In the simulated training environment, in the heart of the forest, Wang Zhong sat cross-legged on a thick branch of a sprawling tree, his hands clasped over his lower abdomen, quietly cultivating his soul power.
Half an hour later, Wang Zhong exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes, stretching his limbs.
"It's been half a year, and the annual grand competition should be starting soon."
"I should get out too."
During this half year, Wang Zhong had traversed every corner of the simulated environment, practicing in extremely harsh conditions until his body showed signs of progress before withdrawing.
He clenched his fists, feeling the explosive power contained within his body, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Because I was too focused on cultivating the Bajiquan, I broke through to level twenty and became a Soul Master two months ago, but I've put off acquiring a soul ring until now. I wonder if it's too late to go out now."
Wang Zhong mused to himself, stroking his chin.
He was still unsure of the exact date for the second half of the year's annual grand competition, although it was at the end of the semester.
Just like the first half of the year's competition, if Hu Liena hadn't reminded him not to skip class, he might have missed it.
Moreover, the teacher had told him that for Soul Master cultivation, soul power would continue to grow through practice even without a soul ring for a period of time, and it would only manifest after acquiring one.
This was precisely why Wang Zhong had become completely immersed in cultivating Bajiquan, and even after reaching level twenty, he hadn't sought out Ying Yanyang to obtain his second soul ring.
"Never mind, I'll go out first."
"I've been stuck here for a whole half year. I wonder how Nana and the others have been training."
With his hands behind his head, Wang Zhong walked towards the forest's edge, muttering about Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and the others.
"And Sister Xue is really something. She promised to report back safely, but she hasn't returned yet."
"Nana and the others are also not allowed to come in due to their insufficient strength."
Wang Zhong sighed softly, his tone filled with boredom.
However, just as Wang Zhong sighed, he instinctively felt an uncomfortable sensation, as if he were being watched. This feeling was identical to when he had encountered the Thorn Rock Snake while escaping the eruption of the lava land before.
Carefully scanning his surroundings of dense trees and overgrown shrubs, Wang Zhong's brow furrowed tightly. He didn't detect anything unusual.
His spiritual power extended outwards, scanning everything within a radius of nearly five hundred meters. Wang Zhong detected no traces of other living beings.
Wang Zhong's spiritual power detection range was a massive circle with a radius of two hundred and fifty meters and a diameter of five hundred meters, centered on himself. This circle perfectly matched the coverage area of his first soul skill.
"That's strange, why can't I find it?"
"This feeling shouldn't be wrong!"
Wang Zhong scratched his head, utterly perplexed by the current situation. Having practiced in the forest for almost half a month, he had great faith in his intuition. It was thanks to this intuition that Wang Zhong had been able to cultivate so peacefully in this forest; otherwise, the constantly appearing soul beasts would have been a significant problem.
Although they weren't strong, as of now, Wang Zhong had only seen one Thorn Rock Snake, which was fourteen hundred years old. All other soul beasts were less than five hundred years old.
"Could it be that I'm really mistaken?"
For the first time, Wang Zhong doubted his intuition. He rolled his eyes, pondered for a moment, and decided to temporarily suppress the feeling, continuing to walk outwards with an indifferent attitude.
However, his spiritual power continued to scan his surroundings cautiously. As Wang Zhong walked for about several hundred meters, his brow twitched sharply.
Under his spiritual perception, directly in front of him, about a hundred meters away, the figure of a Thorn Rock Snake suddenly appeared within his detection range.
"Strange, how did this fellow bypass my spiritual detection and appear so close to me all of a sudden?"
The speed of his feet suddenly increased, and Wang Zhong jogged forward. After a few breaths, an incredibly thick, jet-black Thorn Rock Snake, with its head held high and its scarlet tongue flicking, stared at him with icy eyes.
"It feels a bit different, but I can't quite place it."
Wang Zhong stopped, looking at the Thorn Rock Snake before him. He felt an inexplicable sense of incongruity.
He glanced at its tail and scoffed.
"Tsk, you lazy and cowardly creature. It's been a full half year, and why is your tailbone still black?"
"No matter how lazy you are, you should cherish your life! I beat you up that badly, and you still haven't improved."
"It seems I didn't hit hard enough!"
Wang Zhong's finger bones crackled as he clenched them, staring at the Thorn Rock Snake with a wicked grin. This time, he was determined to skin it, otherwise, this lazy snake would never improve.
The Thorn Rock Snake flicked its tongue, coiled into a circle, and then shot out like an arrow. Its massive body, with its gaping maw, attacked with a terrifying, foul wind.
"Well done, spirited!"
Wang Zhong exclaimed in praise, quite satisfied with the Thorn Rock Snake's stubborn spirit.
Although he spoke words of praise, his actions were not slow. With his hands positioned above and below, he firmly gripped the snake's upper and lower jaws, using only the strength of his body to halt its charge.
"Huh? Your strength has become much weaker."
"Has my strength grown too quickly?"
The moment he made contact with the Thorn Rock Snake, Wang Zhong noticed something was amiss. Its strength felt significantly weaker than before.
"No, my control over my own physical strength is perfect. It's impossible for me to misjudge this."
"The Thorn Rock Snake's strength is at least twenty percent weaker than before!"
"Is it injured? Or is there some other reason?"
Wang Zhong squeezed his hands on the Thorn Rock Snake's jaws, clamping its wide mouth shut, and then slammed it fiercely to the ground. A dull thud echoed, sending rocks flying and dazing the snake.
Wang Zhong then followed up with a kick, sending the Thorn Rock Snake flying backward to crash heavily against the trunk of a large tree.
Its enormous body landed, crushing a large patch of undergrowth. To Wang Zhong's utter astonishment, the Thorn Rock Snake's body suddenly began to writhe like mud, becoming limp and soft.
Here, "mud" was not a metaphor but a reality. The Thorn Rock Snake's body continuously softened, transforming into a pool of black mud that kept squirming.
Suddenly, from within the pool of mud, a beastly pupil emerged, rolling around before fixing its gaze on Wang Zhong with fierce hostility.
"What is this thing? So bizarre!"
Wang Zhong stumbled backward, utterly terrified by the sight before him, which defied human imagination.
Under his watchful gaze, the pool of mud began to churn again. Led by that single eye, the soft, mud-like substance started to solidify and reshape in a particular direction.
Finally, before Wang Zhong stood a majestic and powerfully built golden tiger with dark stripes.
"This form, this method of transformation, could it be that the creature before me is an extremely rare Mimic Shapeshifter from the soul beast world!"
Wang Zhong's tone was filled with disbelief.