Xu Xiaoyan was dragged along by her brother in a frantic sprint.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the sky.
That brilliant vortex of spirit power, and the upright silhouette at its center.
As if the only figure in all of heaven and earth, that image was etched deep into her young heart.
So this was how terrifying the world of spirit masters truly was.
Her family had sheltered her so well that this was the first time she had ever witnessed with her own eyes the commanding dominance of a truly powerful spirit master.
Arthur had long since noticed the two fleeing figures, but paid them no mind. Every ounce of his focus was devoted to his spirit's advancement.
As the last thousand-year spirit beast in sight was cut down, the forest in this entire area had been nearly swept clean.
The rotational speed of the spirit power vortex reached its peak.
Like a tornado.
The Skyshatter Eagle let out a piercing shriek.
Its wings snapped open, bursting with radiance, brilliant and blinding.
The thousand-year spirit aura it had been radiating vanished completely.
In its place rose the vast, surging pressure of a ten-thousand-year spirit. Its form swelled steadily larger, the feathers along its wings grew sharper, and a newfound sharpness gleamed in its eyes.
"It's done."
A flash of keen light passed through Arthur's eyes as he carefully savored the power of his ten-thousand-year spirit.
Slaughtering during a spirit beast frenzy was still far more satisfying. Under normal circumstances on a Spirit Ascension Platform, hunting this many beasts would have taken an age. At that point, going fishing to unwind would genuinely be the better use of his time.
He put away Excalibur, raised a hand to push aside the spirit power vortex, and sent all the remaining energy streaming toward Na'er.
Na'er did not actually need the extra spirit power to raise her spirit ring's age on her own.
Still, she absorbed every bit that Arthur pushed her way, channeling it with full effort to deepen the purple of the spirit ring at her side by several shades. The great dragon's phantom wagged its tail without stopping, betraying her delight.
Arthur landed lightly on the ground and ran his fingertips over the eagle's feathers, which had grown noticeably more beautiful than before. "Let's go. Time to find the others."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Na'er was already bounding over to grab his hand, her steps light and buoyant. Her martial soul withdrew, condensing into a stream of light that returned to her body.
An instant later, the Skyshatter Eagle carried the two of them straight up into the sky.
At the same time, on the other side of the dense forest.
Tang Wulin and the others were circling a wind wolf that had just reached a thousand years of cultivation, strangling it with Blue Silver Grass. Xie Xie's twin daggers flickered with cold light as they found their mark in the wolf's vital points with precision.
They were just about to absorb the spirit power when hurried footsteps suddenly rang out nearby.
Xu Xiaoyu came stumbling through the trees, pulling Xu Xiaoyan along in a panic, and ran straight into the group.
"Who are you people?"
Xu Xiaoyu instantly shielded Xu Xiaoyan behind him and leveled his ice staff across his body. Two yellow rings and one purple ring flared to life as he fixed a wary stare on Tang Wulin and the others.
He had not yet recovered from the fear Arthur had just put into him, and the sight of strangers made him tighten up all over again.
Xie Xie put away his daggers and raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't that be our question? Can't you see we just finished killing a spirit beast?"
Xu Xiaoyu swept his gaze over the spirit rings on Tang Wulin's group, and seeing that none of them had more than two, he relaxed slightly.
Tang Wulin stepped forward, his tone measured. "The spirit beast has already been killed by us. If there's nothing else, we'd ask you two to move along and take a different path."
Xu Xiaoyan, sheltered behind her brother, was quietly sizing up the group. The hard sprint had left a faint flush on her cheeks. She tugged at the hem of Xu Xiaoyu's sleeve and murmured, "Brother, let's just go."
Xu Xiaoyu had no interest in a confrontation to begin with. At her words, he let out a cold huff, took her by the hand, and turned to leave.
But at that moment, the ground heaved violently. A deafening roar tore through the air, and the sheer pressure radiating from it made every person present go rigid.
"What... what is that?" Zhang Yangzi's face drained of color. The force coming off it far surpassed the thousand-year wind wolf they had just slain.
Tang Wulin's chest clenched. He snapped his gaze toward the source of the sound. "Everyone, be careful!"
The words were barely out when a massive black shape crashed through several trees and came into view.
It was a colossal bear, its body the size of a small hill, its entire form covered in dark gold fur. Most terrifying of all were the dark gold talons on its forelimbs, which gleamed with a chill that made the heart seize.
"A Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!"
Xu Xiaoyu cried out in shock, his face going as white as paper in an instant. He had read about this species of spirit beast, said to be nearly unrivaled among those of the same cultivation level. The one before them appeared to be only at a hundred years.
But even at a hundred years, a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear could go toe to toe with a ten-thousand-year spirit beast.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear let out a furious roar and charged straight at the group.
Gu Yue reacted the fastest, yet she made no move to attack. She watched the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear with an air of curious interest.
The hulking bear was nearly upon them. Tang Wulin poured out his spirit power in full, his Blue Silver Grass surging wildly into a mass of vines that reached out and coiled around the bear's body.
The bear's claws lashed out. The vines were shredded in an instant, leaving not the slightest obstacle.
Xie Xie flickered into motion, turning into a blur as he swept around to the bear's rear and drove his blades toward its hind legs.
The moment cold steel touched the dark gold fur, however, he was flung back by the recoil. All that remained on the beast was a faint white scratch.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear whipped around, its great claws sweeping horizontally.
Xie Xie narrowly dodged by the thinnest margin. The tree directly behind him was cleaved clean in two.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi attacked simultaneously, but every strike that landed on the bear did nothing. Worse, it only enraged the beast further.
Everyone scrambled to keep it occupied, doing their best to avoid any direct collision, hoping to slowly wear it down. Stopping it head-on was simply not an option.
Only Xu Xiaoyan remained frozen off to one side, too frightened to move.
That made her the single target the bear could actually reach.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear immediately surged toward her.
The others were horrified, but helpless. They were barely managing to hold the beast at bay by running it ragged. Blocking it straight on was beyond any of them.
"Sis!" Xu Xiaoyu screamed, eyes wide and frantic. He could not get to her in time. "Run! Just run!"
Xu Xiaoyan had never faced anything like this. She was so terrified that her mind had gone completely blank. Tears welled in her eyes and threatened to spill over.
At that razor-thin moment, a terrifying pressure crashed down from high above like a torrential downpour, locking the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's assault in place.
Then, in the next instant.
With a sharp rush of wind, Arthur's figure appeared between Xu Xiaoyan and the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
Arthur dropped to one knee, one hand braced against the ground, as though he had just skidded to a halt. His voice was perfectly unhurried.
"Was I too late?"
A hero's entrance.
A pity that Tang Wulin and the others, at the sight of him, felt all the tension drain from their bodies at once. Even their voices trembled with excitement. "Arthur!"
And behind him, Xu Xiaoyan never managed to deliver the line, "Not at all. You arrived at just the right moment."
Xu Xiaoyan's heart had stopped completely. She recognized that silhouette. It was the one she had seen only moments ago, the boy standing in the sky like a god descended to earth.
She stared at the back that had suddenly placed itself between her and danger, and everything shifted. All the reverence she had felt for him before now became pure, unshakeable relief.
Arthur looked at the bear, then grinned and offered it a casual greeting. "Long time no see, old friend."
They had crossed paths with a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear more than once in this Spirit Ascension Platform before. All he could say was that it was genuinely built to take a beating.
The bear looked back at Arthur, and a flash of all-too-human terror crossed its eyes. It let out a low, plaintive whimper.