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[Issuer: Writer'san]
Thank you [RrJ], [David], [Oluwatimileyin Olayemi], [Lamentad], [Anaral] for your support.
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Behind the pack, a massive wolf loomed — its appearance striking and imposing.
At the front were thinner wolves, sleek and black like foxes. Their bony frames gave off an aura of cunning, speed, and ferocity.
The large wolf, however, was a stark contrast. Its body was muscular and powerful, eyes gleaming with intelligence. On its forehead, a patch of white fur stood out, resembling a third eye.
[Ding!A sound chimed from the system.]
[Spirit Beast Name: Netherwolf, Category: Beast, Years of Cultivation: 5,700, Compatible Spirit Types: Beast Spirit, Dark Spirit, Speed Spirit]
Five thousand seven hundred years...Lin Jin was slightly taken aback. This thing is no weakling.
Among the rest of the Netherwolves, over a dozen had cultivated for over a thousand years, and more than thirty for over five hundred.
Even the weakest among them had cultivated for at least a hundred years — far from ordinary.
From their earlier conversation, Lin Jin had gathered a rough idea of why they were being hunted. Still, he doubted they expected to stir up such a hornet's nest.
The wolves crept forward, step by step.
Though they outnumbered the humans, the brutal attacks from Ding Sanshi and the man called Lao Gao had left many of their kind dead, and that had shaken them.
Ding Sanshi's gaze was fixed on the large wolf behind the pack.
His expression was hard to read, but his mind was racing.
"If I can just take down that leader... the others might scatter. We might make it out."
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
"Hm?"
He had spotted something odd not far from them. A small group of Netherwolves had broken formation and surrounded a large tree.
Beneath it, faint embers still glowed — remnants of a fire.
But no one was there.
Realization dawned on Ding Sanshi. His eyes lit up.
The tree wasn't within the core of the wolves' formation — it was near the edge, and not far from the alpha.
"Hey! You over there!" Ding Sanshi called out, a sliver of hope in his voice.
"..."
Shen Xin glanced at Lin Jin, who subtly motioned for silence. They were perched high on a thick branch, hidden by leaves.
Ding Sanshi couldn't see them — only the wolves could sense their presence through scent.
"What is he trying to do?" Lin Jin narrowed his eyes, listening intently.
"I'm Ding Sanshi, the teaching director at Blackstone Spirit Division Junior Academy!" the man called out.
"If you help us take down the alpha, I promise you a generous reward once we're out of here!"
Lin Jin gave a faint, sardonic smile.
Leaning toward Shen Xin, he whispered, "You know what that's called? A blank check. Sounds nice, but he's offering promises, not proof."
"Remember that."
Shen Xin nodded, eyes gleaming with understanding.
Meanwhile, Ding Sanshi grew increasingly anxious. I just wanted to let you know that there was no reply.
He had no idea how many people were hiding in that tree, but anyone who could survive in the Star Forest was no amateur.
Even a Spirit Grand Master-level cultivator would be a tremendous help.
Still, he knew words alone might not be enough. Who would willingly step into danger for a stranger's promise?
He took a deep breath. The wolves were starting to move again — slowly, deliberately.
Time was running out.
But he couldn't give up. Turning toward the tree, he shouted once more:
"I know I've brought trouble to your doorstep — but if you can, please help these children!"
Then Ding Sanshi pointed to three of the children. One of them was pale, completely bloodless, with a look of despair flickering in his eyes.
He's the one who absorbed the spirit ring of the Netherwolf, Lin Jin realized.
The wolves can smell it on him. He's their target.
Lin Jin's eyes shifted slightly, but he remained silent.
Awooo!
Suddenly, the alpha wolf at the back let out a piercing howl.
In unison, all the Netherwolves bared their fangs, lowered their bodies, and growled low in their throats — poised to strike.
Perched on the tree branch, Lin Jin let out a soft sigh. Then he turned to Shen Xin beside him.
"It's time. Stay here. Don't move, no matter what. Understand?"
"Dean!"
Shen Xin grabbed his sleeve, eyes wide and brimming with worry.
She could already sense what he was about to do.
Lin Jin smiled gently and pinched her cheek.
"It's okay. I'll show you what your dean is capable of."
He turned back toward the wolves. His eyes sharpened with killing intent.
Awooo!
With another chilling howl from the alpha, the wolves launched their attack.
Ding Sanshi had already ushered three students toward the tree's base. Now, only he and Lao Gao remained to hold the line.
Ding Sanshi stood ready with an iron sword, tense and alert.
Lao Gao, a beast spirit master, was beside him — though Lin Jin couldn't quite make out the nature of his spirit.
"Kill!" Ding Sanshi roared, his second spirit ring glowing beneath him. His sword instantly transformed into a heavy blade — a mighty epee.
With one clean strike, he brought it down on the oncoming wolf.
They always said wolves had copper heads and iron waists, but this one's skull split open like a ripe melon.
Blood and brain matter sprayed across the ground like spilled paint from a dye shop.
The entire pack's attention snapped to Ding Sanshi and Lao Gao.
And that was when Lin Jin made his move.
He dropped from the tree like a flash of lightning, landing right in the middle of several Netherwolves.
He gripped a long ruler glowing with silver-white spirit power in his hand, radiating a solemn majesty.
It was no ordinary weapon. It pulsed with the spirit of countless scholars, like an artifact forged from knowledge itself.
Lin Jin murmured under his breath:
"Heaven and Earth bear righteousness; the manifold forms of all things dwell within! Below is the mountain; above, the sun and stars."
The righteous energy surged around him, strong and pure — the energy that naturally countered darkness and evil.
The Netherwolves, creatures of shadow and stealth, recoiled instinctively.
Their bodies trembled before the pressure of Lin Jin's aura.
Each time his ruler struck, it came down with the weight of a mountain.
The blows weren't always fatal, but each one left the wolves crippled and howling in pain, stripped of the will to fight.
There weren't many wolves surrounding him, and none with high cultivation.
After Lin Jin incapacitated several of them, the rest hesitated. Fear took root. They didn't dare approach.
From the battlefield, Ding Sanshi finally caught sight of the figure who had been hiding in the tree.
The moment he recognized Lin Jin, his eyes widened — even in the thick of combat, he froze for half a second.
Sensing his gaze, Lin Jin turned and offered a half-smile, playful and calm amidst the chaos.
"Get them out," he said coolly, then turned back and charged toward the wolves once more.
Ding Sanshi's face grew serious.
But with no hesitation, he steeled himself and rushed into the pack — determined to buy Lin Jin the time he needed.