Soul Hunting Operation

Three days passed in silence.

For Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Oscar, every single second of these three days was an ordeal.

In the cafeteria, they could only watch helplessly as Xiao Wu placed peeled eggs into Qin Chuan's bowl.

On the playground, they could only watch as Ning Rongrong used a handkerchief to carefully wipe the sweat from Qin Chuan's forehead.

Even on the way back to the dormitory, Zhu Zhuqing would deliberately slow her pace to walk side-by-side with Qin Chuan, occasionally whispering a few words to him.

The feeling was like having countless ants gnawing at their hearts—both itchy and painful.

They couldn't understand it; they absolutely couldn't fathom it.

That morning, Oscar successfully broke through level 29 during meditation, reaching the 30-level bottleneck.

This news finally brought a glimmer of joy to the battered trio.

Oscar had been born with full soul power at level 10 and had been stuck at level 29 for some time, so breaking through early was considered normal.

Zhao Wuji learned of this and immediately decided to organize the entire group to head to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Oscar's third soul ring.

This was Shrek Academy's custom: when one person advanced, the whole team moved out. It was both for soul hunting and for practical combat experience.

On the academy playground, all eight people gathered.

Zhao Wuji's burly frame stood at the front of the group, his voice as steady as a mountain: "I don't need to emphasize the dangers of the Star Dou Great Forest again. The higher the age of the soul beasts inside, the more aggressive and cunning they become. Once we enter the forest, follow my commands for every action. No one is allowed to leave the team without permission. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.

Half an hour later, the group arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, cutting the light into countless fragmented spots that scattered sparsely over the damp, rotting leaves.

The air was filled with a thick, pungent scent of soil, vegetation, and unknown wild beasts, which carried a raw, primal wildness when drawn into the lungs.

In the surrounding bushes, the sound of rustling was constant.

A half-meter-long colorful spider hung from its web, its eight compound eyes staring coldly at the group; a nearly meter-long ink-green centipede crawled sinuously along a tree trunk, its dense, numerous legs making one's scalp tingle.

These were only century-level soul beasts. Sensing the terrifying aura of a Soul Saint radiating from Zhao Wuji, they merely peered at the group without daring to approach.

"Stay close, don't fall behind," Zhao Wuji barked, taking the lead as he walked into the depths of the forest.

Their target was a soul beast of at least a thousand years; such creatures only existed in the central region of the forest.

The team moved in a simple defensive formation.

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun walked at the very front, responsible for clearing the path.

Zhao Wuji sat in the center, while Tang San and Oscar stayed on the flanks, ready to provide support at any moment.

As for Qin Chuan, he was intentionally or unintentionally shielded in the very middle by the three girls.

Xiao Wu walked to his front-left, her scorpion braid swaying with her steps, her pink short-sleeved top appearing exceptionally eye-catching in the dim forest.

She walked while vigilantly observing her surroundings; no rustle or movement could escape her ears.

Ning Rongrong walked to Qin Chuan's right. Today, she wore light blue trousers convenient for movement, and a tight-fitting white short shirt on her upper body, which outlined her well-developed figure to perfection.

She held her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in her hand, her soul power circulating secretly, ready to provide support at any time.

Zhu Zhuqing walked diagonally behind Qin Chuan like the most loyal shadow guard.

Dressed in black tight-fitting gear, she almost blended into the gloomy forest. Her footsteps were the lightest, silent upon landing, and those cat-like eyes remained locked on any potential threats appearing in the vicinity.

Qin Chuan was sandwiched in the middle, his nose filled with the different fragrances wafting from the three girls: the peach blossom scent from Xiao Wu, the faint floral water scent from Ning Rongrong, and the cold, clean soap-like fragrance from Zhu Zhuqing.

This feeling gave him a subtle sense of satisfaction.

After marching rapidly for over ten minutes, Tang San and Dai Mubai exchanged a glance. The two tacitly slowed their pace, soon falling to the back of the team and walking side-by-side.

Tang San lowered his voice, his lips barely moving: "Mubai, if I remember correctly, the terrain in the area ahead becomes very complex, with quite a few naturally formed caves."

A fierce glint flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes, and he nodded.

He certainly knew that those caves were bottomless; some were nests for Earth-Cave Spiders, some were dens for venomous snakes, and others were simply bottomless pits leading deep underground.

"What do you mean?" A hint of irrepressible excitement leaked into Dai Mubai's voice.

A cold, sinister arc curled at the corners of Tang San's mouth: "Whenever there's an opportunity, push that eyesore Qin Chuan into one. Find the deepest one, then seal the entrance with rocks. No one will ever know."

"Good!" Dai Mubai agreed without a moment's hesitation.

This thought had swirled in his mind countless times, but he hadn't found any opportunity to act while at the academy.

Today, heaven had provided the perfect chance.

The two men's whispered conspiracy was so quiet, mixed with the wind and insect chirps in the forest, that it was impossible to detect.

Surrounded by the three girls, Qin Chuan's attention was entirely on enjoying the gentle company around him, and he didn't notice the sordid transaction between the two men at the back of the line. He only felt that this soul-hunting trip didn't seem so boring after all.

Just then, Zhao Wuji, who was walking at the very front, suddenly raised his hand to signal the team to stop.

Everyone immediately halted their steps, looking ahead with vigilance.

"Everyone, look, what is in front of us?" Zhao Wuji's voice was a few degrees more solemn than usual.

The group followed the direction of his finger, only to see that in the forest a few dozen meters ahead, the light seemed to be distorted by something. Only upon closer inspection could one discern patches of spider silk as thin as cicada wings, nearly transparent.

"It's a web! Such fine webbing!" Xiao Wu, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot the anomaly.

Zhao Wuji pointed toward the vast area ahead. "That's right. Judging by the area this web covers, it's at least a thousand square meters. This must be a trap set by a thousand-year-level Human-Faced Demon Spider. Given your current strength, it would be very troublesome if you fell into it."

"I've heard that the webbing of a Human-Faced Demon Spider is not only highly toxic but also incredibly resilient, impervious to blades and swords. Once you're stuck, the more you struggle, the tighter it clings, until you're eventually poisoned to death."

Tang San spoke up at the right moment, supplementing with his own "theoretical knowledge."

"Correct. The only way to deal with this kind of webbing is fire," Zhao Wuji nodded. "And it has to be a large-scale fire at that."

"But where are we going to find fire? By the time we start one, that Human-Faced Demon Spider would have already rushed out," Ning Rongrong said with some concern, subconsciously leaning closer to Qin Chuan.

"Where is the spider? How come I don't see it?" Oscar asked curiously.

"Don't be fooled by the calm ahead; that beast is definitely hiding in some corner nearby, waiting for prey to come to its door."

As he spoke, Zhao Wuji picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground, wrapped it in soul power, and hurled it violently toward a dense thicket to the front left.

"Thwack!"

The stone smashed into the bushes, and the next second, a massive spider over two meters in size lunged out from within!

Its entire body was pitch black, its eight long legs resembling sharp spears. Most terrifying of all was the white pattern on its back that resembled a human face—grim, twisted, and enough to make one's blood run cold.

Startled, the Human-Faced Demon Spider swept its eight glowing green eyes over the group with venomous intent. However, it seemed to sense Zhao Wuji's formidable power and did not launch an attack, instead darting rapidly into another thicket and vanishing from sight.

"We'll go around. This creature's toxicity is too potent; it's not suitable for Oscar." With that, Zhao Wuji led the team to detour to the right, avoiding the death trap.

The false alarm left the atmosphere within the group feeling even more tense.