Battle Through The Heavens : I Am The Thunder Emperor

Chapter 65: Ruthless Methods

The next morning, the sun slowly rose in the east.

As the morning light streamed into the room, the young man opened his eyes right on time. After spending time in the wild, he had adjusted his internal clock perfectly. The remnants of magic cores on the floor suggested that the youth had stayed awake all night.

Yet, despite that, an energetic vitality radiated from his body.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Mo Yu formed a seal with his hands and closed his eyes again. Morning was the best time for cultivating Dou Qi. Furthermore, last night, he had used his Profound Thunder to devour the last three second-tier magic cores he had brought from Wu Tan City. While the effects weren't as remarkable as before, his Dou Qi still showed considerable progress.

As Mo Yu's breathing became steady, the surrounding space began to ripple like water, with strands of Dou Qi seeping out of the atmosphere. After absorbing the energy feedback from the Vermilion Bird Burning Sky Thunder the previous night, Mo Yu's body acted like a sponge, drawing in Dou Qi with each breath. This energy was refined through his cultivation technique and stored within the small vortex of Dou Qi inside him.

The cultivation continued for nearly an hour. When the sun finally bathed the room in bright light, Mo Yu gradually ended his practice. The hand seals dispersed, and he exhaled a long, heavy breath of turbid air.

As his eyelids opened, a faint silver light flashed in his dark eyes before disappearing deep within.

"The second-tier magic cores really don't have the same effect anymore. But even so, with half a month of training, I should be able to reach the eight-star Dou Practitioner level," Mo Yu murmured as he stretched, feeling the crackling of his joints.

"Today, I'll be entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range," he thought with a slight smile.

Leaping down from the bed, Mo Yu quickly washed up and gathered his belongings. Although he appeared calm, he was fully aware of the dangers lurking in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The area was infested with magical beasts, making it highly dangerous for solo travelers. Most mercenaries entering the mountain either possessed exceptional skills or traveled in groups.

With his current strength, Mo Yu could handle a second-tier magical beast, but he knew he had to remain cautious.

At the town gate, a crowd of mercenaries had already gathered, shouting and calling out to lone mercenaries interested in joining a group for the journey into the mountains. According to Mo Yu's knowledge, mercenaries weren't common across the Dou Qi continent. They were only found near areas like the Magical Beast Mountain Range. In Central Plains, the strength of magical beasts was so fearsome that even super-powerful beast clans existed, making mercenaries irrelevant there.

Mercenaries generally fell into three categories: the first being well-organized groups, the second being temporary alliances, and the third being lone wolves. The mercenaries shouting at the town gate belonged to the second group.

Standing in a corner, Mo Yu didn't rush to join any group. Although joining a mercenary team seemed like a good option for someone unfamiliar with the area, he appeared to be waiting for something.

Sure enough, a shout from the crowd brought a smile to Mo Yu's face.

"The Ten Thousand Medicines House is heading into the Magical Beast Mountain Range for herb gathering, and the Little Doctor Fairy will be joining! There are only 50 spots, and participants must be at least a two-star Dou Practitioner! Hurry up!"

The loud announcement silenced the bustling town gate for a moment. After a brief pause, mercenaries who met the requirements scrambled toward the middle-aged man wearing the uniform of the Ten Thousand Medicines House.

Mo Yu chuckled. As someone familiar with the plot, he knew how Xiao Yan and the Little Doctor Fairy's fateful encounter unfolded. Therefore, he wasn't in a hurry. He merely needed to follow the course of events. Mo Yu wasn't particularly interested in the Little Doctor Fairy herself. He didn't have any strange hobby of collecting beautiful women. What piqued his interest was her Terrifying Poison Body. For one, he also possessed a unique constitution now, and two, the poison she could produce might be of significant use to him.

Lost in thought, Mo Yu noticed that the 50 available spots were quickly being snatched up. Seeing this, he quietly summoned the Vermilion Bird Burning Sky Thunder and discreetly pointed at the crowd. A small surge of electricity passed from person to person, causing a brief paralysis among them. Taking advantage of this moment, Mo Yu slipped to the front of the line.

"There's only one spot left!" the middle-aged man cheerfully announced, holding up a scroll.

"That spot's mine!" A young voice sounded in front of him.

"Huh?" The middle-aged man was momentarily surprised by the appearance of the handsome youth before him. Smiling, he said, "Young man, the requirement is a minimum of two-star Dou Practitioner."

"Where did this little brat come from? Still wet behind the ears, running around like he owns the place."

"My arm feels kind of numb. Hey, kid, scram before I get mad!"

One of the previously paralyzed mercenaries, now recovered, started cursing at Mo Yu.

Hearing this, Mo Yu frowned, and his silver-white Dou Qi surged rapidly. His right hand shot out, crackling with thunderous energy, and with a swift strike, he hit the loudest mercenary squarely.

Smack!

The impact sent the man flying more than ten meters, blood pouring from his body. His life force faded, leaving him in an unknown state of life or death.

"Is this enough?" Mo Yu said coldly, dusting off his hands as he looked around.

"More than enough, more than enough," the middle-aged man exclaimed, his smile now a bit strained. "That mercenary was named Mo Yan. He broke through to two-star Dou Practitioner just recently, and for you to defeat him in one strike… You must have the strength of a four- or five-star Dou Practitioner."

Mo Yu nodded faintly, neither confirming nor denying the comment.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man didn't press further. Although the boy seemed young and handsome, his ruthless nature when it came to fighting sent a chill down the man's spine.

"Well then, the last spot goes to you," the man said with a smile. "The pay for this job is 500 gold coins for escorting our herb-gathering team to and from the Magical Beast Mountain Range. You'll receive half upfront, and the other half upon our return."

"Understood," Mo Yu replied indifferently, not particularly concerned about the gold.

As the surrounding mercenaries watched the final spot go to this unknown but clearly ruthless young man, they had no choice but to leave, casting strange looks at Mo Yu as they departed.

Part of it was due to the young man's terrifying talent, and the other part was due to his brutal methods.

That loudmouthed mercenary, Mo Yan, certainly got what was coming to him.

(End of chapter)