Director Ferdinand, having just been reprimanded by Yu Xiaogang, felt a flash of displeasure in his eyes.
He had rushed here from Notting City without pause, yet this Yu Xiaogang had, for many years, been freeloading at Notting Academy—eating and drinking at its expense.
Yu Xiaogang was arrogant and aloof, maintaining poor relations with the other teachers.
Moreover, he was stubborn and self-willed, refusing to follow Director Su's curriculum arrangements or participate in student instruction.
Officially, Yu Xiaogang was not a regular faculty member of Notting Academy.
Yet his shamelessness lay in directly demanding—and receiving—from Director Ferdinand all the salary, benefits, and待遇 accorded to academy teachers, and in fact receiving better treatment than most.
As depicted in the original work, Yu Xiaogang habitually dined and lodged within Notting Academy.
He looked down on the ordinary students, disregarded academy leadership, and acted independently—altogether a veritable "parasite" upon Notting Academy.
Director Ferdinand had, out of kindness, "taken him in," effectively serving as Yu Xiaogang's provider and protector.
Furthermore, in terms of age, Director Ferdinand was seven or eight years Yu Xiaogang's senior.
Being lectured and scolded by a mere twenty-ninth-level Great Soul Master naturally left the Soul Elder–ranked Ferdinand deeply dissatisfied.
Nevertheless, in deference to the prestige of one of the Upper Three Sects—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—he chose, on this occasion, to endure.
"Director, you have truly wasted our time this round! Had you been quicker, we might already have hunted down a Ghost Vine soul beast!"
Influenced by Yu Xiaogang, Tang San too had begun to adopt an "arrogant" demeanor and openly complained to Director Ferdinand.
Ferdinand's face flushed crimson. He thought to himself: "What an insolent master-disciple pair! I rushed here without even eating breakfast, only to be met with this ungrateful barrage of criticism?"
Yu Xiaogang, oblivious to any impropriety, produced another stack of documents from his sleeve and began expounding with apparent authority on the possible locations of Ghost Vine soul beasts within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Without the slightest sense of unease, he drew from his robes a bundle of yellowed parchment, spread it open on the ground.
The sheets were densely covered with markings and routes, resembling a regional map of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"I have studied this thoroughly," Yu Xiaogang declared, pointing to several circled locations with unshakable confidence. "According to these records, Ghost Vine soul beasts favor damp, shaded environments and are especially active in shrubbery near streams. These several points represent their most likely habitats."
Tang San leaned in, examined the map, and nodded repeatedly.
"Teacher, your wisdom is truly admirable!"
This effusive praise greatly pleased Yu Xiaogang.
Director Ferdinand cast a glance at the parchments. His brow furrowed slightly.
The sheets appeared quite old, their edges badly worn.
Yet seeing Yu Xiaogang's air of complete assurance, he refrained from comment.
Little did he know that these so-called "records" had actually been purchased by Yu Xiaogang a few days earlier at a low price from several inebriated adventurers in a tavern outside Notting City.
Those men had boasted drunkenly of their youthful exploits in the Star Dou Great Forest and of encounters with rare soul beasts.
Yu Xiaogang, intrigued, had handed over a few silver soul coins and acquired the "precious documents."
After sobering up, he regretted the purchase, but having already spent the money, he could hardly admit to being deceived.
In any case, he was not venturing in alone.
.........
The trio soon entered the Star Dou Great Forest.
They had walked less than half an hour when Yu Xiaogang pointed toward a dense thicket ahead: "We proceed this way. Pass through this grove, and a stream lies beyond. According to the map, Ghost Vine traces should be present there."
Ferdinand looked up and felt an uneasy premonition.
The grove was unnaturally silent.
Before he could speak, however, Tang San had already darted inside.
"Little San, wait!"
Ferdinand could only hasten after him.
Inside the woods the light was dim; the canopy overhead blocked nearly all sunlight. The ground was covered in thick layers of decaying leaves that yielded softly underfoot and exuded a damp, moldy odor.
Yu Xiaogang led the way, consulting the map as he walked and muttering: "Almost there, almost there… according to the route, three hundred paces more…"
Before he finished speaking, a low, guttural roar erupted from ahead.
A black shadow lunged down from the canopy!
"Watch out!"
Ferdinand reacted fastest. He yanked Yu Xiaogang behind him and released his martial soul; his arms instantly became encased in thick, keratinous scales.
His martial soul was the Iron Armored Rhinoceros—renowned for outstanding defensive capability among peers of the same rank.
"Bang!"
The shadow struck his crossed arms. The tremendous impact forced him back three or four steps.
Having missed its strike, the creature nimbly flipped backward and landed. Only then did the group clearly see its form.
It was a pitch-black, leopard-like soul beast over three meters long. Its fur gleamed like satin, faintly streaked with flowing dark-red patterns.
Its eyes glowed an eerie green in the dim forest light.
It crouched low, throat rumbling with menace, tail swaying slowly, poised to strike again.
"An approximately two-thousand-four-hundred-year Dark Shadow Demon Leopard!" Ferdinand's expression changed. "Extremely fast, specializes in ambush—everyone, be careful!"
Scarcely had he spoken when the leopard attacked once more.
This time its speed was even greater, blurring into a black afterimage.
Ferdinand dared not be careless. Soul power surged throughout his body as he engaged the beast in mortal combat.
Tang San remained at the rear, several Hidden Bone Nails gripped in his hand, yet found no opening to act.
The leopard's speed was too great; the two combatants were inextricably entwined. He feared striking Ferdinand by mistake.
Yu Xiaogang had long since hidden behind a large tree, peeking out with half his head and shouting: "Director, strike its left flank—the waist and abdomen! That's its weak point!"
Ferdinand had no time to heed him; he focused entirely on the ferocious beast before him.
After a full half-incense stick of fierce combat, he finally seized an opening and struck the leopard's side with a palm, sending it flying.
Wounded and in pain, the beast let out a shrill roar and fled deep into the forest.
Ferdinand panted heavily and glanced down at his arm.
Though he had repelled the leopard, he had taken a claw strike; three deep gashes on his forearm oozed blood.
"Fortunately, the injury is not severe."
He tore off a strip of sleeve and bound the wound simply.
Yu Xiaogang emerged from behind the tree, consulted the map again, and pointed in a different direction: "This is wrong. We should head that way. The stream marked on the map is to the east—we've veered off course."
Ferdinand's face darkened, but he followed nonetheless.
Over the course of the following day, similar scenes repeated themselves relentlessly.
Guided by Yu Xiaogang's "precise directions," the trio successively encountered:
A three-thousand-eight-hundred-year Crimson Flame Lizard.
It had lain concealed among a pile of disordered rocks, its body covered in fiery-red scales that resembled glowing coals from a distance.
When they approached, it burst from cover, opened its maw, and spewed a torrent of scorching flame.
Ferdinand could not evade completely; the fire grazed his shoulder, burning a large hole in his clothing and charring the flesh beneath.
In the end, he endured a tail strike to deliver a palm blow that shattered the creature's skull.
A swarm of over one hundred century-old Ironback Demonic Bees.
They encountered the swarm while crossing a field of flowers.
Each bee was the size of an adult fist, its back carapace hard as iron, its stinger gleaming with sinister blue light—clearly venomous.
Yu Xiaogang noticed the danger first and immediately fled.
Ferdinand and Tang San could only run after him.
The bees pursued relentlessly. Tang San's hidden weapons felled a dozen or so, but this only provoked greater fury from the swarm.
Finally, the three plunged into an icy stream, holding their breath underwater for a full incense stick of time before escaping.
When they climbed out, Ferdinand's back bore three swollen, fist-sized welts—painful and unbearably itchy.
Tang San's face had been stung once; half his face swelled grotesquely, like a steamed bun.
An approximately four-thousand-year Earth-Splitting Bear.
The massive bear soul beast stood fully five meters tall. A single swipe cracked the ground open in a three-foot-wide fissure.
Ferdinand failed to dodge entirely; flying debris struck his face, leaving several bloody gashes.
Tang San's hidden weapons left only faint white marks on its hide, merely enraging the giant beast further.
The trio fled in disarray, running fully three li before shaking it off.
Ferdinand leaned against a tree trunk, gasping, too exhausted to speak.
He bore no fewer than ten wounds, large and small. The most serious—a shoulder injury caused by flying rock—throbbed painfully, as though the bone were bruised.
The claw wounds on his arm still bled; the bee stings on his back ached and itched; his face burned fiercely.
Tang San fared little better.
Though armed with Tang Sect techniques, he was still a child with limited stamina and soul power.
During the flight he had fallen twice, scraping his knees badly; his clothes were torn to shreds by thorns. Worst of all was the massive swelling on his face, which forced one eye shut and caused him to gasp in pain.
"This isn't right…"
Yu Xiaogang stared at the map, brow furrowed: "According to the markings, this should be within the Ghost Vine's activity zone. Why are we encountering only these miscellaneous threats?"
Ferdinand could endure no longer. He snatched the map, glanced at it briefly, and threw it to the ground.
"Where did this map come from?"
Yu Xiaogang looked embarrassed: "I purchased it from a so-called veteran adventurer."
"Veteran adventurer?"
Ferdinand gave a cold laugh. "The coordinates on this map are at least twenty years old! The terrain and soul beast distribution in the Star Dou Great Forest change every year. What use is such an antique?"
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth but found no reply.
Tang San, face half swollen, asked in a muffled voice: "Teacher, where exactly is the Ghost Vine?"
Ferdinand took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to curse.
"Ghost Vines do prefer damp environments, but not in this vicinity. From what I know of their distribution, they should be deeper in, closer to water sources. However…"
He glanced cautiously at the pitiful state of his two companions and said quietly: "It is impossible today. We must first find a safe place to rest and recover. We will continue tomorrow."
"ROAR!"
At that moment, an earth-shaking roar erupted from ahead.
The ground trembled faintly; leaves rained down.
An overwhelmingly terrifying aura pressed upon them like a mountain. All three turned deathly pale.
Ferdinand's voice cracked: "That aura belongs to at least a five-thousand-year soul beast! Run—now!"
Yu Xiaogang sprinted ahead, legs pumping like windmill blades, utterly devoid of any "master" dignity.
Tang San gritted his teeth, circulating the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track lightness skill, and hurried to keep pace.
Director Ferdinand, finally unable to restrain himself, cursed aloud: "Yu Xiaogang, you truly are a damned坑货 (pit-digger)!"