"Bang!"

  Yun Shu pulled the trigger, and a specially made concussion grenade hit the ground right in front of the mage’s feet. A violent shockwave exploded with a roar, carrying a strong air current that sent the mage flying. The incantation in his mouth was abruptly cut off, and his whole body was swept away like a broken kite, slamming heavily several meters away, no longer able to gather spiritual power.

  In the blink of an eye, Mo Jing and the other three resolved the enemy’s first wave of attacks with lightning speed.

  The face of the young man in luxurious clothes, Han Xiao, changed drastically, filled with disbelief. He never thought that these seemingly inexperienced students from Wensique Academy would be so tricky—his carefully arranged opening move couldn’t even withstand one blow from them.

  "A bunch of losers!" Han Xiao roared angrily, unable to contain himself any longer. He stepped forward personally, drew his bow and nocked three arrows. The three arrows, glowing with a cold blue light, gathered on the string, and the arrowheads exuded a pungent stench—obviously dipped in deadly poison. He released his hand suddenly, and the three poisoned arrows shot at Mo Jing’s vital points in a triangular formation, with a shrill whoosh, extremely vicious.

  Mo Jing’s expression remained unchanged. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, and the Seven-Star Overlord Spear in her hand suddenly spun like a wheel, creating an impenetrable wall of spear shadows.

  "Ding! Ding! Ding!"

  Three clear clangs of metal colliding rang out in succession. The three poisoned arrows were accurately knocked away by the spear tip, nailing into a distant tree trunk and instantly corroding a black pit. Before Han Xiao could react, Mo Jing stamped her foot hard, and fine cracks exploded on the ground. Her figure shot forward like an arrow from a bow, closing in on Han Xiao in the blink of an eye with the momentum of breaking wind!

  "Thunder Flash!"

  Mo Jing let out a low shout, perfectly fusing the violent energy of the thunder gem with her own martial arts. The Seven-Star Overlord Spear turned into a dazzling streak of thunder, shooting out like a dragon, piercing straight at Han Xiao’s chest with the power of tearing the air.

  Han Xiao was terrified, his soul almost flying out of his body. In his haste, he raised his long bow and blocked it in front of him.

  "Crack——!"

  With a crisp sound, the high-quality long bow, made of fine iron and spiritual wood, was split in two by the spear! Before the broken bow could hit the ground, the remaining thunder energy surged up Han Xiao’s arm along the broken end, spreading all over his body in an instant. He trembled violently, his hair standing on end, let out a shrill scream, and flew backward, slamming heavily into the mud. His brocade robe was covered in dirt, extremely embarrassed.

  The four followers shouted in unison, wanting to step forward to help, but were forced back by the cold gaze Mo Jing cast. That gaze was devoid of any warmth, as if looking at a dead person, making their hearts turn cold, and they dared not take another step forward.

  Mo Jing stood tall with her spear, the tip pointing at the collapsed Han Xiao from a distance, her voice as cold as ice in the depths of winter: "Leave. If I see you again, it won’t just be a bow that breaks."

  Han Xiao struggled to get up from the ground, his arm numb and weak, and his chest boiling with qi and blood. He glared at Mo Jing with hatred, his lips moving as if he wanted to spit out some harsh words. But when he met Mo Jing’s eyes—calm, bottomless, like an abyss—his heart suddenly turned cold, and all the harsh words got stuck in his throat. In the end, he could only grit his teeth, take his four followers, and sneak into the dense forest in embarrassment, disappearing from everyone’s sight quickly.

  This little episode did not disrupt the group’s plan. The four quickly divided their tasks, carefully picked the Ice Crystal Lotus by the cold pool, and then searched the surrounding dense forest carefully. After confirming there were no other ambushes or valuable clues, they immediately set off and left this place of trouble.

  The rest of the training went surprisingly smoothly.

  With the sophisticated equipment enhanced by Professor Jiu, the increasingly tacit cooperation between the four, and the real-time early warning from Yun Shu’s scout beetles, they moved freely in the mountain forest. For several consecutive days, they successfully hunted several more suitable beginner-level spirit beasts. With her precise healing and support, Yun Juan, and Ji Wuli with his unpredictable illusions, each obtained their desired spirit cores, and their strength quietly improved in actual combat.

  On the eve of the end of the summer vacation, Mo Jing and the other three returned triumphantly to Wensique Academy.

  The spirit cores they handed in, both in quantity and quality, were far ahead among the new students, making them outstanding. This caused a small sensation in the academy, and many teachers and students looked at this powerful four-person team with admiration.

  But Mo Jing’s mind was no longer on this glory.

  As soon as she returned to the academy, she contacted Ji Ruxu immediately, telling him everything about the attack by Han Xiao during the training, and the suspicion that he was colluding with the Huixian Mansion. She also described Han Xiao’s appearance and style of acting in detail.

  "Perhaps the collusion between the Han family and the Huixian Mansion is far deeper than we expected." Mo Jing’s eyes were sharp, putting forward a bold guess, "Or even, the Huixian Mansion itself is a force secretly fostered by the Han family?"

  Ji Ruxu’s expression became even more solemn, his fingers tightening: "This matter is no trivial matter. I will report it to the family immediately and investigate thoroughly. You must also be careful in the academy. The Han family is known for being vengeful—they will never let this go."

  At the same time, in a heavily guarded luxurious mansion in the capital of the Northern Dynasty.

  In the main hall, the curtain hung low, blocking the outside view. Han Xiao was kneeling on the cold ground, trembling all over, reporting everything to a vague figure behind the curtain in fear.

  "...Young Master, that’s what happened. Those four students from Wensique Academy, especially the woman with the golden spear, are really too powerful... Your subordinate is no match for her at all, and even the long bow you gave me was split by her..."

  Behind the curtain, the figure fell silent for a moment, and the air around seemed to freeze. After a while, a cold and piercing voice came slowly, full of impatience: "Loser. You can’t even take down a few new students—what’s the use of keeping you?"

  "Yes! Yes! Your subordinate is incompetent! Please spare me, Young Master!" Han Xiao was terrified, kowtowing repeatedly, and blood soon appeared on his forehead.

  Hearing this, Han Xiao’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly echoed: "It’s her! It’s her! That woman’s name is Mo Jing! Your subordinate heard it clearly!"

  "Very good." The cold voice chuckled, with a chilling chill that made people’s hair stand on end, "I was just worried about not being able to find her, but she actually delivered herself to the door."

  He paused, his tone becoming deeper: "Keep an eye on them. I have a feeling that the clue to the ‘Ming Ge’ might fall into these kids’ hands..."

  "Yes! Your subordinate obeys!" Han Xiao replied quickly, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

  The curtain still hung low, and the darkness in the mansion seemed to swallow everything.

  At this moment, in Wensique Academy, under the seemingly peaceful campus life, undercurrents were quietly surging. Mo Jing was wholeheartedly looking for the trace of "Ming Ge", but she had no idea that she and her partners had already been targeted by more dangerous enemies.

  A huge storm that would sweep across Wensique Academy and even involve the entire Northern Dynasty was quietly brewing, ready to come.