Chapter 124: The Magical Beast Forest!

  "No matter if we get paid or not, going to the Monster Forest to kill some monsters and dig up some magic cores is also a good idea. Winter is approaching and it's not good to be penniless during that time!" A sturdy man with a large knife on his back said, "Those monsters are just too powerful, the weak ones run away quickly, and if you encounter strong ones, you can only escape for your life!"

  "If you encounter a powerful monster, being able to escape is already a good outcome. The other day, a group of over 20 mercenaries encountered a level 7 Thunder Tiger and only one person managed to escape. Now, no one with low strength dares to go to that area!" Another adventurer said.

  "We have to survive the winter, and so do the monsters, haha! We kill them for their cores and skin, but aren't they just treating us as food?! It's just survival of the fittest!" These words made many adventurers fall silent. Adventurers, mercenaries, it sounds free and easy, but isn't it just a life on the edge of a knife, licking blood off the blade?! For them, whether they can survive till tomorrow is always a question! Of course, this doesn't include those powerful individuals. For true strongmen, they enjoy their freedom, and danger is something they can dissolve with their own strength!

  No more useful information was heard, Lin Tian left the adventurer's tavern half an hour later and found a hotel to stay in. The sky had already darkened!

  The night of the Beast City is bustling, and the sex industry is extremely developed. The number of prostitutes here is unparalleled throughout the continent. Those mercenaries and adventurers often have spare money on hand, which mostly flows into wine to drink into their bellies, or splurges on women's bodies!

  Lin Tian certainly wouldn't go to make any contributions to the porn industry in Magic City, and in order to hasten the passage of a month's time needed to increase his strength, he hadn't even entered the Star Ring space. You should know that the flow of time here is four times faster than in the Star Ring space!

  Nothing happened that night, and the next day Lin Tian got up early, left the city gate and followed a large group of mercenaries towards the Magic Beast Forest! Why did he follow? Of course, it was because poor Lin Tian didn't know the way! Although the Magic Beast City is close to the Magic Beast Forest, it's still 30-40 kilometers away. If not, magic beasts would come out from the mountains every day and cause trouble!

  It wasn't long before Lin Tian was discovered by the other party. "Hey, what's that kid doing sneaking around behind us?!" A loud-voiced mercenary from the group shouted at Lin Tian, and their group also came to a halt. Lin Tian walked forward with a slight smile: "Sorry about this, I'm new here in the Beast Forest area, so I don't know the way. I had no choice but to follow you guys. I heard you're headed deeper into the Beast Forest?"

  "Haha, kid, you dare to enter the Beast Forest alone for the first time? You really think you're a Sword Saint or Law Saint, don't you? Listen to my advice and go back to Beast City. Beasts aren't easy to mess with, they'll tear your chest open with their sharp claws and pierce your throat with their pointed teeth!"

  A burly man, at least two meters tall, carrying a large axe, laughed loudly.

  "Our little friend probably read too many adventurer stories, thinking he can go in alone, make some money, and then marry a beautiful noble lady. Hmm, it's a nice idea, but unfortunately, there are very few people who can become the main character of a story!" Another mercenary chuckled.

  Although the other party's tone was somewhat disdainful, Lin Tian could see that their hearts were still kind. At least they advised him to return to the city and said: "I still have the ability to protect myself!" As he spoke, a basketball-sized fireball suddenly appeared in his hand! The fireball entered the eyes of those mercenaries, quickly making the disdain in their eyes dissipate.

  "Honorable magician, please forgive their rudeness. I am Ye Feng, the leader of the Maple Leaf Mercenary Group!" A young man with black hair rode up on a magic horse and dismounted to bow. Black hair, and a name that sounded like those of Chinese people - Lin Tian had never seen this before, and couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably disposed towards him. "Leader Ye Feng, I'm being presumptuous!" Lin Tian said with a slight bow.

  A magician, invited to join the team, can greatly increase the team's strength. So Ye Feng said: "Respected magician, why not travel with us? We are going into the Magic Beast Forest to find a Golden-tailed Demon Monkey and take its blood to make medicine to save people!"

  Traveling with them is more lively and convenient than being alone, Lin Tian nodded and said: "Good, then I'll be bothering you!" Ye Feng smiled and said: "It's not a bother, it's an honor for the Ye Feng Mercenary Corps to have the magician join us!"

  "My name is Lin Tian, just call me by my name!" Lin Tian said. "Alright, Brother Lin Tian, come on, you're a weak-bodied mage, ride my horse!" Ye Feng said. In the mercenary group, most people didn't have mounts. The terrain in the Magic Beast Forest was complex and not suitable for riding mounts. Ordinary mounts couldn't withstand the pressure of magic beasts, and sometimes when you wanted to chase after a magic beast, your mount would stop moving forward! Only a few people had mounts: Ye Feng, the leader of the group, and two mages in the mercenary group, who were only mid-level and high-level mages. Of course, having two mages in one mercenary group was already quite impressive!

  Mages have a high status, generally speaking, they are unwilling to live a life of licking blood from the blade. When they lack money, they only temporarily join a mercenary group. Those who stay in the mercenary group for a long time either have an intimate relationship with the group, such as the leader being their relative, or they have an urgent pursuit of power, expecting to break through repeatedly between life and death. Their strength is generally much stronger than that of mages of the same level. Most low-level magic can be released instantly, because life and death are often on a thin line, releasing magic one second faster may avoid a fatal outcome!

  "No need, I'm not only a magician, but also skilled in martial arts!" Lin Tian said, suddenly punching out towards a tree the size of a bowl on the side of the road. The powerful force surged forth, "Crack!" The sturdy tree fell to the ground amidst the shocked gazes of the mercenaries!

  That mercenary holding the large axe widened his eyes: "My mother, without using internal energy, physical strength alone can chop down a tree trunk this thick. Kid, no, Lin brother, this is too strong, too strong! When I use my axe, I have to exert quite some force just to chop down this tree with one swing!"

  "Haha, I didn't think Lin Tian brother was such a master, it seems that this trip to the Magic Beast Forest will be much safer!" Ye Feng exclaimed with joy, without using his internal energy, relying solely on his physical strength, he could punch and break a tree trunk. If he were to use his internal energy... Ye Feng thought to himself, but what he didn't know was that Lin Tian actually didn't know any internal energy techniques. However, Lin Tian hadn't used his full strength either, if he had, with his heavenly-level cultivation, the energy conversion within his cells would have produced a powerful force that could have turned the tree into dust from ten meters away!

  Two people moved away, and in the end no one rode that demon horse. Ye Feng led the demon horse and walked with Lin Tian!

  The mercenaries were not weak, and according to Lin Tian's observation, even the weakest among them had the cultivation of a mid-level swordsman and possessed a hint of fighting spirit. Their speed was naturally not slow, and they covered the 30-40 kilometer distance in just over two hours. When the Beast Forest came into view, Lin Tian couldn't help but feel shocked by its vastness, with towering trees stretching as far as the eye could see!

  A chill and eerie atmosphere filled the entire Monster Forest, making one feel like they were being stalked by ferocious beasts as soon as they entered. The feeling was quite unpleasant, causing one's hair to stand on end! "Lin Tian, brothers, people who come here for the first time always have a strange feeling, but it gets better once you get used to it!" Ye Feng said with a smile, noticing the surprise in Lin Tian's eyes.

  Lin Tian nodded, thinking to himself how many people must have been killed to accumulate such a strong and solemn atmosphere. "Alright, brothers, everyone get ready," Ye Feng said loudly, "With Lin Tian joining us this time, we must complete the mission perfectly!"

  "Yes, Captain!" Thirty or so mercenaries shouted in unison, their fierce momentum making Lin Tian nod his head in approval. This Ye Feng may be young, but he's not weak, having the cultivation of a primary sword master, and each of his subordinates is also quite capable!

  The team entered the Monster Forest, Lin Tian was here to temper himself, so although he now had no shortage of boundary power, he also didn't let Xiao Ling open up his detection. Although this was the case, relying on his current cultivation, his perception ability was also quite good. Everything within 300 meters almost couldn't escape his perception. As they advanced forward, low-level monsters Lin Tian often discovered in his perception, but those monsters' perceptions were also extremely keen, and before Lin Tian's group could even get close, they would flee in all directions!

  Finally, a small demon beast resembling a mountain cat appeared before everyone's eyes, but with a "meow!" it vanished in the blink of an eye! "That was a lynx, capable of spitting out small wind blades, incredibly fast and very difficult to kill. First- and second-level small demon beasts are actually harder to hunt than third- and fourth-level ones. They have no concept of territory, so when they encounter danger, they flee quickly. Third- and fourth-level demon beasts, on the other hand, have a certain sense of territory and may attack when provoked. Of course, if they find themselves outmatched, they will also escape. Demon beasts are not easy to hunt!" Ye Feng said beside Lin Tian.

  Lin Tian nodded, if it was a good hunt, the price of the magic core wouldn't be so high. A first-class small magic core could sell for more than ten gold coins, which is equivalent to 1,000 yuan. That means that within a month, as long as one can hunt down a first-class magical beast, a person can barely make a living.

  "Our goal this time is a Golden-tailed Magic Monkey with 6th-level strength, which can use wind magic. At that time, we may still have to rely on Brother Lin Tian!" Ye Feng said. Lin Tian smiled lightly: "Captain Ye, with your swordmaster cultivation, plus the other brothers in the mercenary group, it's still quite easy to deal with a 6th-level magical beast!"

  Ye Feng's heart skipped a beat, he hadn't said anything about his own strength, but Lin Tian was able to see through it, and in his heart, Lin Tian had once again gained the upper hand! "It's true that it's said like this, but in the Demon Beast Forest, the probability of encountering unexpected events is really too high. If you're not careful, you might encounter a high-level demon beast and end up being annihilated. Moreover, in the Demon Beast Forest, danger doesn't just come from demon beasts, there are also people! Some people specialize in hunting down those who enter the forest for their own gain!" As he spoke, Ye Feng's eyes flashed with cold light, although this situation was normal, it still made him angry!

  There were no roads in the world originally, but as more and more people walked, roads were formed. This saying also applies to the Magic Beast Forest, where Lin Tian and his group were walking along a small path towards the interior of the forest! On the branches above their heads, they often found colorful snakes hanging down, with such bright colors that it was hard to believe they weren't poisonous! However, those mercenaries were all experienced and quickly discovered and killed those venomous snakes at the first moment.

  In the forest, danger lurked everywhere. Lin Tian's hair stood on end several times, but those mercenaries were calm and composed! "Damn it, I've also come out of countless piles of corpses, and yet I'm still scared by this little thing? It's really not right!" Lin Tian muttered to himself in his heart.

  Three hours had passed, and it was already noon. Everyone stopped at a spacious spot and took out dry rations to eat. Lin Tian also thought for a moment before taking out a portion of pre-prepared braised beef from the Star Ring space to eat.

  This way, although it will let the mercenaries know that he has a space ring - uh, star ring, which can also be said to be a space ring, after all, things can be put inside! However, it can also allow Lin Tian to understand the nature of the crowd more clearly!

  The space ring is a very precious thing, even if it's just one cubic meter of space, the price is over 100,000 gold coins, which is equivalent to tens of millions of RMB. If those mercenaries have evil intentions, Lin Tian will not show mercy! As long as he is careful, the opponent's strength combined is not enough to kill him, so Lin Tian thinks it's worth a try!

  The envy in Ye Feng's eyes, Lin Tian saw it and thought to himself that it was not bad, it was normal to be envious as long as they weren't greedy! As for the other mercenaries, except for a few who flashed a hint of jealousy in their eyes, none of them showed an overly greedy expression! "This group of people is actually not bad, after we're in danger, they might even lend us a hand!" Lin Tian thought to himself.