After Wu Zhangkong brought the Zero Class students back to Eastsea Academy, the staff looked at the erased region on the big screen, bitter smiles tugging at their lips.
"This is absolutely ridiculous..."
As the camera zoomed in, the area where the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear had been was now in a bizarre state of absolute silence and blankness.
The Spirit Ascension Platform's self-repair function was completely unable to restore that missing section. If the area remained for too long, it would inevitably affect the operation of the entire Spirit Ascension Platform.
"Report it to headquarters. This is no longer something our technology can handle."
After a night of rest, Xiling had recovered considerably, and Gu Yue's care had played no small part in that.
Being cared for so attentively gave Xiling a strange feeling. It was not as if no one had ever taken care of him before, but why did he feel this way only now? He could not quite understand it.
In the Zero Class classroom, everyone was relieved to see that Xiling was fine.
Wu Zhangkong began his evaluation. "You all received fairly good scores in yesterday's exam."
"However, those scores do not belong to you. Xiling earned them for you, and you all know that perfectly well."
The classroom instantly fell silent.
They exchanged glances, but no one argued.
Just considering the Soul Beasts they had encountered yesterday, without Xiling, they likely could not have all walked out of the Spirit Ascension Platform unharmed when the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear appeared. That was an undeniable fact.
Seeing their silence, Wu Zhangkong continued, "You are a team. You can trust and rely on one another, but you must never become dependent."
"Whether in exams, actual combat, or the true Soul Master battlefield in the future, your fate can only ever be held in your own hands."
"No one can stand before you for a lifetime, and no one can always smooth away danger for you."
"I know Xiling told you yesterday that he could safely carry you through this exam."
"But were you really able to accept placing every danger, every pressure, every life-and-death crisis entirely on his shoulders?"
At those words, Xie Xie and the other four lowered their heads in shame.
Wu Zhangkong's gaze was grave as he spoke again. "Let me ask you another question. If you had been in a real forest at the time, without Xiling there, what would have happened?"
"Facing those rampaging Soul Beasts, would you still be alive and standing before me now?"
No one dared answer.
Because everyone knew the answer all too well: no.
After a long while, Wu Zhangkong said, "Remember this. No matter when it is, no matter how great the benefit, nothing is more important than surviving safely."
"Teacher Wu, I have a question. What should we do if we really encounter a Soul Beast like the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear in the future?" Xie Xie raised his hand and asked.
Wu Zhangkong glanced at him. "Run. If you cannot run, wait to die."
"Uh..." Xie Xie stared at Wu Zhangkong in astonishment.
Wu Zhangkong explained, "The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear is a very special kind of Soul Beast. From the moment it is born, it is the king of Soul Beasts. Its strength simply cannot be measured by cultivation years alone."
"However, the chance of you encountering a true Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear is infinitely close to zero."
"After all, real Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears were nearly hunted to extinction long ago."
"Is it because they are dangerous?" Zhang Yangzi asked.
Before Wu Zhangkong could answer, Xiling spoke first. "No. It is because of human greed."
"Greed?" Of the five, everyone except Gu Yue looked confused and puzzled.
Xiling nodded. "Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears have an extremely high chance of producing Soul Bones, which is why they suffered large-scale hunting."
"When the Spirit Pagoda was first established, its original purpose was to ease the relationship between humans and Soul Beasts. But Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao had not expected that this original intention would not be fully realized."
"The Spirit Pagoda solved the problem of needing to kill Soul Beasts for Soul Rings, but it could not solve the issue of Soul Bones."
"Soul Bones are an extremely scarce top-tier resource that can greatly increase a Soul Master's combat strength. They have no substitute, nor is there any way to artificially produce them."
"Soul Beasts are on the brink of extinction for more than just this reason. Other factors have also played a part."
"But in the end, Soul Beasts are nearing extinction not because of how much danger they pose to humanity, but because of how much benefit they can bring humanity."
After hearing this, Xie Xie and the others understood for the first time just what the relationship between humans and Soul Beasts was really like.
"Big brother, stop being angry." Xu Xiaoyan spoke timidly to her brother.
Xu Xiaoyu's face was so dark it looked as though water might drip from it. He could not help being angry. The family had paid an enormous price to obtain two slots for the Riot Spirit Ascension Platform.
Yet because of his own carelessness, their Spirit Ascension Platform journey had ended so abruptly.
Thinking back on it now, he wished he could slap his past self twice. He had clearly known who the other person was and clearly witnessed his strength, yet he had still insisted on throwing himself at him!
"Yesterday, the Soul Masters who entered that riot area should all have been from Eastsea City. That guy is from Eastsea Academy, so the people behind him should be from Zero Class."
Hearing her brother mutter to himself, Xu Xiaoyan froze. "Huh? Does that mean that big demon king will be my senior in the future? Please, no!"
Within the Xu Family, although Xu Xiaoyu was the only male descendant, his stubborn and arrogant nature made him less favored by the family elders.
Xu Xiaoyan, on the other hand, was gentle and somewhat timid, making her the treasured darling of every elder.
Xu Xiaoyan was exceptionally gifted and possessed Innate Full Soul Power, but she herself did not particularly enjoy cultivation. Since the family already had an outstanding talent like Xu Xiaoyu, no one forced her.
Then, not long ago, three years after her Martial Soul awakened, an internal family test discovered that her Soul Power had unknowingly reached level seventeen.
Moreover, the exceedingly rare Star Wheel phenomenon had appeared, something almost unheard of in the family's history. Only then did the family begin to take her seriously.
The Xu Family was one of Eastsea City's foremost great clans. Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan's father was Eastsea City's chief financial officer, a man of high status and great authority.
Upon discovering that his daughter possessed the family's legendary Martial Soul, he was naturally overjoyed. That was why he used his authority and wealth to obtain an additional slot for the Riot Spirit Ascension Platform.
He repeatedly instructed Xu Xiaoyu to take good care of his sister and help her obtain more spiritual energy.
However, Xu Xiaoyan was timid by nature and had never undergone any Soul Master training. Once she entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, she naturally shrank back in fear and did not dare kill Soul Beasts.
Xu Xiaoyu had absorbed quite a bit of spiritual energy himself, while his sister had gained very little because she did not dare kill Soul Beasts.
Just as he had finally persuaded Xu Xiaoyan that she had to make a move against the next Soul Beast, he witnessed the large amount of spiritual energy left behind at the scene where Xiling had slaughtered the Soul Beasts.
Then he thought that after killing so many Soul Beasts, Xiling should not have much Soul Power left. Wasn't this like heaven delivering food right to his mouth?
They were both three-ring Soul Elders. He refused to believe he could not defeat a Xiling with no Soul Power left, yet he was instantly defeated!
Even now, he still could not understand how the gap between people could be this enormous.
After returning, he not only had to endure physical pain but also received a furious scolding from his father. How could he possibly be in a good mood?
"Hmph. I may not be able to beat you, but the people behind you might not be so lucky..." Xu Xiaoyu said with a livid expression.
Before you continue