Ye Tian recognized several familiar faces—they were Martial Artists from the Wind Wolf Hunting Squad, the very group from whom he had obtained his Basic-grade Speed Talent by killing a Silver Moon Mink!
In fact, he owed the Wind Wolf Hunting Squad a favor.
The Speed Talent had greatly aided him in his early days; without it, he might have died at the hands of Shadow Li Cun.
"If I can help the Wind Wolf Hunting Squad on this mission, then I will," Ye Tian told himself.
Although Ye Tian recognized the Wind Wolf members, they did not recognize him.
He had changed too much since then—first, his aura. After some time training and killing, he carried a chilling aura that made him appear more mature.
Because of this, though only sixteen, he looked closer to eighteen or nineteen, far more mature than before.
Additionally, he had grown taller—from about 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters—and his build was stronger.
Wind Wolf had only met Ye Tian once before, when Ye Tian was merely a Martial Apprentice. Naturally, they had long forgotten a mere Martial Apprentice.
Ye Tian didn't stare at them but stood quietly in a corner, waiting for the leader's arrival.
Some tried to befriend Ye Tian, as he was young and already a Martial Artist, a sign of high talent and a promising future as an Elite Martial Artist.
If they knew he was already an Elite Martial Artist, they would have been shocked.
In reality, without reaching the Great Martial Artist level, it was difficult to discern someone's true cultivation. It was only apparent during battle or through aura, and Ye Tian had been careful to suppress his aura. How could those only as strong as Elite Martial Artists see through him?
Ye Tian wasn't opposed to showing off, but this wasn't the right time. After copying the Divine Strength Ant's Strength Talent, he could afford to be less cautious.
He politely declined all friendship attempts.
"Lin Mingzhi has arrived!"
The crowd stirred.
Lin Mingzhi?
Ye Tian's mind recalled information about him.
Lin Mingzhi was the son of the current head of the Lin Family, only in his thirties, but already an Elite Martial Artist at peak strength, nearing Great Martial Artist level.
He had Intermediate-grade Cultivation Talent and was eligible to advance to Great Martial Artist, but was expected to reach only early Great Martial Artist level in his lifetime.
Still, an early Great Martial Artist was dominant in Seaside Base, since except for one peak Great Martial Artist in Lin Family, others were at early stages.
Ye Tian guessed the peak Great Martial Artist in Lin Family had high-grade Cultivation Talent but had failed to break through to Grandmaster level. Being elderly, that breakthrough was unlikely now.
"Everyone, quiet!"
A Martial Artist with thick eyebrows and big eyes stood and shouted—this was Lin Mingzhi.
"Your presence here shows your willingness to join the Ferocious Beast clearing plan. This plan will benefit Seaside Base immensely. We are a small base with limited resources. Opening trade routes with a medium base means we can buy treasures unavailable here. This plan is important!"
"Of course, there is risk, but the rewards far outweigh it. I guarantee anything you obtain is yours. If you cannot carry the hunted Ferocious Beast, Lin Family will give you half afterward. This is your rightful share, but additionally, Lin Family prepared gifts: Martial Artists receive 20 portions of Intermediate-grade Ferocious Beast Blood and 2 million. Elite Martial Artists receive 3 portions of high-grade Ferocious Beast Blood and 10 million."
Lin Mingzhi's words ignited the crowd.
They would keep their spoils, plus generous bonuses—who wouldn't be excited?
Regarding dropping Ferocious Beast corpses too large to carry and only receiving half, no one objected. Many such corpses were wasted anyway, and Lin Family's promise to handle and share half was generous.
Ye Tian observed the excited Martial Artists and shook his head silently.
They were overly optimistic; the rewards were great but survival was uncertain. Dead men gained nothing, and Lin Family risked nothing.
They were recruiting fighters for free and reaping rich resources—a very smart move.
"There are about 200 Martial Artists gathered here, and with those from other families, probably over 1,000 participating!" Ye Tian calculated.
Seaside Base had only a few thousand Martial Artists; this was a large deployment.
Lin Mingzhi then brought out a strength-testing pillar, a Yuan Force device that displayed punch strength—apparently acquired from another base.
One by one, Martial Artists tested their strength and were grouped accordingly.
Ye Tian stayed low-key, showing the strength of a late-stage Martial Artist rather than an Elite Martial Artist.
Still, his strength caused a stir and earned admiration. Lin Mingzhi even considered recruiting him but was refused.
Lin Mingzhi did not press, assuming Ye Tian was only an Intermediate-grade Cultivation Talent, thus not valuable to Lin Family.
After testing, groups were formed: Elite Martial Artists with Elite, Martial Artists with Martial Artists.
Tasks differed—Martial Artist groups cleared Low-level Ferocious Beasts, Elite groups cleared Intermediate-grade Ferocious Beasts.
"Captain Wind Wolf, let's form a team," Ye Tian approached Wind Wolf.
Wind Wolf Hunting Squad had only eight members; two spots were open.
"Little brother, are you sure? Our squad has only me as a late-stage Martial Artist. With your Talent, you might want to join stronger teams of late-stage Martial Artists." Wind Wolf hesitated.
"I think you're a good captain with a good reputation, so I want to join you. If you refuse, just forget I said anything." Ye Tian said calmly.
"Then welcome to our team!" Wind Wolf smiled, extending his hand.
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