Chapter 114: Thousand-Year Tiger Demon Cat, Silver-Horned Rhinoceros
Dawn broke, and the sky was still dim.
Within the Hunting Soul Forest, near the inner perimeter—
Dugu Yan and the other two were packing up, preparing to leave.
After killing that hundred-year Tiger Demon Cat, they hadn't immediately departed.
Instead, they chose to wait, hoping the scent of blood might attract other Spirit Beasts.
If any reckless creatures came looking for trouble, it would simply add to their record.
Unfortunately, none appeared.
Before long, Ye Lingling and Meng Yiran finished packing as well.
Walking over, Ye Lingling asked,
"Yan-yan, are we heading deeper into the forest?"
Although Dugu Yan was usually carefree, she was reliable when it mattered. With her strength and slightly greater age, she naturally took the lead.
Even if most of the time… she didn't act very serious.
Dugu Yan nodded without hesitation.
"Mm. Let's go. We can't lose to Yu Tianheng and his group."
Ye Lingling glanced at the gray morning sky.
If their team had any real competitors in this selection, it would undoubtedly be Yu Tianheng's group.
Given his personality—and the strength of Oslo and Yufeng—they had probably already hunted quite a few Spirit Beasts.
Those three were always together in the academy. There was no way this competition would be any different.
Looks like we'll have to work harder today, Dugu Yan thought.
She had no intention of losing to them.
Meng Yiran, despite not sleeping all night, looked full of energy.
Hearing this, she said excitedly,
"Great! We're finally going to hunt Spirit Beasts. Let's go, Yan-yan Jie!"
With everything ready, the three set off toward the deeper regions of the forest.
None of them noticed—
A small shadow silently followed them from dozens of meters behind.
It was another Tiger Demon Cat.
Its pitch-black body shimmered faintly with cyan-green patterns, and its blood-red eyes were filled with savage intent.
A faint cyan-black aura rippled within a three-meter radius around it.
From its fur coloration alone, it was clearly a thousand-year Tiger Demon Cat.
What Dugu Yan's group didn't know—
This Tiger Demon Cat was the mate of the one they killed the previous night.
Last night, that one had gone out to hunt… only to encounter them and be slain instead.
Now, this one had followed the scent to find them.
Yet it didn't attack immediately.
Like a seasoned hunter, it quietly observed from behind.
Cats were already known for their intelligence—Spirit Beast cats even more so.
Thus, the situation became rather strange.
The three girls explored the forest ahead.
The Tiger Demon Cat silently followed them.
And behind it—
The hidden teacher tasked with protecting them followed as well.
Due to his strength, the Tiger Demon Cat didn't even realize it was being tracked itself.
Elsewhere in the Hunting Soul Forest—
Yu Tianheng and his group were engaged in battle with a massive rhinoceros-type Spirit Beast.
Its entire body shone with a dark golden luster, reflecting metallic light under the sun.
At a glance, its defensive power was obvious.
Most striking of all was the brilliant silver horn growing from its forehead.
This Spirit Beast was known as the Silver-Horned Rhinoceros.
It possessed immense strength and extremely tough defenses—but its speed was lacking.
The one before them was close to the thousand-year level.
Two yellow spirit rings circled around Yu Tianheng.
Blue-purple lightning surged across his body, crackling intensely.
Most eye-catching was the dragon-shaped lightning mark glowing at his forehead.
Since he had not yet reached Rank 30, he did not display the dragon-like transformations seen later.
Oslo, after activating his Martial Soul, didn't change much physically.
However, his handsome face turned pale, his pupils became vertical slits, and patches of black fur appeared across his body.
Sharp claws extended from his hands, radiating a dangerous aura ready to strike.
The one with the most drastic transformation was Yufeng.
A pair of medium-sized wings extended from his back—brownish-yellow in color.
The feathers didn't look soft at all. Instead, they appeared solid and blade-like.
These wings weren't grown from nothing—they were formed from his arms.
Flying in the air, Yufeng's first spirit ring lit up brightly.
With a sharp whistle of wind, he dove toward the Silver-Horned Rhinoceros.
The edges of his wings had turned razor-sharp—
His first spirit skill: Wing Blade.
At the same time, Oslo moved.
Like a phantom leopard, he dropped to all fours and charged forward.
During his sprint, his figure suddenly split into two.
For a moment, the Silver-Horned Rhinoceros couldn't distinguish the real body.
Acting on instinct, it charged toward one of them.
But when it collided—
There was no resistance.
An illusion.
The real Oslo appeared behind it, a sly smile on his face.
His claws slashed down fiercely.
However—
A harsh screech rang out.
Despite his blade-like claws, he only managed to leave three shallow marks on its tough hide.
After striking, Oslo immediately retreated.
No hesitation.
A gust of wind followed.
Yufeng descended from above.
Clang!
His wing blade struck with tremendous force, slicing open the rhinoceros' tough skin.
Warm blood sprayed into the air.
"Thunder Dragon Claw!"
With a shout, Yu Tianheng gathered lightning into his hand.
Blue-purple electricity condensed into a three-clawed dragon shape.
He leapt forward—
And struck directly into the wound Yufeng had just created.
Crackle—!
Lightning surged wildly.
The massive body of the Silver-Horned Rhinoceros collapsed with a thunderous crash.
A deep yellow spirit ring slowly formed above it.
Oslo walked over and dispelled his Martial Soul.
"Boss, let's find a place to rest. I'm completely drained—nothing left."
Yufeng landed nearby, grinning mockingly.
"Heh, I'd never admit I can't keep going."
"I heard the Silver-Horned Rhinoceros horn can… improve a man's stamina if ground into powder. Want to try it?"
Oslo bristled instantly.
"What did you say, birdman? Looking for a fight?"
"Bring it on. Who's afraid of who?"
"Enough."
Yu Tianheng cut them off.
"Stop wasting time. Let's clean up and find a place to recover our Spirit Power."
As he spoke, he silently removed the rhinoceros' horn and stored it in his storage soul tool.