"Not graceful. Not graceful at all..."

Han Ning shook his head. He suddenly remembered Egg Pancake’s newly learned Mimicry Soul Technique and said, "Egg Pancake, use your Mimicry Soul Technique. Let’s see what it does."

"Ji!"

Egg Pancake chirped in acknowledgment.

A layer of fine, ochre-colored particles then materialized on its body. Starting from its head, it began to turn transparent, bit by bit.

A few seconds later, Egg Pancake had vanished completely from Han Ning’s sight.

Even so, given the strength of his Spiritual Power and their mutual link, he felt he could still easily pinpoint Egg Pancake’s location, even if he weren’t standing right beside it.

What’s more, Han Ning looked down at his own hands and saw nothing.

He realized he had turned invisible along with Egg Pancake.

’So cool. Is this... like a chameleon changing color?’

’No, it seems to have hidden even our Spiritual Energy fluctuations and physical signatures.’

Without relying on Spiritual Power, Han Ning wouldn’t have been able to detect the creature standing right in front of him at all.

Egg Pancake scurried down the dormitory hallway.

They passed a couple of students in the hall, but the students walked right by, completely oblivious to the man and two Soul Beasts watching them.

’This feels a bit like being a voyeur...’

Han Ning patted Egg Pancake’s back, gesturing for it to keep going.

Soon, Egg Pancake walked out of Building C’s main entrance and arrived at the open area in front of Building A.

At that moment, Lena and the ugly Insect-man were standing by the main entrance. Two crimson fireflies danced before them, bobbing up and down to the sound of a strange flute.

Egg Pancake’s silent approach went unnoticed by them and the surrounding crowd.

Only Lü Xiuning, who stood behind the Insect-man on guard duty, suddenly frowned. He seemed to have noticed something and turned to look in Han Ning and Egg Pancake’s direction.

He had his Wood Demon keep a close watch on the Insect-man as he walked toward Han Ning.

When Lü Xiuning was about two meters away from Egg Pancake, Han Ning proactively hopped off its back and took a step forward.

In Lü Xiuning’s eyes, however, Han Ning had just materialized out of thin air on the empty ground, like a monster spawning in a video game.

"??!"

’Teacher Lü’s Spiritual Power must be pretty strong to have faintly sensed Egg Pancake’s approach...’

Han Ning found it amusing to see the normally composed Teacher Lü wearing such a shocked expression.

"Han Ning? How did you do that?" Lü Xiuning’s expression relaxed slightly upon seeing who it was.

"Egg Pancake evolved. It’s a new Soul Technique." Han Ning beckoned Lü Xiuning forward a few steps.

In the next second, both of them vanished into thin air.

Lü Xiuning blinked and found a massive head right in front of him.

"Ji?"

"Hello, Egg Pancake." Lü Xiuning looked the Soul Beast up and down, remarking, "I didn’t expect you to have evolved too. It seems the rest of us will have to step up our game."

"Teacher Lü, you’re busy. I’ll just take them for a stroll."

Lü Xiuning was currently monitoring the Insect-man, and Han Ning didn’t want to disturb him.

"Alright, go on. Be careful."

"Egg Pancake, let’s go. Cancel the Mimicry for now. We can test it again if we run into a Soul Beast."

After watching Lü Xiuning leave, Han Ning pointed south of the academy.

It was a perfect opportunity to explore the southern terrain.

"Ji!"

Egg Pancake let out an excited cry. Its thick limbs became a blur as it shot forward like an arrow.

Its running speed on the ground was only slightly slower than Yin Yi’s flight speed.

And that was despite them being a whole evolutionary stage apart.

The howling wind battered Han Ning’s face. If he weren’t gripping Egg Pancake’s back for dear life, the gale would have blown him right off.

"Ling~"

Yin Yi thoughtfully raised a frost-colored Crystal Shield to block the wind for him.

As Egg Pancake ran, they left the academy grounds and entered a vast, ochre-colored swamp. At the edge of his vision, Han Ning began to see signs of life...

They passed the spot where the train had derailed. The eight-car train was long gone, swept away by the flood.

Along the way, they occasionally saw markers left behind by teachers and students on their own explorations.

They raced onward.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek shot past his ear.

Almost simultaneously, Egg Pancake opened its mouth, which began to glow with a yellow light.

SWOOSH~

In an instant, a basketball-sized, ochre-colored ball of light shot out, striking the incoming object with precision.

Han Ning got a clear look. It was a long, thin tongue covered in barbs.

At the other end of the tongue, standing in a pool of water, was an ugly creature the size of a millstone.

It had pockmarked, mottled brown-and-green skin and looked like a giant bullfrog. Its eyes were exceptionally large, with concentric ripples spreading across its pupils.

"Another Demon Eye Frog. There seem to be a lot of them in the south." Han Ning and Yin Yi leaped off Egg Pancake, giving it room to fight.

The Demon Eye Frogs had killed many people right after the Calamity. Larger ones also possessed an ability that could paralyze a person’s body.

Of course, their gaze could be broken by powerful Spiritual Power.

CROAK~

The Demon Eye Frog’s attack had failed. Instead, it was sent tumbling by Egg Pancake’s mud blast. Half of its tongue was now coated in thick mud, dangling on the ground.

Furthermore, the mud seemed to have a life of its own, spreading rapidly from the tongue toward the Demon Eye Frog’s body. The creature thrashed in the water as if having a seizure, its huge, round eyes fixed intently on Egg Pancake.

Ji ji?

Egg Pancake tilted its head, neither dodging nor flinching, and stared back with a ferocious glare of its own.

(｀⌒´メ)

"Don’t look directly into its eyes, or you’ll be paralyzed!"

Seeing his silly child standing completely still, Han Ning quickly poked its rump to remind it.

Ji!

Egg Pancake flicked its round rear, signaling to its master not to worry.

He wasn’t the only one.

Croak croak?

When the large lizard opposite it suddenly vanished into thin air, a flicker of confusion appeared in the Demon Eye Frog’s rippling, purple eyes.

A moment later, it felt a strong pressure wave from ahead.

JI!!

Like a heavy tank, Egg Pancake charged the Demon Eye Frog. A crimson light flickered between its gleaming claws, scorching the very air and causing it to distort!

CROAK!

The Demon Eye Frog, straining to counteract the Gravity effect of the mud, only had time to turn its body.

The next moment, its newly extended tongue and its round body took a heavy blow, caving inward violently.

With a BAM.

The Demon Eye Frog slammed into the puddle below it like a swatted ball, its body erupting in flames.

...A few seconds later, Egg Pancake trotted over to Han Ning, the charred corpse of the Demon Eye Frog in its mouth.

"Good boy."

Han Ning affectionately rubbed his cheek against Egg Pancake’s, then bent down to deal with the thoroughly dead Demon Eye Frog.

First, he used his panel to absorb the 0.3 Energy remaining in its body.

The Demon Eye Frog’s body immediately shriveled like a deflated balloon.