"Heavens... what... what is this?" Huangfu Chongzhi circled the massive black tiger Xu Luo was riding for a long while before turning to him, dumbfounded.
As for the others, they were frozen in place like wooden carvings, completely stupefied.
Although they couldn't identify the black tiger at a glance like Huangfu Chongzhi, its sheer size and imposing aura... were far beyond what any ordinary beast could exude. Only a far more powerful Spirit Beast could possess such a presence.
But now, this Spirit Beast was being ridden by their leader... This was just too surreal!
"Ling Luoxi ran into this guy while on night patrol and was chased all over the place. Then I used a little trick to subdue it..." Xu Luo said with a smile.
'Master Mao! It was Master Mao who subdued it! Damn human, you bastard, ARGHHHHH!'
"Right, the 'trick' I used was you, Master Mao..." Xu Luo replied to Miaomiao, his face expressionless.
"A 'little trick'..." Liang Ziyi grimaced. He wanted to come up and pet the black tiger's fur but didn't have the courage. He could clearly see the vicious light glinting in the massive beast's eyes.
"That's... just too much!" The aloof Xiaotian's mouth twitched. After saying this, he turned around and went back to his tent to sleep. His pride had taken a hit!
'In the past, he'd thought much like Ling Luoxi. Their leader might be skilled in both literature and martial arts, with an enviable grasp of strategy, but it was mostly because he was born into a good family! Without a mother from a sect, could he have ever changed his constitution and altered his fate? Without the foundation of a family of Generals, could he have mastered so much military strategy? But the longer he spent with Xu Luo, the more enigmatic Xiaotian found him. Their leader wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, yet he seemed to carry an invisible aura. When he let it out, it just naturally inspired endless confidence in him.'
'Alright... I accept him as my leader!' Xiaotian thought to himself.
Ling Luoxi was incredibly grateful that Xu Luo hadn't mentioned the Vermilion Fruit. It would be fine if he brought it up himself later, but if Xu Luo had exposed him just now, he really wouldn't have had the face to remain in the Martial Soul Squad.
As for Huangfu Chongzhi, he looked from the massive black tiger to Ling Luoxi, a thoughtful expression on his face, but he didn't press the matter.
Just then, Xu Jie suddenly asked Xu Luo, "By the way, your strength... it seems like you've broken through again? I don't remember you being this fast before."
Xiaotian, who was about to duck into his tent, couldn't help but stop and turn back, looking at Xu Luo in surprise.
"Broke through again so soon?" Xu Lingtian looked at Xu Luo with a hint of envy.
Xu Luo nodded. "Yeah, I just had another breakthrough. I've finally reached the realm of Great Sword Master..."
These were his teammates, his partners, his brothers. Xu Luo didn't want to hide it from them.
THUD!
Little Fatty Liu Feng plopped onto the ground and stared blankly at Xu Luo. "G-Great Sword Master?"
"This is too unreal..." Xiahou Xian muttered to himself.
"Wasn't he... a Tier Two Sword Master just a little while ago? And now he's a Great Sword Master? Can someone's strength really jump like that?" Liu San had a look of utter disbelief.
Li Hong said with a wry smile, "If this keeps up, we brothers are going to be left far behind!"
"AHHH, Third Brother, Third Brother, Third Brother... my dearest leader! Just how many Miracle Elixirs did your mother give you? I want some too, WAHHH..." Little Fatty Liu Feng snapped out of his daze, jumped in front of Xu Luo, and practically drooled as he clamored.
"You're the one who looks like a Miracle Elixir..." Xu Luo retorted with a laugh, then shook his head. "Where would I get Miracle Elixirs? If I really had any, you think I wouldn't share them with you?"
"Without Miracle Elixirs, how could you improve so fast? How is that possible? Heavens, what am I going to do! I'm a genius! How can I be this slow? When will I ever reach Great Sword Master..." the Little Fatty grumbled with a long face.
"Alright, alright, go back to sleep. If you want to become strong, you have to work hard and cultivate on your own!" Huangfu Chongzhi waved his hand, shooing away the drooling crowd.
The next morning, when the group woke up, they were a far cry from their usual energetic selves. Everyone had massive dark circles under their eyes; clearly, none of them had slept well.
Don't be fooled by their usual behavior—some aloof and proud, others laughing and carefree. In reality, just being students of True Martial Academy was proof of their excellence. Being chosen to temper themselves in the army showed they were stronger than most. And finally, being hand-picked by Instructor Zhou for this mission absolutely proved it... these young men were the cream of the crop of the Cangqiong Kingdom's younger generation!
How could people like them not have a bit of pride in their bones? They were brothers and partners, that was true, but none of them wanted to be second-best, and they certainly didn't want to drag the whole team down.
Xu Luo's lightning-fast improvement had finally, deeply provoked these proud, hot-blooded young men.
"Boss, I've decided! Starting today, I'm going to cultivate like crazy! I swear I'll reach the realm of Great Sword Master in the shortest time possible!" Little Fatty Liu Feng stood before Xu Luo, vowing through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, I've decided too. I'm going to train desperately. Even if I can't keep up with the boss's pace, at the very least, I can't fall behind!" Ling Luoxi was the one with the most complicated feelings. He'd once had such a great opportunity to improve, but he'd ruined it with his own greed.
Although he didn't know what method the boss had used to neutralize that power inside his body, it was obvious that the boss hadn't advanced by absorbing his power, nor had he grown stronger from it.
Liang Ziyi declared boisterously, "As a Martial Artist, I'm already diligent and hardworking every day. But starting today, I'm doubling my efforts! Brothers, try not to get left in my dust!"
"Tch!" The group rolled their eyes and ignored him.
"Alright, we can gather some Spirit Medicine along the way. We'll have Big Brother refine them into Elixirs, which will be a great help for improving your strength," Xu Luo said.
After that, Xu Luo showed everyone his uncanny ability to find Spirit Medicine.
"Here... dig down three feet. There's a Spirit Medicine hidden here. That's right, trust me!"
"Over there, behind that thicket of bushes, there's a Spirit Medicine. Yep, you'll see it when you get there."
"See that rock face? Climb up... that's right... keep going, then reach your hand into that crevice... Don't worry, a snake won't bite you..."
"Right, go forward... hmm, about thirty meters. There's definitely something there!"
In the end, staring at the huge pile of assorted Spirit Medicines on the ground, everyone felt like they were in a dream. Some of the medicines in the pile were so rare that even Huangfu Chongzhi was shocked, and his explanation of their value left everyone else stunned.
"This one shriveled little yellow grass... is worth five thousand gold on the market? And no one's even selling it?" Liang Ziyi clutched the Spirit Medicine he'd climbed a cliff to retrieve, his mouth twitching violently. After a long moment, he grumbled, "No wonder there are so many Adventurers; this line of work is so damn profitable! Son of a bitch, if I'm ever broke in the future, I'll become an Adventurer too!"
"Bullshit!" Xiaotian said coldly from the side. "Without the boss's guidance, you wouldn't find a damn thing!"
"Xiaotiantian, are you itching for a beating? Can't a man even vent a little?" Liang Ziyi said angrily.
"Who are you calling Xiaotiantian? I think you're the one itching for a fight!" Xiaotian retorted, even angrier.
"Don't like it? Let's fight!"
"Fine by me! Who's afraid of who!"
With that, the two of them didn't even bother drawing weapons and just lunged at each other...
BAM! POW! They started brawling.
The onlookers, thinking the spectacle wasn't big enough, started cheering them on, with Little Fatty Liu Feng leading the charge.
In the end, both of them were beaten black and blue. They took one look at each other and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
In the space of one day and one night, not only had their horizons been broadened, but their hearts had also been thoroughly shaken.
It was like having a friend who was always laughing and goofing around with you. Even if they were a little more outstanding, you wouldn't think much of it. But then, one day, that person suddenly skyrockets in a short period of time, becoming so brilliant they're almost blinding!
That kind of change... really took some getting used to.
And what's more, it wasn't something just anyone could accept.
Huangfu Chongzhi was probably the one in the group who understood Xu Luo best. It started from the day Xu Luo had asked him for his notes on Magical Beasts and Spirit Medicine, and then successfully brought back the flower of the Seven-Colored Light.
From that moment on, Huangfu Chongzhi knew very well that this Third Brother of his, while still looking like the same young man on the surface, was in reality like a young dragon that had broken free of its chains.
Soaring to the heavens... for him, it was only a matter of time!
The second person to see things clearly was Xu Jie. However, that guy, who spent all day forging iron and sharpening swords, was a bit thick-headed and didn't overthink it. He just felt that as long as his brother was doing well, he was happy.
As for Liu Feng and Sui Yan, they had been Xu Luo's loyal followers ever since he had a very weak constitution.
A weak constitution didn't mean a weak mind. In fact, Xu Luo had given them plenty of bad ideas over the years.
When they discovered Liu Feng's special talent, it was Xu Luo's idea to have him train his sense of smell by learning to identify women by their scent...
Of course, Liu Feng would rather die than tell anyone about this, because he knew that even if he did, absolutely no one would believe him!
As for new partners like Li Hong, their previous knowledge of Xu Luo was limited to the various taunts and rumors about him in the Imperial Capital.
Therefore, the various feats Xu Luo displayed had the most powerful impact on them.
"I've never seen what those Hidden Sects are really like, but I'm afraid that even they... don't possess this kind of ability to find Spirit Medicine!" Li Hong said softly, his gaze then turning sharp as he looked at the others.
"This matter is known only to us, the Martial Soul Squad. If anyone dares to spread a word of this, don't blame me for getting rough!"
"Alright, Mu Zi, we all get it. As for me, I'm completely convinced. If the boss asked me to sell my life to him, I'd do it in a heartbeat!" Liang Ziyi's words spoke to what Xiahou Xian and the others truly felt in their hearts.