In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, magical beasts run rampant, and dangers abound. Walking alone within it makes one very susceptible to being targeted by magical beasts.
Therefore, most mercenaries entering the mountains, aside from those exceptionally skilled and daring, usually enter in groups.
Chen Xiao didn't rush to join a team. He stood by the street, quietly waiting for half an hour, watching teams of mercenaries gather and leave, and employers appear one after another.
Unfortunately, there was no recruitment for the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb-gathering team.
In Chen Xiao's plan, following the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb-gathering route into the Magical Beast Mountain Range should make it easier to find that cave.
"One more Dou Zhe above Six Star!"
The mercenary intending to hunt a Fire Fox waved a money bag, his sharp gaze constantly sweeping through the crowd.
In the small Green Mountain Town, aside from the major mercenary groups, low-level Dou Zhe made up the majority. The threshold of Six Star was indeed a bit high, which was why this person had been recruiting for so long without gathering enough people.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao no longer hesitated and stepped forward through the crowd.
"Me!"
The mercenary standing on the high ground looked over upon hearing the sound, his dark brows slightly furrowed.
"Little brother, you shouldn't be an adult yet. I need a Dou Zhe above Six Star!"
The mercenary emphasized the words "Dou Zhe".
Clearly, he didn't believe that Chen Xiao could possess such strength at his age.
Explanation was too pale; facts spoke louder than words.
Chen Xiao's gaze swept around, and he quickly spotted a tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl by the street.
Without unnecessary words, Chen Xiao strode forward, took a deep breath, and ice-blue Dou Qi, like a faint light curtain, covered his palm.
After a brief silence, Chen Xiao let out a low shout, his palm wrapped in fierce energy, striking heavily against the tree trunk.
"Crack."
As the crisp sound of breaking echoed, the tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl, under the astonished gaze of the crowd, creaked and fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"How is it?"
Chen Xiao looked at the mercenary on the high ground.
The mercenary grinned, jumped down, and slapped Chen Xiao's shoulder twice.
"Good fellow, you're the one. This is your reward."
Paying first and doing the job later was the rule for most mercenaries. After all, no one knew if they would return alive. Getting paid in advance meant those with families could leave it for them.
Saying this, the mercenary took out two gold coins from the gold coin bag, kept them, and then handed the rest to Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao showed a puzzled expression. He had been watching from the side for a full half hour and hadn't seen the other party deduct anyone's reward.
Being treated specially, he needed an explanation.
"Little brother, don't misunderstand. I, Wang Meng, am very satisfied with your strength. However, you smashed my tree. Two gold coins as a token, it's not too much, right?"
The big man spread his hands, as if asking the surrounding people to judge.
A group of mercenaries nodded in agreement.
Chen Xiao couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, it is indeed my fault."
"That's right. If you still need to prepare anything, hurry up. In a quarter of an hour, everyone will follow me into the mountains."
Patting Chen Xiao's shoulder again, the big man raised his hand and called the other five people he had recruited forward.
Chen Xiao glanced over. Four Six Star Dou Zhe, one Seven Star Dou Zhe.
As for Wang Meng, his strength was the same as his, and he was considered a good hand among the mercenaries in Green Mountain Town.
The five mercenaries all shook their heads. This wasn't their first time doing this kind of thing, and they had already prepared everything they needed.
Chen Xiao had nothing on him and didn't need to prepare further, so he also shook his head to indicate.
"Alright, then let's hurry up and go straight into the mountains. Let's try to come back early, otherwise we won't even get the first drink when we go find girls."
Wang Meng made a rather vulgar joke, causing the other mercenaries to laugh and nod in agreement, feeling the same way.
Chen Xiao gave a dry laugh and didn't interject.
In this world with an extreme lack of entertainment, the daily pastime of low-level mercenaries was probably only alcohol and women.
Respect, and understand.
...
In the silent forest, a group of seven walked quietly, their vigilant gazes constantly sweeping through the dark places among the surrounding trees, their hands tightly gripping the weapons at their waists, ready to deal with any sudden situation.
Upon reaching a relatively open area, Wang Meng took out a simple map from his waist and opened it.
"Our destination is this valley. Fire Foxes often appear there. Although these guys are second-tier, they never gather in groups except during mating, which makes it convenient for us to act."
"Hmm, little brother, this should be your first time entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range. I'll say a few more words. The second-tier magical beast Fire Fox has strength comparable to a low-star Dou Shi, but the Fire Fox's attack methods are relatively ordinary. It's more skilled in speed..."
Chen Xiao had never said that it was his first time entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range, but for these old hands who had been mixing here for years, it was easy to tell from many details.
That forced vigilance, distinct from their instinctive wariness, was a qualitative difference that couldn't be faked.
"That's the general situation with the Fire Fox. To make the encirclement easier, everyone, please state your strengths and your Dou Qi attributes. I'll formulate the plan."
Plan before acting, know when to stop and you will gain!
Everyone understood this principle.
"I'm good with a saber, Gold attribute. My killing power should be stronger," the Seven Star Dou Zhe mercenary said coolly, tapping the curved saber at his waist.
"I'm also Gold attribute."
"I'm Wind attribute, faster."
"Wood attribute. I have an Entanglement skill that should be very useful against the Fire Fox."
"Gold attribute..."
Chen Xiao was the last. Seeing the others look over, he immediately said, "Ice attribute. Best at... defense!"
Hearing this, the others were surprised.
Earlier in town, they had seen him test his skills, and his attack power was no less than any of theirs. They had thought Chen Xiao would be skilled in offense, but they were wrong.
Wang Meng nodded slightly. "I'm also Gold attribute. You know, our team is quite well-balanced. Here's the plan: once we reach the destination, Old Jiang, you're fast, so you'll be responsible for driving it out. The three of us with Gold attribute will engage it head-on. Old Wang, with Wood attribute, will assist from the side to restrict the Fire Fox's movements. Little Brother Chen, you guard the valley exit and absolutely do not let the Fire Fox escape!"
With the experience of veteran mercenaries, a plan for the encirclement was quickly finalized after a brief discussion.
Everyone nodded in agreement. This plan leveraged their strengths and avoided their weaknesses; there were no issues.
Without further delay, the group put away their map and, led by Wang Meng, accelerated towards the target valley.
In the outermost area of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, almost all active Magical Beasts were First Tier. While the group of seven couldn't be said to be completely unhindered, it was enough to make those Magical Beasts automatically retreat.
The journey was smooth. After about half an hour, the seven finally arrived at the target valley.
"Shh!"
Wang Meng, who was in the lead, shushed softly, and the six behind him immediately stopped and fell silent.
Chen Xiao looked slightly up into the valley and saw a beautiful Magical Beast, completely crimson, burying its head in the small stream by the valley, drinking water, completely unaware that danger had arrived.
"Good luck, we found one as soon as we arrived. Act according to the plan!"
Wang Meng said with a low laugh, waving slightly. All the mercenaries except Chen Xiao lightened their steps and slowly crept into the valley from both sides.
A Second Tier Magical Beast not skilled in attack, and seven people had formulated a plan and still needed to be so cautious.
This wasn't being overly cautious; it was because Magical Beasts generally had an advantage over humans of the same tier.
Take this Fire Fox, for example. It was equivalent to a One Star Dou Shi among humans. If it weren't for its lack of skill in attack, if seven Dou Zhe dared to target it, at least half of them would be taken out, or even the entire group wiped out.
Chen Xiao, responsible for guarding the valley entrance, had a relatively simple task. If the others were successful, he might not even have a chance to act.
This allowed him to carefully observe the mercenaries' movements and learn from their experience.
Under Chen Xiao's gaze, the six moved like thieves, stopping to observe the Fire Fox every few steps. Seeing that they hadn't been discovered, they continued to creep forward.
It was only about two hundred steps away, but it took the six over ten minutes to get within thirty meters of the Fire Fox.
It was at this moment that the Fire Fox, strolling in the valley, seemed to sense something. It suddenly raised its head, vigilantly scanning both sides of the valley.
The six veteran mercenaries reacted extremely quickly, dodging in time, and were not seen by the Fire Fox.
However, the vigilant Fire Fox still pushed off the ground and leaped towards the right side of the valley without hesitation, attempting to cross the valley and temporarily leave this place that gave it a sense of danger.
"We've been discovered, act!"
Wang Meng drew his saber with a 'clang', shouting loudly. The Wood attribute mercenary quickly jumped out.
"Dou Skill: Entanglement!"
Along with the mercenary's low shout, his emerald green Dou Qi shot out fiercely, fully displaying the characteristics of Wood attribute Dou Qi. It was like a green vine arcing over the Fire Fox, changing direction, and wrapping around the Fire Fox, making it impossible for a person, no, a fox, to guard against.
It was also because this mercenary was only at the Dou Zhe level. If he were at the Dou Ling level, where Dou Qi could condense into objects, this Entanglement skill would definitely be even more troublesome.
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