"Now that everyone is here, we will set out!" Huo Long exclaimed. Near the city gate, six youths stood. Huo Long wore impressive plate armor decorated with golden patterns, his tall spear painted the image of a heroic and noble warrior.
Gong Yu was similarly wearing armor however, his was dark, heavy armor which made him look like an impenetrable fortress. He wore a sword on his back and a shield with a red stripe running down through its center. The shield was much smaller than his previous one and was circular.
Liu Zhong wore light leather armor and had his signature twin dark swords sheathed by his side. Jia Shuren donned a new dark leather tunic and had a pair of new daggers as well. Zhou Da was the only one who didn't change her equipment in the slightest.
As for Zhao Fan himself, his armor remained the same but his gloves changed. The red gloves were exchanged for a pair of metal gauntlets which cost him a little over five hundred spirit stones. They were forged by a Foundation Establishment blacksmith who was well known and was forged with high-quality metal. Zhao Fan and Hei Long fought over whether they should get the expensive gauntlets, but Hei Long surprisingly convinced Zhao Fan to splurge. If he bought good quality equipment, he wouldn't have to change it for a while and he could fight stronger beasts. The gloves he had before were forged by a Qi Gathering blacksmith apprentice and had a trash ability that couldn't be used other than for specific circumstances.
Overall, the group now looked a lot more impressive than before. If someone saw them now, they might mistake them for sect disciples who were rich and could afford high-quality artifacts.
They all departed and made their way into the forest. They soon arrived near the same spot where they killed the rank 5 wolves before. It was not reduced from a carcass to a skeleton, other predators and scavengers quickly disposed of anything in the forest.
"We need to head deeper in to see higher-tier beasts. They typically hunt with a small group of one or two tiers 5 wolves. If we are going to hunt safely, we have to be more careful as it's easy to run into tier 7 wolves and higher deep in the forest." Huo Long informed everyone. He had done his research after realizing that even a tier 5 wolf was no joke.
"If we do get caught by a tier 7 wolf, it is typical for it to have a pack of a few tier 6 wolves. They don't take any wolves lower than that because they would hinder their hunt. If we meet a pack like this, we should all immediately scatter with no regard for anything else and flee as fast as possible. There are some lone tier 7 wolves, but if we meet those our chances would be even lower since they would have to be so strong that they are hindered by tier 6 wolves."
"Brother Long, are tier 7 wolves that scary? What would happen if we encounter a tier 8 wolf?" Zhou Da was unconvinced. If the difference in power between fourth-tier wolves and fifth-tier wolves was the same or slightly smaller than between fifth and sixth then even if it was more difficult, they would be able to fight off a tier 7 wolf for at least a little bit.
Zhao Fan laughed "I'm honestly worried we might need to escape from a sixth-tier wolf and it would be impossible for a tier 7 wolf."
"What do you know? You might be more experienced but you are talking as if you faced a sixth-tier beast before!" Zhou Da snorted.
"I have not only faced it but killed it. Ask Liu Zhong and he will confirm for you!" Zhao Fan couldn't hold it in and said proudly. Liu Zhong's mouth opened wide, previously he thought that Zhao Fan also was knocked out and an expert saved them in passing. Now that he thought about it, with Zhao Fan's weird power after he woke up, Zhao Fan might have had some insane trump card that allowed him to kill the beast.
"What are you talking about? Last time, we faced a tier 6 beast, we fought it for a bit and were suppressed heavily. If we both weren't skillful and if the beast wasn't already injured, we would not have been able to escape!" Liu Zhong quickly controlled his shocked expression to one of ridicule.
"Wha-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP! Keep that big mouth of yours closed for a second!" Hei Long yelled at him before he could finish his sentence.
"Hahaha, an injured beast forced you to such a state!" Zhou Da took the opportunity to laugh at Zhao Fan who seemingly froze mid-sentence and didn't defend himself.
"This b*tch, Hei Long why do you keep me from speaking? Even if I expose some of my strength, it shouldn't matter too much, should it?"
"You still have no background, you don't know the true intentions of these people. If any one of them sees you as a threat, they can ask their family to hire a Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill you and your father in a heartbeat." Zhao Fan instantly shut up, it was fine if he was put in danger but he shouldn't do it for no reason and also implicate his father.
Suddenly, he felt that Liu Zhong was a very smart person. He was not hotheaded and understood the best course of action to take even if he was shaming himself in the process.
"Now you understand what I mean. This guy is very suspicious, why would he go out of his way for you so many times if he didn't see your value? A smart person like this doesn't just do things for no reason" Zhao Fan started to think deeper about what Hei Long said. He was right, Liu Zhong helped him out a lot and seemingly expected nothing in return, however, Zhao Fan did not judge him hastily, after all, maybe he was just like Gong Yu who wanted to rope in fated geniuses?
"Anyways, Brother Zhao is right. A tier 6 beast is a lot stronger than you think. They have much more beast essence and can even use abilities. Tier 7 beasts are on a different level, we would need a party of fully equipped level 8 qi gathering cultivators at the very least. Beyond that, the beasts become so strong that they can't be hunted by anyone other Foundation Establishment cultivators or a party of level 9 geniuses."
Zhou Da didn't accept or deny what Liu Zhong said, instead choosing to remain quiet.
"No need to argue, we will find out soon anyway! Here, gather around, and let's focus on creating a plan" Everyone came together and started discussing ideas. Since everyone was now using abilities, it was important to make a plan of action to make the best use of them. After all, a qi gathering cultivator did not have much qi.
A bit of time passed and the team finally came up with a reasonable plan. Without any more delay, they entered the deep parts of the forest. Their pace was much slower and more deliberate than before.
"A tier 5 beast, let's quickly settle it!" Huo Long shouted.
"Wind Guillotine!" Jia Shuren quickly moved towards the wolf and before it could even react, she crossed her daggers pointing straight at its head. The wind howled and trees swayed from the gusts produced by the incredibly fast-moving blade.
The wolf put up two claws to defend itself but both were cut off by the blade, leaving deep gashes on its chest as well.
"Wow, this ability is more powerful than I expected!" Jia Shuren said excitedly. A shadow quickly moved from behind her and dashed towards the wolf. It couldn't even defend itself when two dark blades landed on its neck.
"It sure is a lot easier when we can use abilities!" Huo Long said, feeling more confident about the tier 6 wolf all of a sudden. The group continued without collecting the beast's organs, this time, their goal was a tier 6 beast which was worth a lot more so they did not delay.
Not much time went by before they finally found a target. It was a huge silver wolf with a tier 5 wolf by its side. Its mane shone as if it was illuminated and its teeth were so large they protruded out of its mouth. The aura it exuded made the forest around it completely quiet. The group hiding behind a large tree nearby all gulped in anticipation of the hunt.