The afterglow of the setting sun brought waves of warmth, spilling golden light through the dense leaves and blending with the mist in the forest to form shafts of golden radiance.
Three figures darted through the forest at incredible speed, while shadows constantly flitted around them, carrying an undercurrent of tension.
"Screech—"
A massive rat-type soul beast burst out from the concealed grass, charging at them with astonishing speed, its sharp teeth gleaming coldly.
Intense white light suddenly erupted from the young man's body. With a tearing sound, claws sank into flesh. It died in a single strike, and the soul beast fell straight to the ground.
The soul beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest were not particularly strong, mostly hundred-year to thousand-year soul beasts. None of them were a match for the group, and before long, a large number had been slaughtered.
The young man had a handsome yet cold face. His golden hair parted from the center of his head and fell loosely down both sides. A closer look revealed that his deep-blue eyes possessed double pupils. He was also taller and broader than others his age.
To his left, the black-haired girl's mismatched eyes deepened in color. Her pointed ears stood erect, and her delicate body became more slender and powerful. Blades extended from every finger. She was not as imposing as the young man, but she possessed an illusory lightness. Although she was not yet faster than him, every flicker of her body left a string of afterimages around her.
They were Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, the most highly regarded freshmen of Shrek Academy's current intake, wielders of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill Hell White Tiger. Beside them stood the teacher of Class Five, a seven-ringed Soul Sage.
Upon learning that