After bidding farewell to Mu Ye, Huo Yuhao walked out of the training room. As he strolled down the corridor, he encountered Xie Xie, who was coming from the opposite direction. They exchanged greetings.
"Xie Xie."
"Yuhao."
Xie Xie's eyes lit up, and he walked over. "When did you get back?"
"A few days ago, I came back with Na'er," Huo Yuhao replied, then asked curiously, "By the way, why are you at the Spirit Pagoda at this time?"
Previously, when he and Gu Yuena went to Heaven Dou City, Xie Xie and the others had already completed their end-of-term assessments. Now, it was the holiday period in Eastsea City, so they should have been resting at home.
Xie Xie scratched his head and grinned mischievously. "Teacher Luo gave me the contact of a senior who taught me some things about agility attacks. I plan to train hard during the holiday to surprise everyone. I just finished today's training and was about to head back."
"What kind of knowledge?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Xie Xie paused, thinking that he was talking to Huo Yuhao, the boss, and said, "The core idea is that in agility attacks, attack comes before agility. An agility attacker without offensive power has no future. When my speed reaches a certain level and my power can be concentrated at a single point, my attack power and strength will rise to a whole new level... Instead of just pursuing speed and being a scout."
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow after hearing Xie Xie's words.
Pursuing high burst damage as an assassin type... It was indeed a viable path in this era.
Looking at the past generations of Shrek Seven Monsters and those Limit Douluo, one could see that agility attackers had a somewhat awkward position in this world.
In the end, they either transitioned to strong attackers, faded into obscurity, or became fusion materials... Not to point fingers at Miss Zhu Zhuqing, of course.
After all, the main focus was on competitions, and the battlefield was limited. How could agility attackers thrive?
It had to be said that the senior who taught Xie Xie had a clear understanding and didn't intend for Xie Xie to sacrifice his future for the sake of competitions. There was a hint of the assassin style from the Holy Demon Continent.
Most likely, this senior was a powerful agility attacker.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "You're lucky to have caught the attention of a senior."
"Hehe, I think so too," Xie Xie chuckled, then teased, "By the way, things seem to be going well between you and Gu Yuena. Just a business trip together, and you're already calling her 'Na'er'?"
Huo Yuhao's smile remained unchanged as he looked at the figure approaching from behind Xie Xie.
"Stop teasing, or you might get hit. I might even lose my temper and embarrass you."
Xie Xie vaguely guessed what was coming and immediately tensed up. He hurriedly said, "Boss, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm heading back now."
Without lingering, he left without looking back.
"Why did he run off like that?" Gu Yuena, who had just arrived, looked puzzled as she watched Xie Xie leave.
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. "He probably sensed some kind of danger. Anyway, let's not talk about that. I might be leaving with Teacher Mu Ye for a while tomorrow."
Gu Yuena blinked. "Teacher Leng also plans to spend some time with me during this holiday. Looks like we'll see each other after the break."
Huo Yuhao paused. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go? I'll accompany you today."
...
"Even though I decided long ago not to get involved in those two's affairs, why do I always end up provoking them?"
As Xie Xie walked out of the Spirit Pagoda, he muttered to himself, "I'm not..."
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly frowned, sensing a burst of soul power not far away.
This was close to the patrol area of the law enforcement team. Who was causing trouble here?
A sharp glint flashed in Xie Xie's eyes as he quickly headed toward the source of the disturbance.
As a member of the Spirit Pagoda, it was his duty to handle such incidents.
At a street corner, a young boy and girl, both around fourteen years old, had cornered a middle-aged man.
The man was of average height and build, with short hair and small eyes, but he had a friendly, neighborly demeanor.
He seemed startled by the sudden confrontation, but upon seeing that it was just two kids, he relaxed. "I'm not a Spirit Pagoda staff member. I'm just here to buy a spirit soul. If you're looking for spirit souls, head to the Spirit Pagoda."
Hearing this, Yu Longheng impatiently said, "Don't misunderstand. We just want to spar with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, two yellow and one purple soul rings appeared beneath him and Ning Yue. Without giving the man a chance to speak, Yu Longheng activated his first soul ring.
Thunder Dragon Claw!
A blue lightning dragon claw, about a foot in diameter, shot toward the man.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and was about to act but suddenly sensed something and restrained himself.
Yu Longheng, noticing that the man wasn't using any soul power, frowned and reduced the intensity of his attack, leaving only a bolt of lightning to strike the man.
He was just completing an assessment and meant no harm.
Whoosh!
A golden blade light flashed, precisely slicing through the lightning.
Xie Xie, holding the Light Dragon Blade and surrounded by two soul rings, stood in front of the man. "What are you doing here? Causing trouble in public? Do you think the federation's laws are just pieces of paper?!"
"Longheng?" Ning Yue glanced at the boy, who was younger than herself, and didn't explain. Instead, she frowned at Yu Longheng.
Yu Longheng took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Let's finish this quickly to avoid any more complications!"
Their assessment hadn't been going smoothly. In Heavenly Spirit City, a ten-thousand-year spirit soul had gone berserk, attracting the city's mecha troops, and they had nearly been detained. Afterward, they were pursued, which delayed them significantly.
So now, they needed to move fast, quickly touring the major cities of the Skysea Alliance to complete their assessment.
Meanwhile, Xie Xie took a closer look and realized that both opponents were high-level Soul Elders with formidable auras. He felt a sense of dread, but sensing the middle-aged man's soul power behind him, he relaxed.
This man was a Soul Ancestor. That was good.
"Uncle, self-defense doesn't violate federation laws. Let's go."
"Alright," the middle-aged man nodded solemnly. "Let's do it together."
"...You're expecting a Great Soul Master like me to fight?"
Though a bit speechless, Xie Xie didn't abandon him.
The girl on the other side was a support type. He could try to capture her.
But the next moment.
"Second Soul Skill, Thunderous Fury!"
Countless lightning bolts amplified simultaneously, transforming into arrows of electricity that filled the air, forming a thunderous net that enveloped the two. Xie Xie dodged with his speed, expecting the Soul Ancestor uncle to do the same. But when he looked back, he almost spat blood.
The Soul Ancestor uncle was directly caught in the lightning net, his body charred black, and he simply collapsed.
"Damn it, you're screwing me over!"
Xie Xie was furious, suspecting that he had fallen into some kind of trap.
Was this uncle in cahoots with the two in front of him?
Luring someone into a situation where they'd intervene, only to turn around and betray them?
Could people really be that deceitful?
Xie Xie took a deep breath and was forced to engage Yu Longheng for a few seconds, getting electrocuted and feeling his body go numb. Finally, he found an opportunity to retreat.
With his only hope lying on the ground, was he supposed to face two high-level Soul Elders alone?
He wasn't that reckless.
Xie Xie simply took out the soul communicator Luoyang Lu had given him and prepared to call for backup.
Within a kilometer radius of the Spirit Pagoda, the Spirit Pagoda was responsible for patrols and law enforcement, a privilege granted by the federation. Beyond that, it was the responsibility of the federation's mecha troops.
However, if a Spirit Pagoda member was attacked, that was a different story.
Yu Longheng was also surprised to have taken down a Soul Ancestor with one move, but he attributed it to the weakness of Skysea Alliance's soul masters. After Xie Xie retreated, he initially planned to leave, as a Great Soul Master wasn't the opponent he needed.
But when Yu Longheng noticed the soul communicator in Xie Xie's hand, his eyes narrowed.
Was he a genius from the Spirit Pagoda? Was he trying to call the law enforcement team?
He couldn't let that happen!
Yu Longheng's expression darkened. "Ning Yue!"
Ning Yue: "First skill, Speed!"
The bottom layer of the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda shone, and a beam of light fell on Yu Longheng, enhancing his already extraordinary speed to an even higher level. Xie Xie only felt a blur before him, and a figure appeared in front of him, a lightning-wrapped fist filling his vision.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out the next moment.