Chapter 11

"Damn it, is this a joke?"

Gu Huizi's eyes were wide open, the words 'Passed' on the assessment application form felt like a slap in the face.

"Damn it! Who would dare to fake a Hunter's assessment?" Zhou Long grinned and glared at Gu Huizi, "The name signed on the application form is Elder Zhuang's. Do you dare to question an Elder?"

From the discussions among these Hunters, Luo Xiu learned that the white-robed elder who was responsible for his assessment was the Elder of the Qingyun City Hunter's Sub-branch, Zhuang Nantian.

And this Zhuang Nantian was also a Third Rank Array Master!

In the entire Qingyun City, there were no more than five Third Rank Array Masters.

Jiang Shanshan was also stunned, especially since she had just said that if the young man passed, she would pursue him.

Seeing Luo Xiu smiling at her, Jiang Shanshan's cheeks immediately turned red.

"Hmph, little brother, let's talk about this when you grow up a bit." She pouted, her lips were very sexy, and she seemed to want to be a bit playful.

"Haha, this kid must have done it on purpose. At his age, he dares to flirt with our Qingyun City Hunter's Sub-branch's top beauty, he has a bright future!"

"Hey, Gu Huizi, didn't you say that if this young man passed the assessment, you would twist off your head and kick it to him?"

"Right, if you're a real man, twist off your head!"

More and more people in the hall started to join in the commotion.

At this moment, Jiang Shanshan also took out a double-crossed sword emblem and handed it to Luo Xiu, "Little brother, congratulations on becoming a Hunter."

The emblem was white, with a star on it, indicating that Luo Xiu was now a One-Star Hunter!

The Hunter ranks are divided into nine levels, from One-Star to Three-Star being初级 Hunters, Four-Star to Six-Star being Intermediate Hunters, and Seven-Star to Nine-Star being Advanced Hunters.

The higher the Hunter rank, the more benefits one would receive. However, in the Qingyun City Hunter's Sub-branch, only up to Three-Star Hunter emblems could be issued, and for Four-Star and above, one had to go to the county city of Yunlong County.

Gu Huizi's face was as black as an iron pot, not only did he lose a thousand taels of silver, but he was also mocked by many of his peers, making him feel utterly humiliated.

Of course, it was impossible for him to really twist off his head, and the others were just joking around, not taking it seriously.

"Slap!"

A money bag was thrown in front of Luo Xiu, the tall and robust Zhou Long grinned, "Little brother, this is five hundred taels of silver. Gu Huizi and I bet that you wouldn't pass the assessment, and the total bet was a thousand taels, so we split it."

Luo Xiu was slightly taken aback; five hundred taels of silver was a huge sum for him. Zhou Long and Gu Huizi's bet had nothing to do with him, and logically, Zhou Long didn't need to share the winnings with him.

"Brother Zhou Long, this money is yours, I can't accept it." Luo Xiu politely refused, he didn't like accepting favors without reason.

"If it weren't for you, little brother, I wouldn't have won this money. Don't refuse, or you'll be looking down on me, Zhou Long."

Actually, for Zhou Long, the money was a small matter; making his old rival Gu Huizi lose face was what truly made him happy.

Luo Xiu smiled, with Zhou Long saying it like that, he couldn't continue to refuse.

"Then I'll thank Brother Zhou for your kindness." He thanked him and put away the money bag.

A boy under fourteen was quite noticeable in the Hunter's hall, where the average age of the Hunters gathered there was over twenty-five.

Zhou Long insisted on treating Luo Xiu to a drink, but he had never drunk alcohol before and was almost dragged to a table in the hall.

Including Zhou Long and Luo Xiu, there were five people at the table: a thin, cold-faced man, and two twin sisters who were plain-looking but had fiery figures, wearing tight martial clothing that accentuated their curves.

"Come, little brother Luo Xiu, let me introduce you..."

Through Zhou Long's introduction, Luo Xiu learned that the thin, cold-faced man was named Gu Ang, and the twin sisters were named Ji Rou'er and Ji Que'er.

Including Zhou Long, the four of them were a Hunter team, with Zhou Long, the team leader, being a Qi Sea Realm Second Level martial artist, Gu Ang being at the Ninth Level of Body Tempering, and Ji Rou'er and Ji Que'er both at the Eighth Level of Body Tempering.

Not to mention the various states and counties of the Tianwu Kingdom, Hunters were the most common group of martial artists in the entire empire, and teams like Zhou Long's were very common.

"Luo Xiu, I said before that if you could pass the assessment, I would let you join my team. What do you think?" Zhou Long took a big sip of wine and said with a smile.

Half an hour ago, when Luo Xiu applied for the Hunter assessment, no one in the hall thought he could pass. Zhou Long had also said it half-jokingly, not really believing that Luo Xiu had much chance of passing.

But the final result was unexpected; Luo Xiu not only passed the assessment but also obtained a One-Star Hunter emblem with the minimum requirement of Fifth Level Body Tempering!

Hunters generally valued their reputation, so Zhou Long inviting Luo Xiu to join his team was also fulfilling his promise.

"Captain, is this appropriate?"

Before Luo Xiu could say anything, Gu Ang, who was sitting beside him, frowned and spoke.

"Although Luo Xiu passed the assessment, he is only at the Fifth Level of Body Tempering. Joining our team would hold us back."

Gu Ang, who was second in strength to Captain Zhou Long in the team, had some weight in his words.

Zhou Long frowned, "How many people can pass the Hunter assessment at the Fifth Level of Body Tempering? Luo Xiu is only thirteen and has great potential. He might become stronger than me in the future. You need to think long-term."

Despite Zhou Long's words, Gu Ang was still reluctant, "If it were a young master from a noble family hiring us to take them to the mountains for training, that would be fine. But taking in a Fifth Level Body Tempering kid as a team member, I don't agree."

"Moreover, he doesn't even have a battle weapon. Is he going to fight beasts with his fists?" Gu Ang glanced at Luo Xiu with a hint of disdain.

Young Hunters like Luo Xiu were not uncommon, mostly from noble families. These rookies might have high cultivation levels, but their actual combat abilities were far inferior when facing beasts in the mountains.

While Zhou Long and Gu Ang were arguing, Luo Xiu remained silent, as he had never intended to join any team from the beginning.

"Brother Zhou, I appreciate your kindness, but if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Luo Xiu didn't argue with Gu Ang, despite his low cultivation, he had his own means and could find his own way to survive.

Without waiting for Gu Ang and Zhou Long to say anything, Luo Xiu stood up and walked towards the entrance of the Hunter's Guild.

"Gu Ang, even if you disagree with him joining, you didn't have to be so harsh," Zhou Long glared at Gu Ang, slightly displeased.

Gu Ang was not convinced, "I was doing it for his own good. If we take him out hunting, he would not only hold us back but might even lose his life."

Most Hunters were dismissive of so-called young geniuses, as no matter how fast one cultivated, without the baptism of life-and-death battles, one could never become a true expert.

Many young geniuses, who considered themselves superior, had a high mortality rate when they went hunting in the mountains.

Therefore, many young nobles would hire Hunter teams for protection when they went out for training, and Zhou Long's team had taken on such tasks several times.

At the entrance of the Hunter's Guild, Luo Xiu turned back and saw Jiang Shanshan looking at him.

Surprised by Luo Xiu's sudden turn, Jiang Shanshan was startled and quickly lowered her head, her cheeks turning red.

Luo Xiu just smiled and left the Hunter's Guild.

When Jiang Shanshan looked up again, Luo Xiu was already gone.

"My cultivation will likely reach the Sixth Level of Body Tempering in the next two to three days. I'll go hunting after I break through."

Walking down the street, Luo Xiu thought to himself, "Going hunting is no small matter, and during this period, I need to make some preparations."

As he thought, Luo Xiu arrived at the market in the north of the city and first saw a shop selling array devices.

In Qingyun City, besides the Hunter's Guild, there were also the Array Master's Guild, the Alchemist's Guild, and the Blacksmith's Guild.

Array Masters are a special profession among martial artists, using the properties of various materials to assist in various secret techniques, setting up or creating treasures with various magical abilities.

For example, the Spirit Gathering Array is a type of array that condenses the elemental energy of the world to accelerate the cultivation speed of martial artists, and it is one of the most common basic arrays.

Based on the effects of the arrays, they are divided into nine levels, corresponding to the ranks of First to Ninth Level Array Masters.

Array Masters are highly sought after among martial artists, as many of the array devices they create are highly sought after by martial artists, and powerful forces often hire skilled Array Masters to set up various large arrays.

Therefore, many powerful forces cultivate their own Array Masters, but it is very difficult to cultivate high-level Array Masters, as they not only need to have extremely high talent, but the lineage of knowledge is also crucial.

Array Masters also possess strong combat abilities, and some high-level Array Masters can even make powerful forces bow before them.

Besides Array Masters, Alchemists and Blacksmiths also have special statuses far exceeding those of ordinary martial artists, and these three professions are special groups in the world of martial arts cultivation.

"Damn! A First Level Spirit Gathering Array costs ten thousand taels of silver?"

In the shop, Luo Xiu saw a palm-sized white disk with various rune patterns carved on it, and his face instantly changed.

A First Level array corresponds to the Body Tempering stage of martial artists, and this disk-shaped object is an array device.

A First Level Spirit Gathering Array can triple the cultivation speed of Body Tempering martial artists, and only the young nobles of noble families could afford it.

Luo Xiu touched the money bag hanging from his waist; five hundred taels of silver was a huge sum for him. What about ten thousand taels of silver?