The morning mist in the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest had not yet dissipated, and Toji's figure moved like a ghost among the towering ancient trees.
His aura was completely locked, making it difficult even for a peerless expert as powerful as Du Busi to determine his location through Soul Power or intuition.
This is the result of the talent he originally gained from his Blood Essence Soul Ring, the further enhancement brought by absorbing the Soul Ring, and the performance of his own ability being upgraded once again.
Toji squatted on a branch of a tall tree, hanging the corpse of the third light-attribute Soul Beast from the treetop.
Its skull had been precisely dissected, and the brain was exposed to the air, emitting a peculiar odor.
He had experimented with this arrangement seventeen times; it was the "dining plate" that best attracted the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Since the other person loves to eat, he should naturally prepare plenty of food to entice them to come here.
After setting everything up, Toji carefully took out a sensor and placed it under the corpse.
When the corpse is touched, the sensor will send a feedback to Toji's functional Soul Tool, which is why he needs to go back to have a chance to deal with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
"Everything is ready; now it's just a matter of whether the Three-Eyed Golden Lion arrives."
Toji took a deep breath and gazed towards the Star Dou Great Forest.
"I hope you can come..."
Toji's gaze suddenly sharpened, as if he had noticed something.
In the distance, flocks of birds Soul Beast took flight in panic, streaking across the sky in a dark mass, the sound of their wings flapping in unison.
The treetops shook violently, as if there was a battle taking place.
"A battle has broken out in the distance, and it's quite large." Toji frowned slightly, landed on the ground, and crept forward.
Not far away, Toji's gaze quickly shifted downwards, locking onto the messy claw marks on the ground.
Fresh footprints crisscrossed the ground, and the soil was churned up, indicating that it had been there recently.
He crouched down, his fingertips brushing against a furrow at least half a foot deep, his pupils contracting slightly.
"It's a pack of wolves, about a dozen in number. Judging from the lingering scents, at least three of them are ten-thousand-year-old..."
Toji looked up again, gazing into the distance, seemingly deciding whether he should go and see what was happening.
"Since the Three-Eyed Golden Lion hasn't arrived yet, there's no harm in going to take a look."
Star Dou Great Forest, on the other side of the Mixed Zone.
The branches and leaves of the towering ancient trees cut the sunlight into fine gold foil, which was then scattered in mottled patterns on the ground covered with decaying leaves.
Two teams of seven were cautiously advancing, one after the other, the crisp sound of their boots crushing dry branches particularly clear in the silent forest.
The man at the head of the group stood tall and straight like a pine tree. After spotting a suitable place to rest, he raised his hand to signal the group to stop.
The next moment, his Martial Soul Possession, and a perfect Soul Ring Configuration surrounded him, with ripples of Soul Power spreading out like water.
After confirming through his Soul Power that there was no trace of Soul Beast within a hundred meters, he gave the order:
"There are no Soul Beast here, it's safe. Let's rest here."
The Soul Master following behind him breathed a sigh of relief and found a clean spot to meditate and recover.
The man at the head of the group couldn't help but look at the girl at the back of the line.
She was sitting with her knees bent, her skirt slightly gathered, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, the ends curling gently as they reached her waist.
The morning light filtered through the trees and fell on her porcelain-white skin, giving her delicate collarbones a thin, glazed sheen.
Her hands were folded on her knees, and her plain white dress hugged her budding curves. The silver-embroidered star and moon patterns on the collar rose and fell slightly with her breath.
Looking at the young woman, the man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he quickly stepped forward, asking in a low voice:
" Zhang Lexuan, you must be tired. It's quite difficult to find a suitable Soul Beast for you..."
"I'm not in a hurry. Besides, it's easier to find suitable Soul Beast at night." The girl raised her hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, " Xuan Zi also said that our two teams should work on their teamwork properly... We're going to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament this year."
The man said no more, but his gaze kept drifting to the elegant and noble young woman.
At just fifteen years old, he has already broken through to level fifty Soul King, making him arguably the most talented genius among the geniuses of the Shrek Academy in recent years.
After this Soul Hunting Operation, Zhang Lexuan, who will officially become the Soul King, will be exceptionally recruited into the Inner Academy.
Soul King at fifteen years old indicates that she has a high chance of breaking through to the Soul Saint level by the time she is twenty.
This is the best result that even Shrek Academy has never achieved before.
It seems she's about to break the record.
And as the captain of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils team, I seem to be quite a good match for her...
After the group rested for a while, Han Ruoruo turned her head slightly and her gaze fell on the man who was still somewhat lost in thought.
She smiled slightly, tapped her cheek lightly with her fingertip, and spoke with a hint of teasing:
"Captain Chen Feng, if you keep staring, you'll bore a hole through Lexuan's face."
Chen Feng snapped back to reality, his ears instantly flushing a light red. He coughed lightly and, feigning composure, straightened his cuffs.
"Ahem... I was just checking my surroundings to make sure it was safe."
Han Ruoruo smiled without saying a word, her eyes clearly saying, "I don't believe you."
Wu Ming, who had been unable to contain herself any longer, grabbed her hand and walked towards Zhang Lexuan, saying, " Ruoruo, come on, let's go see Lexuan. She hasn't said much the way here."
Zhang Lexuan sat quietly on a moss-covered rock, her long dress draped over her shoulders, her black hair spreading out like silk behind her.
She gently stroked a fallen leaf with her fingertips, her expression serene, as if she were one with the forest.
" Lexuan, are you tired?" Wu Ming squatted down and handed her the water pouch with a smile. "Would you like some dry rations?"
Zhang Lexuan raised her eyes, her lips curving slightly. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by an unexpected voice.
"Rustle--"
A strange noise suddenly came from the bushes not far away.
Everyone instantly became alert. Chen Feng abruptly stood up straight, his sharp eyes scanning the source of the sound.
"Warning! A Soul Beast is coming!"
The next second, eerie green beastly eyes lit up in the shadows, followed by a second pair, a third pair...
"It's a pack of wolves," Han Ruoruo whispered, as if she had discovered something.
The bushes were torn apart by sharp claws, and a huge wolf stepped out first, its fangs gleaming white, a low growl rumbling from its throat.
Behind it, a dozen wolf shadows slowly surrounded them, trapping everyone in the center.
What's even more eye-catching is that, from the center of the rear of the wolf pack, a giant wolf slowly stepped out. Its massive body, as tall as an adult Soul Master, was covered in blood-red fur that burned like flames. Foul-smelling saliva dripped from its ferocious snout, and its pair of scarlet vertical pupils were fixed on the crowd.
On its left and right sides, two even larger and more ferocious giant wolves bared their fangs, their silver-gray fur covered with scars from battles, and each stomp of their thick claws caused the ground to tremble slightly.
"This is bad. That wolf in the middle looks like a mutated Soul Beast." They were all disciples of the Shrek Academy, so they naturally recognized it at a glance as the most difficult type of mutated Soul Beast to deal with.
"Judging from the aura, it has a cultivation level of 20,000 years. The two guards on its left and right are wolf-type Soul Beast with a cultivation level of 50,000 years. The others are probably between 3,000 and 8,000 years old. A wolf pack of this size is enough to roam freely in the Mixed Zone."
Chen Feng quickly made a judgment, and his face darkened.
How could he be so unlucky? He was just here to train with the reserve team and the competition team, and to help Zhang Lexuan hunt for her Fifth Soul Ring, and he encountered such a formidable pack of wolves.