The system is the proficiency panel

"grown ups……"

Liris's gentle voice suddenly interrupted Lin Ji's thoughts. The elf girl's slender fingers tightly grasped the corner of her clothes, and tears welled up in her emerald eyes.

"Those souls...are there really no way to save them?"

Lin Ji turned his head and saw the girl's pale cheeks with traces of tears. He sighed softly, his voice low and gentle.

"Once a spatial rift forms, even I won't be able to control it. Those souls... I'm afraid they've already been lost in the endless void."

Valeno suddenly poked his little head out from behind his sister, his light golden curly hair swaying gently in the wind.

"But sister, at least you survived! And the others who were captured were also..."

The little boy's voice stopped abruptly because he saw Lin Ji slowly shaking his head.

"Unfortunately, except for you, everyone else has already..."

Lin Ji didn't finish his words, but Lirisi understood what he meant. Tears streamed down the girl's face like pearls from a broken string, but she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, pursed her lips stubbornly, and nodded.

"I understand. Thank you and your companions for saving us."

She took her brother's hand and solemnly performed the most solemn etiquette of the elves to Lin Ji. Her long silver-white hair swayed gently with her movements.

At this moment, the sounds of fighting on the battlefield gradually subsided. Xiao Ningxue put away the blue-glowing formation and quickly walked over to Lin Ji. Her slender fingers trembled slightly, the warmth of spiritual energy still lingering on her fingertips.

Lin Ji held his wife's slightly cold hand and felt the slight trembling from her palm.

"Have a good rest. You've consumed a lot of spiritual energy."

Daoyan and Yun Shitian also approached. Daoyan's white robe remained spotless, its sleeves fluttering gently in the wind; while Yun Shitian's golden armor bore several scorched marks, standing out in the sunlight.

"The undead nature of these cultists was more difficult to deal with than I thought, but we finally managed to deal with it."

Yun Shitian moved his shoulders and complained, his armor making crisp clash sounds.

At this moment, Lin Ji felt a familiar and powerful aura approaching rapidly. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly and smiled at everyone.

"Good news, the real one is back!"

A moment later, a brilliant sword light streaked across the sky, and Pu Jianxing appeared before everyone. His robes were torn in places, but his expression remained calm. In his hand, he held a hideous head—it was none other than the priestess Serena.

"solved."

Pu Jianxing said briefly and threw the head to the ground.

"She's stronger than expected."

Lin Ji noticed a trace of corrosion on Master Pu's sleeve, with the edge tinged with a strange purple. He smiled slightly and bowed.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master. That priestess was quite powerful. It was not easy to kill her."

Pu Jianxing nodded calmly.

"It's okay. The priestess's magic is indeed strange, and I suffered a little loss."

Though Priestess Serena's head was already dead, her scarlet eyes were still wide open, as if filled with endless resentment and malice. Her pale skin was covered in strange black lines, her purplish-black lips were slightly parted, and the remaining blood-red runes on her forehead were slowly fading.

Lin Ji's fingertips condensed a wisp of cold air, drawing a graceful arc in the air. Glistening ice crystals quickly enveloped the head, freezing its ferocious expression in its final moment. The ice reflected the morning light, adding a touch of strangeness to the terrifying face.

"Let this head serve as proof of the mission." Lin Ji put the frozen head into the storage ring and turned to look at the elf siblings standing beside him.

Liris hugged her brother tightly, her long, silver hair fluttering gently in the morning breeze, a hint of dust still clinging to the ends. Her delicate face looked especially haggard, her emerald eyes filled with sorrow. Valeron buried his face in his sister's arms, revealing only his light-blonde curls, his thin body still trembling slightly.

"We are preparing to return to the City of Morning Dew. Should we take you back to your village?"

Lin Ji's voice softened a bit.

Liris shuddered slightly at the words. When she raised her head, Lin Ji clearly saw the deep pain flashing in her eyes. The girl bit her lower lip, the sound so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"Our home has been destroyed. Those black-robed men, they burned down the entire village."

Her fingers unconsciously tightened, holding her brother tighter.

"We have nowhere to go back to."

Daoyan walked slowly forward, her white robe flowing lightly in the morning light. She looked at the siblings with pity in her eyes.

"In that case, why don't you come back with us to the City of Morning Dew? There, you can start your life anew."

Liris raised her head and looked at Daoyan with gratitude, then at Lin Ji and the others. Her voice trembled slightly, but it was filled with firm strength.

"Thank you... If we have the opportunity in the future, we will definitely repay this kindness."

Lin Ji nodded gently, his eyes soft.

"It's easy, don't worry."

He turned and spoke to the crowd.

"Let's go back to Shadow Valley and search it to make sure there are no cultists or hidden dangers that we've missed before we set off back."

Everyone nodded in agreement and returned to Shadow Valley. Lin Ji expanded his spiritual sense, carefully exploring every corner; Xiao Ningxue cast a water formation to sense hidden magical fluctuations; Yun Shitian and Feng Tian were responsible for inspecting the dilapidated stone houses and caves, ensuring that nothing had slipped through their net.

After the search, Lin Ji stood at the entrance of the canyon, looking at the sky that was gradually brightening in the distance, and said to everyone.

"No abnormalities found, we can go back."

They took off, flying towards the City of Morning Dew. The morning light grew brighter, gilding the boundless forest with a golden glow. By the time they reached the outskirts of the Elven City, the sun had already risen fully.

Liris gazed at the endless sea of ​​emerald green trees below, a long-lost hope finally emerging in her eyes. Valeron excitedly pointed at the towering Morning Dew Tower in the distance and cheered.

"Sister, look! It's so beautiful there!"

Lin Ji looked at the expressions of the siblings and felt a little relieved. He turned to Xiao Ningxue and whispered softly.

"Although this mission had some twists and turns, it was finally completed successfully."

Xiao Ningxue's white hair fluttered in the morning breeze, like flowing moonlight. She thought of the experimental subjects she had seen in Shadow Valley and sighed softly.

"Yeah, it's a shame we couldn't save more people."

Dao Yanfei stood aside, gazing into the distance with a profound gaze, as if foreseeing something, but remained silent. Yun Shitian and Feng Tian enthusiastically discussed the details of the previous battle. Their armor gleamed in the sunlight, and the previously damaged parts had already healed themselves.

The figures of the group gradually disappeared into the golden morning light.