Perhaps it was because Lily never joined the Immortal guild like the others.

Three years ago, she had burned her life force to save Ray. After he woke, something changed between them. She no longer acted as close, an invisible gap opening where warmth once existed.

Aside from classes and cultivation, Lily rarely interacted with them. Ray sensed it clearly, but he didn't know why—and didn't dare ask.

Lily glanced at Raziel Phoenix. "That's right. Got any brilliant ideas now that we're here?"

Raziel Phoenix grinned slyly. "Since we're here, can we get some special treatment? Violetta's about to hit three rings. Can you use your connections to help her pick a good spirit soul?"

Lily turned to Violetta.

Under her gaze, Violetta flushed pink. "Big sister Lily, if it's not too much trouble…"

A gentle smile curved Lily's lips. "It's no trouble at all. I'll help you choose when the time comes."

"Thank you, big sister, Lily!" Violetta said happily.

Ray smiled as well. Of the four, he needed another spirit soul the least. Goldlight was already a thousand-year spirit soul, capable of supplying his third ring.

What truly intrigued him was Lily's standing within the Spirit Tower. From what he observed, the staff treated her with exceptional courtesy, and she responded naturally, as though it were expected. It was clear she was well-regarded.

They inserted their cards and lay down in their respective compartments.

The familiar sensation followed.

Space warped. Darkness gave way to light. Fresh air rushed over them.

They had arrived.

The rebellion elementary spirit ascension platform.

For class zero, this place was no longer threatening. At one point, they had even survived seven consecutive days, much to the Spirit Tower's dismay. Since then, their visits were politely discouraged.

The soul beasts here were condensed energy. The more they killed, the greater the Spirit Tower's losses. Moreover, all four of them consistently absorbed spirit energy near their limits.

"Stay alert," Ray ordered.

"Yes, captain!" the three answered in unison.

Though Ray had the lowest cultivation among them, his position as the team's core had been firmly established over the years.

He led by action.

Whenever danger appeared, he stood at the front. He was their shield, their anchor, and their commander. His judgment, tactics, and composure earned unanimous trust.

As Raziel Phoenix often said, "Let the captain handle the annoying stuff."

Ray moved to the forefront. His Silverfalls Vine spread across the ground, forming a sensory web with a radius of fifteen meters. It functioned like an external nervous system, detecting even the faintest disturbances.

Violetta and Lily flanked him, while Raziel Phoenix guarded the rear, moving backward yet matching their pace with ease.

Purple light occasionally flashed through Ray's eyes—the mark of Purple Demon Eyes. He had already reached the second stage, his spiritual power soaring.

Still, Lily reigned supreme in that regard.

A year ago, she had surpassed five hundred points and entered the Spirit Sea realm. Her current spiritual power exceeded seven hundred, placing her in a league entirely her own.

Ray, meanwhile, was stalled at 499 points.

One step away.

One maddening step.

Violetta had broken past four hundred through relentless effort. Raziel Phoenix trailed behind in the mid-two-hundreds, yet even that was monstrous compared to their peers.

The Spirit Sea realm could theoretically support three purple spirit souls, totaling nine soul rings. Even as a theory, it was an extraordinary milestone.

Ray waited patiently, like a fisherman casting his net. At thirteen, he had time. At most, a year.

Then—

"It's too quiet," Ray murmured, frowning.

The rebellion spirit ascension platform was normally chaotic. Silence meant only one thing.

A powerful soul beast ruled this territory.

And nothing else dared draw near.

The instant Ray spoke, Lily flicked her wrist. A spiral of green light shot skyward, twisting as it rose before shaping itself into a viridescent bird. With a clear cry, it beat its wings and vanished into the distance.

A heartbeat later, a second streak followed. Then a third. A fourth.

Each flew off in a different direction.

Ray did not move. He waited, eyes steady, allowing the reconnaissance to return before committing to any course. The elementary rebellion spirit ascension platform was rarely dangerous for them now, but "rarely" was not the same as "never." One unexpected encounter could still spell disaster.

His thoughts flickered back to their first visit. The hundred-year Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear. That overwhelming presence. That single, terrifying swipe that could end a life in an instant.

Some soul beasts did not care how confident you were.

"It's a pride of lions," Lily said quietly, less than half a minute later. "Activity detected to the left."

Blazing Demon Lions.

Ray's gaze sharpened. They were apex predators of the platform, and he still remembered clearly how the pride had once hunted them like prey.

"How many?" he asked.

Lily lowered her voice. "Based on the tracks… around fifteen. Possibly more."

Ray inhaled slowly.

A standard pride meant one Blazing Demon Lion King, most likely a thousand-year soul beast, with numerous lionesses beneath it. The true danger lay in uncertainty. If even two of the lions were at the thousand-year level, the fight would be brutal. Victory would come at a cost, if at all.

"We'll go the other way," Ray said after a moment, firm and measured.

Raziel Phoenix turned to him, eyes bright with barely contained excitement. "Captain, we can take them. I still remember how they slaughtered us back then. It's our turn now."

Ray frowned. "If there's more than one thousand-year beast, we'll be in real trouble. I can't gamble with everyone's safety."

Even here, even in a place where death wasn't permanent, he bore responsibility as captain.

Raziel Phoenix stepped closer. "But think about it. Nothing challenges us here anymore. If we want to improve, we need pressure. This isn't a real battlefield. Even if things go wrong, we can withdraw. I think we'll be fine, even against two-thousand-year-old beasts."

Ray didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Lily. "What do you think?"

Lily met his eyes calmly. "I agree with Raziel Phoenix. Without difficulty, there's no growth. We should try. If we're outmatched, we retreat."

Ray then looked at Violetta.

She giggled softly. "I'll follow whatever you decide, Captain."

Ray exhaled, decision settling like a stone. "Lily, keep reconnaissance active, but don't get close. We move after nightfall."

Even now, he never neglected caution. Once night arrived, Violetta's Starwheel Ice Staff would reach peak effectiveness, amplified by darkness and her second soul ring. Their overall combat strength would rise sharply.

Meanwhile, the Blazing Demon Lions would weaken as the density of fire elements in the air diminished.

Lily summoned a larger wind bird and sent it gliding toward the pride. Ray gestured, and the group began advancing in the same direction, slow and silent.

In the elementary spirit ascension platform, few would even consider challenging a thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion. Entire teams of three-ring soul masters would be wiped out in moments.

But Ray's team moved forward with quiet confidence.

They had entered the platform at noon. Evening was drawing near. Timing was on their side.

Raziel Phoenix and Lily both had three soul rings and ample room to absorb more spirit energy. Ray's two rings already held nearly four thousand years' worth of spirit energy. According to Alfred's calculations, his limit was five thousand years for now, increasing to six thousand upon obtaining his third ring.

What Alfred did not know was that Ray's ambitions stretched far beyond those numbers.

He understood what breaking the second seal meant. His body's tolerance would rise dramatically. Perhaps… enough to nurture a ten-thousand-year spirit soul.

At the very least, he would move one step closer.

His goal had never changed.

A ten-thousand-year spirit soul for his fourth ring.

Under Alfred's guidance, class zero had long outgrown the horizons of ordinary soul masters. All four of them aimed for the same distant summit.

Battle armor master.

With Ray at the front, they advanced like seasoned hunters. He constantly adjusted their route, ensuring they stayed downwind of the pride. A single shift in the breeze could alert the lion king, ending everything before it began.

The absence of other soul beasts confirmed their suspicions. The Blazing Demon Lions dominated this territory absolutely.

"They're about one kilometer ahead," Lily reported softly. "Resting. No signs of movement."

Ray halted. "We wait here until night."

Raziel Phoenix vanished in a blur, reappearing high among the branches, his presence all but erased as he surveyed the surroundings. Violetta and Lily sat down to conserve energy, while Ray remained standing, alert and still.

They needed no further instructions.

Time passed quietly.

Night descended.

Lily was still meditating. The lions hadn't moved.

Then, suddenly, her brows drew together. Her eyes snapped open as she turned to Ray.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Another group," Lily said. "They've encountered the lions. A fight may break out soon."

Ray's eyes narrowed. "Are they engaging or holding back?"

"They're passive. It seems accidental."

Ray's lips curved slightly. "Then we move."

Without hesitation, he surged forward. The others followed instantly, their movements perfectly synchronized. Soul power fluctuations were suppressed to a minimum. No martial souls were summoned. They relied solely on instinct and experience, slipping through the wilderness like shadows.

Moments later, roars thundered through the forest. The metallic tang of blood drifted through the air. Human shouts followed, mixed with violent ripples of soul power.

Ray did not rush straight in.

Instead, he veered to the side, circling the battlefield, eyes already calculating the moment when hunters would become executioners.

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