Spirit Hall, rear mountain plaza
Nearly a thousand Soul Master disciples had gathered there. Most belonged to the Pope's faction, while some came from affiliated forces. Only a tiny fraction came from the Worship Hall's faction.
Lin Chen stood at the front of the plaza, with three breathtaking young women behind him. One was Hu Liena, a sultry, mature beauty dressed in platinum leather; another was Ning Rongrong, whose lovely face was exquisitely delicate, wearing a pale cyan short skirt. The last was naturally Xiao Wu, dressed in a short pink skirt.
Ning Rongrong had been extremely unwilling to make this trip, but after her father Ning Fengzhi persuaded her, she had stepped forward to help shoulder the burdens of her father and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
She hadn't expected to see Xiao Wu today, though, which was a pleasant surprise. The two girls were now tugging at each other and whispering.
Ghost Douluo's deep voice rang out. "This training expedition will last one to two years. If anyone manages to persevere during that time, you can send a signal into the sky, and our Spirit Hall's external affairs elders and bishops will bring you out."
"One more reminder: during the expedition, you must not harm your fellow disciples. Anyone caught doing so will be expelled from Spirit Hall at once, and everything they have gained will be confiscated!"
"Is that clear?"
"Yes!!!"
Ghost Douluo nodded and said respectfully, "Your Holiness the Pope, everything is ready."
Holding her scepter, Bibi Dong glanced at Lin Chen with her beautiful eyes, then nodded. "Set out."
Ghost Douluo waved his hand. "Set out!"
Lin Chen exchanged a glance with the Pope's wife and smiled faintly. Then he led the Spirit Hall disciples after Ghost Douluo, heading deep into the rear mountain.
Spirit Hall's rear mountain stretched endlessly, connecting to the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range. Soul Beasts abounded within it, spiritual treasures lay everywhere, and its swamps, venomous insects, and tree monsters were beyond counting.
Half a day later...
Ghost Douluo had led everyone deep into the rear mountain. A few more days of travel would bring them to Death Canyon.
"Everyone, this is as far as I can take you. Beyond here lies the outskirts of the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range. Death Canyon is inside the southern end of the range. Spirit Hall has essentially cleared out all the high-level Soul Beasts here, but there are bound to be some that slipped through the net, or migrated from other parts of the range, so you must still be careful."
With that, Ghost Douluo gave Lin Chen a signal, then vanished from the spot.
As soon as Ghost Douluo disappeared, the thousand Soul Masters scattered. Some formed groups of three or five, while others went alone. Clearly, they had made their plans long ago.
Lin Chen glanced at the departing groups and spotted a familiar figure: Yan, a member of Spirit Hall's current Golden Generation. He was in the middle of a group, keeping an unusually low profile.
"Xie Yue, you and Sun Chuantao each lead a team. Be sure to be careful when you go deeper in."
"Okay!"
Ever since the Advanced Soul Master Academy finals, his brother-in-law had been very obedient to Lin Chen, making Hu Liena snicker beside them.
In the blink of an eye, nearly all the thousand elite disciples had left. Only a handful of disciples and groups remained where they stood, at a loss.
Blazing Fire Academy
When Huo Wu saw that Shui Bing'er of Skywater Academy had actually teamed up with Lin Chen, bringing the Tianshui Girl Group along, she walked over with a catlike gait.
Huo Wushuang and Feng Xiaotian froze on the spot. "Little sister, where are you going?"
"You two team up. I'm going to find Lin Chen and see if he'll take me along~"
Feng Xiaotian's expression froze. He had secretly loved Huo Wu for years. Unfortunately, she had never given him a direct answer, but she had never explicitly rejected him either. In his heart, he had long regarded her as his lover.
But he had never expected Huo Wu to abandon him and her brother without a moment's hesitation this time...
The fiery Yu Hairou and Xue Wu were affectionately holding their dream man's arms when they suddenly saw Huo Wu approaching. "Huh? What brings you here?"
Huo Wu held her hands behind her back and asked nervously, "Young Master Lin, can I join your team?"
Lin Chen looked at her in some surprise. "What about the others from Blazing Fire and Godwind Academy?"
"Oh, they're not idiots. Can't they train without me?" Huo Wu said dismissively.
She was still dressed in a fiery red short skirt today, her snow-white thighs dazzling to behold. Her red eyes and swept-up red hair formed a striking contrast with the Tianshui Girl Group.
One red, the other blue; one fire, the other water.
Lin Chen looked her over and nodded. "No problem. Your Blazing Fire Academy is part of our Spirit Hall's forces now too."
Beside him, the stunning Ning Rongrong knitted her willow brows slightly, her pale cyan eyes fixed on Lin Chen. What kind of person is he, exactly? Why do so many talented girls, like Xiao Wu and Shui Bing'er, like him?
What she didn't know was that Xiao Wu's soul had long since been controlled by Lin Chen. On this trip, she had already fallen into the trap of her best friend and comrade-in-arms...
"Let's go!"
At Lin Chen's command, the women followed close behind him, heading for Death Canyon.
"Huo Wu..."
Feng Xiaotian had just tried to call her back, only to find that she had already disappeared from sight.
"Sigh..." Huo Wushuang patted him on the shoulder and said consolingly, "Brother Feng, that's just how my sister is. She likes strong men. Try to take it in stride~"
Feng Xiaotian clenched his fists. "No! I'll train hard and make Huo Wu see me in a new light!"
Huo Wushuang shook his head repeatedly as he listened. No matter how strong you get, can you surpass Spirit Hall's Sovereign?
Too naive...
Three days later, the inner region of the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range
Splurt! Rustle...
A blue-haired girl in a short skirt sliced open a tiger beast's belly with a dagger. Then a girl in a fiery red short skirt began stripping its sinews and skin, taking the best meat from its body. The process was extremely bloody, but the girls nearby were already used to it.
This was Lin Chen's party. Apart from him, there wasn't a single male in the group. They had traveled hundreds of miles deeper over the past few days and hadn't encountered many high-level Soul Beasts, but their harvest had been meager as well. They had gathered only a few commonly found spiritual treasures.
Beneath an ancient tree
Lin Chen sat cross-legged, examining the Soul Power surging through his body. He was only one step away from the level-sixty threshold. Before actually entering Death Canyon, he planned to raise his Soul Power to level sixty and then obtain his Sixth Soul Ring.
"It should be soon~"
Tap, tap...
"Brother Lin Chen, the tiger meat is ready. Have a taste first~" Shui Yue'er held out an iron skewer with a large piece of lean meat on it, her pretty face bright with delight.
Not far away, Huo Wu objected. "Hey, Yue'er, my sister and I saved that for you. Honestly... are you really that partial to your Brother Lin Chen?~"
Shui Yue'er's pretty face flushed. "No, I'm not~"
Lin Chen chuckled, then swept out an arm and pulled her straight into his embrace. "Little Yue'er, let's eat together~"
Shui Yue'er's pretty face turned red, and she nodded slowly.
Not far away, the women who had just been reproaching her grew a little envious. They couldn't help thinking, If only Brother Lin Chen were holding me right now~
On the other side
Ning Rongrong looked at the uninhibited Lin Chen and asked in some puzzlement, "Xiao Wu, how did you come to like him?"
Xiao Wu's exquisite face reddened slightly. "I'm not sure either~"
Ning Rongrong asked lightly, "Then have you ever thought about what will happen to Third Brother?"
Xiao Wu's delicate body trembled, and Tang San's figure instantly appeared in her mind. But it was quickly swept away by a tall figure, and she said calmly,
"He and I were fated to meet, but not to be together. I'm Brother Chen's woman now. Rongrong, don't mention him in front of me anymore."
Ning Rongrong was slightly taken aback. "Xiao Wu, why do I feel like you've changed so much? You weren't like this before~"
Xiao Wu smiled and asked in return, "Then what was I like before?"
"The old you wouldn't have so easily said you were someone's woman~" Ning Rongrong took her fair hand. "But since this is your choice, as your sister, I'll support you unconditionally!"
Xiao Wu nodded. "Thank you... Rongrong!"
"By the way, Rongrong, what do you think of Brother Lin Chen?"
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
Xiao Wu said lightly, "I'm just asking. Tell me honestly, what do you think of Brother Chen?"
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a while, then analyzed, "Hmm... at first, I thought he was just an extraordinarily gifted genius who liked women. But these past few days, I've noticed he's quite attentive to details."
"How so?"
Ning Rongrong hummed. "He's never let us fall into danger. He always steps in at critical moments. I know he's doing it to train our abilities."
Xiao Wu suddenly said, "Doesn't the sight of his back make you feel safe?"
"It does~" Ning Rongrong replied without thinking. Then she realized what she'd said, and a blush rose on her exquisite face. "Xiao Wu, why are you asking that?"
Xiao Wu chuckled. "Oh, I'm just asking. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else~"