Xiao Yan's eyes lit up.
Xiao Jian stepped back and knelt.
"Teacher."
Yao Lao laughed and lifted him up with soul force.
"Good."
"Then… should I call you Senior Brother?" Xiao Yan teased.
Xiao Jian's lips curved dangerously.
A moment later, Xiao Yan was kicked into the sand.
"I was wrong! Brother! Stop!"
Yao Lao watched the two roughhousing brothers with a smile, memories flickering in his eyes.
From afar, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li shook their heads, amused.
The reconnaissance work was far from easy.
As one of the major forces in Stone Desert City, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group naturally attracted countless watching eyes.
Not long after Xue Lan led a large team out, scattered mercenaries began appearing around the area where Xiao Yan's group was operating, staring in confusion at the Desert Iron members who were slowly surveying the terrain.
Fortunately, Xiao Ding had already mobilized enough manpower to completely seal off the area.
Any mercenaries or idle onlookers who tried to approach were firmly blocked outside the perimeter.
As the search continued, the number of spectators only increased.
Although Xiao Ding had announced that this large-scale operation was merely to hunt a third-tier magical beast, the surrounding crowd showed no signs of dispersing.
Seeing that he could not contribute much at the moment, Xiao Jian began studying the low-tier earth-attribute cultivation technique.....the Earth Kun Scripture.....that Yao Lao had given him.
Nearby, Qinglian stayed quietly inside the tent Xiao Jian had set up for her, blinking as she watched him cultivate with a dazed expression.
Seeing his brother seize even this moment to cultivate, Xiao Yan felt slightly ashamed of standing idle and quickly sat down to cultivate as well.
Watching the two younger brothers take advantage of every opportunity to train, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li felt deeply moved.
To reach such strength at such a young age was clearly not something achieved by talent alone....it required relentless effort.
Time passed quickly. As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, a sudden disturbance arose among the onlookers.
A mercenary group of over forty people slowly pushed through the crowd, swaggering toward the cordoned area.
"It's the Sand Mercenary Group. This should be interesting…"
"Heh, looks like Rob finally lost his patience."
Soft whispers spread through the crowd.
"Seems we overestimated that man's tolerance."
Watching the approaching group, Xiao Ding shook his head and spoke with faint sarcasm.
"Let's go take a look," Xiao Li said with a sneer. "Rob won't show himself until things are clear. The one leading them is Mo Xing....second only to Rob in the Sand Mercenary Group. Hmph, a defeated opponent dares to come stir trouble again."
Xiao Ding nodded slightly and waved his hand.
More than twenty Desert Iron mercenaries emerged from the surrounding area. Cold light glinted from their weapons as they stepped out of the restricted zone, staring coldly at the approaching group.
When the two teams met, the air instantly grew tense. As the two strongest mercenary forces in Stone Desert City, their conflicts had never been few.
"Stop," Xiao Ding said calmly, his voice indifferent. "The Desert Iron Mercenary Group is carrying out a mission. Do not interfere."
"Heh, Captain Xiao Ding," said the gloomy-faced man leading the Sand Mercenary Group, smiling thinly.
I've never heard of the Mercenary Guild issuing such a mission. Besides, the area around Stone Desert City is public land. I don't see any problem with bringing my people here."
"Mo Xing," Xiao Li said with a malicious grin, "if Rob hadn't stepped in last time, you'd already be crippled by now, wouldn't you?"
Mo Xing's face twitched. Fear flickered briefly in his eyes before he forced a cold laugh.
"Enough talk. Our captain is also interested in this place, so—"
Before he could finish—
A black spear pierced straight through his chest.
"So you can die now."
A calm voice sounded.
Xiao Jian stood before Mo Xing, his spear cleanly driven through the man's heart.
Mo Xing stared at the spear lodged in his chest, his mouth opening slightly as if to speak.
Xiao Jian pulled the spear out in one smooth motion, taking with it the last trace of life.
A chill ran from the soles of everyone's feet straight to their scalp.
No one had seen how Xiao Jian appeared.
It was as if his presence had simply always been there.
That realization terrified them.
This meant Xiao Jian's strength far surpassed theirs.
Even Rob....a Grand Dou Master....did not possess such speed.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were briefly stunned by Xiao Jian's decisive kill, but they reacted instantly, shouting as they led their men forward.
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