"Awesome! Tang Wulin, we did it!" Xie Xie bounced up and down on the Crystal Bear's back in delight. Tang Wulin was thrilled too. At last, he was no longer dragging the team down.
In the final instant before the Crystal Bear died, a burst of earthen-yellow light erupted from its body, covering everything within a meter of it.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie failed to escape in time, and a layer of earthen-yellow crystal instantly encased their entire bodies.
Jiang Mingyuan and Wang Jinxi sprang into action. Each beat his wings and skimmed rapidly along the ground, catching the two boys as they toppled off the Crystal Bear's back.
After setting the two human-shaped crystals on the ground, Jiang Mingyuan pressed his palms together. Golden-red flames spread from his body and enveloped them. Gradually, the earthen-yellow crystals melted away in the flames, and the two boys slowly broke free of the restraint.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie scratched their heads sheepishly. Neither had expected the Crystal Bear to pull one last dirty trick on them after it was already dead.
None of them had known that the Crystal Bear had a death-triggered skill. They were too young to have learned about such things, and Jiang Mingyuan could hardly remember every tiny detail from the original novel.
Still, at least two seconds had passed between the appearance of the earthen-yellow light and their crystallization. Tang Wulin's failure to dodge was understandable. But Xie Xie, how had you failed to dodge it too?
A soft ball of energy floated out of the Crystal Bear's corpse. This was the reward for killing a Soul Beast in the Spirit Ascension Platform. Absorbing it would increase a Soul Spirit's age.
But Jiang Mingyuan and his companions were not the only ones eyeing the Crystal Bear's corpse. Rustling came from the nearby forest. Looking closely, they spotted dozens of pairs of eyes glowing an eerie green among the trees.
Jiang Mingyuan stretched his limbs.
"You guys absorb it. Leave those things to me." The age of the Soul Rings Jiang Mingyuan absorbed had no effect on his abilities, so he was in no hurry to increase his Soul Spirit's age. Besides, his new teacher, Leng Yaozhu, had promised to give him a Soul Spirit.
A Hundred-Year Soul Spirit could provide two Soul Ring slots. His Soul Power was about to break through to rank 30. If he increased the Emerald Swan's age here, she would likely take up his third Soul Ring slot outright.
Compared with gaining another Soul Ring he could take or leave, he would rather have another little pet he could summon whenever he wanted.
Hovering in the air, Jiang Mingyuan watched the restless wolves in the forest with an icy gaze. An enormous phantom phoenix appeared behind him.
Jiang Mingyuan pointed toward the center of the pack. The phantom phoenix beat its wings in response and swooped toward that spot as though it had come alive.
He had developed this skill by imitating the Soul Skills of historical Soul Masters with the Phoenix Martial Soul.
Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike.
The phantom phoenix plunged into the middle of the wolf pack like a small missile. It exploded in an instant, and the fierce shock wave knocked every wolf to the ground. Scorching flames scattered across their fur, immediately setting their entire bodies ablaze.
Waves of agonized howls rang through the forest.
Outside, in the reception room.
Watching their performance on the Soul Guidance screen, Wu Changkong could not help admiring them.
They had worked together to defeat the Crystal Bear. Apart from Tang Wulin and Xie Xie letting their guard down at the end and falling victim to its dirty trick, there was nothing to criticize about their performance.
The Spirit Ascension Platform simulated an ancient Soul Beast forest. Here, Soul Masters were the weaker side. They had to be ready to deal with any problem at any moment.
Jiang Mingyuan's willingness to shoulder responsibility raised Wu Changkong's opinion of him further.
Class Zero's five-man team had power attack, agility attack, defense, and support Soul Masters. The only thing missing was a qualified control-type Soul Master. Although Tang Wulin and Zhang Yangzi both had some control abilities, in a proper team, they currently resembled Power Attack System Soul Masters more closely.
Wu Changkong quietly weighed the matter. He ought to bring it up with Dean Yu Zhen again and see whether they could find a promising control-type student.
After dealing with the wolves, Jiang Mingyuan circled above the forest to confirm that there was no immediate danger nearby. He chose a sturdy-looking branch and sat on it, silently watching over the others.
They made it through until night fell outside, with a few scares but no real danger. Along the way, two more small packs of beasts attacked, but they successfully drove both off under Jiang Mingyuan's lead.
When they emerged from the Spirit Ascension Platform, the Spirit Pagoda staff around them could not help giving them thumbs-up.
Back in the waiting hall, even someone as cold as Wu Changkong could not help applauding and praising them.
"You performed very well today. From now on, you'll have one opportunity each week to train in the Spirit Ascension Platform. Therefore, I want the five of you to form a squad, with Jiang Mingyuan as captain and Tang Wulin as vice-captain."
The days that followed were uneventful. Every morning, Wu Changkong taught them about Soul Beasts. He also offered guidance on their training in their secondary professions.
The afternoons were devoted to nerve-racking combat practice. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Wang Jinxi took turns being whipped around like spinning tops. To meet the team's needs, Wu Changkong assigned Zhang Yangzi to one side to practice elemental control alongside Jiang Mingyuan.
"Phew." Zhang Yangzi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He tried to calm himself and resisted listening to the screams coming from the other side.
Thank goodness my Martial Soul leans toward the Mental Attribute and can control the darkness element. There's no need for me to take the close-combat route.
That day, Wu Changkong entered the classroom. Surprisingly, he was not carrying any teaching materials.
"The end of the term is almost here. Class Zero's final assessment will be different from those of the other classes. I've prepared two tests for you."
"We won't have class today. Come with me. I'll take you somewhere for your first test."
The students wore different expressions: calm, curiosity, and worry. Xie Xie was the weakest in Class Zero, and Wu Changkong's regular tests were already notoriously strict. He was terrified that if he failed the assessment, Wu Changkong would drag him back for remedial lessons over the holidays.
As Xie Xie prayed, he felt someone pat his shoulder. He turned to find Jiang Mingyuan smiling at him.
"What are you thinking about? Why the long face?"
Xie Xie ruffled his hair.
"Ugh, Teacher Wu is already so strict normally. Won't his final assessment be as hard as reaching the heavens?"
Jiang Mingyuan chuckled at that. Man, Xie really was such a wimp.
"As the saying goes, when the cart reaches the mountain, a road will appear; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself out. Besides, you've trained so hard, yet now that it's time to truly test your strength, you're acting like this. Wouldn't that be letting down the you who put in all that work?"
Xie Xie understood the reasoning, but he still could not settle his nerves.
"Don't forget, we're the five strongest students in the entire first year. If even we can't pass, that means there's something wrong with the assessment itself."
Jiang Mingyuan left Xie Xie to it and walked out with Tang Wulin.
Xie Xie slammed a hand on his desk and shot to his feet. "To hell with it. I'm done overthinking!"
He hurried after them.
"Wait for me!"