Xiao Li looked enlightened and said, "Well, no wonder you never get drunk no matter how much you drink!"
"Crazy boy, apart from enhancing your recovery, does this special constitution of yours have any other abilities?"
Facing Xiao Ding's curious gaze, Xiao Feng half-truthfully nodded and said, "Yes! Besides the enhanced recovery, I can also transform into a five-zhang tall stone giant, and my combat power far exceeds that of ordinary third-rank magical beasts."
"Really?!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's expressions became serious.
If Xiao Feng could truly transform into a stone giant comparable to a third-rank magical beast, then the Metal Mercenary Group dominating Rock Desert City would be just around the corner.
"Indeed!"
Xiao Feng solemnly bluffed, "Not long ago, while I was training near Qingshan Town, I accidentally discovered a cave left by a Dou King. Inside, I found many treasures and elixirs. Later, I inadvertently revealed my wealth and was targeted by mercenaries there. If I hadn't transformed into a stone giant in my fury, I might have perished there."
Actually, Xiao Feng's words weren't exactly lies; he merely swapped the timeline of discovering the Dou King's treasure and transforming into the Armored Titan.
Xiao Feng decided to reveal his ability to transform into an Armored Titan because he now had a new trump card—transforming into a super-sized giant.
"..."
Learning that Xiao Feng had discovered a treasure left by a Dou King during his training, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were at a loss for words.
"By the way! I also obtained a high-level Black-rank spear fighting technique in that treasure cave."
Xiao Feng waved his hand and took out the scroll recording "Furious Lion's Roar," handing it to Xiao Li, "Second brother, don't you use a spear? I'll give you this fighting technique!"
If Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had any doubts earlier about whether Xiao Feng was joking, seeing him casually take out a high-level Black-rank fighting technique dispelled all doubts.
"Good boy, it seems all my care for you hasn't been in vain!"
Recovering from his shock, Xiao Li eagerly picked up the scroll and began to read it.
No wonder Xiao Li was so excited; the strongest fighting technique he currently mastered was a low-level Black-rank technique called "Triple Lightning Arc Dance."
If Xiao Li could learn "Furious Lion's Roar," his combat power would increase several times over.
"Big brother, I also found a lot of gold and silver treasures in that cave. I can't use them all by myself, so it's better to use them to recruit soldiers and expand the Metal Mercenary Group."
As Xiao Feng spoke, he waved his hand and took out gold and silver treasures worth about 200,000 gold coins from his storage ring, revealing a somewhat cunning smile, "Use this money to recruit as many people as possible and expand the mercenary group. When the Sand Mercenary Group can't stand it anymore and comes to cause trouble, we'll have a legitimate reason to defeat them and then take the opportunity to unify Rock Desert City."
Looking at the pile of gold and silver treasures in front of him and Xiao Feng's confident expression, Xiao Ding was full of relief, "Crazy boy, you've grown up."
"Not really~"
Xiao Feng modestly waved his hand.
...
Time flowed like water, and more than ten days passed by unknowingly.
With the funds provided by Xiao Feng, Xiao Ding and the others recruited many people during this time.
Apart from over a hundred Dou Practitioner-level mercenaries, they also recruited two Dou Master-level mercenaries.
Currently, the Metal Mercenary Group had grown to about three hundred members, making it the largest mercenary group in Rock Desert City.
If not for the need for new and old members to take time to integrate, Xiao Ding and the others would have recruited even more people.
While the Metal Mercenary Group was thriving, the leader of the Sand Mercenary Group finally couldn't sit still. He called a meeting with the core members of the group overnight to discuss countermeasures.
"Leader, what's there to discuss?"
Mo Xing, an ugly and sinister-looking man, slapped the table and said, "I say we should just attack them!"
"What do you all think?"
Luo Bu's face changed slightly, and he turned to the other core members.
"Leader, I agree with the deputy leader! Xiao Ding and Xiao Li have been recruiting soldiers recently, and their ambition is obvious!"
"Leader, the Metal Mercenary Group has recruited so many people, and they can't stabilize quickly. Now is the best time to strike."
"Yes! Leader, if we wait until the Metal Mercenary Group stabilizes, it will be even harder to defeat them..."
Seeing that everyone agreed to attack the Metal Mercenary Group, Luo Bu finally made up his mind, his tiger eyes narrowing, "Since that's the case, tomorrow you will follow me to the Metal Mercenary Group. As long as we cripple Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, the rest won't be a problem!"
"Leader, you're wise!"
Actually, the Sand Mercenary Group had long had the strength to unify Rock Desert City, but Luo Bu's indecision held them back.
Originally, the Metal Mercenary Group had only two Dou Masters: Xiao Ding, a three-star Dou Master, and Xiao Li, a one-star Dou Master.
With Luo Bu's two-star Great Dou Grandmaster strength, killing Xiao Ding and Xiao Li would be easy.
However, Luo Bu was somewhat apprehensive about the Xiao family behind them. Additionally, the Metal Mercenary Group and the Storm Mercenary Group had secretly allied to protect themselves, making Luo Bu hesitant to act.
But now, the rapid development of the Metal Mercenary Group has given Luo Bu a strong sense of crisis, forcing him to take action.
Meanwhile, in his bedroom, Xiao Feng, who was meditating, suddenly felt his Dou Qi surge as if breaking through a barrier.
"Shua!"
Xiao Feng abruptly opened his eyes, a gleam flashing in his sword-like eyes, and said excitedly, "Five-star Dou Practitioner!"
Although it had only been about a month since Xiao Feng broke through to a four-star Fighter, with the dual support of the low-level Earth-rank technique Nine Transformations of the Swirling Dragon and the Spirit Nourishing Pill, he successfully broke through to a five-star Dou Practitioner.
Of course, Xiao Feng's rapid breakthrough was also greatly aided by his half-month training in the desert.
Taking pills could indeed accelerate the cultivation speed, but rapid improvement in a short time could lead to unstable Dou Qi and weak foundations.
However, Xiao Feng's half-month training in the desert not only made his body stronger but also solidified his Dou Qi, eliminating the worry of unstable foundations.
Xiao Feng spent over half an hour stabilizing his cultivation before bringing up his attribute panel, which displayed:
[Name: Xiao Feng]
[Cultivation: Five-star Dou Practitioner]
[Bloodline: Colossal Titan, Armored Titan]
[Techniques: Nine Transformations of the Swirling Dragon]
[Fighting Techniques: Dragon Subduing Palm, Storm Split Dance, Phantom Step…]
[Merits: 1438 points]
[Simulation Times: 0 (Countdown 8 minutes)]