The next morning, the sun slowly rose in the east. When the morning sunlight streamed into the room, Mo Yu opened his eyes promptly. His time spent living outdoors had allowed him to adjust his biological clock quite well.
Looking at the remnants of the magic core under the bed, it was clear that Mo Yu had not slept all night. Despite this, he exuded a vibrant energy.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Mo Yu formed a cultivation seal with his hands and slowly closed his eyes again. Early morning was the best time to practice fighting spirit.
Moreover, last night, he had used Xuan Lei to devour the last three remaining second-level magic cores brought from Wutan City. Although the effect was not as significant as before, his fighting spirit had improved considerably.
As Mo Yu's breathing became steady, the calm space around him began to ripple like water waves, with wisps of fighting spirit seeping out from the space.
After absorbing the energy fed back by the Vermillion Bird's Burning Sky Thunder, Mo Yu's body acted like a sponge. Most of the fighting spirit flowed into his body with his breathing. Refined by the specific veins of his exercises, it was slowly stored in the small cyclone suspended within him.
The practice of fighting spirit lasted nearly an hour. As the sunlight outside the window illuminated the room, Mo Yu gradually stopped his practice. The seal in his hand dissipated, and he exhaled a long breath of stale air, feeling a bit dizzy.
His eyelids opened, revealing a faint silver light that flashed across his dark pupils before disappearing into the depths of his eyes.
"The effect of the second-level magic core is indeed much weaker. But even so, with another half month of practice, I should reach eight-star fighter status," Mo Yu murmured, stretching lazily and listening to the crackling sounds coming from his body.
"Today, we will enter the Monster Mountain Range." As if a thought had occurred to him, Mo Yu smiled.
He jumped off the bed, quickly washed up, and then packed his belongings.
Although Mo Yu appeared calm about crossing the Monster Mountain Range, he was actually extremely cautious.
In the Warcraft Mountains, magical beasts were rampant, and the area was highly dangerous. A lone traveler was likely to be attacked by magical beasts. Thus, except for highly skilled and brave mercenaries, most who ventured into the mountains did so in groups.
Given Mo Yu's current strength, he could handle only an ordinary second-level magical beast, so he was particularly cautious about entering the Monster Mountain Range.
At the entrance of the town, many mercenaries had already gathered, shouting and calling out to those who wanted to enter the mountains alone.
As Mo Yu knew, mercenaries were not common in the Dou Qi Continent. Such mercenaries could only be found near some Warcraft Mountains in the Sifang Continent.
In Zhongzhou, the power of magical beasts was quite strong, and some super magical beast families were extremely terrifying, so mercenaries were not present there.
There were three types of mercenaries. The first type was a tightly organized mercenary group, like a sect. The second type was a hastily assembled group, and the third type was individuals working alone.
The mercenaries shouting loudly at the entrance of the town belonged to the second type.
Standing in a corner, Mo Yu wasn't in a hurry. Joining a mercenary group was indeed a good choice for someone unfamiliar with the area, but he seemed to be waiting for something.
Sure enough, the next shout brought a smile to Mo Yu's face.
"Wanyaozhai is heading to the Monster Mountain Range to collect herbs. The Little Medical Fairy is also joining us. There are only fifty spots available, and you must be at least a two-star fighter. Everyone, hurry up!"
The announcement caused a slight hush at the bustling town entrance. After a moment, everyone looked at each other. Mercenaries who met the requirements immediately rushed towards the middle-aged man in Wanyaozhai's clothing.
Mo Yu also smiled. Being familiar with the plot, he knew the sequence of events leading to Xiao Yan's encounter with Xiao Yixian.
Therefore, he didn't need to rush and just followed the process. Mo Yu wasn't particularly interested in the Little Medical Fairy. He had no special hobbies or a desire to collect beauties from around the world.
However, he was very interested in the evil poisonous body. Firstly, he had a special physique, and secondly, the poison of the Little Medical Fairy might have a significant effect on him.
The contemplation didn't last long. In this small town of Qingshan, the reputation of the Little Medical Fairy was more important than anything. The fifty spots were highly sought after, and everyone scrambled for them.
Seeing this, Mo Yu secretly summoned the Suzaku Burning Sky Thunder and directed it at the crowd. An electric current spread among the people, paralyzing everyone. Mo Yu took this opportunity to rush to the front.
"There is one last spot!" The middle-aged man smiled and raised the parchment in his hand, addressing the crowded audience.
"Me!" A young man's voice called out from the front of the middle-aged man.
"Huh?" The middle-aged man was surprised to see the handsome young man suddenly appear before him. He then smiled and said, "Little brother, our requirement is that you must be at least a two-star fighter."
"Where did this kid come from? He's not even fully grown yet and is already causing trouble!"
"Ouch, my arm is a bit numb. Kid, move aside before you make me angry!"
The mercenary who had recovered from the paralysis immediately began to curse.
Hearing this, Mo Yu frowned. The silver-white fighting spirit in his body circulated rapidly. He swung his right hand with a hint of thunderous power and struck the most offensive mercenary.
"Bang!"
The loud crash sent the mercenary who had cursed flying over ten meters away. He was covered in blood, breathing weakly, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.
"That should be enough, right?" Mo Yu said calmly as he clapped his hands.
"Enough, enough. Little brother, you are really impressive. The mercenary you just defeated, named Mo Yan, had recently reached the two-star fighter level. You defeated him in one move, so you must be at least a four-star or five-star fighter," the middle-aged man exclaimed.
Mo Yu nodded without comment.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man didn't ask further questions. The boy looked handsome, but his ruthless nature made him shudder.
Nodding in amazement, the middle-aged man smiled at Mo Yu and said, "In that case, you are the last person. The reward for being a mercenary is 500 gold coins. You will be responsible for escorting our Wan yaozhai herb-picking team there and back. I will pay you half of the reward now and the other half when you return."
"Alright," Mo Yu replied lightly. He wasn't concerned about the 500 gold coins.
Seeing the last spot taken by this mysterious figure, the surrounding mercenaries had no choice but to leave in disappointment. However, before departing, they couldn't help but cast some curious glances at Mo Yu.
One was due to the young man's terrifying talent, and the other was his ruthless methods.
Mo Yan, known for his foul mouth, was now facing his comeuppance.