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**
Roughly half a year had passed since Ling Xiao and Hu Liena reunited with Xie Yue and Yan in the Soul Hunting Forest.
Early one morning, four figures appeared on the small path leading from the teaching buildings to the competitive practice zone of Spirit Hall Academy.
It was Ling Xiao and his companions.
They had just completed their trial in the Soul Hunting Forest the previous day. However, just as Ling Xiao had predicted back then, the Soul Hunting Forest struggled to pose a significant threat to them.
Most soul beasts, even those with a cultivation of three or four thousand years—which already surpassed the level of a Soul Elder—could not create a substantial danger when faced by the four of them as a group.
After all, whether it was Ling Xiao, Xie Yue, or Yan, their Martial Souls were all at the top-tier level, incomparable to ordinary soul beasts.
Furthermore, the cultivation of Xie Yue and Yan had already reached Rank 38, placing them in the high-tier ranks of Soul Elders, nearly reaching the peak of that level. Ling Xiao and Hu Liena had both reached Rank 36, so the gap was not wide.
Additionally, all four possessed excellent comprehension of their own Martial Souls; they did not simply rely on the rigid use of soul rings, making their combat power far superior to others of the same rank.
As for those soul beasts with cultivation above five thousand years, while they were extremely powerful—and the four of them might not necessarily be a match for the strongest among them even working together—such beasts were few in number.
Moreover, they were not so foolish as to provoke them proactively.
In essence, this trial in the Soul Hunting Forest was merely an appetizer. It allowed them to initially experience how to survive in a peril-filled gathering place of soul beasts, laying a foundation for the subsequent trial in the Mystic Trace Canyon.
That was the truly treacherous place of tempering.
Furthermore, although Ling Xiao had experienced such environments earlier than the others, he still needed to learn how to coordinate and fight alongside Xie Yue and the other two while facing common dangers.
This was the reason for the four-man expedition to the Soul Hunting Forest.
Though they hadn't faced many life-or-death crises in the forest, it was still the wilderness, requiring them to maintain a state of constant vigilance for a long period.
It was nowhere near as comfortable as being in the academy. Now that they had returned, seeing the familiar environment and buildings, all four felt a sense of nostalgia.
Even the plants and trees of the academy felt exceptionally dear to them today.
"Brother, who do you think the teacher will arrange as our combat instructor this time?"
Hu Liena's soft and pleasant voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing his sister's question, Xie Yue shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. There are many instructors in the academy, and I don't know which one it will be. However, according to what Elder Chrysanthemum said."
"We have already completed our preliminary study of wilderness survival and facing danger in the Soul Hunting Forest. Next, we must learn how to better coordinate our combat against powerful enemies to maximize our collective combat effectiveness."
"I imagine the combat instructor responsible for teaching us must be very powerful. However, by my estimation, no matter how strong their cultivation is, they likely won't exceed the Rank 71–80 Soul Saint realm."
"After all, while there are many Rank 81–90 Soul Douluo level teachers in the academy, every one of them is busy with administrative duties. Besides, to give us sufficient pressure, deploying a Soul Douluo level teacher would be overkill. A Soul Saint level is definitely more than enough."
"A Soul Saint expert?"
After listening to Xie Yue, Ling Xiao continued, "I'm not certain if the specific cultivation of this instructor—who will be teaching us combat for a month—is at the Soul Saint realm."
"However, after I returned yesterday, I heard from my teacher that this person's Martial Soul seems different from ordinary Soul Masters. It is very unique... the kind that is unforgettable at first sight."
"Oh? A Martial Soul different from ordinary ones? It sounds like it must be a special-type Martial Soul, I just wonder which kind." Hu Liena couldn't help but begin to daydream.
After all, among the combat Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent, aside from the more conventional Beast, Tool, and Plant Martial Souls, the special category included all sorts of rare variants—
Such as elemental types like the Flame Lord, or Body Martial Souls that used one's own body as the soul.
"Rather than discussing this new teacher's strength and Martial Soul, we should think more about the meaning behind all this."
"The academy is providing us with this step-by-step tempering—or rather, training—which shows that the Mystic Trace Canyon is definitely not a kind place. Perhaps we all underestimated it before."
Yan spoke up.
Usually a man of few words and a battle fanatic, Yan's remark this time was quite rational, drawing the attention of Ling Xiao and the others.
"Yan is right," Ling Xiao said.
"First, they let us familiarize ourselves with survival in the wild soul beast forests to face initial dangers and cultivate a unified combat style. Now, they are sending a teacher specifically to train us in methods of facing powerful enemies."
"This shows that in the Mystic Trace Canyon, not only is the environment harsh and fraught with hidden crises where danger can strike at any moment, but there are also existences so powerful that we absolutely cannot contend with them alone."
"We will need the four of us to join forces just to have a chance at resisting, or even escaping."
As he spoke, a glimmer appeared in Ling Xiao's eyes.
"However, this makes me even more interested in the Mystic Trace Canyon. I want to see exactly what gives it such a terrifying reputation—why the people of the continent call it the Death Canyon and the Domain of Death."
The four of them were in no hurry on the road, moving slowly.
They didn't encounter many other students because the academy was currently on break; most students had returned to their homes.
As for why Ling Xiao and his group didn't have a vacation, the answer was simple: the trial in the Death Canyon would begin shortly, so how could they possibly have time off?
This month of combat training was already their "rest" time—a rest for their minds so they wouldn't have to be on constant alert for danger. However, their battles and cultivation would not stop; they needed to learn tacit cooperation under intense pressure.
After walking for a while, the four finally arrived at the academy's training zone. Contrary to their expectations of an empty field or seeing only the teacher responsible for their training, the scene was different.
There were no signs of academy instructors on the vast training grounds. Instead, there were four students clearly younger than them—three boys and one girl.
Although they were taller than average people of their age, their faces were youthful. It looked like the oldest among them was only about ten years old.
At such an age, even with exceptional Martial Soul talent, they should still be studying in the Yellow-class teaching buildings.
'Strange, who are they? Why are they here at a time like this?'
The same question arose simultaneously in the minds of Ling Xiao and his three companions.
Just as Ling Xiao's group grew suspicious, the four youngsters in the distance also spotted them and took notice.
"Tong Yan, look, four people are coming from over there. They look like senior students from the upper grades. Do you think they're the ones the teacher told us to wait for?"
"Very likely, Qi Xiang. It seems the people we're waiting for have arrived. The teacher should be here soon as well."
A pleasant and gentle voice rang out.
**
Enjoying the story? Support the translation and get early access to future chapters here: www.patr eon.com/c/FanficTranslator
Thanks for reading!
I have 100+ advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday