TL: Etude
Ye Tian recognized the familiar faces of the Wind Wolf hunting squad. The elementary speed talent he had acquired came from a Silver Moon Mink that the Wind Wolf hunting squad had hunted down. In a way, he owed the Wind Wolf hunting squad a favor.
The speed talent had been incredibly helpful to him in the early stages. Without it, he might have already died at the hands of Shadow.
"If I can help the Wind Wolf hunting squad during this mission, I should," Ye Tian told himself.
While Ye Tian recognized Captain Wind Wolf (Captain Galewolf in the Manhua), but Wind Wolf didn't recognize him. After all, Ye Tian had changed significantly since they last met. His demeanor had matured through periods of cultivation and life-and-death battles, giving him an air of deadly seriousness.
Although he was only sixteen, he looked more like he was eighteen or nineteen, much more mature than before. Additionally, he had grown taller, reaching a height of 1.8 meters, and his physique had become more robust.
Wind Wolf had only met Ye Tian once, and at that time, Ye Tian was just a Martial Disciple. How could Wind Wolf and his team remember such an insignificant figure? They had long forgotten about him.
Ye Tian didn't focus on Wind Wolf and his team. Instead, he stood alone in a corner, quietly waiting for the person in charge to arrive.
However, several people did try to befriend Ye Tian. After all, he was so young yet already a warrior; his talent must be high, and he had the potential to become an elite warrior in the future.
If they knew that Ye Tian was already an elite warrior, they would undoubtedly be shocked beyond belief.
In fact, unless one reached the level of a Grand Martial Warrior, it was challenging to gauge another person's cultivation level. This could only be discerned in battle or through the aura they emitted. Ye Tian had been concealing his aura, so how could these people, who were at best elite warriors, discern his level of cultivation?
Ye Tian wasn't opposed to revealing his status as an elite warrior, but now was not the time. Once he had duplicated the strength talent of the Mighty Ants, it wouldn't be too late to reveal his true abilities. By then, he wouldn't have to be so cautious.
As for the warriors trying to befriend him, Ye Tian merely brushed them off.
"Lin Mingzhi is here!"
The crowd began to stir.
Lin Mingzhi?
Upon hearing this name, information about Lin Mingzhi surfaced in Ye Tian's mind.
Lin Mingzhi was the son of the current head of the Lin family. He was only in his thirties but had already reached the peak of elite warrior status. He was not far from becoming a Grand Martial Warrior. Moreover, Lin Mingzhi had a medium-level cultivation talent, qualifying him to ascend to the level of a Grand Martial Warrior. However, he would likely only reach the early stages of a Grand Martial Warrior in his lifetime.
Even so, that would be enough to dominate Linhai Base. Aside from the peak Grand Martial Warrior in the Lin family, the other Grand Martial Warriors were only at the early stages.
According to Ye Tian's estimation, the peak Grand Martial Warrior in the Lin family probably had a high-level cultivation talent. Unfortunately, he hadn't broken through to the Master realm, and given his advanced age, it was unlikely he ever would.
"Everyone, quiet down!"
A warrior with thick eyebrows and big eyes stood not far away and shouted at everyone. He was Lin Mingzhi.
"Everyone who has come here is obviously willing to participate in the beast-cleaning plan. This plan will result in unimaginable benefits for our Linhai Base. After all, Linhai Base is small and resources are limited. Once we open up a trade route and trade with a medium-sized base, everyone could even buy treasures not available in Linhai Base in the future. So, this plan is crucial," Lin Mingzhi began.
"Of course, this plan also carries certain risks, but the rewards are absolutely worth it. I can guarantee that whatever you gain on this journey will belong to you. If you can't carry away the beasts you've hunted, our Lin family will deliver half of them to you later. In addition, we have prepared gifts. Each warrior can receive 20 vials of medium-level beast blood and 2 million in cash. Elite warriors can receive three vials of high-level beast blood and 10 million in cash."
Lin Mingzhi's words sent the warriors present into a frenzy. Not only could they keep their gains, but they would also receive additional rewards. Where else could they find such a good deal? As for only receiving half of the uncarried beast corpses, they had no objections. Some beast corpses were too large and often had to be discarded, which was a waste. The Lin family's promise to bring them back and give them half was already very generous.
Ye Tian looked at the excited warriors around him and shook his head inwardly. These people were too optimistic. The rewards were indeed good, but they had to survive to enjoy them. If they died, they would get nothing, and the Lin family would lose nothing. They had cleverly recruited a group of fighters for free and could also gain considerable resources. The Lin family had played their hand beautifully.
"Here we have gathered almost 200 warriors. Along with warriors from various major families, I estimate that no fewer than 1,000 warriors will participate in this plan," Ye Tian calculated. The entire Linhai Base had only a few thousand warriors, and nearly half were mobilized for this operation.
Soon after, Lin Mingzhi had someone bring out a pillar for testing strength, a piece of elemental equipment. Warriors would punch the pillar, and it would display their strength. Clearly, it was a good piece of equipment acquired from another base.
One by one, the warriors went up to test their strength and were then grouped according to their cultivation levels. Ye Tian kept a low profile, displaying only the strength of a late-stage warrior rather than that of an elite warrior. Even so, it caused a huge sensation. Many marveled at Ye Tian's strength and high talent. Even Lin Mingzhi considered recruiting him but was politely declined by Ye Tian.
However, Lin Mingzhi didn't take it to heart, assuming that Ye Tian only had a medium-level cultivation talent, which the Lin family didn't particularly value.
After all the warriors had their strength tested, they were grouped. Elite warriors were grouped with elite warriors, and warriors with warriors. Different groups had different tasks. The warrior groups only needed to clear out some low-level beasts, while the elite warrior groups had to clear out medium-level beasts.
"Captain Wind Wolf, how about we form a team?" Ye Tian walked up to Wind Wolf and said. Teams were made up of ten people, and the Wind Wolf hunting squad had only brought eight, so they were short two people.
"Young brother, are you sure you want to join our team? Our squad only has me as a late-stage warrior. With your high talent, you might be better off joining a stronger team made up entirely of late-stage warriors," Wind Wolf hesitated before speaking.
"I think Captain Wind Wolf is a good person and has a good reputation, so I'm willing to join your team. If you're not interested, then forget I said anything," Ye Tian said indifferently.
"Then welcome, young brother, to our team!" Wind Wolf extended his right hand, smiling warmly.