Chapter 38: First Display of Prowess

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: First Display of Prowess

After dealing with the Snowflake Little Demons, the group didn’t venture any deeper into the Wind Snow Area. Instead, they began moving laterally.

It was, after all, everyone’s first time in the Wind Snow Area, and the visibility was terribly low. If it weren’t for Lin Tao’s Blood Wolf cub, which meant they didn’t have to worry too much about the way back, no one would have dared to go this far.

So, by unspoken agreement, they decided to first familiarize themselves with the environment of the Wind Snow Area. The main issue was the temperature, which was so low it severely affected their performance.

Except for Li Heng, that "freak"!

They had been in the Wind Snow Area for so long, yet not a single person had seen any change in Li Heng’s expression. His movements and footwork showed not the slightest hint of stiffness.

’Even an expert at the Soul Pupil Realm should be affected. Don’t tell me Li Heng has already become a Soul Warrior!’

Despite their inner grumbling, seeing Li Heng in their ranks gave them a great sense of security. At least one person was in perfect combat condition.

"Awoo~ Awoo~ Awoo~" Ao Xue whimpered softly...

"Danger!"

The group hadn’t been moving laterally for long when they heard Lin Tao report another situation, alerting everyone to be on guard.

With the combat experience from fighting the Snowflake Little Demons, their coordination seemed to have improved. They entered a state of combat readiness much faster than before.

Slowing their breathing and scanning their surroundings, everyone focused intently. After all, besides Lin Tao, no one knew where a Soul Beast might suddenly appear from.

"My three o’clock... Li Heng, directly in front of you!" Lin Tao’s voice suddenly rose as he drew an arrow from his quiver.

Lin Tao was in the center of the formation, while Li Heng was on the far right. The moment he heard Lin Tao call out "three o’clock," he had already brought his Cyan Blade Longsword up before his chest.

’What’s this?!’

Just a few seconds after Lin Tao’s warning, Li Heng’s gaze narrowed. About seven meters away, blue "threads" once again came into view.

And from the distribution of these blue "threads," Li Heng realized the outline strongly resembled a spider!

’A Frost Spider?’

’And it’s fucking using a Soul Energy Skill?’

’The blue threads only appear when it’s using a Soul Energy Skill!’

The Frost Spider’s Soul Energy Skill was its toxic Frost Venom Silk. Li Heng had no desire to get hit by that; getting poisoned was no joke.

"Wolf Walk Technique!"

The moment he suspected it might be a Frost Spider, Li Heng immediately executed the Wolf Walk Technique and charged toward the "fine threads" seven meters away.

"Li Heng!"

"Student Li Heng!"

Li Heng suddenly raised his sword and charged into the swirling snow. This action completely stunned everyone on the team!

The Wind Snow Area was extremely dangerous for them at this moment. The abysmal visibility was the main reason they didn’t dare to act rashly.

Furthermore, they had just heard Lin Tao’s warning that there was danger right in front of Li Heng. It was very likely a Soul Beast!

When facing an unknown Soul Beast, the best option should be to prepare one’s defenses, wait for the enemy to attack first, and then counterattack.

But now Li Heng... not only did he not wait for a defensive opportunity, he actually chose to attack first?!

This kind of behavior was either that of a reckless fool who knew nothing...

...or that of someone extremely confident in their own strength!

But regardless of which it was, no one else on the team would have chosen to charge alone into the snowstorm to fight an unknown Soul Beast.

"Go! Follow him!"

Zheng Zhuoran was the first to react. There was no time for him to overthink things. He brandished his long blade and quickened his pace.

And so, under Zheng Zhuoran’s lead, the group changed direction, raised their weapons, and moved to the right.

After moving about two meters, at the five-meter limit of their visibility, the group finally saw him: Li Heng, swinging his Longsword, and a Soul Beast that didn’t seem very tall.

"Wait! That can’t be..." The distance was still a bit far, and Lin Tao couldn’t be sure, so he crept forward a little.

It wasn’t just Lin Tao; when Zhang Jian and Zheng Zhuoran saw the silhouette of the Soul Beast clashing with Li Heng, expressions of astonishment immediately appeared on their faces.

And that astonishment turned to sheer shock after Lin Tao confirmed the Soul Beast’s identity!

"A Frost Spider?!!!"

Lin Tao’s voice was filled with disbelief.

"Everyone, back up a bit!"

Except for Bai Shasha, the others stared at the Frost Spider not far away, their eyes wide. Like Lin Tao, everyone’s face was a mask of shock.

"A Frost... Spider. What’s wrong?"

Bai Shasha knew that Frost Spiders were indeed powerful. But in her memory, a Soul Beast of this level was something Li Heng could kill in a single strike.

’She had seen it with her own eyes before, so she was a little confused by the reactions of Lin Tao and the others. Aren’t the three of them Soul Pupils? They shouldn’t be this shocked, right?’

Xue Qing, who was closest to Bai Shasha, was the first to react to her question, which was so out of sync with the group’s mood.

Xue Qing spoke to Bai Shasha with great solemnity. "The Frost Spider is a Tier One Middle-Grade Soul Beast. Its incredible speed and bizarre, unpredictable attack patterns are far beyond what an ordinary Soul Pupil can handle! And its Soul Energy Skill, the Frost Venom Silk... a boy from Brother Zhuoran’s middle school once..."

Xue Qing stopped there and said no more, only turning her head to glance at Zheng Zhuoran. His expression was incredibly grave as he picked up where she left off, speaking slowly.

"On our first day in the Icefield, we encountered a Frost Spider! At that time, Zhang Jian and I were already Soul Pupils. But even we nearly fell to that thing! Its movement, attack, and reaction speeds were all faster than ours! Especially its Frost Venom Silk... it forced three people from our middle school to crush their Teleportation Talismans to get out for treatment! We still don’t know how they are now. In short, it’s best to stay far away from this thing..."

’This spider...’

’Even Soul Pupils can’t keep up with its speed?’

Now Bai Shasha was starting to feel unnerved. She wasn’t even a Soul Pupil yet. She had originally thought the Frost Spider’s speed was only too fast for non-Soul Pupils to react to. She never imagined that even two Soul Pupils had almost been defeated by it!

’Then Li Heng...’

Bai Shasha didn’t dare to think further. She wasn’t guessing at the Frost Spider’s strength anymore; she was re-evaluating Li Heng’s!

This teammate, who was once slightly weaker than her, now stood separated from her by a massive chasm!

Bai Shasha fell deep into thought...

In Lin Tao’s eyes, no matter how strong Li Heng was, he shouldn’t be a match for the Frost Spider. He had already nocked an arrow and was aiming at the Frost Spider, waiting for the right moment, ready to attack at any time.

"Li Heng! That’s a Frost Spider! It’s highly venomous! You can’t beat... ...it...?"

The rest of Lin Tao’s words caught in his throat before he could finish. Because in his line of sight, after swiftly dodging a strand of Frost Venom Silk that glowed with a purple light, Li Heng turned and, with a single slash, cleaved the Frost Spider in two!

’The Frost Spider... was actually... killed in a single strike?!’