Chapter 201: The Liability

Chapter 201: The Liability

The four of them appeared in an octagon-shaped hall, with a metal door at each of the eight directions.

"Since we're climbing the tower, we won't have much rest time after each battle. As all four of us are strong offensive-type Soul Masters without any restorative abilities, we won't be able to sustain prolonged fights. For these initial hundred-year-old soul beasts, let's work together to loosen up. When we encounter the thousand-year-old soul beasts, three of us will be enough. The remaining person can rest and step in when the others need relief. For now, let's stick to this rhythm in our battles."

Ye Xinglan, Wusi Duo, and Yuan Enye Hui all nodded in agreement. Not having anyone with healing abilities was indeed a problem for their team.

Ye Xinglan suddenly thought of her good sister, Alan, back at the Inner Court. Alan was not only an excellent Control System Soul Master but also a qualified Support System Soul Master. Her Blue Silver Domain was a boon for any Soul Master! But... Sea God Pavilion had scolded her, and for some reason, instead of blaming Alan, they had come to censure her.

Ye Xinglan didn't understand the reason behind it, but that didn't stop her from continuing to see Alan as her dear sister.

With Wang Si's help, she should be able to re-enter the Inner Court.

What? Defeat Wang Si?

Well... that wish was too far-fetched to consider at the moment.

As the four of them got into position, the metal doors along the walls rose, and dozens of greenish eyes rushed out from behind them.

The four individuals, each facing a different direction, included Ye Xinglan, who was the weakest among them. However, her two soul rings had been enhanced by the Spirit Ascension process, bringing them up to the thousand-year level.

Facing these hundred-year-old soul beasts was as easy as chopping vegetables for her now.

"First layer, cleared. You can collect the soul spirits. Hundred-year-old soul beast, Gale Wolf. Do you want to absorb it?"

Without hesitation, they refused and proceeded to the second layer.

After the initial round of battle, the weakest member of the team had been revealed: Ye Xinglan.

With her two thousand-year soul rings, Ye Xinglan indeed possessed combat power far beyond her peers. However, among the four of them, Wusi Duo had the highest soul power level, boasting not only a dual martial soul but also four thousand-year soul rings.

Both in terms of combat power and endurance, she far surpassed Ye Xinglan.

Wang Si had been right about one thing: if they were being assessed on their overall combat power, warrior-type professions would rank higher than others.

In reality, there were no second chances after death, as there might be in a game. The only truth was survival.

On the second layer, the age of the soul beasts had increased somewhat, but their numbers were significantly fewer. Once again, the four of them faced different directions.

They quickly ended the battle and took the opportunity to recover their soul power before moving on to the next layer.

This pattern continued until they encountered eight-hundred-year-old soul beasts. After a fierce fight, Ye Xinglan was exhausted.

She took a break while the other three handled the next two layers. When they returned, Ye Xinglan signaled that she had recovered and replaced one of them.

Yuan Enye Hui then took a break, but after just one layer, he got up to join the battle again, leaving Ye Xinglan spent.

After two layers of rest, Ye Xinglan resumed fighting, and Wusi Duo took a half-layer break before joining in as well.

As the soul beasts around them grew stronger, Ye Xinglan found herself able to hold out for shorter periods.

........

After defeating six two-thousand-year-old soul beasts, the three women were all slightly out of breath.

On the next layer, they faced four soul beasts.

It seemed fair for each person to take on one, but the other two women still glanced at Ye Xinglan involuntarily.

The four massive doors slowly rose, and four hulking white beasts emerged from behind them. These were the Ice Bears, their bodies covered in snowy fur, and their sizes far surpassing that of any ordinary Soul Beast. Each one of them exuded an aura that made it clear they were not in the same league as Soul Masters.

"Ice Bears, a powerful species from the extreme north. These four have cultivated for over three millennia," Ye Xinglan explained, a hint of helplessness in her voice as she mentioned the three thousand years.

By now, she was already exhausted. High-intensity battles like these were not her forte; Device Soul Masters like her excelled in the later stages of combat. Though her current strength might not be impressive, she was determined to press on. This particular Soul Beast was not her ideal opponent, but she wanted to continue ascending the tower.

Without giving them time to react, the four Ice Bears strode forward, their gaze cold and indifferent.

As the bears emerged, the temperature in the hall began to drop, and frost started to form in the air. With each breath the bears exhaled, their auras grew more formidable.

"They're lowering the temperature to create a suitable combat environment for themselves. Split up and keep them apart!" Wang Si instructed. The golden battle armor on his back unfurled its wings, and he dashed towards the bears.

He unleashed his second Soul Skill—Dragon Roar! The pressure of the Golden Dragon King instantly weighed down on the beasts, forcing them to lower their heads, though the effect was lessened since they were not dragons themselves.

Yuan Enye Hui stepped forward, her three soul rings rising as the Titan Giant Ape possessed her. Thanks to her spiritual forged battle armor, she could now freely allow her martial soul to possess her without worrying about tearing her clothes. Her gaze was calm and steady as she strode towards the Ice Bears.

Just then, one of the Ice Bears broke free from the control effect and let out a mighty roar towards the sky.

Snowflakes began to fall, quickly turning into a blizzard that obscured everyone's vision.

Boom!!!

A dull thud reverberated as a heavy punch landed, interrupting one of the bears' attempts to alter the environment.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

As one bear was interrupted, three more angry roars joined in, intensifying the blizzard and causing powerful energy fluctuations to erupt from all directions.

Aside from the challenging combat, some members of the group were already struggling to endure the harsh environment.

However, Ye Xinglan did her best not to fall behind. After another dragon roar, she unsheathed her sword and struck.

Although the Star God Sword was a single-target burst-type martial soul, when its energy landed on the Ice Bear, it only left a shallow bloodline.

While she hadn't dealt significant damage, she had successfully drawn the bear's aggro.

Wang Si, Wusi Duo, and Yuan Enye Hui each took on a bear, defeating them one by one.

As for the bear that Ye Xinglan had drawn the aggro of, Wang Si used the shock effect of his first soul skill to shatter its limbs...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end