54: Chapter 54 No one dared to challenge its sharp edge.

Then... Qin Ce arrived.

He was still riding the Qingluan, hovering above the entrance of the Snake Den.

While those squads were fighting hard against the venomous snakes deep within the Snake Den, Qin Ce stayed at the entrance, using Nine-Star Insight to lock onto every wounded snake before precisely harvesting them with Wind Blades.

At first, the squads inside the cave wanted to use the old method of "saturation bombing," but the terrain of the Snake Den was narrow, making it impossible to deploy.

They tried splitting their forces to block the entrance, but the Qingluan's Wind Blades were highly condensed, and under the controlled direction changes of the Tethering Wind Blade, they couldn't be blocked at all!

They tried to land quick kills, but Qin Ce's Wind Blades would always slip through some unexpected gap at the last moment to snatch the kill.

That day, three squads that had accepted the Snake Den mission fought hard in the cave for six hours, killing over a hundred venomous snakes.

The mission was completed.

But Qin Ce's mission was also completed.

They hadn't managed to hinder Qin Ce in the slightest.

The next day, the bulletin board was updated as usual.

Another defiant squad took the same mission—collecting Night-Glow Mushrooms.

This time, they got smart: they didn't kill monsters, they only collected.

Night-Glow Mushrooms were plants, so there was no such thing as a "last hit"; whoever picked it got it.

Qin Ce indeed didn't snatch them.

He simply had the Qingluan circle above the misty valley, using Wind Blades to precisely shatter every Night-Glow Mushroom that was discovered.

"Since I can't collect them," his voice drifted down through the mist, "then no one gets to collect them."

That squad wandered through the mist all day and didn't bring back a single intact Night-Glow Mushroom.

Mission failed, points deducted.

The third day, the fourth day...

Every day, there were stubborn squads that went to "touch" the missions Qin Ce had publicly claimed.

Every day, they would return in various states of crushing defeat.

Qin Ce's methods were ever-changing: sometimes it was precise kill-stealing, sometimes it was violent clearing of the area, and sometimes it was pure destruction and interference.

But the core remained the same—if you want to compete with me for missions, then be prepared to help me complete mine.

Gradually, fewer and fewer people dared to touch them.

Until one day, half a month later.

The Northern Hills, the habitat of the Wind-Howl Wolf pack.

This was the target of a two-star mission: the wolf pack numbered over fifty, the alpha was mid-grade bronze, and it had three bronze low-grade guard wolves under its command.

Two squads that had accepted the mission were in the middle of a bitter struggle.

The wolf pack was too cunning; they didn't fight head-on but used the hilly terrain to constantly engage in hit-and-run tactics and ambushes.

The squads were exhausted from chasing them and began to run out of steam.

Just then, the Qingluan arrived.

Qin Ce didn't land; he had the Qingluan circle above the wolf pack, his gaze locked onto the mid-grade bronze alpha wolf commanding from a distant ridge.

The alpha seemed to sense the threat and let out a long howl, ordering the pack to fall back and defend.

But it was already too late.

Qin Ce steered the Qingluan as its wings gave a sudden, powerful flap—

As they neared the wolf king, Qin Ce used wind-element energy to leap into the air.

The Qingluan's wings flashed with a Wing Flash, appearing in front of the wolf king before it could even react.

Talent Skill: Nine-fold Azure Sky, First Fold: Breath Condensation!

Buffed by—Spider-Web Wind Blade!

Voom—

The air seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand as a massive green web unfurled right before the wolf king.

Eighteen Wind Blades enveloped the wolf king, all of them blooming across its body.

Countless disturbances in the wind energy made the space look slightly distorted, and the wind pressure surged.

The alpha's roar came to an abrupt halt.

It discovered in terror that the air around it had become as viscous as glue, and its movements had slowed by at least thirty percent!

And that was the key!

By then, Qin Ce had already condensed a green Wind Blade and was diving down!

"Kill!"

With a soft shout, the Wind Blade left his hand.

There was no fancy trajectory, only a straight line that was fast to the extreme.

Pfft—

The Wind Blade pierced through an old wound on the alpha's shoulder, using it as a breakthrough point to tear the beast in half.

If not for that wound of unknown origin...

Qin Ce certainly wouldn't have been able to achieve an instant kill, or perhaps wouldn't have been able to kill it at all.

But the others didn't know that.

They only saw what happened.

A mid-grade bronze beast had been killed instantly without even a chance to struggle.

This scene shocked everyone present.

No one even cared when the notification for the completion of the two-star mission sounded.

Black Iron killing Bronze!

Something that everyone had originally thought was just a rumor...

...was now playing out right before their eyes.

...

Qin Ce landed and stood beside the alpha wolf's corpse.

Then, he froze.

Not just him; the members of the three surrounding squads and the Qingluan circling in the air all felt a strange surge of energy simultaneously.

The Qingluan let out a long cry as it shone with brilliant green light!

Its feathers became longer and sharper, the radiance on its tail feathers almost overflowing into physical form, and as its wings spread, there was a faint sound of wind and thunder.

Level Breakthrough: Black Iron High-grade → Black Iron Peak!

Qin Ce closed his eyes, feeling the energy surging within his body in sync. His meridians were expanding, his mental strength was becoming more solid, and even his Beast Tamer level, which had been stuck at Black Iron High-grade, showed signs of loosening.

When he reopened his eyes, the entire battlefield was deathly silent.

The members of those squads stared blankly at the breakthrough halo that had yet to dissipate from the Qingluan, then at the mid-grade bronze alpha wolf that had been killed in one hit, and finally at Qin Ce.

In their eyes, the last trace of defiance and wishful thinking was completely extinguished.

A Pet Beast that had just risen from Black Iron High-grade to Peak had instantly killed a mid-grade bronze beast.

Such strength was no longer on the same level as theirs.

From that day on, the clamor in front of the bulletin board completely vanished.

No squad dared to "touch" the missions Qin Ce had posted.

Even on a day when Qin Ce was too lazy to update the announcement, some teams would cautiously approach and ask:

"Captain Qin, your next mission... which one did you choose?"

"Our team wants to take that collection mission in the East District, but we don't know if it will conflict with yours..."

"If you have a mission in mind, just let us know in advance, and we will definitely stay out of your way!"

Fawning, ingratiating, and even carrying a hint of awe.

...

Afterward, Qin Ce's points began to rise steadily.

Every month, he could exchange for the most sought-after resources from the updated exchange list:

[Moonlight Condensate]—Nourishes mental strength and soothes meridians.

[Earth-Core Fire Lotus Seed]—Tempers the body and increases energy explosive power.

[Wind Spirit Crystal Core]—A top-tier supplement for wind-element Pet Beasts, capable of purifying bloodlines.

The Qingluan's feathers became more dazzling, and its body grew slightly larger.

Qin Ce's own vitality improved visibly—the foundation of his body, which wasn't very robust due to childhood malnutrition, was rapidly improving under the nourishment of top-tier resources.

Three months passed quietly in a cycle of daily missions, cultivation, and exchanges.

Until one ordinary evening, Qin Ce sat in his dormitory and opened his squad badge to check the total points leaderboard.

1st Place: Starlight Squad (Jiang Ruowei), Points: 4123.

2nd Place: Thunder Squad (Qin Ce), Points: 3987.

3rd Place: Gale Squad (Zhao Rui), Points: 3210.

...

Gap: 136 points.

The distance of two two-star missions.

Qin Ce stared at that number for a long time.

Outside the window, the lights of Fengling City lit up one by one, and the energy shield shimmered with a pale purple glow against the horizon.

He closed the interface and walked to the window.

Three months ago, he had just skipped grades to his Senior Year and was targeted by everyone, ranking tenth and in a precarious position.

Three months later, he was a one-man team, overawing the entire Elite Class so much that no one dared to touch his tasks, and his points were firmly in second place.

Only the final step remained.

He raised his hand, and a swirl of green wind condensed in his palm.

The vortex spun, cutting through the air with a faint hissing sound.

"First place..."

He whispered the title, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

"Just two more missions to go."

...