Overall, Tang Wulin and his friends had wasted a lot of time due to the terrorist attack. Fortunately, now that they had a car and ample amounts of money, they could focus on finishing their exam.

  Heaven Spirit City was fairly populated. Following the route that Tang Wulin had meticulously planned, they would hit ten cities, all of which were at least medium-sized. The reason was simple. Finding a suitable opponent in a less populated city would prove difficult.

  After they found themselves an inn, Tang Wulin brought Xie Xie and Xu Lizhi out shopping for food to eat in the car later. That way, they didn’t have to waste time looking for restaurants in each city. Not when they must clear more than one city per day. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to earn extra points for their classmates.

  What made soul cars so attractive was their ability to be refueled using energy at power stations or soul power. Since Tang Wulin and the others were all soul masters, they could take turns refueling the car.

  With their shopping list fulfilled, they ate dinner and finally succumbed to sleep.

  ☀

  Near the crack of dawn, a dusty car pulled up to the local Spirit Pagoda. Compared to the one in Heaven Dou City, Heaven Spirit City’s Spirit Pagoda was much smaller.

  Squeezed between the sides of the car and his classmates, Tang Wulin unfurled a map and spread it out nice and wide, pointing an index finger to a particular spot under Xie Xie’s focused gaze. “You got the route memorized now, right? We’re going to leave immediately after we finish here. The plan is to hit three cities today and rest in the fourth. If we can manage that, we should be able to finish our exam in five days and head back to Shrek Academy.”


  “Yeah. I already committed the route to memory. The Spirit Pagoda opens at nine, so we should get ready now.” Xie Xie glanced at Gu Yue. “Hey Gu Yue, there won’t be anyone too powerful in a medium-sized city like this, right?”


  “Of course there will be. But we’re kids, so no one will pay much attention to us. Wulin’s bluffing and my badge are more than enough to scare them off anyway. We just need to select someone a bit younger. Less experienced. We’ll beat them up, draw a patrol squadron to us, then beat them up too. After that, we’re out of there.”


  Tang Wulin sighed as he wiggled a bit, managing to extend his hand to the empty space at the car’s center. “I’ve been corrupted by you guys.”


  Gu Yue placed her hand on top of his, and the others quickly followed.

  “You’re the corrupt one here!” they shouted in unison at Tang Wulin.

  They were far better prepared than they were yesterday, crisp white uniforms covering youthful and powerful bodies like spun authority. They had purchased the clothes the night before under Gu Yue’s advice, and the new attire bore a striking resemblance to the uniforms of the Spirit Pagoda’s headquarters. Fortunately, the supervision department’s set lacked any distinguishing emblem or feature that they might need to improvise.

  As the sun climbed up the horizon, the Spirit Pagoda grew more and more lively. The doors swung open, giving way to the trickling stream of soul masters.

  The six of them mixed in with the crowd and spread out to choose an ideal target.

  They avoided those with strong soul power fluctuations, those too old or too young. Someone between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five fit their preferred profile. In that age range, a fairly talented soul master would likely have four soul rings.

  They soon found a target. She was pretty and dressed in sportswear, about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. She had come to the Spirit Pagoda as soon as it opened and left half an hour later with a smile.

  Xie Xie had been the one to mark her. He had sensed from her soul power fluctuations four soul rings, maybe even five, and signalled the others about his find. She was just what they were looking for.

  The others quickly regrouped, followed her out, then blocked her path.

  The woman was startled from her good mood by the sudden appearance of six people barring her way. But at the sight of their youthful faces, she relaxed slightly, the stiffness in her posture bending into less straight edges and more curves. “I don’t work for the Spirit Pagoda. I can’t sell you a spirit soul.” She waved dismissively at them, misunderstanding their intentions.

  “Big Sister, we want to spar with you,” Tang Wulin said. After much discussion, they decided to forgo the mountain bandit charade. It was too embarrassing.

  “Spar? Stop joking around, kids. Hurry up and go home.” The woman laughed.

  “Big Sister, I’m not joking.” Tang Wulin summoned his soul rings. Their goal was to draw out a patrol of enforcers after all.

  Numerous soul rings, bright and shining, appeared around his comrades in the wake of his own. Each of them had three, amassing into a troubling eighteen. Not to mention, the fully purple set of Tang Wulin!

  Three rings? These kids all have three rings?

  Bluesilver grass burst out of the ground as Tang Wulin used his first soul skill, Bind! The strands of grass shot toward her arms and legs. The others released their soul power at once to draw the attention of a patrol.

  The woman was quick to react. The moment she saw Tang Wulin summoning his martial soul, she summoned her own.

  Five soul rings rose from her feet, two yellow and three purple! The air around her suddenly seared with heat. She was a five-ringed Soul King!

  But Tang Wulin and his comrades weren’t afraid. They had already fought a Soul King back in Heaven Dou City. Moreover, she seemed to be a fire-attributed soul master. Tang Wulin could strip away her fire element with Bluesilver Golden Array.

  Despite her cocoon of flames, the woman could not ward off the incoming strands of bluesilver grass. Tang Wulin drew upon the full might of the Golden Dragon King as he charged her, his bluesilver grass swarming her in a squirming mass.

  Suddenly, a flaming gourd materialized above the woman’s head. One of her soul rings lit up, and just before the bluesilver grass bound her, she was sucked into the gourd.

  She disappeared…… Shock painted their faces.

  Bluesilver grass met nothing but air. They had encountered strange martial souls before, but this bizarre disappearing act was a first.

  A blink later, the flaming gourd spun to Tang Wulin’s direction, unleashing a fiery barrage.

  A wall of ice sprung up in front of Tang Wulin before the flames could engulf him. But the flames were fierce, melting away the ice wall instantly.

  The moment the ice wall liquified, Tang Wulin and his comrades leaped backward in retreat. Bluesilver grass pierced the earth as Tang Wulin used Bluesilver Golden Array and unleashed the power of elemental stripping. The bane of all elements, it was with this skill that they had defeated the Soul King with a mist martial soul.