As Ye Gou's combat skills grew increasingly refined, Xu Que stood off to the side, nodding in satisfaction.
Yet on the surface, he showed no kindness toward Ye Gou, either reprimanding or kicking him.
Truth be told, Ye Gou's rate of progress had exceeded Xu Que's expectations, likely due to his innate character. At any rate, Ye Gou was now far stronger than his former self.
After Ye Gou proved capable of handling two B-level otherworldly creatures at once, Xu Que began increasing the difficulty.
For Xu Que, even if a hundred or a thousand B-level creatures attacked, he could still wipe them out without injury—though it would take more time.
When Ye Gou saw Xu Que bring six Red-Tailed Pigs at once, his mind went blank. He had just barely managed to defeat three, and now the boss had doubled the challenge.
More than ten minutes later, Ye Gou collapsed, panting heavily.
"You're misusing your stamina potions and vitality potions," Xu Que said, standing nearby as he began explaining their correct use, as well as various ways to employ different scrolls.
Ye Gou, still exhausted, began to understand. It was clear why he was always unable to keep fighting continuously.
"Well, overall, your performance was adequate," Xu Que remarked, patting Ye Gou on the shoulder.
Ye Gou's heart swelled with pride at this rare praise, but Xu Que's next words dashed it all away.
"However, you're far from passing… There's still a long way to go."
Xu Que's gaze hardened. "From here on out, I won't be helping you. You'll need to figure things out on your own. I've got other matters to attend to."
"Huh? Other matters? What matters?" Ye Gou asked, curiosity piqued.
"It's none of your business," Xu Que replied, pointing toward the deep forest. "Your task is simple: clear out all the otherworldly creatures along the paths, except for the boss."
Ye Gou froze, stunned. The path Xu Que had pointed to clearly harbored great dangers.
"Go ahead, young one, I believe in you," Xu Que said with a sly grin before running off in the other direction.
Watching Xu Que leave without a care, Ye Gou gripped his D-level black longsword and plopped down onto the ground in disbelief.
...
Deep within the forest, Xu Que held his longsword and closed his eyes, swiftly searching for the location of the anchor point.
Although this method drained his mental energy, with no key in hand, it was his only option.
As his senses expanded, a subtle fluctuation emanated from a barely perceptible spatial node.
"I found it!" Xu Que's lips curled into a smile as he spotted the area ahead and sprinted toward it.
He saw a raised boulder and hesitated, not immediately stepping through but instead standing still, searching for the node's exit.
When he discovered that the exit was located just behind the entrance, Xu Que felt a twinge of surprise. It was rare for a node's exit to appear after the entrance.
He quickly pulled out *The Prophet Gamaran's Diary* and skimmed through it.
Upon discovering that the guardians of the space were ten venomous scorpions, Xu Que understood that this forbidden item wouldn't be so easy to obtain.
With a swift slash of his black longsword, Xu Que tore a rift and stepped into the space.
...
At the Chesfield family estate in Y Country, Leisi summoned a small, impromptu meeting as soon as she received word from Kate.
"Leisi, what's this urgent matter? Why did you summon us back?" Carlo asked with a frown.
"Yes, we've been preparing the A-level Rift Plan. It must be something important," added Sun Jeff, a key member of the family's assault team.
"Patience, uncles, just two more people and the meeting will begin."
As Leisi finished speaking, a servant passed some documents to the two men.
"These documents are highly confidential. Please, do not share them outside."
Carlo and Sun Jeff nodded, taking the documents.
As they perused the contents, Meijelo and Peter walked in.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's begin," Leisi announced, laying two more identical sets of documents in front of Meijelo and Peter.
"First, I want to clarify that what we know of Xu Que is based solely on hearsay. We can't confirm whether he's truly a forgemaster. However, one thing is certain: the Blasting Sky Hunter Company is acquiring various formulas and blueprints."
Leisi continued, "And there's an even more important lead: *The Love Flavor*, ranked first on the *Alchemist's Celestial Rankings*. It is likely a woman, and she is very possibly involved with the Blasting Sky Hunter Company."
"Since the formulas pertain exclusively to alchemy, I plan to test them using some higher-level formulas and blueprints."
Meijelo remained silent, his gaze turning to Sun Jeff.
"Isn't this a bit risky?" Carlo mused. "If we give them high-level formulas and blueprints, and they fail to make use of them, or worse, try to steal them, we'd have no way to reclaim them. Also, Sun Jeff only needs twelve more stars to reach A-level. Once he does, we can attempt it ourselves, right?"
"Uncle Carlo, I understand your concerns, but some matters are not so simple. The *Hundred Forge Method* requires twenty-eight stars and an unpredictable amount of time.
"If Xu Que truly is the best forgemaster, we can lure him here with a high rental price, then frame him with a false accusation and detain him. Wouldn't that be more prudent? Perhaps we can even enslave him and make him a tool for the Chesfield family."
Sun Jeff nodded, having already entertained this idea when he first saw the documents.
He certainly didn't want to waste his stars on an ineffective forgemaster method. Moreover, the heavy cost of twenty-eight stars would hinder his own strength.
"Leisi, are you sure your plan will succeed?" Peter asked.
"With everyone's support and by obtaining the formulas and blueprints from you, I'm confident I can lure Xu Que to Y Country," Leisi replied with unwavering conviction.
Carlo, Sun Jeff, and Meijelo exchanged glances. Though they weren't particularly attached to the formulas and blueprints, they felt the plan was a bit reckless.
If the Blasting Sky Hunter Company managed to swindle those formulas and blueprints, they'd be powerless to recover them, as this transaction was not legally protected—it was nothing more than primitive, barbaric trading.
Meijelo finally spoke, his eyes narrowing as he assessed Leisi. "What are the odds of success?"
"If the Blasting Sky Hunter Company is honest, I am 100% certain it will succeed. If they try to deceive us, however, we'll no longer show them any mercy. We'll only lose a few pieces of paper and blueprints," Leisi answered confidently.
"Alright, though this transaction is fraught with uncertainty, I'm willing to take the gamble!" Meijelo declared.
After resolving the issues regarding the blueprints, Leisi's meeting quickly concluded.
When she received the blueprints from the three uncles, she was shocked at their value.
If these formulas could be replicated, the Chesfield family would soon dominate the world's summit.
...
Within the anchor point space, Xu Que had finally shaken off the pursuit of two giant magical scorpions.
He never expected that upon entering, he would be immediately targeted by two of these monstrous creatures.
"Thank goodness for this terrain, or those bastards might have actually chased me to death," Xu Que muttered to himself as he swiftly focused on detecting the location of the forbidden treasure.