Nangong Cheng was taken aback for a moment. Since everyone was using their real faces, he recognized the other person at a glance. It was one of the people who had signed the contract alongside him.
"We do seem to run into each other. But how come you’re not being chased by Martial Artists this time?" Zhang Deming teased.
"Er... well, haha... You’re quite the comedian, Summoning Spirit!" Tong Hou said with a hollow laugh.
Zhang Deming shook his head and didn’t continue the banter. Just then, their time was up.
All five of them froze as a book, visible only to its owner, materialized before each of them.
"Mission initiated. This mission has been accepted by a party of five. As all members are Yellow-Level One-Star, the party will be sorted by Contribution Points."
"As only ’Summoning Spirit’ has five Contribution Points and there are no ties, he is designated as team captain by default."
At the same time, a map appeared within the mission details.
The five of them fell silent as they read the information, then turned to look at Zhang Deming in unison.
Zhang Deming spoke up. "Alright, I’ll start. On this trip into the mountains, besides the Alliance mission, I also need to search for a location with specific materials."
As he spoke, Zhang Deming took out the palm-sized book, which projected a map as a Light Screen.
Zhang Deming made a few adjustments on the map before showing it to the others. Pointing to two markers, he said, "This is our mission objective. And this... this is the material site I need to visit. The material site is on the way and we’ll reach it before the objective, so I plan for us to go there first. Any objections?"
Li Shifan was the first to speak. "That site is my destination as well, so I’m in favor."
Feng Mingyou shook his head. "I have no objections. It’s all part of the same trip, so I’m fine with it."
Nangong Cheng frowned slightly. "A material site? How will we divide the spoils?"
Zhang Deming paused for a moment before replying, "The Sword Spirit Ore is already spoken for. Anything else we find will be divided among the team."
Hearing this, Nangong Cheng nodded. "I have no problem with that."
Seeing this, Tong Hou nodded as well. "I don’t have a problem either, but if we find any materials related to the Yin Yang Chess Dao, I’ll need to have priority."
At this, Zhang Deming looked at Li Shifan. "If we find Sword Spirit Ore, you’ll compensate the rest of us with Spirit Stones at market price."
Li Shifan was taken aback. His lips moved slightly, but he ultimately said nothing. He glanced at Zhang Deming and nodded.
"In that case, let’s get moving," Zhang Deming announced.
With that said, Light Wings materialized at Zhang Deming’s heels, and he shot forward.
Li Shifan used Sword Step, his aura coiling around the long sword in his hand. He looked as if he might take flight at any moment.
His Sword Control Skill, which he had already developed to Tier Three, allowed his speed to gradually increase until he was not only keeping up but also looked poised to pull ahead.
Peculiar lines appeared beneath Tong Hou’s feet, and he glided forward along them.
Nangong Cheng moved with the same ease as Zhang Deming. A transparent lotus bloomed beneath his feet, carrying him a great distance with each step.
Of the five, the most ordinary and the one having the most difficulty was Feng Mingyou. Spirit Wind swirled at his feet as he used his Entry-Level Proficient Agility Skill, straining with all his might to keep up with the others.
After traveling some distance, Zhang Deming noticed that Feng Mingyou’s forehead was already beaded with sweat, while the other three still looked as if they were on a leisurely stroll.
Shaking his head, he spoke: "You shall match my speed."
The Light Wings at Zhang Deming’s heels shimmered and split from one pair into two. One of these pairs flew off and attached itself to Feng Mingyou’s heels.
Feng Mingyou felt his whole body lighten as his speed instantly increased. He said, a little embarrassed, "Thank you, Senior."
"It’s nothing," Zhang Deming replied. "It was no trouble. After all, we’re from the same sect."
Among the five, the others all knew Zhang Deming could use the Word Spirit Technique, so they weren’t the least bit surprised.
Nangong Cheng, however, was taken aback and gave Zhang Deming a thoughtful look.
’Earlier in the forest, he’d heard Feng Mingyou call Zhang Deming "Master Zhang." Now, he had also used the Word Spirit Technique and had Contribution Points.’
’He now had a fairly good guess about the identity of their captain, "Summoning Spirit." He was most likely from the Zhang Family—one of Zhang Wu’s people.’
After Zhang Deming’s intervention, the group’s speed increased significantly, and they pressed forward rapidly.
Zhang Deming took the lead, Spiritual Light flickering in his eyes as he continuously scouted ahead with his Tier Three Spiritual Eye Technique.
Due to the recent chaos in the Cyan Wood Secret Realm, Demon Beasts had become extremely scarce in the outer regions of the Hengduan Mountain Range that fell under the Celestial Spirit Sect’s domain.
With Zhang Deming scouting ahead, the group made rapid progress, moving at nearly full speed.
After traveling for several hours, the group was on the verge of entering the danger zone. In the past, this would have been considered quite deep into the mountains.
Zhang Deming glanced back. Aside from himself and Nangong Cheng, the other three had consumed a significant amount of Spiritual Power, and that included Feng Mingyou, whom he was assisting.
After all, Zhang Deming had only applied a status buff; Feng Mingyou still had to provide the Spiritual Power needed for the acceleration.
Zhang Deming chose a massive, ancient tree and came to a halt. "We’re about to enter the danger zone," he said. "Let’s stop and recover for a bit. We need to stay in peak condition here in the Hengduan Mountain Range."
At his words, Feng Mingyou let out a long sigh of relief. Li Shifan and Tong Hou also immediately began to restore their Spiritual Power.
Zhang Deming kept his Spiritual Eye active, observing their surroundings.
Seeing that Zhang Deming wasn’t meditating to recover, Nangong Cheng gave him a thoughtful look, then began observing the surroundings as well.
’With his Cultivation at the Duality Third Transition, he could easily travel at this pace while simultaneously circulating his Cultivation Technique, resulting in virtually no energy consumption.’
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