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Wang Li returned to the ranks of the academy students. He was greeted by envy, jealousy, and even hatred in the eyes of others. A Century Soul Ring! It was a Century Soul Ring! Why was he the one to get a Century Soul Ring?
Wang Li didn't care about this at all. The Soul Ring had already been absorbed by him. No matter how these people looked at it, he couldn't spit the Soul Ring back out.
At this moment, Su Mo loudly called out to everyone:
"Pack up your things! We're leaving immediately. It's getting late, and we must find an open place to camp before it gets completely dark. The Hunting Soul Forest at night is several times more dangerous than during the day."
Whether teacher or student, upon hearing these words, they immediately responded:
"Yes!"
Soon, everyone set off again. This time, they weren't looking for Soul Beasts but for a campsite. After some effort, they finally found an open location.
The terrain was high, offering a good view, and there were no tall trees around. Even if Soul Beasts wanted to launch an attack under the cover of night, they could be detected in time.
The teachers performed their respective duties. Some set up camp, some chopped firewood, and some spread a circle of powder around to drive away snakes, insects, rats, and ants. Clearly, they were extremely experienced in wilderness survival.
Night deepened. Everyone gathered around the campfire, eating the food they had brought. Wang Li ate steamed buns with clear water. The steamed buns were roasted on the fire. The cold, hard buns became golden and crispy after roasting. Paired with some jerky, it was extremely satisfying.
Only Wang Sheng accompanied Wang Li. The other senior students, likely resentful of his good fortune, deliberately isolated him.
Wang Li naturally disdained these childish tricks. Anyway, once they returned this time, they would no longer have any interaction.
Just then, Zhang Wei washed his hands with clear water. While wiping off the water stains, he called out to Su Mo, saying:
"Su Mo, arrange the night watch duties for tonight."
Upon hearing this, Su Mo immediately responded respectfully:
"Okay, Dean!"
After saying that, Su Mo turned to look at everyone. His expression was serious as he said solemnly:
"Night is the time when many ferocious Soul Beasts hunt in the Hunting Soul Forest, so a night watch is essential."
"The Dean, as the strongest among us, must have adequate rest. Fiona is a support-type Soul Master and cannot react in time in an emergency. Therefore, tonight, Gou An, Yuan Fu, Bao Tong, Fergus, Eureka, and I—the 6 teachers—will take turns keeping watch."
At this moment, Su Mo's gaze swept across the faces of many students. Although so far, only Sheng Kai and Wang Li had obtained Soul Rings, those without Soul Rings could also participate in the night watch.
"You are no exception," he continued. "What you haven't been taught in the Academy, this Soul Beast hunt is your last lesson. All students will be divided into pairs, each following a teacher to participate in the night watch."
"Having a Soul Ring makes you a Soul Master. After you leave the Academy in the future, you must also know how to protect yourselves."
The students had no objections and were even quite excited. Having not encountered real danger, this was probably how it was. Everyone responded in unison:
"Yes!"
Unsurprisingly, Wang Li and Wang Sheng were assigned together. They would accompany Teacher Yuan Fu on the third watch.
Now, if people wanted to move around, they could. If not, they could go back to their tents to rest.
Wang Li lay down in the tent. Next to him, Wang Sheng said with some apprehension:
"Wang Li, I really envy you. You already have a Century Soul Ring. I don't know what kind of Soul Ring I'll get."
Wang Li couldn't offer words of comfort. In his opinion, the Academy only seemed to help students hunt a suitable Soul Beast, regardless of its age. Those with good luck got Century Soul Rings, while those with bad luck only got 10-Year Soul Rings.
He could only say:
"Sleep. Maybe when you wake up, you'll encounter a Soul Beast suitable for you."
Wang Sheng gave a wry smile. It wasn't that easy. But since Wang Li had said so, he didn't want to continue pestering him.
Waking up—no, not waking up, but being woken up by Yuan Fu. It was already their turn to keep watch.
Walking out of the tent, he saw it was late autumn. This Hunting Soul Forest, far from human habitation, seemed even more eerie at night.
Yuan Fu said to the two of them:
"Flames can keep many Soul Beasts away. But there are also some ferocious and cunning Soul Beasts that are not afraid of flames. Once they notice their prey's laxity, they will immediately launch an attack."
"Wang Li, even if you have a Soul Ring, you cannot act without permission. Wang Sheng, you don't have a Soul Ring yet, so you must be even more careful. When patrolling around the camp, if there is any rustling, notify me in time."
Wang Li and Wang Sheng said one after another:
"Understood, Teacher."
"Yes, Teacher."
Seeing this, Yuan Fu nodded. "I'll go take a look at the front. You two go take a look at the back. The two of you act together so you can take care of each other. Call me if there's any situation."
After saying that, he walked towards the front of the camp. Wang Li and Wang Sheng also turned and walked towards the back of the camp.
Wang Sheng hadn't obtained a Soul Ring yet. Looking at the dark outer edges of the forest, he felt a chill in his heart for no reason. Glancing at Wang Li next to him and seeing his calm expression, his tense mind relaxed slightly.
Wang Li noticed something was wrong. It was too quiet. Even if the night was silent, it was obviously unusual now.
The two came to the back of the camp and looked around. Wang Sheng said:
"It seems there's no danger. There are so many of us, and there's even a Soul Elder-level Dean. What Soul Beast would be so blind as to come looking for trouble?"
Wang Li's eyes widened. He saw it. Behind Wang Sheng, a black shadow—without making a sound—suddenly launched an attack.
Wang Li shouted: "Wang Sheng, crouch down!"
Wang Sheng was stunned. But trusting Wang Li, he immediately crouched down.
Wang Li stepped on the ground. It was like he was equipped with springs. He instantly shot out, his speed so fast that Wang Sheng couldn't even see clearly.
Instant Step!
Wang Li finally saw it clearly. It was a tiger-leopard-like figure. Although not as large as a tiger or leopard, its pair of scarlet beast eyes also exuded a chilling killing intent.
It was very fast, but Wang Li was even faster. He arrived later but struck first. He kicked out, dodging its claws, and kicked it on the chin, directly sending it flying.
"Roar!"
It finally let out a wail of pain.
Wang Li's figure was in mid-air. Without landing to borrow strength, he miraculously darted out again, chasing after the Soul Beast he had kicked out at an even faster speed.
Burst Step!
Immediately, Wang Li gave it a heavy kick in its soft abdomen. Cat-like animals of the tiger and leopard variety can forcibly find balance in mid-air. But Wang Li's kick completely unbalanced it, causing it to fall like a torn sack.
"Roar!"
This sound was full of misery.
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