The encirclement tightened further.
Rustling leaves echoed from every direction, though the sound felt strangely distant—muted, as if the forest itself hesitated to acknowledge what was unfolding.
Between the trees, more pairs of green eyes began to appear.
The disciples instinctively drew their weapons.
Fear lingered in their hearts—but so did a flicker of excitement.
After all, this was what they had come for.
Experience.
Real combat.
Not sightseeing.
The yellow-haired youth forced a grin.
"…There are a lot of them."
One of the girls tightened her grip on her sword.
"A little too many."
Another disciple gave a nervous laugh.
"Didn't we spend the entire day complaining about not finding anything?"
The brown-haired youth beside them let out a sigh.
"And now we've found everything at once."
A few of them chuckled despite the tension.
Then Elder Qin stepped forward.
His gaze slowly swept across the surrounding forest.
"They're only low-level Spirit Beasts."
His voice remained calm—steady.
"The majority are Rank Two."
"A few Rank Three."
The disciples visibly relaxed.
Rank Two and Rank Three Spirit Beasts were dangerous—but not overwhelming, especially with two Late Spirit Refining elders present.
Then—
the undergrowth ahead suddenly exploded apart.
BOOOOM!
Trees were hurled sideways as a massive figure emerged from the forest.
The laughter vanished instantly.
The beast stepped fully into view.
Its body resembled a massive black panther, yet thick metallic spines jutted from its back and shoulders, each one gleaming like sharpened steel.
Its claws sank deep into the earth.
Green eyes burned with predatory intelligence.
An Iron-Spine Cat.
And unlike the others—
this one was far larger.
Far stronger.
A faint pressure radiated from its body.
Rank Five Spirit Beast.
The disciples' expressions changed instantly.
"…Rank Five."
One of the girls swallowed hard.
The massive feline let out a low growl.
The sound rolled through the forest like distant thunder.
From all directions, more growls answered.
The atmosphere grew heavy in an instant.
Elder Zhao narrowed his eyes.
"That explains their behavior."
The larger Iron-Spine Cat slowly stepped forward.
Clearly the leader.
Clearly the alpha.
Elder Qin let out a cold snort.
"A mere Rank Five beast."
Spiritual energy surged around him as Late Spirit Refining cultivation erupted outward.
Leaves and debris were blasted away from his body.
The beast froze immediately.
Its instincts recognized danger.
Elder Qin pointed at it.
"I'll deal with the leader."
His voice carried absolute confidence.
Then he glanced toward Elder Zhao.
"Protect the disciples."
Elder Zhao nodded.
"Leave them to me."
The disciples straightened at once.
Weapons rose.
Spiritual energy began circulating through their bodies.
The yellow-haired youth grinned.
"So we finally get our experience."
One of the girls rolled her eyes.
"Try not to die getting it."
He coughed lightly.
"…Reasonable advice."
Nearby, Ling Yue nervously drew her blade.
Ling Wei followed suit.
Yet inwardly—
his attention was elsewhere.
On the invisible weight resting in his arms.
On the creature none of them could perceive.
The hidden white lizard remained perfectly silent.
Perfectly still.
Watching.
Calculating.
Then—
the Iron-Spine Cat leader suddenly released a furious roar.
ROOOOOOOAR!
The surrounding pack responded instantly.
Dozens of beasts surged from the forest at once.
The entire woodland erupted into motion.
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!" Elder Zhao shouted.
The disciples reacted immediately.
Spiritual techniques ignited.
Swords flashed.
Talismans flared to life.
The battle began.
And beneath Ling Wei's concealed arms—
golden eyes observed everything in silence.
The moment the pack charged—
the disciples moved.
"Attack!"
The yellow-haired youth was the first to rush forward.
Spiritual energy surged through his legs as he leapt toward a wolf-like Spirit Beast.
His sword flashed.
SHING!
The beast barely had time to react before its shoulder was torn open.
Blood sprayed.
It howled and staggered back.
At nearly the same time—
another disciple thrust his spear forward.
BOOM!
A burst of spiritual energy erupted from the tip, blasting a charging beast sideways. It crashed through bushes before rolling to a halt.
"Watch your flank!" a young woman shouted.
Three Spirit Beasts darted toward her from the left.
She quickly formed hand seals.
A stream of fire erupted from her palm.
FWOOOSH!
The beasts scattered—one caught directly in the flames, shrieking as it rolled across the ground.
Elsewhere—
Ling Yue gritted her teeth and slashed downward.
CLANG!
Her sword met the claws of a Rank Two Spirit Beast.
The impact forced her several steps backward, her arms trembling.
Before the beast could press forward again—
Ling Wei appeared beside her.
His blade swept horizontally.
SHING!
The beast's neck was severed cleanly, and it collapsed without a sound.
"You okay?" he asked.
Ling Yue nodded quickly.
"Y-Yes."
Neither of them noticed the invisible presence still resting in Ling Wei's arms.
Or rather—they were deliberately trying not to acknowledge it.
All around them, chaos unfolded.
Spiritual techniques flashed.
Trees shattered.
Beasts roared.
The younger disciples gradually found their rhythm in combat, their earlier nervousness fading.
After all—
the beasts were only Rank Two and Rank Three.
Dangerous, yes.
But manageable.
Meanwhile—
Elder Zhao stood at the center of the formation, his sharp senses sweeping across the battlefield.
Whenever a disciple was truly endangered, he intervened instantly.
A wave of spiritual energy.
A precise sword strike.
A palm blast.
Each movement sent Spirit Beasts flying effortlessly.
Not far away—
Elder Qin had already engaged the Iron-Spine Cat leader.
BOOOOOOM!
The Rank Five beast lunged with terrifying speed, its metallic claws ripping through the air.
Elder Qin met it head-on.
His palm struck one of its forelegs.
CRACK!
The impact echoed through the forest.
The Iron-Spine Cat was thrown backward, several of its steel-like spines shattered.
Yet it landed smoothly.
Its green eyes burned with fury.
And it charged again.
The ground exploded beneath its paws.
The disciples occasionally glanced toward the clash, eyes filled with awe.
"So strong…"
"That's a Rank Five beast."
"And Elder Qin is suppressing it completely."
The battle gradually shifted in their favor.
The pack was losing ground.
More and more Spirit Beasts fell.
Corpses now littered the forest floor.
Then—
beneath his concealment—
Lizarius slowly opened one golden eye.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
Spirit Beast blood.
Spirit Beast corpses.
His damaged body responded instinctively to each trace of vitality.
And for the first time since his recovery—
a faint thought surfaced.
Hunger.
The invisible white lizard remained still.
But his golden gaze lingered on the battlefield a moment longer.
The battle soon drew to a close.
The final Iron-Spine Cat let out a pained howl before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
THUD.
Silence followed.
For several seconds, only heavy breathing and the occasional groan of an injured disciple remained.
The forest was in ruins.
Broken trees.
Scattered blood.
Claw marks etched deep into the earth.
The disciples stood in place, breathing heavily, robes torn, minor wounds visible across several bodies.
Yet their expressions were bright.
Excited.
They had won.
The yellow-haired youth dropped onto a nearby rock.
"…That was exhausting."
One of the girls snorted.
"You were the loudest one earlier."
"Because I was motivating everyone."
"You were panicking."
"I was strategically motivating everyone."
A few disciples laughed, the tension finally dissolving.
Nearby—
Ling Yue leaned against a tree and exhaled deeply.
"My arms hurt…"
Ling Wei wasn't much better. His spiritual energy was heavily depleted, yet he maintained his composure.
The invisible weight remained in his arms.
Hidden.
Undisturbed.
Unnoticed.
Meanwhile—
beneath the concealment—
Lizarius remained motionless.
The scent of blood filled the air.
Fresh blood.
Spirit Beast blood.
It carried a dense, intoxicating vitality.
His damaged body reacted immediately.
The hunger intensified.
Instinct whispered:
Consume.
Recover.
Feed.
Yet Lizarius remained calm.
Completely steady.
He had endured this feeling countless times before.
This was not new.
Not overwhelming.
Not enough to disturb his mind.
After a brief pause, he closed his eyes again.
The scent faded into background noise.
Nothing more.
Later, the disciples began collecting the beast corpses—valuable resources without exception.
The mood improved further.
A blue-haired young man shook his head and laughed.
"Honestly…"
Everyone turned toward him.
He gestured at the battlefield.
"…who would've thought this would happen?"
A few nodded.
"We searched for hours," he continued. "Hours. And found nothing. Not even a rabbit."
The yellow-haired youth laughed.
"And the moment we decided to head back…"
He pointed at the corpses.
"…we ran straight into an entire pack of Iron-Spine Cats."
The group burst into laughter.
Even Elder Zhao smiled faintly.
"It is unusual."
Elder Qin stood near the Rank Five corpse, examining it with a slight frown.
"Very unusual."
Something still bothered him.
The emptiness of the forest earlier.
The sudden appearance of the entire pack.
Neither felt natural.
Yet after a thorough scan of the surroundings, he found nothing.
No stronger beast.
No hidden threat.
Nothing.
Eventually, he shook his head.
Perhaps it was simply misfortune.
Or fortune—depending on perspective.
He turned to the group.
"We leave immediately."
The disciples nodded.
No one objected.
The sun was already beginning to set.
Soon, the group gathered their belongings and set off toward Lotus City.
Unaware that among them—
hidden beneath perfect concealment—
an injured white-scaled predator quietly listened to every word.
Waiting.
Recovering.
And learning more about the human world with every step forward.