After taking the Autumn-Water Dew of Clarity, Yan's eyesight had become far sharper than that of an ordinary person. With those extraordinary eyes, he quickly spotted the powerful soul beast lurking in the shadows.
It was a massive black tiger, its entire body pitch-dark, save for a single white "王" (King) mark emblazoned on its forehead. The beast's body stretched over four meters in length, its shoulders towering nearly two meters high.
Xie Yue frowned slightly and whispered,
"A Phantom Tiger? Where is it?"
"Over there," Yan replied calmly.
Following the direction of Yan's finger, Xie Yue finally made out the enormous dark figure crouched deep within the forest.
The Phantom Tiger was infamous for its terrifying speed and overwhelming attack power — one of the strongest among assault-type soul beasts. Fierce and untamable, it would fight to the death against any intruder that dared step into its territory, even humans.
Such a powerful creature was naturally the dream prey of many attack-type soul masters seeking potent soul rings.
However, it was also one of the most dangerous — gifted with an innate skill called Shadow Clone, making even a small mistake potentially fatal.
From the aura it emitted, Yan estimated the Phantom Tiger's cultivation to be around twelve thousand years.
Hunting such a beast would be an immense challenge… but also a rare opportunity.
Excitement flickered in Xie Yue's eyes. He whispered to Yan,
"Brother Yan, keep an eye on it. I'll go get the others."
"Alright."
"Don't you dare make a move before I get back — this one's mine."
"Got it."
Xie Yue had witnessed Yan's terrifying Molten Fist before — he knew that with one punch, Yan could probably crush the Phantom Tiger outright.
Careful not to alert the beast, Xie Yue retreated silently through the trees.
Yan's gaze remained fixed on the Phantom Tiger.
The beast's sharp senses scanned its surroundings; something seemed to have caught its attention. Slowly, it rose to its feet and began to creep forward, muscles coiled like springs.
Suddenly, it froze. Its golden eyes widened, locking directly onto Yan's hiding place.
"Did it sense me already…?"
Yan held his breath, his entire body tensing, ready for combat.
ROAR!!!
The Phantom Tiger had indeed detected him. With a deafening roar, it charged straight at Yan like a black thunderbolt.
The attack was sudden and ferocious, but Yan did not panic.
He did not strike immediately — instead, he leaped upward, agile as a swallow, landing lightly on a nearby tree branch to dodge the beast's pounce.
"Brother Yan! We're here!"
At that moment, Xie Yue and the rest of the team burst onto the scene.
Seeing Yan perched in the tree and the massive black tiger below, they instantly understood what was happening.
"That's the Phantom Tiger!"
Xie Yue shouted, his voice filled with fighting spirit.
"Let's take it down together!"
At his command, everyone sprang into action. Their martial souls and soul rings flared into existence as they swiftly surrounded the Phantom Tiger.
Fearless, Xie Yue was the first to charge forward.
Gripping his Moon Blades, his eyes burned with determination — he was ready for the challenge.
The Phantom Tiger roared again, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged toward Xie Yue.
Mid-pounce, its massive body suddenly split in two — two identical Phantom Tigers appeared, both attacking simultaneously.
Twilight had fallen, and in the dim forest, the black beasts were almost impossible to distinguish.
The twin tigers struck in perfect unison, dazzling and disorienting the team.
Xie Yue couldn't tell which was the real one and which was the clone — but his composure never faltered.
Relying on sharp intuition and years of battle experience, he slashed his Moon Blade toward the tiger that was slightly closer to him.
At the same time, Hu Liena, Sun Chuantao, and Zhang Ping reacted swiftly, launching attacks against the other Phantom Tiger.
Li Kai moved in behind Xie Yue to support him, while Xu Yu raised his golden staff, ready to provide amplification or healing at any moment.
Meanwhile, Yan stood silently atop the tree, overlooking the battle below.
He knew that Xie Yue was determined to claim this Phantom Tiger's ring himself, so he held back — but he remained alert, ready to act if anything went wrong or if the beast tried to escape.
Xie Yue's grip on his Moon Blades tightened. He gathered his strength, timing his strike perfectly, and unleashed a powerful slash.
But unexpectedly, his blow struck only empty air.
He realized in an instant — the tiger attacking him was merely a clone!
The true Phantom Tiger was now charging at Hu Liena, Sun Chuantao, and Zhang Ping with ferocious speed and strength.
His heart tightened, but it was too late to reposition.
The real Phantom Tiger pounced, slamming into Sun Chuantao and sending him crashing to the ground.
Its blood-red jaws opened wide, fangs gleaming as it prepared to tear him apart.
In that life-or-death instant, a crimson blur flashed across the field.
It was Yan.
Without hesitation, Yan drove his fist straight into the Phantom Tiger's mouth, smashing into its fangs with devastating force.
The impact thundered through the clearing — the colossal beast was sent sprawling backward, crashing heavily into the dirt.
"Brother Yan! Leave it to me!"
Xie Yue shouted as he leaped into the air, activating his self-created soul skill — Full Moon Slash.
At the same time, Hu Liena and Li Kai rushed forward, joining in the assault with relentless strikes.
"Zhang Ping, go help them! I'll take care of Chuantao!"
"Got it!"
Zhang Ping dashed into the fray, adding her attacks to the onslaught.
Sun Chuantao's chest was deeply clawed, blood streaming freely.
Yan carried the wounded Chuantao to Xu Yu.
"Xu Yu, heal him — now!"
"On it. Don't worry, he'll be fine."
As Xu Yu's soul rings lit up one after another, radiant golden light flowed from his staff, enveloping Sun Chuantao in its healing glow.
Seeing the wounds begin to close, Yan finally turned his gaze back to the battle.
The four remaining fighters' attacks rained down like a storm upon the Phantom Tiger, giving it no time to use its Shadow Clone again.
Though ferocious, the beast began to falter under their relentless siege.
It roared and thrashed, desperately seeking an opening — but Xie Yue's team pressed harder and harder, refusing to let up.
Gradually, they gained the upper hand.
Their strikes grew fiercer, their teamwork more seamless.
The Phantom Tiger's movements slowed — until finally, it was cornered.
"Die!"
With a final cry, Xie Yue unleashed a fully charged strike. His Moon Blade cleaved through the air, and with a resounding boom, the Phantom Tiger's massive body collapsed to the ground.
Its eyes remained wide open — as if refusing to believe that it had fallen to a group of young soul masters.
Without giving it a chance to recover, Xie Yue hurled his Moon Blade once more, driving it straight through the beast's throat.
The mighty Phantom Tiger was dead.
Panting heavily, the four stood amidst the fading echoes of battle, drenched in sweat but triumphant.
Nearby, under Xu Yu's healing, Sun Chuantao's wounds were already closing.
Everyone exchanged smiles — exhaustion mixed with exhilaration. Victory was theirs.
"Excellent work, all of you."
Instructor Lin Zhendong and Assistant Liu Can walked up, satisfaction evident on their faces.
Moments later, a thick black mist rose slowly from the Phantom Tiger's corpse, coalescing into a pitch-black soul ring that shimmered with an ominous light.
Staring at that ten-thousand-year soul ring, Xie Yue could hardly contain his excitement.
This Phantom Tiger's power had been immense — and everyone was eager to see what kind of ability Xie Yue would gain from absorbing its ring.
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