Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

"Then what should we do?" Jiang Jingxing pressed.

Lin Ran's lips curled up slightly: "Following my plan, we can just have Ji Yang give it an electrotherapy treatment, preventing it from shooting out its thorns. That should solve the problem easily."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yang's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his tone carried a hint of hesitation: "I'm not sure if I can stun a fourth-tier mutated creature."

"It's fourth-tier, and you're also fourth-tier. Theoretically, you should be able to easily suppress it," Lin Ran said seriously.

Jiang Jingxing looked puzzled: "If it doesn't work the first time, won't Ji Yang become a hedgehog?"

"This involves each person's own defense capabilities."

Lin Ran said calmly, "You can't leave all the defense work to Sun Hao. Even if he has an advantage in defense, you must learn to protect yourselves."

"It's true that teamwork is essential, but each individual also needs to pay attention to balanced development. After all, there will always be times when you feel isolated."

Shen Muyi frowned slightly: "But everyone has strengths and weaknesses. How can one person possibly take care of everything?"

"There's no need to consider everything," Lin Ran shook his head.

"A fire-type awakener like Jiang Jingxing is all about output, so it's impossible to expect him to have the same defensive capabilities as Sun Hao. But don't forget about the nano armor he's wearing."

"As long as you avoid vital points, and with the protection of your armor, the fourth-tier mutated creatures will basically not cause you fatal damage."

He paused, then continued.

"This level of combat is the perfect time for you to hone your skills. When you need to face higher-level mutated creatures in the future, the effectiveness of the nanotech armor will be greatly reduced."

"If you don't have enough combat experience, you'll probably be killed by the mutated creatures in one fell swoop."

The more they listened, the more they found it reasonable, and they couldn't help but respond in unison, "Thank you for your guidance, Consultant Lin."

In the subsequent exploration, everyone began to try to fight independently without leaving the team.

All of them were top students from a prestigious martial arts academy, with exceptional learning abilities and rapid adaptation skills.

They subsequently encountered several waves of low-level mutated beasts, and in each battle, the group deliberately adjusted their tactics.

They no longer relied solely on Sun Hao's defensive backup; instead, they used their armor to protect themselves and actively sought opportunities to attack.

After several encounters, the group basically mastered the trick of maximizing output with minimal cost.

The team's overall combat strength has steadily improved. After just a few hours of actual combat, they have developed the demeanor of seasoned investigators.

The violent spiritual energy deep within the secret realm grew increasingly intense, and the path, strewn with rubble, became increasingly difficult to traverse.

The intense exploration and combat that lasted for several hours left the group exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Lin Ran raised his hand to signal a halt, and called out, "Rest on the spot and recover your spiritual energy."

Everyone stopped and chose a relatively flat and clean open space to sit down and rest.

The group took off their backpacks and took out compressed biscuits and high-concentration energy bars to replenish their energy.

Jiang Jingxing caught a glimpse of Lin Ran sitting quietly to the side, without taking out any food supplies.

He held out a compressed biscuit, offering it to Lin with enthusiasm: "Advisor Lin, would you like some?"

"No need, you guys eat, I'll go take a look around." Lin Ran waved his hand and looked around.

Currently, this secret realm has only revealed traces of fourth-order mutated creatures, but that does not mean that the entire secret realm only contains fourth-order mutated creatures.

Perhaps, even more powerful beasts lurk in the deeper areas.

If he stays with the team the whole time, it will limit his opportunities to make moves.

While everyone rests, it's a good opportunity to explore the depths of the secret realm and find out the distribution of the strange beasts in the entire area.

With a light tap of his foot, he leaped into the air, transforming into a blur as he sped away into the distance of the secret realm.

All six of them looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with longing.

Jiang Jingxing munched on a compressed biscuit, murmuring softly.

"I will also cultivate diligently, striving to break through to the extraordinary realm as soon as possible, and experience the feeling of flight!"

Chen Yue smiled slightly: "The flight speed of a Transcendent Realm cultivator is nowhere near that of Consultant Lin."

"As long as it can fly!" Jiang Jingxing said lightly, burying his head in his biscuit.

Lin Ran soared through the air, traversing the dimly lit secret forest, swiftly covering an area of ​​several kilometers.

Wild grass and miscellaneous trees grew along the way, and abandoned broken stones could be seen everywhere, creating a layered atmosphere of wilderness.

As we walked into a secluded mountain valley, a bright color suddenly came into view.

In the center of the valley stands a kiwi tree, growing luxuriantly and standing out prominently.

The fruit tree is about two zhang tall, with a hard, bluish-gray trunk, bright red leaves like flames, and dozens of fiery red exotic fruits hanging from its branches.

The fruit resembles an apricot but is not; its aroma is sweet and rich, with a subtle, ethereal fragrance that is refreshing and delightful.

Lin Ran slowly lowered his body and raised his hand to pick the spiritual fruit from the branch.

Just as their fingertips were about to touch the fruit, the ground suddenly exploded.

Several thick, bluish-gray vines burst from the ground, making a whooshing sound as they swiftly coiled towards his body.

Lin Ran retreated swiftly, using his toes to gain leverage, and his body levitated several meters backward.

The Jinghong Sword was drawn instantly, its cold light sharp and fierce. The sword light swept across, severing all the attacking vines.

"Good heavens, this tree has come to life!"

The languid voice of the Lord of Xuan Chen echoed in his mind: "Animals can mutate, so naturally plants can mutate as well."

Lin Ran flipped his wrist, the sword tip dropped, and he carefully examined the mutated fruit tree in front of him.

"Judging by this aura, this guy must be at least a sixth-tier cultivator, right?"

"Reaching the sixth rank for mutated plants is much more difficult than for mutated animals," Lord Xuanchen teased. "You've always had good luck."

"Hehe, then I have to get it!"

Lin Ran channeled his spiritual power into the longsword in his hand and unleashed a giant sword technique.

The crimson-gold sword light suddenly surged several meters, its overwhelming power slashing down towards the treetops.

Swish!

The fruit tree instantly sensed a deadly threat, and the entire tree shook and trembled violently.

The crimson fruits on the branches fell one after another, like raindrops falling to the ground.

The next second, a dense green light burst forth from the roots of the fruit tree, and the root system completely contracted.

The massive tree trunk quickly disappeared into the ground, transforming into a streak of light as it fled deeper into the secret realm.

"Good heavens, no wonder it's a plant that's become sentient; it even knows how to stall for time. But you've met your nemesis today!"

Lin Ran chuckled, raised his hand and waved his spiritual power, collecting all the crimson spiritual fruits scattered on the ground into the Nine Heavens Pendant.

He then activated the Earth Escape Technique, his body instantly disappearing into the soil, and chased after the fleeing scent of the fruit tree.

At the same time, a crisis suddenly struck the woodland where the team was resting.

"Awoo!"

A loud and majestic wolf howl pierced through the forest, shattering the tranquility of the entire area.

Sun Hao stood up instantly, earth-elemental spiritual energy flowing around his body, his expression tense.

Something's up!

A dozen or so gray figures slowly emerged from the dense forest, their steps steady and their aura fierce.

More than twenty Riftwind Wolves surrounded the six-person team, trapping them in the center of the open space and blocking all escape routes.

At the forefront of the wolf pack, a giant wolf, far exceeding the size of ordinary beasts, slowly stepped forward.

This is a fourth-tier Gale Wolf King, more than twice the size of an ordinary Gale Wolf.

His gray-green pupils were cold and sharp as they slowly scanned the six people in the room, revealing extreme ferocity.

"Attention everyone!" Sun Hao shouted in a deep voice, his petrified skin instantly covering his entire body, positioned at the very front.

The wolf king raised its head and howled again, its piercing howl echoing through the forest.

All the Rending Wolves simultaneously lunged forward, their claws slicing through the air, the wind whistling, and the battle began.

Sun Hao held firm at the front, enduring the successive attacks of several giant wolves.

The hard rock armor cracked and crumbled under the relentless tearing of the sharp claws, with layers of stone chips falling off.

"Maintain formation, don't panic!"

Chen Yue focused her mind and energy, spreading her mental energy throughout the entire area, constantly disrupting the wolf king's attack rhythm and preventing it from fully commanding the wolf pack.