Chapter 42: Environmental Change

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Environmental Change

Although the addition of a Soul Pupil strengthened the team, they maintained their original pace.

Xue Qing had checked Bai Shasha’s injuries and confirmed they weren’t serious, though some rest would have been ideal.

However, Bai Shasha didn’t want the team’s exploration of the Wind Snow Area delayed just for her. After all, they only had one week. The more Soul Energy Items they farmed, the better their results for the simulation exam would be.

"Hold on!"

Twenty minutes after Bai Shasha became a Soul Pupil, as the group was exploring the Wind Snow Area, Lin Tao suddenly told everyone to stop.

Every time they stopped, everyone except Xue Qing would immediately adopt an offensive or defensive stance and scan their surroundings vigilantly.

This time, however, they didn’t get any specific information from Lin Tao about an attacking soul beast. Instead, what came was a question, spoken in a grave tone.

"The terrain... It seems to have changed without us noticing."

The terrain had changed?!

Only then did the group recall that when they’d first entered the Wind Snow Area from the Icefield Area, the terrain had been sloping upwards.

To put it in simpler terms, they had walked uphill from the Icefield Area to get to the Wind Snow Area.

Now, prompted by Lin Tao’s reminder, they slowly realized they had started going "downhill."

They were supposed to be traversing the Wind Snow Area, but suddenly they were going downhill?!

Were they heading back to the Icefield Area?

"It really has changed. Lin Tao, what do you think?" Zheng Zhuoran asked.

Lin Tao didn’t answer immediately. He fell silent for a moment, apparently communicating with his soul energy pet, before finally speaking slowly.

"Based on the feedback from Aoxue, continuing downhill isn’t a problem. At least, it hasn’t sensed any danger."

Hearing this, Zheng Zhuoran didn’t rush to a decision either. Instead, he asked for his teammates’ opinions. The consensus was to keep going and see what happened.

After all, Lin Tao was the team’s only "scout." Since he was certain, it should be fine to proceed.

And so, the group started walking slowly down the slope.

But as time passed, everyone except Li Heng began to feel varying degrees of anxiety.

Before, they would encounter a Snowflake Little Demon every few minutes. But now, they had been walking for over ten minutes without seeing any signs of danger, and Lin Tao hadn’t called for a stop.

Moreover, the farther down they went, the sparser the falling snow became. The biting wind lessened, and their visibility even expanded from the original five meters to more than ten meters.

Logically, this should have been a welcome development. Improved visibility meant they had more room to maneuver and could see what was happening around them.

But right now, everyone except Li Heng wore a grave expression. After all, when things are this abnormal, there’s bound to be trouble. The strangeness only made them more tense.

From the moment he entered the Wind Snow Area until now, Li Heng’s expression had been perfectly normal. He showed no signs of panic; one could say he was completely unruffled.

This display of composure undoubtedly earned him the heartfelt admiration of Zheng Zhuoran and the others. This was the confidence that came from true strength.

’Li Heng... he must be one of the top three experts among all the third-year high school students in Maple City! And in terms of mental fortitude, he’s probably number one!’

Just how profound is Li Heng’s strength to have such a calm and collected aura?!

’Could he... have already surpassed the Soul Pupil Realm and become a Soul Warrior?’

Everyone had a slightly different assessment of Li Heng, but they all shared one thing: genuine, heartfelt admiration.

Setting aside everything else, his unflappable composure alone was something they couldn’t hope to match. He was just too strong, too steady!

What Zheng Zhuoran and the others didn’t know, however, was that while Li Heng held his Cyan Blade Longsword in his right hand, his left hand was already clutching a Teleportation Talisman.

’This is too weird! Such a long downhill stretch, the snow and wind have stopped, and Lin Tao still hasn’t sensed any danger?’

This was so damn ridiculous!

Li Heng already felt the environment was incredibly bizarre. It was too quiet. He decided to play it safe, so his left hand never loosened its grip on the Teleportation Talisman.

No one knew what might happen in such a strange atmosphere.

But with a Teleportation Talisman in hand—clutched tightly, at that—Li Heng wasn’t the least bit panicked. Worst case, he could just teleport away. Besides, he still had other Dungeons to run after leaving.

The only downside was possibly missing the chance to log a new Dungeon.

Faced with the choice between logging a new location and putting himself in potential danger, Li Heng didn’t hesitate. He decisively chose to play it safe.

"The snow... seems to have stopped?"

Zheng Zhuoran and the others had been cautiously inching their way down, their minds filled with a mix of vigilance toward their surroundings and admiration for Li Heng. But a few minutes later, they stopped.

Because suddenly, they realized it was no longer snowing!

Hm?

Because Zhang Jian was to Li Heng’s left, the instant the snow stopped, he noticed Li Heng’s left hand twitch. The muscles in his left arm tensed slightly.

But his expression remained perfectly normal!

’As expected of an expert! Even though his sword is in his right hand, his left is already tensed, ready to strike at any moment! And... his expression is still so calm! Badass!’ Zhang Jian thought to himself.

The moment the snow stopped, Li Heng tightened his grip on the Teleportation Talisman, ready to teleport at a moment’s notice!

When the snow stopped, everyone else halted as well. They all turned to look at Lin Tao, waiting for his report.

"N-No danger!"

Lin Tao was under more pressure than anyone. He also felt that things were far too abnormal, yet he hadn’t received any feedback about danger from Aoxue!

So, after a moment’s thought, he decided to report the truth to his teammates.

No danger!

Although Lin Tao’s words let everyone breathe a small sigh of relief, they didn’t let their guard down. As they scanned their surroundings, they discovered they were in a transition zone!

Above them, snowflakes were falling.

Further down, not a single snowflake fell, and the view was wide open...

Huh?

A wide-open view... Flat ground?

"Have we finished with the slope? Are we on flat ground now?" Xue Qing couldn’t help but blurt out before quickly clamping her mouth shut.

Just as Xue Qing said, everyone had been so focused on the weather, Lin Tao, and occasionally Li Heng, that they hadn’t noticed they’d already finished the descent and reached level ground.

And with the blizzard’s end, their vision suddenly became incredibly broad. It was a flat expanse, similar to the Icefield Area.

But it definitely wasn’t the Icefield Area!

Li Heng also realized that although this was flat ground, it wasn’t the Icefield Area. A thought flashed through his mind, and he took a few more steps out onto the plain!

It was these few extra steps that made Li Heng’s spirits soar. This was the very thing he had been hoping for when he first entered the Fallen Jiao Icefield—his greatest potential reward!