"I've only known him for a short time, and I once gave him some pointers on martial arts."
Seeing that Jiang Fan had covered himself up completely and used an alias, Wei Cangyue guessed that he didn't want outsiders to know his identity, so naturally he wouldn't reveal it.
"As for his strength, although he's currently only at the Middle-Stage Second Rank, based on what I know from the past, his archery skills are comparable to a master archer!"
A master archer?!
His companion stared in disbelief, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"You're not kidding us, are you?"
A San was the most excited, his voice instantly rising to its highest point, and his clear black and white eyes turned red.
"If he were truly a master archer, he would have been snapped up by major powers and families long ago. Why would he come to a place like the Mercenary Guild to find people to team up with for missions?"
" A San is right, Captain Wei. You're not just messing with us out of boredom, are you?"
The others all stared at Wei Cangyue with suspicious eyes.
Wei Cangyue showed no intention of explaining. "Seeing is believing. No matter what I say, you'll all doubt it. Once I bring that kid here, you'll see for yourselves and believe me."
Just as Wei Cangyue said, his companions looked at each other, some shrugging, some pursing their lips. They didn't completely disbelieve him, but they didn't completely believe him either, thinking that Wei Cangyue's words were mostly boasting.
A San silently turned his head, his dark eyes fixed on the direction where Jiang Fan was.
Because the hat was too large, it covered his forehead, casting a shadow on his eyes and making his already dark eyes appear even darker.
"Let's go, A San," the short man in the gray robe called out.
Hearing his companions urging him on, A San finally looked away and followed the group away.
Jiang Fan also found a suitable team for himself: the Shattered Star Squad.
Including him, the team has seven people in total.
Five grown men and a pair of beautiful sisters.
Among them, the strongest is Captain Wang Xuan, High-Stage Third Rank, while the weakest is the younger sister of the twin sisters, who Late-Stage Second Rank.
No, if you include him, he's actually the weakest one.
Of course, this is only on the surface.
If Jiang Fan gets serious, even Captain Wang Xuan won't be a match for him.
Keep in mind that he had just killed a Martial Artist at the Early-Stage Fourth Rank not long ago.
" Tang Fan, have you been to the Inner Wilderness Zone before?"
Although Wang Xuan was happy to have snatched Jiang Fan, he was also worried that the other party was just a complete novice with no practical combat experience.
That would be terrible.
This has happened before. Some archers are usually very accurate, but when they encounter monsters, their mental fortitude falters and they become so scared that they can't even shoot an arrow.
Even if it manages to fire, the accuracy is wildly off.
"I've been there."
Jiang Fan's answer put Wang Xuan's mind at ease a little.
"How many times did you go?"
"Hmm..." Jiang Fan fell silent.
several times?
He only visited Fortress No. 1 once, so it can be disregarded.
During the summer vacation, I spent almost every day and night inside Fortress No. 31.
How exactly is this calculated?
Seeing that Jiang Fan remained silent, Wang Xuan and his companions figured he must have been to very few places, embarrassingly so, so they didn't know what to make up for a moment.
"That's not important, I was just asking casually."
Wang Xuan's words were a way of giving Jiang Fan a way out.
The others began to whisper among themselves.
"He probably only went once or twice, right? If so, he'll be a burden to us."
"I shouldn't have rushed to grab it earlier; I should have at least asked about his condition."
"The die is cast, what can we do? Can we kick him out of the team?"
The murmurs grew louder, Wang Xuan frowned, stopping the conversation.
"Say less, all of you, and don't let your minds wander. We're about to enter the Inner Wilderness Zone, so concentrate."
When the captain spoke, everyone fell silent.
Jiang Fan glanced at the group discreetly. As Spirit Master, how could he not hear their chatter? However, he didn't pay any attention to it.
Soon the group entered the Inner Wilderness Zone.
"Our mission this time is to capture a Nine-Colored Wind Chime Bird to be our employer's pet, and the Nine-Colored Wind Chime Bird has only ever appeared in Raging Wind Rift Valley."
At this point, Wang Xuan looked at Jiang Fan.
"We've been to the Raging Wind Rift Valley a few times before, Tang Fan, have you—have you been there before?"
Jiang Fan shook his head, " Of the Inner Wilderness Zone Fortress No. 1, I've only been to the Red Maple Forest."
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but confirm their previous guesses.
This Tang Fan is most likely an inexperienced newbie.
Now, everyone else envies them for getting a skilled archer, but he's actually a complete novice with no experience whatsoever.
They said that someone as skilled in archery as Tang Fan wouldn't come to the Mercenary Guild to find people to form teams and take on missions; under normal circumstances, he should have been poached by someone else long ago.
The more they thought about it, the more dejected they became.
But now, they have no choice but to accept it.
Wang Xuan sighed inwardly, but said nothing aloud and continued explaining.
" The Raging Wind Rift Valley is located in the heart of the Inner Wilderness Zone. The terrain within the valley is rugged, with numerous and complex mountains. Mountain winds swirl among the cliffs, sometimes forming eddies. Although you are Middle-Stage Second-Rank Martial Artist physical strength exceeding that of ordinary people, you could still be swept away by a powerful eddy, endangering your life. Therefore, you'd better stay close to us and not fall behind."
Jiang Fan nodded. "I've got it."
Wang Xuan looked at everyone again, his expression becoming even more serious.
"Also, I'd like to add something. Although our mission this time is only to capture a One Star Nine-Colored Wind Chime Bird, you all know that capturing a monster alive and killing a monster are completely different things."
Jiang Fan had heard Yuanwu mention this matter before.
Wang Xuan continued, "If we really encounter the Nine-Colored Wind Chime Bird, remember never to push it into a corner, lest it self-destruct. You must knock it unconscious when it's off guard. If that doesn't work, you can only severely injure it until it's unconscious. Of course, never let it become severely injured until the very end, otherwise your commission will be greatly reduced."
Jiang Fan remembered this point well.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the group finally arrived at the outside of the Raging Wind Rift Valley.
Standing just outside the valley, Jiang Fan could hear the chilling roar of the wind.
At first glance, unlike the flat ground beneath our feet, there are cliffs and precipices everywhere ahead, layer upon layer, with jagged ravines crisscrossing the landscape.
The gale-force winds swept through the ravines, carrying sand, dead wood, and even broken rocks, crashing and clattering with a loud crackling sound.
" The Nine-Colored Wind Chime Bird is inside. Everyone, please follow me in."
After saying that, Wang Xuan, as the team leader, took the lead and stepped into the valley.
As soon as he entered, Jiang Fan expanded his Psychic Power to its maximum.
Therefore, visibility was very low for Wang Xuan and the others, but Jiang Fan had a wide "view".