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Li Qing tapped Cui Ming on the head with his left hand, reminding him to be careful as they prepared to leave. Ding Ze and Beiyue followed closely, taking a detour to avoid detection by the surveillance guards. A few minutes later, Cui Ming found himself within the range of the guards. He sat down, leaned against a rock, and took out a wrapped chocolate to rest. The surveillance guards operated on a time limit; depending on their materials, the duration varied. Generally, the person controlling the guards would check in for a few seconds at regular intervals. No one knew when they would come or if they would activate the guards, potentially discovering Cui Ming.
At least Li Qing had True Sight Guardians to monitor movements. As a person in a state of concealment, Cui Ming was just an ordinary individual. In the darkness, nothing was visible. The surroundings were eerily quiet, devoid of even animal sounds. In such circumstances, the sense of security was virtually nonexistent. However, Cui Ming was a rational man; he analyzed his situation clearly. His safety did not depend on his own abilities but rather on Li Qing and their opponents' game. Being able to see only increased his sense of security without actually enhancing his safety. In this scenario, it was essential to trust his companions unconditionally.
Throughout his life, Cui Ming had never trusted his partners. The Thieves Guild provided him with a home; the leader took him in as a son and taught him diligently. During his childhood, Cui Ming earned the respect of his peers, but when the time came, he unhesitatingly sent them all to prison and even put his adoptive father on the guillotine. His experiences at Charity School also shaped him; every time he engaged in minor misdeeds, the nuns could always persuade his companions to betray him, with some even reporting him directly to the teachers.
During their journey through the desert, fifteen prisoners vowed to rescue each other with utmost sincerity, but Cui Ming had no faith in such promises. When it came to Xiao Jiang and Behemoth, their rescue was purely moral; saving others was also about saving himself. At that time, Cui Ming considered Xiao Jiang and Behemoth as companions rather than partners. Even as companions, he still held significant reservations about trusting them. In Cui Ming's view, reliable companions based on mutual interests were more dependable than those based on emotional bonds.
What changed Cui Ming's perspective was Li Qing. He couldn't quite describe Li Qing but felt instinctively that Li Qing was a trustworthy companion with whom he could share his back. This trust was irrational and stemmed more from intuition. As for Beiyue and Ding Ze, he was still in the phase of tentative trust. Beiyue had her own boundaries; given her character, she would never abandon herself in danger—that much was certain. Similarly, if resources were plentiful among practitioners, Beiyue would not hesitate to expel herself from the Five-Man Team. The most challenging judgment for Cui Ming lay with Ding Ze; so far, he had no subjective or objective views about Ding Ze beyond laziness and good looks. He couldn't assess the relationship between Ding Ze and Beiyue or determine Ding Ze's limits.
Just then, a flash of light appeared a hundred meters away—Li Qing's familiar flying kick. Energy surged forth like lightning from Ding Ze, followed by a muffled sound that went unnoticed by Cui Ming; he didn't even see or hear Beiyue strike. Had they been attacked and wiped out? Or had they eliminated their opponents? Although theoretically Li Qing and Beiyue could hold their own against strong foes, they had never encountered a team of five practitioners before—anything could happen.
The night remained silent without any movement, causing Cui Ming's heart to tighten. If Li Qing and the others had succeeded, they would surely inform him. It was now time to test Cui Ming's trust again. Since Li Qing hadn't signaled an end to their concealment status, it meant there was a need for him to remain hidden and wait patiently. What would he await? Should he venture out a hundred meters to check on the situation?
An hour passed in silence; Cui Ming remained quietly reclined as if asleep. Though anxious inside, having chosen to trust his companions meant he decided to uphold that trust completely. Like a gambler who has already bet on one side winning should not waver into betting on the other side due to hesitation or worry—otherwise it might lead to a stalemate.
Another hour went by; Cui Ming could no longer entertain various possibilities because two hours had shattered all conceivable outcomes.
As dawn broke in the eastern sky, Cui Ming looked towards it with a calm heart. Rather than fret over anxieties, it was better to wait peacefully. Finally, a figure appeared nearby—standing beside Cui Ming was Li Qing. Cui Ming glanced up and saw that Li Qing's expression was somewhat grave as he said, "Let's go."
At the location outside Seven Kilometers, where the Ancient Path Forest meets the Highway, five bodies were displayed: one female and four males, all dressed in black. Their clothing was slightly torn open, revealing a blue flame tattooed over their hearts. This indicated that they were mid-level members of the Fire Cult; higher ranks bore red or green flames.
Beiyue and Ding Ze sat to one side while Cui Ming examined the five corpses. "A single fatal blow," he said. "Ding Ze, that gaping hole in the abdomen was your doing, right? Beiyue, the clean cut was your work too? Senior brother, these bones are completely shattered—this must be your handiwork... but wait, these aren't cultivators. If they were cultivators, how could they lack Force protection? Even with a fatal strike, they shouldn't have died so horribly. And there are two more bodies... a faint scent of violet. If I'm not mistaken, they were poisoned—by the Thousand-Layer Vine from Antarctica, a deadly toxin that paralyzes all bodily organs in an instant. Moreover, Force can neutralize toxins with just a breath."
Ding Ze replied, "I realized something was off as soon as I struck. After the lightning explosion, instead of causing a Force shockwave, it directly ruptured their bodies. But they were indeed cultivators. So if we assume your Force equivalent is 10, Cui Ming, and an ordinary person's is 0, theirs only ranges from 1 to 2. This means their Force equivalent is similar to what you had when you were in the desert; they lack any protective capability. However, this shouldn't be possible in theory for cultivators. Once one enters the Six Elements stage, the minimum Force equivalent should be at least 8."
Beiyue interjected, "So there's only one possibility: they have only cultivated the elements of Training, Meditation, and Release. Based on this assumption, they aren't true cultivators but have mastered a small amount of Force through special training methods. Because they lack proper training in condensation, their Force equivalent is insufficient; their bodies can handle this level of Force without issue. They control Force through Meditation and ultimately use it through Release."
Li Qing summarized succinctly, "They are theoretical wild men."
Cui Ming looked puzzled. "From your expressions, they seem less like wild men and more like wild ghosts."
Li Qing replied earnestly, "Junior brother, can't you see? These are mass-produced wild men. The last two we interacted with showed no signs of madness during our conversation and negotiation. This suggests that someone may have mastered the techniques for mass-producing wild men."
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