The group traveled northeast, and after a grueling two-hour trek, they finally saw the edge of a Snow Forest.
"Ugh, we finally see some trees," Sun Xingyu muttered, pouting her lips in dissatisfaction.
Despite her words, Sun Xingyu was clearly energized, and the team's pace quickened slightly.
Rong Taotao's feet made CRUNCH CRUNCH sounds as he stepped on the thick snow, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings.
For the past two hours, they hadn't spotted a single Soul Beast on the vast Snowfield.
But this was a training ground for Social Practitioners and students, so there had to be Soul Beasts. It's just that they wouldn't venture near the city walls, nor would they expose themselves on the open Snowfield.
The soldiers stationed at the Second Wall would carefully select some low-level Soul Beasts and place them in the area south of the Second Wall and north of the First Wall. This was one of the limited forms of assistance the country provided for Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists.
Rong Taotao and the others were now far enough from the First Wall, and with a Snow Forest right here, it was very likely that some low-level Snow Realm Soul Beasts would appear.
As long as they coordinated well, Rong Taotao's group shouldn't have any problems.
The creatures intentionally released by the soldiers were mostly between Normal and Excellent Level.
Instead of saying Social Practitioners came here to kill Soul Beasts and train their skills, it was more accurate to say they came here to cultivate the Soul Technique: Heart of the Snow Realm.
You want to test yourself against higher-level Soul Beasts? Want to train your skills, hunt for Soul Pearls, and make a living?
Then get your ass to a Starfield Vortex! They're all over Huaxia, and the facilities and protective measures there are much more comprehensive!
In this era of peace, the Snow Realm is the closest you can get to a battlefield!
Beyond the First Wall could still be considered a training ground for Soul Martial Artists. But beyond the Second Wall was a sea of snow and a mountain of corpses—no place for games.
"Hey, look! Isn't that a small cave over there?" After a long, careful search through the Snow Forest, Sun Xingyu's voice suddenly rang out. She pointed at a small hill with a distinct cave opening.
Rong Taotao glanced in the direction Sun Xingyu indicated and said, "A natural shelter like that is bound to have a Soul Beast taking up residence. Prepare for battle."
Sun Xingyu, who had been in the rear, immediately stepped forward. When it came to team combat, she and Li Ziyi were the ones with true synergy.
Rong Taotao glanced at Sun Xingyu but said nothing. Both of them practiced the Family-Style Spear Technique: Sun Family Spear, so of course they would coordinate better.
The team split into groups of two and three. Instead of entering the small natural cave directly, they snuck up to it and first observed the surroundings.
But aside from the constant, biting wind and the rustling sound of snow falling from the pine trees, the environment seemed normal.
After circling the small hill and scouting it out, the group quickly gathered in front of the cave, ready to go inside and investigate.
Just as Sun Xingyu and Li Ziyi were about to sneak in first, two crimson lights suddenly flashed within the pitch-black cave.
Sun Xingyu subconsciously threw an arm in front of Li Ziyi, pulling him back with her. At the same time, she gripped her Long Spear with her other hand, pointed it at the two crimson lights in the cave, and took a fighting stance.
Li Ziyi: "..."
How awkward!
It seemed the question of who loved whom more had just been answered.
"Scram."
Everyone tensed up, ready to fight, but... but that one word, spoken in a human tongue, left them all stunned.
"Wh-Who's there?" Sun Xingyu stammered, clearly thrown off. This turn of events was far beyond her expectations.
"Scram!"
The icy voice came again, and this time, Li Ziyi flew into a rage.
"Say that again!?" Li Ziyi stopped retreating, his face flushed with anger as he shouted at the red lights in the dark cave.
Slowly, the two crimson lights drew closer, until... until a figure walked to the mouth of the cave, and everyone finally got a clear look at him.
No hat, no gloves, no goggles.
He wore only the mandatory snow camouflage, revealing a deathly pale face. His eyes, which had been crimson in the darkness, had now faded completely in the bright light.
It was Xu Taiping!?
He had left the wall before everyone else. To think he had also entered this forest and chosen to settle here.
"I said..." Xu Taiping's eyes locked onto Sun Xingyu at the very front as he spoke. "Scram."
"You!" Li Ziyi lunged forward, but Sun Xingyu blocked him with her elbow, forcefully pushing him back.
Looking at Li Ziyi's dark expression, Xu Taiping's own pale face was just as terrifyingly grim. Gripping the longsword that was still dripping blood in his hand, he said, word by word, "Scram. Far away."
Just as he'd feared.
The very thing Lu Mang had been worried about was happening.
As one of the masters of the Snow Realm, Xu Taiping had no intention of cooperating. Not only that, but he might even choose to eliminate the other students.
Rong Taotao's trio had at least met Xu Taiping once before, and their supervising teacher at the time, Yang Chunxi, seemed to have some connection with him too. They never expected Xu Taiping's attitude to be this hostile.
As the leader of this squad, and with Sun Xingyu being his teammate and classmate...
For this newly formed team, Rong Taotao's every move could plant seeds of resentment in his companions' hearts. If the team lost its unity, it would be impossible to lead.
Rong Taotao wanted to spend the next seven days with this team. Only through cooperation could they all succeed.
So, at this moment, his attitude was crucial.
Rong Taotao spoke up. "Do you know how to speak? Or did you just slurp down your nine years of compulsory education with your rice porridge?"
Xu Taiping whipped his head around to look at Rong Taotao. Strangely, even in the bright light, his eyes, which had already faded, began to glow faintly red again.
"Taotao!" Sun Xingyu was genuinely distressed. It was like a game of whack-a-mole. For her, getting cursed out a bit was no big deal; she didn't care. She just wanted everyone to advance together without any incidents.
But for Rong Taotao and Li Ziyi, it was a different story. They couldn't let their own people be bullied like this!
The new members, Lu Mang and Zhou Ting, remained silent, watching how the situation would unfold.
Rong Taotao, however, threw the backpack off his shoulders and tightened his grip on his Heaven-piercing Halberd. His eyes burned as he stared at Xu Taiping. "Wanna try me?"
Beneath the translucent orange goggles were a pair of eyes eager for a fight.
If before Rong Taotao had just been talking back, now, he was issuing a direct challenge!
'Confronting Xu Taiping head-on!?'
In the back, Zhou Ting watched Xu Taiping, whose longsword was dripping with blood. Her heart started pounding. 'Are things always this intense?'
Xu Taiping was a Soul Beast, and one with Soul Skills, at that!
But the problem was... Xu Taiping's exclusive Soul Skill was "Snow Sense," a skill for telepathic communication, not a damage-dealing one.
He could learn other Snow Realm Soul Skills like a human, but while the Creator had blessed the Ice Soul Guide race with superior intelligence and learning ability, it had also closed a window for them.
In their youth, the Ice Soul Guide race was no different from humans, having an extremely long developmental period. Inside a Snow Realm Vortex, an immature Ice Soul Guide was nothing more than a tasty meal for other Snow Realm Soul Beasts.
Xu Taiping was clearly still in his adolescence, so the Soul Skills he had learned were, at most, low-level support types. In terms of pure Martial Arts, Rong Taotao was confident he was second to none in his age group.
'I even dared to stand up to Si Huan Nian. You think I'm scared of you, Xu Taiping?'
Rong Taotao and Xu Taiping stared each other down, their gazes burning. The scene fell completely silent. In the back, Zhou Ting was at a bit of a loss.
Every second of silence felt like an eternity.
Until... until Lu Mang tightened his grip on his longsword and stepped forward.
Rong Taotao had already made his stance clear. Perhaps Lu Mang was satisfied with it, or perhaps he had other considerations. He, who should have been observing, was a man of few words, but his actions were swift and decisive!
'Holy shit!'
Zhou Ting was stunned. 'So the quiet one is actually the most ruthless!'
Lu Mang's action also took Rong Taotao by surprise.
After all, at the very beginning, Lu Mang had been the first to worry that Xu Taiping might attack his fellow students.
And now, Lu Mang was the one making the first move!
'It seems that when a person can think of a certain problem, and even seriously bring it up, it's possible they have that same trait within them.'
"10 seconds," Xu Taiping said suddenly, speaking to Rong Taotao word by word.
Lu Mang stopped in his tracks. His eyes, hidden behind his goggles, were unreadable, but he didn't move forward again.
Xu Taiping turned and walked into the cave. A few seconds later, he came out carrying a medium-sized Snow Rabbit.
But after coming out, he ignored them and simply walked off into the depths of the forest.
Rong Taotao suddenly called out, "Xu Taiping."
Xu Taiping stopped walking. His body didn't move, but his head twisted most of the way around, giving him the unsettling look of a hawk's gaze or a wolf's glare.
To see such a movement on a humanoid creature was truly terrifying!
Xu Taiping said in a chilling voice, "What? You really want to try me?"
Rong Taotao said, "I never wanted to drive you out of your shelter. We want an apology."
If he had just said "leave" instead of "scram," or if he had just tried to talk to them with a normal attitude, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.
"Heh." Xu Taiping let out a cold laugh. "Be careful at night."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Taiping turned and left, disappearing into the depths of the Snow Forest with incredible speed.
Rong Taotao had always been the type to yield to reason but not to force. He twirled his Heaven-piercing Halberd and slammed it into the ground at the cave's entrance.
He shouted after the rapidly departing figure, "I'll be waiting! And I'll be ready!"
As Rong Taotao was speaking, the silent Lu Mang had already brushed past him and entered the cave without a word.
In the back, Zhou Ting's scalp tingled. 'Holy shit... What kind of team did I get myself into?'
'One is more aggressive than the next!?'
'Hanging out with these people, it's only a matter of time before something bad happens, right?'
...
Two chapters will be released at 20:00.