Teacher by day, Farmer by passion-Chapter 143: Refining a beast.

Ace sprinted forward, carrying both Shan Yifeng and Xie Ninger, but with every step taken, pain surged through his entire body.

His injuries were severe, far worse than he had admitted to himself.

His legs buckled, and before he could stop himself, he collapsed, sending the two tumbling a short distance away.

Shan Yifeng scrambled to his feet, panic flashing across his face as he rushed toward Ace.

"Master! Master!" he cried, tears welling in his eyes.

Ace, struggling to breathe, forced a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Yifeng. Master won't die so easily. Focus on the formation."

"But… but… you—" Shan Yifeng stammered, unable to finish his sentence.

Ace let out a weak chuckle, shaking his head. "Oh, please. I didn't raise a crybaby. Look, I'll be fine. But if I wake up and you haven't found a way out of this village, I'll be really mad."

Shan Yifeng sniffled, quickly wiping his tears away. "Alright, alright, I'll get to it right away, Master!"

Xie Ninger, still dazed, dragged herself closer, her face unusually solemn. "Xiao Zhi, you were pretty manly back there, you know?"

Ace scoffed. "I don't believe a word that comes out of those lips."

She simply smiled. "I'm just grateful you didn't leave me behind."

Ace exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. "Yeah… well, I still haven't finished my part of the promise."

Xie Ninger let out a soft laugh. "Then I guess I should thank myself for still being alive." Her tone turned serious. "Still, don't you think it's strange that he didn't give chase?"

Ace frowned but didn't dwell on it. "Maybe he thinks we're not worth his time."

Xie Ninger gave him a sharp look. "Are you even listening to yourself? You're literally the reason that inn got attacked. Xiao Wuzi tracked you here."

Ace countered, "Or maybe he was already here, and I just happened to walk into his domain, catching him off guard."

Xie Ninger fell silent, mulling over his words.

Ace slowly straightened his back despite the pain, his thoughts racing.

"Think about it. He has a formation that prevents me from entering my space. If he was truly prepared to kill me, he could've activated it the moment he saw me. Instead, he confronted me right away, giving me time to escape."

His eyes darkened as realization dawned. "No wonder this village felt so strange… this was Xiao Wuzi's base of operations all along. And we just barged in, disrupting whatever he was working on."

Xie Ninger rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Ace ignored her, but before he could say another word, the ground beneath them trembled.

A chill ran down their spines. Slowly, they turned toward the source of the disturbance.

A massive army marched in perfect formation, their steps synchronized, their presence eerily uniform.

Ace forced his eyes open, his gaze locking onto the approaching figures in the distance. Their movements were eerily stiff, their eyes void of emotion.

At first glance, they resembled humans, but as Ace and Xie Ninger focused, their expressions darkened.

"Zombies?" Ace muttered under his breath.

"Human puppets?" Xie Ninger said at the exact same time.

They turned to each other, confusion flickering in their eyes.

"What's a zombie?" Xie Ninger asked.

At the same time, Ace furrowed his brow. "What's a human puppet?"

"You first", xie Ninger said.

Ace cleared his throat.

"A group of brainless humans… No, not humans, just brainless beasts that bite anything that moves. That's what zombies are, in short," he explained.

Xie Ninger gave it some thought, her gaze contemplative.

"Same thing," she finally said, "except these ones are controlled."

Ace let out a dry chuckle, glancing down at his injuries. "My shoulder's dislocated, my ribs are fractured… haha, I don't think I'll be fighting anytime soon."

Xie Ninger forced herself to stand, wincing slightly but smirking nonetheless. "Well, unlike you, I can still fight a bit."

Ace scoffed. "You're only at peak Warrior rank. You're being suppressed so badly you might as well be a spectator."

Before she could retort, Shan Yifeng suddenly spoke up.

"Master, I just cracked a space."

Ace and Xie Ninger turned to see him standing confidently, a glint in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, he called forth his soul beast.

A towering figure emerged, a Spirit Sovereign Ancient Wolf, its majestic form exuding raw power, its silver fur rippling like flowing mist.

Shan Yifeng grinned, eyes gleaming. "Long time no see. Can you do me a favor and delay those troops for a while?" He gestured toward the lifeless horde marching toward them.

The wolf, silent yet imposing, simply nodded before leaping forward, charging straight into the advancing army.

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With its sheer size and overwhelming strength, the Spirit Sovereign Ancient Wolf rampaged through the advancing army, sending bodies flying left and right with every mighty swipe of its claws.

Occasionally, it would snap its jaws around a puppet, tearing into it with crushing force.

But no matter how fiercely the wolf attacked, the army simply refused to die. Limbs twisted unnaturally, torsos bent at grotesque angles, yet the puppets continued their march, unphased.

Still, with the wolf standing in their path, the army couldn't advance any further.

Ace propped himself up against a nearby rock, watching the battle with an amused grin. "Look at that! Isn't it amazing? Someday, I wanna have my own soul-bound spirit beast too."

Xie Ninger simply stared at him, unimpressed. "I'm more worried about what happens when that wolf gets tired."

Ace blinked. "Oh."

Then, with all the grace of a man who had already given up, he rolled off the rock and laid flat on the ground again. "Well, what else can we do? Guess we should just embrace death," he joked, stretching his arms as if settling in for a nap.

Before Xie Ninger could retort him, a glowing system interface suddenly popped up in front of his face.

[Host! It's time you refine your own soul beast!]