"Is there a chance we could wipe out this whole troop of Greenwood Apes?"
Ji An asked. In his view, the troop itself was highly valuable.
Chu He chuckled twice and said:
"When I first joined the squad, I thought just like you, why not just charge in, slaughter the beasts, and strike it rich?
On paper, wiping out all those Greenwood Apes would maximize our profit. But saying it is easy, doing it is as hard as reaching the heavens."
Jiang Qiuyue shook her head lightly:
"Junior brother, you're oversimplifying monster hunting. At the Qi Refinement stage, facing beasts of the same level, we don't actually hold much of an advantage.
These apes are basically extremely tough body cultivators, thick-skinned and hard to kill.
Even if we attack with magical weapons, bringing down a mid-stage Greenwood Ape in one blow isn't easy.
What's worse, the apes rarely act alone. They fight in groups, and they coordinate well.
Once they sense their lives are in danger, they'll definitely call for reinforcements.
Forget about the high-level apes, just a wave of mid-stage ones charging us would already put us in danger."
Chen Moxuan added:
"We've tried our hand against this troop before.
We tested many different tactics, but none yielded much.
A lone monster, no matter how fierce, we can grind it down. But against a horde like this, there's simply no foolproof plan.
The Jade Spirit Fruits will ripen within a month. If we don't snatch them before the apes eat them, we'll have to wait another five years."
Disciples who'd never hunted monsters always assumed it was easy unless you completely crushed them in cultivation or set up an ambush; every hunt was a grueling fight.
Without weapons, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would likely lose to a monster of the same rank.
And more than half of those disciples who rushed blindly into the wilds without preparation ended up as fertilizer for weeds and herbs.
Tian Yulei rumbled:
"When we lure some of the apes over, you'll be the main attacker while we cover you. Then you'll see for yourself just how naive that first idea of yours was."
Newcomers needed to suffer a little before they'd wise up.
"Alright," Ji An nodded. That was exactly what he wanted anyway. This would be the squad's assessment of his combat ability.
Greenwood Apes were wood-element beasts. He was curious to see how much damage his perfected Geng Metal Finger could inflict.
Right now, he could easily pierce half a foot of solid stone with it. Metal overcomes wood, so against flesh and bone, the results should be even better.
Still, that was only a theory. Real combat would prove what level he had truly reached.
The squad sprinkled themselves with a special powder that masked their scent. It carried a faint herbal fragrance. Ji An, however, didn't use any.
They moved toward the mountainside. After half an hour, they found a suitable hiding spot and stopped.
Tian Yulei pulled out a fat, brownish-yellow spirit-seeking rat from his beast pouch and set it on the ground.
The rat bared its teeth, a glint of ferocity in its eyes.
Ji An raised his brows slightly. At a glance, he could tell this beast was a hybrid of a spirit-seeking rat and a rock-rat, with the rock-rat bloodline dominant.
As the beast advanced, its spirit-seeking traits would likely be suppressed further. In time, it might even lose its ability to sense spirit items altogether.
Jiang Qiuyue covered her face and muttered:
"Ever since I saw Junior Brother Ji's spirit-seeking rat, I feel like Tian's beast is a fake."
Tian Yulei gave a sheepish grin:
"I think it's fine. It can sniff out spirit herbs, and it's got pretty solid combat ability too."
The spirit-seeking rat had already been trained up to the sixth level of Qi Refinement. It was especially skilled at casting the earth-element spell Rock Spikes and could launch deadly ambushes from underground.
Holding the beast-control token, Tian Yulei gave the rat a simple command, then tossed out a fist-sized red pine fruit.
The red pine fruit was a first-rank low-grade spirit fruit, a favorite delicacy of the Greenwood Apes.
The plump rat moved with surprising agility for its bulk. With a light leap nearly three feet high, it caught the fruit neatly in its jaws. Its tail swished deftly for balance before it landed steadily on the ground.
With a few bounds, the spirit-seeking rat vanished into the dense forest.
Chu He lowered his voice with a smile:
"Junior Brother Ji, nervous?"
"A little."
In his previous life, he had never even slaughtered a chicken. Now he was about to face a ferocious monster head-on; of course, there was some nervousness.
But more than anything, Ji An felt a thrill, like a sword honed for ten years finally meeting its first test. From what he knew, few Qi Refinement disciples had mastered any spell to the level of Perfection.
And even among those who had, most were older cultivators who had spent decades grinding away at it.
Chu He patted his shoulder reassuringly:
"Tension is good, it keeps you sharp. Just don't let it turn into panic.
We'll be hiding nearby. If the apes see too many enemies at once, they'll immediately call for reinforcements.
But if they see only one cultivator, they'll think they can claim the prize for themselves."
To monsters, humans were bodies close to the Dao itself, living treasures. In their eyes, a human cultivator was a potent tonic that could refine their bodies and help awaken their intelligence. Naturally, such a prize was best enjoyed alone.
"If the ape that comes is too strong for you to handle, slowly work your way toward our position," Chen Moxuan reminded him.
The others scattered to conceal themselves, the nearest still more than ten yards away.
Chen Moxuan crouched close to Tian Yulei, speaking in a hushed voice:
"Old Tian, how long do you think Junior Brother Ji could last against a late-stage Greenwood Ape?"
He didn't believe for a moment that Ji An could actually win. His main weapon was a defensive treasure, the Stone Tortoise Shield, which obviously someone who valued his life above all.
His offensive weapon was a heavy Mountain River Seal. Against the nimble Greenwood Apes, it was practically useless unless Ji An had some sort of immobilizing spell.
"I think he could hold out for quite a while," Tian replied. "That defensive treasure of his is good, and his divine sense is naturally strong; that's an advantage."
"And do you think he could actually kill a late-stage Greenwood Ape?"
"Not likely! If that Mountain River Seal ever lands a hit on one, I'll eat dirt." Tian chuckled softly.
Chen Moxuan shook his head faintly. Ji An had only been in the sect for five years, most of which had been spent tending spirit fields. How far could his spellcraft have really advanced? If he'd managed even to reach Minor Achievement in one technique, that would already be impressive.
Sigh… looks like I won't get to see Old Tian eat dirt after all.
Ji An released his own spirit-seeking rat, sending it underground to lie in wait. If he couldn't finish things quickly, he'd have it cast spells to distract the foe.
He raised the Stone Tortoise Shield in front of him, forcing his breathing into rhythm.
About fifteen minutes later, a deep, urgent ape-cry echoed down from the mountain.
Soon after, Ji An spotted his rat sprinting back with the red pine fruit in its jaws, darting past him before scurrying off. Ji An immediately cast Wind Riding.
Right behind the rat burst a towering ape, half a head taller than a man, emerald light glimmering over its body, a wood-element protective aura, much like a cultivator's Golden Armor Spell.
Damn, an eighth-stage ape. Junior Brother Ji is in real danger. Chen Moxuan's heart clenched. If they could slay it, it would greatly aid their plan, but he didn't expect a rookie with no combat experience to pull it off.
All he could hope was that Ji An had the sense to lure the beast into their ambush.
The same thought crossed the minds of the other team members.
The ape froze when it saw Ji An, nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air.
No trace of other humans. Its eyes gleamed with a cruel cunning light. With a step forward, it loosed a guttural roar.
The savage sound radiated raw, primal ferocity, and Ji An's body instinctively leaned back a little.
Then, suddenly, trouble struck.
From the ground beneath him, countless vines surged up, instantly coiling around his ankles.
At the same time, the ape spread its arms wide and leapt, a feral grin twisting its face.
If it could just clamp this human in its embrace, it would crush his bones in an instant and devour him alive, savoring every bite.
But then
An unmatched, razor-sharp aura flared. A streak of golden light flashed past.
The ape's pupils shrank to pinpricks. The next instant, its consciousness plunged into endless darkness.
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