They rested for half an hour every two hours, gradually pushing deeper into the forest. As time passed, the spirit energy clinging to their bodies grew so dense that it exceeded their immediate ability to absorb it all.

The sky slowly brightened.

They had reached the eve of their first full day in the rebellion spirit ascension platform. More than ten hours had already passed, but their final exam required them to survive for a full twenty-four.

That had never been a concern.

"Let's rest here," Ray said.

Hunger meant nothing in the spirit ascension platform. Their bodies here were projections; real needs would only return once they exited.

As dawn broke, Ray sat quietly, eyes fixed on the creeping white mist in the distance as he cultivated the Purple Demon Eyes. He had discovered long ago that practicing it here was not only possible but significantly more effective. He didn't know why, but he had no intention of wasting such an advantage.

Alfred had warned him that after reaching the second level, progress with the Purple Demon Eyes became painfully slow.

Daily cultivation without fail was required, along with a measure of perception and luck. Even Alfred himself, now a seven-ringed soul master, remained stuck at the second level.

Violetta stood nearby, cultivating as well. Raziel Phoenix, however, had yet to reach the third rank in his Immortal guild and only had access to the Mysterious Heaven Method and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Violetta, on the other hand, had chosen the Purple Demon Eyes specifically to bolster her spiritual power.

Raziel Phoenix had been working hard these past years. He had already decided that the Purple Demon Eyes would be his next secret art.

Beyond its combat applications, its ability to raise spiritual power was top-tier.

"We'll clear the final exam by noon," Raziel Phoenix said with a snicker.

Ray nodded. "Don't get careless. Even here, there are still dangers."

Raziel Phoenix laughed. "Come on. What are the odds? There are only a few beasts left that can threaten us. Our luck can't be that terrible."

Lily shot him a sharp look. "Shut your crow's beak."

Raziel Phoenix snorted but wisely chose not to argue.

Her strength had long surpassed normal standards. Now that she had three rings, even the others in class zero couldn't fully gauge her limits.

Although Ray could restrain her in close combat, her ability to teleport away at any moment left him with no good answers. In terms of overall strength, Lily still stood at the very top of class zero.

When they finished resting and reorganizing, the sun was already high.

"We'll pass the exam first," Ray said. "Then we move. This high ground gives us vision. We'll stay here until the twenty-four hours are up, then head straight for the depths."

The deeper they went, the stronger the soul beasts would become.

Reaching the forest's core had always been difficult. The vegetation grew denser, the trees thicker and older, and every attempt they'd made before had been halted by powerful soul beasts.

This might be their last chance for a while. They intended to see just how far they could go.

Ray's chosen position proved ideal. Though soul beasts attacked them several times, the terrain allowed them to repel each assault with ease. On his orders, they avoided unnecessary kills, driving most beasts away instead of finishing them off.

By doing so, they avoided attracting even more predators.

Whenever a powerful soul beast drew near, they detected it early and withdrew. Once it left, they returned to their vantage point.

Another benefit of waiting here was time. Time to fully absorb the spirit energy clinging to their bodies. Even if they were wiped out immediately after entering the depths, none of this harvest would be wasted.

At exactly noon, Ray's calm sharpened into excitement.

"It's time."

"Let's go!"

He shot forward like a gale, charging straight toward the heart of the forest.

Green light enveloped all four of them, boosting their speed.

This time, caution was cast aside. They sprinted at full power.

However far they could go, they would go.

Lily released wind birds to scout ahead. With Ray leading and the birds guiding their path, they slipped past several powerful soul beasts without being detected.

They advanced like this in a blur.

The vegetation thickened rapidly. Ray lashed out with his Silverfalls Vine, sweeping aside branches and vines to carve a path forward.

Maintaining their breakneck pace, they covered more ground in two hours than they had during the entire previous day.

Darkness pressed down on the forest as the canopy thickened overhead, strangling the sunlight into thin, lifeless threads. The air was damp and heavy, saturated with the earthy scent of moss, rotting leaves, and ancient trees.

This place already felt like the intermediate zone.

Ray's pace slowed unconsciously. Of the four of them, he was the only one who had ever stepped into that territory before.

The memory surfaced unbidden: Alfred standing alone, sword in hand, thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts collapsing one after another as if the laws of the forest meant nothing to him.

"Stay sharp," Lily warned softly. "The foliage here is interfering with my wind birds' vision."

Ray nodded. Charging forward blindly in a place like this was suicide.

"Captain," Violetta asked in a hushed voice, "do you think we can actually cross into the intermediate level if we keep going?"

Ray shook his head. "I don't know. Teacher Alfred never mentioned anything about it."

"It's possible," Lily said suddenly.

Ray turned toward her in surprise. "You're sure?"

Lily nodded. "All levels of the spirit ascension platform are connected. If you're strong enough, you can cross over. But there's a guardian soul beast stationed at the boundary between levels. Only by defeating it can you pass through. That's why very few people ever manage it."

As someone tied to the Spirit Tower, she knew things others didn't.

Raziel Phoenix's eyes lit up. "Then let's try! Maybe we can actually enter the intermediate level this time."

Ray let out a short, humorless laugh. "I doubt it'll be that simple."

He still remembered the soul beasts of the intermediate zone. Compared to them, the Blazing Demon Lion King was little more than a warm-up. On top of that, the Spirit Tower wouldn't leave such a loophole unguarded. If they tried to cross, resistance was guaranteed.

"Let's try anyway," Lily said quietly.

That surprised Ray.

As they advanced, soul beasts became scarce. Too scarce.

The silence deepened, swallowing even the sounds of insects and wind. It was the kind of stillness that made one's skin crawl, as though the forest itself was holding its breath.

Ray felt it immediately.

They had entered the territory of something terrifying.

Judging by the absolute silence, it was far more dangerous than the Blazing Demon Lion King.

There was only one other time he had felt something like this.

"Raziel Phoenix," Ray said quietly, "do you remember our first time in the rebellion spirit ascension platform?"

"Of course," Raziel Phoenix replied without thinking. "We got lucky back then. Thanks to the Man-Faced Demon Spider, we absorbed a ton of energy. That was also when your spirit soul evolved."

"Then do you remember how you died?" Ray asked.

A chill shot down Raziel Phoenix's spine.

His breath hitched. "You're saying this place is—"

Ray forced a dry smile. "It feels similar. I hope I'm wrong."

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