Shao Yong comforted him, saying, "Brother Feng, there's no need to be anxious. There's plenty of time. Once you enter the Furnace Realm, things will be much easier."
To put it simply, in this round, whichever of the three of us makes it onto the Increase Ranking and obtains the True Condensation Pill, we'll prioritize you, Brother Feng."
Dai Xiaolou and Huang Xie also expressed their opinions, which softened Feng Lin's poker face.
Huang Xie laughed and said, "In my opinion, Brother Shao has already secured this win."
Shao Yong waved his hand, "The results are still a long way off, how can we talk such big words?"
Why can't I say?
Huang Xie said, "In just a few days, Brother Shao has already accumulated over 160 Merit Points. At this rate, let alone the top ten, I think the top five are very promising."
Dai Xiaolou nodded, "I think so too. Brother Shao did a great job on these missions, and even hunted down a Wasteland Beast. I've asked around, and very few people have achieved this feat."
Shao Yong laughed and said, "Don't flatter me. My achievements are far from comparable to those of the top ten on the overall ranking."
Huang Xie asked, "Brother Shao, what news have you heard this time?"
Shao Yong said, "I don't know about others, but Duan Xinghun has already accumulated more than two hundred Merit Points."
Dai Xiaolou was startled, "So many?"
Shao Yong said, "In just a few days, Duan Xinghun hunted down two Wasteland Beast. He even killed one of Wasteland Beast all by himself."
Several people gasped in shock.
Do they know how rare it is to hunt a Wasteland Beast alone?
Shao Yong said, "So, it's far from time to relax. I think we need to continue deeper in and explore those deserted islands further."
After they talked for a while, Huang Xie suddenly said, "By the way, has that scoundrel Deng Qing made any moves these past few days?"
Feng Lin sneered, "What kind of commotion could they possibly make? Just a coward."
Dai Xiaolou became interested. "How so?"
Feng Lin said, "I've inquired; he only dares to mess with the Variant Clam along the coastline."
" Variant Clam?"
Huang Xie was stunned. "The quest that only gives one Merit Points for collecting ten Variant Clam?"
Feng Lin snorted, "Exactly! I think this guy only relies on brute force to act tough in the Martial Dao Institute. He's terrified of the unknown areas of the Desolate Soil, only daring to cower in the back and do these despicable things."
Dai Xiaolou laughed, "You really overestimated him; this fellow is incredibly cowardly!"
Huang Xie said, "Now we can finally relax. I reckon that Deng Qing knew we were on guard, and that he had no hope of climbing the Increase Ranking, so he decided to go all out and get Variant Clam to earn some safety Merit Points."
Feng Lin chuckled and said, "That's for the best. Let him do whatever he wants."
Finally, Shao Yong's cave was filled with a joyful atmosphere once again.
Even Shao Yong smiled and shook his head.
Having just finished his cup of tea, Shao Yong suddenly froze.
He always felt something was wrong.
He didn't have much contact with Deng Qing, but from those few interactions, he was able to get a feel for Deng Qing's style of doing things.
Whether it was Shadow Sound Button beforehand or contacting Elder Han and Xiao Jinglin in advance to prevent them from using administrative means, all of these were done with great care and method.
But why did Deng Qing suddenly become so sly and stupid when it came to something as important as accepting missions and earning Merit Points? Could there be some trickery involved that they just didn't see through?
Shao Yong then thought that he had also been paying attention to Deng Qing, Deng Qing indeed spent all his time on the Variant Clam.
There's really no room for tricks here.
Shao Yong thought to himself that he was probably overthinking things, but he was still worried, so he asked Huang Xie, "Have you found any results regarding the information about Deng Qing that I asked you to look up?"
Huang Xie nodded, "I only got something similar to a briefing; I didn't see anything useful."
Tell me about it.
"This guy was really no big deal in his early years, and there are very few records about him. What we can find are mainly a few things he did in the Desolate Soil."
For example, we achieved first place during Inspector. But while that might be considered an achievement by others, what does it mean to us?
I also asked someone to find his local records, but there was nothing special about them; he was just Humble-Born from a small martial arts school.
Dai Xiaolou asked, "Is there no one in his family who practices martial arts?"
Huang Xie said, "Family members? You must have them. Speaking of which, there's an interesting one."
It is said that when this guy first started practicing martial arts, he could hardly even get a full meal. After he started practicing martial arts, he relied on eating Offal to gradually accumulate Qi-Blood, and only then did he barely embark on the path of Martial Dao.
"Eat Offal?"
"Huh!"
Dai Xiaolou almost covered her nose.
Huang Xie said, "That's not all. This fellow has also worked as a medicine boy, carried sacks at a warehouse, and done almost all the hard labor that poor people do. In short, he's a nobody as insignificant as can be."
Dai Xiaolou's disdain faded, and he said in a deep voice, "Heroes have always risen from humble beginnings. Judging from this man's experiences alone, he does have some admirable qualities."
Feng Lin's face immediately darkened. "Respectable? What's respectable about a despicable and shameless scoundrel?"
Dai Xiaolou shook his head and smiled bitterly.
He came from an ordinary family and gained many advantages by getting close to people like Feng Lin and Shao Yong.
Although his cultivation level now surpasses Feng Lin's, Feng Lin's family background is a given, and he dares not offend Feng Lin.
Shao Yong waved his hand and then asked Huang Xie, "What is Deng Qing's character and reputation like?"
Huang Xie said, "Aside from the incident where Deng Qing risked his life to save people in the Desolate Soil, there are no other records about Deng Qing's character."
The Martial Dao Institute used his image to educate students, so it was impossible for this person's reputation to be bad.
He has a good reputation now, so he will surely cherish it.
Shao Yong's brows relaxed. "That's good."
Feng Lin asked, "What do you mean by that, Brother Shao?"
Dai Xiaolou and Huang Xie also looked at Shao Yong with puzzled expressions.
Shao Yong took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "Brother Feng, we're on the same side, so there's no need to hide anything from each other. It's obvious that Deng Qing has something on you."
So, you grit your teeth behind Deng Qing's back, yet you hesitate to act rashly when facing him.
Feng Lin snorted coldly, offering no explanation.
After all, anyone who isn't blind can see this clearly.
Shao Yong said, "We won't ask what exactly Deng Qing got into Brother Feng. But I just want to tell Brother Feng that there's no need to worry about this matter."
After all, damaging someone's reputation by exposing their privacy is a despicable tactic.
Unless, Deng Qing himself no longer wants a good reputation.
Therefore, this is a double-edged sword. I suspect that Deng Qing just wants to find a handle to prevent your retaliation; he won't actively expose these private matters of yours.
Feng Lin seemed to be deep in thought, and his tense brows relaxed slightly.
Suddenly, Feng Lin slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "I'm not afraid of him! My family is the prestigious Feng family, a family of great wealth and influence..."
Dai Xiaolou turned his head away, while Huang Xie hugged his teacup and gulped down his tea, both seemingly having been hurt by someone to varying degrees.
Feng Lin launched into a tirade, which even Shao Yong couldn't stand. He quickly opened the stone door to let in the cold wind and cool the person down.
Feng Lin finally finished venting, sat down, and said in a deep voice, "Others may be ashamed to befriend someone, but I am ashamed to be an enemy of someone who eats Offal!"
The thought of being entangled with this kind of person for so long is disgusting!
Deng Qing naturally couldn't hear Feng Lin's Deng Qing remarks about him behind his back.
Early that morning, after the miasma had receded, Deng Qing went to the seaside again.
He continued to collect Variant Clam during the day and practice boxing and study Numerical Arts at night, leading a very fulfilling life, while his Merit Points continued to increase.
However, as time went on, the Variant Clam near the coastline became increasingly difficult to find.
Deng Qing then turned his gaze to the deeper parts of the Spirit Abyss Sea.
Although, those missions in the deep sea were basically beyond his authority.
Just because he can't take on deep-sea missions doesn't mean he can't go to the deeper parts of the Spirit Abyss Sea. After all, the sea isn't covered up.
The next morning, Deng Qing went to the market, rented a small boat, and rowed out to sea alone.
After driving for more than 30 miles, the coastline was long gone, and only the outlines of the distant mountains remained.
Deng Qing put away the oars, letting the small boat sway with the waves. He opened his palm, summoned the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood, which transformed into threads and disappeared into the water.
The moment he activated the Blood Control Art, the feedback sent a jolt through him.
The number of Variant Clam underwater exceeded expectations.
Deng Qing locked onto a direction and probed it with the Blood Baleful Intent Silk Thread.
The Blood Baleful Intent threads pierced precisely into the clam's flesh, instantly ending the Variant Clam's life.
Then, with a twist and a pull of the Blood Baleful Intent silk thread, the Variant Clam flipped over and slowly floated to the surface.
Deng Qing followed the same method, and in no time, several millstone-sized clam shells floated around the small boat.
Deng Qing focused his mind on the bracelet, selected "collect," and waited for a while. The spirit vulture flapped its wings and flew over, grabbed the Variant Clam from the sea surface, and tossed it into the large basket on its back.
Then, new collection records were added to Deng Qing's bracelet.
Deng Qing felt relieved and continued casting the spell.
His gains that day far exceeded those of the past.
For the next few days, Deng Qing set sail early every morning, following the scent of blood to find the Variant Clam.
With his sensory abilities, he avoided the biggest hassle of collecting the Variant Clam, and his efficiency increased dramatically.
As a result, the Merit Points in his bracelet increased rapidly.
On this day, the Spirit Abyss Sea was calm and tranquil.
As Deng Qing steered his small boat around a black reef, the Blood Baleful Intent threads hanging underwater regained their senses.
Moreover, he sensed an extremely abundant blood aura, guessing that there must be a rich cache of goods hidden below.
Deng Qing put the oars down and was about to concentrate on collecting them when the boat suddenly lurched downwards!
Before he could even stand properly, seawater had already rushed into the boat.
A tremendous force came from below, and the entire small boat, along with him, was sucked into the sea.
Deng Qing was taken aback and suddenly realized that the several Blood Baleful Intent threads he had separated were all taut.
As he was still in shock, a huge tentacle suddenly lunged at him from the murky seawater.
The tentacles were thicker than an adult's waist, and the inside was covered with suckers the size of bowls.
Deng Qing clenched his fist, and the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood condensed into a blood sword in his palm, which he fiercely slashed down at the tentacle.
A tentacle, over ten feet long, snapped off instantly, and a large amount of dark red blood gushed out.
The remaining tentacles suddenly retracted and retreated rapidly towards the seabed.
Deng Qing's Blood Baleful Intent Silk Threads were even faster, precisely wrapping around the retracting tentacles.
Suddenly, the thread tightened.
Deng Qing was pulled downwards, his robes billowing in the rushing water.
Deng Qing's mind raced, Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood surged forth, quickly enveloping his entire body.
In just a few breaths, the churning mud and sand in front of him dissipated, and Deng Qing finally saw what had attacked him.
It turned out to be a giant Variant Clam, as big as a house.
If it weren't for the clam shell slowly opening and closing, Deng Qing would almost have mistaken it for a giant reef.
The thick tentacle, which had been severed in one section, was now huddled near the clam shell.
Deng Qing was secretly alarmed; the largest of the Variant Clam he had caught in the past few days was only the size of a millstone.
This one in front of us is dozens of times larger; it must be Clam King!
As Deng Qing was pondering this, the two enormous clam shells suddenly opened a crack, spewing out several streams of air.
These surging currents, like a starting pistol, instantly caused the sea around Deng Qing to surge, as countless Variant Clam rushed towards him.
Their shells opened and closed continuously, and tentacles shot out, heading straight for Deng Qing.
Deng Qing did not dodge, allowing the tentacles to strike him and firmly adhere to his Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood shell.
Almost simultaneously, the giant tentacles of the Clam King also sucked Deng Qing in.
In an instant, the giant clam shell of the Clam King flapped, emitting a huge, strange sound.
The tentacles clinging to Deng Qing began to pull desperately, as if trying to tear him apart.
However, no matter how hard these Variant Clam tried, they couldn't even penetrate that layer of Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood shell.
Deng Qing's mind raced, and he thought to himself, "If we're going to play, let's play big!"
In an instant, he took off his clothes, circulated his Qi-Blood, and sent it all rushing to his brow.
The next instant, his muscles and bones trembled violently, his shoulders and back bulged rapidly, his limbs expanded, and his body continued to grow taller.
However, in an instant, he completed the Mutation.
Immediately afterwards, Deng Qing grabbed with his giant hand, curling up all the tentacles that were attached to his body like yarn. Then, with a forceful tug, the Variant Clam were dragged towards him and crashed into each other.
Even the Clam King couldn't hold on; its enormous body, stuck in the mud and sand, was forcibly pulled out.
Having succeeded in his first move, Deng Qing pressed his advantage, his body surging with Blood Baleful Intent, sending out countless fine threads to pierce the Variant Clam that had been pulled towards him.
At this moment, the Variant Clam's tentacles had not yet retracted, its shell mouth was wide open, and countless Blood Baleful Intent threads burrowed into the clam's flesh without any hindrance.
Immediately afterwards, the Blood Control Art was activated.
The tentacles that had been desperately dragging the object suddenly went limp.
The Clam King fared no better, with numerous Blood Baleful Intent threads piercing its flesh.
In an instant, its enormous, house-sized body began to tremble violently, and air streams shot out from its shell. Finally, the shell snapped shut and fell silent.
Just as Deng Qing was about to gather the Blood Baleful Intent Threads, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. The Blood Baleful Intent Threads he probed into the Clam King's body transmitted a sensation that was very different from that of ordinary Variant Clam.
The thick clam meat contained an extremely rich aura of blood.
Moreover, the energy of this flesh and blood is extremely similar to that of Wasteland Beast; in other words, this blood energy seems to be able to be extracted and used by him!
Deng Qing was taken aback. Could it be that this Clam King had already reached the level of Wasteland Beast?
He looked closely and saw that the Clam King's shell and meat were still intact, showing no signs of transformation into Qi.
Deng Qing couldn't figure out the reason, but his thinking was clear: since he could refine it, there was no reason for him to miss it.