18: Chapter 18: Successfully formed a team and entered the hunting area.

Li Tan and Zhou Chen were both at the ninth stage of the Light Opening Realm, Lu Wu was at the eighth stage, and Xia Qinger was at the seventh; this lineup was actually quite decent.

Looking elsewhere, many teams were composed of people around the fourth or fifth stage of the Light Opening Realm.

Others had only approached Chen Xing to chat because they saw his eighth-stage cultivation. As it turned out, this guy was a total show-off who loved the limelight, actually daring to claim he was S-rank. Wasn't he just making a scene to attract attention?

All S-ranks are recorded; how could I not know who you are?

This situation was a result of him benefiting from the protection of Teacher Ye and the new Dean. Not only did outsiders not recognize him, but even people within the academy didn't know what he looked like.

“Our goals are different, but we're here to help each other. If there’s a specific Yao Beast you want to hunt, just let us know,” Li Tan spoke up.

“Mm.” Chen Xing nodded and pulled out his list.

The group took one look and were instantly petrified.

“Buddy, are you here to restock a warehouse?” Zhou Chen took a deep breath.

“...Wrong one. I only need a few. Even someone in the Divine Sea Realm might not be able to collect all of these.” Chen Xing didn't bother to argue and simply changed his tune.

It’s not that I want to play the pig to eat the tiger, but you guys don't believe me, so you can't blame me.

Li Tan chuckled. “It’s fine. We can head in first and just take what we can get later. Everyone comes here just to make some money, after all!”

An orange-haired girl walked over, waving at him with a beaming smile. “Hello! Welcome to the team!”

Chen Xing nodded. “Hello.”

Xia Qinger had a lively personality. She crossed her hands behind her back and bowed slightly, saying, “You’re also Light System? What a coincidence.”

Through their conversation, he learned that Xia Qinger also had a C-rank Profound Light System ability. The boy named Lu Wu had very strong talent, being a B-rank Crimson Flame Mysterious Bird.

The Crimson Flame Mysterious Bird was considered a relatively powerful group even among the Yao Race, and they were a major presence in the Northwest Hunting Zone.

“Hello,” Chen Xing greeted him politely.

“Mm.” Lu Wu’s reaction was cold. He merely spared him a glance before looking away.

Xia Qinger hurried over and whispered, “I'm sorry, he’s been in a bad mood lately. He’s not usually like this.”

Chen Xing nodded, not minding it.

Observing Lu Wu’s aura, this person was at the Peak of the eighth stage just like himself, only one step away from a Breakthrough to the ninth stage.

Because Xia Qinger had a C-rank talent, she might be slightly behind, but with more Cultivation, she should be able to break through to the eighth stage within a few days.

“Hehe, little brother, I wonder if you’re better at support or combat? We should make some arrangements for later,” Li Tan said with a smile.

“Um... a bit of both,” Chen Xing said.

The Light Technique wasn't just for killing power; it could also be converted into a healing beam, making it quite versatile.

Li Tan rubbed his hands together and said, “That’s great. Once we’re inside, I’ll have to trouble you to coordinate with Little Xia and be ready to provide support at any time.”

Chen Xing thought that being support wasn't a bad idea, so he nodded. “That works.”

In any case, when they encountered a target on his list, he would take action himself.

Lu Wu seemed to be losing patience and asked coldly, “How many more people?”

Li Tan said, “This should be enough.”

“Then let’s go. Time waits for no one,” Lu Wu said, then started walking toward the Hunting Zone on his own.

The others looked at each other, the atmosphere a bit awkward.

“I'm sorry, he’s been a bit...” Xia Qinger started.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We have enough people, so let’s head out,” Li Tan said, waving it off.

The five-person team arrived at the Hunting Zone gates. After being inspected by the guards, they plunged into the region filled with a primitive aura.

The Hunting Zone was vast, featuring many different terrains like volcanic clusters, snowy mountains, and deserts.

The nearest area was a tropical rainforest with a relatively good environment, which usually housed the most Yao Beasts.

After several days, Chen Xing hadn't encountered any of his targets; his luck was truly quite bad.

“Thunder-Horned Rhino, Profound Wind Falcon, and Fire Spring Tree fruit... Old Ye really thinks I'm some kind of All-Purpose Man. Where am I supposed to find all this?” Chen Xing grumbled internally.

“Stop!” At that moment, Li Tan signaled for everyone to hide.

Chen Xing retreated behind him, while Xia Qinger stayed beside Lu Wu.

At the very front of the team, Zhou Chen was acting as the scout. His Blood Lion possessed very keen senses and was very familiar with the aura of wild beasts.

“Such a heavy thunder aura... it might even be stronger than yours,” Zhou Chen said to Li Tan.

“A Thunder-Horned Rhino?” Chen Xing was startled.

“No, Thunder-Horned Rhinos like to eat dew and spirit fruits. Although they occasionally kill for meat, that's rare. There's definitely not this much Evil Qi!” Zhou Chen shook his head.

“Heavy Evil Qi? Then it's a Thunder Tiger!” Lu Wu spoke up.

“Damn, Thunder Tigers are much more violent than Thunder Rhinos. If it's in the Light Opening Realm it's one thing, but if it's in the Divine Sea Realm...” Li Tan signaled for everyone to retreat, not wanting to provoke it for now.

“Crap, Old Zhou, what are you doing?!”

Zhou Chen didn't retreat. He even ignored the warnings and boldly stepped forward to take a look.

Five seconds later, he retreated rapidly, his face filled with joy.

“Found it. That beast's aura isn't strong, probably around the eighth or ninth stage. We can do this!”

His words immediately made everyone turn back.

If it was only a Light Opening Realm Thunder Tiger, it would be a top-tier prey for the five of them.

“Are you sure?” As the captain, Li Tan remained rational and didn't step forward.

“Of course. You don't trust me?” Zhou Chen said.

“What is there to fear? Let's just go up and kill it. If it’s Divine Sea Realm and we can't handle it, we'll just run. What do we have to lose?” Lu Wu said in a low voice.

“In the wilderness, especially the Hunting Zone, you can't let your guard down. What if there are other hunting teams? We'd be letting them sit back and watch while we fight, only for them to swoop in and take the prize,” Li Tan countered.

“You’re just scared. If you ask me, you should just stop hunting altogether if you think someone's lurking every time you see prey. What's the point? Do you think we're safe just because no one's watching us?” Lu Wu snorted.

“ I'm not that paranoid, but we should still have some defenses. It's better to be safe than sorry!” Li Tan shrugged.

“Then you stay here and defend. I'm going down with Old Zhou.” Lu Wu turned and left, not bothering to argue further.

“Hehe... suits me just fine!” Zhou Chen said with a laugh.

“Lu Wu...” Xia Qinger stepped forward.

“It’s dangerous down there. Since your self-defense is so poor, don't follow us,” Lu Wu turned back, his expression cold and his tone brook no argument.

Xia Qinger was a bit stubborn and said, “I have an ability that can seek luck and avoid calamity. I can sense danger in advance; I can definitely help you!”

Lu Wu replied, “A useless ability. So what if you sense danger? Just like last time, you sensed it ahead of time, but because you were too slow, you still couldn't keep up with everyone else's pace?”

Xia Qinger opened her mouth but found herself unable to refute him.

She and Lu Wu were in the same academy, and she had used that move once during a practical combat drill.

The result was that she predicted the danger and knew where the enemy's sneak attack was coming from, but because her own self-defense was too weak, she couldn't dodge it even though she had predicted it.