"Observe carefully, find its weakness," a telepathic message echoed in Ran Shuang's mind. It was Captain Bai!
Ran Shuang immediately began observing the Bone Gnawing Wolf, its tough fur, sharp teeth and claws...
"Clang—!" Ran Shuang trembled, parrying attacks while searching for its weakness.
After another sweeping kick, Ran Shuang rejoiced. She found it!
She saw the Bone Gnawing Wolf slightly curl its body, its paws seeming to shield its soft abdomen.
It's the abdomen! Ran Shuang gripped her sword and charged at it.
With a spin, she forcefully thrust her sword into the Bone Gnawing Wolf's abdomen.
The Bone Gnawing Wolf let out a mournful cry and then crashed heavily to the ground.
"I succeeded!" Ran Shuang looked at the fallen spirit beast in front of her, in disbelief.
She had actually killed a mid-tier spirit beast, the Bone Gnawing Wolf!
Bai Ran walked out, a smile on her face, "Your observation skills are excellent."
"It's all thanks to Captain Bai's guidance," Ran Shuang looked at her, the last shred of her defiance vanishing without a trace.
"If you're lucky, this spirit beast might have a beast core inside," Bai Ran glanced at the corpse on the ground.
Ran Shuang was stunned and immediately ran to the Bone Gnawing Wolf's side, cutting open its abdomen.
"It really has one! That's wonderful!" A bright beast core lay quietly within the Bone Gnawing Wolf's belly.
She carefully collected the beast core and leaped onto a tree, waiting for the next profound beast to appear.
An hour later, as night fell, the disciples returned to the shore.
Everyone in the group had hunted profound beasts and had a bountiful harvest.
"We have food!" Ma Huai exclaimed excitedly.
Sun Jianning also laughed, "Not only that, but we've also collected some beast cores."
He then produced two beast cores, "I encountered a low-tier spirit beast and got lucky, obtaining two beast cores."
Seeing this, several disciples also took out their spoils.
"I have one!"
"I got three!"
In total, the nine disciples harvested seven spirit beast cores.
"It's getting late, let's find a place to stay," Bai Ran surveyed everyone.
Ran Shuang walked at the forefront of the group, with Bai Ran following at the rear. The group arrived at a clearing.
"Here it is," Ran Shuang stopped, looking back at Bai Ran. She had habitually sought the Captain's opinion.
Seeing Bai Ran nod, the disciples finally sat down.
Wen Hongyi gathered some dry branches, and with a flick of Bai Ran's hand, Vermillion Bird Divine Fire landed on the branches, igniting them.
The flames brought light and warmth, dispelling the darkness of the night.
"I didn't expect the nights here to be so cold," Ma Huai stretched his hands towards the fire.
"Yes, it's much colder than the nights at Que Tian Sect. The water on the ground has frozen," Sun Jianning shivered.
"Are you hungry?" Bai Ran asked with a smile.
"Starving! We're starving!"
"Let's eat roasted meat! Roasted meat!"
The disciples' eyes lit up, and their stomachs began to rumble.
"Sizzle—" The fragrant profound beast meat sizzled in the firelight, whetting the disciples' appetites.
"It smells so good."
"I'll roast some too."
Bai Ran increased the intensity of the flames, making it easier for the disciples to roast their meat.
"Hoo—hoo—" Ran Shuang blew on the hot meat and took a bite.
"This is delicious!" Her expression was delighted, "We didn't even use any seasoning!"
"Food after hard work is the most delicious," Bai Ran picked up a skewer of roasted meat and took a bite.
"It's really delicious!" The disciples ate heartily, their laughter filling the quiet night.
After a tiring day, this moment of leisure was their most blissful time.
"We have three plans for tomorrow," Bai Ran said after the disciples had eaten their fill. "First, collect enough spirit beast cores to complete the S-rank mission."
"Second, search for traces of the ten-thousand-year python."
The disciples listened quietly.
"Third, specialized strength training."
"Specialized strength training? What is specialized strength training?" Ma Huai asked curiously.
"Is the lake water cold?" Bai Ran smiled.
Ma Huai nodded innocently, "It's cold. Even during the day, it's bone-chilling."
"Tomorrow, you will all immerse yourselves in the lake water for at least one hour," Bai Ran said. The disciples' eyes widened.
"What! An hour in the water!"
"The lake water is so cold, we'll freeze to death..."
"Captain Bai, why do we need to immerse ourselves in the lake?" Ran Shuang looked at her.
Bai Ran took out a bottle, "I will add Cleansing Marrow Washing Spirit Spring water to the lake. The longer you endure, the more impurities you will remove from your bodies."
"Of course, I will also join you in the lake."
Upon hearing this, the disciples were stirred.
"It's Cleansing Marrow Washing Spirit Spring water!"
"My goodness, Captain Bai really has everything!"
Ran Shuang's eyes were filled with disbelief. Cleansing Marrow Washing Spirit Spring water was extremely rare in the market; a single drop was worth a fortune.
Yet, Captain Bai had brought out a large bottle without batting an eye!
She stood up and bowed to Bai Ran, "Captain Bai, thank you."
Seeing this, the disciples also stood up in unison and bowed to Bai Ran.
They knew very well that even if it were an order from the Sect Master, Captain Bai was not obligated to produce these items.
Bai Ran looked at them, "Sit down. If you want to thank me, then win first place in the sect ranking competition."
Ran Shuang's eyes were firm, "We definitely will!"
"First place will definitely belong to Que Tian Sect!"
"That's right!"
Bai Ran looked at the disciples before her and smiled, "You've eaten and drunk your fill, now it's time to cultivate."
"Yes!" came a loud and unified response.
The disciples meditated, beginning to digest the combat experience from the day.
Bai Ran set up a Spirit Gathering Formation and then leaned against a tree to cultivate.
Under the effect of the Spirit Gathering Formation, the spiritual energy in the air began to flow slowly into the formation...
...
After some time, everyone's strength had improved, and even disciples who had reached their bottleneck advanced a level.
The stars twinkled in the dark night sky, and the moon hid behind the clouds, unwilling to disturb the peaceful dreams of everyone...
Time flew by. The sun climbed over the eastern slope of the mountain, illuminating the land.
The disciples were all radiant and full of spirit.
"Hunt as you did yesterday. Gather by the lake in one hour," Bai Ran said, standing.
"Yes!" The disciples scattered, beginning their second day of hunting.
Ten beast cores were quickly collected. Happily, under Bai Ran's guidance, no one was defeated, whether against mid-tier or high-tier spirit beasts.
The disciples stood by the lake, awaiting Bai Ran's command.
"The first S-rank mission, collecting ten spirit beast cores, is complete. Next is the objective of the second mission, the ten-thousand-year python."
Sun Jianning spoke up, "I've heard that the ten-thousand-year python resides in caves and is only active at night."
Bai Ran nodded, "In the forest, there is only a rocky mountain."