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**
The passage of time is often difficult to notice.
One month later, within the Spirit Hall Academy, Da Shan watched the four youths in the arena as they strained every nerve to resist the Violent Panda's assault.
He nodded secretly; after a month of rigorous training, they had finally learned to fully utilize the unique characteristics of their Martial Souls and cooperate to withstand an opponent far stronger than themselves.
Ling Xiao and Yan no longer recklessly attempted to clash head-on. Instead, they used their immense offensive power to dampen the Violent Panda's momentum, creating openings for their teammates.
Meanwhile, the siblings Xie Yue and Hu Liena—known for their swift and varied attack styles—pushed their Martial Soul traits to the limit, harassing the Violent Panda to ensure he could never focus entirely on taking down any single one of them.
In the center of the arena, the Violent Panda once again mobilized a sliver of soul power. His body blurred as he charged forward, throwing a punch toward Ling Xiao.
His speed was astonishing.
Ling Xiao didn't have enough time to empower the Profound Sky Axe with his first soul ring, and the Vajra Barrier from his third soul skill wouldn't be able to hold against this specific surge of force for long.
Reacting instantly, he circulated his soul power and unleashed a Profound Sky Slash, sending a massive crescent axe-light whistling through the air. The crescent arc met the Violent Panda but was shattered by a single fist.
However, the impact caused the panda's momentum to falter for a microsecond.
Seizing this gap, Ling Xiao kicked off the ground, executing Explosive Steps to rapidly vanish from his original position, narrowly evading the Violent Panda's follow-up strike.
"Thinking of running?" the Violent Panda roared.
A surge of soul power erupted as his body forcefully twisted in mid-air, hurtling toward Ling Xiao once more. Simultaneously, he fired a white torrent of energy—a pillar of light that shot toward Ling Xiao like a laser.
With a low shout, Ling Xiao unleashed another Profound Sky Slash.
Judging by the energy fluctuations, however, the axe-light was clearly insufficient to stop the panda's attack. Moreover, the Violent Panda's physical body was closing in rapidly; this time, Ling Xiao wouldn't be able to dodge as easily as before.
But he was not alone.
From beside him, a scorching aura suddenly surged.
Two massive dark-red fireballs shot forth—Yan had unleashed two rounds of Hellfire. Yet, they weren't aimed at the white energy pillar; instead, they were targeted directly at the Violent Panda himself.
Shifting his gaze, the Violent Panda spotted Yan's attack and let out a low grunt. Whether it was because the lava fireballs were too fast, or simply because the panda didn't care about their attacks, he didn't bother to dodge.
He slammed his entire body directly into the Hellfire.
Firelight splashed everywhere as a deafening explosion rocked the arena. The two lava fireballs merged into a colossal sphere of flame before detonating, filling the battlefield with dense, suffocating fire-attributed energy.
On the other side, the crescent axe-light Ling Xiao had thrown out was pulverized by the panda's energy pillar. Just as the beam was about to strike Ling Xiao, a narrow, long blade-qi infused with crimson flames suddenly tore through the air from the flank.
This blade-qi was incredibly condensed and scorching hot, spanning nearly twenty meters like a burning arc across the sky. It radiated a peerless sharpness and a heat that would make anyone shudder.
It was Xie Yue's full-power third soul skill: Blazing Moon.
The soul ring for this skill came from a fire-attributed soul beast with an extraordinary bloodline. The flaming blade-qi was lightning-fast, slamming into the Violent Panda's energy torrent and stalling it for a brief moment.
This small window allowed Ling Xiao to finally leap clear of the energy attack's path.
"You won't get away!"
A voice roared from within the ball of fire in the sky.
A figure burst out at high speed—it was the Violent Panda, who had just charged straight through the lava fireballs. His physical body was so robust that even the searing flames and explosive heat couldn't harm him in the slightest.
The massive silhouette descended like a divine weapon from the heavens, crashing toward Ling Xiao. The speed at which the Violent Panda lunged from the flames was too fast for Ling Xiao to resist with an attack.
However, a flash of red light flickered in the distance like a fiery shadow. Suddenly, a long, crimson tail extended from the side, wrapping tightly around Ling Xiao's waist and yanking him away from the impact zone.
It was Hu Liena, utilizing her second soul skill, Shadow Raid. By boosting her own speed and extending her fox tail, she had rescued Ling Xiao at the final moment, saving him from the panda's devastating punch.
BOOM!
The Violent Panda's strike hit the ground, and a terrifying power instantly erupted.
Violent energy fluctuations swept outward in ripples, and the ground was hammered into a massive crater with a radius of over a dozen meters. Dust and smoke billowed up, obscuring the Violent Panda at the center.
Although Ling Xiao and the others had avoided the direct hit, they were still pushed back by the force of the shockwave.
"Hmph, you managed to dodge it. How boring," an irritated voice slowly drifted from the settling dust.
"Haha, actually, you missed on purpose, didn't you? You were showing mercy, weren't you, Violent Panda?" Standing off to the side, Da Shan spread his hands and spoke with a chuckle.
"Hmph, who asked for your input?" The Violent Panda emerged from the billowing smoke, scowling as he spoke.
It seemed this battle had reached its conclusion.
The terrifying aura of power that had been radiating from the Violent Panda began to recede until it vanished completely. Ling Xiao and the others let out a soft breath, finally relaxing their bodies and nerves which had been tensed for so long.
Clap, clap, clap!
Da Shan was quite satisfied with the performance of Ling Xiao and the others.
He clapped his hands as he walked forward.
"Mhm, not bad. You've made progress. This time, you held out against the Violent Panda for half an hour, breaking your previous record once again. Your training is officially over."
"It's over? Teacher Da Shan, are you serious?" Hearing this, Ling Xiao and the three others couldn't help but look delighted.
"Heh, of course. You can now be considered qualified to brave the Mystic Trace Canyon. I hope you can make it through."
Da Shan looked at these youngsters and spoke from the bottom of his heart.
He had personally witnessed their bitter training over the past month. Going from not being able to last a single round against the Violent Panda to now holding out for half an hour—their progress was by no means small.
However, after a moment's thought, Da Shan continued, "You have indeed made massive strides this month, but you must not become arrogant or complacent."
"The reason the Mystic Trace Canyon is known as the Death Canyon is not just because the evil beasts within are powerful and numerous, but also because of their bloodthirsty brutality. There, you will be in a near-constant state of being besieged and hunted."
"When facing a powerful evil beast, you will also be swarmed by other lower-level evil beasts. This will be far more dangerous than facing the Violent Panda's attacks alone."
"Thank you, Teacher Da Shan. We will certainly keep that in mind."
"Hmph, Da Shan, it's over. Hurry up and let me back in. I need to catch up on my sleep. If you dare bother me with these trivial matters again, I'll show you no mercy."
Hearing this, Da Shan smiled helplessly and retracted the Violent Panda.
"Go on back. Rest well for three days. It won't be long before you head to the Mystic Trace Canyon. Once that happens, you won't have peaceful days like this for quite some time."
"Yes. Thank you, Teacher Da Shan."
Watching the retreating figures of Ling Xiao and the others, Da Shan couldn't help but murmur, "It's good to be young."
"You little rascals... the next time I see you, you will likely have undergone a massive transformation. The experiences in the Mystic Trace Canyon will serve as your baptism. You will no longer be flowers in a greenhouse; you will truly grow up."
Suddenly thinking of his own disciples, Da Shan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Compared to Ling Xiao's group, his students still had a very long way to go.
**
Enjoying the story? Support the translation and get early access to future chapters here: www.patr eon.com/c/FanficTranslator
Thanks for reading!
I have 100+ advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday