Deep in the forest at sunset, in the shadows of overgrown bushes.
Several figures dressed in gold and red team uniforms held their breath, using the dense ferns to conceal their forms.
"Shhh."
The young man in the lead raised his hand and made a downward pressing gesture.
He is Huo Wushuang, the captain of the Blazing Academy team.
In the open space in front of him, a giant tiger, its body entirely crimson and its fur patterned like lava, was munching on the bait.
The Crimson Flame Tiger, four thousand years old.
For Huo Wu, who also possesses a fire-attribute martial soul and urgently needs to advance her fourth soul ring, this is simply the most suitable soul beast for her.
Huo Wu crouched behind her brother, sparks dancing on her fingertips.
She stared at the tiger as if the spirit ring was already within her grasp.
"Prepare."
Huo Wushuang silently made the mouth shapes.
The surrounding team members' soul power surged, and several control-type soul skills were ready to be unleashed, just waiting for the captain's order to capture the tiger.
The Crimson Tiger tore at chunks of flesh, its vigilance at its lowest point.
"Now! Make your move!" Huo Wushuang waved his hand sharply.
The spirit rings on the two support-type spirit masters flickered, and their spirit skills, "Sparkling Silk" and "Sparkling Rain," were activated, providing buffs to their teammates.
Several people rushed forward, Huo Wushuang's fist wrapped in flames, aiming straight for the tiger's head.
However, in that very instant...
The Crimson Tiger froze in its chewing motion, as if it had caught a whiff of something, its nostrils twitching.
The next second.
roar--!
A tiger's roar rang out.
The Crimson Tiger completely ignored the incoming attack and even disregarded the oncoming Fire Warrior.
It pushed off the ground with all four limbs, becoming a blur as it raced off in a certain direction of the forest.
The Blazing Fire team's concentrated fire landed in empty space, blasting a large, charred crater in the ground.
The smoke and dust cleared.
Only a few charred tiger hairs floated in the air.
"asshole!"
Huo Wu jumped out of the bushes, stomping her feet in anger. Her originally beautiful face was distorted by rage.
Why did it suddenly run away?
This is the perfect fire-attribute soul beast for her fourth soul ring!
If a cooked duck flies away, anyone would be devastated.
Huo Wushuang withdrew his fist, his expression equally grim.
He walked along the route the Crimson Tiger had taken to escape and crouched down to examine the footprints.
At this moment, the middle-aged man who had been standing at the back of the line watching came up.
He is the dean of Blazing Fire Academy and the father of Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang.
The man frowned, gazing thoughtfully in the direction the Crimson Flame Tiger had fled.
"That beast's reaction before it ran away was very unusual."
"That state didn't seem like fleeing for one's life; it was more like being attracted by something."
The dean pondered for a moment.
He glanced at his daughter, whose face was full of resentment, patted her head affectionately, and gave her instructions.
"Follow the footprints and try to catch up, but if it's too deep, we can only give up."
...
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye, on the open ground outside the poison array.
Dozens of soul beasts lay sprawled out in disarray.
There are many kinds of animals, including wolves, leopards, and even a few mandrakes.
Without exception, they were all unconscious, but there were no obvious fatal wounds on their bodies.
However, there were quite a few fresh and non-fatal injuries.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Holding the Star Sword, Dongfang Yao unleashed several sword beams.
A Crimson Flame Tiger, attracted by the fragrant and exquisite immortal product, was beaten by the group and fled in panic.
Dongfang Yao did not chase after it, because the tiger's attributes and cultivation level were not suitable for Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling to absorb.
Not far behind her.
With a flick of his wrist, Dongfang Jing stored the fragrant and uniquely scented Qiluo Immortal Herb into the storage space of Gemini Star Xuan.
As the flowers disappeared, the fragrance that had attracted countless spirit beasts within a radius of several miles also vanished.
"The efficiency is good."
Dongfang Jing glanced at the unconscious soul beasts on the ground, his gaze finally settling on a dark-attribute leopard and a man-eating flower with four thousand years of cultivation.
"Zhuqing, this leopard is about 1,500 years old. Lingling, that man-eating flower is yours."
"You two take a moment to adjust your breathing and prepare to absorb the nutrients."
The two women nodded upon hearing this, and sat down, preparing to enter a meditative state to regulate their breathing.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several fiery red figures darted out from the dense forest.
"stop!"
A delicate shout rang out.
Fire Dancer took the lead and charged into the arena.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling paused, turned their heads, and looked at Dongfang Jing with their cool eyes, waiting for their captain's instructions.
Dongfang Jing said softly, "Don't worry about it, you all just focus on your meditation."
Then he looked up at the group of people who had suddenly appeared, especially the girl who had spoken.
With her good looks, well-proportioned figure, and striking golden-red team uniform paired with dark red long hair, she truly stood out.
Dongfang Jing asked in a calm tone, "What is it?"
"you--!"
Huo Wu frowned, just about to throw a tantrum.
Upon seeing Dongfang Jing's handsome face, the anger and displeasure in his heart instantly subsided.
However, she still snorted, put her hands on her hips, and said, "That Crimson Flame Tiger is our prey! Who gave you permission to touch it?"
Seeing the puzzled look on the person opposite, Huo Wu pointed at Dongfang Yao and said, "She chased them away! Do you know that she was the target we've been chasing for a long time?"
Dongfang Yao, who was being pointed at, immediately looked aggrieved and shrank behind Dongfang Jing, putting on a pitiful appearance.
"Ugh! What a fierce older sister!"
"Brother, help me!"
As she called out, she peeked half her head out from under Dongfang Jing's armpit and winked at him playfully.
Dongfang Jing smiled helplessly. He now knew the girl's true colors; she was really good at acting.
He pressed his hand down on his sister's head and tucked her behind his back.
Dongfang Jing raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over the group of people in gold and red team uniforms opposite him, and calmly replied to Huo Wu: "Eight people hunting a thousand-year-old soul beast, including a Soul Douluo, and they still managed to let it escape?"
"You were incompetent enough to guard your prey, and now you're blaming passersby?"
"you...!"
Huo Wu was furious, her face turning bright red. The slight goodwill she had felt towards Dongfang Jing's handsome face vanished instantly.
But he couldn't find the words to refute it.
After all, the tiger did escape from their grasp.
On another note, how did he know that his dad was a Contra player?
"Young man, you can't say that."
At this moment, the middle-aged dean who had been silent all along stepped forward.
His gaze swept over the unconscious soul beasts around him with a gloomy expression, finally settling on Dongfang Jing.
"My original intention was to let my students gain some experience with that tiger, which is why I didn't make a move."
"Just now, the Crimson Flame Tiger had clearly let its guard down and was surrounded by my disciples, but it suddenly went berserk. It was obviously lured by something and ran towards you."
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(End of chapter)