Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger, Rising Fury

After joining forces to kill the Man Faced Demon Spider, Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu chose to form a team. This not only made hunting soul beasts more efficient, but also allowed them to watch each other's backs, preventing other soul beasts from launching sneak attacks while they were weakened after battle.

With their combined strength, they could kill ordinary thousand-year soul beasts, while hundred-year soul beasts posed no challenge at all. They had already survived in the Spirit Ascension Platform for four days and killed quite a few soul beasts. At that moment, they were working together against a thousand-year Three-Eyed Demon Fox.

"Xiao Cheng, over here!"

Within the Spirit Ascension Platform, Leng Yaozhu's clear voice rang out through a dense primordial forest. Her body moved like lightning, her red dress weaving between the green leaves. Phoenix True Fire in her palm turned into streaks of flame, precisely sealing off the retreat of a thousand-year Three-Eyed Demon Fox.

This Three-Eyed Demon Fox was built like a bull, its entire body silver-white. The third eye on its forehead flickered with eerie, ghostly light. It was incredibly fast and skilled in illusions. If Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu had not worked so well together, they would have fallen for its tricks long ago.

"Here I come!"

Xiao Cheng shouted low as the Azure Sky Divine Spear turned into a bolt of green lightning and thrust toward the Three-Eyed Demon Fox's ribs from the side. A cold glint condensed at the spear tip, accompanied by a shriek that tore through the air.

The Three-Eyed Demon Fox let out a piercing hiss and violently twisted its body, narrowly evading the fatal blow. But before it could celebrate, Leng Yaozhu's Phoenix True Fire had already become a wall of flames, cutting off its escape.

"Now!"

A sharp light flashed in Xiao Cheng's eyes as the Power of Empty Green erupted at full force. The Azure Sky Divine Spear in his hand seemed to come alive. With a flick of the shaft, it transformed into three spear shadows that enveloped the Three-Eyed Demon Fox.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three muffled impacts rang out in succession, leaving three bloody holes in the Three-Eyed Demon Fox's body. It gave a despairing cry as its massive body crashed to the ground. Then Leng Yaozhu struck it squarely with three blasts of Heavenly Phoenix Flowing Fire, forcing it to obediently turn into a mass of dense white spiritual light that drifted toward her.

"Whew... Done!"

Leng Yaozhu withdrew her Phoenix True Fire and wiped the fragrant sweat from her forehead, a trace of pride on her little face.

Over the past few days, they had worked together against ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts at first, then the occasional thousand-year soul beast later on. Their coordination had become increasingly seamless.

However, after several consecutive days of intense fighting and constant mental strain, both Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu were exhausted. They planned to stay for one more day before leaving the Spirit Ascension Platform, or their fatigue would start affecting their combat strength.

"Oh, right." Leng Yaozhu suddenly remembered something and tilted her head toward Xiao Cheng. "Seriously, little brother Xiao Cheng, your martial soul only awakened half a year ago, right? And you're only six this year? That's terrifying!"

Counting on her fingers, she said, "Even though we're both children of high-level soul masters, and soul power helps nourish our bodies so we mature earlier, a six-year-old's bones haven't even fully hardened yet. Even if parents are eager for their child to grow stronger, at most they would push them to cultivate soul power and teach them basic movement techniques or soul power control. Who would dare let their kid come to the Spirit Ascension Platform and risk their life against these vicious soul beasts less than half a year in? Aren't you afraid of getting flattened?"

Xiao Cheng scratched his head, not knowing how to explain. Was he supposed to say that his soul's combined age was nearly two hundred and that he had even been a Martial Dao grandmaster in his previous life? Who would believe that? He might even be taken for an Evil Soul Master and studied. All he could do was answer vaguely, "Maybe... I'm just tougher? And my parents trained me pretty strictly."

"Strict?" Leng Yaozhu's eyes widened as if she had heard something absurd. "I'm over a year older than you! I'm already at level nineteen soul power, and that's because my martial soul talent is good. Even then, my father and family only dared teach me some basic combat skills because they were terrified I'd get hurt."

"It was only because I had decent control over Heavenly Phoenix True Fire that they reluctantly agreed to let me come to the Spirit Ascension Platform to 'test the waters.' Look at Yu Lai. Her soul power is at level fifteen too, just like yours, right? But she wouldn't dare come in here. She spends most of her time meditating to improve her soul power. She's nothing like you, throwing that spear around so smoothly."

She stepped closer, her small face utterly serious. "So this can't be explained by being 'tough.' This is called being a 'monster'! But..." Her tone shifted, and her haughty air returned. "But it's not impossible to understand. Uncle Xiao was famously talented back then. I heard he even created some kind of Artificial Break Evil Dragon Soul Spirit, and it was incredibly impressive. And Aunt Mu Wan goes without saying. She's a top expert from the Body Sect and has the 'Brain Martial Soul.' Your family has good genes, so it's normal that the child you had is smart and has high comprehension, right?"

Listening to her analysis, Xiao Cheng laughed inwardly. This little girl was clearly complimenting him, yet she insisted on putting on the airs of a little adult. And Xiao Cheng could not help feeling that there was something more to her words, as if she were saying that his "quick brain" was purely because his father had a high IQ and his mother possessed the Brain Martial Soul...

"Big Sister Yaozhu, that's quite a unique way of complimenting someone." Xiao Cheng smiled helplessly.

"Hmph, this young lady is praising you, and you're still unhappy about it?" Leng Yaozhu raised her snowy white chin, turned, and walked away. "Come on. Let's find our next target."

Xiao Cheng watched her red figure recede and could not help shaking his head. Over the past few days, he had come to understand Leng Yaozhu's personality better. On the surface, she seemed cold and reserved, but she was actually quite warmhearted. She simply was not good at expressing herself and always used her tsundere manner to hide what she really thought.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Xiao Cheng hurried after her.

The two continued moving through the Spirit Ascension Platform, hunting one soul beast after another. Their teamwork grew more and more tacit, to the point where they no longer needed words. A single glance was enough to understand the other's intent.

However, good times did not last.

Roar—!

A deafening roar came from deep within the forest.

The moment they heard it, Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu's expressions changed at the same time. At the same time, an indescribably cold and violent aura spread silently like a tangible icy current, instantly enveloping the area. The chirping of insects and birds came to an abrupt stop, and even the air seemed to freeze.

"Careful!" Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu warned at almost the same instant, standing back-to-back.

The bushes ahead parted silently, and a soul beast that was not especially enormous yet exuded a suffocating sense of oppression slowly walked out.

It resembled a tiger, but a thick scorpion tail dragged behind it, its tip glimmering with ghostly blue cold light. Its fur was an eerie dark purple, covered in twisted black markings. Its vertical pupils were cold and merciless, as if they contained all the evil in the world. The moment it appeared, the surrounding grass and trees visibly withered and blackened.

"It's... it's a thousand-year Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger!" Leng Yaozhu's voice trembled, not from fear but from shock and gravity. "My father told me about it. It's one of the top guardians of the Junior Spirit Ascension Platform! It's said to be a mutated Scorpion Tiger, a descendant of the legendary god-level soul beast Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. It has undergone ancestral reversion. Though it only has a thousand years of cultivation, its strength is enough to kill ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts!"

Xiao Cheng's pupils suddenly contracted as well. He felt a sense of danger dozens of times greater than anything any Man Faced Demon Spider had given him before! The darkness and evil attributes radiating from the Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger were pure and tyrannical, making the blood and qi within his Dragon Transformation Sutra stir uneasily, as if it had encountered a natural predator. That earlier Man Faced Demon Spider was like an infant compared to a grown man before this Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger!

We can't beat it! The thought appeared in both their minds at once. This was no longer simply a matter of strength. It was suppression on the level of life itself. Charging in now would be no different from walking straight into a tiger's jaws.

"Retreat!" Xiao Cheng made the decision immediately and raised his hand without hesitation to press the red button on the back of his hand.

"Mm!" Leng Yaozhu reacted quickly as well, pressing her button at almost the same time.

Two gentle pillars of light instantly enveloped them. Teleportation light flared, carrying them away from the terrifying soul beast.

In the final instant before he vanished, Xiao Cheng seemed to see the Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger's cold vertical pupils glance at him. Within that gaze was a trace of... human-like fear and greed.

In the Spirit Ascension Platform control room, the metal Spirit Ascension Pods, resembling coffins, slid open soundlessly.

Xiao Cheng abruptly sat up, gasping for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He knew it was a virtual world, but the pressure of facing certain death had been all too real.

"Cheng'er, are you all right?" Xiao Ran asked Xiao Cheng with concern.

"I'm fine. I just used up a lot of soul power." Xiao Cheng waved his hand and steadied his heartbeat. With a thought, he summoned Lueqing.

The small, delicate green snake that had originally been only about a foot long was now surrounded by green light. It appeared more solid, even faintly carrying an almost imperceptible sense of majesty.

It happily flew circles around Xiao Cheng, flicking its forked tongue as it expressed the joy of having fed. Xiao Cheng could clearly feel that Lueqing's age had increased by at least three hundred years!

When his first soul skill, "Power of Empty Green," circulated, it was also smoother and more condensed than before.

At the same time, the Spirit Ascension Pod in the neighboring room opened as well. Leng Yaozhu climbed out, her little face somewhat pale, but her expression held more relief and lingering fear from having survived. "That scared me to death! That Scorpion Tiger was terrifying! We actually ran into it!"

Just then, the door opened, and Leng Zhaoran walked in.

"Dad!" Leng Yaozhu immediately rushed over and vividly recounted their dangerous experience. At the end, she patted her chest. "Good thing little brother Xiao Cheng and I ran fast!"

After hearing her out, an imperceptible strange look flashed across Leng Zhaoran's face before he returned to normal. Smiling, he rubbed his daughter's hair. "It's good that you're all right. Safety comes first." Then he took his daughter and left the room.

As expected, they ran into Xiao Ran and his son, who were also heading out.

The two sides exchanged a few more pleasantries before parting ways.

Before leaving, Leng Yaozhu secretly tugged at Xiao Cheng's sleeve and whispered, "Little brother Xiao Cheng, next time... next month, shall we team up again? Farming the Spirit Ascension Platform alone is too boring, and it's much easier with you around!" Though she said it casually, there was a hint of expectation in her eyes.

Xiao Cheng looked at her sparkling eyes and nodded. "Sure. It's a deal."

After returning home, Xiao Cheng's life settled back into its orderly yet intense cultivation routine.

The gains from the Spirit Ascension Platform had been immense, but they had also made him more clearly aware of his shortcomings—his cultivation was still too low.

Going from level eleven to level fifteen in half a year seemed astonishingly fast, but he knew that at least two of those levels had been piled up through Xiao Ran and Mu Wan sparing no expense to give him treasures such as Mystic Water Pills and Millennium Whale Glue. The remaining two levels had been earned through the actual circulation of the Dragon Transformation Sutra and meditation cultivation.

These spiritual treasures were exceptionally effective at consolidating one's foundation and replenishing vitality, but they could not be taken continuously within a short period. Otherwise, his soul power could become unstable and his foundation unsteady.

"More haste, less speed. I need to build a solid foundation." Xiao Cheng took a deep breath. After half a year of training, he had recovered part of his combat instincts from his previous life. The rest could not be pursued too deeply because his current body was still too young. For now, his cultivation should remain focused on the Dragon Transformation Sutra and soul power meditation.

The days passed one after another.

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, a year passed.

Over that year, Xiao Cheng's cultivation steadily improved until he finally reached the peak of level nineteen. Just as they had promised, he and Leng Yaozhu entered the Spirit Ascension Platform together every month. Their coordination became ever more seamless, and they became a troublesome "duo" for the beasts of the Junior Spirit Ascension Platform.

They hunted countless soul beasts, and Lueqing's age rose accordingly. It had long since broken through a thousand years, transforming from a small green snake into an imposing green python nearly three feet long, with metallic gleams on its scales and a pair of small green membranous wings growing from its back! The rank of the Azure Sky Snake martial soul had also quietly risen.

However, one inescapable shadow remained hanging over their hearts—the thousand-year Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger.

For some reason, it seemed that they had been "targeted" by that soul beast. Even when they deliberately avoided the area where they had first encountered it, every time they entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, they would "coincidentally" run into the Scorpion Tiger exuding its evil aura in some unexpected corner. Every encounter ended the same way: they would press their buttons and retreat without hesitation.

After it happened enough times, Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu's anger began to build.

"Damn it! That dead tiger! Is it determined to keep following us?" After leaving the Spirit Ascension Platform one time, Leng Yaozhu stomped her foot furiously, and it seemed as though her red hair was about to stand on end. "The next time I see it, this young lady will burn its tail bald!"

Xiao Cheng narrowed his eyes as well, a fire of frustration building in his heart. An unyielding spirit surged within him. Running was not a solution. The Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger was like a curse, haunting them relentlessly. Neither he nor Leng Yaozhu was the sort to avoid problems. Its repeated pursuit had already provoked their anger.

In truth, given Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu's backgrounds, they could have asked their elders to have the Dark Demon Scorpion Tiger removed.

But Xiao Cheng had the pride of a genius within him. This was their trial. If they called their parents whenever they could not win, they would look like oversized babies who never grew up.