After leaving Hu Liena's dorm, Gu Chen did not return to the cave where he had been earlier but instead made his way out of the Soul Master Academy.
Without any hindrances, Gu Chen arrived at the commercial street of Soul City. He found a secluded corner, less traveled by people.
Perhaps due to the Night Cloak he was wearing, even though his attire was quite odd, few people noticed him.
Click! Click!
Turning into a narrow alley, Gu Chen's slender fingers under his black robe twirled something shaped like a pistol.
At the end of the alley, Xie Yue stood alone, his face covered by a white mask. He was waiting for his sister, Hu Liena.
"Why hasn't Liena arrived yet? It's a bit strange," Xie Yue said aloud. Suddenly, a sense of danger struck him.
Xie Yue immediately became alert, releasing his martial soul, the Moon Blade, as he looked toward the entrance of the alley.
A man in a black robe appeared, his face hidden beneath the cloak. He raised his right hand, and a dark hole was revealed beneath his black robe.
"You..." Xie Yue began to speak, but before he could finish, the dark hole flashed with bursts of light.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The silencer perfectly muffled the sound of bullets firing. A continuous barrage of twenty bullets spun at high speed, penetrating Xie Yue's heart with intense heat.
Ugh.
Xie Yue struggled to extend his hand, clutching his heart. His eyes widened in shock. This weapon was completely outside of his knowledge!
Thud!
Life drained from him as he collapsed to the ground. But his will to survive drove him to crawl toward the opposite direction from the black-robed man.
Click! Click! Click!
The sound of bullets being loaded into a magazine echoed, marking the countdown of Xie Yue's life. After twenty clicks, the magazine was inserted into a scorpion-style pistol.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Another barrage of twenty bullets struck Xie Yue, this time hitting his forehead, creating twenty neat blood holes.
Xie Yue could no longer move, and even a single finger was beyond his control. Completely devoid of life, his head fell, and he became silent, his body left lifeless.
"Huff~"
Gu Chen blew the smoke rising from the scorpion-style pistol, which had heated up after firing. After reloading another magazine, he put the pistol back into his system backpack, and walked away without looking back.
Now, only Yan remained.
Gu Chen made his way to the small forest behind the Soul Master Academy. Though it was called a "small forest," it was actually one of the academy's simulated training areas.
In this forest, there were soul beasts such as the Phantom Wolves, Bloodsucking Bats, and Ghost Vines.
As soon as Gu Chen entered the forest, he noticed Yan not far away.
However, instead of approaching, he used his spiritual energy to scan the surroundings.
Within his range of perception, there were quite a few soul beasts.
Forty-nine 100-year-old Phantom Wolves, one hundred twenty-three Bloodsucking Bats, and nineteen Ghost Vines.
Gu Chen silently released his Dragon Might, suppressing all the soul beasts within his perception, and communicated with them one by one.
His identity as the Soul Beast Lord made these creatures bow to him in complete submission.
"A good show is about to begin."
A hundred meters away, Gu Chen sat atop the leader of a 900-year-old Phantom Wolf, a strange smile on his face.
At this time, it was deep into the night.
"Why hasn't Liena come yet? Could she be lying to me?" Yan, already temperamental, paced back and forth in impatience.
Howl!
"A soul beast?" Hearing the beast's roar, Yan immediately became alert. His Fire Lord martial soul activated, but he wasn't too worried. After all, dealing with a few 100-year-old soul beasts was a piece of cake for him.
However, from all directions in the dark forest, ghostly green lights flashed, and there were at least eighty of them!
"Dammit, Phantom Wolves! At least forty of them! How could this happen!" Yan's face turned pale. "Could Liena be trying to betray me? Or is it because of Gu Chen and his group? Liena doesn't trust me and wants to silence me?"
Howl! Howl! Howl!
The Phantom Wolf pack charged forward, leaping at Yan.
Bang!
Yan's first soul skill, Fire Lord Fist, was unleashed. His flaming fist struck the jaw of one of the Phantom Wolves, deforming its face.
The Phantom Wolf was sent flying, crashing into a nearby tree, whining as it struggled to breathe—its life was almost gone.
Yan's only chance now was to fight his way through the Phantom Wolf pack and escape this forest. If he could reach the academy, he could seek help from the teachers.
But just then, a screeching sound broke his hope, and he saw hundreds of blood-red eyes in the sky. Over a hundred Bloodsucking Bats dived toward him, their sharp claws sinking into his flesh and their mandibles stabbing him.
At the same time, thick vines shot from beneath his feet, entangling him and tripping him to the ground. The Ghost Vines had successfully captured him.
At this point, Yan had no hope of escape.
Over forty Phantom Wolves, more than a hundred Bloodsucking Bats, and a Ghost Vine all swarmed him, tearing him apart.
The sounds of agony filled the air, but after a few moments, the small forest fell silent once more.
"Ding!"
"Mission complete. Rewards have been added to the system backpack. Please check."
"System, what does 'unlimited supply' mean?" Gu Chen asked.
"Ding!"
"Five sets of Paper Chicks and steel wires will always be available in the system backpack. If any are taken, the system will automatically replenish them."
Gu Chen nodded and then looked toward the Phantom Wolf leader and the Bloodsucking Bat leader.
"Well done," Gu Chen said, patting the Phantom Wolf leader's head and gently stroking the Bloodsucking Bat leader's small head.
Howl~
Squeak~
Both beasts quickly bowed in submission, showing their respect toward Gu Chen.
"Well, I'll be going now. We may meet again someday," Gu Chen smiled, turned, and left the forest.
Returning to his dormitory, Gu Chen first washed off the blood on him and then collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep.
The snoring was so loud that it made Luo Chen, who hadn't yet fallen asleep, furrow his brow.
The next day.
Around six in the morning, Gu Chen got up early, washed up briefly, and put on the Soul Master Academy's uniform before heading toward the Pope's Hall.
"Gu Chen, I request to see the Pope," Gu Chen told the guards at the entrance.
The guards had seen Gu Chen several times in recent days and said nothing, merely going in to report.
"Gu Chen, the Pope has requested your presence," the guard said, opening the door to the Pope's Hall.
Inside the hall, only Qian Xunji was present. Of course, hidden guards, including at least a few Title Douluo, were keeping watch.
"Well? You feel like a day isn't enough and want to extend the deadline? The Pope isn't so easily fooled!" Qian Xunji said with a half-smile as he saw Gu Chen.
Gu Chen wasn't bothered and calmly replied, "Pope, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan are dead!"
"What?!" Qian Xunji was stunned.