Chapter 109: Soul Annihilation

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The Hidden Spirit Flame Ring.

Legend had it that this was an extraordinarily powerful fire-element ring. Forged over ten years from meteoric iron, numerous magical metals, and the flames of the earth’s core, then hand-carved and enchanted over the course of several decades, it was a spatial ring that possessed both the properties of a high-grade fire-element artifact and an immense storage capacity. It was one of the rarest and most precious treasures in existence.

Of course, such a priceless wonder would never be entrusted to Xu Wen so readily by the various deans of Nottingham.

Only after Xu Wen put the ring on did he learn that it was merely a replica of the Hidden Spirit Flame Ring—the sole successful imitation produced after Dean Hallman led numerous great fire-element archmages in years of research.

Although it lacked the astonishing reserves of fire-element energy possessed by the original and could not slightly accelerate the condensation of magic, its wearer could draw thirty percent of their mental energy reserves from the ring once each day. Moreover, its storage space was as vast as the library of Azure Cloud Academy. Its value was no less than that of any seven-star top-grade artifact.

Xu Wen slowly caressed the ring on his finger. A rich surge of fire-element magical energy swiftly enveloped him, spreading like an ocean and rapidly surrounding the strand of mental energy he had extended inside.

A world of crimson fire!

And on the other side...

Within a vast, empty space, numerous objects from Dean Hallman’s living quarters and cultivation chamber had been neatly arranged.

There were countless bottles and jars, books and manuals, equipment, magic staffs, partially enchanted scroll fragments, and high-strength testing stones.

“Your teacher is truly remarkable. In his spare time, he is either studying magic or immersing himself in alchemy and artifact forging. He collaborated with every instructor in the Fire Magic Division. One could say that he was the most conscientious dean in the history of Azure Cloud Academy...”

Dean Nottingham’s voice rang out, drawing Xu Wen’s mental energy back from the ring.

“All of this is really being entrusted to me?”

“Of course. You are his only student, and only you have the right to safeguard it.” Dean Nottingham nodded firmly.

“This student will take good care of everything!”

“I believe you can do it.”

Dean Nottingham then drew a thin booklet from his sleeve and smiled at Xu Wen.

“This is the collection of fire-element magic you asked for. There are not many spells inside, but all of them were copied from the instructors of the Fire Magic Division. They may prove useful to you.”

“Wonderful!”

Xu Wen’s eyes lit up. He accepted the booklet with trembling hands and began to flip through it.

There truly were not many spells, and some were duplicates of those Dean Hallman had left him. Even so, several previously unseen intermediate and advanced Earth Emperor–rank spells filled him with excitement.

“Please thank the instructors of the Fire Magic Division on my behalf.”

“We will.” Dean Nottingham nodded, then continued, “Go back. It would not be good for you to remain here too long. Remember this: you must never take Dean Hallman’s belongings out in front of anyone, and you must not tell anyone about them. Otherwise, you will bring endless trouble upon yourself.”

“This student understands!”

After answering solemnly, Xu Wen stroked the replica of the Hidden Spirit Flame Ring. Its red exterior immediately changed until it looked no different from an ordinary storage ring.

Dean Nottingham and the others nodded approvingly, and only then did Xu Wen leave the carriage.

When he returned to the other students, all kinds of gazes turned toward him from every direction, most of them filled with envy and jealousy. Even the six who had come down earlier knew that since Xu Wen had remained in the carriage for so long, he must have gained something else.

Xu Wen’s expression remained calm as he returned to his original place. The moment he sat down, He Chen threw out a bombshell.

“Hey, Brother Xu, you establish the group and I’ll be vice-captain. The three of us can work together to form an elite group. What do you say?”

Xu Wen stared blankly at He Chen’s sincere, excited face, then glanced at Saqich, who was looking up at the sky with an expression of obvious displeasure.

“I don’t want to delay my cultivation. I can join any group.”

Only then did Saqich’s expression improve somewhat.

“That makes sense. If people find out that our captain is a fifteen-year-old boy, who would be willing to join? Big Brother He Chen, you should lead it... Junior Brother Xu, if you don’t mind that our temple is small, you can join us.”

He was clearly in favor of He Chen forming the group.

“How can that be?” He Chen hesitated. He understood Xu Wen’s talent and strength better than anyone. If Xu Wen became captain, he would certainly do an excellent job. Yet Saqich’s words also made sense.

Xu Wen smiled indifferently.

“Let’s do it that way. Senior Brother He, you establish the group. I’ll join in name, but I’m accustomed to acting alone. In the future, I may often be unable to participate in group activities.”

“That’s not a problem. We don’t have to act together all the time,” Saqich said.

“Then it’s settled.”

Xu Wen and Saqich worked together to force He Chen into the position, firmly establishing him as captain.

Once the decision was made, Saqich immediately went around persuading people. The two other students from the Fire Magic Division were naturally recruited, along with eight students from several other divisions.

Compared with Xu Wen’s reputation, the name of the eccentric genius He Chen was indeed remarkably renowned. He was also a capable alchemist, giving him a certain advantage in attracting followers.

Afterward, Erin came running over when she heard the news.

The other five people also began secretly approaching everyone and had each gathered a small group of followers. Erin’s side included the black demon swordsman Cheng Ping. However, since most of the students from the Demon Swordsman Division had joined him, Erin wanted to stay as far away from those two senior brothers as possible and had refused. Upon learning that Xu Wen had joined He Chen’s as-yet-unnamed mercenary group, she signed up without the slightest hesitation.

The arrival of a beautiful girl was naturally greeted enthusiastically by He Chen and Saqich.

Erin’s presence greatly increased the group’s reputation and attracted several nearby students to join voluntarily. The mercenary group’s core membership suddenly swelled to eighteen.

The next day.

As departure approached, the one hundred and seventy-five students of Azure Cloud Academy quietly formed six major groups.

The first was the Black Horse Mercenary Group, a rather rustic name, led by the most prestigious of them all, Ma Jiyang. He had attracted thirty-eight followers—more than one-fifth of the total number of students.

Second was Nangong Wanrou’s Wind Spirit Mercenary Group. Relying on her family’s prestige, her pure and graceful appearance, and her own considerable talent, she had won the support of numerous admirers and most of the female students. The group had thirty-one members.

The third group was the greatest surprise to everyone.

The taciturn defensive warrior Meng Yi had somehow recruited one more person than the handsome frost demon swordsman Stephen Lomond’s Frost Heaven Mercenary Group, bringing his total to twenty-seven. The mercenary group he founded was called the Rock.

Only in fifth place was the Soul Destroyers Mercenary Group, named by He Chen and Xu Wen, with twenty members. Two more people joined after hearing the news.

The smallest group was led by the black demon swordsman Cheng Ping. It had nineteen members and was named after him—the Cheng Ping Mercenary Group. Although it had the fewest members, it possessed the greatest potential for growth, since the Demon Swordsman Division had a very large base.

One hundred and sixty-one people had chosen their destinations.

The remaining fourteen unaffiliated students had yet to make up their minds. Some were still lost and uncertain, while others had no intention of joining an academy mercenary group.

Even so, these people became the fresh recruits desired by the six major mercenary groups. An invisible competition quietly unfolded among the students.

The next day, they once again made an urgent march.

This time, everyone was prepared, and conditions were better than on the first day, though many people still ran into trouble.

Only Xu Wen’s group had one beast hide for every member. Everyone easily kept pace with the convoy until camp was made at dusk, and not a single person fell behind. Their performance aroused intense envy from those around them.

Saqich suggested that Xu Wen take out a few more beast hides to win people over, but Xu Wen refused.

In Xu Wen’s view, a mercenary group was not necessarily better simply because it had more people. Nor did they need to rely on benefits to attract new members. Such a group might continue expanding rapidly for a short time, but its nature would change. In the end, that was not the path they sought for lasting development.

“Brother Xu is right. The reason they didn’t choose us in the first place is that they doubt our strength. Using tricks like this to lure them in is too naive. Even if they truly agree to join, there’s no guarantee they won’t waver when faced with greater benefits in the future.”

Everyone nodded one after another.

After swallowing pills that dispelled fatigue, the twenty members sat cross-legged around a campfire and seized every moment to cultivate.

The name Soul Destroyers contained the meaning of annihilating the Dark Empire’s archmage, Revenant. The mercenary group’s purpose was to wipe away the shame suffered by the Azure Cloud Empire and avenge Dean Hallman.

Yet Soul Destroyers was also the weakest and most inexperienced of the six major mercenary groups. If they wanted to secure a place in Blood Mansion and establish themselves successfully within the Magical Beast Mountains, they had to work hard to improve as quickly as possible and strengthen the group.

Over the next three days, aside from one person named Lei Ao, nearly all of the remaining thirteen unaffiliated students were recruited by the five mercenary groups. The Cheng Ping Mercenary Group also escaped the embarrassment of being ranked last, pushing Soul Destroyers into the bottom position.

However, no one dared to underestimate Soul Destroyers.

The captains of the other five mercenary groups all knew that Soul Destroyers possessed two talents favored by the deans.

There was no need to mention He Chen.

As for Xu Wen, despite his young age, he had already mastered three-star Profound Heaven–rank magic. As Dean Hallman’s personal disciple, he was clearly the genius most highly regarded by the deans among everyone making this journey. In the future, Soul Destroyers would certainly achieve no less than any of them.

Moreover, Soul Destroyers had not aggressively recruited members, so the competition had not directly involved them. The journey remained calm and uneventful until they entered the territory of the Blood Alliance.

Under the enthusiastic escort of the Blood Alliance, the convoy transformed into a massive formation of flying beasts. Three days later, everyone arrived at Blood Mansion.

Blood Mansion was not located in the capital of the Blood Alliance. Instead, it had developed into a large, independent city.

This was a true world of mercenaries. The shopkeepers, the people serving tea and water, the residents, and the pedestrians in the streets were all cultivators, most of them by no means weak.

Any student here could serve as a temporary instructor for newcomers, while every mercenary association could function as a temporary academy, providing newly enrolled students with instructional materials and mission information.

All the mercenary associations were linked together.

Their information was updated simultaneously, somewhat like the Internet on Earth.

Although the students of Azure Cloud Academy had heard about this long before, standing here in person, they were still deeply shaken by the Blood Alliance’s flourishing martial spirit and profound foundations.

So this was Blood Mansion?