It took the referee a few seconds to process it before running onto the stage to announce the result.
“The match is over!
Giant Strength wins!”
After the result was confirmed, Tie Li walked off the stage.
He went back to the waiting room, grabbed his things from his locker, and went to the front desk to collect his reward.
Earning ten gold coins this easily put him in a great mood.
Returning to his cabin, Tie Li continued his meditation as usual.
When the agreed-upon time arrived, he went to the shop.
The clerk led him into the manager’s office.
Inside, besides the manager, sat another Spirit Master whose spirit power fluctuations felt incredibly robust.
“I’ll skip the pleasantries,” the manager said.
“This is Captain Senluo of the Senluo Spirit Hunting Team.
He can take your mission, but there are some changes.
Captain Senluo, you explain.” The manager gestured for Tie Li to sit across from Senluo.
“I’ve accepted the mission, but I’ll need an extra hundred gold coins.”
Hm?
Tie Li frowned.
The price increase was a bit over his budget.
If it had been fifty, he would have accepted it instantly.
“I can guarantee the Thunder Python we hunt will be over six hundred years old,” Senluo quickly added, noticing Tie Li’s hesitation.
His furrowed brow relaxed.
Tie Li pulled out six hundred gold coins and placed them on the table.
“Captain Senluo, I assume you won’t mind if I take a little bit of the python’s meat when we’re done?”
According to the rules, the beast’s corpse belonged to the hunting team; they were only paid to help you get the ring.
“Of course not.” Seeing Tie Li be so straightforward, Senluo gladly accepted.
He took the coin pouch, counted it to ensure the amount was correct, and then, right in front of Tie Li, handed sixty gold coins to the manager.
Tie Li found this completely normal.
It was a business transaction, and ensuring everyone got paid was the only way to maintain a long-term relationship.
It further solidified his trust in the Senluo Team’s credibility.
“So, Spirit Master Tie Li, when do you plan to head out with us?” “Anytime.” “Great!
My team is on standby right now.
Let’s go!”
The two walked out of the shop.
A small man was waiting outside; he was one of the team members.
“Jisi, go tell the others to gather outside the city gates,” Senluo ordered.
“Yes, Captain!”
Tie Li took the opportunity to observe this four-ring Spirit Ancestor.
His clothes seemed to be made of some tough spirit beast leather.
He was heavily built and over two meters tall.
Standing next to him, Tie Li looked tiny!
Back in the shop, Senluo had detailed his team’s strength.
Besides himself as a Spirit Ancestor, they had two three-ring Spirit Experts and five two-ring Great Spirit Masters.
Among hunting teams, this was an upper-mid-tier roster.
With good teamwork, taking down a six-hundred-year Thunder Python shouldn’t be a big problem.
Moreover, Tie Li acutely picked up on something from their tone.
They definitely knew exactly where a Thunder Python was located; otherwise, how could they guarantee its age?
They had the confidence, which was why they dared to raise the price.
Tie Li and Senluo exited the city gates first.
Before long, the rest of the team arrived.
They wore different clothes, but each had a badge symbolizing the Senluo Spirit Hunting Team on their chest.
“Boss, we’re here!” the small man shouted excitedly.
His spirit power was at the bottom of the team, but he was always enthusiastic about missions.
From their auras, Tie Li could roughly gauge their levels.
The two Spirit Experts were likely the rugged man with a thick beard and the elegantly dressed man in a tuxedo.
The tuxedo was quite worn and full of patches, but he wore a faint smile.
“Excellent.
Let’s move out!”
The Star Dou Great Forest was located south of Dragonking City.
As an experienced team, they had prepared large carriages to transport beast corpses.
The horses pulling the carriages weren’t ordinary; they were Horned Scale Horses, which possessed spirit beast bloodlines and weren’t cheap.
Since the carts were currently empty, the group sat in them and chatted.
Big Beard drove.
The dual horsepower of the Horned Scale Horses was incredibly strong.
A normal carriage might take a whole day to reach the towns near the forest, but they got there in less than half a day.
After stabling the horses in town, Tie Li followed the team into the Star Dou Great Forest.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the primal aura made his skin crawl, and his spirit power circulation naturally sped up.
“Haha, I was exactly the same my first time entering the Star Dou Forest,” Big Beard laughed.
Tie Li offered an awkward smile.
The tension kept him hyper-vigilant, analyzing every shift in his surroundings.
Even though they knew the python’s general location, everyone remained extremely cautious.
This was the Star Dou Great Forest, after all; thousand-year beasts could appear even in the outer regions.
Senluo took out a packet of special powder.
It smelled awful, but he sprinkled it over everyone without hesitation.
“Hehe, don’t underestimate this stuff.
This packet costs several gold coins.
Sprinkle this on, and you don’t have to worry about low-level beasts harassing you.”
Hearing Senluo’s slightly vulgar tone, Tie Li guessed it was likely the dried and powdered feces of a high-level spirit beast.
It indeed warded off many potential dangers.
High-level spirit beasts are treasures from head to toe; even their crap is expensive.
Perhaps nearing the python’s territory, the group slowed down, scanning their surroundings carefully.
The scent of high-level feces keeps low-level beasts away, but bringing that scent into another high-level beast’s territory is an outright provocation.
Right now, the team’s actions were actively provoking the master of this area.
Hiss!
Roar!
Hearing a hiss from deep within the woods, followed by the sound of a massive body crashing through trees, everyone’s expressions changed.
“Spirit Master Tie Li, fall back,” Senluo ordered immediately.
Tie Li knew his limits.
Staying would offer no help and only distract them.
He quickly retreated a hundred meters.
When he turned back, he saw the Thunder Python’s massive frame.
Immediately after, dazzling spirit rings lit up beneath the team members.
Senluo’s martial spirit was the Great Strength Bear.
His already burly frame swelled to nearly three meters.
Brown fur exuded a sense of sheer weight, and one white, two yellow, and one purple ring appeared beneath him.
Next were the two Spirit Experts.
Big Beard’s spirit was the Mammoth, a defense-type spirit, with one white and two yellow rings.
Tuxedo Man’s spirit was a long staff inlaid with three gems matching his ring colors: one white, one yellow, one purple.
The remaining Great Spirit Masters all had standard one-white, one-yellow setups.
Seeing two purple rings shining, Tie Li felt a surge of relief.