"Since you wanted to join the Night Watch Team, tell me first—how did you deal with Bai You?" Shi Meng asked, unable to stop himself as he looked at the huge hole in the wall.
He had originally given Wei Fan the Little Flame Talisman only to help him guard against Bai You's attacks. Yet judging from the traces at the scene, Bai You had clearly already been dealt with.
This greatly surprised Shi Meng. Ordinary people could not contend with Bai You; even with a Little Flame Talisman, they could only ensure their own safety and avoid being harmed by monsters.
With a single damaged Little Flame Talisman, killing Bai You was impossible!
"My Tiger's Breath Art reached the third level!" Wei Fan explained.
Once Tiger's Breath Art reached the third level, one could possess the strength of a thousand jin. That also explained how he had managed to smash through the earthen wall.
"The third level of Tiger's Breath Art?" Shi Meng's eyes widened as he stared at Wei Fan in disbelief. "This art is exceedingly difficult to cultivate. Even your father only reached the second level. I never expected that, at such a young age, you had already reached the third!"
"Yes, I was surprised too. I don't know how, but all of a sudden I had an epiphany. Cultivating became incredibly easy, advancing a thousand miles in a day!" Wei Fan said with a smile.
"Originally, I did not agree to let you join the Night Watch Team. But you dealt with Bai You alone, so you have experience fighting monsters. Your Tiger's Breath Art has also reached the third level, giving you the ability to protect yourself. Perhaps you are a suitable seedling for cultivation and should not be buried like this. Joining the Night Watch Team will allow you to obtain higher-grade arts!"
Shi Meng sighed. Then his tone shifted, becoming grave. "But remember this: while keeping watch at night, strange monsters can change in a thousand ways. Never trust anyone. The only person you can trust is yourself. When it matters most, preserving your life comes first!"
Hearing Shi Meng's warning, Wei Fan nodded heavily. "Don't worry, I understand!"
"Come report to the Night Watch Team early tomorrow morning. Join my squad, and we can look after each other!" After saying this, Shi Meng turned and left, his figure vanishing into the thick night.
Clearly, he had heard the commotion here while carrying out a mission and had taken the time to come investigate.
Wei Fan placed the Little Flame Talisman on Wei Yingying and went back to sleep.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Wei Yingying woke as well. She knew nothing of what had happened the previous night. After learning that the huge hole in the wall had been made by Wei Fan, she said nothing more and earnestly went to prepare breakfast.
After eating, Wei Fan headed to one of the Night Watch Team's stations.
A three-story tower-like building stood here, where the Night Watch Team routinely changed shifts and rested.
Wushan Village formed a ring, and there were four Night Watcher towers like this one, distributed across the east, south, west, and north of the village.
Wei Fan had come to the East District Tower, the area under Shi Meng's charge.
Every tower had a Vice Captain-level expert stationed there to ensure the village's safety and prevent monster incursions.
When Wei Fan arrived, two corpses lay on the open ground before the tower. A Night Watcher holding a steel blade stood watch nearby, his expression grim.
"I'm looking for Vice Captain Shi Meng. Is he inside?" Wei Fan stepped forward and asked.
"You're Wei Fan?" The Night Watcher sized him up, then pointed behind him. "Vice Captain Shi Meng has been waiting for you for a long time. Go in yourself!"
Wei Fan nodded and entered the tower's hall.
The moment he entered, he caught a strong medicinal fragrance.
Clearly, something had happened last night, and the Night Watch Team had suffered heavy casualties.
"Xiao Fan, you're here!" Shi Meng sat boldly on a stone chair, a trace of weariness showing in his eyes.
"Xiao Fan, you still have a chance to regret this!" A sharp glint flashed through Shi Meng's eyes. "You saw it too. The Night Watch Team's death rate is extremely high. You could die at any moment. Do you still wish to join?"
"I'm certain!" Wei Fan answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Good!" Approval appeared in Shi Meng's gaze. He had only been testing Wei Fan's resolve in the face of danger.
He was very satisfied with the result. Even after learning how dangerous the Night Watch Team was, Wei Fan had not backed down. Such resolve was exceedingly rare.
"This is the Three Yuan Battle Art. Cultivate it well!" As he spoke, Shi Meng tossed over a small stone tablet.
Wei Fan caught it and looked at the mysterious diagrams engraved upon it. They contained a complete set of breathing methods and special movements.
I've got it! Wei Fan's eyes lit up. Joining the Night Watch Team had been all for the sake of obtaining this cultivation art.
"Cultivating the Three Yuan Battle Art depends greatly on compatibility. It all comes down to your own comprehension; there's nothing I can teach you." Shi Meng shook his head, then slowly continued, "Xiao Fan, do you know how us cultivators divide our realms?"
"I don't," Wei Fan answered truthfully.
"For martial cultivators like us, it all comes down to who possesses the greatest strength. One force can overcome ten thousand techniques, so the initial stage is known as the 'Strength Training Realm.'
"When your strength reaches three thousand jin, you will be at the peak of the Strength Training Realm. By cultivating the Three Yuan Battle Art and making a breakthrough, you can explosively unleash triple your strength for a short time, giving you nearly ten thousand jin of power!
"Once you reach ten thousand jin of strength, you will have reached the next realm—the 'Divine Strength Realm.'
"The Divine Strength Realm means strength granted by the heavens. Tearing apart tigers and leopards with bare hands would be no challenge.
"Upon reaching this realm, combined with various talismans, you can kill some low-level monsters."
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