Heh-heh.
Sun Chuantao chuckled awkwardly. "It's not like I wanted to… I was just scared."
Hu Liena: "..."
Zhang Ping: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Su Linfeng was even more speechless.
What kind of trial is this?
It wasn't a trial at all—
It was him babysitting! And none of these kids were easy to look after.
Before long—
Three simple tents had been set up.
"Nana."
Yan hammered in the last peg with great effort, his face proud as he said to Hu Liena: "Your tent and Zhang Ping's are ready."
"Thank you."
Hu Liena smiled warmly.
That single smile nearly stole Yan's soul away. Her Martial Spirit was the Demon Fox, and every gesture carried natural allure.
Children were especially vulnerable to that charm.
And when she added that soft "thank you," Yan's confidence swelled. "Of course, for you I—"
But before he could finish, Hu Liena turned and waved happily toward the distance.
"Brother Su, the tent is ready! Come sleep with us!"
Yan: "..."
Su Linfeng: "..."
Utter silence.
Could it be that Hu Liena actually believed what Zhang Ping told her?
This was getting… complicated.
But before Su Linfeng could refuse, his brows suddenly furrowed. His tone turned sharp:
"Something's wrong. Everyone, gather around!"
The moment danger was mentioned—
The Golden Generation rushed to Su Linfeng's side in an instant.
"What is it?" Even Hu Liena, usually composed, was nervous for the first time.
"Spirit beasts. A lot of them."
A flash of fire lit in Su Linfeng's eyes as he continued: "We're already surrounded."
"What kind of beasts?" Xie Yue pressed.
"Nether Venom Spiders. At least several dozen." Su Linfeng's words were crisp and clear.
Nether Venom Spiders!
At that name, every member of the Golden Generation felt their hearts sink.
Though called "spiders," Nether Venom Spiders grew to half a meter or more, their size scaling with age, ranging from thirty to one hundred years old.
Their bodies were covered with black-green poison sacs, which secreted green corrosive slime carrying potent venom. Victims would suffer from paralyzed spiritual power, and even their spiritual power flow would become sluggish.
One spider alone wouldn't scare them.
But the key was—these beasts were social.
They hunted in groups.
And Su Linfeng had said it: there were dozens, closing in from every direction.
A hellish beginning!
Who would have thought they'd face nightmare-level difficulty the moment they entered Death Canyon? They might not even survive the first night, let alone an entire month.
To Su Linfeng, these spiders posed no threat. But to the Golden Generation, it was another story. Their strongest was only rank fifteen, their weakest—Xu Yu—was just rank eleven.
Now, Su Linfeng finally understood why they feared Death Canyon so much. Their growth really was bought with their lives.
"Xu Yu! Light!"
As a control-type spirit master, Hu Liena was the first to react. She exchanged a glance with her brother Xie Yue, then both of them moved to the front.
The Golden Generation responded with perfect coordination. Almost instantly, they shifted formation: Xu Yu in the center, Zhang Ping, Li Kai, and Sun Chuantao behind him, Yan at the rear, forming a 2 1 3–1 battle line.
The moment Hu Liena shouted "Light,"
Xu Yu activated his Martial Spirit Possession without hesitation. His Radiant Scepter burst with golden brilliance, illuminating a hundred meters around them.
Oh?
So the Radiant Scepter could be used this way?
Even Su Linfeng was surprised.
But now was not the time to study Xu Yu's spirit.
From afar, the others could already see the dense swarm of shadows. Su Linfeng leapt onto a tree and scanned the surroundings. They weren't just surrounded by dozens—
At least a hundred to one hundred fifty spiders were converging.
And worse—
At the edges of the swarm, he spotted three larger Nether Venom Spiders, each over 1.3 meters tall. By Su Linfeng's perception of spirit beasts, all three were at least three hundred years old.
Five-hundred-year Nether Venom Spiders!
Mutated ones, no less!
The moment he realized this, despair washed over the Golden Generation.
This was true hell mode.
"Screeee~"
The three large spiders screeched, their legs grinding against the ground with a sharp metallic sound.
Immediately, the surrounding swarm responded in unison. The chorus echoed through the night, chilling the marrow of anyone who heard it.
Under the command of the leaders, the ordinary Nether Venom Spiders became frenzied, charging toward the Golden Generation with terrifying speed.
These creatures wielded not just darkness and poison attributes, but also wind attributes, adapted from living near the Gale Gorge.
"Brother, let's fight!" Hu Liena shouted, releasing her Martial Spirit.
Martial Spirit Possession!
In the same instant, Xie Yue and Xu Yu responded—
One activates his spirit, the other unleashes a skill. Two beams of golden light descended simultaneously.
Martial Spirit Fusion Skill—activated!
Zhang Ping: "First Soul Skill—Flying Swallow Slash!"
Li Kai: "First Soul Skill—Savage Charge!"
Sun Chuantao: "First Soul Skill—Ring Blades!"
Aside from Yan, the rest of the team—one agility attacker, two power attackers—moved in sync with Hu Liena and Xie Yue's fusion skill, striking the spider's head-on.
"Those three mutated spiders are mine. The rest are up to you." Su Linfeng warned as he released his own Martial Spirit.
In an instant—
A column of fire burst into the sky. The Golden Flame Domain spread outward, illuminating the night for a full kilometer.
Cry!!!
A phoenix-like screech pierced the night.
Behind Su Linfeng, the phantom of a three-legged Golden Crow emerged, its body cloaked in crimson flames, purple lightning dancing across its feathers. Sacred in aura, yet radiating overwhelming destruction.
My heavens!
His Martial Spirit had evolved!
Even though the Golden Generation was in mid-battle, they froze for a second. Their eyes were drawn irresistibly to the Golden Crow behind him.
Before, they had only seen flames. When had purple lightning appeared? In all their sparring, he had never once revealed this. No wonder Yan got beaten so badly every time!
No—
It wasn't just an evolution.
Its quality had become stronger!
Under the light of the flames, every member of the Golden Generation felt their spirit power surge by 20%, and all their attributes rose by 10%.
What kind of Martial Spirit was this?!
Just releasing it gave such monstrous support?
This was Su Linfeng's Three-Legged Golden Crow after fusing with the Power of Destruction.
The dual attributes of Divinity and Destruction.
Divinity was the Golden Crow's innate trait. Not only could it dispel evil, but it also boosted the overall attributes of allies.
That was the Golden Crow's greatest strength—an innate, passive, supportive property. And the stronger Su Linfeng grew, the stronger this blessing became. Unlike auxiliary-type spirit masters, he didn't even need to actively channel spirit power—it was natural, inborn.
The Golden Generation had never noticed before, because they had only fought him in duels. The blessing didn't trigger then.
As for the Destruction attribute—
That needed no explanation.