Double standards were in full swing.
When Dai Mubai saw what happened, he immediately wanted to act, but Yun Feng, standing behind him, stopped him and pointed to the side. Confused, Dai Mubai looked in that direction, and after hearing Zhao Wuji's cough, he continued clearing the thorny bushes to help the group move forward.
Dai Mubai initially wanted to ask why, but seeing Yun Feng, he swallowed his question, not wanting to expose his ignorance.
Like Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai awakened his White Tiger Martial Soul early on and entered the power struggle for royal authority. Although he was protected, learning anything in that environment was stressful, and naturally, he didn't absorb much knowledge.
By the time he joined Shrek, he was still quite young, and once he escaped his oppressive past, he began to express his true nature. So despite being at Shrek Academy, his learning was limited at best.
The same goes for Oscar. Although he was born with full innate spirit power, he was only at level twenty-nine at fourteen and has just reached level thirty now. Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, at eleven, started with level nine spirit power and is now at level twenty-six. Flender often compared her to Oscar, pressuring her to work harder.
This situation reflected Shrek Academy's educational level.
But it wasn't only Dai Mubai; even Zhao Wuji was puzzled about Yun Feng's intentions. To him, killing a group of low-level spirit beasts wasn't a big deal. But in truth, this was a rule set by the Spirit Hall, though Zhao Wuji didn't care much about these regulations due to his own past with the Hall.
The Star Dou Forest was incredibly dense, so much so that the phrase "blocking out the sun" wasn't an exaggeration; even catching glimpses of sunlight within the forest was rare.
After about an hour of trekking, it was midday. Throughout the journey, they had encountered numerous spirit beasts, mostly ten- or hundred-year beasts, which they avoided. Occasionally, some reckless ones would approach, only to be swiftly dealt with by Dai Mubai's tiger claws.
Following Yun Feng's advice, Dai Mubai only injured or scared away the beasts rather than killing them. He didn't want to come across as completely clueless.
His reluctance to admit his ignorance was evident to almost everyone—it was too obvious, really.
"All right, everyone, let's take a break," Zhao Wuji's voice finally allowed the tense group to relax. Dai Mubai cleared the surrounding thorns, creating a small hundred-square-meter clearing for them to rest.
Everyone sat by the trees to recover. Although Oscar constantly restored their physical strength, their mental fatigue was harder to overcome.
They took out food from their soul-guided storage devices and drank water they had brought, taking a moment to recuperate.
Zhao Wuji allowed them an hour to rest. They were still in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest, where high-level spirit beasts were uncommon, making it relatively safe.
Their goal was to help Oscar hunt a thousand-year spirit beast, so they'd need to go deeper. The further they went, the more dangerous it would become, and rest time would be limited.
Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were all near Yun Feng, chatting happily. Tang San watched with a complex expression, feeling something was off. His feelings toward Yun Feng were complicated.
What was his original plan again? To find his little brother a girlfriend, believing that Yun Feng lacked the talent to become a great Spirit Master. It would be better to prepare for his future in other ways.
But now? Yun Feng had far surpassed him, even surpassing nearly everyone else. He was a true genius, while Tang San, with his own full innate spirit power, seemed relatively ordinary.
Xiao Wu was also the girl he had feelings for, so Tang San felt torn, unsure of what to do.
In the end, he could only let out a sigh, comforting himself. After all, Yun Feng and Xiao Wu weren't officially together yet, so he still had a chance.
Since they entered the forest, Xiao Wu had been lively, but after the first encounter with a spirit beast, her mood turned gloomy, as if something was bothering her. Zhu Zhuqing tried to ask, but Xiao Wu would only say she was fine.
Only Yun Feng knew why Xiao Wu was acting this way. Seeing their group's attitude toward hunting and killing spirit beasts naturally weighed on her.
Yun Feng chose not to say anything to comfort her and instead continued chatting casually with the girls.
While Yun Feng was talking to the girls, he suddenly received a message from Ah Yin in his mind.
"Yun Feng, I found the spirit beast you asked me to locate."
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Man-Faced Demon Spider you mentioned."
Hearing Ah Yin's message, Yun Feng felt a surge of joy.
The Eight Spider Lances were found!
All he had to do was defeat the Man-Faced Demon Spider before Tang San did, and the Eight Spider Lances would be his!
Suppressing his excitement, Yun Feng was about to say something to Ah Yin when she spoke again:
"Something's coming!"
Yun Feng, Tang San, and Zhao Wuji simultaneously turned their gazes toward a particular direction.
Zhao Wuji shouted loudly, "Everyone, get up! Something's approaching fast!"
Yun Feng also called out, "Prepare for battle!"
Receiving more information from Ah Yin, Yun Feng quickly realized what it was. Glancing at Oscar, he was determined not to let him obtain this spirit ring.
His reasoning was simple—he'd thought it through over time. With his system, he didn't need people like Oscar around him in the future.
He only wanted his women by his side, and he couldn't tolerate Oscar's habit of looking at them with a perverse gaze, whether intentional or not.
What's his was his; no one else could take it.
Zhu Zhuqing was the first to respond, followed by Tang San. Given her history of being chased, Zhu Zhuqing was naturally alert and reacted immediately when Zhao Wuji gave the order.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai seemed unfazed. Having spent years at Shrek, they had grown quite comfortable and trusted Zhao Wuji to protect them.
Yet, with the tension in the air, they too readied themselves for confrontation.
The rustling sound grew louder and louder, and even the support-oriented Spirit Masters like Oscar and Ning Rongrong could feel the speed of the approaching creature.
READ 30 CHAPTERS AHEAD OF EVERYONE FOR ONLY $7!
LINK: patr eon.com/SenatusPopulus