Chapter 46: Bountiful Harvest

"Haha, Fourth Brother is right. We all have a share in this, so let's do it your way. You and this brother here can take half of these magic cores, and the other half will be evenly divided among us." Changyang Hu laughed heartily. Jianchen was his younger brother, though they were half-brothers, this did not affect their brotherly bond at all. He would not be polite with Jianchen.

Even with Changyang Hu saying this, the other three could not refuse. They all excitedly collected their share of the magic cores. On average, each of the four received over a dozen magic cores, which made them all extremely happy. This number was already equivalent to what they had gained from hunting magic beasts over the past three days.

After such an event, Jianchen and the others did not plan to stay in the same spot. They moved to a new location and started a fire to continue roasting meat.

The six of them sat in a circle around the fire. Changyang Hu smiled and said, "Fourth Brother, let me introduce you. These three are my best friends, Ous, Obba, and Dilier." He pointed at the three and continued, "Fourth Brother, Ous and Obba are twin brothers. They look exactly the same. Once they wash the dirt off their faces, I guarantee you won't be able to tell which one is Ous and which one is Obba."

Jianchen smiled faintly and greeted each of them. After some casual conversation, they gradually became familiar with each other, and even Tietan's name was known to the three.

At this moment, Changyang Hu's expression turned serious. "Fourth Brother, I remember that before we entered the forest, you hadn't yet advanced to the Saint level. How did you end up in the third area, and with such strength that you even defeated the Intermediate Saint, Luo Jian, who possesses Wind Attribute Saint Power? Could it be that you advanced to the Saint level in just these three days?"

This question from Changyang Hu was also what the other three were curious about. As soon as Changyang Hu asked, Dilier and Obba's eyes immediately focused on Jianchen. The fact that Jianchen had defeated the Intermediate Saint, Luo Jian, was a huge shock to them. Although they had heard about Jianchen's strength in the academy, it was far from being exaggerated to this extent.

Jianchen smiled slightly and handed the iron rod to Changyang Hu. "Big Brother, take a look. If I had advanced to the Saint level, would I still be using such a weapon?"

Changyang Hu took the iron rod. At first glance, he recognized that this iron rod, stained black with blood, was actually a rusty, broken iron rod.

"This... this..." Changyang Hu's eyes widened, and he stared at the rusty iron rod in disbelief. The shock in his heart left him speechless. He never imagined that Jianchen could defeat Luo Jian with just a broken iron rod. If it weren't for witnessing it himself, he would never have believed it.

At this moment, Dilier and Obba's eyes also fell on the iron rod in Changyang Hu's hand. After a careful examination, the three of them also showed expressions of disbelief and shock, looking at Jianchen as if he were a monster.

Seeing their expressions, Jianchen chuckled. "With Tietan and me working together, the magic beasts in the second area are no longer a challenge for us. That's why Tietan and I came to the third area."

Hearing this, Changyang Hu and the others were speechless. The magic beasts in the second area were first-stage magic beasts, which, although relatively weak and not very aggressive, were still very difficult for ordinary Saints to handle. Jianchen and Tietan, who had not yet advanced to the Saint level, saying that the second area was no longer a challenge for them, left the four of them, including Changyang Hu, secretly cursing Jianchen and Tietan as freaks.

After a moment, Changyang Hu and the others finally regained their composure. Changyang Hu continued, "Fourth Brother, you're already so powerful without advancing to the Saint level. I can't even imagine how strong you'll be once you reach the Saint level." He paused and then asked, "By the way, Fourth Brother, when do you estimate you'll advance to the Saint level?"

Jianchen pondered for a moment and replied, "I have already reached the peak of the tenth level of Saint Power. After we leave the forest, I plan to make a push for the Saint level."

Changyang Hu drew a sharp breath, looking at Jianchen with a mix of surprise and shock. "Fourth Brother, you're really amazing. A few months ago, when you first came to the academy, your strength was only at the eighth level of Saint Power. I never thought you would reach the peak of the tenth level so quickly."

Hearing this, Dilier and the others couldn't help but be amazed. Their gaze towards Jianchen had completely changed. With such rapid cultivation speed and strength that was incredibly powerful, Jianchen was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses. At this moment, the three of them had already decided that they must befriend Jianchen and must not offend him.

Jianchen smiled nonchalantly and asked, "Big Brother, I noticed that many people in the third area seem to be fighting over magic cores. Do you know why?"

Changyang Hu sighed. "I don't know who started it, but apparently, on the second day, a group of people, relying on their numbers, began to snatch magic cores from others in the third area. This led to a series of incidents. When the news spread, the students in the third area followed suit, organizing groups to snatch magic cores. After all, second-stage magic beasts are not only few in number but also very difficult to kill, and even when killed, they only yield one magic core. Snatching magic cores is much easier and, with good luck, you can snatch multiple cores at once."

"So, the situation has escalated to the point where all the students in the third area are fighting over magic cores. Many lone students or small groups who couldn't protect their hard-earned magic cores have been robbed, leading many injured students to leave the forest early. Now, there are not many people left in the third area."

"Can't the teachers hidden in the shadows stop this?" Tietan couldn't help but ask.

"As long as no one's life is in danger, or they are in a life-or-death situation with a magic beast, the teachers hidden in the shadows won't appear. After all, the reason we were sent to the magic beast forest is to train us. This snatching incident is also a test of our strength and unity. Such things happen all over the Tianyuan Continent, and this is just a way for us to experience it early," one of the Obba brothers explained.

"Oh!" Tietan understood.

Jianchen's lips suddenly curved into a strange smile. He looked at Changyang Hu and the others and said, "Since others can take our magic cores, why can't we take theirs? Are you willing to give it a try?"

Hearing this, Changyang Hu and the others' eyes lit up.

"Alright, let's do it. Changyang Xiangtian, I'll follow you," Dilier stood up from the ground, staring at Changyang Xiangtian with excitement, and declared boldly.

"Good, earlier we were too weak and could only run away, but now with Changyang Xiangtian's help, we can even defeat a group with Intermediate Saints. Let's make the most of this last night and give it a good try," the Obba brothers also became enthusiastic.

"Alright, Fourth Brother, I'll follow your lead," Changyang Hu also expressed his excitement.

As for Tietan, he had no objections. These days, Tietan had already been following Jianchen's lead.

After filling their bellies, they discussed and decided that the Obba brothers would go around to find targets, while Jianchen and the others would stay and wait for news.

The Obba brothers quickly returned and found a group of five people about five miles away.

Jianchen and the others immediately set out, following the Obba brothers to the target location.

When they arrived, the five people were just about to rest. Caught off guard, they were quickly subdued by Jianchen and the others. Since all five were at the初级 Saint level, they were quickly defeated. However, the number of magic cores they had was not many, only about twenty.

After collecting the magic cores, Jianchen and the others did not harm them and immediately left.

For the rest of the night, Jianchen and the others did not sleep, searching for targets in the forest. There were not many people left in the third area. In the entire night, Jianchen and the others only found three groups. Interestingly, one of the groups had the same goal as them. They met halfway and immediately started fighting. This group had six people, equal in number to Jianchen's group, and included two Intermediate Saints, making them very powerful. However, the two Intermediate Saints were held off by Jianchen and Tietan, and in the end, both were injured by Jianchen, leading to their victory. From this group, Jianchen and the others collected over 150 second-stage magic cores, indicating that they had taken many cores from other students.

After three battles, everyone except Jianchen was covered in injuries. Only Tietan, with his thick skin, could still fight. Reluctantly, they spent the rest of the night in a hidden place, as the others were unable to continue fighting. Although Jianchen and Tietan were still eager to rob more people, they had to stay and protect the others, in case of any emergencies.

However, it must be said that their harvest for the night was very bountiful. Apart from the first group, which had only about twenty magic cores, the other two groups had about seventy and over 150 cores, respectively, totaling nearly 260 cores.

Looking at so many magic cores, Jianchen even suspected that they had collected half of all the second-stage magic cores from the third area.

The rest of the night passed quietly. The next morning, Jianchen and the others set out towards the forest's edge. The wounds on Changyang Hu and the others had started to heal after applying some ointments, which were included in the space belts they received from the academy.

Now, Changyang Hu and the others were wearing intact wolf skins, making it impossible to tell that they were injured. These wolf skins were provided by Jianchen and Tietan, who had collected many during their earlier hunts.

The night passed quietly, and the next morning, Jianchen and the others set out towards the forest's edge. The wounds on Changyang Hu and the others had started to heal after applying some ointments, which were included in the space belts they received from the academy.

Now, Changyang Hu and the others were wearing intact wolf skins, making it impossible to tell that they were injured. These wolf skins were provided by Jianchen and Tietan, who had collected many during their earlier hunts.