TL: Etude
Feng Lang knew well the terror of the Mighty Ants. He had heard that the ultimate goal of this cleaning operation was to clear out a nest of Mighty Ants, which housed a large number of them. Although Mighty Ants were low-level beasts, a single one was far stronger than a fire-spitting lizard. Even an ordinary elite warrior couldn't handle one; these low-level beasts were simply too extraordinary.
If one were to rank low-level beasts, Mighty Ants would undoubtedly be in the top ten. A single ant wasn't the issue; the problem was their overwhelming numbers. Even a great warrior would be overwhelmed!
"Feng Lang, I have my plans, and I have ways to protect myself. I'll be fine," Ye Tian declared.
Knowing he couldn't persuade Ye Tian, Feng Lang could only let him go.
...
Ye Tian, map in hand, checked it occasionally as he followed the route to the location of the Mighty Ants. Along the way, he avoided any beasts he encountered rather than hunting them. This wasn't near Linhai Base but rather a more distant area. Although high-level beasts were still rare, Ye Tian encountered no fewer than ten.
He couldn't defeat any high-level beast, and even some stronger intermediate-level beasts forced him to flee. In such a place, he had to be extremely cautious.
Of course, he occasionally saw other warriors hunting beasts, but he didn't offer any help, even if they suffered heavy losses. Those people had nothing to do with him, and helping might not earn him any praise but could bring him trouble. Right now, his only goal was the talent of the Mighty Ants; nothing else mattered.
Thus, Ye Tian proceeded with extreme caution, and with the aid of his shadow talent, he avoided danger multiple times. Finally, he arrived in the area where the Mighty Ants were located.
"So many warriors!" Ye Tian was surprised upon his arrival.
At the foot of a hill, there were about a hundred warriors gathered. Judging by their aura, even the weakest among them had the strength of elite warriors, and there were likely many great warriors as well.
"That's someone from the Mo family!" Ye Tian's gaze locked onto one individual: Mo En from the Mo family.
Ye Tian knew of Mo En because he had killed Mo En's son, Mo Shao Bei. He had done some research on the Mo family to avoid future troubles. Mo En was only at the mid-level of elite warriors, which wasn't much for Ye Tian now. However, Mo En wasn't even in the top ten of the Mo family in terms of strength.
At this moment, Mo En and a group of elite warriors from the Mo family were respectfully standing behind an old man.
"That old man must be Mo Changqing, the great warrior of the Mo family," Ye Tian thought to himself.
He quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look at Mo Changqing any longer, lest he attract the old man's attention.
"Who's there?" A cold voice rang out.
"Damn, I've been discovered," Ye Tian was startled.
He was quite far away and had been walking cautiously. With the cover of the trees, he shouldn't have been easily spotted. However, he knew he had indeed been discovered.
But the one who had discovered him wasn't Mo Changqing; it was another old man who looked quite unfamiliar. The man's attire was also different from the people at Linhai Base; he was wearing a suit of armor.
Clearly, that person must be a great warrior from a medium-sized base collaborating with Linhai Base to clear out the beasts.
Swish, swish, swish!
At the command of the great warrior, several elite warriors flashed over to where Ye Tian was standing.
Ye Tian didn't flee. Fleeing would imply guilt, and he had no ill intentions. With a clear conscience, there was no need to run.
"I am a warrior from Linhai Base," Ye Tian stepped forward to announce.
The elite warriors, recognizing Ye Tian as a fellow warrior and hearing that he was from Linhai Base, refrained from attacking.
"Which family does that young man belong to?" the old man frowned.
"I don't recognize him; he's not from our Lin family!"
"I also don't recognize him; he's not from our Mo family!"
"I don't recognize him either..."
One family after another shook their heads.
Ye Tian walked over and truthfully said, "I'm not a scion of a major family. I've just completed my beast-clearing mission and was curious about the Mighty Ants, so I came to see what was happening."
At that moment, Lin Mingzhi from the Lin family spoke up, "I remember now; he indeed participated in the cleaning operation. I didn't expect him to complete his mission so quickly and even come here!"
Lin Mingzhi recognized Ye Tian because he had tried to recruit him but was rejected, so he remembered him.
"His talent is not bad; he has reached the level of an elite warrior at such a young age. Let him stay and deal with the Mighty Ants," the old man said.
Clearly, he had just used his spiritual power to probe Ye Tian's situation.
Ye Tian remained composed. He knew that he couldn't hide his cultivation level from a great warrior, so he might as well be straightforward about it.
"What, an elite warrior? This kid..." Lin Mingzhi's face changed dramatically.
He had always thought Ye Tian was just a warrior. Had he known Ye Tian was an elite warrior, he would have done anything to get him to join the Lin family.
The other families also looked at Ye Tian incredulously, all equally shocked.
For Ye Tian to reach the level of an elite warrior at such a young age, his talent was self-evident. It must be a high-level cultivation talent.
"High-level cultivation talent!"
Some family heads remained expressionless, but inside, they were calculating.
Ye Tian gave a secret smile, clearly sensing several waves of malice, including malice from Mo Changqing of the Mo family.
"Jealousy breeds hostility, indeed," Ye Tian thought.
He didn't want to make enemies with these family heads, but these families always thought too highly of themselves. They saw him as a potential threat to their clans and didn't want to witness the rise of another powerful family.
However, he couldn't care less about a mere coastal base.
In the future, he planned to leave Linhai Base with his sister for a broader world.
Unfortunately, these families would never understand.
The great warrior who had discovered Ye Tian was clearly the person in charge here. He instructed Ye Tian to stay, and no one from the other major families dared to object.
So, Ye Tian stood to the side, waiting quietly.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the soil and appeared in front of the great warrior: "Elder Qing, the mission is complete!"