Chapter 103: Breakthrough

Along the way there were markers left by Zhao Tianhe; the path was steep, and wearing weight‑bearing garments made it truly hard to advance.

Maintaining a certain speed requires constantly watching the surroundings.

Tie Li kept remembering what Zhao Tianhe said this morning; in a confirming tone he indirectly indicated that Soul Beasts would certainly appear on their route.

At noon, when the seven stopped to rest on a clearing along the way, Tie Li suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

"Get up quickly."

Seeing Tie Li's solemn expression, the others' faces changed and they all rose.

Crimson eyes appeared beneath the grass, in an absurdly large number.

"Those are Earth Element Mice; is this their nest? With this many, there must be three or four hundred," Gu Qi instantly recognized the Soul Beasts hiding under the grass.

Their bodies gradually emerged, over three feet long, with a bulky frame and a long tail, earth‑colored fur, and sharp ugly teeth.

The numbers were staggering; fortunately most were Ten‑Year Soul Beasts, with occasional Hundred‑Year Earth Element Mice mixed in.

"You two mainly protect Ning Ning."

Tie Li shouted to Jue Dun and Mu Wei; with two defense‑type Soul Masters guarding, Ning Ning's situation would be much safer.

Then the mouse swarm poured down like a spring, and everyone immediately summoned their martial soul and Soul Ring.

They must fight the mice with all their strength; as Team Leader, Tie Li must constantly monitor his teammates, since the sheer number makes slip‑ups inevitable.

A Control-type Soul Master is the brain of the team; while Tuo Yu attacks the mouse swarm, he also has to split his focus to watch his comrades—not only to control the enemy but also to control his teammates.

Zhang Xiaohe, facing this for the first time, turned pale and released his soul skill without considering the soul power cost.

"Boom"

An Earth Element Mouse suddenly appeared behind him, its sharp teeth about to bite his neck.

"Bang"

Tie Li hammered the mouse to pieces, chunks of flesh splattering outward.

With a glance at Tuo Yu, who understood Tie Li's meaning, Tuo Yu manipulated a Ghost Vine to coil around Zhang Xiaohe's waist.

"Huff huff"

Gu Qi unleashed a soul‑power‑heavy Thousand‑Year Soul Technique; suspended in midair, Gu Qi resembled a fierce bird engulfed in flames, charging into the mouse swarm with terrifying momentum, dealing massive damage instantly.

When Tie Li's party had inflicted damage on more than two‑thirds of the swarm, the remaining Earth Element Mice began to panic, fleeing wildly in all directions.

Seeing this, Tie Li and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I've prepared some wound medicine here; any bites or scratches from the Earth Element Mice must be treated promptly."

Tie Li took the wound medicine from his storage ring, mainly for disinfection.

Everyone had wounds to varying degrees, even Ning Ning, who was heavily protected, had been scratched by the earth‑element creatures.

The most serious injuries belonged to Zhang Xiaohe; even though Tuo Yu devoted extra focus to him, his wounds remained relatively severe.

Tie Li and Tuo Yu were in better shape, so they first tended Zhang Xiaohe's wounds; disinfection was the priority.

"Sss" Zhang Xiaohe felt the sting of the disinfectant and inhaled a sharp breath of cold air.

Tie Li selected three Hundred‑Year Earth Element Mice from the dead ones, perfect for today's meal.

He skinned them, cleaned the entrails; two were set aside for roasting, the third turned into a fresh soup.

He gathered some fresh mushrooms from the surrounding forest and added them to the soup for flavor.

He took seasonings from the storage ring, added them simply, and the dish was ready to eat, tasting quite good.

During the roasting, Tie Li habitually brushed the surface with a honey‑based glaze; a crisp roast is the best.

After eating and drinking their fill, they rested a while before setting out again, but this time they could not keep formation; they mostly helped each other, and the weight‑bearing garments had to be removed.

Tuo Yu took Gu Qi's weight‑bearing garment, while the rest of the garments were on Tie Li's back.

It wasn't until evening that they finally followed the markers back to the grass hut; Zhao Tianhe was already nearby, accompanied by the support Soul King.

The support Soul King's Healing Staff emitted specks of starlight onto the group, and their injuries healed at a visibly rapid pace.

"This is soft meat, taken from the heart region of a Sea Soul Beast; it's beneficial to your bodies."

Each received a small piece of white meat, exuding a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Although they didn't know the exact effect of the soft meat, since they were here to train, they couldn't just suffer injuries; bodily replenishment was essential.

After finishing, Zhao Tianhe merely nodded and left with the support Soul King.

The night watch duties remained split into first half and second half, and the members divided the shifts.

"Old Zhao, shall we schedule a Soul Beast ambush tonight?"

"Not needed for now; give them a buffer period first."

"Aren't you being too hasty? After all, there's plenty of time before the Grand Competition."

"But what if a strong team contests the Second Team slots?"

…

By evening the next day, Tie Li was carrying the weight‑bearing garments of four or five people and nursing the leg‑injured Ning Ning back, while the other five were in worse condition, supporting each other.

The Healing Staff's starlight fell upon them, healing their wounds.

This time Zhao Tianhe prepared for them a special food: the Snake Pill of a Hundred‑Year Horned Scale Snake.

On the third day, Tie Li suffered the worst injuries, but the other six were better off; as on the previous two days, they returned to the grass hut, the support Soul King first activated the Healing Staff to cure them, then Zhao Tianhe served the special food.

In the following period, daily training was almost entirely combat with Soul Beasts, and they were pack‑living beasts that coordinated with each other.

But after each day's training, they received treatment from the support Soul King and a food item that greatly benefited body or cultivation.

Training in this environment caused trust among the teammates to rise at an extremely fast rate.

Zhao Tianhe's daily food for the team was a carefully selected combination; although they had little time for meditation cultivation, within half a year they all raised their Soul Power Level by one or two grades.

This was inseparably linked to the precious daily food.

Tie Li's Soul Power Level finally reached Forty Level, while Mu Wei, Zhang Xiaohe and Jue Dun each reached Thirty Level.

A twenty‑year‑old Four‑ring Soul Ancestor; at this cultivation speed they would absolutely be regarded as a genius at the Tian Dou Royal Academy.

Currently, none of the First Team members have yet reached twenty, but everyone knows that when they turn twenty they will certainly attain the Four‑ring Soul Ancestor.

Now, the four of them all need to obtain Soul Rings to boost their strength; this half‑year's training is temporarily concluded, and it's clear that Zhao Tianhe is very satisfied with the results of this training.

"Boss, did Teacher Zhao take us to the Sunset Forest to obtain Soul Rings, or to the Star Dou Great Forest?" Zhang Xiaohe said lightly.

(End of chapter)