Chapter Ten: First Foray into the Beast Mountains

In the Beast Mountains, where ferocious beasts roamed unchecked and dangers lurked at every turn, traveling alone was a perilous endeavor, often attracting the attention of these wild creatures. For this reason, mercenaries venturing into the mountains typically moved in groups—only a handful, gifted and fearless, dared to go solo.

Chen Xiao, however, did not rush to join any particular team. He stood quietly by the roadside, observing for half an hour as group after group of mercenaries gathered and departed, and as new employers appeared seeking their services. Unfortunately, there was no recruitment by the Wan Medicine Hall’s herb-gathering team.

According to Chen Xiao’s plan, following the route of Wan Medicine Hall’s herb-gathering team into the Beast Mountains would make it easier to locate the cave he sought.

“Looking for fighters above six stars! One more needed!” a mercenary called out, waving a pouch of coins and scanning the crowd with sharp eyes.

In the small town of Qingshan, aside from a few large mercenary groups, the majority were low-level fighters. The six-star threshold was indeed high, and despite his efforts, the mercenary had yet to gather enough recruits.

Seeing this, Chen Xiao no longer hesitated and pushed through the crowd.

“I’m here!”

The mercenary on the elevated platform looked down, his dark brows furrowing slightly.

“Little brother, you’re probably not even of age yet. I need fighters above six stars!” he emphasized the word “fighters,” clearly doubting that someone of Chen Xiao’s youth could possess such strength.

Explanations would be futile; actions spoke louder than words.

Chen Xiao’s eyes scanned the street and soon landed on a tree trunk as thick as a bowl’s opening by the roadside.

Without hesitation, Chen Xiao strode forward, took a deep breath, and a faint icy-blue aura of fighting energy shimmered like a delicate veil over his palm.

After a brief pause, he let out a low shout and struck the tree trunk with fierce power.

“Crack!”

With a crisp snap, the sturdy tree toppled, kicking up a cloud of dust amid the astonished gazes of the onlookers.

“How’s that?”

Chen Xiao looked up at the mercenary on the platform.

The mercenary grinned, jumped down, and patted Chen Xiao twice on the shoulder.

“Well done, you’re in. Here’s your pay.”

Paying first and dealing with the job later was the standard among mercenaries; no one could guarantee they’d return alive, so receiving payment upfront meant at least their families would be taken care of.

With that, the mercenary pulled two gold coins from his pouch and handed them to Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao showed a puzzled look. He had watched for a full half hour and never saw the man shortchange anyone. He needed an explanation for this special treatment.

“Don’t get me wrong, little brother. I’m Wang Meng, and I’m very satisfied with your strength. But since you smashed my tree, two gold coins is just a small token, isn’t it?” The burly man shrugged, as if inviting the onlookers to judge.

The other mercenaries nodded in agreement.

Chen Xiao couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“All right, it’s definitely my fault.”

“That’s more like it. If you still need to prepare, do so quickly. In fifteen minutes, everyone follows me into the mountain.”

Wang Meng patted Chen Xiao’s shoulder again and called the other five recruits forward.

Chen Xiao glanced over: four six-star fighters and one seven-star fighter.

As for Wang Meng, his strength matched theirs and he was considered one of the better mercenaries in Qingshan Town.

The five mercenaries shook their heads; none were novices at this kind of work and had prepared everything in advance.

Chen Xiao, carrying nothing and needing no preparation, also shook his head.

“Alright, then let’s not waste time. We go straight into the mountain and try to return early—otherwise, no one will get to enjoy the girl’s best brew.”

Wang Meng made a crude joke that drew knowing laughs from the mercenaries.

Chen Xiao forced a dry chuckle and said nothing.

In a world where entertainment was scarce, the lowly mercenaries’ daily indulgences rarely extended beyond drink and women.

Respect and understanding.

…

Deep in the silent forest, the group of seven moved cautiously. Their vigilant eyes scanned the shadows among the trees, hands tightly gripping the weapons at their waists, prepared for any sudden threat.

Reaching a relatively open clearing, Wang Meng pulled out a simple map.

“Our destination is this valley. It’s frequently visited by Firefoxes. Although these creatures are second-tier beasts, they never gather in packs except during mating season, which makes it easier for us to strike.”

“Hmm, little brother, I guess this is your first time in the Beast Mountains, so let me explain a bit more. Second-tier beasts like the Firefox have strength comparable to low-star fighters. However, their attack methods are rather ordinary; their real advantage lies in speed…”

Chen Xiao had never claimed it was his first time in the Beast Mountains, but veterans like these mercenaries could easily tell from subtle details. The forced vigilance he displayed was qualitatively different from their instinctive alertness—it was impossible to fake.

“That’s basically the Firefox’s profile. To ensure a successful ambush, everyone tell me your specialties and your fighting energy attributes. I’ll devise the plan accordingly.”

Plan with care before taking action; know your limits and gain your advantage!

All understood this principle.

“I wield a blade, metal attribute, so my attacks have greater destructive power,” said the seven-star fighter, flicking the curved saber at his waist with a cool expression.

“I’m metal attribute, too.”

“Wind attribute here—my speed is fast.”

“Wood attribute. I have a binding technique that should be very effective against the Firefox.”

“Metal attribute…”

Chen Xiao spoke last, noticing the others looking his way.

“Ice attribute. My specialty is… defense.”

The others were surprised.

Having seen Chen Xiao’s earlier display in town, they had assumed he excelled in offense. His attacks were no weaker than theirs. They had guessed wrong.

Wang Meng nodded slightly. “I’m metal attribute as well. You know, this team looks pretty balanced. Here’s the plan: once we reach the valley, Old Jiang, you with your speed drive the Firefox out. The three of us metal attributes handle the head-on fight. Old Wang with wood attribute supports from the side to restrict its movements. Little brother Chen, you guard the valley’s exit—we must not let the Firefox escape!”

With their seasoned experience, the mercenaries quickly finalized the ambush plan.

Everyone nodded in agreement. The plan played to their strengths and covered weaknesses effectively.

Without delay, they folded the map, and under Wang Meng’s lead, hurried toward the target valley.

Near the mountain’s edge, mostly first-tier beasts roamed. Though their group of seven couldn’t be considered invincible, they were formidable enough to make these beasts give way.

After about half an hour, the group finally arrived at the valley.

“Shh!”

Wang Meng whispered sharply. The others immediately froze and fell silent.

Chen Xiao glanced into the valley and spotted a stunning, fiery red beast drinking from a small stream, unaware that danger had arrived.

“Good luck—we spotted one right away. Stick to the plan!”

Wang Meng lowered his voice and gestured. Except for Chen Xiao, the mercenaries lightened their footsteps and crept along both sides of the valley.

Though the Firefox was not particularly aggressive, it was a second-tier beast, and their careful approach was necessary.

This was not overcautiousness but realism: compared to humans of the same rank, beasts often held the advantage.

Take this Firefox, for example—it was roughly equivalent in strength to a one-star fighter. If it weren’t poor at attacking, seven fighters challenging it would likely lose half their number or even be wiped out entirely.

Chen Xiao’s task was relatively simple: guard the valley exit. If the others succeeded, he might not even need to engage.

This gave him the chance to observe the mercenaries’ movements closely, learning from their experience.

Under his watchful eyes, the six moved stealthily like thieves, pausing every few steps to check on the Firefox. Seeing it unaware, they pressed forward.

The distance was barely two hundred steps, yet it took them over ten minutes to close within thirty meters of the Firefox.

At that moment, the Firefox suddenly raised its head, alert and scanning the valley’s sides.

The six mercenaries reacted swiftly, dodging just in time to avoid detection.

But the wary Firefox nonetheless leapt decisively toward the right side of the valley, attempting to escape the threatening area.

“Spotted it! Attack!”

Wang Meng drew his waist saber with a sharp clang and shouted.

The wood-attribute mercenary leapt forward.

“Battle Technique: Binding!”

With his low shout, emerald-green fighting energy shot out sharply, embodying the essence of wood attribute. Like a twisting vine, it arced above the Firefox before coiling around it, catching the beast defenseless.

This mercenary was only a fighter; if he were a battle spirit, able to condense fighting energy into matter, the binding technique would be even more formidable.