Shrek Team Enters Twilight Forest

"According to the Academy's original arrangements, you will depart for Star Luo City in a week to take part in the Soul Master Tournament. Before that, however, you will undergo three days of special training."

The members of the Shrek team followed behind Wang Yan along a small path behind the Academy that was rarely used. As he led the way, Wang Yan held a training plan in his hand, excitement glinting in his eyes.

"Special training?"

Ma Xiaotao and the others looked at Wang Yan, who was walking at the front of the group, their voices filled with obvious curiosity.

They then looked to Dai Yueheng beside them, but he merely shook his head.

Even they, the official team members, had received no news of this special training?

"What kind of training is it?"

Xu Sanshi poked half his body out from the back of the group, hoping it would not be some especially torturous training. The past few days of training had already left him utterly exhausted.

As a defense-type Soul Master, he had been made to let every member of the reserve team chase after him and attack him in order to strengthen his defense! Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan, in particular, had hit the hardest.

Most of Xu Sanshi's injuries had been inflicted by those two. Jiang Nannan was one thing, but why had Bei Bei hit so hard? Was he even still his brother?!

"You'll find out soon enough."

Wang Yan continued leading the way.

Huo Yuhao naturally knew what this special training was. Xia Liang had already told him about it when he returned last time. Now, he was wondering what the school would have them do in Twilight Forest.

Wang Yan soon led the Shrek team to a hidden location.

"This place..."

Xu Sanshi looked around and rubbed his chin. He remembered passing near here yesterday, only to have his path blocked by a sign. At the time, he had assumed the Academy was renovating some old building and had not paid it much attention.

Now it seemed the Academy had begun preparing for this training from that very moment.

This temporary special training did not look ordinary at all...

"Bei Bei, you know a lot of people. Have you heard anything about this training?"

Xu Sanshi turned sideways and leaned close to Bei Bei's ear, lowering his voice. Bei Bei had spent far more years at Shrek Academy than he had, and his network of connections was much broader. Maybe he had caught wind of something beforehand.

"You know what I've been doing these past few days. How would I know?"

Bei Bei shook his head helplessly. Since they had been training all month, he had not spent much time with Tang Ya. During these days of rest, he had gone to make up for it, staying with her the whole time—shopping, buying things, eating. How could he possibly know anything about this place?

"Ah, beauty leads men astray."

Hearing that, Xu Sanshi looked like he was disappointed in Bei Bei for failing to meet expectations. Bei Bei, how could you fall so low?

"What right do you have to say that?"

Bei Bei looked at Xu Sanshi speechlessly. How did this guy have the nerve to say those words? Hadn't he chosen to repeat a year just for Jiang Nannan? Bei Bei remembered that after Xu Sanshi had repeated the year and returned home, when he came back to the dormitory, there were barely any spots on his body that had not been beaten. He had even struggled to sleep.

"Tch."

Faced with that difficult question, Xu Sanshi chose not to answer.

Xiao Xiao followed at the back of the group, while Azure Phoenix sensed something unusual in the surroundings.

"There are fluctuations ahead. If my guess is correct, it should be the Twilight Forest you mentioned."

After Azure Phoenix and Xiao Xiao learned that Xia Liang was part of the Spirit Pagoda, they had looked into information about the Spirit Pagoda and naturally knew of its signature product.

Twilight Forest.

Hearing that it was Twilight Forest, Xiao Xiao became curious as well. What was it like inside? Legend had it that the monsters there were shaped like blocks.

Before long, Wang Yan led the team into a room. At its center stood a mass of purple liquid, two meters tall and two meters wide.

Xuan Zi had already been waiting for some time.

"Alright. You should have heard of Twilight Forest already. This is Twilight Forest."

Xuan Zi addressed the group, then began explaining their mission.

"Your task is to hunt one Naga, one Nine-Headed Serpent, and one Lich."

Three days for three leaders—the time seemed more than sufficient.

"Each of these monsters has a cultivation of twenty thousand years. Hunting them should not be difficult with your strength. The main purpose is to train your ability to cooperate in combat out in the wild."

Xuan Zi spoke. Twenty-thousand-year soul beasts were naturally nothing to these official members, especially not to Ma Xiaotao. The main purpose of this special training was to make them work together.

"Alright, you may enter now. I will watch over you from nearby. Unless a matter of life and death arises, I will not intervene. Of course, if I do have to intervene, you will face punishment as well."

Xuan Zi spoke. For their safety, he would naturally enter too. However, unless their lives were in danger, he would not act.

Of course, if he had to act, then whoever he saved would definitely be punished.

"These are the supplies you will need. You have three days—arrange your own schedule."

Xuan Zi pointed at the packs beside him. After speaking, he entered Twilight Forest first.

Once Xuan Zi had left, everyone stepped forward and opened the packs.

Inside were some food, a Magic Map, and a book.

That was right, a Magic Map.

The Magic Map was one of the Spirit Pagoda's signature products. To allow Soul Masters entering Twilight Forest to explore smoothly, the Spirit Pagoda sold these special maps that displayed the terrain of the current Twilight Forest world and the locations of its leaders.

One for easy difficulty cost ten gold soul coins, while one for normal difficulty cost a hundred gold soul coins. The prices were clearly listed and transparent.

However, each map only worked for a single Twilight Forest. It would be useless upon entering another one.

If they entered through a different portal, the old map would become completely invalid. Even so, this item remained in high demand on the Soul Master market. Whenever it was put up for sale, it would be snapped up immediately.

The maps were produced under Electrolux's control. By combining formations with soul tools, the maps could be manufactured without human labor. As for materials, some were purchased from Soul Masters, while Xia Liang supplied the rest from time to time.

Xia Liang's authority now allowed him to condense some low-level Twilight Forest products outside, though they were not created from nothing.

After entering Twilight Forest, Xuan Zi had already vanished, and no one knew where he had gone. Still, considering he was a level-98 Super Douluo, Ma Xiaotao thought it perfectly normal that they could not find him.

"It's so dark."

The moment they entered, everyone immediately felt Twilight Forest's unusual environment: eternal night.

Ma Xiaotao, the first to step through, narrowed her eyes slightly. Above them was a moonless night sky. After gathering soul power in their eyes, everyone could finally make out their surroundings. They were currently within a forest.

"The map has appeared."

Xu Sanshi held the Magic Map in his hand. A route map gradually emerged across its previously blank surface, while the outlines of the surrounding terrain lit up one after another. Several leader icons marked in different colors also appeared at various locations on the map.

"Naga. Let me see which leader icon is the Naga."

Xu Sanshi took out the book. It contained introductions to Twilight Forest monsters. After all, there were only so many kinds of monsters in Twilight Forest, and after so long, the Soul Masters of the Extreme North had long since learned about them clearly.

"The green icon. Found it. Twenty-thousand-year cultivation. Its main methods of attack are charging, tail sweeps, and gravity targeting."

To charge its enemies more effectively, under the influence of Douluo Continent, the Naga had evolved the ability to use gravity to suppress its targets before charging at them.

Then everyone looked toward Wang Yan, the teacher leading them.

"I'm responsible for recording your actions. At the same time, my safety is also one of your tests."

Wang Yan said, looking a bit embarrassed, though he spoke the truth. The strongest soul beasts in this Twilight Forest were only twenty thousand years old. For soul kings like Ma Xiaotao and the others, as long as they didn't act recklessly, nothing would go wrong. Consequently, the students treated Wang Yan's safety as a mission, which simply served to limit the focus of Ma Xiaotao and the others.

During the operation, unless Wang Yan himself encountered danger, he was not allowed to act. Only Ma Xiaotao and the others could fight.

"Alright. Chen Zifeng, Xi Xi, protect Teacher Wang."

After hearing Wang Yan's assignment, Ma Xiaotao frowned, though she found it reasonable. She then assigned Chen Zifeng and Xi Xi to stay by Wang Yan's side.

Chen Zifeng nodded and moved to stand half a step to Wang Yan's right, while Xi Xi quietly followed on his left. One on each side, they enclosed Wang Yan between them like two doors.

Then Ma Xiaotao looked toward Xu Sanshi, who was still examining the map and the introduction to Twilight Forest monsters.

"Twenty thousand years? Then let's head over first and see what we're dealing with."

Hearing that their target this time was only twenty thousand years old, Ma Xiaotao felt much more relaxed. With her cultivation as a Soul Emperor, she could deal with a twenty-thousand-year soul beast by herself.

What she did not know was that Xia Liang had opened a separate room at Shrek this time. If they had been at the Extreme North Spirit Pagoda, Soul Masters at the Soul Emperor level would have to pay extra to enter Twilight Forest, and the items they brought out would be subject to a higher tax.

The reason for this was a Soul Douluo. Earlier, this Soul Douluo had entered a normal-difficulty Twilight Forest because his strength far exceeded that of the instance.

All the leaders had been awakened and rushed to attack him. Even a Soul Douluo could not withstand the assault of so many monsters, and he died on the spot.

This was the first riot in a Twilight Forest instance. The Snow Empress found it amusing and recorded it. As for that rioting instance, she had already erased it.

After that, the Spirit Pagoda imposed cultivation restrictions. At the Soul Emperor level and above, items brought out required higher taxes. Over time, Soul Emperors stopped entering altogether. It was too much of a loss; they could not earn anything from it.

At this moment, after Ma Xiaotao gave the order, the Shrek team began running toward the Naga's location.

However, Twilight Forest was not so safe.

"There's something over there."

Huo Yuhao was the first to notice something was wrong. Several patches of mist in the darkness ahead blocked his spiritual detection. Only after concentrating his spiritual power did he see their true identities.

"Awoo—"

With a wolf's howl, those monsters revealed their identities: Twilight Forest monsters, Mist Wolves, with a cultivation of... a thousand years.