Chapter 7 The Barren Wasteland (Part One)

The darkness in the forest and the roar of wild beasts terrified everyone.

"Catch up, guys! Our targets are high-level beasts that aren't accustomed to walking around at night. However, many wild beasts prefer to hunt at night. We must be careful now!"

It was a big risk to walk into the Barren Wasteland at this time of the night, but it was also the best time to hunt high-level beasts, as they preferred to rest at night.

"Whoosh!"

After a while, several figures jumped out of bushes and stared at the cultivators with green eyes.

With the light of the luminescent stone, they recognized the figures to be Spectral Wolves.

"Deal with them quickly!" As soon as Jared Qi gave the order, Kyle Zhang and Phil Li rushed toward the two Spectral Wolves and killed them in a flash.

"They are only at level three. It's not a big deal!" In a blink of an eye, they had fulfilled their task.

"You! Remove their cardiac cores and put them in this bag. Their fur is worth nothing. That saves you a lot of trouble, pal," Marvin Zhou ordered Darren.

Darren remained silent as he walked to the dead beasts without hesitation. Two balls of yellow light flew into Darren's head.

'Got it! It's much better to assimilate the talent of a level three beast than a level one cultivator of the Yellow Degree. Way to go, Darren!'

Darren was delighted.

After Darren absorbed their talent, he took out a knife to cut open their chests. In a few minutes, he had removed their hearts. And soon, he packed the two cardiac cores into the bag.

"He's not a talented cultivator, but he is a diligent man."

The team restarted their journey in the forest. They were cautious about their every movement for fear that they would wake fierce beasts or step on snakes or poisonous insects.

Kyle Zhang and Phil Li, two cultivators of the fifth stage of the Primary Realm, had killed a dozen level three beasts in two hours.

The main beneficiary, of course, was Darren. He could absorb the dead beasts' talent without any effort. He could also feel that he was closer to level three of the Yellow Degree.

"Jared, why are all the beasts we've met low-level ones? None of them are any worth."

"Be patient! Cheer up, guys! We will make a fortune if we find a Nebula Beast. They are at least at level six. What's more, they are in a deep sleep at this hour."

All the members whispered among themselves while walking, except the girl named Elsa Gongsun. She had been silent all along.

"Be careful, guys! We've come across a level five beast this time," Jared stopped and warned the others.

"Come on! It's just a level five creature. What's the big deal? Phil and I can handle it easily." Kyle Zhang was a bold cultivator. Actually, a level five beast was much stronger than a cultivator at the same stage of the Primary Realm.

"I know you two can work together to battle one creature. But what about five? Ten? Try to think before you speak," Corrine Gu said.

"Oops! I had forgotten about this! Ha-ha!" Kyle Zhang giggled as he turned to Corrine Gu. Apparently, he had a crush on her.

"Marvin, you are at the sixth stage. I need you to check," Jared ordered Marvin Zhou, who hadn't participated in any fight so far.

"A piece of cake." Marvin leaped into the air and flew forward.

"They are three Giant Fury Bears," Marvin said from a distance.

"Do you need my help?" Jared was worried about him. Three Giant Fury Bears were freakily ferocious, and they were not easily defeated by a cultivator at the sixth stage, like Marvin Zhou.

"Thank you, Jared! But I can manage them alone."

Marvin Zhou was fearless when facing the three bears. He hovered, like a ghost, between the three bears. The bears, however, were injured when Marvin flashed past.

"It's the Phantom Punch! That's a high-level martial arts skill. No wonder he's so confident."

Darren also noticed Marvin Zhou's move. He had thought that three Giant Fury Bears were far beyond Marvin Zhou's cultivation base. But, the second Marvin Zhou summoned his martial arts skill, he put the three bears at a disadvantage.

'That's the power of martial arts skills. What a great leap! I haven't expected that a martial arts skill could improve one's cultivation base to such a degree. If I mastered the two top skills, how much would it enhance my cultivation base?' Darren wondered.

"Let me give you a hand," Jared said. In the next second, he jumped into the air. Jared didn't want to waste their time in this fight.

Instantly, Jared's sword sliced through the three bears. They didn't even have the time to whine before their death.

"Bravo!" The others marveled.

"That's the power of the seventh stage! Brilliant, Jared! What superb swordsmanship!"

"Way to go, Jared!" Corrine looked at Jared with gentleness sparkling in her eyes. She was wild with joy.

Darren didn't have the time to think about anything. He rushed forward at once for fear that he would fail to absorb the talent of the three bears from far away. He could not afford such a significant loss.

'That's it!' Their talent gathered into one ball of yellow light and flew into Darren's head.

After a booming sensation between his ears, Darren felt refreshed from his brain to his feet. He had never had such a free feeling before in his entire life.

'I've got an upgrade! Am I at level four of the Yellow Degree now?' This thought gave Darren a thrill, but he still needed a test to confirm his speculation.

"Hey, man! You don't have to run like a hunting dog. The bears are dead meat. You don't have to worry that they will run away, ha-ha!" Kyle Zhang laughed at Darren when he saw how anxious Darren was.

"I am just carrying out my duty," Darren answered as he removed the cardiac cores from the level five dead beasts' chests and placed them in the bag.