Setting out for the Mingdou Mountains

Xuan Zi smiled, looking thoroughly pleased. "Very good. I wasn't wrong about you. Not one of you is a coward."

"I'm telling you all this because we're about to carry out an inspection mission."

"Xiaotao, explain the details of the mission to them."

"Wang Yan, hand out the Shrek Inspector equipment."

Wang Yan acknowledged him, then took eight rings from his Storage Soul Tool and distributed them to Chen Tianyuan and the others.

The rings were exquisitely crafted, their bands made of a silver-colored precious metal. Each was set with an emerald the size of a fingernail, its surface carved into the emblem of Shrek Academy...

Wang Yan said, "Keep these safe. They're the symbol of our Shrek Inspectors. Put a drop of blood on them later, and they'll become linked to your bloodline. Any of our own people will then be able to tell whether the wearer is the rightful owner."

"Each one is also a Storage Ring, with an internal space of approximately fifty square meters. The Inspector equipment is stored inside: a special uniform, a mask, a cloak, and a distress flare gun."

Ma Xiaotao stepped forward and said, "Our inspection mission this time is to head to the Mingdou Mountains, on the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, and search for a band of brigands. They call themselves the Death Messengers, and their leader is a Soul King-level Evil Soul Master."

"They're vicious and cunning to the extreme. They prey on merchants traveling between the two empires and never leave anyone alive."

"The terrain in the Mingdou Mountains is complicated, with plenty of caves suitable for hiding. There are around three hundred of these brigands, and they know the terrain very well. On top of that, this is the border between two empires. Any large-scale military operation to wipe them out could easily turn into a conflict between the two countries."

"That's why they're still alive and well."

"Our mission is to find them and kill every last one."

Chen Tianyuan glanced at Xuan Zi without betraying any emotion, silently musing, The strongest Soul King is about to take the stage...

Chen Tianyuan had never killed anyone, but he would feel no guilt about killing scum who slaughtered ordinary people. Those who killed others would, in turn, be killed.

Ma Xiaotao continued, "The academy has already notified the Star Luo Empire garrison near the Mingdou Mountains. They won't join us in wiping out the brigands, but they'll provide detailed maps and accurate intelligence."

She looked at everyone. "If there are no questions, we'll set off at full speed right away. Put your Inspector's Rings away. You may only wear them while carrying out a mission."

They spent the entire morning traveling, but without using their Flying Soul Tools, they hadn't covered much ground. They were still on the Lima Plain.

Only at noon did they stop.

After a simple lunch, they resumed their rapid advance.

About two hours later, they reached the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

A vast military encampment blocked the road ahead.

The others stayed where they were to rest, while Dai Yueheng walked into the camp alone.

A few minutes later, Dai Yueheng returned. With a sweep of his hand toward the open ground in front of them, more than a dozen sets of military Flying Soul Tools appeared on the ground.

Unless they possessed a flight-type martial soul, Soul Masters could only fly briefly once their cultivation reached the Soul Saint level. Only experts at the Titled Douluo level or higher could truly soar freely through the skies.

The invention of the Flying Soul Tool had broken that restriction. Originating in the Sun Moon Empire, it was extremely expensive to manufacture and could generally only be used by Soul Masters with four or more rings.

Chen Tianyuan's Flying Soul Tool, however, was different. It had been custom-made by the Level 8 Soul Engineer Fan Yu himself, and even a Soul Grandmaster could use it...

Compared with Chen Tianyuan's Flying Soul Tool, these military models looked rather crude. Their main bodies were one meter long and half a meter wide, with shells made entirely of metal. Folding wings were attached to both sides, with an estimated wingspan of four meters when extended.

Naturally, this wasn't the Inner Court students' first time using Flying Soul Tools. After explaining how to use them to the Outer Court students, they guided them through practice as they grew accustomed to the equipment.

Seeing Chen Tianyuan standing where he was, Gongyang Mo walked over. "Junior Brother Chen, aren't you going to practice?"

Chen Tianyuan chuckled. "No need. I know how to use one, and I have my own Flying Soul Tool."

Gongyang Mo was taken aback. A Flying Soul Tool cost at least ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Was Chen Tianyuan, a mere Soul Ancestor, really that wealthy?

After half an hour of practice, everyone had learned how to use the Flying Soul Tools. Once they had fully replenished their soul power, they set off for the Mingdou Mountains.

Chen Tianyuan took the Flying Soul Tool Fan Yu had redesigned for him from his Storage Ring. Unlike the previous model, Fan Yu had modified the original design, replacing the single large formation core inside with three smaller ones.

Normally, only one of the three formation cores operated at a time, yet the power output had barely decreased. The greatest benefit of this modification was the increased flight time. Previously, the internal propulsion system would overheat after an hour or two of flight. With three thruster nozzles instead, it could now fly for at least three hours longer-provided, of course, that Chen Tianyuan had enough soul power.

At their current speed, they covered only around two hundred li in an hour...

As the sun set, they stopped in a forest.

The Inner Court students hadn't consumed too much soul power, but Bei Bei and the other Outer Court students were having a rough time. They had expended enormous amounts of soul power while also enduring the physical strain of high-speed flight, leaving them utterly exhausted.

Chen Tianyuan, however, was in even better shape than the Inner Court's Ling Luochеn and Yao Haoxuan. His ultimate attribute soul power was naturally dense, and the widening of his meridians when he fused with the gold of life had increased his soul power reserves by another thirty percent.

Moreover, the strain of high-speed flight was negligible to someone with Chen Tianyuan's powerful physique...

"We're moving too slowly. We're running short on time. Rest for an hour, then I'll take you flying myself." Xuan Zi's voice rang out from among the trees.

He strolled out of the forest, carrying a whole nest of plump rabbits.

After dinner, Wang Yan took out an extremely long rope.

The rope linked everyone together, with all its ends finally gathered onto Xuan Zi.

These ropes were specially designed for use with Flying Soul Tools. They allowed Soul Masters of differing cultivation levels to fly farther while using their Flying Soul Tools...

Xuan Zi hovered in the air, looking at them as he said, "Children, once we're airborne, maintain the same flying posture as before. Then circulate your soul power to protect yourselves from the buffeting air currents. Does everyone understand?"

"Understood!"