Thud. Thud-thud.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently, and the underground hall where Fang Chang resided shook along with it. A clump of debris fell from above, landing squarely on his head, startling him so much that he leaped upright in panic.
What's going on?!!
Fang Chang frantically scanned the hall with his eight eyes, breathing a sigh of relief upon confirming that no enemies were present. As long as the hall remained free of intruders, he was temporarily safe.
The noise persisted from above, accompanied by the sound of falling stones and earth, as if the structure might collapse at any moment.
Have they arrived?
Fang Chang immediately connected the commotion to the long-anticipated Soul Hunting Tournament. Such an uproar couldn't be caused by ordinary soul beasts, and the powerful creatures from the deeper parts of the forest rarely ventured here without reason.
That left only one possibility—human soul masters.
The sounds of battle intensified. Judging from the frequency and intensity, there seemed to be multiple participants locked in combat.
Fang Chang paced around the hall, torn. He wanted to investigate but feared accidentally running into frenzied soul masters, which could invite unnecessary trouble.
But just sitting here waiting isn't a solution, he thought.
As the clamor above grew fiercer, Fang Chang's curiosity heightened.
Just a quick look, he reasoned. Only a glance.
He turned toward the exit closest to the central hall and scuttled off, his eight legs clicking softly against the stone.
At the passage leading to the surface, Fang Chang cautiously peered through the gaps in the camouflaging grass. Once certain it was safe, he slowly moved into the chamber.
Looking up, he noticed that the grassy covering of the ceiling entrance had already been removed. His heart sank.
Thankfully, the traps he had set remained undisturbed, and there were no signs of human activity within the room, which allowed him to relax slightly.
Being closer to the surface, the sounds of battle were now much clearer. Amid the clashes and shocks, Fang Chang even caught snippets of human voices, confirming his earlier suspicions.
He waited patiently until the battle quieted somewhat, then cautiously approached a circular opening about ten centimeters wide that led to the surface.
On the forest floor, eight young soul masters clad in matching azure-gold robes were locked in battle with an 800-year-old Desolate Bear. The commotion that had shaken Fang Chang's lair was evidently their doing.
Seven or eight meters away, a round black head slowly emerged from the hole in the ground. Fang Chang's eight crimson eyes scanned the scene before cautiously glancing around for other threats.
The Desolate Bear, while not exceptionally powerful, possessed soul power equivalent to a 27th or 28th-level soul master. Normally, these young soul masters—each with at least 30 levels of soul power—should have been able to dispatch it easily.
However, the group's attacks were chaotic and lacked coordination. Instead of exploiting their numerical advantage, they clumsily interfered with one another.
To make matters worse, their soul power attributes clashed—water techniques extinguishing fire, and so on—resulting in the Desolate Bear holding its ground far longer than expected.
"Yingzi! What are you doing? Your water bullets just put out my fire orbs!" a young man among the group shouted angrily at his teammate.
"What do you mean, what am I doing? I spotted this soul beast first!" the girl, Yingzi, shot back.
"Spotted it first? We came here together! How does that make it yours?"
The two quickly escalated from arguing to launching soul skills at each other, further complicating the battle.
"Enough!" a tall young man, seemingly the group leader, stepped in to separate them. "You two, cut it out! We're from Lorland Academy, one of the top advanced soul master academies! Do you want us to be a laughingstock?"
Lorland Academy, huh? Fang Chang silently noted the name.
His hearing had greatly improved since becoming a soul beast. Even from this distance, he could clearly make out their words.
While the group quarreled, the Desolate Bear finally succumbed to its injuries and collapsed. The eight soul masters calmed down, their attention refocused.
"Let's kill it now," the leader suggested. "Once the Soul Hunting Tournament is over and we've received our rewards, we can divide them fairly. Agreed?"
The others exchanged glances. After a brief hesitation, they nodded in agreement.
The tall leader, pleased with their compliance, drew a short blade from his waist and strode confidently toward the fallen bear.
They were so preoccupied with the bear that they failed to notice the large, purple-black spider soul beast emerging from the hole nearby.
Without warning, Fang Chang struck.
The bickering pair standing at the rear of the group felt a sharp pain in their heads before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Fang Chang withdrew his shield-like front legs, then launched his Poison Web skill at the remaining six. At such close range, they had no chance to evade.
The sticky web enveloped all six, and the paralyzing venom quickly rendered them unconscious.
Hearing his companions' cries, the tall leader spun around, summoning his martial spirit. But before he could react, one of Fang Chang's spider legs impaled his calf.
The leader stumbled, his vision blurring as he fell to the ground.
So much for one of the top academies. No wonder that Tang San kid thrives in this world, Fang Chang thought, shaking his head in disdain.
He wasted no time, sinking his jaws into the immobilized Desolate Bear and dragging it toward the hole. Piece by piece, he tossed the carcass into his lair for later consumption.
The Spirit Hall's Whitewater City team marched through the forest.
"Second Bro, don't you think—" Fatty Old Four began, but immediately realized his mistake.
"Think what?" The voluptuous woman in the group interrupted furiously. "How many times have I told you not to call me Second Bro? Are you deaf?"
Old Four recoiled in terror. "I-I'm sorry, Second Sis!"
"Don't 'Second Sis' me!" she snapped. "Do you lot have any backbone? First, we got bullied by some kids, and then we let a soul beast snatch a spirit beast from right under our noses!"
Despite the days that had passed, her anger hadn't subsided.
"If I run into them again, I'll teach them the meaning of regret," she growled.
If Fang Chang had heard this, he would've been shocked.
This fiery woman possessed soul power that surpassed their leader's. At level 39, she was nearly on par with the Desolate Bear Fang Chang had recently consumed.