At that moment, Huo Yutong and her teammates were protected within a soul tool barrier that shimmered with a gentle glow.
Xiao Xiao's control and Wang Dong's astonishingly powerful Blue Silver Overlord Spear had actually been completely blocked by this seemingly thin barrier.
They had not inflicted the slightest damage.
When Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao saw Gu Xingyue suddenly freeze in place, they were both very surprised.
Following Gu Xingyue's gaze, they saw the girl inside the barrier, whose expression was equally animated, both surprised and delighted, and immediately guessed most of the story.
Judging by this, not only did these two know each other, but their relationship was probably no ordinary one.
Gu Xingyue was also momentarily speechless.
He could indeed share the perceptions of plants to detect the number of approaching people and their approximate positions, but the instructions he issued were only very simple and crude.
He could hardly identify who someone was from several hundred meters away, could he?
Only plant-type soul beasts that had lived for over a hundred years and begun developing intelligence could barely exchange more complex information with him, allowing him to exercise finer "micromanagement."
So a farce like this, where "the flood washed into the Dragon King's temple, and family failed to recognize family," seemed... perfectly normal, really.
After a brief awkward pause, Gu Xingyue immediately adopted a righteous expression, turned to his two teammates, and said with "heart-wrenching anguish," "What are you doing? You don't know how to hold back! Those are my friends! You've gone way too far!"
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong froze simultaneously, their faces taking on complicated expressions somewhere between laughter and tears, as though their eyes were asking: Seriously?!!
Who had been giving orders most enthusiastically just now, shouting "hold him down" and "get him with a sneak attack" the loudest?
Gu Xingyue completely ignored his teammates' protesting gazes.
His face instantly filled with a bright, enthusiastic smile. He waved vigorously at Huo Yutong and called out energetically, "Yutong! What a coincidence! I never thought I'd run into you here!"
At the sight of Gu Xingyue, the surprise in Huo Yutong's eyes also turned into genuine delight.
She replied with a smile, "Yes, Xingyue, I never thought I'd run into you here either. That attack just now really gave me a fright."
As she spoke, she waved gently, signaling her teammates to stand down.
Although her two teammates behind her were still somewhat wary, they followed her instructions and put away their offensive soul tools, though their eyes remained fixed on Gu Xingyue's trio.
A tense encounter with swords drawn and bows bent instantly became a warm reunion between old friends.
Standing some distance apart, Gu Xingyue and Huo Yutong chatted happily, moving from their recent cultivation progress to what they had seen in the forest, as though they had endless things to say.
Gu Xingyue's eyes shifted, and a bold idea formed in his mind. He proposed excitedly, "Yutong, since we have the same goal, why don't... our teams form a temporary alliance? We'll 'harvest' the other teams together. It'll definitely be more efficient!"
Huo Yutong also thought it was a wonderful idea.
She nodded with a smile. "Sure. I'll be counting on you from here on out, Captain Xingyue."
And so, thanks to a wonderful "misunderstanding," the strong joined forces, ready to turn this assessment into a "dimensional strike" against the other participants.
The six of them put their heads together and decided to first exchange information and learn about each other's abilities.
After Huo Yutong's brief introduction, Gu Xingyue and his teammates learned that the boy and girl accompanying her were called Tuoba Jun and Bai Lingling, respectively, and both were Grand Soul Masters around rank twenty-five.
That cultivation level was quite respectable among their peers.
However, when Tuoba Jun and Bai Lingling learned that Gu Xingyue and Wang Dong were actually both Soul Elders above rank thirty.
Their expressions instantly went from calm to spectacular, their eyes widening like bronze bells and their mouths opening wide enough to fit an egg.
"T-two Soul Elders?!" Tuoba Jun's voice trembled a little. He felt as though he had accidentally wandered into the imperial household.
"Heavens, we've got this in the bag!" Bai Lingling was so excited that she nearly jumped.
With two Soul Elders leading them, this lineup would do far more than pass the assessment. They could rampage through the competition and sweep the Outer Court aside with one hand!
They had originally thought this assessment was fraught with danger. Now, all they saw was a bright future, with victory right before their eyes.
Once their excitement subsided, however, the two began reflecting on themselves, a trace of shame appearing on their faces.
Back when their teacher had assigned Huo Yutong to their team, they had privately had quite a few complaints.
After all, Huo Yutong was not even a Grand Soul Master, and her soul ring configuration was particularly "eye-catching"-one ten-year soul ring.
At the time, they had felt as though the sky was falling and that they had been set up.
After all, this assessment was no joke. There was no revival round after elimination. If they failed, they really could only return home to inherit their family businesses and live those dull, tedious, utterly unchallenging lives of wealth.
But Huo Yutong soon changed their minds through her actions.
Her soul skill was practically a "cheat" for team battles, and even more of a "hack" for soul engineers.
With her support, the accuracy of their soul tools shot straight up. They really could hit every shot with their eyes closed, striking wherever they aimed.
Only then did they understand that Huo Yutong was no burden at all, but an underestimated "treasure of a girl."
Now, Huo Yutong had brought them another enormous surprise: two Soul Elder teammates.
Tuoba Jun and Bai Lingling exchanged a glance, both seeing the same words in the other's eyes: How could we lose?
After their brief exchange, the six-person team continued deeper into the forest.
After walking for about an hour, the trees around them gradually grew sparser, while the air became increasingly humid.
"This is swampland," Gu Xingyue reminded them.
Just then, the sharp-eyed Huo Yutong pointed a short distance away and called out, "Look, what's that?"
Everyone looked in the direction she indicated and saw a metal box lying quietly on a relatively dry patch of open ground at the edge of the swamp.
Its surface gleamed with a cold metallic luster.
Thanks to her Spirit Eyes martial soul, Huo Yutong could examine the box closely. Then she said to Gu Xingyue with some surprise, "A box made using soul tool technology, and it's extremely well sealed. Could it contain one of the objectives of our assessment-those three soul bones?"
"That's possible!" Gu Xingyue's eyes lit up too.
Without further hesitation, crackling arcs of electricity coiled around his body, and he turned into a bolt of lightning, racing toward the metal box.
However, just as he was about to reach the box, something suddenly changed!
Thanks to her Spirit Eyes martial soul, Huo Yutong's Spiritual Power far exceeded that of ordinary people, and she immediately detected something unusual beneath the swamp.
"Xingyue, watch your step!" Huo Yutong hurriedly warned.
At that moment, Gu Xingyue, who was running at full speed, also noticed the movement below through his shared perceptions with the plants.
It was as though something was about to burst out of the ground.
Before her voice had faded, a tremendous splash rang out, sending water flying everywhere.
An enormous crocodile suddenly leaped out of the swamp, opened its gaping, blood-red maw, and viciously snapped at Gu Xingyue!
The crocodile's entire body was covered in scales as hard as steel. One look was enough to tell that it was no easy opponent.
Yet Gu Xingyue showed no panic whatsoever in the face of this sudden attack.
An amused smile curled his lips, and he even had the leisure to quip:
"Oh, isn't this Uncle Crocodile? Such enthusiasm!"
As he spoke, he kept moving, lightning blazing over his palm with a sizzling hiss.
Gu Xingyue casually swung his hand, striking the crocodile squarely beneath its jaw.
The ferocious Ironclad Crocodile did not even have time to let out a scream before that crushing blow lulled it to sleep.
From the crocodile's leap to its instant defeat in a single move, the entire process lasted no longer than a lightning flash.
Beside Huo Yutong, Tuoba Jun and Bai Lingling were both stunned by the sight.
Their mouths hung open, and for a long while, neither could say a word.
Only after quite some time did Tuoba Jun swallow, point at the crocodile with its eyes rolled back, and stammer, "Th-that soul beast... judging by its size and scales, it seems to be an Ironclad Crocodile, right? Its defense and attack are both among the best of any soul beast at its level, and in this swamp, it even has an absolute home-ground advantage... and he just... dealt with it?"
Bai Lingling also looked dazed, muttering to herself, "S-so this is the strength of a mighty Soul Elder? Isn't that a little too ridiculous...?"
Gu Xingyue seemed to have done nothing more than a trivial little thing.
He walked over to the metal box, crouched down, and prepared to work out how to open it.
"All right, that little interlude is over." He looked back and smiled at everyone. "Now, let's open this mystery box and see just what treasures are inside."
Before you continue