Chapter 17: Hunting Begins in Blackstone Forest
[Yes, host. Cola is one of the approved products that can be taken out of the store. As long as the buyer does not attempt to transfer ownership to another person, Rule No. 4 will not be enforced.]
Hao relayed the answer to Yue Xueyan.
"Cola can be taken outside. Just don't give it to someone else, or it'll lose its effects."
Hearing Hao, Yue Xueyan revealed a rare, faint smile.
Xiao Lianfeng and Lin Yijun, who happened to witness it, felt their hearts skip a beat.
Xiao Lianfeng took a deep breath, his expression as serious as a monk rejecting worldly desires.
"Senior, what about the instant noodles? Can they be taken outside?"
A thought had already formed in his mind. If possible, he wanted to show the instant noodles to the sect elders and even the sect master.
Hao asked the system.
[No, host. Instant noodles are not permitted to be taken outside. They must be consumed within the store.]
Hao repeated the system's words.
Xiao Lianfeng's excitement dimmed. He had expected as much, but the answer still left him disappointed.
Some elders of the Drifting Sword Sect were stubborn, unwilling to believe anything without solid proof. If he simply told them about the effects of the instant noodles, they would doubt his words or even grow suspicious of the store itself.
Now, he had no choice but to bring at least one elder with him. Only by experiencing it firsthand would they understand how miraculous the noodles truly were.
Xiao Lianfeng shook off his thoughts and looked at Yue Xueyan and Hua Feixue. A confident grin spread across his face as he raised his can of Cola.
"Senior Yue, Junior Hua, do you want to go hunt demonic beasts?"
Demonic beasts were creatures corrupted by demonic qi, their minds consumed by aggression and bloodlust. Unlike spiritual beasts, which could be raised and cultivated alongside humans, demonic beasts knew only violence, attacking anything in their path.
They thrived on slaughter, growing stronger by devouring others, their power fueled by chaos and destruction.
Hua Feixue and Yue Xueyan immediately understood Xiao Lianfeng's intent.
With their breakthroughs, they had become much stronger. And with Cola's temporary boost, hunting demonic beasts would not only be easier, but also far more rewarding.
The risk of death would still exist, but that was simply part of life as a cultivator.
More importantly, with the four of them working together, even if Cola's effects lasted only ten minutes, it was more than enough for them to handle beasts above their level. They had confidence in themselves.
Demonic beasts were valuable. Their cores could be exchanged for crystals, their hides could be used for armor, and their blood could be refined into medicinal pills. This was a perfect opportunity to earn resources while testing their newly acquired strength.
Hua Feixue turned to Yue Xueyan and sent a mental transmission.
"Senior Sister, do you want to come? I really want to test my new techniques! Besides, it's been a while since we've hunted together!"
Yue Xueyan gave a short nod. 'Alright.'
Hua Feixue smiled and turned to Xiao Lianfeng.
"We're in!"
Xiao Lianfeng nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to Lin Yijun.
"You're coming too, right? Brother Yijun?"
Lin Yijun stretched his arms lazily and grinned. "Of course."
He also wanted to test his new strength. More than that, he wanted to earn more crystals.
For some reason, he had a strong feeling that the Senior would introduce even more products in the future.
And if that happened, he needed to have enough resources to afford them. Who knew how expensive they would be? But considering what he had experienced so far, they would definitely be more than worth their price.
This was free crystals on the table. Only an idiot would walk away.
With the discussion settled, the four bade farewell to Hao and left the store.
Hao's eyes lingered on their departing figures before the door clicked shut.
'Hunting beasts, huh? That sounds exciting.'
With nothing else to do, he checked his mission progress.
Main Task: Sell 20 Cups of Instant Noodles. 10/20
Side Task 1: Accumulate 30 crystals from Cola. 12/30
Side Task 2: Hire your first employee. You weren't planning to do everything yourself, right? 0/1
Requirement: The employee must be at least Heavenly King Realm or higher. The system will automatically detect individuals within the vicinity who meet the requirements.
Hao nodded. He was already halfway to completing the main task and the first side task. If business kept up, he could finish them tomorrow or the day after.
As for the second side task... he had no clue. The system hadn't notified him of anyone who met the requirement. Even if a Heavenly King Realm cultivator did appear, there was no guarantee they would be willing to work as his employee.
With no new customers coming in, the store remained quiet.
Meanwhile, Xiao Lianfeng, Lin Yijun, Hua Feixue, and Yue Xueyan had long arrived at their destination - Blackstone Forest.
The four flew deeper into the forest on their swords, gliding above the dense canopy. Towering trees with dark, stone-like trunks stretched endlessly below them, casting long shadows across the land. It was clear why the forest was called Blackstone.
The eerie silence was occasionally broken by the distant roars of demonic beasts.
Along the way, they passed several beasts, but none were worth hunting. They were far too weak. Wasting time on them would be pointless.
Their goal was stronger prey.
Not long after, Yue Xueyan, who was leading the group, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
"Stop."
The others immediately halted. Yue Xueyan's spiritual sense had detected a group of demonic beasts up ahead.
"One Lesser Grand Demonic Beast. Two Peak Elite Demonic Beasts. Two Greater Elite Demonic Beasts."
She didn't waste words. After a brief pause, she continued giving instructions.
"Junior Xiao, handle the Peak Elites. Junior Sister, Junior Lin, take one Greater Elite each. I'll deal with the Lesser Grand. Once you're done, assist the others if needed."
"Alright, Senior Yue. Works for me." Lin Yijun replied.
Xiao Lianfeng gave a firm nod, his fighting spirit igniting. "Understood!"
Hua Feixue grinned excitedly. "Hehe, I was hoping for a warm-up!"
Seeing that they were all ready, Yue Xueyan issued a final command.
"I'll go first. Follow behind. If anything seems unusual, we reassess. If it's too dangerous, we retreat."
"Should we drink our Cola now?" Hua Feixue suddenly asked.
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Xiao Lianfeng shook his head. "No need. We should be able to handle this without it. Cola's effect lasts only for a few minutes. If we use it now, it'll be wasted. We should save it for when we really need it."