Chapter 56: Fighting the Frost Bear King again (Part-1)
Later that evening;
Li Xue, seated comfortably in the back of a sleek black vehicle, spoke into her phone with a calm and composed demeanor.
"The Sky Hunt exploration? Of course, I’m familiar with it," She responded in a steady voice steady but tinged with interest. "A new stellar rift, you say? Where? How soon will it be ready for exploration?"
The voice on the other end crackled with a touch of urgency. "The rift will stabilize in about four days. The Dark Warriors Guild intends to hire your guild as support."
"Why us?" Li Xue blinked in surprise. "It’s not like we have reputation or numbers."
The other party spoke. "You have Li Chengfeng."
"If that is the case, then you should forget," replied Li Xue in a stern tone. "My uncle will not participate in this expedition."
"This expedition is more special than usual ones. The scouting party found a Blood Flame Fox. The bio scanner showed that its potential is Overlord Tier (Level-70), and its clutch has more than half a dozen eggs," said the other party.
"Overlord Tier?" Li Xue couldn’t help but become suddenly interested in. "Okay, so, what’s your offer then?"
"1 million credits," replied the other party. Taking a pause, he added. "Master Li didn’t have to do anything; he just had to lend a hand in a fight with Blood Flame Fox. Other than that, excluding Master Li, your guild will get three tickets to enter this expedition. That’s our offer."
Li Xue thought for a moment and replied. "Not enough. I need five entry tickets, and also, add one Blood Flame Fox egg to the offer."
"Eh? Blood Flame Fox egg?" The other party was surprised and became silent for a moment, but eventually agreed without any further argument. "Alright, I’ll talk to the guild."
Disconnecting the call, Li Xue smiled to herself, clutching the phone. "Good."
Later that night, at Evergreen Apartments;
Everyone retired to their rooms to sleep. Lin Fang was sitting across the laptop, browsing the NovaMart in the smartphones section.
"Hmm... should I go for budget one since all I need it for is making calls anyway. Or do I go for a flagship one so that people can no longer just look down on..." He suddenly took a pause and chuckled, "I haven’t done anything that people can look at me in respect anyway. And having a phone is just the start. I would have to buy luxury-branded wear. I would have to spend thousands of credits on clothes, footwear, and would it end there? I would need a car, then, would have to buy my own apartment. Even if I have all of this one day, I would still be mocked for only having a high school graduation certificate. Basically, it’s just a never-ending cycle."
While he was in the middle of a dilemma of choosing a phone, he received an email notification on his laptop.
He opened the email only to see that it was from Shang Wei. It was a crude and simple message.
"Lin Fang. This is Shang Wei. I can’t seem to connect you with the phone number. Hence, the mail. Anyway, I have already promised my business clients that I will send the high-quality monster eggs, but I can’t come and visit Huaxi City again. If you would reduce the price of monster eggs for the four variants, I will purchase as discussed."
Thank you."
Lin Fang paused for a moment, contemplating the offer. Making a direct deal was not only easier but also profitable. Now, if it is bought from the online store, he will have to pay a commission to NovaMart. However, they can be converted to system coins at a 100:1 rate instead. The only problem was that he didn’t want to convert them. He wanted to use it to buy a physical store.
After contemplating a bit, he logged into the website and changed the prices.
Meanwhile, at University Hospital...
The faint beeping of machines echoed from the Intensive Care Unit.
Madam Xiao Yun stood still outside the glass window with her arms folded to her chest. Her expression looked like she wanted to kill as she looked at the battered figure of her son lying unconscious inside. Bandages wrapped around his torso and head. A respirator aided his shallow breathing.
Behind her, the family guard stood silently with sweat beading on his forehead.
"What happened?" she asked coldly. "I just left for a three-day trip to Beijing, and by the time I returned, my son was in this state? Who is responsible for it?"
The guard swallowed hard and relayed the full account: how Jiang Fei tried to forcibly retrieve the artifact from Lin Fang, how the situation escalated, how the Direwolf had transformed and overpowered them, and finally, how Jiang Fei recklessly used the transformation pendant and was still easily defeated.
Madam Xiao’s expression darkened as she listened. "So you’re saying," she said slowly, turning slightly toward the guard, "that Lin Fang’s Direwolf is not a mere Commander Tier... but potentially a Lord Tier beast?"
The guard nodded quickly. "Yes, Madam. I broke my wrist just trying to punch its paw."
Silence fell for a moment.
Then she clenched her fist. "This stupid son of mine..." she muttered under her breath. "Always chasing after shortcuts. Always making trouble..."
Her fingers tightened until her nails dug into her palm. She gritted her teeth and took a breath to suppress her emotions. "I want Lin Fang monitored. Every move. Every word. Every interaction. I want his background re-checked, all over again. Even if he was an innate soul, there is no way someone like him could even rent a Lord Tier beast, much less control it."
The guard straightened. "Yes, Madam."
Madam Xiao Yun looked back at her unconscious son, a flicker of conflict in her eyes. Then it vanished.
"Even if Lin Fang isn’t in the wrong this time..." she murmured, her voice cold as ice, "I still have to punish him, for pushing my son into such a state."
A few days later...
As the clock ticked past midnight, inside his room, Lin Fang sat cross-legged on his bed. His breathing was steady, calm, but his eyes burned with focus.
"There are only two days left until the Exploration begins. I have to make the breakthrough. Those daggers will keep my heart at peace."
But just as he was about to tap the screen, a sudden thought struck him.
"Wait a second..."
He quickly opened his Inventory and scrolled until he found it: A small, blood-red pill.
[Item: Blood Coagulation Pill]
Effect: Temporarily converts all blood into pure mana for 1 hour. Warning: severe side effects post-use, including weakness, dizziness, and short-term anemia.
He stared at it for a few seconds. His heartbeat picked up.
"This... might be insane. It’s 3000 coins, after all. But..."
It was a gamble. No one knew if the effects would transfer into the simulated environment of the Training Grounds. But if it did, it could become his trump card. The difference between surviving and getting crushed in the Exploration.
"If this doesn’t work... that’s 300,000 credits down the drain," he whispered.
Lin Fang took a deep breath... and swallowed the pill.
And the reaction was immediate.
His stomach twisted violently, as if molten fire had poured into his veins. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from crying out. And then...
Boom.
A sudden surge of power coursed through his limbs. His heart thudded like a war drum. His entire body vibrated, and blood pumped up in his ears.
"This... this is different," he muttered, widening his eyes in realization. "It’s not like Combat Merge. It’s not like mana crystals, too. This mana doesn’t feel external. Feels like a part of me..."
He clenched his trembling fists as crackles of red energy danced faintly along his skin.
"If this gamble pays off..." He looked back at the glowing button on the interface. "I just might win."
Then, without hesitation, he tapped [Enter Training Grounds].
Lin Fang chose the same battlefield.
[Habitat: Silver Moon Snow Mountain]
The cold hit him like a slap for a moment. Snow howled through the air, biting at his skin. But even before he could plant his feet properly...
Thud. Thud. THUD.
The Frost Bear King emerged from the blizzard with its massive body rippling with muscle and its breath fogging the air with menace. It towered over him, bearing its fangs and eyes locked on its prey.
"Alright... You are here."