Arriving in the Ancient Capital

A Spirit Seed was like meat. The only way to make it truly yours was to eat it.

After finding a safe place, Xu Fang immediately began refining it. He opened the container and reached into the glow.

A scorching sensation swept through his body at once, but soon the Golden Star Seed in his star dust began to shimmer, and the discomfort vanished.

"It really works!"

Xu Fang beamed.

He'd known the Golden Star Seed was no ordinary thing. That was why he'd dared to try refining the Spirit Seed. In the end, the Star Seed hadn't let him down!

At first, the glow had been extremely aggressive, resisting him at every turn.

Well, anyone would've been furious. It had been sleeping peacefully underground when a blast of magic suddenly sent it flying, and then it had been shut inside a cramped container.

But after the Golden Star Seed soothed it, its agitation disappeared without a trace. Like a child seeing its parents, the Spirit Seed obediently nestled into the embrace of his star dust.

Light blazed!

The Spirit Seed's transformation spread from his star dust to his Spiritual World, then from his Spiritual World to his body.

The first change showed in Xu Fang's skin. It had already been quite fair, but after the Spirit Seed fused with him, it became even smoother and more radiant—enough to make even women feel inferior.

After his blood came his bones. Xu Fang could feel that his bones had been tempered by the Spirit Seed, growing even tougher.

The results were immediate.

Xu Fang held out his hand. A star path flashed, and a Light Ball formed in his palm. It was the most basic Radiance skill, what everyone else called a flashlight.

"Go!"

He flung the Light Ball into the bushes. In an instant, it was as if sunlight had locked onto them, and the bushes were "burned" to ashes in a flash.

"Now that's a top-grade Spirit Seed!" Xu Fang beamed.

He could feel that, with the glow's enhancement, a single Radiance was enough to kill a Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat. Before, the move had only been able to turn the tide a little.

The Fire-element skills that made other mages look so impressive were actually Xu Fang's weakest attacks.

His strongest attack, on the other hand, could truly crush opponents a whole level above him. It was insanely powerful!

And that wasn't all he'd gained.

Earlier, when he'd rescued the passengers on the high-speed train, Xu Fang had let the secret of his "dual Fire and Light elements" slip in front of the judge, Liu Guifang. As a result, he hadn't dared set off for the Ancient Capital.

Now he was in the clear. He had the perfect excuse.

An Innate Spirit Seed.

Something he'd been born with was naturally stronger than the Spirit Seeds sold on the market, which only boosted power and had no special properties. It was perfectly reasonable for his to give him a constant-heat burning effect, right?

And if its damage was too powerful, that was because his opponent had been a Black Rot Corpse, which he naturally countered. How could that be his fault?

"That feels amazing!!!!!!"

Xu Fang's wolf howl sent every bird in the woods flying.

......

The next day, Xu Fang said goodbye to the Flying Tiger Squad.

At the high-speed train station.

"You're leaving after just a few days? Can't you stay a little longer?" Fangfang said reluctantly.

Zhang San had a vicious tongue and had even made fun of her for having a small chest, but hunting demons with him had been so much fun, and she'd felt so safe. The money she'd earned in those few days was even enough to buy a house outright.

"Fangfang, don't make things difficult for him!" Zhu Wang scolded her, then said, "Brother Zhang San, I hope you go far in life and reach the Advanced Level soon."

"Thanks, Captain." Xu Fang shook his hand firmly.

Liu Xiao smiled beside them. "When you make it big, don't forget your brothers here."

"Haha, when that day comes, I'll help you show off and take you to the top. We'll crush the Fire Flame Squad and become the number-one Hunter Squad in Yangcheng!"

"You reminded me." Liu Xiao chuckled. "You probably don't know, but the Fire Flame Squad was finished last night! Apparently, they offended the Wang family. The Wang family got so angry that they sent three Intermediate Level mages after them. If the Magic Association hadn't arrived in time, they'd have been reduced to ashes!"

"Holy crap?"

That was unexpected, though it made sense when he thought about it.

The Wang family was practically the local ruler. Of course they'd do whatever it took to save face.

"What about Ma Zhuang?"

"That bastard had it even worse. For some reason, both the Fire Flame Squad and the Wang family put out a wanted notice for him. He's slippery, though. He ran off in the middle of the night yesterday."

Liu Xiao looked delighted as he spoke of Ma Zhuang.

Wooooo—wooooo—

"Enough chatting. The train's here," Qianqian said coldly. It was the first time she'd spoken all day.

"Then I'm off." Xu Fang smiled and nodded, turning to leave.

"Wait!"

Qianqian suddenly spoke up.

Xu Fang stopped, hands in his pockets, and smiled at her. Qianqian took a deep breath. "...Never mind. Go ahead."

"Then I'm off. Take care, all of you."

The train slowly pulled away, until it disappeared from view.

Qianqian slowly crouched down and covered her eyes with both hands. Fangfang patted her shoulder and comforted her. "Don't be sad, don't be sad. The next one will be better."

"I'm not sad!"

"Right, right, why would we be sad? Three-legged toads are hard to find, but three-legged men are everywhere! We won't just find one—we'll find handsome ones. We'll get three at once! A sweet younger puppy, a domineering little wolf, a rich and handsome older man..."

"Get away from me!"

Fangfang made Qianqian laugh. She gave her an annoyed punch.

"Let's go too," Zhu Wang said with a smile. "To the Hunter's Alliance—we'll find new teammates!"

Life had to go on. Everyone was just passing through one another's lives.

......

This time, the high-speed train made it through without any trouble. It arrived safely in the Ancient Capital at dusk.

Security on the train had clearly been stepped up. Even in the carriage where Xu Fang had been sitting, several people carried a noticeable aura of magic.

[Giant Mountain Super Power Tyrant]: "Brothers, I'm here! [Photo] [Photo]"

[ Cucumber Big Girl ] was the first to reply, almost instantly: "You finally made it. I thought you'd been scared off too."

[Giant Mountain Super Power Tyrant]: "You wish."

[Must Be Hard When There Are Balls]: "Bro, that great place I recommended last time got shut down yesterday. I'll recommend a new one."

[Giant Mountain Super Power Tyrant]: "Keep it for yourself."

Xu Fang browsed the forum as he gathered his things and got off the train.

Unlike the rosy sunset elsewhere, dusk in the Ancient Capital was gloomy. Dense black clouds hung low in the sky like velvet, as if a torrential downpour could break loose at any moment. The whole place seemed lifeless.

"Hey, need a ride?"

A crowd of taxi drivers waited outside the station, and one hurried over as soon as he saw Xu Fang.

"How much to get to downtown?" Xu Fang asked.

The driver reached for Xu Fang's luggage. "A little over two hundred. Hard to say exactly—you'll have to go by the meter."

"How much!?"

Xu Fang's eyes widened. "Are you trying to rip me off? Over two hundred? Why not just rob me?"

He did have money now, but it hadn't fallen from the sky. The trip was only about ten kilometers. Even at night, thirty-something would be plenty.

This unlicensed cab was outrageously overpriced!

The driver took Xu Fang's reaction in stride.

"Student, I can tell you've never been to the Ancient Capital before. During the day, these roads would only cost you twenty-seven or twenty-eight yuan. But nighttime's different."

He pointed up at the black clouds.

"At night, the Ancient Capital belongs to the undead. This place is close to the outer wall. Who knows when the alarm might sound, and the Great Mages and undead will be battling on the city wall!

"Didn't you notice there are hardly any taxis outside the station? If my wife weren't having a baby and I weren't desperate for cash, I wouldn't be taking fares at this hour. Those Military Mages commandeer our cars whenever they want, and they got mine filthy transporting the wounded. They didn't even think about asking me!"