Grouping

Three days later, just as dawn broke, Spirit Hall's carriages left Heaven Dou City.

The Royal Hunting Grounds lay more than thirty li west of the city and covered an enormous area. Guards patrolled its perimeter year-round. Without imperial permission, ordinary Spirit Masters could not enter at all.

When Lu Yuan arrived with deacon Zhao, more than a dozen carriages were already parked outside the hunting grounds. The people from the Royal Academy had arrived even earlier. Dozens of Young Spirit Masters taking part in the assessment gathered near the entrance, most carrying simple luggage. Three days and two nights was no short time. Aside from the basic food and Injury Medicine prepared for everyone, they had to arrange everything else themselves.

After getting out of the carriage, Lu Yuan swept his gaze around and quickly looked toward the imperial side.

Xue Qinghe stood beside several Royal Academy teachers, still wearing that gentle, composed expression as he spoke with an official in charge of the hunting grounds. Though the two were not close, neither gave the other an extra glance.

Lu Yuan continued looking around and soon recognized Cheng Lan among several attendants from Prince Xue Xing's Residence. Cheng Lan had changed into dark brown clothes today and still stood in an inconspicuous spot. He occasionally exchanged a few words with those beside him, looking no different from an ordinary residence clerk.

Lu Yuan looked only once before withdrawing his gaze. Since Cheng Lan was here, all he needed to do was watch what Cheng Lan was looking at. There was no need to keep too close an eye on him yet.

After deacon Zhao led Spirit Hall's three Young Spirit Masters through registration, a Royal Academy teacher in charge of this assessment quickly gathered all the participants and explained the rules again.

They were not allowed to deliberately strike other teams too heavily, nor were they allowed to seize bronze tokens that others had already obtained. If they encountered danger they could not handle, they could directly crush the jade distress token they carried. Nearby patrol officers would arrive as quickly as possible, but their team would also withdraw from the assessment early.

As for team assignments, they would still be decided through the previously arranged draw.

A wooden box sat on the table, containing three wooden tags for each number. When it was Lu Yuan's turn, he casually drew one and found a "Seven" written on it.

He had just stepped aside when he noticed Qin Yue looking over from not far away. The wooden tag in Qin Yue's hand also bore the number seven.

Several Royal Academy students nearby quickly noticed this. Many had witnessed the sparring match three days ago. Qin Yue had just lost to Lu Yuan, yet the two had now been placed in the same group. Naturally, more eyes turned toward them.

Qin Yue himself did not seem awkward at all. He walked over with a smile. "Looks like I won't have to fight you again for the next three days."

Lu Yuan glanced at his tag. "Let's see who the third person is first."

Not long afterward, a rather thin youth walked over and showed them his number-seven wooden tag.

"Lin Che, Level 25. Martial Soul: Azure-Feather Falcon. Agility attack type."

Lu Yuan and Qin Yue each gave their names and ranks as well. When Lin Che heard that Lu Yuan was only Rank 21, he was clearly startled for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. He had evidently heard about the sparring match three days ago as well.

The three did not spend much time getting acquainted. Lin Che specialized in speed and scouting, Qin Yue's Iron-Backed Battle Ape was suited for taking attacks head-on, while Lu Yuan handled the main offensive role. After a brief discussion, their positions were roughly settled.

Just after the hour of Chen, the entrance to the hunting grounds officially opened, and teams of three entered the forest one after another.

Lu Yuan's group did not squeeze deeper into the woods with the crowd. After walking some distance, Lin Che was about to climb a tree to inspect the surroundings when Lu Yuan crouched first and brushed aside the grass by his feet.

Several fresh footprints remained in the soil. A few grass stalks nearby had been pressed over in the same direction, and one section of tree bark even bore fresh scrape marks.

"There's a fairly large Spirit Beast to the right, but it's already left."

Qin Yue followed the trail with his eyes. "Can you tell how long ago?"

"Not long."

Lu Yuan followed the tracks forward for a dozen steps before stopping beside a small tree. A length of thin rope was still tied to one of the low-hanging branches. The bronze token that had originally hung there had been knocked down by the passing Spirit Beast and fallen into the nearby grass.

Lin Che quickly found the bronze token.

Only then did Lin Che react. "That Spirit Beast was staying around here just now?"

"It was probably a designated target placed here in advance, but it left on its own afterward."

Since the Spirit Beast had already gone far away, there was naturally no need to chase it down for a fight. Lin Che quickly picked up the bronze token from the grass. Without wasting any Soul Power, the three obtained their first token after entering the hunting grounds.

Qin Yue glanced at Lu Yuan. "Did you often enter the Soul Hunting Forest before?"

"I stayed there for a while."

Lu Yuan did not explain further and led the other two onward.

Less than half an hour later, they encountered another designated target area.

A Thornback Boar of around two hundred and sixty years was rooting through the soil in the woods. Two bronze tokens hung from a nearby tree. According to the rules, driving the Spirit Beast a certain distance away would count as completing the target.

Qin Yue rolled his arms. "I'll take it head-on?"

"Pin it down. Don't let it charge out. Lin Che, circle around from the right. If it tries to turn, stop it."

Lin Che saw that Lu Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the Thornback Boar's rear flank and quickly spotted the problem as well. "You're watching its left hind leg?"

"An old injury. I'll handle it."

Qin Yue did not waste words. After activating Martial Soul Possession with his Iron-Backed Battle Ape, he charged straight at it.

Provoked, the Thornback Boar lowered its head and rammed forward. Qin Yue raised both arms before him and forcibly took the first charge. Though his feet slid back half a zhang under the impact, he twisted his waist and exerted force as he retreated, forcibly diverting the Thornback Boar's charge.

The tusks that had been aimed at him immediately scraped past his side.

Lin Che had already cut in from the right, forcing the Thornback Boar, which had just been about to turn, to veer left again.

Lu Yuan arrived at that moment as well.

The Piercing Spear did not strike at vital areas such as the belly or throat. Instead, it accurately swept into the already injured left hind leg from the side. His Second Spirit Ring lit up, and the force of vibration burst directly from the point of contact.

The Thornback Boar's hind leg suddenly gave way, and its huge body immediately lost balance.

Qin Yue needed no reminder from Lu Yuan. Taking advantage of the opening, he stepped forward and slammed his shoulder heavily into the Thornback Boar's side, sending it flying several zhang away.

Lin Che had already taken the opportunity to remove the two bronze tokens.

After the Thornback Boar regained its footing, it did not charge again. Limping, it retreated into the bushes and quickly vanished into the forest.

From the start of the fight to its end, the three's first cooperation had gone far more smoothly than expected.

After releasing his Martial Soul, Qin Yue rolled his shoulder and looked at Lu Yuan. "I really couldn't tell in the arena. You're even faster at finding a Spirit Beast's weakness than you are at thrusting your spear."

"If you've seen enough, they're naturally easier to spot." Lu Yuan put away the Piercing Spear. "We just fought here. Don't linger."

Over the next few hours, the three did not blindly search for Spirit Beasts. Instead, they advanced along water sources and several obvious animal trails. Lin Che expanded their scouting range, Lu Yuan judged their route based on the traces left nearby, while Qin Yue conserved more Soul Power to deal with sudden threats from the front.

It was their first time working as a team, so they could hardly be called truly coordinated. However, neither Qin Yue nor Lin Che was the sort to recklessly show off. As long as Lu Yuan's judgment made sense, they were willing to cooperate. Their pace of advance instead grew faster and faster.

By afternoon, the bronze tokens in their hands had increased to seven.

Along the way, the three had also discovered a bronze token hidden behind a rock formation at the same time as another team. Neither side could fight to seize it, so the contest naturally came down to who could find the route first. Lin Che used a tree trunk at the side for leverage and flipped over the rocky slope, obtaining it a step ahead of the other team.

After leaving that area, Qin Yue glanced at Lin Che with a smile. "Agility attack types really are useful in places like this."

Lin Che shot him a look. "You want to climb over next time?"

"I'm afraid I'd knock the rocks down with me."

As the two spoke, Lu Yuan, walking ahead of them, gradually slowed his pace.

At some point, the birdsong nearby had grown much quieter. When the wind blew through the forest, it also carried a faint scent of blood.

Lin Che soon smelled it too, and the smile faded from his face. The three followed the scent for several dozen zhang and quickly discovered a Spirit Beast corpse behind a patch of bushes.

It was an Azure-Horned Deer nearly two zhang long. Its neck had almost been bitten completely through, while a large section of its abdomen had been torn open. The blood had not fully congealed yet, meaning it had not been dead long, but the surrounding soil contained only the Azure-Horned Deer's chaotic hoofprints.

Qin Yue crouched down to inspect it for a while, his brows gradually furrowing. "This Azure-Horned Deer was at least three hundred years old."

Lu Yuan walked to the other side of the corpse and carefully examined the several tooth holes in its neck. Then he followed the nearby muddy ground and searched outward in a circle.

Any Spirit Beast capable of biting a three-hundred-year Azure-Horned Deer to death in such a short time could not have been weak.

Yet strangely, aside from the hoofprints the Azure-Horned Deer had left before dying, there were no traces nearby of another large Spirit Beast passing through normally.

Lin Che noticed it as well and asked quietly, "Where's the thing that killed it?"

Lu Yuan did not answer. He merely looked once more at the Azure-Horned Deer corpse, which had not yet gone cold.