129: Team assignments for entering the secluded forest

Shen Guyan didn't expect this senior, whose qualifying spot he had taken, would actually extend an olive branch to him; for a moment, he couldn't help but think more highly of him.

"There's no rush in choosing an entrance..." Shen Guyan glanced at the contestants who were hurrying toward various entrances before turning his gaze back to the group from the Sea and Land Academy. "There is one thing I want to make clear to everyone from the Sea and Land Academy present."

Xian Lin was slightly stunned, but he quickly adjusted his emotions. "Speak."

Shen Guyan took a deep breath, having already made a decision. "There are currently eleven of us from the Sea and Land Academy participating in the third round. In other words, after we enter this forest, we will receive eleven identical tokens. If we want everyone to pass, we must eliminate other contestants and obtain eleven more tokens."

"You mean..." Zhou Hanyou was exceptionally intelligent and immediately grasped the crux of the issue. "The opponents we encounter next might be many or few, and there might not be enough to distribute, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Song Yuner, Yang Zhanpeng, and the others changed. Indeed, they had been considering how to fight, scout, and reach the finish line quickly, but they hadn't thought about the distribution of interests.

Shen Guyan nodded and continued, "I don't want any internal fighting for our own people's tokens. Therefore, if we are to form a team, there must be only one voice."

After Shen Guyan finished speaking, everyone present couldn't help but remain silent.

In terms of Soul Power Rank alone, the thirty-ninth-Rank Xian Lin or the thirty-seventh-Rank Song Yuner would naturally be the most suitable leaders. However, the strongest in the team were The Zhou Sisters, who possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and they clearly deferred to Shen Guyan... Xian Lin locked eyes with Shen Guyan for a full minute before reaching out and patting Shen Guyan's shoulder, saying seriously, "Alright, Yuner and the others will all listen to you."

When these words were said, not only was Song Yuner stunned, but even Yang Zhanpeng, Mo Yanggong, and others who were familiar with him were also dazed.

With Xian Lin's pride, he was actually willing to give up the leadership position to someone else?

"No, Xian Lin, you..." Song Yuner wanted to say something more, but she was interrupted by Xian Lin.

"Yuner, among those participating in this assessment are Spirit Kings and even Spirit Emperors who obtained their qualifying spots long ago. Without Zhou Hanyou and her sister's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, would we be a match for them?"

Song Yuner pouted and said no more.

Seeing that Xian Lin had already persuaded his former rivals, Shen Guyan didn't act pretentious and immediately accepted the heavy responsibility. "Very well. Once we enter the forest, you all listen to me..."

Arriving at the entrance, the staff responsible for distributing the token scrolls handed them out one by one. Shen Guyan took a box of tokens, opened it for a quick look, and then put it away properly.

"What are ours? heavenly stems or earthly branches?" Yang Zhanpeng couldn't help but lean in and ask.

"It's a secret." Shen Guyan gave a mysterious smile. "I'll keep the tokens for now. When we get close to the finish line and have collected both the heavenly stems and earthly branches, I'll distribute them to you."

"What's there to hide..." Yang Zhanpeng was somewhat helpless. What made him even more speechless was that Shen Guyan actually intended to keep their tokens as well.

"Zhanpeng." Xian Lin turned back and scolded him. "Tianya is doing this to prevent anyone from choosing to surrender their token and flee alone if we encounter a powerful opponent who uses the tokens as a threat."

"If we don't even know if the token in our hands is a Heavenly Stem or an Earthly Branch, we greatly reduce the possibility of fleeing out of cowardice."

Shen Guyan smiled and nodded. "Also, with the tokens on me, they won't be lost no matter what."

"Humph... just keep showing off. If you really lose my token, I'll definitely settle the score with you afterward!" Song Yuner stood with her hands on her hips and snorted coldly.

Shen Guyan just smiled, then took a deep breath and said, "Alright, let's get ready to set off! No matter what difficulties we encounter, we must overcome them together."

The group looked at each other and then walked with firm steps toward the outer gate of the Death Forest, a place full of unknowns and dangers.

In this round of the competition, the Spirit Pagoda did not issue escape signalers. One either had to step over the corpses of their opponents to reach the destination or die in the World of the Spirit Ascension Platform, losing the qualification to enter the next stage.

"Everyone, get ready—the third round of the Youth Genius Competition, the Death Forest stage, begins!"

As soon as they entered the forest, a damp, decaying scent wafted toward them. The surrounding trees were tall and dense, with sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves to form mottled patterns of light and shadow. From time to time, the roars of wild beasts and the cries of unknown birds came from the distance, making one's skin crawl.

"Take this." Shen Guyan reached out with a wave, and the canglang sword flew out from the sword casket, which he then handed to Zhou Hanyou.

"This is... your Spirit. Can it be given to someone else to use?" This time, it was Xian Lin's turn to be shocked. Giving a Tool Spirit to someone else to use—wasn't that a trait only food system Spirit Masters possessed?

Zhou Hanyou took the canglang sword, not understanding what Shen Guyan was up to.

"Formation." Shen Guyan didn't explain the reason in detail but first gave the command.

Xian Lin and Song Yuner, who had the highest Soul Power Ranks, stood at the very front of the team. The Zhou Sisters, the team's dual control, were next. Two support system members, including Mo Yanggong, were in the middle, followed by the rest of the Sea and Land students. Yang Zhanpeng, who had the highest defense, was at the very back of the team along with Wang Dongqi. The group moved cautiously through the forest, keeping their footsteps as light as possible to avoid disturbing any nearby dangers.

Everyone's eyes scanned the surroundings alertly, not missing any suspicious signs.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the grass ahead, and a giant spider crawled out. Its body was as large as an adult human, and its eight eyes gleamed with a cold light that made one shudder.

The spider's leg joints moved flexibly, making a scalp-numbing creaking sound. Green venom dripped from its mouth, instantly corroding small pits into the ground.

"It's a Spirit Beast!"

Seeing this, Zhou Hanyou didn't hesitate to fire an ice spike at the spider. The ice spike whistled through the air and accurately struck one of the spider's eyes. Attacked, the spider let out a sharp hiss, its body twisting violently as its other eyes glared menacingly at Shen Guyan and the others.

However, countless vines emerged from the ground under Zhou Tianer's control, Binding it tightly.

"Finish it!" Xian Lin and Song Yuner exchanged a glance and attacked together, quickly striking the Spirit Beast.