Special training!

"All right, Your Highnesses. Since neither of you has any objections, we'll begin special training today."

With that, Xiao Yi turned and led the way out of Pope Hall.

Su Yu and Hu Liena exchanged a glance, then followed him.

As they stepped through Pope Hall's heavy doors, a modestly decorated black carriage stood waiting in the square outside.

"Get in."

Xiao Yi spoke briefly, lifted the curtain, and climbed nimbly into the carriage.

Su Yu looked at Hu Liena, signaling for her to go first.

Hu Liena raised her eyes to him and nodded gently. Lifting her skirt, she bent down and entered the carriage, with Su Yu right behind her.

A faint scent of sandalwood greeted them as they entered. The interior was considerably more spacious than it looked from outside.

Once all three were seated, the driver gave a short shout, and the carriage slowly rolled toward the outskirts of the city.

After roughly half an hour, the carriage stopped.

"Lord Xiao Yi, we've arrived!"

"Mm!"

The three stepped out of the carriage, only then realizing they had arrived at the Soul Beast Forest!

"This is where we'll hold your special training."

Xiao Yi's voice sounded especially clear among the trees. He raised a hand toward the depths of the dense woods. "The Soul Beast Forest."

"The Soul Beast Forest?"

Hu Liena frowned slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. Clearly, she had not expected their special training to take place somewhere like this.

"Yes." Xiao Yi nodded, his tone steady.

"The first assessment will focus on your teamwork and your ability to respond to sudden danger."

He surveyed their surroundings and continued explaining, "The varieties of Soul Beasts in this area aren't particularly numerous, and their ages aren't among the highest either. It's just right as a starting point for practical training."

"There aren't many varieties of two-year-old Soul Beasts in the Soul Beast Forest, and their ages aren't particularly high either. It's suitable for our special training!"

"You're already Soul Masters now. Killing Soul Beasts a hundred or two hundred years old has no training value."

"By the usual standards, your targets should be Soul Beasts at least five hundred years old."

His tone shifted, and his gaze settled on Su Yu.

"Your Highness Su Yu, I've heard something of your Martial Soul's unusual nature. Naturally, you need an unusual form of training."

Xiao Yi paused, then emphasized his next words. "I hope that over these five days of training, the two of you can work together to kill a Soul Beast no younger than eight hundred years old."

Hu Liena's expression changed at Xiao Yi's words. Killing an eight-hundred-year-old Soul Beast was almost impossible for them, having only just become Soul Masters.

Compared with Hu Liena, Su Yu remained calm, though his gaze sharpened a little.

"For these five days, you'll have to live in the Soul Beast Forest. Remember, unless your lives are in danger, I won't intervene!"

With that, he concealed himself, leaving this dense forest full of unknowns entirely to them.

Once Xiao Yi's figure vanished at the edge of the dense woods, Hu Liena immediately stepped forward and clutched Su Yu's sleeve with her small hand, a barely perceptible trace of nervousness in her eyes.

"Brother Su Yu, what do we do now?"

Su Yu turned his hand over and gently patted the back of hers, signaling for her to relax. At the same time, he closed his eyes, his brow furrowing slightly as he silently activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

The breathing of the surrounding vegetation, the footsteps of distant Soul Beasts, even the crawling of insects beneath the soil.

All of it reached his senses clearly, like an invisible net tracing every detail of their surroundings.

"Don't worry. We're on the outskirts of the Soul Beast Forest. There aren't any signs of Hundred-Year Soul Beast activity here."

"Let's head southeast first. There's a hollow in a rock face there that would make a good temporary shelter. We'll settle in before deciding what to do next."

Hearing this, Hu Liena's nervousness eased considerably, and she nodded firmly.

"All right. I'll listen to you."

She gripped the Short Blade at her waist and followed Su Yu with light steps, her vigilant gaze sweeping their surroundings.

After walking for roughly half an hour, they reached the place Su Yu had described.

A clear river wound through the forest, its waters murmuring as the reflections of the trees along its banks swayed;

A natural hollow in the nearby rock face was large enough to hold two or three people. Dry and sheltered from the wind, it was indeed an excellent temporary base.

"Right here." Su Yu pointed at the hollow, then looked toward the river.

"There's a water source here, so Soul Beasts will definitely come to drink. Let's watch from hiding first and see whether any targets meet the age requirement."

"Mm!"

Hu Liena nodded in agreement, already studying their surroundings and considering how to observe from concealment.

They had just cleared a small space in the hollow when heavy snorting suddenly came from behind the bushes, accompanied by the sharp crack of hooves breaking dry branches.

Su Yu reacted instantly. He grabbed Hu Liena's wrist, pushed lightly off the ground with his toes, and leaped with her onto a branch of an ancient tree nearby.

Almost the instant they hid themselves, a rhinoceros covered in thick, blue-gray hide emerged from behind the bushes with a rustling sound.

It was enormous, with limbs as thick as pillars and a curved black horn atop its head.

White vapor puffed from its nostrils as it breathed, and each step made the ground tremble slightly. Its strength was clearly astonishing.

"It's an Ironclad Rhinoceros!" Hu Liena leaned close to Su Yu's ear and whispered.

"Judging by its size and the thickness of its armored hide, it's at least three hundred years old!"

He signaled for Hu Liena to be patient, and through the gaps in the foliage, they silently watched the Ironclad Rhinoceros walk to the river.

The Ironclad Rhinoceros's enormous body occupied almost half the clearing beside the river.

It lowered its head, dipping its broad, thick lips into the water and swallowing with a gurgling sound.

Its blue-gray armored hide gleamed cold and hard in the sunlight.

Hu Liena kept her voice extremely low, a hint of eagerness in it as she whispered beside Su Yu's ear:

"Brother Su Yu, should we attack?"

Her fingertips already rested on the Short Blade at her waist, and Soul Power circulated silently through her body, ready to strike at any moment.

Su Yu gently shook his head, his eyes fixed on the Ironclad Rhinoceros's movements as he breathed his reply:

"No."

He paused, then explained, "Soul Beasts have a natural, unspoken understanding about drinking areas. They rarely fight here."

"If we attack here, we could easily attract other Soul Beasts' attention. It's too risky."

He pointed at the Ironclad Rhinoceros's eyes as it scanned its surroundings warily while drinking.

"Look at it. It hasn't let its guard down even while drinking. Once it's had enough and leaves for a more open stretch of woodland, we'll look for a chance to attack. Our odds will be better."

Hearing this, Hu Liena suppressed her impulse and nodded, turning her attention back to the Ironclad Rhinoceros.

The two lay silently in wait among the branches, like two patient cheetahs awaiting the best moment to strike.

Five minutes later, the Ironclad Rhinoceros abruptly raised its head, a low roar rumbling in its throat.

It shook the droplets from its head and turned toward the depths of the forest, its heavy hooves crunching through the fallen leaves.

Su Yu and Hu Liena exchanged a glance, then immediately leaped down from the tree and followed under cover of the bushes.