Zhang Lexuan Leads the Soul Hunt, the Inner Court's Spear and Shield

"You must be Su Ling, the one Elder Xuan mentioned."

Zhang Lexuan's voice was gentle, like an older sister next door offering a soft greeting.

Su Ling nodded.

"I'm Zhang Lexuan, an Inner Court disciple. You can call me Sister Lexuan."

"Here's the situation: Elder Xuan suddenly had something to deal with, so he found me and asked me to lead you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts."

Upon hearing this, Su Ling's mind raced. In an instant, he accepted the fact that Xuan Zi had been replaced by Zhang Lexuan as the team leader.

This was a good thing!

In his eyes, Zhang Lexuan was far more reliable than Elder Xuan, not to mention she was also a goddess detected by the system.

It was simply a double blessing!

"So that's how it is. Then I'll have to trouble you for this soul hunt, Sister Lexuan."

Su Ling smiled softly.

Seeing this absurdly handsome boy smiling as he called her sister, a faint flutter rose in the depths of Zhang Lexuan's heart.

It was a feeling she had never experienced even when facing Bei Bei.

"It's nothing. I've been cultivating in Sea God Pavilion for so long that I wanted to go out for a walk anyway."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and gently took Su Ling's hand.

Su Ling did not resist, allowing that fair, jade-like hand to clasp his own.

Their hands intertwined.

He could clearly feel Zhang Lexuan's fingers trembling slightly. Her touch was soft and cool.

Zhang Lexuan remained composed on the surface, but her hand suddenly gave Su Ling's warm little hand a gentle squeeze, and the corners of her lips lifted unconsciously.

[Zhang Lexuan Favorability +5, obtained 50 Strategy Points]

The five Inner Court students beside them exchanged looks. The two female students wore knowing auntie smiles.

Su Ling was already nearly 170 centimeters tall, and after absorbing the 170,000-year right leg bone, he now looked almost as tall as Zhang Lexuan.

Holding hands, the two looked like a young couple.

"Let's go. Star Dou Great Forest."

Still holding Su Ling's hand, Zhang Lexuan turned to face the other five Inner Court disciples, her expression returning to its usual seriousness.

"Yes, Sister Lexuan."

The five Inner Court disciples nodded in succession.

An hour passed.

Star Dou Great Forest.

After only one day, Su Ling had returned here once again.

The seven of them walked in step along a dirt path. It was now late afternoon, the slanting sun hanging high as mottled spots of light filtered through the leaves around them.

The ground was covered in decaying leaves and fallen blossoms, with the occasional set of bleached bones scattered among them. The forest air was hot, humid, and sticky, carrying the damp chill of moss and the rotten stench of decaying wood.

They were still in the outermost region, where most soul beasts were between ten and a hundred years old. Thousand-year soul beasts were rare.

Zhang Lexuan's rank seventy-two Soul Power spread outward in all directions. It was both a declaration and a deterrent, preventing those insignificant creatures from blindly getting in their way.

Other than Su Ling, the remaining five Inner Court students were all at the Soul Ancestor level. They stayed fully alert, holding their breath as their positions formed a defensive ring.

Before long, under Zhang Lexuan's lead, the group officially entered the boundary between the outer region and the core region.

"Everyone, be careful. The soul beasts in this area are at least thousand-year level. Xiao Ling, stay close to me."

"Yi Zonghui and Chen Yangyu, watch the rear. Xiao Ying, you three watch the flanks. Leave the front to me."

Zhang Lexuan issued her orders decisively, her gaze meticulous and focused, her delicate face filled with calm.

She was completely different from her usual gentle self.

The seven maintained their formation and advanced slowly.

A few minutes passed.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.

The group released their Soul Power to sense their surroundings, then all looked toward the southeast. A rhinoceros covered in spiked armor was charging toward them with bloodshot eyes.

That momentum felt strangely familiar to Su Ling, like the truck that had barreled toward him head-on and sent him to Douluo in his previous life.

"A fifteen-thousand-year Thorn Iron Rhino! Zonghui, your fifth Soul Ring is here!"

Chen Yangyu called out a reminder. He then clenched one hand in the air, and a Bright Silver Spear appeared in his grasp as two yellow and two purple Soul Rings rose behind him.

Yi Zonghui was also visibly excited. He immediately summoned his Armadillo Shield martial soul. In an instant, two massive earth-yellow scaled shields appeared on either side of his arms, while two yellow and two purple Soul Rings likewise rose behind him.

"Can you handle it?"

Seeing that it was merely a fifteen-thousand-year soul beast, Zhang Lexuan decided to use the opportunity to temper the two of them.

"Don't worry, Sister Lexuan. Zonghui and I are known in the Inner Court as the strongest spear and shield. It's just a rhino barely over ten thousand years old. Easy."

Chen Yangyu spun his spear and smiled confidently.

Yi Zonghui also nodded lightly at Zhang Lexuan and stepped up beside Chen Yangyu.

Seeing their fighting spirit, Zhang Lexuan said no more. She led Su Ling and the other three female students aside to watch.

"Xiao Ling, this is a rare chance for real combat against a soul beast. You can observe and learn from your two seniors' fighting techniques."

Su Ling nodded and turned his gaze toward the two in the field.

The Thorn Iron Rhino quickly charged before Chen Yangyu and Yi Zonghui, snorting scorching gusts of air from its nostrils.

"Zonghui!"

Chen Yangyu shouted, raising his Bright Silver Spear as he leaped into the air. The Soul Rings around him lit up.

Seeing this, Yi Zonghui immediately used his fourth soul skill. Two Soul Rings lit up, and his two Armadillo Shields instantly folded together to form one enormous shield.

"Second Soul Skill—Earth Solidification!"

"Fourth Soul Skill—Immovable as a Mountain!"

The massive shield immediately bloomed with earth-yellow light. Boundless earth element poured into it from every direction. At that moment, the giant shield was no longer a shield, but an unshakable mountain!

The Thorn Iron Rhino neither dodged nor evaded, ramming into it head-on with bloodshot eyes.

Boom!

Yi Zonghui shifted his feet slightly, while the Thorn Iron Rhino staggered back repeatedly. Its head swayed without pause, clearly dazed by the recoil.

Seeing this, Chen Yangyu, who had long been waiting for his chance, seized the opportunity and descended from above, his spear tip aimed straight at the Thorn Iron Rhino's vulnerable belly.

Then, two Soul Rings lit up simultaneously.

"First Soul Skill—Piercing Momentum!"

"Fourth Soul Skill—Star-Shattering Strike!"

With a wet squelch, Chen Yangyu's Bright Silver Spear successfully broke through the defense and pierced straight into the Thorn Iron Rhino's abdomen.

Blood burst from the wound. Chen Yangyu grinned, completely unconcerned by the splattering blood as he grabbed the spear shaft and gave it a savage twist.

"Moo!!" The Thorn Iron Rhino shrieked. The intense pain instantly snapped it awake, and its fist-sized eyes filled with blood.

Seeing the Thorn Iron Rhino enter a berserk state, Chen Yangyu stopped while he was ahead, pulling out his Bright Silver Spear and retreating.

"Zonghui! Your turn!"

Hearing this, Yi Zonghui charged straight at the Thorn Iron Rhino with both shields raised. The massive shields in his hands were like two enormous hammers, capable of smashing down on the attack.

Chen Yangyu did not merely stand aside either. Every now and then, he would sneak an attack at the Thorn Iron Rhino's nether regions, stabbing it until it howled repeatedly.

The two worked together seamlessly.

Yi Zonghui was at the front wielding his shields as hammers, the left shield dealing heavy damage and the right shield dealing even heavier damage, while Chen Yangyu, that proctology department director, opened for business from behind every now and then.

The Thorn Iron Rhino could not attend to both ends. Blood sprayed continuously, and before long, it collapsed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The onlookers subconsciously clenched their buttocks. Zhang Lexuan gave an awkward laugh before praising their teamwork.

Su Ling's opinion of Chen Yangyu changed slightly. He subconsciously moved closer to Zhang Lexuan, breathing in her fragrance as he thought, That guy looks so friendly when he smiles, but I never expected him to fight so dirty. I need to stay farther away from him from now on.