The Xu siblings

Mu Xi's mockery was like a stone cast into a lake, sending ripples through everyone's hearts before their advancing footsteps quickly shattered them. For Tang Wulin and his companions, others' doubts had never been a reason to stand still. Instead, they were a bugle call urging them to grow faster.

As they passed through a dark stretch of dense forest, the light around them grew dimmer, and a nauseating stench of blood filled the air. Clearly, they had entered the heart of the Spirit Ascension Platform, where the soul beasts were far stronger and more vicious than those on the outskirts.

"Be careful. The soul beasts here have very keen senses." Tang Wulin lowered his voice as he led the way. His blue silver grass had already spread silently across the surrounding ground, like countless invisible eyes searching for the slightest stir.

Suddenly, the ground trembled faintly.

"Left side, three o'clock!" Tang Wulin's gaze sharpened, and he thrust his left hand downward.

"Entanglement!"

Countless strands of blue silver grass burst from the earth, precisely binding the limbs of a Shadow Demon Wolf lurking in the bushes. The wolf let out a piercing howl and struggled to break free, but under the power of Tang Wulin's soul power, the grass was incredibly tough. No matter how it tore and bit, it could not escape.

"Attack!"

Xie Xie moved like lightning, his twin blades, already poised to strike, tracing two silver arcs in the sunlight. "Light Dragon Transformation! Shadow Dragon Transformation!" he shouted in a low voice. His figure instantly split into two shadows, one solid and one illusory, which crossed past each other and sliced straight through the wolf's throat.

Points +50!

The battle ended swiftly and cleanly. But this was only the beginning.

The deeper they ventured, the fiercer the resistance became. A swarm of bloodthirsty, red-eyed bats blotted out the sky, their shrill cries stabbing into everyone's eardrums. Gu Yue snorted coldly, and the single soul ring beneath her feet shone with dazzling light.

"Elemental Control, Storm!"

A howling gale rose, mingling with fine blades of ice to form a terrifying tornado that shredded every bat in the sky. Although she had only one ring, her consummate control over the elements allowed her attacks to blanket the entire battlefield. Any soul beast that approached was reduced to ashes by the elemental fury.

Wang Jinxi stood like an iron tower, guarding the group's flank. Whenever a beast that slipped through the net attempted a sneak attack, the ancient dragon scales appearing on his body provided the strongest defense, followed by a counterattack with thunderous might.

Along the way, they encountered packs of Gale Demon Rabbits, thick-skinned Stone Trolls, and even several Flame Lions with a thousand years of cultivation. Against these formidable foes, the four grew increasingly coordinated.

Tang Wulin handled control and restraint. His blue silver grass served not only as chains binding their enemies, but also as a link connecting his teammates; Gu Yue provided overwhelming firepower, switching freely between seven elements and pushing both ranged bombardment and area control to their limits; Xie Xie was their razor-sharp knife, using his speed to finish off the remaining enemies; Wang Jinxi was their steadfast foundation, equally capable in attack and defense.

Every battle pushed their soul power consumption to its limits and brutally tempered their wills. Sweat soaked their clothes, and several bloody marks had appeared on their bodies, but their eyes only grew brighter, their movements increasingly fluid.

When the final thousand-year Flame Lion collapsed with a mournful roar and turned into a flood of points that poured into their bodies, they could even clearly feel their soul spirits rejoicing and transforming.

Feeling the surging soul power within him, Tang Wulin looked at his companions, who were panting but still wore determined gazes, and a smile touched his lips. Mu Xi had said they were unworthy of being teammates, but now they had proven everything through their strength.

Within the danger-ridden Spirit Ascension Platform, they were not burdens. They were one another's sharpest swords and sturdiest shields.

"Let's keep moving." Tang Wulin brushed the dust from his clothes and looked toward the mist-shrouded region in the distance. "We still have a long road ahead."

After dispatching the Stone Troll blocking their path, the group had just put away their weapons, and the fluctuations of soul power lingering in the air had yet to disperse. Tang Wulin was about to suggest a short rest to absorb the soul power left over from the battle, but danger on the Spirit Ascension Platform often struck when least expected.

"Watch out!"

Tang Wulin had the keenest senses. Before his words had even faded, several sharp whistles suddenly cut through the air. A few crystal-clear ice cones, carrying bone-piercing cold, shot straight toward their faces!

"Blue Silver Grass: Defense!"

At that hairbreadth moment, Tang Wulin did not hesitate. He used no soul skill, relying instead on his exquisite control over soul power to make the surrounding blue silver grass grow wildly in an instant. Countless tough strands wove together and overlapped before them, forming a thick green wall.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ice cones slammed into the wall of blue silver grass. Though they pierced several layers of leaves, their force was ultimately exhausted, and they dissolved into wisps of cold air.

"Who's there?!" Xie Xie reacted instantly. Drawing both blades, he flashed toward the direction from which the ice cones had come.

Beyond the bushes ahead stood a young man and a girl a short distance away. The young man looked about seventeen or eighteen, with long blue hair cascading like a waterfall to his waist. His deep blue eyes held wariness and pride. The girl behind him looked petite and adorable, her pale blue hair tied into a pair of playful ponytails. Her eyes were also a pure, brilliant blue, and as those large eyes blinked, they seemed to hold an entire sky of stars. She was watching them with a hint of panic and curiosity.

These two were Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan of Eastsea Academy.

Xu Xiaoyu frowned slightly at Xie Xie, who had suddenly rushed out. Soul power fluctuations stirred around him, clearly marking him as a formidable opponent. Behind him, Xu Xiaoyan instinctively tightened her grip on the hem of her brother's clothes and asked timidly, "Brother... who are they? Are they here to steal soul beasts too?"

Xu Xiaoyu did not answer his sister. Instead, he looked solemnly at Tang Wulin and the others as they approached. Seeing Tang Wulin's steady bearing and the elemental fluctuations still lingering around Gu Yue, he was secretly startled.

"Sorry," Tang Wulin said as he stepped forward and waved away the wall of blue silver grass. His tone was calm but carried a hint of seriousness. "Was that your soul skill just now?"

Xu Xiaoyu snorted coldly. Though the other side had the advantage in numbers, he showed no fear. "What if it was? We'd been tracking this Stone Troll for a long time. I only meant to force you back, not attack you maliciously."

Wang Jinxi immediately took offense. "What do you mean, tracking it for a long time? We were the ones who defeated it!"

"Were you?" Xu Xiaoyu pointed at several obvious traces of ice on the troll's corpse. "If my ice cones hadn't slowed its movements, do you think you could have finished it off so quickly?"

Tang Wulin looked down and indeed found several frozen wounds at the troll's joints. He understood. Although the battle had been intense, Xu Xiaoyu had indeed intervened from the shadows to hinder their prey.

"Thank you for helping." Tang Wulin readily acknowledged it, then extended his hand. "I'm Tang Wulin, and this is my friend. Since this was a misunderstanding, why don't we trade our spears for jade and silk?"

Xu Xiaoyu looked at Tang Wulin's outstretched hand, then at his sister Xu Xiaoyan beside him, whose eyes were full of anticipation. His stern expression softened a little. He nodded lightly, accepting the goodwill, though his words remained unforgiving. "Xu Xiaoyu. This is my sister, Xu Xiaoyan. Next time, take a good look before you act."

"Xu Xiaoyan?" Xie Xie looked at the girl whose eyes seemed filled with stars and could not help smiling. "That's an easy name to remember."

Xu Xiaoyan grew shy under his gaze and hid behind her brother, peeking out with only half her head. "That... that Ice Wall just now was amazing. How did you do it?" she asked softly.

Tang Wulin smiled. "Just a deft use of soul power."

The atmosphere behind the wall of blue silver grass abruptly tightened. Xie Xie's twin blades were already drawn, their cold gleam pointed straight at Xu Xiaoyu. Xu Xiaoyu refused to yield, his long blue hair moving without wind as soul power surged around him. He was clearly ready to strike.

Yet at that instant, with swords drawn and bows taut, an icy voice broke the stalemate.

"Boring."

Gu Yue, who had been standing quietly beside Tang Wulin, raised her hand with an indifferent expression. She wasted no words. Cold gathered at her fingertips, and a crystal-clear ice cone instantly formed, shooting straight toward Xu Xiaoyu's face with a piercing whistle!

Xu Xiaoyu's pupils contracted. Clearly, he had not expected this seemingly aloof girl to attack so decisively. Shifting his feet slightly, he drifted sideways and backward like willow down in the wind, narrowly avoiding the ice cone.

"Ice attribute?" Xu Xiaoyu steadied himself, surprise flashing in his eyes as he looked Gu Yue up and down. "I didn't expect you to be a soul master with an ice martial soul too."

Behind him, Xu Xiaoyan's eyes widened even further, as though she had witnessed something unbelievable. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on her Star Wheel Ice Staff.

Looking at Gu Yue's frost-cold face, Xu Xiaoyu spoke with a measure of affinity for someone who shared his attribute, along with a trace of arrogance. "As a fellow ice-attribute soul master, I don't want to hurt you. You have talent, but a gap is still a gap. Leave. The depths of the Spirit Ascension Platform are no place for you."

At his words, the faintest mocking curve appeared at the corner of Gu Yue's lips. She could not even be bothered to change her gaze, merely saying flatly, "If you want to fight, fight. Why waste so many words?"

Then she turned to Tang Wulin, a rare flicker of fighting spirit appearing in her purple eyes. "I want to see just how strong I am."

Seeing the longing in Gu Yue's eyes, Tang Wulin nodded slightly and stepped back, signaling for her to do as she pleased.

With his permission, Gu Yue's presence changed in an instant. If she had been a piece of ice before, she was now a glacier ten thousand years old, on the verge of erupting.

"Then I'll show you what real ice is!"

With her low shout, a second soul ring suddenly lit up beside the previously quiet first soul ring beneath her feet!

It was a ring of deep, dazzling purple!

A Thousand-Year Soul Ring!

Beneath that purple glow, the temperature around Gu Yue plunged to freezing, and a thick layer of frost formed across the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What?!"

The composure on Xu Xiaoyu's face froze instantly, replaced by shock he could not conceal. He stared fixedly at the second soul ring beneath Gu Yue's feet, his voice trembling slightly. "That's impossible! How can your second soul ring be a thousand-year one?!"

On the Douluo Continent, a hundred-year soul ring was already considered excellent. A thousand-year soul ring as one's second soul ring marked an absolute genius anywhere, even a monstrous prodigy! This completely overturned his understanding of a soul master's growth.

Gu Yue ignored his shock. She raised her hand and aimed her palm at Xu Xiaoyu, and even the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

"Elemental Control—Icebound Domain!"

Boom!

Terrifying cold erupted instantly, spreading wildly in every direction with Gu Yue at its center. Rocks and dead trees across the ground—everything the cold swept over—turned into ice sculptures in an instant.

Xu Xiaoyu felt an unprecedented chill rushing toward him. It was more than a drop in temperature; it was an oppressive force that threatened to freeze even his soul. He dared not hold anything back. All his soul power burst forth as he tried to resist the cold wave.

"Wh... what kind of monster is she..." Hiding behind her brother, Xu Xiaoyan watched Gu Yue, who looked like a queen of ice and snow amid the blizzard. Her little mouth formed an "O," and her eyes were filled with awe.

Watching Gu Yue completely dominate the battlefield, Tang Wulin's eyes also flashed with a hint of satisfaction. He knew she had been hiding her strength all along, and today, she was finally willing to reveal her edge.

The outcome of this contest of ice was already decided. Xu Xiaoyu was a genius too, but before Gu Yue's heaven-defying thousand-year second soul ring, the gap between them was plain to see.