The following day, Xiang Ning woke up as the agreed-upon time approached. It was five o’clock in the morning and the sun had yet to rise, but he already felt that someone was outside his room. It should be the one Uncle Zhao arranged for me. He looked at the sleeping Fang Rou and gently kissed her forehead.

He silently walked out of the room like a specter. The man in front of his room was frightened by how silent he was.

“Let’s go.” Xiang Ning locked the door behind him.

The man was one of the guards that was close to Uncle Zhao. While he wasn’t that strong, there were still things that only he could do. He was surprised by how Xiang Ning could detect him. Was it a coincidence, or did he sense me? If it was the former, that would be too much of a coincidence. If it was the latter, Xiang Ning’s skill to sense his surroundings was incredible! He had heard rumors of Xiang Ning, the prodigy. He thought that the stories had been blown out of proportion, but it seemed that they were true. He was even stronger than the rumors.

“Yes?” Xiang Ning saw that the guard was staring at him and asked him what was wrong. 

The guard coughed to hide his embarrassment. “Sorry about that. Follow me.” He smiled and walked forward as Xiang Ning followed him.

Both of them were silent as they quickly walked through the hall and entered a garage. There were already two armored vehicles on standby; Xiang Ning thought that he was early, but there was already someone there.

“Xiang Ning!” a voice filled with surprise cried. Even he was surprised to see that Chu Long, the man who had followed him from Hang City, was already waiting there.

“Haha! To think it’d be you! But I should’ve guessed it. You hid it from me for so long.” Chu Long gave him a high five, as he was happy to see Xiang Ning.

Xiang Ning scratched his head. He felt comfortable around Chu Long. He recalled how wounded Chu Long had been just two days earlier, all wrapped up in bandages. To think that he had recovered so fast.

“Have you recovered? I saw how badly you were wounded.” Chu Long was looking at Xiang Ning as he tried to see how he was faring. That fight had been very frightening. He was very happy to receive this mission, because he felt that he could make his school proud. Still, he was worried about who his partner would be, since the danger level was rated as ‘very high’. But he finally relaxed a bit after learning it was Xiang Ning. 

“I’m fine, but what about you? How’d you recover so fast?” Xiang Ning was impressed by Chu Long’s recovery. Both Chu Long and Wu Rui were tall, muscular, and had as much vitality as a rhino. They always swiftly recovered.

Both of them idly chatted until the other three-person team arrived, forming a five-man team. Everyone introduced themselves to each other.

The first one was Yu Qian, a tier five, three-star spiritual cultivator. She was wearing a tight bodysuit that showed her attractive figure. Chu Long was stunned by her beauty. She was wearing a dimensional ring strung on a necklace. To think that she had one! Even though it had been some time since the dimensional rings entered production and the market, Xiang Ning hadn’t seen more than two hundred people wearing one.

Both Xiang Ning and her were the only ones possessing dimensional rings.

The next one was Gu Kun, a tier five, four-star martial artist. He was short and slim, but his face was as stern as a judge's. If he were to become a police officer, it would be very likely that criminals would run away from him the moment they saw his face.

As for the final girl…. “What the heck? How’d you get in here, Long Xiaoqi!” Chu Long loudly exclaimed in surprise as he saw her. It was out of his expectations.

Xiang Ning looked at her and felt that something was amiss. She was the weakest among them, but that didn’t mean she was weak. She had opened up her own path. He remembered how amazing she’d been on the battlefield with her needles.

After everyone introduced themselves, Yu Qian smiled as she remarked, “Smiling Demon Chu Long, Beastslayer Gu Kun, and Humanoid Beast Xiang Ning. My, my.... To think that our little team is filled with geniuses.”

Xiang Ning heard his moniker and scratched his nose in embarrassment. Humanoid Beast? Who came up with that? Unfortunately, he couldn’t refute it.

Smiling Demon Chu Long was a usually jolly individual who fought like a frenzied demon during battles. If one were to not use their full strength during their spar, he would break their bones by accident.

As for the Beastslayer, it was the first time Xiang Ning had heard of him. Chu Long explained, “He’s ranked seventh on the Hunter’s Board, and the only tier five martial artist in the top ten. As his moniker implies, he’s famous for killing beasts. He even single-handedly killed a tier six beast two months ago.”

Xiang Ning nodded. Damn, the guy is tough. He had heard that those who’d managed to enter the top ten were all individuals who could easily advance above tier seven. To think that someone like him could kill a beast an entire tier above him. It was the first time Xiang Ning had encountered someone this strong.

“Hehe. I’d prefer to call you Teacher Xiang Ning instead,” Yu Qian chuckled.

Xiang Ning smiled, but didn’t reply. Only Long Xiaoqi, the only one without a moniker, asked Yu Qian about hers. “Do I have a moniker?”

“Little girl, it isn’t that easy to get one. You need to have strength, experience, and a story. I’ll give you one the moment you have those.” Yu Qian was obviously treating her like a child, but she was saying it seriously. Long Xiaoqi was still a hero to humanity that deserved respect.

Long Xiaoqi nodded. She was a bit of a hothead, but under Yu Qian’s stern gaze she was like a child.

After talking for a while, a guard in a black and red uniform appeared with a blindfold. “The time has come, all of you can enter the vehicle. We’ll send you to the K8 region of the wilderness. After that, you’ll be on your own.”

K8 was the region sandwiched between the flat land and the forest. Once they had entered there, they would be in the wilderness proper. Still, it was somewhat safe, as it was the outer region of the wilderness. When there was no war going on, martial artists would often form groups to hunt beasts from the outer and the slightly deeper area of the wilderness to obtain resources for their cultivation.

So the higher-ups didn't let them meet each other the day before to talk about strategy, get to know each other more in depth? Very sloppy ngl