“Yes, a mission that’s perfect for you. Yingnan has already gone to negotiate the terms. It looks like it will be successful; all you need to do is wait for the news.”
“What kind of mission?”
“You’ll find out when the time comes.”
Qianye frowned, disliking the evasive attitude of Er Ye. “But why should I take this mission?”
“Because it suits you, and why not make money? It’s a substantial amount, more than what top-tier hunters earn.” Er Ye waved the sheet in his hand and continued, “Moreover, this is a win-win situation. The items on this list are very suitable for your current state and will greatly improve you in a short time. By acquiring these goods, I can demonstrate the power of Hunter’s Haven, which will allow me to continue obtaining supplies from that channel. Especially those potions, they can attract top hunters of six stars or higher. And… this mission will also benefit Yingnan.”
Qianye frowned, then nodded after a moment. “Alright, I agree. But how long will this mission take?”
“Maybe half a year, possibly even longer.”
Qianye nodded, feeling that this was more reasonable. A mission that could earn thousands of gold coins would likely be a scam or trap if it only took a month. As a mere two-star hunter, he had no chance of receiving such a mission.
After seeing off Er Ye, Qianye prepared to stay home and train for a few days. His body felt unusually weak.
That night, Er Ye sent over five vials of potions. The boxes were made of a special material, inscribed with force arrays to keep the potency intact. Once opened, the vials must be used within a week, or they would lose their effectiveness.
Qianye stocked up on provisions and rechecked the outer courtyard and interiors of Yingnan’s house, setting up traps and mechanisms. When everything was ready, he opened the box, took out a vial, and injected it into his upper arm, then began practicing the Bingfa Jue.
The potion quickly took effect, and Qianye felt a heightened sensitivity to the force, making it easier to draw force through his three nodes. The potion itself also released force, which not only made the force tides more active and powerful but could also integrate directly.
Qianye’s force was already much stronger than others at his level. After breaking through the most challenging node, the other nodes were easier to activate, but it still required nearly twice the force to break the barrier.
With the potion, the force tides surged even more powerfully, forming with greater ease. In a blink, twenty rounds had passed. Qianye counted the final number, realizing that reaching twenty rounds tonight seemed unusually easy and swift.
He checked his internal condition and found that only two ordinary blood energies were siphoning the force, while the seven previously active ones, including the golden and purple ones, were silent. Qianye felt a strange sense that the blood energies seemed to have a mind, saving the two as seeds.
After a moment, his heart jolted, and a new ordinary blood energy emerged, bringing the total to thirty force tides.
Qianye’s constitution had greatly improved, with his organs and body strength doubling. Thirty rounds of force tides now caused the same pain and vibration as twenty rounds before. Qianye gritted his teeth and smoothly crossed the threshold, unlike the first time, when he was severely injured.
With the combined effects of the potion and enhanced physique, Qianye reached thirty-three rounds of force tides before stopping to rest.
Now, Qianye understood why the empire’s military valued the number of force tides endured. A warrior king practicing thirty rounds was twice as efficient as an elite recruit, and each additional round beyond thirty increased efficiency by about ten percent.
Most techniques emphasize gradual progress and accumulation, with later stages heavily influenced by talent, making it difficult for those with less potential. The Bingfa Jue, however, advanced aggressively from the start, with efficiency remaining high even after thirty rounds, almost ignoring any bottlenecks below the rank of a general.
If the Bingfa Jue was a top-tier technique for its speed before twenty rounds, then after thirty-five, its progress was likely matched by only a few secret techniques in the entire empire. However, most people couldn’t survive past twenty rounds due to the force tides’ backlash.
Qianye’s blood energy was still in a weakened state. Once restored to seven, it would protect his organs, and he might attempt thirty-five rounds. Even if some force was still consumed by the blood energy, his training speed would rival that of a warrior king.
At the end of this practice, Qianye was surprised to find the force barrier in his left hand faintly visible, indicating that his force accumulation was near a critical point. With continuous accumulation, he would soon ignite the fourth node.
For the next few days, Qianye stayed indoors, training whenever his body allowed. Each potion lasted a full day, and he couldn’t afford to waste it.
Thousands of kilometers away from Dark Blood City, Yingnan descended from a military airship. The base had a strong military atmosphere, with civilian vessels clustered in one corner. Most areas were filled with military-marked airships and vehicles.
Yingnan stood for a few minutes, recognizing many of the military emblems. She quickly turned her gaze and walked toward a nearby garrison.
She handed a metal plaque to a sentry, saying, “I need to see Miss Qi Qi.”
The sentry examined the force engraving and immediately became respectful, saluting her. “Please wait. I need to report this to my superior.”
Yingnan nodded, “No problem, I can wait.”
The sentry dashed into the garrison. Shortly, a light off-road vehicle emerged, driven by a captain. He smiled and said, “Please follow me. Miss Qi Qi is waiting.”
Yingnan climbed into the back seat, silently looking out the window. The captain placed a flag on the front and sped off. The wind unfurled the flag, revealing a striking golden emblem of a snake.
This was the emblem of the main army. Vehicles with this flag had second-level privileges, allowing them to ignore traffic rules in most cities.
Indeed, the captain drove recklessly, even in the city center, causing chaos and accidents. People looked at the vehicle with silent anger, accepting their misfortune. On the Evernight Continent, the expeditionary force’s emblem was enough to dominate, let alone the main army.
Yingnan looked out the window, seeing familiar sights. She had been here years ago, shortly after arriving on the Evernight Continent.
This city, Xichang, was less than three hundred kilometers from Wei Yang, the largest city on the continent, reachable in hours by airship or a day by road.
Wei Yang had a cross-continental airship base connecting to the imperial mainland. Xichang also had a small airship station, used for cross-continental flights. Wei Yang was under imperial control, while Xichang and similar cities were controlled by noble families. Here, the families held more power than the military.
When Qianye arrived on the Evernight Continent, he landed at the small airship station in Xichang. For profit, the families often turned a blind eye to many things. The smuggler’s airship that brought Qianye paid the docking fee, and the passengers weren’t questioned.
Such occurrences were common in the noble territories. The empire’s direct regions maintained a facade, while in the nobles’ domains, even the last semblance of decency was often absent.
The off-road vehicle weaved through the city, even taking a detour. The captain seemed to enjoy the reckless drive, prolonging the journey. Finally, they stopped in front of a grand mansion.
The compound was filled with towering platforms and winding corridors, clearly a noble family’s private estate. Yet, the guards at the entrance were imperial soldiers, not part of the expeditionary force but the main army.
The captain opened the door for Yingnan, escorting her to the steps where a colonel greeted her. “Miss Qi Qi has been waiting.”
The mansion followed a typical layout, with a central axis, gatehouses, halls, and flower walls. Due to the lack of light, the landscaping featured shrubs rather than trees, creating a unique, robust beauty.
Yingnan followed the colonel, soon leaving the main building and entering a winding corridor. She knew the destination was ahead, her heart tightening. The scenery became increasingly intricate and beautiful.
She saw at least ten imperial soldiers standing straight, tall and handsome, though their individual strength was mediocre. This was typical of Qi Qi, and Yingnan couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and sadness.
The colonel stopped at a moon gate covered in wisteria, leading to a large lotus pond with a bridge connecting two pavilions. He refused to go further, saying only that Miss Qi Qi was inside.
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