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Chapter 108: Little Tang, The Core of The Team
A storage bracelet? Tang San almost immediately sensed the spatial elemental fluctuations from it. As expected of Wu Bingji! Tang San had been wondering whether they should leave the demonic beast's corpse for their teacher to collect later, as he didn't want to reveal his storage bag just like that. As it turned out, the eldest senior brother was well-prepared.
Wu Bingji had a storage bracelet; a flash of light from the bracelet and several large bottles appeared.
Next, he did something simple: he bled the beast.
The blood of a demonic beast was one of the most valuable parts of its body. Even diluted, soaking in demonic beast blood could aid the cultivation of demons of the same attribute. It was the same for humans who cultivated the Demonic God Transformation. The blood of a fifth-order demonic beast could fetch a decent price.
He was letting blood and collecting the corpse. Wu Bingji didn't ask for help, handling it swiftly. He then stored the Fissure Lizard's corpse in his storage bracelet and had everyone help clean up the traces on the ground. Collecting the body and erasing the tracks took about half an hour.
"Let's rest a bit more before we continue," Wu Bingji commanded the team.
The rest was mainly for Gu Li, as the three consecutive uses of Chrono Croc Transformation had significantly drained both his spiritual power and his bloodline power. The consumption from such continuous usage was far greater than usual, but the effect was also tremendous.
Even though they had to rest more than they had expected, everyone's spirits were high. In less than a day since they had set out, they had hunted a fifth-order demonic beast and earned a naturae coin. The share for each person was substantial, much faster than making money through ordinary tasks. Even if they were to return immediately, it would still be a significant profit.
Previously, Gu Li, Du Bai, and Cheng Zicheng had been curious about the goal of their mission. But Tang San and Wu Bingji didn't reveal it, simply telling them they would know when they arrived.
Now, they no longer asked, as the ease with which they killed a peak fifth-order demonic beast had inevitably boosted their confidence.
Du Bai even fantasized about hunting ten or eight demonic beasts to make a fortune and buying precious materials to consume, hoping to break through the fourth order.
Cheng Zicheng and Gu Li were almost as excited as Du Bai, but Tang San and Wu Bingji were much calmer. Wu Bingji pondered how he could have been more useful in the previous battle, while Tang San silently meditated and cultivated.
He didn't attempt to devour the demonic beast's bloodline power. One reason was that the bloodline power of a demonic beast was more chaotic than a demon's, so it likely wouldn’t be as easy to digest. More importantly, if he did something like that in front of his companions and the demonic beast turned into a dried corpse, how would he explain it? He didn't want to arouse their suspicions.
From the previous battle, it was evident that Wu Bingji and Gu Li lacked some combat experience. Wu Bingji was somewhat better, but Gu Li was indeed inexperienced. If their coordination was in sync with their current strength, Gu Li would only need one well-timed freeze to allow his companions to take down the enemy.
However, this was a good start. Teamwork is not something that can appear just because people want to; it takes time to develop.
Tang San didn't say much; at this point, no amount of theory would substitute for actual combat. The demonic beasts they would encounter this time weren’t limited to just one. Since the Fissure Lizard hadn't exerted enough pressure on them, their understanding probably wasn't unclear. Once they encountered stronger demonic beasts, their insights into actual combat would naturally become more apparent.
It was already afternoon when they fully recovered. The five set off again, continuing to delve deeper into the Kali Mountain Range.
Not long after they left, a figure landed on the hillside where they had been before.
Zhang Haoxuan gazed at their departing figures, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
Good, Tang San's combat capabilities aren’t disappointing in real life either. What would the battle have looked like if it had been another fifth-order student instead of Tang San?
They could have indeed coped, given that Wu Bingji was a sixth-order cultivator. But against the Fissure Lizard, the likely outcome would have been them being caught off-guard and the lizard escaping, probably after injuring a team member in a surprise attack.
From the current situation, it seemed that sending them out together on this mission was correct. Tang San's most significant role was in coordinating the team. With him, the team's overall strength had clearly risen by a good margin.
Where could this kid have gotten this kind of combat experience? Could it be that there really are people born with innate knowledge in this world?
Zhang Haoxuan thought that in terms of pure bloodline talent, Tang San might not even rank in the top fifty among the young people he had seen. However, regarding overall abilities and temperament, he was a solid second. At least, that was how it seemed for now. He just hoped that Tang San could maintain such a rapid pace of growth in the future.
All bushcraft enthusiasts know this: in the mountains and forests, there's never a shortage of food. For those familiar enough with the Kali Mountain Range, surviving in the wilderness was not a problem, especially under the leadership of Wu Bingji. Picking wild fruits and fetching mountain spring water allowed them to hydrate and replenish their energy.
On their way into the mountains, the number of demonic beasts increased, and at the same time, Cheng Zicheng's role became more important. Her ability allowed her to do low-altitude reconnaissance, and whenever she spotted groups of demonic beasts, the group would go around them to avoid a clash.
Du Bai was initially excited about hunting more demonic beasts, but Wu Bingji vetoed his suggestion instantly. Demonic beasts had a ridiculously keen sense of smell. Once the scent of blood was in the air, it could and would attract others. Killing a weaker demonic beast would inevitably result in attracting a stronger one...or more.
A characteristic of the demonic beasts on the Daemon Continent was that they could not become gods. This was likely related to their intelligence. Any demonic beast capable of cultivating spiritual intelligence would have transformed into a demon already.
Therefore, the ninth order was the peak for demonic beasts, and there weren’t many demonic beasts that could cultivate to the ninth order just through their innate physical abilities and bloodline strength. Thus, there weren’t that many powerful beings among demonic beasts.
Of course, this was compared to the demon and nymph races; demonic beasts were still formidable beings from humans’ perspective.
As the group moved forward, they occasionally took down some weaker demonic beasts. Because they could slay them quickly and preserve the body whole, there was less hassle in dealing with them, and if they didn’t process the carcass on the spot, the smell of blood wasn’t that much of an issue.
The first night arrived.
They once again found a higher ground and a large tree. Staying in the trees at night was much safer than on the ground.
They were all a little tired, but the most exhausted was Du Bai, who had the poorest physical fitness. Although he was just traveling without engaging in combat, his small frame still struggled to endure the exertion. Tang San tied him to a thick tree branch with a rope, and the kid instantly fell asleep.
Cheng Zicheng had spent most of the day flying, with her mind tensely focused on the surroundings, resulting in significant mental exhaustion. She, too, went to sleep early.
On the other hand, Tang San, Wu Bingji, and Gu Li were not sleepy, so they decided to take turns to keep watch. For the time being, the three sat under the tree, chatting in low voices.
“Little Tang, what's that technique for using icicles you discussed? Since we're not doing anything, why don't you tell me now?" Wu Bingji asked with a smile.
Gu Li looked over in surprise. Whoa, is the eldest senior brother seriously asking Tang San for instruction?
Their journey today had once more changed Gu Li's perception of Tang San. The team leader was the eldest senior brother, Wu Bingji. However, since entering the mountain, Tang San had been the one to arrange the combat tactics. In encounters, his responses were the calmest and most accurate. Subconsciously, everyone felt that he was the core of the team. And Wu Bingji did not seem to mind this at all.