Xia calendar 6240 years, Fangzhang Continent
To the west of Tianya Mountain Base, a large number of Demon Domain with numerous cultivators were active again. In the daily struggles, the demon clan has been completely defeated by the human clan.
The breeding and upgrading of demon insects cannot keep up with the firepower of the human clan. When cultivators are equipped with technology weapons, they have a great advantage in the bottom-line battles.
So as long as the demon clan doesnât launch a large-scale attack, their daily advantages are basically neutralized, and they are gradually retreating.
On this day, Lin Liyan was leading a patrol outside the forward base. Most of the Huaxia cultivators have to take turns in the Fangzhang Continent, and he is no exception.
"Drip drip"
During the patrol, Lin Liyanâs watch made a drip-drip sound, and Lin Liyan answered the call.
"This is the third patrol team, I am the captain Lin Liyan."
"This is the command center. We just received a protection request for hunter number 359467. Based on the signal location, you are the closest. The third patrol team will go for the protection mission."
"Yes, understood."
"If you have signal relays, itâs suggested to place them nearby during the reinforcement. The signal relays in that area have been destroyed."
"Understood. The third patrol team will take on this mission. Are there any other tasks?"
"No, good luck to you."
"Goodbye."
Lin Liyan hung up the call and asked the team if anyone had a signal relay device, a few people had it with them.
The demon tribe kept blocking the human tribeâs spying efforts, while the human tribe was trying hard to gather information about the demon tribe. Thatâs why the signal relay device was very important, and many patrol teams would carry them daily for maintenance and updates.
Lin Liyan projected a map from his watch, and they saw a signal a dozen kilometers ahead of them. Lin Liyan immediately led his team towards it.
They arrived in just a blink of an eye. When Lin Liyan got there, he saw a huge demon beastâs body on the ground. It looked like a lizard. On the demon beastâs back, there was a cultivator lying in a pool of blood. If it wasnât for his still breathing, Lin Liyan would have thought he was dead.
"Code three five nine four six seven, Iâm from the base patrol team, can you respond?"
"Iâm three five nine four six seven, Iâm not dead."
Lu Xuan opened his eyes, glanced at Lin Liyan, and then lifted his clothes to check his wound. Just now, his abdomen was pierced by the demon beast, almost making him pass out. But now, the wound was starting to heal, it was just the loss of blood that made him feel weak.
Lin Liyan signaled to his men, and one of them went to install the signal relay device. He hid it in a big tree.
"Taoist friend, you can come with us now. We are deep into the Demon Domain, the smell of blood is too strong and might attract other demon beasts."
"Good"
Lu Xuan nodded, then struggled to get up, grabbed the leg of the monster, and tried to drag it away.
"Taoist friend, you look strong, donât you have a storage bag?"
Lin Liyan suddenly became upset, put it away, fly away quickly, do you really want to walk back?
"Sorry, my storage bag is full, and Iâve run out of elixirs."
"Take these, they heal wounds and restore spiritual power. Iâll keep your prey for you and give it back to you when we return."
Lin Liyan hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then handed two elixirs to Lu Xuan and took his prey.
"Thank you, Iâll pay you back when we get back."
"No need, itâs nothing, letâs hurry and go."
Lin Liyan shook his head. He came from a wealthy family, so having only two elixirs was not a big deal.
"Captain, this three five nine four six seven is the most powerful independent cultivator in recent years."
"I heard he is the top independent cultivator, the first one to reach the Nascent Soul stage."
"Really?"
"Yes, his hunter level is diamond level two, the highest among hunters."
On the way back, several team members were secretly chatting, which shocked Lin Liyan. He had just started his rotation, but he had also heard that many formidable people had emerged among independent cultivators in recent years. But in the past few years, one person stood out, starting as a registered hunter and reaching diamond level in just a few years. It was said to be the quickest progress, and also the first one to exchange a baby treasure from the Hunter Platform.
Lin Liyan glanced at Lu Xuan a few times. Lu Xuan had a treasure that hid his cultivation level, so Lin Liyan couldnât see it clearly. He didnât use his divine sense to probe, as it was impolite.
Soon, Lin Liyan brought Lu Xuan back to the forward base, where they completed their mission. Lu Xuan had used the platformâs escort function to have Lin Liyanâs team escort him back, which required payment. In return, Lin Liyanâs team would receive a service fee, provided they successfully escorted him back.
"Taoist friend, about your elixirsâŠ"
"Iâve sent you off, we still have things to do, so weâre leaving now."
Lin Liyan quickly left without giving Lu Xuan a chance to repay the money. He admired this strong person from the independent cultivator group and hoped to befriend him.
"Rich kids from Huaxia sure have a lot of money."
Lu Xuan glanced at Lin Liyanâs back and sighed. Both were at the Nascent Soul stage, but Lu Xuan was wearing basic robes, nowhere near as valuable as Lin Liyanâs attire. Just based on their clothes, Lin Liyan could spend months in the Demon Domain with what he had.
Using the Hunter Platform, Lu Xuan reserved the best room in the forward base. Once inside, he took a comfortable bath and had a restful sleep.
The new generation of cultivators worked hard in their cultivation practice, but also enjoyed life. They didnât neglect eating, sleeping, or indulging in activities like bathing, massages, or chatting with companions. They maintained their human habits with enthusiasm.
After sleeping for two days, when Lu Xuan woke up, all his wounds had vanished, leaving his skin smooth and flawless like a babyâs. Even his internal injuries had healed.
The rapid recovery was not due to the two pills from Lin Liyan, but rather Lu Xuanâs extreme regenerative abilities. As long as he wasnât instantly killed by a blow, he could quickly recover from any injuries. He had tested this before.
Lu Xuan used the hunter wristwatch to call for assistance. In less than ten minutes, a group of people arrived at his room. He showed them his findings from the Demon Domain, and after the items were evaluated and verified, a direct trade was made, adding money to Lu Xuanâs account.
"Number three five nine four six seven, your hunter level has reached diamond level three, do you want to update your badge?"
"No thanks, Iâm good as it is."
Lu Xuan shook his head, diamond level two was enough for him. He was already the top independent cultivator, no need for more.
After seeing off those people, Lu Xuan placed an order on the Hunter Platform, buying a large amount of resources for cultivation. The delivery arrived in just over ten minutes, as the forward base was a transfer hub of the Hunter Platform. Almost anything could be delivered immediately, very fast and free shipping.
Checking his account balance, Lu Xuan went to the baseâs restaurant and ordered a variety of delicacies. The monster meat in the restaurant at the forward base was the freshest and highly popular.
Lu Xuan dined elegantly, cutting the monster meat into small pieces, slowly savoring each bite. He chewed thoroughly before swallowing, all the while contemplating his next plans.
Years ago, he left Ying Continent and traveled through many places before choosing to come to Fangzhang Continent. Becoming a hunter and registering as one, he went on a frenzy for many years.
He always ventured alone deep into the Demon Domain, single-handedly taking on hordes of monsters. With his abnormal recovery ability, he always outlasted his enemies, just like this time â battling until exhaustion, depleting all supplies countless times.
His actions seemed reckless and suicidal to outsiders, but in reality, Lu Xuan calculated everything meticulously. At least, he was not foolishly risking his life.
Under this madness, Lu Xuan received plentiful rewards, evident from his hunter rank being above diamond, making him the cleanest among hunters. Others, mostly have shady income.
"Resources for cultivation above the Nascent Soul stage are all exorbitant. It would be extremely difficult for me alone to gather enough. Building an independent cultivator team is also not cost-effective. The platform officials really have good tactics, forcing us to join them."
Lu Xuan sighed. The Hunter Platform has been around for many years. The outstanding individuals from the first batch either died or were recruited by the officials. No one has broken through the Nascent Soul except him for now.
He now faces this dilemma. Either continue to take risks and be severely exploited by the platform, or join them and become an official person. As for building an independent cultivator team, he had never thought about it because other independent cultivators were too inferior to team up with him.
This made Lu Xuan very hesitant. He had many secrets, and having spent many years within the system, he knew that without a strong background, it would be difficult to succeed. What should he do?