After everyone dispersed, Ji Xinghuo didn’t go home, but made a trip to the Sword Bureau base. When he returned late at night, the Purple Lightning Sword that had always been with him was nowhere to be seen.
Just after dawn, Ji Xinghuo received a message from Yuan Chongzhen. He had already returned from the Star Realm, agreed to join the team, and was ready to depart at any time.
Ji Xinghuo brought the entire team into a group chat, announcing the assembly time and location.
Ji Xinghuo donned the Composite Cerasteel Armor he hadn’t worn in a long time, Demon Sound and Lei Chi strapped side by side on his back, along with Invisible Stab, a quiver, a "nail head hammer" and ammo chain hidden at his waist, and carrying the Sky Fury Green Blood Spear, he took a taxi to a small takeoff and landing pad not far from home and entered the waiting room.
He spotted Lu Yunhai at a glance.
"Xing..." Lu Yunhai got up and waved, cutting himself off halfway, "Over here!"
Ji Xinghuo walked over and smiled, "Arrived so early?"
"It’s my first hunt, and I’m a bit nervous. I feared being late, so I set out two hours early," Lu Yunhai explained.
He was dressed similarly to Ji Xinghuo.
A suit of light yet tough Composite Cerasteel Armor, a Composite Bow strapped to his back, and two knives of different lengths hanging at his waist, one a War Blade, the other a survival knife for the wilderness.
What drew the most attention was the War Pet beside him, resembling both wolf and dog but much larger than any common wolf-dog. It crouched on the ground, its head as high as an adult’s shoulders, its body muscular and solid, fur thick and mottled with black and brown, canines large and sharp, its gaze penetrating, nostrils flickering occasionally.
This was a War Hound from ancient times.
Ji Xinghuo observed it for a moment and nodded to himself.
The War Pet’s strength was formidable, possessing a variety of abilities, and was considered top-notch even among Elite monsters.
On Earth, there were no pet companies yet that mastered the artificial breeding of such hounds; they were all captured in the Star Realm and then spent years being tamed.
Such an Elite War Pet was priced at about five million Ya Yuan.
Ji Xinghuo nodded, "Your girlfriend’s family is generous, buying you such a fine War Pet."
"It’s actually thanks to your influence," Lu Yunhai shook his head, "If I weren’t your good friend, Silver Screen’s parents wouldn’t invest so much, no matter how fond they were of me."
In some ways, he was now backed by a wealthy lady.
"As long as you can improve your strength, that’s what matters. Don’t overthink the rest," Ji Xinghuo certainly wouldn’t think less of his friend because of this.
Lu Yunhai smiled and said, "I understand."
Then he asked quietly, "Who are the teammates you’ve gathered? I see they’re not using their real names in the group, and I didn’t dare to ask more."
Ji Xinghuo was about to answer when several people came in from outside.
The teammates had arrived one after another.
Each was fully armed, with only Yuan Chongzhen still in his usual attire—tall and thin, just clad in sturdy combat clothes.
He was a Half-orc who relied on transforming into monsters for combat, independent of weapons and equipment.
"Old Yuan." Ji Xinghuo went up to embrace Yuan Chongzhen and patted his back firmly.
Old friends meeting, they were exceptionally happy.
Yuan Chongzhen looked at Ji Xinghuo with a somewhat excited expression and loudly said, "You’ve had an exciting couple of months. I’ve been scrolling through my phone since morning, just reading your news. I only stopped to realize I missed so much happening here while I was in the Star Realm."
"Haha, you really missed a lot," Jing Ji, who was next to them, patted his shoulder.
Ji Xinghuo was about to speak when Chi Zhonglin rushed to the front, his eyes locked on the long spear in Ji Xinghuo’s hand, eagerly exclaiming, "Sky Fury Green Blood Spear!"
All eyes were drawn to it.
A Superpower Three Stars weapon, worth hundreds of millions and listed on the weaponry charts—such items were a rare sight.
Ji Xinghuo tossed the long spear over, and Chi Zhonglin, catching it, held onto it, feeling its heft and soon became enamored with it.
"Is everyone here?" a voice came through.
Zhuo Ligetu rode in on a huge black bear through the main entrance, immediately drawing curious looks from the surrounding people, someone exclaimed, "Fierce Battle Bear!"
The bear, standing on all fours, was close to two meters tall, with a body length of about four meters, covered in specially made metal armor, its claws over twenty centimeters long, weighing at least two tons, heavy yet agile, its fierce and frenzied aura hitting everyone in the face.
Zhuo Ligetu jumped down from the bear’s back with a thud.
That day he wore a set of silver-gray armor, simply designed but extremely hefty, wrapping himself up like an iron can. He had a massive Round Shield on his back and a Morning Star Mace. The metallic sound rang out as the armor moved and collided.
This outfit was a center of attention anywhere and was complemented by a combat mount.
Everyone was looking at him.
"Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?" Chi Zhonglin walked around Zhuo Ligetu, marvelling.
The precursor to the Battle Priest was the White Knight.
In their adventures in the Star Realm, most White Knights would wear armor for protection, but heavily armored ones like Zhuo Ligetu were rare.
"Heh, I’m quite afraid of dying, and I’m not lacking in strength, so I chose to wear something thicker," Zhuo Ligetu responded, hugging his helmeted head, then pointed to the Fierce Battle Bear beside him, "This is my War Pet ’Bartel,’ we’ve been together for several years."
"Since everyone is here, let’s head out," Ji Xinghuo announced, "Follow me."
There were too many onlookers around, so staying longer wasn’t advisable.
The group followed Ji Xinghuo into an indoor boarding terminal and upon seeing a Sky Fighter parked in the middle, they all showed surprised expressions.