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

Everyone stopped abruptly, their expressions hardening, and they all turned to look at the depths of the dense forest from which the sound came.

A massive black figure burst through the dense forest barrier and charged out.

It was an extremely large and robust black-armored bear, its entire body covered with thick, hard, dark scales.

Its body was as majestic as a mountain, its limbs were strong and powerful, and its footsteps kicked up dust and gravel.

Beneath its jet-black fur, muscles bulged and knotted; atop its ferocious bear head, a pair of bloodthirsty, beastly eyes gleamed red, exuding an overwhelming ferocity.

The six people instantly tensed up, their spiritual energy flowing through their bodies, and they immediately entered combat mode.

"It's a fifth-tier Xuanjia Bear!" Chen Yue exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly, "Would you like to give it a try?"

The six people quickly exchanged glances, their gazes resolute.

Sun Hao took a step forward and replied in a deep voice, "Leave it to us!"

"Alright, then you guys be careful." Lin Ran put his hands in his pockets, his tone relaxed.

Jiang Jingxing grinned: "Don't worry, Consultant Lin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the six people quickly dispersed and skillfully formed an encirclement formation that combined offense and defense.

Sun Hao stood at the forefront, unleashing all his petrifying spiritual power, his entire body covered in stone armor, ready for battle.

Roar!

The fifth-tier Xuanjia Bear roared, its massive body suddenly accelerating as it charged straight at the target.

Bang!

The giant bear's heavy paw, carrying immense force, slammed into Sun Hao's rock-armored chest.

The terrifying force exploded instantly, cracking the hard rock armor inch by inch, and sending fragments of rock flying everywhere.

Sun Hao was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.

"roar!"

The Xuanjia Bear pressed its advantage, its powerful limbs pushing off the ground as it was about to crush the fallen Sun Hao.

In the critical moment, Ji Yang flashed, and lightning surged wildly in his palm.

Crack!

A blinding flash of lightning ripped through the air, and a precise arc of lightning struck the Xuanjia Bear's right eye in an instant.

A sharp pain swept through its entire body, and the Xuanjia Bear's massive body suddenly stopped, tilting its head back and letting out a painful roar.

"roar!"

A furious scream echoed through the forest, halting the bear's attack.

The tense situation on the field suddenly eased, and everyone felt a little relieved.

Before the giant bear could regain its footing, the other five immediately launched their attack in unison.

Chen Yue spread her mental energy, locking down the Xuanjia Bear's mind and interfering with its judgment and actions.

The Xuanjia Bear's massive body swayed repeatedly, and its movements became slow and stiff.

Jiang Jingxing unleashed a wall of fire, and Shen Muye, using the firelight as cover, circled around to the back of the giant bear and thrust his knife at it.

Roar!

The giant bear, in pain, turned and slapped Shen Muye.

Fortunately, Shen Muyi was agile and dodged the attack.

Su Man rushed to Sun Hao's side, and a pure white light shone down, quickly repairing the turbulent blood and qi within his body and the injuries on his body.

A moment later, Sun Hao gritted his teeth, propped himself up, reinforced his rock armor, and once again went to the front line to stabilize the formation.

The physical defense and strength of the fifth-tier beast far exceeded those of the fourth-tier beast, and the group's attacks could only barely cause injuries, unable to quickly break through its defenses.

A long and arduous battle ensued, with the continuous roar of colliding spiritual energies echoing throughout the dense forest.

The raging flames burned relentlessly, lightning struck incessantly, and mental suppression locked down completely.

Each of the six performed their duties, gritting their teeth and persevering, constantly depleting the Xuanjia Bear's physical and spiritual strength.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, all six men were wounded and their clothes were stained with blood.

After a prolonged battle, everyone's spiritual energy was mostly depleted, their breathing was heavy and rapid, and their physical strength was on the verge of exhaustion.

The Xuanjia Bear was also badly injured, with large areas of its scales shattered, its flesh turned inside out, and it was covered in blood.

His ferocity and ruthlessness diminished significantly, and his movements became increasingly sluggish.

"The skin is too thick; breaking through the scales won't help. We need to adjust our tactics." Chen Yue's gaze was serious.

Shen Muyi frowned slightly: "Find a way to attract its attention and make it talk, then I'll deliver the fatal blow!"

"Too dangerous!" Sun Hao shook his head and refused. "If you can't kill it with one blow, you'll just be walking into its mouth!"

"Don't worry, with Advisor Lin here, nothing will happen." Shen Muye's attitude was firm: "If we don't dare to take action under these circumstances, how will we be able to go on missions independently in the future?"

Jiang Jingxing chimed in, "That makes sense. I'll help you attract his attention!"

After saying that, he threw fireballs one after another, aiming them at the head of the Xuanjia Bear.

Bang bang bang!

Roar!

The Xuanjia Bear, its forehead scorched with several burn marks, roared angrily, its eyes fixed on Jiang Jingxing, and began to pounce and bite repeatedly.

Jiang Jingxing scrambled and stumbled, desperately trying to dodge.

Seeing this, Sun Hao quickly stepped in to help Jiang Jingxing share the burden.

"Let's do it together!" Chen Yue focused intently, channeling her mental power to try and slow down the Xuanjia Bear's movements.

Ji Yang's hand crackled with lightning, constantly disrupting the Xuanjia Bear's vision.

Roar!

The Xuanjia Bear, thoroughly annoyed and extremely irritable, roared repeatedly.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shen Muyi seized the opening and suddenly lunged forward.

He abandoned all defenses, channeled all his spiritual power into his longsword, and soared into the air.

The sharp blade was aimed at the gaping maw of the Xuanjia Bear and thrust out with all its might.

puff!

The sharp blade pierced deep into the beast's throat, precisely destroying its central nervous system.

The Xuanjia Bear's massive body trembled violently twice, and its crimson eyes quickly dimmed.

With a deafening roar, its mountain-like body crashed heavily to the ground, extinguishing all life.

The entire area fell silent instantly, with only the heavy breathing of the crowd echoing through the woods.

The six of them collapsed to the spot, completely exhausted, but they could not hide the excitement and sense of accomplishment in their eyes.

Lin Ran slowly walked out from the side, flicked his fingertips, and six bright red fruits, full of spiritual energy, fell precisely into the hands of the group.

"You did a good job, consider this a reward."

Su Man stared at the plump, crimson spirit fruit in her palm, her eyes wide with astonishment: "This is a Vermilion Fruit?"

"Probably not?" Lin Ran glanced down at the spirit fruit, his tone casual.

"It is said that the Vermilion Fruit only bears a few fruits at a time, but this mutated fruit tree has grown dozens of fruits."

The voice of the Lord of Xuan Chen resounded in Lin Ran's sea of ​​consciousness: "It's probably because after that fruit tree became a spirit, no other mutated creature could eat its fruit."

"That makes sense!" Lin Ran agreed.

Su Man gently stroked the surface of the spirit fruit, her tone certain: "There's no mistake, this appearance is exactly the same as the Vermilion Fruit described in the records!"

"How could we possibly accept such a precious spiritual fruit?" Sun Hao said, holding the vermilion fruit with a slightly reserved air.

Lin Ran remained calm and said in a relaxed tone, "It doesn't matter, I still have some."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, took out a similar vermilion fruit, and casually took a bite.

The sweet fruit pulp enters the throat, and pure spiritual energy instantly spreads throughout the body, resulting in an extremely casual and natural posture.

Seeing this, Su Man quickly reminded her, "Isn't it a bit wasteful to eat it like this?"

"Otherwise what?" Lin Ran raised an eyebrow and asked.

Su Man explained earnestly, "If it's made into a medicine and purified, the body's absorption should be even better."

"Do whatever you want, it's all the same to me." Lin Ran shrugged and finished his meal in a few bites.

Jiang Jingxing couldn't contain himself any longer, looking at the vermilion fruit in his hand with expectant eyes: "I think it looks delicious, why don't I try it first?"

"It's really quite delicious, very juicy, and the sweetness is just right," Lin Ran commented earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jingxing no longer hesitated, took a big bite of the vermilion fruit, and quickly chewed and swallowed it.

The moment the fruit entered the stomach, a vast and pure spiritual energy instantly swept through the limbs and bones.

His eyes suddenly lit up, his face full of surprise.

"Such pure spiritual energy!"

After eating the entire Vermilion Fruit in a few bites, Jiang Jingxing felt all his fatigue vanish, and his body felt light and refreshed.

I felt refreshed and my energy level instantly improved.

However, a few breaths later, his expression suddenly changed, and fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

A sudden surge of heat rose within his body, and violent spiritual energy rampaged through his meridians.

"Oh no, this thing has too much spiritual energy; I can't handle it!"

He immediately sat cross-legged, formed a basic guiding spell with his hands, and focused all his efforts on channeling the chaotic spiritual energy within his body.

Large beads of sweat dripped continuously from his forehead, his face flushed, and he looked slightly pained.

The violent spiritual energy surged and collided in the meridians, and ordinary guiding techniques could not digest it quickly enough.