Challenge to the Seventh Tier (Part 1)

Next, they would begin challenging the Seventh Rank.

Following the order, Demon Hunt Squad Number Four was the first to choose a knight to take the field. It was Li Xin. Her luck afterward could only be described as unbelievably good. The warrior she picked was the Fifth Rank warrior who had made it into the top eight and narrowly lost to Mu Ning. In terms of overall strength, he was perhaps second only to Wang Yuanyuan within the Warrior Temple.

For the assassin, she picked one who had reached the top sixteen. For the mage, she selected a rare spatial-element mage, who also possessed peak Fourth Rank strength. As for the priest, she picked the only Fifth Rank Bishop-level Great Priest among all the Priest Temple contestants. Finally, for the summoner, she selected Bai Xiaomo, the plant-element summoner who had caused Yang Wenzhao quite a bit of trouble and whom he had only defeated with Sun Fire.

The members of Li Xin's team might not have been the strongest individually, but they were the most balanced. This was especially true of the priest and summoner. A powerful priest could ensure the team's sustained combat ability, while Bai Xiaomo, a plant summoner skilled at controlling the battlefield, made up for Li Xin's weakness as a Punishment Knight: her relatively poor defensive capabilities.

The position of captain for Demon Hunt Squad Number Four naturally fell to the priest, the only Fifth Rank powerhouse.

The wheel continued spinning, and one Demon Hunt Squad after another was formed. The entire selection and team-forming ceremony lasted all morning before it was finally completed, forming Demon Hunt Squads Number One through Ten.

Looking at the Demon Hunt Squad members standing below in ten rows, Han Qian said, "From this moment onward, you have officially become members of your respective Demon Hunt Squads. You are each other's most important companions—companions to whom you can safely entrust your backs. Throughout the Alliance's history, countless Demon Hunt Squads have stood at the pinnacle of glory. I hope that one day, you too will become one of them. Remember this: never blame your teammates. Today, perhaps your final tournament rankings were not high, but in the near future, you may become the strongest."

"Starting now, everyone will rest for three days. During those three days, the captains of each Demon Hunt Squad must lead your members to the Demon Hunt Mission Tower to complete registration and obtain your Demon Hunt Squad number. Three days later, those who placed in the top sixteen are to go to the Alliance Treasure Pavilion in the morning to select Secret Skills. Those ranked ninth through sixteenth may choose one Secret Skill, while those ranked first through eighth may choose two.

"Other than Long Haochen, the top three will each receive a spiritual furnace as a reward from their respective Temples."

That night, they would more or less begin training the coordination of their team.

"Brother! Brother, what are you thinking about?" Cai'er asked.

"Your first training session is about to begin," Gu Sheng said.

"Brother, haven't I already trained?" Cai'er asked doubtfully.

"I mean the training for your Demon Hunt Squad Number One. The main focus will be your coordination."

"But, Cai'er, you can't go all out, understand?"

"Why, Brother?" Cai'er asked.

"Because the one training you is a Seventh Rank knight. You're only one step away from the Ninth Rank now."

"If you use your full strength, the training will be pointless. Besides, you know that your brother's battlefield isn't as easy as yours. Sending you there now will ensure your safety while also giving you some training."

Gu Sheng muttered to himself, "You shouldn't lose your memory like in the original story now, right? You should also be able to completely control this Cycle Power."

"Brother, what are you muttering about?"

"Nothing..."

"Mm... is that so, Brother?"

"But I heard it. Don't worry, I won't lose my memory now, Brother. You can rest assured."

"Mm, good."

While the members of Long Haochen's Demon Hunt Squad Number One were feasting together and insulting one another for being unreliable, Han Qian returned to Alliance Headquarters and immediately summoned Han Yu.

"Grandfather, is the team formation over? Master hasn't returned yet. How did it go?" Han Yu had grown accustomed to how he addressed Long Haochen. Over the past few days, while Long Haochen participated in the competition, he had remained in the hotel cultivating without going out, waiting for the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament to end.

Han Qian looked at his grandson, who had clearly become much steadier over the past few days, and smiled faintly. "Neither good nor bad, I suppose. The composition of Long Haochen's Demon Hunt Squad is rather unusual. That's precisely why I called you here." He then gave Han Yu a detailed account of Long Haochen's drawing results.

Han Yu listened very attentively, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

Han Qian pointed to the chair beside him, signaling for him to sit. "Tell me what you think."

Han Yu said, "Overall, it is indeed quite unusual. However, it can still be considered an excellent Demon Hunt Squad. First of all, in terms of the knight and assassin, they are nearly flawless. Master's and Miss Cai'er's performances in the selection tournament have already proven everything. As for the warrior, Wang Yuanyuan, who possesses the Giant Spirit God Shield, is also exceptionally strong. In a certain sense, that Sima Xian can also be called a berserker. With two warriors in the team, the Demon Hunt Squad's offensive power will definitely be greatly enhanced. As for the mage, although that Lin Xin is poor at attacking, I have heard that his magical control and magical defense far surpass those of his peers. Other than Miss Cai'er, it seems no one has been able to break through his defenses. In fact, in the team, he only needs to be responsible for defense. He could even be used as a shield warrior."

Cai'er chuckled softly. Han Yu was speechless. "Uh... this..."

Long Haochen asked curiously, "Cai'er, what are you laughing about?"

"I was thinking about whether the battles ahead might bring unexpected victories," Cai'er replied.

Long Haochen immediately thought, "That's true."

Cai'er, meanwhile, thought, Didn't Brother say a Seventh Rank knight would come train us tonight? Why hasn't he arrived yet?

Seeing Cai'er raise her brows as if she had something on her mind, Long Haochen stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. My brother said someone would come train us tonight. Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

Long Haochen replied, "The deputy knight said we should rest first—four days of rest."

"Oh," Cai'er said.

In the blink of an eye, four days passed.

During those four days, Long Haochen and his team mainly did two things. The first was going to the Demon Hunt Mission Tower beside the Saint Alliance Great Trial Grounds to officially register as Demon Hunt Squad members.

Demon Hunt Squads themselves were also divided into ranks. The higher a Demon Hunt Squad's rank, the more difficult the missions it could accept, and the greater the corresponding rewards.

From lowest to highest, Demon Hunt Squads were divided into six grades: Soldier-grade, General-grade, Commander-grade, King-grade, Emperor-grade, and Title-rank.

Advancing by one grade required meeting extremely strict conditions, and only after fulfilling all of them could a squad successfully advance. For example, to advance from Soldier-grade to General-grade, every team member first needed to have cultivation above the Fifth Rank, each person needed more than one thousand merit points, and the team needed more than ten thousand merit points in total. That was still the simplest requirement.

At the highest Title-rank, a Demon Hunt Squad would possess its own exclusive title. Yet to advance to that rank, the first requirement was to kill at least one demon god ranked among the top thirty-six of the seventy-two Demon God Pillars. One could imagine just how difficult that was.

Whether Demon Hunt Squad members wanted to exchange for equipment or Secret Skills, they relied on merit points. After completing registration, a pale-golden Gem Token was implanted into each of their left arms using blood as the catalyst. This token would accompany them until the end of their Demon Hunt Squad journey.

When they killed demons, this token—an item capable of reaching Spirit-Demon Grade—could automatically identify, record, and increase their merit points. When they completed other missions, the Demon Hunt Mission Tower would award them the corresponding merit points.

Long Haochen had won the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament this time, so he directly received one hundred merit points. Cai'er, who had placed in the top four, received fifty merit points. The others had not entered the top sixteen and only received the guaranteed ten merit points.

Using his own one hundred merit points, and at Cai'er's reminder, Long Haochen went straight to the Demon Hunt Squad Trading Center to exchange for three items. They cost a total of one hundred and fifty merit points, exhausting all the merit points the two had earned through the tournament. The three items were the Merit Point Test Gem, Inner Spiritual Power Test Gem, and Outer Spiritual Power Test Gem.

The Merit Point Test Gem only needed to be pressed against the merit Gem Token on their left arms to display their corresponding merit points, allowing them to check what they had gained from fighting demons. This item was extremely important for boosting team morale.

As for the Inner Spiritual Power Test Gem, Long Haochen bought one capable of withstanding the impact of up to ten thousand points of inner spiritual power. The Outer Spiritual Power Test Gem, meanwhile, measured pressure generated by outer spiritual power below one thousand.

With these two gems, the team members could check their condition and training results at any time. None of these three items were expensive, but they were practical—essentially must-haves for any Demon Hunt Squad.

Besides registering, there was another visit to the Alliance Treasure Pavilion. Although Long Haochen could not receive a spiritual stove reward, both he and Cai'er could choose two Secret Skills to cultivate. With Long Xingyu's Inheritance Ring, Long Haochen naturally chose Guardian Knight skills. He selected one skill that enhanced personal defense and another that buffed the entire group. As the captain of the Demon Hunt Squad and the core of the entire team, he naturally had to consider the whole team when choosing his skills.

"Teacher." After knocking open Yehua's door and closing it behind him, Long Haochen dropped to his knees before Yehua with a thud.

Yehua was startled. "What is it, Haochen? What are you doing?"

Long Haochen did not speak. Instead, he first bowed his head and knocked it against the floor three times—bang, bang, bang—before lifting his head. Tears glimmered in his eyes. "Teacher, we're leaving today. I... I can't bear to leave you."

Yehua had never married, so naturally he had no descendants. Unknowingly, over the past few years, he had long come to regard Long Haochen as his own son. Yes, they were about to part. Long Haochen could not bear to leave him, but how could he bear to part with this child who was both disciple and son to him?

Gu Sheng looked on from the void. Not a bad kid.

Cai'er glanced at him. Why did the way you said that make you sound like an old father?

Gu Sheng awkwardly scratched his head.