His tone was more serious than ever. "If you’re only in this for the hefty sum of Contribution Points and Warband Reputation, then I suggest you quit now. The risk isn’t worth it for you. You’re a genius with more potential than the rest of us; you shouldn’t be gambling on this casualty rate."
"The rewards for Hell-level missions might be less, but they’re a safe bet. With your strength, you could accumulate a vast fortune just by taking a little more time. There’s no need to throw your life away."
He looked at Qin Feng and said, word by word, "The reason we’re willing to risk our lives for this Nightmare-level mission is because..."
"Ning Jing!"
Dragon Jade suddenly barked, cutting him off.
Dragon Jade’s brows were tightly furrowed, his face holding a hint of displeased rebuke.
In his eyes, Ning Jing’s words, though a well-intentioned question, were an outright insult to Qin Feng’s Martial Dao Will.
’Can the pursuit of a true expert really be summarized by something as trivial as resources?’
The atmosphere in the conference room once again grew awkward because of Ning Jing’s blunt personality.
"It’s fine."
However, Qin Feng waved a hand, signaling to Dragon Jade that it was alright.
He calmly met Ning Jing’s probing gaze, his own eyes clear and firm.
"I have three answers to that question."
Qin Feng’s voice wasn’t loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.
"First,"
His tone turned icy, tinged with a deep-seated disgust. "Every Chaos Beast deserves to be slain. That is the most fundamental stance and responsibility of an Imperial Martial Artist."
"Second,"
He changed his tone and said frankly, "The vast majority of resources I’ve needed for my cultivation have come from exchanging Warband Reputation. The Fearless Warband has done me a great service. Now, with the Warband’s honor on the line, we need these three hundred thousand points to secure victory. It’s my undeniable duty. I want these points, and I *must* have them."
"Third,"
As he spoke, a soaring, fiery Battle Intent that seemed ready to ignite erupted in Qin Feng’s eyes. "Risking my life? The path of the Martial Dao is *all about* risking one’s life between life and death! Without a sufficiently powerful opponent, without a pressure that could prove fatal, how could my killing arts ever break through their final bottleneck and advance to the next level?"
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it struck Ning Jing’s heart like a heavy hammer.
Duty, loyalty, and the purest pursuit of the Martial Dao!
These three answers, each building on the last, completely dispelled the final trace of doubt in Ning Jing’s mind. They even stirred his heart, which had been forged as hard as a rock by the Martial Dao.
"Haha... HAHAHAHA—"
Ning Jing was stunned for a moment, then burst into a hearty, unrestrained laugh that came from the bottom of his heart.
"Good! Well said!"
He strode forward, all previous reservations gone, and thumped a heavy fist on Qin Feng’s shoulder armor, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Brother! It was I, Ning Jing, who judged a gentleman by my own petty standards! I’m a straight shooter. If I offended you just now, don’t take it to heart! When we make it back from this alive, I’ll buy you a drink! The best stuff!"
That one word, "Brother," signified his complete and total acceptance.
"You’ve already called me brother. There’s no need to say all that."
A smile appeared on Qin Feng’s face as well.
He liked dealing with such pure Martial Artists.
"Alright, alright."
With a gratified smile, Dragon Jade watched this scene of newfound camaraderie. He walked over, clapped both of them on the shoulder, and steered the conversation back on track.
"Now that we’ve reached a consensus, I’ll briefly go over the specific details of this mission. Afterward, everyone should make their own preparations—check your equipment, restock your supplies. We move out in half an hour, sharp."
His expression turned serious once more as he tapped a finger on the tactical light table.
The crimson mission briefing instantly enlarged, clearly listing the detailed information about the enemy.
"According to the latest data from Imperial Intelligence, this time we’ll be facing a group of followers of Slaanesh."
Dragon Jade’s voice grew low.
"Khorne represents slaughter and War. Tzeentch represents conspiracy and change. Nagash represents decay and despair. As for Slaanesh, They represent ’extreme desire.’ Any desire that can cause one to sink into depravity—be it power, wealth, beauty, or even an obsessive pursuit of art, pain, or perfection itself—can become a path to Them if taken to the extreme."
"Therefore, the composition of Slaanesh’s followers is the most complex and bizarre among all Chaos Believers. Their killing arts are just as strange and varied. Any method of attack you can imagine—or can’t imagine—is possible. You absolutely cannot judge them by conventional standards."
Dragon Jade’s gaze swept over the faces of his three teammates, his tone becoming extremely grave.
"In short, maintain the highest level of alertness when facing the followers of Slaanesh. Compared to the Nagash Followers and the Believers of Khorne, Slaanesh’s followers are far more troublesome..."
"Everyone, prepare well. It’s worth spending all your Contribution Points."
"Understood."
"..."
Without any delay, Qin Feng immersed himself once again in the exchange interface of the Imperial Trading House, his gaze locking directly onto the list of military-grade equipment.
Those seventy-six thousand-plus Contribution Points were the capital he would use to fight for his life.
’Nightmare-level mission, enemies are followers of Slaanesh... The mental offense and defense will be of the utmost importance.’