Tang Ni closed her eyes as she sent Assad flying, then casually tossed him aside.
As if throwing away garbage, she flung Assad away.
So it really was an illusion.
Tang Ni slowly opened her eyes. She had already guessed that the enemy's ability was to affect her vision, using words to confuse her.
With Tang Ni's battle finished, the focus shifted to the Shi brothers.
Snake was beaten to death by Shi Mo.
No—more precisely, he was bitten to death.
The serpent head of Shi Mo's Xuanwu true form bit down and ended Snake's life.
And in this battle, Shi Mo didn't suffer even the slightest injury.
Absolute defense—so unreasonable, so terrifying.
" Tang Ni, you're hurt? I'll heal you right now!"
Ye Lingling, noticing Tang Ni's wounds, immediately ran to her side, ready to summon her martial soul and heal her.
"Thank you, Lingling, but these wounds will heal on their own very soon."
Tang Ni expressed her gratitude, then pointed at her injuries.
From Ye Lingling's perspective, Tang Ni's wounds quickly closed up under her breathing, releasing a faint aura before fully healing.
"This is…?"
Ye Lingling was stunned. Such rapid healing? Her Nine-Heart Begonia was basically useless in comparison!
"This is a qi-and-blood cultivation method Xiao Lin gave me. It really helps with self-healing."
Tang Ni explained directly, without concealment.
As she spoke, she glanced into the distance at Xiao Lin, who was lying on the ground, dazed. Her eyes filled with disbelief.
She couldn't comprehend how Xiao Lin could possess such a miraculous cultivation method. Weren't such qi-and-blood methods supposed to be…
And just now—Xiao Lin's explosive burst of power.
It was because Xiao Lin had unleashed that unparalleled surge of strength that she managed to spot Assad's flaw.
She realized then—her fate had already been tied to the five-person squad.
If Xiao Lin died, then their squad of five would absolutely not survive either.
If that was the case, then either Assad could not truly see destiny, or at most he could only glimpse fragments of it.
In the end, that was how Tang Ni saw through Assad's deception.
But… what was that burst of power Xiao Lin had just released?
Was the gap between her and Xiao Lin still that vast?
He hadn't even obtained his fourth soul ring yet!
Tang Ni fell silent, unwilling to continue speaking.
Beside her, Ye Lingling also cast a curious gaze toward Xiao Lin.
She had already witnessed too many of Xiao Lin's miracles. This was no exception.
She had originally wanted to heal him, considering how bizarre and destructive the enemy's attacks had been.
But in the end—there was nothing to say.
Xiao Lin had soloed the enemy.
A complete monster!
With victory secured, Xiao Lin's group of five had no intention of lingering in this place.
They had to endure a little longer, enter deeper into the Frostsnow Forest, and find a safe spot to rest.
Otherwise, the scent of blood would attract plenty of soul beasts.
Deep in the Frostsnow Forest—
The five of them found an open area with good visibility and paused to rest.
After such a battle, none of them felt sleepy. Instead, they began talking.
Since Xiao Lin had unleashed power far beyond that of a Soul Elder, everyone was curious about what was going on with him, asking questions one after another.
Of course, they were merely curious. If Xiao Lin didn't want to explain, they wouldn't press.
But Xiao Lin thought—given all they had been through together, it wasn't a big deal to share some secrets.
So he told them about soul cores.
Of course, he didn't mention his Martial Soul True Body or the external soul bone.
"What? You mean Master Xiao Yan developed a method to make soul masters stronger—through cultivating a soul core?"
The moment Xiao Lin finished speaking, Ye Lingling and the Shi brothers exclaimed in unison, utterly shocked.
Soul core? Just hearing the name sounded powerful.
"Yes, something like that. But it's still in the research stage. By the way, classmate Dugu Yan's grandfather, Senior Dugu, is currently attempting to cultivate a soul core."
Xiao Lin explained that he didn't fully understand it himself. Even someone like Dugu Bo, a titled Douluo, had been unable to complete the cultivation.
Right now, soul cores were nothing more than a half-finished concept.
"So, Xiao Lin—your Flame Heart was part of cultivating a soul core?"
Shi Mo asked thoughtfully.
"More or less. Just now, I unleashed the power of two Flame Hearts in one go to defeat the enemy."
"But honestly, mine isn't even a proper half-finished product yet."
Xiao Lin chuckled and nodded, though inwardly he felt a little guilty. He had deceived his classmates.
And one lie required several more to conceal it.
Because of that, Xiao Lin felt a pang of guilt.
In the future, he thought, he would make it up to them—maybe by taking them to "pluck the Sea God's wool."
Hearing Xiao Lin's explanation, everyone present believed him.
Only Tang Ni's beautiful eyes betrayed a trace of doubt. She turned her head away.
Xiao Lin was lying!
But she couldn't bring herself to expose him.
Elsewhere, in the Snow Spirit Province, inside the Spirit Hall—
Batu suddenly felt a vague sense of dread, though he couldn't explain why.
The feeling made him extremely uneasy.
Could it be that Cucumber had failed?
Just the thought darkened Batu's expression instantly, making his face look terrifying.
If even Cucumber had failed, then the Icephosphor Powder base might not hold.
Reinforcements were necessary.
At least two cadres had to be dispatched.
"Onion."
"Here!"
At Batu's command, a shadow in the Spirit Hall office flickered, and a figure emerged, dropping to one knee.
It was Onion, face solemn as he awaited his orders.
"Cucumber has failed. Go find two cadres and immediately head to the Icephosphor Powder base. You must crush the enemy."
"Yes, my lord."
Batu's words made Onion's heart jolt, but he didn't dare hesitate and accepted at once.
Only after leaving the Spirit Hall did Onion's face remain filled with shock.
Cucumber failed?
How could he possibly fail?!
His soul skills were so strange, so deadly!
But quickly, Onion obeyed Batu's will, preparing to contact three cadres to issue orders.
The first cadre: the organization's powerhouse, their strongest warrior—Broccoli.
Broccoli — Brock, a level 64 Soul Emperor, an assault-type battle soul master.
With him, the mission was already half-complete.
The second cadre: the organization's berserker, a demolisher who didn't differentiate friend from foe—Potato.
Potato — Pat, a level 61 Soul Emperor, an assault-type battle soul master.
With him, the enemy would be reduced to ashes.
The third cadre: the organization's enforcer, notorious for cruelty—Beet.
Beet — Bett, a level 62 Soul Emperor, a control-type battle soul master.
With him, the mission was certain to succeed.
Although Batu had only ordered Onion to bring two cadres, plus himself, Onion knew Batu's temperament all too well.
If the mission failed, he wouldn't live anyway.
Better to kill himself quickly than face Batu's wrath.
Cautious by nature, Onion decided to bring three cadres instead.
Counting himself, along with the three "fallen ones" stationed at the Icephosphor Powder base—
That made seven in total. The perfect team composition.
With such a lineup, Onion didn't believe failure was even possible.
Onion — Angsh, a level 58 Soul King, a sensitive-assault type battle soul master skilled in stealth and ambush.
His face darkened as he quickly headed toward the first cadre's territory.
The enforcer Bett's domain…
(End of Chapter)