na'er sounded rather pleased with herself. "I really am invincible."
The moment she finished speaking, the forest floor suddenly shook violently. Heavy footsteps approached from a distance.
The dense thicket was abruptly smashed aside by brute force. A gigantic rhino charged out, its body stout and massive, thick layers of armor-like hide stacked like a sturdy shield. Its long, coarse horn glinted with a dull, cold light. It was a Plate-Armored Rhino, known for its formidable defense.
The rhino dug its four hooves into the earth and lowered its head, charging straight at Na'er with the force of a thousand jun. The air itself churned from the impact.
Just as it was about to hit her, a figure suddenly dropped from above.
Xiao Mu gripped both blades tightly and brought them down in a slash, aided by the increased gravity from his First Soul Skill and his own tremendous strength. The blades cut quickly into the rhino's neck, cleanly severing its head.
Its heavy body lost its balance and fell with a dull thud.
"Brother, I can handle it myself," Na'er said crossly.
Xiao Mu sheathed his blades and stood firm, replying calmly, "I know. But there's no time to waste. Let's go straight to the Spirit Ascension Platform Guardian."
Suddenly, the trees rustled, and a fluffy pink rabbit poked its head out from the undergrowth. Xiao Mu gave it no chance to react. The First Soul Ring at his feet lit up again, and a terrifying Gravity Suppression crashed down. He followed with a single slash.
But the Soft Bone Rabbit didn't give Xiao Mu a chance at all—it had already been chopped into a pool of blood and flesh.
"This..." Xiao Mu was speechless. What about Invincible Golden Body? What about teleportation? Why hadn't the Soft Bone Rabbit used them? Was this some new skill?!
"Brother, forget that hundred-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit. Let's go."
Na'er reminded him, and the two set off side by side, walking steadily toward the depths of the forest.
The canopy blocked out the sunlight, and the path ahead was dark. Grass and branches rustled against their clothes.
High above, Junwu glided freely with its wings spread wide. Several Green-Feathered Birds trailed behind it, all subordinates it had just brought under its wing. The flock followed in orderly formation, not daring to get out of line.
Na'er glanced at the birds overhead and murmured, "That guy moves fast. He's already picked up a bunch of underlings."
Xiao Mu looked up at the sky and casually reminded her, "Don't go attacking recklessly. Let's find the Spirit Ascension Platform Guardian first."
Junwu gave a soft caw in reply. The birds remained in formation behind it, and ordinary Soul Beasts throughout the forest hid as soon as they caught the scent of the group.
The two continued deeper into the forest. Xiao Mu keenly sensed two approaching auras, one swift and one heavy.
Suddenly, silver light flashed, and a figure appeared beside them in an instant.
A low rumble sounded behind them as a huge body crashed through the bushes and lumbered forward. A gleaming crystalline shell covered it: a thousand-year-old Crystal Bear.
"Wasn't it supposed to be Gu Yue? What happened to you? You brought a dumb bear over here!" Xiao Mu showed no surprise, and the thousand-year-old Soul Beast didn't concern him in the slightest.
The Crystal Bear was a weakened mutation of the Dread-Claw Bear, and was actually weaker than its original form. It had a special ability: anyone it struck began to crystallize. A second attack shattered the crystallized body part. Only powerful Soul Power could resist crystallization, though quickly cutting away the affected part could also prevent further damage.
The Crystal Bear's weakness was that it could only fight at close range, with no long-range attacks at all.
Gu Yue replied evenly, "It was an accident. It was all an accident."
The Crystal Bear dug its four limbs into the ground and lunged at them, wrapped in crystal light.
Xiao Mu raised his hand. His First Soul Ring suddenly lit up, and a crushing force spread downward, pinning the Crystal Bear firmly in place and slowing it down considerably. It could barely move.
Multicolored light flowed around Gu Yue as water, fire, wind, and earth spread out together. Flames scorched the crystal shell, wind blades sliced at its flesh, and earth bound its paws.
"Hit its eyes!" Xiao Mu called.
Na'er gripped the Silver Dragon Spear, pouring Soul Power into its shaft until it blazed with silver light. While the Crystal Bear was pinned by gravity and entangled by the elements, its vision obstructed for a moment, she rushed forward and thrust. The sharp spearpoint plunged into the Crystal Bear's vulnerable eye.
The giant bear roared in pain, its massive body convulsing as its claws slashed wildly in every direction.
Seeing this, Na'er immediately retreated. She didn't dare touch those claws. For the moment, she couldn't break free of the control effect.
Watching the scene, Xiao Mu sighed helplessly. This long-range mage couldn't deal any damage at all. He glanced at Gu Yue: her development was seriously lacking.
As expected, he still had to carry the team himself.
As he spoke, he took the Thunder Cannon from his Storage Soul Tool, ready to let the Crystal Bear experience the wisdom of humanity.