As a scholar who had also served the Shata Family for thirty-eight years, Cang Xu knew the strength classifications of transcendent beings very well.
If a Silver-tier Battle Qi practitioner did not use Battle Qi, they could lift objects weighing around 350 kilograms and throw a heavy punch of 800 kilograms. Facing twenty or thirty ordinary adults in a frontal confrontation was completely not a problem. Their endurance against the environment and pain surpassed ordinary people, but facing powerful crossbows and heavy bows would still be dangerous.
That was to say, the physical fitness of a Silver Battle Qi practitioner was still within the realm of humanity, bound by the human bodily structure, and represented the limit of mortal flesh development.
As for becoming a Golden-level Battle Qi practitioner, the quality of Battle Qi was greatly enhanced. Such Battle Qi nourished and remade the flesh, completely surpassing the limit of mortals.
Without using Battle Qi, a Golden powerhouse's running speed could reach 120 kilometers per hour, and they could lift heavy objects weighing around ten tons. Facing a formidable army wielding swords and spears, they could also behead generals and seize flags, moving about freely and handling matters with ease.
Ordinary bows and crossbows posed no threat at all. But facing magical heavy crossbows, there were still risks.
When the alpha ram was fighting with Huang Zao, Cang Xu had seen it with his own eyes several times: the alpha ram crashed into tree trunks, knocking down towering trees one by one.
This proved that although the alpha ram was only at the Bronze-level, when it charged desperately, the impact force was extremely powerful. It was far greater than the charge of an ordinary heavy cavalryman!
A human Battle Qi practitioner of the Silver tier, relying purely on physical strength, was basically unable to resist such a charge from the alpha ram.
Zhen Jin easily and naturally intercepted the alpha ram, which had broken into a run over a long distance and was in the middle of its charge.
The strength displayed in this had already surpassed the realm of Silver.
Therefore, Cang Xu couldn't help but guess at the possibility that Zhen Jin possessed Golden Battle Qi.
As far as I know, the bloodline of the Hundred Needles Family is not adept at strength, but stands out uniquely in terms of precision.
If a knight has auxiliary spells like Bear's Strength and so on permanently fixed on his body, he can also achieve this step. But magic is forbidden here, so fixed low-tier auxiliary spells should have failed.
Or perhaps he took some kind of Strength Potion?
In the end, Cang Xu once again thought of the possibility of Golden cultivation.
If Zhen Jin truly is a Golden-level powerhouse, with such strength and such natural talent, the Hundred Needles Family will inevitably rise again!
Under Cang Xu's gaze, Zhen Jin suddenly shook his arms, grabbed the goat horns, and violently lifted the alpha ram high into the air.
Then, he threw it down fiercely.
The alpha ram crashed to the ground, struggled a few times before climbing back up, its expression dazed as if it had been stunned by the throw.
Immediately afterward, its eyes turned red again, and it charged fiercely at Zhen Jin.
Zhen Jin pinned it to the ground once more, and after letting it flail for a while, he hurled it far away again.
After doing this a few times, the alpha ram's emotions of unwillingness, anger, hatred, and so on all dissipated, replaced by fear and cringing toward Zhen Jin.
In the end, the alpha ram did not charge again. After collapsing to the ground and getting back up, it stood in place without moving.
When Zhen Jin actively walked up to in front of it, it let out bleating sounds, proactively lowered its head, its gaze darting away as its bleeding body trembled incessantly.
Zhen Jin patted its head and then stroked its horns.
The alpha ram was so frightened that its body shook, and it actually took the initiative to lie flat on the ground.
amid many adoring gazes, Zhen Jin nodded in satisfaction and gave the order: "Lead it away for me, treat it a little bit, feed it carefully, but don't feed it until it's full."
"My lord, are you thinking of domesticating this alpha ram into a mount?" Seeing the end of the battle, Cang Xu walked over.
Zhen Jin nodded and asked with a smile, "Do you think there is such a possibility?"
"Of course there is." Cang Xu affirmed with a smile, "As far as I know, the most widespread mount over on the Dwarf Continent is the goat. Goats are able to trek through towering mountains and steep ridges with extremely high skill. A one-year-old wild goat can use skilled climbing skills to ascend snow-covered mountain crags, crossing numerous obstacles along the way that we humans cannot surpass. Only, I don't know the specific domestication methods."
Zhen Jin nodded and asked again, "Among the group of people who survived the Pig Kiss, are there any animal tamers?"
Cang Xu shook his head: "It seems there are none."
"It doesn't matter. If the Pig Kiss doesn't have any, can't one be found in White Sand City?" Zhen Jin patted the old scholar's shoulder.
In this battle, he had harvested what he wanted.
Subduing the alpha ram and domesticating it as a mount in the future was only a secondary part of this harvest.
The main point was that Zhen Jin had displayed his own strength in full view of everyone. He let the exploration team from top to bottom see his might.
His influence over this group of personnel had received a massive boost.
The lesson of Huang Zao's rout and betrayal was enough for once.
Zhen Jin had engraved the family precepts of the Hundred Needles Family deep in his heart, and furthermore placed Huang Zao right under his own nose—on one hand squeezing out his value, while on the other using him to constantly remind himself how to become a qualified leader.
Glancing around the surroundings, Zhen Jin let out a heartfelt sigh: "This is a truly treasured land!"
To tell the truth, it was his first time discovering such a paradise on this island.
When they actually made a move, the exploration team was pleasantly surprised to discover that the scale of the sheep flocks here far exceeded the results of their previous scouting.
For some reason, the sheep flocks here were simply overflowing.
Large-scale sheep flocks numbering over a thousand existed in several branches. Sheep flocks on the scale of hundreds were even more numerous, and the flock of wild sheep Zhen Jin hunted this time was precisely one of such groups.
The members of the exploration team began processing the dead sheep.
First came bleeding, skinning, and removing the internal organs. Subsequently, a portion of the people began cutting up the mutton, while another portion washed the sheepskins and sheep stomachs.
Once the mutton was cut open, it would be placed on bonfires and roasted using a smoking method. In this way, the moisture in the mutton could dissipate, allowing it to be stored for a longer time.
After the sheepskins were washed, they also had to undergo processes such as smoking and sun-drying.
The sheepskins could be made into leather clothing, and the sheep stomachs could be turned into bags for holding water.
For three consecutive days thereafter, the exploration team was busy right here.
Under Zhen Jin's command, the crowd hunted another three flocks of sheep.
With Zhen Jin personally making a move, the Bronze-tier alpha rams were subdued as a consequence.
The vast majority of the adult sheep were killed, but a portion of the lambs, under Zhen Jin's explicit instructions, temporarily had their lives spared.
These sheep were very easy to feed, so additionally raising dozens of lambs along with those four Bronze alpha rams was not much of a burden.
This was the advantage of having more people and hands. If it were just Zhen Jin and Zi Di, they would not have such leisure and energy.
By the fourth day, the exploration team officially began their return journey.
At this moment, the appearance of the entire team had undergone tremendous changes.
Almost everyone had a layer of leather clothing draped over them. The leather clothing was made very crudely, simply cut with a hole to slip over the head. On both sides of the body beneath the armpits, lines woven from rattan were used to pierce through and tie the front and back pieces of sheepskin together.
The side with dark cyan sheep wool was kept on the inside against the body, with the yellow sheepskin side turned outward.
Behind everyone was a huge animal skin bundle, primarily containing smoked mutton jerky.
Aside from that, there were water bags. Many water bags made from sheep stomachs were tied around the personnel's waists.
The reserves of food and fresh water were extremely abundant, nearly reaching the limit of what the entire team could bear.
After all, everyone's load-bearing capacity had a limit.
Huang Zao scouted at the very front of the team.
Zhen Jin, Zi Di, and Cang Xu walked in the middle of the team.
The rear consisted of the sheep flock, which was mainly managed and led by Lan Zao.
Aside from dozens of lambs, the main focus was those four Bronze alpha rams. These alpha rams now wore simple reins made of rattan, and had a large pile of supplies hanging from their bodies. Primarily it was jerky and fresh water, followed by tents, backup weapons, and so on.
All morning, the team traversed mountains and rivers, advancing through the mountain forests.
During this time, they only rested briefly a few times, each time lasting less than a quarter of an hour.
By noon, they finally had a half-hour rest.
The entire team split into two parts: one part stood guard and checked supplies, while the other part sat cross-legged on the ground eating lunch.
Cang Xu led people to carefully inspect the front and back of the team; no one was missing, supplies like food and water were tallied once, and the sheep flock that worried them the most was also very calm.
Behind his cracked spectacles were the old scholar's meticulously observing pupils.
He discovered that the portion of people eating were all very relaxed, some teasing each other, others eating food while kneading their calves to relax as much as possible. Meanwhile, that portion of people on guard duty all had spirited gazes and puffed-out chests.
The morale of the entire team was quite high.
Cang Xu had been among this exploration team right from the start of their departure.
He had never witnessed these people radiate such spirit and vitality.
He understood the crucial reason causing all this.
It was neither the fragrant mutton jerky nor the relatively stable journey, but rather that young knight.
Zhen Jin!
All these changes were brought by him.
His formidable strength brought a strong sense of security to everyone, causing hope in everyone's hearts to surge greatly.
Huang Zao and Lan Zao had become his slaves, performing with great effort these past few days. Although Zhen Jin had never revealed Battle Qi, his profound background and suspected Golden-level cultivation both made this pair of brothers feel how bright and brilliant their future was.
Along the way, Zi Di closely followed Zhen Jin, almost never leaving his side. This person was the guild leader of the Purple Vine Merchant Guild, and furthermore, her skilled techniques in concocting potions over the past few days also surfaced in Cang Xu's mind.
Cang Xu's gaze ultimately lingered on Zhen Jin's body.
In the greater half of his life, he had seen far too many nobles.
And at this moment he could affirm that among all young nobles, Zhen Jin definitely belonged to the absolute top sliver.
He possessed exceptional talent and formidable strength, and what was even more commendable was that he was a qualified leader.
Under his influence, the entire team coalesced, their morale running high.
Cang Xu could foresee that the currently fallen Hundred Needles Family would inevitably rise again because of Zhen Jin!
If it's possible, following by the side of such a noble, witnessing him step by step achieve his great cause, allowing oneself to also participate in the rise of the Hundred Needles Family—perhaps hundreds of years later, the name of oneself as a scholar could accompany his side, becoming one of the symbols of wisdom universally recognized by later generations. What a magnificent thing this is.
What a pity indeed. If in my youth I had been able to encounter such a person...
The feeling of regret in his heart did not show the slightest bit on the old scholar's face.
He walked to Zhen Jin's side, and with a consistently respectful tone, reported the results of this investigation.
"Very well, Mr. Cang Xu. Thanks to your suggestion, we managed to harvest enough meat and have such abundant reserves. Now sit down, let's eat some lunch together," Zhen Jin invited.
Cang Xu said, "My suggestion was only secondary. Without your guidance, my lord, how could we have arrived at this situation?"
Zhen Jin smiled.
Getting along these past few days, he became more and more satisfied with Cang Xu.
Don't look at this old scholar as an ordinary person, but his brain was not ordinary.
The direction the team advanced in was determined by him.
And all he used was a wooden stick inserted into the ground and the shining of the sunlight.
Cang Xu's attitude and deportment maintained Zhen Jin's noble identity at every moment, which made Zhen Jin feel comfortable.
His ability to handle matters was also very strong, quite steady and reliable, and Zhen Jin found him increasingly smooth to use.
If Cang Xu possessed some strength, even just the Black Iron-level, then he would be the best candidate for a noble butler. Unfortunately, he did not possess transcendent aptitude, which truly made one sigh with regret.
Even so, Zhen Jin wanted to try his best to keep Cang Xu by his side.
This was a talent!
His knowledge even surpassed Zi Di's.
Zi Di was a mage, after all.
Of course, this was also because Zi Di was a bit too young. Moreover, when she studied, she had poured the vast majority of her energy into pharmacology.
Without needing to be told, Zhen Jin could guess that the reason Zi Di did this was precisely because good potions often possessed huge market prospects and could bring generous profits.
The further they got from Snowy Peak, the higher the temperature became.
The midday sun was the fiercest, and the newly made leather clothing began to exert its warmth-retaining function. Perhaps because they were full and well-fed, the crowd began to appear somewhat listless.
People on the outer perimeter of the team had long since rotated in, maintaining the scouting.
No one gave a warning; the fatal crisis quietly struck amidst such a tranquil atmosphere.
First came the shout of a young man in the team.
"M-My lord, it's bad! Those lambs are all lying on the ground, motionless, they're all dead!"
"What?" Zhen Jin's expression couldn't help but change.
This truly was terrible news.
This batch of lambs was very useful. On one hand, in dire straits, the exploration team could slaughter them for emergencies. On the other hand, if they successfully reached White Sand City and this batch of lambs was still alive, they could very well be raised and then domesticated. In this way, Zhen Jin could cultivate some cavalry.
Zhen Jin's scheme was shattered, and he immediately stood up, wanting to inspect personally.
"Do you know the cause?" he asked the young man who raised the alarm.
He had long since recognized this young man.
His name was Bai Ya, a hunter by origin who had boarded the Pig Kiss to head to White Sand City to join the army.
Bai Ya wore a panicked expression and shook his head hastily: "I-I don't know, everything happened suddenly, my lord."
Zhen Jin uttered an acknowledgement and was just about to step forward when a wave of intense dizziness suddenly struck. Caught off guard, his body swayed violently, almost tumbling to the ground on the spot.
He barely managed to stand steady, only to find that the exploration team members, who had just been high in morale, were all toppling sideways onto the ground.
Almost instantly, the majority of the members lost consciousness on the spot.
Zi Di, Huang Zao, Lan Zao, and others were still barely holding themselves up.
"What's going on?!"
"Everyone seems to be poisoned!"
"Just what kind of poison is this?!"
Huang Zao suddenly pulled a dagger from his bosom and roared angrily at the young man Bai Ya: "Everyone is poisoned, how is it that only you are fine? Did you cast the poison?!"
Before you continue