Chapter 5

"Zhang Huyuan, you've come, please come upstairs!" Seeing Zhang Meng, a middle-aged man in his fifties hurriedly walked over, glanced at Ye Feng and the others, and said to Zhang Meng.

"Manager Liu, hahaha, you've really put on some weight recently!"

"Isn't it all thanks to you, Huyuan?"

The two of them laughed and walked upstairs, and Ye Feng and the others quickly followed.

This wasn't the first time they had come here, but neither the shopkeeper nor the assistants had ever spoken a word to them. In the eyes of those people, 'cannon fodder! scum' was their nickname.

Ye Feng and the others were used to this, so they didn't mind. Only Lin Ping clenched his fist tightly, thinking to himself, 'I'll show you my strength later!'

The third level of the Iron Body Technique filled him with confidence. The higher his strength, the more resources he could obtain. He had already planned his future path. Once he reached the fifth level of the Iron Body Technique, he could become a guard for a family, and then he would bring glory to his ancestors.

"Young Master, Miss, Captain Zhang Meng has arrived..."

"Master Yue, Miss Lianxin..."

After arriving on the second floor, over a dozen teenagers around sixteen or seventeen years old were sitting and drinking tea. The two of them hurriedly greeted them.

These teenagers nodded at Zhang Meng and Manager Liu, but they didn't even glance at Ye Feng and the others.

"Zhang Meng, are you ready?" At this moment, a young man sitting in the main seat, with a proud look on his face, asked Zhang Meng as if he were a high emperor looking down.

"Zhang Meng, the logistics for this trial will be your responsibility!" After the young man spoke, a pretty girl sitting next to him, with a faintly proud expression, also said to Zhang Meng.

The young man was named Zhang Yue, the grandson of the fifth elder of the Zhang family. The girl was named Zhang Lianxin, the granddaughter of the fourth elder of the Zhang family. This time, they were leading the family's sixteen-year-old teenagers to the Tianlang Mountains for a trial.

Sixteen years old was a turning point in the Tianlang Continent. After sixteen, one was considered an adult, so sixteen was a critical age.

If one could reach the Warrior realm before sixteen, they were considered talented and worth cultivating. They could focus on martial cultivation within the family, and the family would provide certain resources. However, if one hadn't reached the Warrior realm by sixteen, they would start working for the family, earning money to support other warriors and develop the family.

These dozen or so teenagers were all from the Zhang family who had reached the Warrior realm at sixteen. In large families, after turning sixteen, there would be a trial, which was considered their coming-of-age trial.

Zhang Meng was called a guard by some peripheral members of the Zhang family. In front of the true core members of the Zhang family, Zhang Meng was just a servant, a servant who relied on the Zhang family for a living. These young masters and misses naturally didn't take him seriously.

"Master Yue, Miss Lianxin, everything is ready! We can set out at any time!" Zhang Meng and Manager Liu quickly replied respectfully after hearing their words.

"Good!" Hearing their words, Zhang Yue nodded at them and then turned to the other teenagers. "You should also prepare. We'll set out in an hour!"

"Alright, Brother Yue!"

"Brother Yue, don't worry! With you and Sister Lianxin here, this trial will be a piece of cake. Even if we encounter a third-stage fierce beast, we won't be afraid!"

"That's right. With Brother Yue and Sister Lianxin, two second-stage warriors, what do we have to fear?"

...

They could ignore Zhang Meng and the others, but after Zhang Yue spoke, the originally proud faces of these teenagers instantly turned into flattering smiles as they spoke to Zhang Yue and Zhang Lianxin.

These words also reached the ears of Ye Feng and the others, who were descending the stairs, making them sigh inwardly.

A second-stage warrior was a legend to them. They would never reach that level. Reaching the second-stage warrior at sixteen shocked Ye Feng. He knew the difficulty of cultivation.

However, he was only shocked for a moment before returning to normal. Ye Feng believed that as long as he had time, surpassing these people would not be a problem.

Yesterday, he discovered that after being healed by the Vitality Qi, his meridians had become a bit stronger and there were no hidden dangers.

Originally, Ye Feng planned to concoct a medicine to strengthen his meridians, but the appearance of the Vitality Qi made him abandon this idea.

While the medicine might work faster, Ye Feng found that after being healed by the Vitality Qi, his meridians became more resilient, something that medicine couldn't achieve.

Therefore, Ye Feng had already decided to use the Vitality Qi to heal his meridians. Although the process might be painful, it was worth it for a better foundation.

An hour later, Ye Feng and the others stood at the entrance of the general store, but their backs were now burdened with bulging packages.

The packages contained food, water, and even some clothes for these young masters and misses.

Shortly after, the young masters of the Zhang family also came out of the general store. They were all dressed in tight-fitting clothes, carrying only weapons and a few necessary items, while everything else was on Ye Feng and the others.

Ye Feng and the others didn't mind this. The reward for this mission was very high, and after completing the task, the twenty members of the Flying Tiger Team could share one-tenth of the supplies. This one-tenth of the supplies was what they valued most.

"Set out!" Zhang Yue stood at the entrance of the general store, shouted, and then walked towards the edge of the town.

...

"Ha ha, Brother Yue, this is too easy! They say the Tianlang Mountains are dangerous, and even seventh or eighth-stage warriors might perish, but this is nothing!" In the Wicked Wolf Valley on the outskirts of the Tianlang Mountains, a young man slashed a heavily wounded brown bear's head with a knife and said to the young man watching from the side.

These people were the Zhang family's children. They had been in the Wicked Wolf Valley for a day and had killed many wild beasts.

The violent brown bear was considered a high-end beast, but it was still a beast. For these martial cultivators, who were at least first-stage warriors, it posed no difficulty.

"Don't rush, let's warm up first!" Zhang Yue said calmly, then looked into the depths of the forest, a hint of caution on his face.

Zhang Yue wasn't the first time he had come to the Tianlang Mountains. A year ago, he had been here once. The Wicked Wolf Valley wasn't even part of the true outskirts of the Tianlang Mountains. Last year, he had entered the true outskirts of the Tianlang Mountains but encountered a fierce beast, the 'Green-Eyed Wolf,' and barely escaped with his life, even though he was severely injured.

It was precisely because of that pressure that he managed to reach the second stage of the Warrior realm.

After saying this, Zhang Yue led the way deeper into the valley.

After they had walked for about an incense stick's time, Zhang Meng led the Flying Tiger Team to this place. Originally, the Flying Tiger Team would go to the true outskirts of the Tianlang Mountains to collect materials others had discarded, but this time their mission was to help the young masters clean up the mess, which made the Flying Tiger Team members very happy.

Following these young masters and cleaning up the mess was much safer than going to the outskirts of the Tianlang Mountains. At least they didn't have to worry about their lives, and the rewards would be much higher than before. Why not? After all, they were here for money.

Ye Feng and the others weren't doing this for the first time, so they quickly dismembered the violent brown bear, collecting the fur and gallbladder. The bear meat was divided, as they estimated they would stay here for ten to fifteen days, and this would be their food.

"Let's go!" Seeing that they had finished, Zhang Meng shouted and led the way deeper into the forest.

"Ye Feng, I heard your blood and qi are dried up, and you can no longer cultivate. Congratulations!" As they walked deeper into the Wicked Wolf Valley, Lin Ping suddenly turned around, a mocking smile on his face.

"Buzz... buzz..."

"Really?"

"Damn, no way!"

"I've heard a bit, but I didn't confirm it. I didn't expect it to be true!"

After Lin Ping spoke, the Flying Tiger Team members began to discuss.

Many were gloating, but a few felt a pang of sorrow. People like them rarely had a good end. They either died in the jaws of beasts or from dried-up blood and qi. Unless they quit now, but who in this line of work didn't have their reasons?