It had turned the initial training grounds that countless disciples expected into a high-level zone teeming with lurking death threats. One could scarcely imagine the sheer terror and heavy casualties that would befall any moderately weak squad stumbling upon this scene in other districts.At this thought, every person present wore grim expressions.Yet the three Grand Evil Specters gave them no time to deliberate further. The twisted, feral character "Evil" carved across their faces suddenly split open.The next instant, accompanied by countless shrill wails, billows of dense white mist gushed forth, swallowing the entire town within mere breaths.Albert and his companions channeled their soul force to fend off the frigid, sinister fog.Albert stared into the white haze, spotting countless dust-like particles drifting within it. A chill ran through him the moment he realized the fog was formed from countless tiny, eerie skin flakes.Worse still, the mist possessed an uncanny power to

Where were the abducted disciples taken?As Albert sank into thought, Nicholas suddenly tapped him on the shoulder, sounding astonished. "Albert, look at the Merit Rankings quickly."Albert froze for a moment, then focused his mind to activate his Ancient Spirit Leaf and pull up the merit leaderboard.The light screen before him shifted to reveal a ranking list. One glance told Albert why Nicholas had urgently flagged him down.Perched unrivaled at the very top was a familiar name.Emily — Three Grade-A Merits, One Grade-B Merit.Those simple figures made Albert draw a sharp breath. Had Emily run into the same deadly ambush they had?But somehow… she had slain all three Grand Evil Specters?How was that even possible? Even Ida had only managed to kill one and let the other two escape, yet Emily had wiped out all three without a single survivor.Albert could only marvel inwardly.Emily’s strength was utterly monstrous.While Albert reeled from the staggering speed at which Emily had ac

What kind of spell does Albert hold over her? Could it merely be his lineage from the Supreme Martin Clan? That hardly makes sense. Waldren also descends from a supreme clan, yet Emily cannot even be bothered to spare him a glance.As they whispered among themselves, Emily closed the Merit Leaderboard. She had indeed hoped to find news of Albert, but the rankings only displayed squad captains, so the odds of his name appearing were slim."Captain, a new mission has been issued! It’s a rescue assignment. It seems the academy’s intelligence was flawed—the evil fiends of the All-Living Ghost Skin Domain are far stronger than we anticipated," Ada hurried over and said with a grave expression.Emily spoke calmly. "Three Grand Evil Specters right as we entered. This is clearly a trap laid for all our squads."With the exception of a handful of elite teams, any ordinary squad encountering such a threat alone would suffer catastrophic losses.Still, the upcoming rescue mission was welcome new

Perhaps it was due to her unique soul constitution, for her skin bore a faint rosy undertone beneath its milky whiteness, her cheeks glowing with a soft crimson sheen. A captivating, otherworldly fragrance clung to her entire being, instantly soothing anyone who caught its scent and stirring an irrepressible urge to draw nearer.Yet Tina carried an icy, aloof grace that acted as an unspoken barrier; anyone who ventured too close would be halted by a single sharp glance from her eyes. This tantalizing contrast—the longing to breathe in her scent paired with the impossibility of drawing near—gnawed restlessly at the hearts of those around her.Tina was never skilled at small talk, and the hardships of her past had left her somewhat withdrawn. She had no idea how to respond to Albert’s unreserved warmth. With anyone else, she would have simply ignored their attempts at conversation.But she would rely on Albert for protection in the days ahead, especially once she joined the Dragon Tooth

He stood tall and imposing, with fiery crimson hair. Scorching, blazing energy rolled off his body, and an overbearing aura faintly radiated from him.He swept his gaze across the crowd with a smile, gave a slight nod, and introduced himself. "Friends from Heavenly Origin Ancient Academy, it is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Waldron, Fourth Seat of the Upper Courtyard under the Starry Sky Division of Holy Light Ancient Academy."Squads from the two great ancient academies had converged here, and naturally, everyone sized one another up and compared strengths. The atmosphere quickly grew tense and charged.As the strongest cultivators from Heavenly Origin Ancient Academy, Ida, Ilya and Tina could not afford to bring shame to their academy. All three stepped forward two paces."Ida, Second Seat of Heavenly Origin Ancient Academy," Ida introduced herself in a calm tone."Ilya, Third Seat." Ilya kept his hands tucked in his pockets as always, his soft peach-blossom eyes scanning t