Soul Land:The Dragon King's God of Nature

"This poor girl really has the worst luck, landing right in the middle of a wolf pack."

Watching Xu Xiaoyan trembling in the bushes on the screen, a few staff members laughed quietly. However, the head instructor, Cheng De, was far from amused—did these Spirit Transmission Tower employees think it was funny to laugh at this? That was Finance Chief Xu's daughter out there!

Bound by his connections and knowing the significance of Xu Xiaoyan's presence, Cheng De couldn't share their mirth. Instead, he rubbed his temple, shifting his attention to the others in the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The pair of Jing Shaoyu and Zhu Ziguang was a relief to him. The two were proving to be a good team, with one focusing on offense and the other on support. But something seemed off—wasn't Jing Shaoyu supposed to be a healer? Why did his spirit have control abilities? Vines? Plant powers? And wait, how could he shoot fireballs? Cheng De was beginning to feel that his understanding was lacking; he'd never encountered a healer quite like Jing Shaoyu.

The remaining four students were also progressing well in pairs: Yi Yi and Ma Zhiyuan formed one team, while Bai Yu and He Jie formed another.

Looking at it this way, it really did seem that Xu Xiaoyan was exceptionally unlucky. Everyone else had teamed up, while she ended up alone... and in a wolf pack. This didn't look promising.

Cheng De could only hope that Jing Shaoyu and Zhu Ziguang, who were closest to her, might reach her in time. Otherwise, this poor girl would likely be scarred from the experience!

Returning to Jing Shaoyu's group, he and Zhu Ziguang had advanced about a mile. Along the way, they'd encountered five or six low-level spirit beasts, aside from the initial ten-year Wind Baboon. But recently, they'd gone five hundred meters without spotting a single creature, which struck them as odd.

"Awoooo~"

A distant howl immediately caught their attention, and they stopped in their tracks.

"A wolf pack!" Jing Shaoyu said quickly.

"Let's go check it out," Zhu Ziguang replied, already moving.

"Be careful, Senior A-Guang!" Jing Shaoyu called out, following closely behind.

"Relax, it's fine!" Zhu Ziguang replied nonchalantly. "This is the Spirit Ascension Platform—if we're in real danger, we can always press the rescue signal to exit."

With that, he pushed through a thicket, only to come face to face with a black wolf baring its bloody fangs, the stench of blood heavy in the air.

Startled, Zhu Ziguang instinctively took a step back, and his scythe slashed down, the sharp blade slicing into the wolf's head with a sickening crack.

"Awooo~" the black wolf howled in pain before collapsing.

"Whew, that was close." Zhu Ziguang clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heart. "Nearly scared me half to death," he muttered, glaring at the fallen wolf. "Serves you right!"

But no sooner had he spoken than three more black wolves emerged from the underbrush, two lunging at Zhu Ziguang and one at Jing Shaoyu.

The two wolves attacking Zhu Ziguang coordinated skillfully—one aimed for his upper body with open jaws, while the other slashed at his legs. In shock, Zhu Ziguang reflexively swung his golden scythe at the upper wolf while stepping back.

His scythe cleaved into the head of the first wolf, but the second broke through his defense, sinking its teeth into his right thigh.

Pain shot through him, filling his mind with fear.

He quickly wrenched his scythe free and swung it down on the wolf biting his leg. But the wolf was fast—it released him just in time and leaped back, leaving Zhu Ziguang to stumble and roll onto the ground.

"Senior, are you alright?" Jing Shaoyu, having driven back his own wolf, quickly rushed over to help him up.

"Ah!" Zhu Ziguang winced, glancing at his bleeding thigh. The wolf's fangs had left deep bite marks. Even though wounds in the Spirit Ascension Platform didn't affect the real body, the mental pain was all too real.

Shaoyu immediately supported Zhu Ziguang and helped him retreat while the two wolves paced slowly after them.

"Senior, hang on!" Shaoyu said, unfurling his Origin Wings and lifting Zhu Ziguang up into a nearby tree.

"Shaoyu… you can fly?" Zhu Ziguang asked, his leg momentarily forgotten in his shock.

"Now's not the time for questions, Senior." Shaoyu chuckled, placing his hand over the wound as his spirit ring glowed softly. Gentle green light radiated from his hand, enveloping the wound with a soothing warmth.

Zhu Ziguang watched in amazement as his wound began to close and scab over.

In just over thirty seconds, his injury was completely healed. The sight left Zhu Ziguang and the staff outside in stunned silence.

"T-this…!" Zhu Ziguang stammered, at a loss for words. Finally, he managed, "Shaoyu, you've completely blown my mind!"

"Alright, let's focus on the current situation, shall we?" Shaoyu replied with a small smile.

Below, the two black wolves continued circling the tree, and more wolves were creeping out of the nearby bushes, totaling over twenty.

"Senior," Shaoyu said with a wry smile, "it seems we're in for some trouble."

Zhu Ziguang gulped, eyes fixed on the wolves below. "Did we stumble right into a wolf den?"

The wolf pack gradually surrounded the tree. Some wolves even attempted to leap at them but couldn't reach their height. Instead, they began ramming the trunk with brute force. Their goal was clear—they intended to topple the tree, and it was working. The thick trunk was already shaking from the repeated impact.

Shaoyu knew they couldn't just sit there. He pressed his hands against the trunk, channeling his spirit energy. Green energy flowed into the tree, invigorating it and making its branches sprout countless long vines. Under his control, the vines whipped down at the wolves below.

The display left Zhu Ziguang utterly dumbfounded.

Some wolves tried to fight back, but the relentless vines soon had them yelping and scattering. Within ten minutes, the once-fearsome wolf pack had fled, leaving a mess behind.

"Shaoyu, I'm really impressed!" Zhu Ziguang said, giving him a thumbs-up. His initial admiration for Shaoyu's talent had now grown into genuine respect.

"Heh!" Shaoyu's face was pale, his energy considerably drained. "We'd better move—those wolves might come back."

"Good idea! Let's go," Zhu Ziguang agreed eagerly.

They leaped down from the tree.

"Brother Shaoyu!"

Just then, Xu Xiaoyan emerged from the bushes, her face streaked with tears but alight with relief. She'd witnessed Shaoyu's impressive performance and was now filled with newfound trust and admiration for him.

"Xiaoyan!" Shaoyu was surprised to see her nearby, and it looked like she'd been hiding here for quite a while.

Xu Xiaoyan ran straight to him, burying her face in his chest, sobbing softly, "Brother Shaoyu, I was so scared!"

"Don't worry; I'm here now," Shaoyu said, patting her back to comfort her.

It didn't take long for Xu Xiaoyan to calm down. Her eyes, red from crying, looked especially vulnerable as she clung to Shaoyu's arm.

"Let's move," Zhu Ziguang suggested.

The three of them proceeded cautiously, keeping an eye out for wolves. Unfortunately, their worst fear was soon realized.

The black wolves that had fled earlier returned, encircling them once again. This time, the wolves moved quickly, closing in on them in a well-coordinated formation.

"Seriously? These kids are cursed with bad luck!"

"I know, right? Running into the wolves again—this one's going to be tough!"

"Yeah, looks bad."

The staff murmured their concerns, while Cheng De, the head instructor, held his breath anxiously.

Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, the three students stood back-to-back, tense as they faced down the black wolves surrounding them. A quick count showed there were twelve wolves, all ten-year-level, which was a small comfort.

"Awooo—"

One wolf howled, signaling the others to attack. In unison, the pack charged forward, teeth and claws bared.

"Xiaoyan, Senior, focus on that lead wolf!" Shaoyu shouted.

"Got it!" Zhu Ziguang raised his golden scythe, locking onto the alpha wolf.

"Understood!" Xu Xiaoyan whispered to herself for courage, clutching her Star Wheel Ice Staff, her wide eyes glowing faintly.

A frosty ring of energy surged from her staff, and a small ice wheel shot forth, her first spirit ability, "Ice Wheel." It briefly froze the lead wolf, immobilizing it for less than a second.

Xu Xiaoyan's aim was impeccable. Her innate gift as a future master of control shone through, her attack hitting the lead wolf perfectly.

Taking advantage of the wolf's momentary freeze, Zhu Ziguang charged forward, his scythe gleaming with golden light as it struck the wolf's neck.

Crack!

The wolf's head dropped to the ground.