Xia Muqing looked at Shen Xuan in confusion, biting her lip before finally asking.
Women were often more curious.
"Yeah. I just broke through to Qi Refining Level 5. Is there a problem?"
Shen Xuan said without changing his expression.
After using Breath Concealment Technique, Qi Refining Cultivators couldn't see his true Cultivation Realm.
"No problem." Xia Muqing quickly shook her head.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "Talisman Master Shen, is this really your first time hunting?"
"Really. If you don't believe me, ask Fellow Daoist Zhao." Shen Xuan glanced at his teammate, puzzled.
"Shouldn't we hurry up and deal with this Iron Armored Crocodile? We agreed beforehand that the Crocodile Blood would be mine!"
Zhao Chunsheng snapped out of his daze.
"We can talk when we get back! Why aren't you helping? Let's get this thing taken care of together! If we attract other Monster Beasts, we'll be in trouble!"
The Iron Brothers hurried over and joined Zhao Chunsheng in processing the Iron Armored Crocodile.
Shen Xuan continued collecting its blood.
He'd even bought a new Storage Bag specifically to collect Monster Beast Blood.
He didn't want to be like Zhao Chunsheng, lugging around a bucket of blood and reeking from head to toe.
Wen Zijian and Shi Xiangdong exchanged a glance, both wearing the same look of astonishment.
They didn't approach, instead keeping watch nearby.
Xia Muqing watched Shen Xuan collect the Crocodile Blood with curiosity.
"The Iron Armored Crocodile is a Tier 1 High-grade Monster Beast. Its Crocodile Skin, Crocodile Teeth, Crocodile Claws, and Crocodile Bones are all excellent Artifact Refining Materials. Its meat can fetch a good price, too. By comparison, Crocodile Blood is the cheapest."
Xia Muqing seemed to be muttering to herself, but she was reminding Shen Xuan.
Hearing this, Shen Xuan felt a warmth in his heart.
"Let Talisman Master Shen keep the Crocodile Blood for now. We'll divide up the rest when we get back," Zhao Chunsheng explained.
As captain, he had always distributed spoils according to each person's contribution.
Given Shen Xuan's contribution, letting him keep only the Crocodile Blood would clearly be bullying him.
"It's fine. We agreed beforehand that the Crocodile Blood would go to me. Fellow Daoist Zhao can distribute the rest however he sees fit!"
His primary goal was to obtain the blood of a Water Attribute Monster Beast.
Earning spirit stones came second.
A single tree couldn't make a forest.
He would still have to rely on his teammates to hunt Monster Beasts together in the future.
There was no need to quibble over every little thing.
Besides, he trusted Zhao Chunsheng to distribute the spoils fairly.
Otherwise, the team would lose heart and fall apart.
At Shen Xuan's declaration,
his teammates' gazes toward him quietly changed.
Each of them looked at him with newfound gratitude and goodwill.
Zhao Chunsheng and the Iron Brothers began stripping materials from the Iron Armored Crocodile.
Shen Xuan also finished collecting its blood.
Just then, a Monster Hunting Team came from a distance to look them over.
Wen Zijian stood in their way, riding the Moon Blade Wheel and holding the Sun Blade Wheel, his face cold.
The Monster Hunting Cultivators stayed for a dozen breaths.
Seeing that Wen Zijian wasn't someone to mess with, they eventually left without a word.
"When you're out hunting, trust no one but your teammates!" Xia Muqing explained from the side.
"Fellow Daoist Xia is right." Shen Xuan nodded slightly.
Half an hour later,
the Iron Armored Crocodile had been almost completely dismantled.
Only a pile of Crocodile Meat remained.
The Iron Brothers brought out two large Beast Bags and stuffed all the meat inside.
"Iron Armored Crocodile Meat doesn't taste good. But it's from a Tier 1 High-grade Monster Beast, so it can sell for five or six spirit stones per pound!"
Xia Muqing said with a beaming smile.
That was four hundred pounds of Crocodile Meat!
Worth over two thousand spirit stones!
And that didn't even include the Crocodile Skin, Crocodile Teeth, Crocodile Claws, Crocodile Bones, and other materials.
Shen Xuan was secretly astonished.
Hunting Monster Beasts really was that profitable!
"We got lucky this time! It's usually hard to hunt such a big, intact Tier 1 High-grade beast!"
Zhao Chunsheng warily scanned their surroundings.
He beckoned for Shi Xiangdong to send the two Sighthound Puppet Beasts ahead to scout and survey the area.
"Let's go back! Everyone, stay alert."
He and the Iron Brothers had filled their bags with Monster Beast materials, while Wen Zijian naturally took the lead.
Xia Muqing and Shen Xuan walked side by side at the rear.
The seven of them cautiously made their way back.
Along the way, they encountered three more Monster Hunting Cultivators.
One group even followed them for a while, clearly up to no good.
Only after Wen Zijian called them out did they give up.
This gave Shen Xuan a deep appreciation for how hard life was for Monster Hunters.
They had to face more than just vicious Monster Beasts.
They also had to deal with their own kind, who were even more terrifying than the beasts.
"This is considered a good outcome. We're all Monster Hunters, so we know each other's strengths. No one will fight to the death unless they have no other choice!"
With the Market gates in sight, Xia Muqing could hardly hide her delight.
"The most terrifying are the Robbing Cultivators. They don't care whether you've brought back any spoils. To them, every cultivator is just a pile of spirit stones!"
"Oh, and there are Demon Cultivators, even more terrifying than Robbing Cultivators! They'll extract souls, refine spirits, raise corpses, and summon ghosts. There's nothing they won't do!"
"This haul will keep us resting easy for several months!"
The Iron Brothers were just as delighted.
The eldest Iron Brother chuckled. "We have Talisman Master Shen to thank!"
The second Iron Brother rumbled, "Talisman Master Shen is a good man!"
Shen Xuan's face went dark.
Those brothers really didn't know how to compliment someone.
"We're teammates, after all. We agreed to watch each other's backs! Fellow Daoist Wen and Fellow Daoist Shi have had the hardest jobs on the team!"
"Not at all!"
"Just doing our duty!"
Wen Zijian and Shi Xiangdong replied modestly.
Zhao Chunsheng couldn't help but glance at the two of them a few more times.
Those two were always arguing with him over the smallest things. Since when had they become so agreeable?
Once they entered Qinglong Bay Market, everyone finally relaxed.
The rest was up to Zhao Chunsheng and the others to handle.
Shen Xuan went home first.
He told Jiang Xueqi the good news: the Monster Hunting Team had returned safely and had managed to hunt a valuable Tier 1 High-grade beast.
Afterward, he soaked in a hot bath, relaxing in its warmth as he washed away the dust and grime of the road.
His first hunt had ended without serious incident.
He had also gained a wealth of valuable experience.
Compared to the vicious Monster Beasts, the treacherous hearts of people were even more dangerous.
He also had a clearer understanding of his own strength.
On land, with so many talents bolstering him, his attack power rivaled that of a cultivator at Qi Refining Perfection!
As for in water, he hadn't tested it yet, but judging by his usual practice, his strength would increase tenfold!
Shen Xuan guessed that in water, he could hold his own against Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators of other attributes.
Although his Lifespan, Self-Healing, Iron Bones, and other talents had strengthened his body,
as he grew older, Blood Decline was inevitable.
"I still need to reach Qi Refining Perfection as soon as possible and make a push for Foundation Establishment!"
Shen Xuan pondered.
He had a keen sense of his own lifespan and physical condition.
"I'll strive to achieve Foundation Establishment before ninety!"
A sudden inspiration stirred in him, and he made his decision.
An old steed in the stable still yearned to gallop a thousand miles!
He would grow stronger with age, becoming an evergreen tree through the ages in the Cultivation World and attaining Dao through longevity!
After his hot bath, Shen Xuan felt clear-headed and at ease.
Once his Spiritual Sense and spiritual energy had recovered, he sought out his beloved wife, Ding Yuyao, for a friendly match.
Ding Yuyao had been married to him for eight years.
She had changed completely.
She had gone from a young girl to a graceful, mature beauty.
The last traces of girlish innocence had faded, and she was so alluring that he sometimes wanted to take a bite.
Her body had grown softer and more supple.
Their battle shook heaven and earth.
Only after Ding Yuyao repeatedly begged for mercy
did Shen Xuan bring his conquest to an end and return to the training room, looking triumphant.
He poured a quarter of the Iron Armored Crocodile Blood from his new Storage Bag.
Golden light flashed across the Mysterious Jade Talisman.
Plunderable Talent: Bite Nails and Chew Iron, Immunity to All Poisons, Copper Bones Iron Armor, Death Roll, Stealth Camouflage
As expected of a Tier 1 High-grade Monster Beast—it had as many as five Bloodline Talents!
After weighing them carefully, Shen Xuan ultimately chose the Immunity to All Poisons talent.
Talent: Immunity to All Poisons (28/100) Dao Rhyme: 72
Shen Xuan paused.
The Dao Rhyme he'd gained from plundering the Iron Armored Crocodile's talents was far greater than he'd imagined!
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