Every single one of them was an expert who had at least mastered a Multi-tasking Killing Technique.
Although, with his current strength, Qin Feng was still confident he could defeat them.
But each fight would undoubtedly be a grueling battle, demanding a great deal of his time and energy.
Qin Feng exited the Canaan Tower, planning to check the mission board to see if there were any suitable, high-reward hunting missions.
Just then, the communication channel on his personal terminal suddenly began to vibrate in a series of short, urgent bursts.
Qin Feng glanced down and saw that Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing had all messaged him at nearly the same time.
[Nissan: Qin Beast! Qin Beast! You there?! These Contribution Points are driving me insane!
How can this damn *Crystal Meditation Method* be so expensive?! It’s absolute robbery!
You wanna team up and go score a big one?!]
[Ning Jing: Mission? Need Contribution Points.]
[Dragon Jade: Qin Feng, Nissan, Ning Jing, and I were thinking the same thing. After the Starry Sky Cup, we all became keenly aware of our own shortcomings when it comes to Mental Power. But the price of those High-level Meditation Methods is... a significant barrier.
I’m guessing you have the same need, right? Are your Contribution Points holding up?]
Reading the three messages—each with a completely different style but the exact same core idea—Qin Feng couldn’t help but laugh.
"Haha."
He could just imagine these three proud, top-tier geniuses. After witnessing the Demons at the Starry Sky Cup, they must have gone through the same painful soul-searching he did and put training their Mental Power on the agenda.
And then, just like him, they must have been slammed with a harsh dose of reality by the ridiculously high prices of the High-level Meditation Methods.
This shared understanding brought a strange, heartfelt sense of delight.
He quickly replied in their four-person encrypted squad channel.
[Qin Feng: Fearless Zone, Iron Fist Tavern. Meet there? We can talk in person.]
[Dragon Jade: Okay.]
[Nissan: Sounds good! I’m on my way!]
[Ning Jing: Mmm.]
The replies were almost instantaneous.
-----------------
Inside the Iron Fist Tavern.
The four of them—Qin Feng, Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing—were gathered around a square table forged from a single, massive piece of meteoric iron, exuding a rough, bold aura.
"GLUG... GLUG... Ahhh—!"
Nissan, looking as much the golden-haired lion as ever, was his usual boisterous and unrestrained self.
"Damn, that hits the spot! Still the same great taste, with a real kick!"
He slammed his mug down on the table with a dull THUD, then turned to Qin Feng, a vexed look on his face as he complained,
"Qin Beast, you have no idea how cooped up I’ve been lately! It’s been driving me nuts!"
"During the Starry Sky Cup, I got my ass handed to me by that bunch of freaks who crawled out of who-knows-what-godforsaken corner."
"After I got back, I did some soul-searching and decided to buckle down and work on my weaknesses, especially my Mental Power."
"So what happens? I open up the exchange to take a look, and holy crap!"
"The prices were way too high."
"That’s why we figured we had to get out here, find a high-reward mission, and earn some ’side cash’."
Dragon Jade, his temperament as warm and refined as his name suggested, smiled as he refilled everyone’s mugs with strong liquor. He then turned his gaze to Qin Feng and said slowly, in a consultative tone,
"Before we accept a mission, I think it’s necessary for us to update each other on our current power levels. That will help us more accurately assess a mission’s difficulty."
"I’ll go first."
Dragon Jade spoke first. "After the Starry Sky Cup, I spent some time in secluded cultivation. Currently, my life force index is 16,200. My primary technique, the Fourth-level Sword Technique, *Rock-Shattering Saber*, has also reached the stage of ’Initial Mastery.’"
"Me, 16,100,"
Ning Jing stated concisely. "Killing Technique at Initial Mastery."
"I’m just a tiny bit stronger than you two."
Nissan chuckled, a smug look on his face. "Life force index, 16,500! My Level 4 Axe Technique, *Mountain-Cleaver*, is also at Initial Mastery!"
After he finished, all three of them turned their gazes in unison to Qin Feng.
Qin Feng stated calmly,
"Life force index, eighteen thousand one hundred."
"My Killing Technique is *Heavy Spear*, and I’ve achieved Control."
"..."
At the word "Control," everyone’s breath hitched.
’He’s still the same old freak of nature, reaching the Control Realm so quickly.’
’The Control Realm for a Fourth-level Killing Technique is a whole different concept from the Control Realm of the lower three levels.’
"Alright, now that we’re all clear on each other’s strength, it’s time to get down to business,"
Dragon Jade said. With a thought, a massive holographic screen composed of Spiritual Energy materialized before them.
Displayed on the screen was the mission list.
"With our combined strength, I think we can attempt Warrior Level missions with a recommended life force index of around fifteen thousand."
"The reward is around 400,000 Contribution Points."
As he spoke, Dragon Jade quickly began to filter the list on the screen.
"These missions are extremely difficult and highly dangerous. However, the rewards are equally substantial."
The moment the words left Dragon Jade’s mouth,
a brand-new mission suddenly appeared at the very top of the list, refreshing without any warning. It was marked in scarlet and radiated a sense of urgency and danger!
[Mission Type: Emergency Rescue]
[Mission Level: Warrior Level (Extremely Dangerous)]
[Recommended Life Force Index: 15,000+]
[Objective: Proceed immediately to the K-78 Star Domain and rescue the civilian passenger ship, the *Star of the Milky Way*, which has been hijacked by Interstellar Pirates.]
[Requirement: Arrive at the mission location within one minute.]
[Reward: 400,000 Contribution Points.]
Seeing this newly-refreshed emergency mission, all four of them tensed, their gazes sharpening.
Arrive on the battlefield within one minute!
That meant there was absolutely no time to prepare for this mission!
Upon accepting, they would be thrown immediately onto the most intense and brutal battlefield!
But the reward was just as great!
The private room fell silent once more.
"Let’s do it!"
Nissan was the first to break the silence. He slammed his hand on the table, a blazing battle Intent burning in his eyes!
"Do it."
Ning Jing said, ever concise.
Dragon Jade, however, looked to Qin Feng, a questioning smile on his face.
"I have no problem with it."
Qin Feng gave a calm nod.
"Alright!"
[Mission accepted. Please proceed immediately to the Warband teleportation hall!]