Two similar figures stood together.
"Brother, so how about it? Is there a chance for you to make a move?" Dai Huabin asked resentfully.
Dai Yueheng snorted coldly. "You'd best give up. There's no chance. Huo Yuhao's even more talented than you. He has a skill called Spiritual Detection that can benefit every single one of his teammates. Furthermore, it's obvious that Elder Xuan likes him a lot. The two consecutive matches we had were to show off his strength for everyone to approve of him. I don't even need to tell you what kind of person Elder Xuan is again. Also, mother is very angry over this incident. Fortunately, father's not home. Otherwise, you'd be in for a lot of trouble."
"Mother has told me to pass on a piece of news to you. If there is a 'next time', nobody is going to help you. Do you know how much pressure mother suffered to keep this matter quiet? Even the royal family doesn't dare to offend the academy. You were actually this rash?"
Dai Huabin's eyes turned red. "Don't tell me that you're just going to let this go? Did our men die for nothing?"
"Bastard!" Dai Yueheng suddenly pulled his hand back and slapped Dai Huabin's face. The latter staggered, and nearly fell to the ground.
"How old are you already?" Dai Yueheng asked sternly, "Do you not know the difference between the clan's interests and your private grudges? If this were a soul master academy within our country, I'd have let you do anything you wanted. But this is Shrek! Don't you know what the word 'Shrek' means? If you want to continue staying here, you'd better back down. Is this a place where you can simply do as you wish?"
"As for that Huo Yuhao, not only can we not go against him, we even have to rope him in. He's still very weak now, but he has the sovereign abilities of a twin-souled soul master and an Ultimate martial soul. He's a precious treasure even in our Shrek Academy. After the matter that you started, the old fellas from the academy will definitely protect him even more strictly. If you can rope him into our clan, do you know how many benefits we'll get? Have you forgotten the task our mother gave us?"
Dai Huabin turned silent. Though his eyes were still filled with rage, he'd calmed down.
Dai Yueheng's expression softened slightly. "Go back first. Don't think too much about it. Even though you can't take Huo Yuhao's position, the other positions might not be as stable. Word hard, and you'll have a chance to become one of the Seven Monsters. After this tournament, I'll have the qualifications to graduate from the inner courtyard. I'll return to our clan first, and prepare for our major project under our mother's plans."
"Okay." Dai Huabin nodded. After he turned away and left, he sneered inwardly, "Dai Yueheng, weren't you just born a few years before me? There'll be a day when you won't be able to strut around in front of me. Once I'm your age, I'll definitely be able to surpass the current you."
...
Morning. Amidst the misty gates of Shrek Academy, a group of people slowly walked out. From their ages, it was clear that they were students of Shrek Academy. However, they weren't wearing their uniforms today. Some of the students were wearing clothes made of cloth, while some were wearing ones with flowery designs; all of them wore different things.
Flowery clothes weren't necessarily beautiful, and ones made of cloth didn't necessarily represent mediocrity. The most obvious delegates of the two types of clothes were Yao Haoxuan and Jiang Nannan.
As a result of his skinny body, Yao Haoxuan looked somewhat wretched with his flowery clothes on. On the other hand, the cloth-wearing Jiang Nannan looked incomparably elegant.
Huo Yuhao no longer wore the set of clothes he's brought to the academy. However, he treasured the set of clothes his mother had made for him, and had thus placed them in the Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges. Currently, he was no longer the poor young boy who didn't have a single penny to his name. The black set of warrior's robes he wore made him look extremely nimble. Due to the changes that had occurred to his body, he looked fourteen to fifteen years old, even though he wasn't even thirteen yet. The well-proportioned muscles underneath his robes seemed to contain an explosive amount of power within them.
Wang Dong was no longer as tall as Huo Yuhao, but his slender body, elegant aura, and clever yet beautiful eyes were extremely captivating. If the prettiest among the girls was Jiang Nannan, he was definitely the most handsome of the boys. In terms of pure appearance, he was comparable to Jiang Nannan.
The sun had just risen from the east, but they were already leaving the academy. This group of people naturally consisted of the official and preparatory teams of the Shrek's Seven Monsters. Elder Xuan wasn't the only person leading the group; Huo Yuhao's teacher, Wang Yan, also tagged along with them.
Only now did Huo Yuhao know that Elder Xuan was Teacher Wang's master. Only, Elder Xuan wouldn't allow the former to address him as such. Elder Xuan liked his inheriting disciple very much, even though he wasn't comparable to the other Heaven's Chosen in terms of cultivation. Wang Yan could travel far along the path of research into martial souls, and he would be able to teach within the inner courtyard after two more years of practice.
The group of almost twenty people people walked together in twos and threes, but Elder Xuan was still as messy as ever, with his bottle gourd and chicken legs in his hands. The foodstuffs he ate seemed to alternate between chicken legs and chicken wings, and he didn't seem to ever get bored of eating them.
Possibly due to the fact that he wanted to eat and drink, Elder Xuan didn't walk especially quickly; he walked at around the pace of an ordinary person. This gave the entire group a relaxing and leisurely feeling. With their physical abilities, walking at such a pace was simply a type of pleasure.
Compared to when he had just entered the academy, Huo Yuhao had experienced an earth-shattering transformation. He'd entered by relying on the Tang Sect's special quota, and not only did he have a pitiful amount of soul power, he didn't even have a single attacking skill. His body was as frail as an ordinary person's.
The fact that he was able to completely change everything within a short year couldn't be fully attributed to his two intelligent soul rings; his painstaking hard work couldn't be ignored. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Huo Yuhao had put in more than twice the amount of effort as the other students. He didn't even have any time to rest.
Although he now possessed talent that made even the upper echelons of the academy approve of him, he didn't dare to relax at all. He deeply remembered what his Teacher Wang Yan had told him; as a wielder of an Ultimate martial soul, his cultivation speed would drastically decrease after reaching Rank 30. At that time, his cultivation speed wouldn't be comparable to that of an ordinary soul master. He could cultivate alongside Wang Dong, but he still paid attention to this matter. Moreover, he was even dual-cultivating in the Martial Soul and Soul Tool Departments. Thus, he had to work even harder.
After the earnest conversation he had had with He Caitou, Huo Yuhao paid much more attention to the Ultimate Soldier Plan. If he could become a person that could change the entire situation of a battlefield by himself, he would have the qualifications to seek his revenge!
Due to his current mentality, Huo Yuhao didn't want to waste any time. Seeing that they weren't walking too quickly, he immediately whispered to Wang Dong, "Let's cultivate for a while."
Wang Dong glared at him unhappily. "I'm gonna die of exhaustion. What bad luck I have, having a roommate like you."
Huo Yuhao chuckled, "Haven't you felt that you've been improving so quickly with me urging you on? You should be grateful to me."
Wang Dong snorted, "I'd rather rest for a bit. Come. You're not allowed to use Spiritual Detection."
With that, Wang Dong ran straight towards Huo Yuhao. However, instead of colliding with him, he flickered around the latter's body at a rapid rate.
Huo Yuhao continued to slowly follow the group, but they were at the very back of the group, and thus wouldn't be afraid of anyone noticing them. Huo Yuhao raised his hand, then started to make pushing and pulling motions with a regular tempo. A pale, white light could faintly be seen at the tops of his hands.
Wang Dong immediately slowed down. Evidently, he'd sensed what Huo Yuhao was doing. However, he immediately accelerated using his soul power, doing his best to maintain his current level of speed.
Whilst walking together with Bei Bei, He Caitou turned around. He saw Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong with a weird look in his eyes and whispered, "Senior brother, isn't Wang Dong using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Tracks? What's Huo Yuhao doing?"
Bei Bei naturally saw what the two of them were doing. He revealed a sincere look of admiration on his face. "Huo Yuhao's using another secret technique of our Tang Sect. It's called the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, and its user can use their soul power to release a pushing or pulling motion within a fixed range. It's a skill that's extremely practical in close-combat. I'll teach it to you later. Actually, even if your martial soul isn't a combat-oriented one, you'll be able to wield a decent amount of strength in a close-combat situation once you've finished training in our techniques."
Xiao Xiao looked towards the two of them with a somewhat envious look in her eyes, then moved closer to Bei Bei, "Senior brother, let's try this out as well."
Bei Bei couldn't help but laugh. "We're not too suitable for what they're doing. The training they're doing now is more suitable for people whose cultivations are closer to each other. If I use my Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon on you, you won't even be able to use your Ghost Shadow Perplexing Tracks."
Xiao Xiao's lips pouted, "Those two are so close that they're like the same person. I can't interrupt them either! They're both guys, so why are they so intimate with each other? Hmph!"
She was truly somewhat envious of the intimate relationship that Wang Dong had with Huo Yuhao. In the past, she'd thought that it would be much easier for her to mix around with guys due to the fact that she was a girl! However, the intimacy that Huo Yuhao had with Wang Dong was evidently much deeper than the friendship she had with them.
He Caitou gave a silly laugh, "Since the two of them can complete a fusion skill, they're naturally close to each other. However, a martial fusion between two people who don't share the same bloodline is quite rare. Xiao Xiao, why don't I help you out? I don't know how to use the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, but I can use some of my weaker soul tools to help you train your Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. How about that?"
Though she felt that He Caitou's extremely rugged body and black skin looked somewhat fierce, Xiao Xiao was always a very kind and straightforward person in her interactions with other people. Thus, she nodded, "Sure! I want to train hard as well. Otherwise, I'd deserve to be eliminated if I lagged behind them."
Elder Xuan and the seven members of the official team stood at the very front, while the seven members of the preparatory team trailed behind them. Because of that, Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan were able to listen in on Bei Bei's conversation with the others.
It wasn't easy for Xu Sanshi to obtain an opportunity to go out with Jiang Nannan. Naturally, he was tagging along with her shamelessly.
Jiang Nannan was simply helpless in front of Xu Sanshi. Thus, she strictly forbade him from entering a one meter area around her and from harassing her. After Xu Sanshi nodded like a baby chick eating rice, she ignored him.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao and the rest were working hard, Xu Sanshi immediately devised a plan. He smiled mischievously, "Nannan, see how hard they're working. Why don't we practice as well? Look, my hard and thick skin is great for you to practice your throwing skills. Naturally, I can take on your grappling skills as well." His thirsty face was clearly telling Jiang Nannan, grapple me, grapple me!
Jiang Nannan turned around and looked at him with an icy look in her eyes, "It'd be better for you to scram than anything else."
Xu Sanshi immediately contorted his face and said indignantly, "Nannan, just what can I do to make you understand my heart!? I'm sincere towards you. Just how can I make you be willing to be together with me?!"
Jiang Nannan stared at him hatefully, and a tint of red that arose from either bashfulness or anger faintly appeared on her exceptionally beautiful face. "I won't be together with the hedonistic son of a rich family like you no matter what. A beast's intentions still come from a beast's heart. Stop bothering me. Also, I'm called Jiang Nannan. Please use my surname while referring to me."
With that, she turned around and sped up, increasing the distance between her and Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi covered his face with his hands and cried out sorrowfully, "Just let me die, die, die."
Bei Bei was already next to him somehow. With a smile on his calm face, he asked sincerely, "Do you need help?"
Xu Sanshi put his hands down and flew into a rage, "Are we brothers? Are we still brothers? I just knew that you'd be a guy who enjoys schadenfreude and kicking someone who's down. If Xiao Ya weren't here, you'd have revealed your true nature already."
Bei Bei had a look of surprise on his face. "You want to talk about being brothers now? Why do I recall you saying that you'd be willing to 'stab yourself twice for the sake of your brother, but stab your brother for the sake of a girl'!"
Xu Sanshi was left embarrassed. He raised his head high. "A girl can give me a child, can you? A girl can sleep with me on a bed, but can you?"
Bei Bei gave a warm smile, "I can't do the former, but I can do the latter."
Elder Xuan, who was walking in front, suddenly staggered mysteriously. Then, he violently spat out the mouthful of wine he had in his mouth before glaring fiercely at Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.
The two of them straightened their faces, not daring to say anything more.
"Okay! Come over!" Elder Xuan spat out a mouthful of saliva, then used his dirty, greasy sleeve to wipe his mouth before yelling out unhappily.
The group of fourteen hurriedly stepped forward and formed a circle around him. Due to the fact that they were just training, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were slightly out of breath.
Xu Sanshi still believed that it was Bei Bei's words that had triggered Elder Xuan. "Just wait for your scolding. Hehe." He whispered coldly.
At this moment, Bei Bei didn't have any traces of a smile on his face. He had a ruthless look, and he mouthed a few words, "Since I'm going to get scolded, I'm gonna tell Jiang Nannan that you actually like guys. You were only chasing her to hide your real sexual orientation."
"Your sister…" Xu Sanshi's face reddened.
Bei Bei maintained full eye contact with him and said, "I don't have a sister."
Elder Xuan suddenly ruffled his hair and glared at the two of them, "If you two spout anymore bullshit, I'm gonna beat you to the point where you won't even be able to take care of yourselves anymore."
Ma Xiaotao laughed, "Elder Xuan, you're in perfectly good condition! However, our public morals are truly degenerating! They're so young, but they've inclinations like this. I suggest that the academy have a rectification campaign."
"I'm perfectly straight!" Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi cried out together.
"Psh——" Ma Xiaotao had a look of disdain on her face, ���Was I talking about the two of you? I was talking about Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. What're you panicking for? There's no gold hidden here."
Xu Sanshi smacked Bei Bei and said indignantly, "I blame you for all of this! My reputation!"
Jiang Nannan snorted and whispered, "Did you even have a reputation? You're a…"
Xu Sanshi's hearing wasn't bad. "Nannan, it isn't like that! That time, I…"
"You dare?" Jiang Nannan suddenly raised her head. Her gaze resembled that of a dagger, and it was even that of an exceptionally sharp one. Xu Sanshi shivered instinctively, then instantly shut up. He put on a righteous appearance, giving off the impression that he wouldn't say anything even if he was killed.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were inwardly laughing themselves to death, but everyone here was an upperclassman. It wouldn't be good for them to laugh out loud, so they held in their laughter to the point where their stomachs hurt.
Wang Dong whispered, "Adultery. There���s definitely adultery between seniors Xu and Jiang."
Suddenly, everyone felt the temperature surrounding them drop. The words 'killing intent' arose involuntarily in their hearts, making all of them shut up.
The killing intent that had appeared instantly caused Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao to stiffen up due to their low cultivations. Fortunately, it only lasted for a moment before disappearing.
Elder Xuan acted as if he'd heard and done nothing, and spoke in a low voice, "We aren't far from the academy, and there a few things that I have to say now. You seven from the preparatory team have to listen carefully to me. This concerns the future direction of your path in the academy."
Elder Xuan's usual attitude wasn't too calm, but this was the first time they'd seen him act so seriously. Huo Yuhao and the other six felt their hearts go cold, and they immediately curbed their previous laughter. Then, they paid full attention to Elder Xuan.
The seven from the inner courtyard seemed to know what Elder Xuan was about to say, but they had solemn looks on their faces. Moreover, they radiated a unique sort of arrogance.
Elder Xuan said, "Our Shrek Academy has existed for over ten thousand years. Normally, a powerful soul master can live for two hundred years at the very least, while some can live even longer. Moreover, more and more students enter the inner courtyard every year. However, the total number of inner courtyard disciples who currently remain within the academy doesn't even reach a hundred. Do you know why this is the case?"
Xu Sanshi said, "It's because our seniors have graduated, right?"
Elder Xuan shook his head, "You're half-right. There are a few disciples of the inner courtyard who leave the academy after graduating, but I now want to talk about the disciples who don't graduate."
At this point, Elder Xuan's voice clearly contained a few more traces of sorrow, "They were all good kids. Though they weren't able to truly graduate, their names still exist within the school register. They took the ideals of the academy as their own ideals. It's not that they didn't have the strength to graduate, but because they died for the sake of the academy's ideals."
"In reality, there are many other students who have the qualifications to enter the inner courtyard. However, many of them choose to leave the academy after graduating from the outer courtyard. It's because entering the inner courtyard of Shrek Academy doesn't just signify that you'll get better things and better teaching. The weight of the responsibilities you'll receive will be similarly large. Those students who choose not to enter the inner courtyard admit that they aren't able to shoulder this task. After agreeing to keep this a secret, they leave."
"The academy respects the choices of all of its students, but I want to say that every single student who has entered the inner courtyard to pursue their studies is a hero. Not a hero of the academy, but a hero of the entire Douluo Continent."
The word 'hero' was still very unfamiliar to the young Huo Yuhao and the rest. However, this word carried an indescribable weight to it when it came from Elder Xuan's mouth.
Elder Xuan said solemnly, "The thing that you aren't allowed to disclose is the fact that you've already taken a step into the inner courtyard from the very moment you guys became members of the preparatory team. However, it's just because of this that I have to confirm whether you are willing to shoulder the burdens of the academy before we leave. If you're not willing to, I can return you to the academy, and nobody will blame you. You will still complete your studies and graduate successfully. Furthermore, I have to say that there isn't much the inner courtyard has that the outer courtyard doesn't. The reason why disciples of the inner courtyard are strong is linked to that responsibility I mentioned. If you choose to go back, you'll have to keep the same secret as the students who choose to leave after graduating. Can you do it?"
Huo Yuhao's group of seven could feel that the secrets that Elder Xuan was about to reveal weren't that humongous. The seven replied simultaneously, "Yes."
Elder Xuan said, "The Douluo Continent was originally extremely large. After the collision and fusion it had with the Sun Moon Continent, it became even larger. Of the four great empires, the Sun Moon Empire covers the largest area. Its various mineral resources are extremely plentiful. However, they're still foreigners to us. Even if several thousand years have passed, they aren't compatible with the three empires of our Douluo Continent. We aren't able to truly accept their existences. This formed a mutual alliance we have against them. Although there isn't any large-scale war on the Douluo Continent, disputes always exist. If this dispute occurs among the normal countryfolk, it won't cause too much damage. However, a dispute among soul masters is different."
"Not all soul masters are kind. A large number of people will have inflated egos due to their strength, and they'll get an air of haughtiness that makes it seem as though they're the number one expert under the heavens. They may even have evil intentions as a result. These people will then bring about enormous casualties to the ordinary folk. A soul master committing an evil act is a common occurrence, and it's getting higher as the days go on. Oftentimes, the more talented and stronger a soul master is, the higher the destructive power he'll have after stepping onto the path of evil. There was once a Soul Emperor who massacred an entire village just because the food they served him wasn't up to his standards. Why is that the case? It's because soul masters far exceed ordinary people in terms of strength, and also because they lack restrictions and control."
"Our Shrek Academy doesn't consider itself a righteous organisation, but we aren't willing to allow calamities like this occur. Roughly six thousand years ago, the academy split into the outer and inner courtyards…"
Elder Xuan became even more solemn as he said, "You must be thinking, 'Police? Police what?' We aren't trying to police the injustices within the continent, because that's realistically impossible. The Douluo Continent's too vast, and there are an uncountable number of people within the four empires. There are already five million permanent residents in our Shrek City alone. Moreover, we can't even police the disciples from the inner courtyard. Because of that, we only police soul masters. We target people, and even government officials, but never an entire country. We have our own sources of intelligence, and once something evil that a country is unable to, or doesn't want to police occurs, or if a soul master turns to the path of evil, we'll send out disciples of the inner courtyard to deal with the issue. Now, the disciples of the inner courtyard are known as police, the Shrek Police. Our inner courtyard has another name–the Shrek Guardians. Right now, I'm the current vice-leader of the Shrek Guardians."
"You must be thinking, how do we police everything? The continent's so vast, and the number of evil acts committed are many. We don't even have a hundred people in the inner courtyard, so how do we do this? I can tell you this. Every single country, even the largest Sun Moon Empire, would never dare to look down on our Shrek Guardians. Although there are only around a hundred disciples in the current inner courtyard, we have over twenty thousand graduates from the outer courtyard. At the same time, there are nearly a thousand students who have completed their service as Guardians. Casualties appear frequently within the inner courtyard, but I dare to say that every single person who steps out from Shrek Academy's inner courtyard is an elite of humanity as a whole. Furthermore, our academy has the most outstanding teachers within the continent, and every single teacher in the academy is a Guardian.
"Every single disciple of the inner courtyard is a Guardian, and for them to graduate, they have to complete thirty assignments. These assignments not only test the strength of our disciples, but also their hearts. Our Shrek Academy doesn't want to nurture plain experts, but true talents who are willing to protect the peace and stability of the continent."
"What I want to tell you is this–we are Guardians, and also enforces of the law. Everything that the Shrek Guardians deal with is problematic, and extremely dangerous. There was even one occasion where we had to deal with a Titled Douluo. A threat to your life could occur at any time. Because of this, the first thing you have to cautiously consider is whether you're willing to become a Guardian."
"Furthermore, there isn't any compensation for a Guardian." At that point, Elder Xuan's solemn tone softened much more; he saw the gazes in the eyes of the seven members of the preparatory team. None of them had erratic looks in their eyes, but rather staunch and stubborn ones. They had undoubtedly made their decisions already.
Dai Yueheng walked up to Elder Xuan's side and said in a low voice, "Junior brothers and sisters. I will tell you that, according to many of the seniors who have graduated, becoming a Shrek Guardian is the greatest honor they have ever been given. Even if they've already graduated, many of them still do things that a Guardian should do. To evildoers, we are the butcher's blade; to the weak and bullied, we are existences on the level of Gods of kindness to them. There are uncountable numbers of people who have received the help of the Shrek Guardians, and the act of helping them is the best way we can perfect our hearts. I've always believed that doing good deeds doesn't help others, but ourselves. That feeling of satisfaction is something that's irreplacable."
"I'm very proud to have completed twenty-eight assignments to this point. I'm already not far from thirty. During this process, I've killed bandits who raped and pillaged, and government officials who didn't care for their citizens' lives. I've rescued children who were forced into slavery. The inner courtyard has a motto–with great strength, comes great responsibility, and one's heart travels along the same path as the good deeds one performs. I'm willing to work together with you guys."
Dai Yueheng's words were very plain, but they contained a unique effect to them. Even Ma Xiaotao, who didn't get along well with him, had a solemn expression on her face as he recounted his experiences as a Guardian. Other than the pride on her face, she had a unique splendor to it as well. It was as though they were bathing in their glory.
Elder Xuan nodded. "Okay, you have to give me an answer now. Enter, or leave."
"Enter!" The seven simultaneously cried out. In that instant, the thoughts of the seven from the preparatory team seemed to be linked. It was only then that they understood the missions and responsibilities that a disciple of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard had to shoulder. At this point in time, they didn't feel any of the glory that came with being a Shrek Guardian, but they unhesitantly accepted this task.
Elder Xuan smiled a very happy smile. "Very good. I wasn't mistaken with you lot. None of you are cowards. I'll tell you this–there was another reason behind all this. It's because you're about to take on your first Guardian mission in a bit. Xiaotao, you can explain our assignment this time. Wang Yan, give them the equipment of a Shrek Guardian."
"Yes." Wang Yan nodded, then took a few rings from his storage tool and passed them to every single person there.
The ring was very beautiful; the ring itself was made of a silvery-whitish metal, and a jade-green gem the size of a fingernail was embedded on it. The glistening gem shone with a bright light, and the green on it was filled with the aura of life. The top of the ring was carved into the shape of a Shrek, making it unforgettable.
Ma Xiaotao said, "You'd better take care of this. This is the symbol of a Shrek Guardian, and only we have it. Now, put a drop of your blood on the surface of the ring, so it'll connect with your bloodline. As long as you're one of us, you can use the Guardian Ring to verify the identity of a Guardian in front of you. The ring is also a storage tool, and it contains a complete set of equipment that we use. You can take a look at it now."
"We have our specialised clothing, a mask, a cloak, and a distress signal. During a mission, we can't let anyone see our appearances, so as to prevent things from affecting our lives. Thus, we need a mask. Most importantly, we have a distress signal. This signal is something that only we have, and after any Guardian releases it during a dangerous event, every student of Shrek Academy–outer courtyard or inner courtyard–will immediately go over to help you. It's much more effective than you think."
"Our assignment this time is to head towards a mountain range that borders the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire to hunt down a group of bandits. The Advanced Academy Continental Soul Duelling Academy is going to start soon, so we have to finish this in three or four days."
"These bandits are extremely savage and sly. They specialise in killing merchants who pass over the border, and they leave no survivors. They do every evil thing imaginable to their victims. The mountainous area they're hiding in has some complicated terrain, and it's precipitous. Moreover, there are many caves they can hide themselves in, so it's disadvantageous for an army to attack them. More disgustingly, the area where those bastards live in belongs partly to the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire."
"The Sun Moon Empire has never had a good relationship with our Star Luo Empire. In a situation like this, it's very hard for the two nations to cooperate. Whenever an empire sends its army out, those sly bastards will run over to the other side. Once, they even started a small scale war between the two countries. However, they're still living fine now. Numbers won't be effective against them. There aren��t even three hundred of those bandits, but they're familiar with the terrain, and they have many tricks. Because of this, a small team like us is better equipped to deal with them."
"These bandits call themselves the Envoys of the Death God, and they're supposedly headed by a relatively powerful evil soul master. Because of that, we can't be careless at all. A majority of you haven't killed a person before, and you're going to have a brand-new experience now. I have to stress that the target of our assignment this time is to leave no survivors and completely eliminate them. There aren't any elderly, weak, women, or children in this group of bandits, and none of them are kind."
Killing someone? This term was extremely foreign to Huo Yuhao and the rest. This was especially true for Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao; after all, they were only twelve. Their hearts started beating more rapidly after they heard the words 'killing someone'.
Ma Xiaotao smiled and looked towards Huo Yuhao, "What? Scared? Don't wet yourself when the time comes, since nobody's going to wipe your butt for you."
Huo Yuhao's face immediately reddened. "I'm not scared at all."
He really didn't feel like he could lift his head in front of Ma Xiaotao. After the events of that day, a shadow had been cast over his heart.
Ma Xiaotao laughed mischievously. "It's good that you're not scared. The seven of us will be the main team during this mission, and you guys should do your best to protect yourselves while helping us from the side. These bandits are extremely unbridled; they've even titled themselves the 'Hand of Death'. Within that vast, mountainous area, as long as you bring up the names 'Hand of Death', or 'Envoy of the Death God', the folk there will be scared witless."
"This mountainous area was formed four thousand years ago as a result of the collision between the two continents. Because of that, it's called the Ming Dou Mountain Range. It has an extremely vast amount of mineral resources, and it produces extremely precious minerals. Because of that, the Star Luo and Sun Moon Empires have been continuously fighting over that mountain range for many years. The Star Luo Empire can give us a certain amount of help."