After leaving Suotuo City, the group continued south. Unlike when they came, they had won the battle in Suotuo City, and Feng Xiaotian had gained new insights into his Self-Created Soul Skill, even his steps were lighter than usual.
Huo Xiao continued to follow the group at a distance. On the evening of the third day, the group set up camp by a stream. Huo Xiao, unusually, took the initiative to come forward and sit down opposite Feng Xiaotian.
" Xiaotian, where are you planning to go next?"
Feng Xiaotian flipped through the map. "Continue south, circle around a few more cities, fight a few more Soul Fighting, and then return to the academy."
Huo Xiao added a piece of firewood to the fire, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly said, "You've fought at least a dozen Soul Fighting on your way south, haven't you?"
The Soul Fighting Arena can indeed hone your skills, but the opponents are all pre-arranged, and the rules are clearly defined. Over time, your progress will plateau.
Feng Xiaotian raised his head and listened attentively.
"Real combat has no rules," Huo Xiao said, looking at Feng Xiaotian. "There are no referees, no surrenders, and no boundaries of the ring for you to back down. If you want them to advance further, you might as well try somewhere else."
"Where?" Feng Xiaotian asked curiously.
Mercenary Guild.
Huo Xiao threw the remaining half-stick of firewood into the fire. " Mercenary Guild are scattered across the continent, offering all sorts of bounties—escorting caravans, exterminating Soul Beast, and hunting down fugitives."
The rewards are low, and the risks are considerable, but there's one thing the Soul Fighting Arena can't offer—you have to make real life-or-death decisions in a completely unfamiliar environment, facing completely unknown opponents.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the boys sitting around the fire. "You'll have to face this sooner or later."
Feng Xiaotian didn't speak, but he tapped his fingers lightly on his knee—a habitual gesture when he was thinking. Feng Lingtian glanced at his brother, knowing that he had already made up his mind.
The next morning, Feng Xiaotian changed his route. The next stop marked on the map happened to be a small town where Mercenary Guild was located.
The town is small, and its only stone-paved street is riddled with potholes from the passing pack animals.
The Mercenary Guild was located in a stone house at the end of the street. The iron badge hanging above the door was rusty. Pushing the door open, a smell of cheap beer mixed with sweat hit you.
Behind the counter sat a one-eyed old manager, wiping wine glasses with a dirty rag.
Feng Xiaotian walked to the counter, but before he could speak, the old manager, without looking up, said, "Today's escort bounty has already been taken. Head out early tomorrow."
"We don't offer escort services," Feng Xiaotian said. "Are there any more challenging missions?"
The old steward finally raised his eyelids. His one remaining eye swept over Feng Xiaotian, then over the dozen or so masked teenagers behind him, and the rag in his hand paused for a moment.
"You're not locals."
"Just passing by."
The old manager stared at him for two seconds, then draped a rag over his shoulder, pulled a curled-up wanted poster from under the counter, and spread it on the table.
The bounty poster featured a rough map of a mountainous area, with several villages robbed by bandits circled in red ink. At the bottom was the bounty amount—five hundred Gold Soul Coin —and the poster was stamped with the joint seals of three villages.
"The bandits have been wiped out." The old steward's tone was as calm as if he were talking about the weather. "This band of bandits has been entrenched in this mountainous area for almost half a year and has robbed no fewer than ten villages."
The town organized two raids, but failed to locate their hideout. Three days ago, a group of mercenaries accepted the bounty and went into the mountains, but there has been no news of them since.
He raised his single eye and looked at Feng Xiaotian: "This mission is quite challenging. Do you dare to take it?"
Feng Xiaotian did not answer immediately. He looked down at the mountainous area circled in red ink on the bounty poster. The mountains were steep and crisscrossed with ravines, a typical terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
For bandits to be able to entrenched themselves in such a place for half a year without being wiped out, they must either be extremely familiar with the terrain, have someone backing them up, or both.
"Are there any Soul Master among this band of bandits?" Feng Xiaotian asked.
The old steward paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. "According to the villagers who escaped, the bandit leader had at least two Soul Master with him, their levels unknown. The mercenary group from before also had Soul Master —one Soul Elder and one Soul Grandmaster —but they haven't returned."
Feng Xiaotian turned his head, his gaze sweeping over his teammates behind him. Thirteen masks, thirteen pairs of eyes, not one of them looked away. Shi Yan, standing in the back row, nodded slightly to him.
Feng Xiaotian turned back, folded the wanted poster, and put it in his pocket. "We accept it."
The old steward stared at him for a long time, then pulled a registration form from the drawer and pushed it over. "Fill in the team name and number of people. You are responsible for your own safety."
Feng Xiaotian picked up a pen and wrote " Nameless " on the registration form, filling in thirteen people. The old steward glanced at it, said nothing, and put the registration form into the drawer.
After leaving the town, everyone headed north according to the map, and the road became narrower and narrower.
The farmland on both sides of the official road was gradually replaced by mixed forests. Further on, even the tracks left by wheels disappeared, leaving only a dirt road trodden by people winding its way into the foot of the mountain.
The air was filled with the smell of damp earth and decaying leaves, and wisps of smoke could be faintly seen on the distant mountain ridge—it was hard to tell whether they were villages or bandit camps.
Feng Xiaotian stopped at the front. He unfolded the bounty poster, checked the markings on the map to confirm the route into the mountains, and then glanced back at his teammates.
"Once we're in the mountains, be ready to fight at any time." His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him clearly. "Remember, this isn't a sparring match; no one will go easy on us."
No one spoke, but they could guess what awaited them. The twelve people walked past Feng Xiaotian one by one, their footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves before disappearing into the forest.