Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Pharmacist Chen nodded slightly, and a soft yet clear voice came from behind the mask: "I will prepare the 'Wind Whisper Grass' potion before it starts tomorrow."

This scent has a special attraction for the Wind Howling Wolf, and at the same time, it can repel other demonic beasts.

Cheng Jin added, "Different monsters have different preferences, and subtle adjustments can often determine success or failure."

On the morning of the second day, in a depression five miles from the camp, Wu Laodao set up the [Mysterious Light Returns to Formation].

Pharmacist Chen stayed behind at the camp, while Chu Xin sprinkled a bottle of pale green potion on her clothes, turned around, and disappeared into the morning mist.

Gao Yuan left the formation and went to meet Chu Xin on the way.

Lin Zhao couldn't help but look at Cheng Jin, his eyes questioning. He had always thought that Cheng Jin was the one who had seduced him.

Cheng Jin smiled awkwardly: "With my limited cultivation, I'm good at reconnaissance, but for something like luring the enemy, Sister Chu has to do it."

Everyone took their positions. Old Wu leisurely stroked his beard, while Li Hao stood like a mountain in the center of the formation, his massive black iron shield gleaming with an earthy yellow halo.

Lin Zhao gripped the Qingfeng sword tightly, and the blade faintly emitted a clear ringing sound.

About fifteen minutes later, the spirit-detecting disc in Cheng Jin's hand suddenly lit up with a blinding red light. "They're here!"

Before the words were finished, a dark green figure swept into the formation like a gust of wind, her robes fluttering and stirring up tiny dewdrops.

It was Chu Xin, her breathing slightly disordered, with Gao Yuan close behind.

More than ten pairs of eerie green eyes loomed in and out of sight from behind, and a foul stench filled the air, making one want to vomit.

"Activate the formation!"

Old Wu's hand gestures changed, and a burst of mysterious light suddenly shone brightly.

The white light curtain, like an inverted giant bowl, trapped the wolf pack, its array patterns emitting a faint humming sound.

Li Hao roared, and the giant black iron shield swelled to three zhang in size, its earth-yellow spiritual light solidifying into a tangible form.

His arms, bulging with muscles, held firmly against the shield, keeping the wolves completely contained.

The wolves bared their teeth and growled, their bodies radiating a faint blue aura.

The wolf's jaws opened wide, and dozens of wind blades roared out.

These wind blades, enhanced by wind spirit energy, are incredibly sharp, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.

"Bang bang bang—"

The wind blades struck the shield repeatedly, causing the blue and yellow spiritual light to collide and dissipate. Li Hao grunted, and the spiritual light on the shield trembled slightly.

Upon seeing this, Wu Laodao immediately changed his hand seals, and the power of the array flowed into Li Hao's body like water, instantly stabilizing the spiritual light on the shield.

Taking advantage of the situation, Gao Yuan wielded his heavy sword, which was wrapped in crimson flames, and with a single strike, a surge of heat erupted.

As the sword flashed, the three-headed demonic wolves were forced back, and the wolf pack's formation immediately broke apart. He successfully separated the wolf pack, relieving some of the pressure on Li Hao.

Chu Xin was indeed a small ice sword, which surprised Lin Zhao, as magical artifacts with ice, wind, and lightning attributes have always been very rare.

The icy blue sword made its move silently, its blade leaving afterimages and spreading a chilling aura. Fine frost condensed wherever it passed, slowing down the wolf pack. Her blue sword light targeted the wolves' vulnerable spots, such as their eyes and throats, and in the blink of an eye, she had killed two wounded demon wolves.

Cheng Jin raised his hand and summoned a large bronze seal. The seal grew larger as it faced the wind and crashed down with immense force.

The two demon wolves couldn't dodge in time and were smashed, their bones broken and tendons snapped, howling incessantly.

Lin Zhao pointed, and the Qingfeng Sword flew out of his hand.

The sword shone with a brilliant blue light, drawing a perfect arc in the air. A beam of blue light precisely pierced the foremost Wind Howling Wolf, which could not dodge in time and fell to the ground howling, blood gushing out.

The battle lasted no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Lin Zhao did not step forward from the rear. He killed three demon wolves with his Qingfeng sword, and his spiritual power was less than 20% depleted.

The faces of Wu Laodao, who was in charge of the formation, and Li Hao, who was in charge of defense, were somewhat pale, having consumed 40% of their spiritual energy.

"Clean up the battlefield." Gao Yuan sheathed his sword, the blade still warm. "Cheng Jin, Lin Zhao, you two are in charge of gathering materials. The rest of you, focus on restoring your energy."

Cheng Jin skillfully skinned the wolf, explaining as his dagger flashed: "Don't be fooled by the wolf demon's large size; the only valuable things are its skin and claws."

Wolf pelts are excellent materials for crafting wind-attribute talismans, especially the Swiftness Talisman, which can increase the success rate by 20%.

The most valuable part of the Wind Howling Wolf is its fur, which can be used to draw wind-attribute talismans. Wolf teeth can be used as materials for refining weapons. Finally, it does not have a demon core. Qi Refining demon beasts have low magic power, and their demon cores will automatically dissipate after death. Only commander-level demon beasts and Foundation Establishment-level demon beasts will have demon cores remaining.

Lin Zhao endured the stench of blood and peeled the skin using Cheng Jin's method.

Warm wolf blood splashed onto the protective aura, creating subtle ripples.

After putting the eighteen wolf pelts into his storage bag, he immediately took out a cleaning talisman. A flash of white light removed the bloodstains, but the stench still lingered.

"You'll get used to it." Cheng Jin patted him on the shoulder.

An hour later, Chu Xin lured back more than twenty demon wolves, three of which were exceptionally strong and had the cultivation level of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

This time, the situation was completely different.

Li Hao's shield light shook violently, and Gao Yuan's heavy sword needed to be charged before it could strike.

Old Wu did his best to maintain the formation, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Everyone took out talismans to enhance themselves, but most of them were low-grade talismans.

Lin Zhao's Qingfeng sword flashed with azure light, its swordplay becoming increasingly fierce. The azure sword light weaved through the wolf pack like a swimming dragon.

He began to learn Chu Xin's tactics and stopped attacking head-on. After all, Lin Zhao had practiced sword techniques, and the Qingfeng Sword was much more powerful than Chu Xin's. He didn't need to look for weaknesses. As long as he seized the opportunity, a sword beam would sweep across and cut a demon wolf in half from its belly!

Chu Xin couldn't help but glance sideways, and the ice-blue sword also sped up a bit.

When the last wolf fell, everyone was panting heavily, having exhausted most of their spiritual energy.

Gao Yuan leaned on his sword, wiping the blood from his face. "Hurry up and clean up; the smell of blood will attract trouble."

As night deepened, the campfire in the center of the camp cast a warm glow in the darkness.

Chu Xin sat alone on a blue stone at the edge of the camp, her ice-blue flying sword lying across her knees, its blade gleaming with a cold light that reflected the three hideous claw marks on her face.

Lin Zhao lifted the tent flap and slowly walked over to sit down beside her.

The dark luster of the Xuanlin robe flowed in the night, contrasting sharply with his handsome face.

"I saw your sword today; its power was immense." Chu Xin gently stroked the flying sword on her lap and spoke first, her voice clear and cold with a hint of envy. "Although my Ice Soul Sword is sharp, I am not an ice spirit root, so I cannot unleash its full power. I can only target vulnerable spots like the throat and eyes, and it's difficult for me to achieve the same imposing force as yours."

Lin Zhao picked out some tips on sword cultivation and shared them with Chu Xin.

She also shared her insights from years of life-or-death battles on how to identify weaknesses in a demon beast's protective aura and how to seize openings in a rapidly changing battle.

As the two were deep in conversation, Gao Yuan emerged from the shadows. He had removed his battle armor and was now dressed only in a dark gray outfit.

He sat down next to Lin Zhao and added a few dry branches to the fire. Sparks immediately flew up, illuminating his angular profile.

"How was your first day hunting monsters with the team?"

"We can adapt." Lin Zhao hesitated for a moment before asking, "But I don't understand why no one used talismans much today, even the second wave only used low-grade talismans."