"Cheers!"
In the tavern, the group raised their glasses together amidst laughter and cheers.
Being a soul hunter was a profession that involved walking on the edge of a knife; one could be buried in the forest at any time. After returning from the forest, the team would always come to the tavern to relax.
"Big Sis Leader, this cup is for you. Thank you all for fighting to the death for me," Gulas raised a full mug of ale and gestured to Ai Xi.
Ai Xi smiled slightly, raised her own mug of ale, and drank it down with Gulas.
The team had been together for ten years, and they all shared a life-and-death bond.
"Man Sandao," saying this, Gulas picked up his glass and walked towards Man Sandao.
"No, no, no, Fatty, there's no need for thanks," Man Sandao waved his hand in disgust. "If you really want to thank me, then kneel down and kowtow."
"Fuck you!"
"Hahaha!" Gulas and Man Sandao looked at each other, then drank the ale in their hands at the same time.
Lu Feng watched the two fooling around, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and he also raised the juice in his hand and took a light sip.
At this moment, Gulas walked over to him and said, "Brother Tang Er, this cup is for you. You are the entire Heaven Dou Empire, no, the entire Douluo Continent's most awesome auxiliary system Soul Grandmaster!"
The other members of the team also came over and raised their mugs of ale at the same time.
After three rounds of drinks.
"Brother Tang Er, do you have any plans for the future?" Gulas asked with a serious expression.
"I plan to train in the forest for a while. Big Sis Leader, what about you big brothers?" Lu Feng asked calmly.
Could it be that these guys are planning to recruit me? Lu Feng wondered to himself.
This time, during the spirit hunt, Lu Feng and the others could be said to have formed a life-and-death bond.
What's more, the fact that they were willing to risk their lives to protect Gulas while he absorbed his soul ring showed that they should be trustworthy teammates.
At this moment, Ai Xi looked at the other members of the team and said, "The few of us have been together in the Star Dou Great Forest for ten years. It's time for us to take a rest."
"Huh?"
Ai Xi's words immediately surprised Lu Feng.
"Brother Tang Er, we had originally wanted to ask you to join us. But then we thought about it, and you are exactly like we were back then," Ai Xi said with a faint smile.
"Fresh out of the academy, full of vigor!" Man Sandao took over from Ai Xi and said, "But we are all slowly getting old."
"Compared to those things like fame and success, the peace and safety of friends and family are more important."
After speaking, Man Sandao raised his hand and scratched his head. Then, with a grin and a somewhat simple-minded look, he smiled at Ai Xi.
Ai Xi gave Man Sandao a sidelong glance, then turned her head to the other side.
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Lu Feng was silent for a moment.
But soon, he figured it out.
This was a real world, not the cold words of the original novel.
No one was the protagonist.
But everyone was the protagonist of their own life.
At this moment, Gulas said in a loud voice, "I'm also tired of this life of fighting and killing. A long time ago, I planned to go back to my hometown and open a tavern once I had saved enough money. I've even thought of a name for it. It'll be called 'Happy Hour'!"
"Since you big brothers have already decided, as a little brother, I will naturally support you unconditionally," Lu Feng said with a calm smile.
"Hahaha, Brother Tang Er, if you ever come to Dragon Rise City in the Star Luo Empire, remember to come to my tavern for a couple of drinks."
"Alright, Big Brother Gulas, remember to prepare the best juice for me."
"No problem! Just for that, my tavern will reserve a glass of the freshest juice for you every day!"
After parting with the group, Lu Feng began to hunt alone in the forest, and would occasionally team up with others.
Of course, every once in a while, he would always change his attire.
Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.
In a restaurant, Lu Feng ordered a mug of ale for the first time in his life. Because it was the afternoon, there were not many customers in the shop. Several waitresses were gathered at the counter, chatting leisurely.
Lu Feng had already removed his disguise and was no longer that dark-skinned boy, having returned to his own clean face.
Over the year, Lu Feng had grown a few more centimeters, to about 1.65 meters tall. His body was strong and his muscles were sturdy. No one could tell that he was just a nine-year-old child.
In this year, Lu Feng's greatest gain was not collecting fragments, but the increase in his social experience.
In his previous life, Lu Feng had been in society for a few years, had achieved some success in life and work, and could be considered an old hand.
However, the experience of living a stable life under the red flag might not even be as good as that of a child when brought to the Douluo Continent.
Here, some people worked hard for a year and couldn't even earn a single Gold Soul Coin; some people spent money like water, drinking away someone else's decades of income in a single glass of wine.
Strength overrides the law, and morality can only give way to the rich and powerful.
This was the Douluo Continent!
Lu Feng raised the glass in his hand and took a small sip. "Fortunately, I am also one of the evil exploiters."
Over the past year, Lu Feng's practical combat experience had also improved significantly.
In the academy, the fights between Lu Feng, Tang San, and Xiao Wu could only be called spars, not 'battles'.
In the Star Dou Forest, besides fighting with soul beasts, Lu Feng had had at least a dozen conflicts with other mercenary groups. Seeing blood, and even death, were common occurrences.
If the current Lu Feng were to encounter Huang San again, not only could he smash the other's head with one punch, but he could also dance next to Huang San's corpse without any psychological burden.
At the same time, because he often fought with soul beasts, Lu Feng had gained a deeper understanding of various soul beasts, such as their characteristics, habits, weaknesses, and so on.
Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.
Not only that, Lu Feng discovered that maintaining a high-intensity combat state could also increase the speed of his soul power cultivation.
After advancing to Soul Grandmaster, Lu Feng clearly felt that his cultivation speed had slowed down.
"In the original work, Tang San was at level thirteen after absorbing his first soul ring. When he enrolled in Shrek Academy, he was at level twenty-nine."
"In six years, Tang San cultivated sixteen levels of soul power, which is about two and a half levels a year."
"No wonder so many people hate on Tang San. So that's how it is!"
"However, my situation is also not very good."
Lu Feng raised his glass and took a large gulp.
"It only took me two years to cultivate from level five to twenty. Excluding the soul power gained from absorbing the thousand-year spirit liquid, I could still improve by an average of five and a half levels a year."
"But in this past year, I haven't missed a single day of cultivation, and with the extra bonus from the wood and fire attributes, I've only increased by four levels of soul power."
"Level twenty-five. And I just broke through to this yesterday."
"After being tempered by the thousand-year spirit liquid, my talent is already at the level of innate full soul power. On the Douluo Continent, besides absorbing soul rings and soul bones, what else is there that can give me a cheat-like boost?"
Lu Feng raised the glass in his hand and drank it all in one go.
"Sir, would you like a refill?"
The beautiful waitress from the counter gracefully walked over to Lu Feng and winked at him playfully. "It's free."
"Free? In that case, can I have a glass of juice, thank you," Lu Feng said with a faint smile.
"Juice?" The waitress's pretty brows furrowed slightly. "Sir, our shop doesn't have..."
"Ding~"
Before she could finish, a Gold Soul Coin was suddenly flicked up from Lu Feng's hand.
The Gold Soul Coin spun rapidly on the tabletop for a few rounds, making a slight "buzzing" sound. As its rotation speed gradually slowed, it finally stood steadily upright on the table.
"Alright sir, I'll go and buy it for you right away."
After speaking, the beautiful waitress bowed ninety degrees to him excitedly.
"Mm."
Lu Feng nodded. He once again faced the abyss-like unknown, his expression unchanged, calm and unruffled.
"Lingling, let's just pick this place. This crappy place is barely acceptable. Waiter, where is everyone?"
At this moment, an arrogant voice came from the entrance.