On the third morning, the sunshine was bright and beautiful.
Xu Nian left his residence and headed towards the Sect of Qinglin Academy, where he had arranged to meet Murong Xue.
When Xu Nian arrived at the plaza in front of the Sect, he found that aside from Murong Xue, there were three other figures who looked to be youths. If Xu Nian was not mistaken, these three individuals were the other members of Murong Xue's Wind Snow Team.
"You've arrived?" Murong Xue saw Xu Nian approaching and asked with a smile.
As she spoke, her eyes briefly glanced at the steel sword in Xu Nian's hand, seemingly curious that Xu Nian had chosen the path of a Sword Cultivator.
Spiritual Cultivators were different from Body Cultivators; they did not have powerful bodies, so they generally selected a kind of weapon to pursue Cultivation, and Sword Cultivation was the most common among all weapons.
But similarly, Sword Cultivation was also the most difficult to reach the pinnacle among all weapon disciplines. Instead, paths such as spear or saber Cultivation were easier to master.
According to Murong Xue's thinking, a maverick like Xu Nian should not have chosen such a conventional weapon.
Xu Nian just smiled and did not bother explaining anything.
If he did not have Body Cultivation, he indeed would not have chosen the path of a Sword Cultivator and would have more likely chosen the more aggressively powerful spear Cultivation instead. But with his Body Cultivation, he could disregard defense and pursue the limit of attack.
This was also the reason why he chose the purely offensive combat technique, "Ling Feng Thirteen Swords."
"Ah, Xue, so this is the new team member you mentioned inviting? Welcome to the Wind Snow Team," said a tall youth who walked over, his face full of smiles as he spoke to Xu Nian.
The youth was around eighteen, tall and handsome, with a lean build and a warm, Ru Yu-like smile. However, beneath that smile lurked a barely perceptible chill, which made it somewhat uncomfortable to behold.
"Here, Xu Nian, let me introduce you. He is the captain of our Wind Snow Team, his name is Lin Feng," Murong Xue said as she introduced him to Xu Nian.
Lin Feng?
The Lin Feng who ranked third on the Hidden Dragon List, a Third-star Warrior of the Star Realm.
Xu Nian immediately recalled the name; Chen Wudi had once told him about the people on the Hidden Dragon List, among whom the third was this Lin Feng.
Xu Nian had not expected that the captain of the Wind Snow Team would be this individual.
And the name of the Wind Snow Team itself was thought-provoking.
"Lin Feng, brother, this is Xu Nian, whom I mentioned to you," Murong Xue said, introducing Xu Nian to Lin Feng.
"Haha, Xu Nian, your name has reached my ears long ago. Aside from Ouyang Cheng Feng, you are the second person in our Spirit Academy with Emperor Level talent. Just a few days ago, you defeated a One-star Warrior with the strength of a Six-star warrior and made a name for yourself. I didn't expect that you would join our Wind Snow Team. It is truly an honor for our team," Lin Feng laughed heartily, his welcome seeming genuine. However, deep within his eyes was a hint of disdain and mockery.
"Senior Lin Feng is too kind. That was just good fortune," Xu Nian modestly replied, but inwardly he scoffed.
Lin Feng was putting on a friendly facade in front of Murong Xue, but it was clear that he wasn't pleased with Xu Nian's addition to the team.
Xu Nian did not care about these things; as long as Lin Feng did not provoke him, he wouldn't bother with petty grievances.
But if Lin Feng dared to secretly trip him up, Xu Nian wouldn't mind settling the score properly.
"Kid, my name is Lu Morning, deputy captain of the Wind Snow Team. Now that you've joined the team, you need to keep it steady. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it—don't end up dragging everyone down." Just at that moment, a snorting sound came through.
Xu Nian was startled and looked toward the direction of the voice.
He saw a young man, even bigger and burlier than Lin Feng, looking at Xu Nian with disdain. Beneath his loose robe was an extremely muscular physique.
"He is a Body Cultivator, second-star in the Star Realm. He's somewhat proud, but once you get to know him, you'll find he's actually pretty decent. So don't take it too personally," Murong Xue comforted from the side.
Xu Nian smiled and waved his hand to show he didn't mind.
Compared to Lin Feng's hypocrisy, he actually preferred Lu Morning's straightforwardness.
However, he was surprised that there were Body Cultivators in the Wind Snow Team.
Although the Spirit Cultivators and Body Cultivators of the Academy seemed harmonious on the surface, there had been an ongoing secret rivalry between the Spirit Academy and Body Institute for a thousand years, with neither group regarding the other highly. So, for this Lu Morning, as a Body Cultivator, to join a Spiritual Cultivator battle team was indeed a strange affair.
"Hello, I'm Yu Feng, also a member of the Wind Snow Team, also a Two-star Warrior. From now on, we're all good brothers. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me," the last young man came over with a smile and patted Xu Nian's shoulder as he chuckled.
Xu Nian sized up this young man named Yu Feng. He was rather slender and had an average face but exuded a sort of yin, soft aura that was somewhat unsettling.
"Then, thank you Senior Yu Feng!" Xu Nian replied indifferently.
Ever since the incident with Qin Hen, Xu Nian no longer easily trusted people.
This Yu Feng started off all buddy-buddy, even proudly revealing his own cultivation level. It was clear he wasn't actually interested in helping Xu Nian, but rather seeking a sense of superiority, hoping that Xu Nian would fawn over him.
And such a person would surely run faster than anyone when trouble arose, or even step on you when danger loomed.
Indeed, when Yu Feng saw that Xu Nian did not show any enthusiasm towards his words, his smiling face immediately turned cold, and after giving Xu Nian a fierce glare, he turned and walked away.
Seeing this, Xu Nian could only smile wryly and didn't bother to explain anything.
Among the four in the team, the least capable seemed to be this Yu Feng, who not only lacked strength but didn't have the shrewdness of Lin Feng either.
"Now that everyone is here, let's set out. The mission we have to undertake is a Xuan Level Low Grade mission. Once completed, each member of our team will receive five thousand points. So I hope everyone will put in an effort. Of course, the most important thing is safety. Everyone knows how dangerous the Demon Beast Forest can be—one careless mistake can lead to death. So, everyone must be careful. As for the details of the mission, I will go over them with everyone after we arrive at the Demon Beast Forest," Lin Feng announced as the time approached.
Xu Nian and the others nodded. The Demon Beast Forest was indeed fraught with peril, and with their cultivation levels, they could only operate on the periphery. Venturing deeper would be a death sentence.
It was said that Emperor Level Demon Beasts even lived within the forest, and even human powerhouses dared not enter lightly.
However, the reward for the mission startled Xu Nian as well. Five thousand points were a considerable fortune indeed.
"Let's depart!" Lin Feng declared.
After finishing, he led Xu Nian and the others toward the direction of the Demon Beast Forest.
However, shortly after Xu Nian and his team left, a figure slowly emerged from a shadowy place, looking in the direction they had gone with an incredibly sly smile on his lips.
This person was none other than Ouyang Tianlan, who Xu Nian had humiliated the other day.