Elsewhere, Qiangu Zhangting and his four companions were resting in a relatively open clearing.
After successfully luring the dark gold terrorclaw bear and tyrant dragon toward Tang Wulin and the others, they had fled without so much as looking back.
Only when they could no longer sense their pursuers behind them did they stop, panting heavily. One young man braced his hands on his knees and laughed smugly.
"Ha... hahaha... those brats have probably been torn to pieces by those two soul beasts by now, right?"
"Well, at least we put them to good use. They held them off for us for a while."
"They deserved it." Another young man curled his lip, his voice dripping with disdain. "Who told them to act so arrogant? A bunch of three-ring Soul Elders dared to run their mouths in the intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform, even talking about upgrading to ten-thousand-year soul spirits. Aren't they afraid a gust of wind will wrench their tongues?"
"Exactly. Those little brats don't even stop to think. Even geniuses from our Spirit Pagoda wouldn't dare act that cocky. Who do they think they are?"
A third young man chimed in, a trace of mockery on his face. "Especially that Tang Wulin. I heard he's Pagoda Master Leng's disciple, too. If you ask me, Pagoda Master Leng misjudged him, taking in a disciple who doesn't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is."
"Right? And what was that he said? 'I'm the class monitor. I'll lead you through the assessment.'"
A girl mimicked Tang Wulin's voice with exaggerated sarcasm. "Oh my, how impressive! He's probably been trampled into a pulp by soul beasts by now, hasn't he?"
They traded remarks, their voices full of delight at the others' misfortune. In their eyes, whether those