The Communal Spirit Ascension Platform Guardians

Before Xiao Mu's voice had even faded, two figures emerged from the woods.

Both wore the East Sea Academy uniform. Leading them was a youth of seventeen or eighteen with pale blue hair, gripping a snow-white staff topped with a blue crystal.

Two yellow and one purple soul rings pulsed beneath his feet, and the spiritual power radiating from his body was so dense it was almost tangible.

It was Xu Xiaoyu, a three-ring Soul Grandmaster.

A small head peeked out from behind him, sporting two pale blue braids. She also held an ice staff, though hers was a size smaller.

At this moment, two rings circled her feet. She looked rather timid, as if she had just escaped from something terrifying.

It was Xu Xiaoyan. Under Xiao Mu's influence, she had already broken through to the second ring.

Xu Xiaoyu's gaze swept over Xiao Mu and his seven companions. When he saw the equally dense spiritual halos surrounding them, his eyes flickered.

Then, he strode forward.

"Xiao Mu, long time no see! Since we've met in the Spirit Ascension Platform, prepare yourself to be beaten."

Hearing this, Xie Xie teased Xiao Mu, "Xiao Mu, you're really unpopular. Why does everyone want to hit you?"

"Tch, who knows why his mind is wandering." Xiao Mu was speechless; he had no idea why Xu Xiaoyu thought he would be interested in a three-year sentence.

Xu Xiaoyu's face darkened. "Xiao Mu, what kind of look is that? You don't think my sister is good enough for you, right?"

"No, how does your brain even work?" Xiao Mu shrugged. "How old is your sister, anyway?"

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan puffed up her cheeks. Was she really that bad of a catch?

"Don't worry about that," Xu Xiaoyu's voice rose sharply. He pointed his ice staff forward, and the blue crystal at its tip glowed. "Since we've met, I'll definitely make you see reason. I have to weigh your strength."

"Brother, don't fight..."

Xu Xiaoyan whispered, tugging at the hem of Xu Xiaoyu's robe.

"You still have something to say? Hurry up and leave your last words." Xu Xiaoyu said bluntly.

"Let me think, what have I done wrong in this life?" Xiao Mu pondered for a moment before saying, "Gu Yue, when you were drinking water, I didn't tell you it contained dihydrogen monoxide. Tang Wulin, when you were eating, I didn't warn you that there was an excess of sodium chloride in your meal."

"Huh?" Both of them looked blank. What kind of nonsense was that? What had they eaten?

"It just means there was water in your water, Gu Yue, and you put too much salt in your food, Tang Wulin."

Seeing their confused expressions, Xiao Mu couldn't help but explain.

"You guy!" Gu Yue felt she had been tricked. This person had almost scared her; she had been wondering how any poison could have slipped past her.

Tang Wulin let out a sigh of relief. So it was just salt; he had thought it was something else.

"Xiao Mu, you really don't take me seriously at all, do you?"

The soul rings beneath Xu Xiaoyu's feet lit up. He raised his ice staff high, and an Ice Wheel condensed at the tip, spinning with a sharp, whistling sound.

The Ice Wheel flew from his hand.

A chill spread across the ground, and the grass blades were instantly coated in white frost. The edges of the Ice Wheel were thin as blades, carving an arc through the air as it headed straight for Xiao Mu's face.

Xiao Mu didn't move.

The third soul ring at his feet still glowed faintly. His golden eyes reflected the future—the trajectory, angle, and speed of the Ice Wheel were all perfectly clear.

He tilted his head, and the Ice Wheel grazed his ear, smashing into the tree trunk behind him and exploding into a shower of ice shards.

"Is this the extent of your strength? You think you're qualified to weigh me?" Xiao Mu's voice was calm.

"It's not over yet!"

Xu Xiaoyu roared, waving his ice staff repeatedly. Three ice cones condensed out of thin air, forming a triangular formation to seal off Xiao Mu's retreat.

Xiao Mu took a step forward.

A force field expanded beneath his feet like a transparent film, spreading silently toward Xu Xiaoyu.

Gravity doubled.

Caught off guard, Xu Xiaoyu's knees buckled, and he was forced to his knees. His ice staff slipped from his grasp and plunged into the soil.

The three ice cones lost control, veering off course in mid-air before crashing into the ground and shattering into ice dust.

"I can definitely withstand this Gravity Suppression technique!" Xu Xiaoyu gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. He pushed his hands against the ground, trying to stand, but found that even lifting a finger had become difficult.

"This move really never fails; most people can't handle it!" Xiao Mu walked up to him. "Your strength feels even worse than Mu Xi's."

Xu Xiaoyu's eyes widened. I'm not as good as Mu Xi?!

Xu Xiaoyu's face flushed red. He let out a low growl, and his second soul ring suddenly lit up. The ice staff sprang from the mud and flew back into his hand.

The blue crystal at the tip erupted with a blinding light, and countless ice crystals surged from the ground like white chains, coiling and twisting toward Xiao Mu.

"Ice Lock!"

The ice chains emitted a crisp, cracking sound. A frigid aura permeated the air, and a thick layer of white frost coated the ground wherever they passed.

Xiao Mu sighed.

"Why bother?"

He raised his hand. The force field swirled in his palm.

"Gravity Reversal."

The gravity beneath Xu Xiaoyu's feet suddenly inverted. Down became up. Xu Xiaoyu was sent soaring into the air, and the Ice Lock lost its target, darting past beneath him and shattering into a sky full of ice shards.

"Ah—"

Xu Xiaoyu clawed at the air, but he couldn't grab a thing. His ice staff slipped from his hand, spinning away until it vanished deep into the tree canopy.

A force field erupted beneath Xiao Mu's feet, launching him forward. He moved so fast that only a blur remained in the air.

The blades of the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw extended from his knuckles, glinting coldly in the sunlight.

The claw's edge reached Xu Xiaoyu.

"Pfft—"

The blade pierced through his shoulder, and dark-gold blood gushed out, drifting upward in the reversed gravity like a rain of blood falling in reverse.

"Brother, stop throwing the match! Dad is going to scold you again when we get home!"

Xu Xiaoyan cried out, showing only a sliver of sympathy for Xu Xiaoyu.

Xu Xiaoyu crashed down from the air, hitting the ground with a boom as dust billowed up. His figure began to blur before vanishing without a trace.

A halo of spiritual power drifted from his body, thick as a cloud of mist, and flowed into Xiao Mu.

Xu Xiaoyan clutched her little head and said, "You've already beaten my brother, you can't hit me too."

"Xiaoyan, wasn't it your brother who started this?" Xiao Mu was speechless. Did he look like the type of person who went around hitting people for no reason?

Although he had often given people "electrotherapy" back in primary school to motivate them, it was all for their own good.

Those who had received his help had all seen significant improvements in their physical fitness.

Tang Wulin leaned in and lowered his voice, "Xiao Mu, do you know her?"

"We met at the primary soul master academy," Xiao Mu explained. "Her name is Xu Xiaoyan. She'll be attending the intermediate soul master academy next year."

"Primary academy?" Xie Xie raised an eyebrow. "Do you like her?"

"Do you even know what 'like' means, kid?" Xiao Mu was speechless.

"Exactly, exactly. My brother wouldn't like him," Na'er said, poking Xie Xie's butt with the Silver Dragon Spear.

Xu Xiaoyan looked at Na'er. She was so pretty; who wouldn't like her?

"Forget it. Your brother quit the Spirit Ascension Platform on his own. You're here to upgrade your soul ring, so you might as well stick with us for now," Xiao Mu said, looking directly at Xu Xiaoyan. "I know you're here to build up your courage. Don't worry, I'm more reliable than your brother."

After all, Xu Xiaoyan's habit of being a bit timid had never really gone away.

"Is that okay?" Xu Xiaoyan asked, looking at the others.

Gu Yue: "Doesn't matter."

Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, and the others naturally agreed; after all, sticking with a powerhouse meant they were guaranteed to pass the assessment.

The group of eight became nine. Xu Xiaoyan asked, "Where are we going?"

"To find the Spirit Ascension Platform Guardian. I heard it's become a thousand-year-level beast. Let's see if we can take it down—it'll be perfect for building up your courage."

Xiao Mu explained to the group. His main goal was to "freeload" a soul bone; if it were an external soul bone, he would take it, and if not, he would just give it to some lucky person.

Who would even absorb a thousand-year soul bone anyway?

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned. The Spirit Ascension Platform Guardian? A thousand-year-level one?

Before she could say anything, the team walked out of the dense forest. The woods ahead suddenly broke off, revealing a clear dividing line—the boundary between the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform and the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform.

The next instant.

Howls erupted from the forest. The low, deep cries echoed through the trees, causing the thin mist to tremble. Over a dozen ghostly green eyes lit up deep within the fog.

Xu Xiaoyan's face turned pale, and she instinctively took half a step back.

"There are so many of them. Has the difficulty increased this much?!"