"Green Shadow Sanctuary, it looks like it's just a short distance away."
A young man with messy hair and obvious dark circles under his eyes stowed a map and looked up in a certain direction.
Beside him, an Awakener with a large backpack, covered in dust and grime, approached an ancient two-story self-built house. The vines on the walls had been largely pruned, and the large characters painted there were clearly visible.
He read each word aloud:
"We're 1500 meters away from the Green Shadow Sanctuary." Then he turned to the young man with dark circles, "Captain, can't we just look at the signposts instead of the map... I mean, could you please stop leading the way?"
Your lack of direction is well-known to the whole team.
Despite the fact that each of us is among the top peerless Awakeners coming from Jing City to Green Shadow isn't dangerous, we still look battered with leaves and blood stains on our Combat Uniforms, our hair a tangled mess, like a bird's nest.
The dark-circled captain's mouth twitched slightly, and he looked up at the white clouds drifting in the sky, somewhat sheepishly, "...none of you stopped me though."
"Now it's just this last little stretch, we can't possibly go wrong, map or signpost... it's all the same."
The five-person Awakener team finally saw the black tower that represented Green Shadow from afar.
The Awakener with the large backpack gritted his teeth, "Captain, from now on... never mind, we've already arrived at Green Shadow, but on the way back, please don't give any more blind commands."
The team checked their equipment, not heading inside immediately.
The dark-circled captain appeared much more capable when he wasn't reading the map. His gaze swept over his teammates, "From now on, we're just another Awakener team from outside."
Saying this, Wu Mian's expression turned serious as he carefully repressed his aura.
It finally settled at the Fifth Tier.
The others did the same, holding their breath, controlling the fluctuations of their aura until it stabilized.
"Concealing one's aura isn't easy, it's fortunate our Wu Family has mastered the Cultivation Skill."
"Heh, we're among the first in Jing City to have mastered the Cultivation Skill. Those Freelance mercenaries, even if some have decent strength, don't know the Cultivation Skill and are still amateurs. I could take on two of them easily."
"But the Awakeners of Green Shadow seem to have mastered something called 'Combat Skills' for explosive power."
A slow-witted team member blurted out, and in an instant, the team fell silent.
Wu Mian, the team leader with dark circles, coughed dryly, "Anyhow, pretending to be foreign Awakeners might give us the chance to learn these Combat Skills."
"What about that thing the Li Family suggested?"
"If the higher-ups haven't decided yet, then we just need to wait for the right opportunity. If we get the chance to force the issue or discover the Secret Realm that Green Shadow controls, whether we take action first or side with the Li Family is fine, but if not..."
Though the Li Family was an ally, without mutual interests, there's no point in cooperation.
Normal large families don't act as aggressively as the Li Family does.
Wu Mian couldn't be sure if the Li Family had some trump card or other motives.
The Wu Family's disguised Awakener team spent a good half day touring the Sanctuary, not feeling tired at all, just that time had flown too quickly.
They were now sitting in a restaurant, wolfing down their food.
"This Mutant Mantis Shrimp isn't bad, really tasty!"
"The condiments here seem plentiful."
"Mutated Sea Beast and other Mutant Beast meats, there's such a wide variety, we can't find so many delicious ingredients in our Jing... over at our place."
"It's much cheaper too... If I could eat Mutant Beast meat every day, the speed of my Cultivation could at least double."
Mutant Beast meat, rich in nutrition and energy, can improve one's physique and gradually enhance strength when consumed by ordinary people.
They had mastered the Cultivation Skill, allowing them to absorb more energy and improve their Cultivation speed.
In the path to higher levels of life, talent and resources are both indispensable.
"So, Captain, shall we head back to the hotel to Cultivate after this? Let's not waste this feast."
Wu Mian shook his head and lowered his voice, "Have you forgotten our real purpose here?"
The others stiffened and shifted their gazes with a few embarrassed chuckles.
Wu Mian continued, "I've thought about it, and since we don't have a specific task, why don't we join an adventure group? Those people... are said to be registered adventurers, apparently with ranking stars, the higher the stars, the more rune Equipment you can buy, and you might even learn Combat Skills that explode with Qi Blood Power and Source Power."
This would also make it easier to investigate and approach the goal of Green Shadow.
It's easier said than done.
After a hearty meal that left them slightly pained to pay for, the group made its way to the adventurer guild.
The Source Crystal lamps cast a neon glow, adding some brightness to the dark night.
— Prior to their visit, Wu Mian and his team had researched the adventurer guild. To register as adventurers, they only needed to pay a registration fee of one Source Crystal, and creating an adventure group could range from small to large, extra-large. Aside from an extra-large group which required special conditions, they could afford even a large group.
"We don't have much time to waste. Let's join a three-star adventure group and enjoy the three-star benefits immediately..."
Wu Mian spoke as they finished registering and stepped out of the guild, arriving at a small square outside.
Looking around, they could see people shouting and a few fixed awnings, rented by renowned adventure groups for recruiting new members.
He set his sights on one of them, Purple Mountain Adventure Group, a three-star large adventure group.
Wu Mian led the others inside.
An older Awakener, a man in his fifties, sat in the recruitment chair. He looked up, "Would you like to join our Purple Mountain?"