Chapter 517: Meeting Squad 19

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Qingqiu Minghui and Chen Chu soon arrived at an altitude of ten thousand meters, where numerous office buildings were built among tree trunks harder than metal. Surrounded by mist and the shimmering light of leaves, the area resembled a celestial paradise.

"This is the Seventh Legion’s office area,” Qingqiu Minghui explained.

"The Expansion Division is divided into inner and outer zones. The inner zone of our Seventh Legion spans over five thousand kilometers and is a well-explored, relatively safe area.

"The legion’s ordinary soldiers are responsible for clearing out the colossal beasts around the resource points and mineral extraction sites to ensure the safety of transport routes.

"Meanwhile, high-level cultivators like us form squads to explore deeper into the outer zone and expand humanity's territory."

As he spoke, Qingqiu Minghui led Chen Chu along winding paths, eventually reaching an office on the top floor. Inside, a young, silver-haired man was sitting behind a desk, reviewing documents.

"Uncle Chen, I’ve brought him back,” Qingqiu Minghui respectfully greeted.

"Greetings, Commander Chen,” Chen Chu politely said.

The man put down the documents and nodded at Qingqiu Minghui. "Good work, Minghui."

"Not at all. Just doing my duty."

The silver-haired man then smiled at Chen Chu. "Little Chen—no, now that you’re here, it’s Little Chu. Brother Xie has already spoken to me, so feel free to reach out if you need anything."

The respect shown by the silver-haired man toward Chen Chu made Qingqiu Minghui a bit envious. Though he was a "genius" who had broken through to the Eighth Heavenly Realm in his early twenties and awakened his king bloodline, he still didn’t dare act casually in the presence of these king-level cultivators.

Those below the king-level and actual king-level cultivators were worlds apart. As long as one had not reached the king level, they could not be considered equal to those who had.

The Human Federation produced plenty of talents every year who’d reach the Eighth or Ninth Heavenly Realm, yet only a few could truly get past that. After all, comprehending domains and contemplating and mastering laws were incredibly challenging.

"Little Chu, has Minghui briefed you on the situation here? Are you planning to train in the inner zone or join the expansion squads?" the silver-haired youth kindly asked.

"My goal right now is to sharpen myself and break through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm as soon as possible. That’s why I plan to delve into the outer zone and expand humanity’s territory,” Chen Chu replied. “I’m used to working alone, though, sir. Would it be possible for me not to join a squad?"

Currently, the high-level mutated creatures surrounding human territory had mostly been eliminated for safety reasons. If Chen Chu wanted to hunt level 7 colossal beasts or higher, he would have to venture deeper into the mythical world.

"Given your strength, I’m sure you’ll be fine without company,” the silver-haired youth mused. "However, the mythical world is different from the Blue Planet. Since you’re new here, I suggest familiarizing yourself with the area before going out alone.

"Coincidentally, there's a call for reinforcements from the spirit crystal[1] mining site in the Tianque Mountains. Some colossal mountain beasts have appeared nearby and need to be dealt with.

"How about you join Minghui's squad on this mission? It’ll give you a chance to get used to the behavior and combat style of the mutated creatures here. How does that sound?"

Chen Chu nodded. "I’ll follow your arrangements, sir."

Chen Chu’s willingness to listen made the silver-haired youth smile. He had been concerned that this freak would be cocky and unruly, which would have been troublesome. Contrary to his expectations, though, Chen Chu was just as the reports described—humble and grounded. The silver-haired youth was impressed.

After receiving the mission briefing from the silver-haired youth, Qingqiu Minghui led Chen Chu out of the office building.

"The mythical world is especially dangerous at night. It's equivalent to a ten-day long night with risks that could arise anytime, especially with the constant threat of a Blood Moon appearing.

"Unless there's an emergency, like this situation at the spirit crystal mining site, we typically don't operate at night.

"There's no satellite transmission here, so when it comes to communication, we rely on rune-encoded signal towers set up at key points for short-distance data transmissions. Satellites can't be deployed here because of sky restrictions, and devices placed at a lower altitude are damaged by mutated airborne creatures.

"Signal towers on the ground are also frequently damaged by mutated beasts, requiring regular maintenance to keep constant communication with resource points and dispatch reinforcements at any time."

Soon, they arrived at the other side of the platform, where numerous rooms had been constructed. Advanced cultivators enveloped in Seventh Heavenly Realm aura were coming and going.

Inside an office marked "Squad 19," four men and women were in deep conversation. They were clad in combat armor and radiated the aura of high-level cultivators.

At that moment, Qingqiu Minghui entered the room with Chen Chu behind him.

Seeing the newcomer behind Qingqiu Minghui, a red-haired young man asked, "Vice Captain, is this the guy you went to pick up?"

"That’s right," Qingqiu Minghui confirmed with a nod. He then said, "I just received a mission to handle some colossal mountain beasts sighted on the outskirts of the Tianque Mountains."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

A mature-looking woman with wavy hair asked, "How many and how strong are the colossal beasts?"

"The report mentioned three level 8s and nine level 7s. We’ll have to scout the area for more details," Qingqiu Minghui replied cautiously.

"Three level 8 should be manageable."

Excitement sparked on their faces. Completing a mission like this meant earning significant merit points.

Qingqiu Minghui smiled. "Well then, before we set off, let me introduce everyone."

"Brother Chu, the red-haired guy with scales on his face is Wen Jiayuan. He’s from North Lin. He's at the peak of the Seventh Heavenly Realm and specializes in stealth tracking."

"The laid-back guy over there is Liang Ge. He’s only twenty-three this year, yet he’s already in the middle stage of the Seventh Heavenly Realm. He’s a genius with the potential to break through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm."

The long-haired, gentle-looking young man grinned. "Thanks for the compliment, Vice Captain, but my goal is to become one of the kings."

"It's good to be ambitious. I like that." Qingqiu Minghui chuckled. "Anyway, this beautiful woman here is Lan Caiwei, the captain of Squad Nineteen. Twenty-nine this year, and in the middle stage of the Eighth Heavenly Realm."

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With her long, wavy hair draped down her back, the mature woman laughed warmly, “Little Chu, don’t listen to what Minghui told you about my age. I really just turned twenty!”

Chen Chu looked at her oddly.

Uh... twenty plus over a hundred months, perhaps?

"The quiet one is Meng Shishi. She’s in the middle stage of the Seventh Heavenly Realm and awakened a spatial ability. She’s exceptionally strong."

Qingqiu Minghui patted Chen Chu on the shoulder. "Everyone, this is Chu Batian, also known as Brother Chu.”

"

Pfft

! Chu Batian—did I hear that right?" The easygoing Liang Ge almost choked. The others exchanged weird looks.

This name was a bit too... unique.

At that moment, Qingqiu Minghui suddenly added, "Ah, I almost forgot to mention, Brother Chu here is only eighteen years old, but he’s already at the beginning stage of the Eighth Heavenly Realm."

Since he was still going by "Chu Batian," Chen Chu’s official age remained listed as eighteen.

Even so, the news startled everyone. Liang Ge practically jumped out of his chair and exclaimed, "Eighteen?!"

Wen Jiayuan gulped. "An eighteen-year-old in the Eighth Heavenly Realm? No way!"

“Are you all surprised? Even I was taken aback." Qingqiu Minghui laughed. When he received Chen Chu’s latest records before picking him up, he’d been floored too.

After all, two months ago when he’d last met Chen Chu, the young man had only been at the middle stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm. Only monstrous geniuses could reach the Eighth Heavenly Realm in just two months.

Chen Chu coughed modestly. "No need to be surprised. I just happen to have a quick cultivation speed. In other areas, I’m nowhere near as skilled as all of you, who have been fighting in the mythical world for so long."

The four nodded mockingly. "Oh, so it’s

just

fast cultivation speed, huh?"

Back in school, they’d all been among the top few geniuses. Still, what level had they been at when they were eighteen?

1. In one of the earlier chapters of the novel, the author mentioned something called "ethereal crystal," which is used to enhance storage spaces. The Chinese wording for "ethereal crystal" is similar to "spirit crystal." However, because there isn't much explanation about what a spirit crystal is, we aren't sure if they are the same as the ethereal crystal. ☜