Chapter 41: Summoning Friends, Gathering Together

The monsters scattered around the lumber yard varied widely in level, ranging from level 13 to level 17, and were distributed across different directions.

Emerging from the northern entrance, the two of them first encountered a level 15 monster: the Demonic Outpost Guard.

[HP 1450/1450; Level 15, Demonic Outpost Guard; Water element, Accuracy 97%, Evasion 12%]

Qin Yumao charged ahead without hesitation. As soon as she entered the attack range, she executed a crisp and decisive [Dragon Manifestation].

The Demonic Outpost Guard took the hit, let out a low growl, and lunged back at her on long strides.

Although Qin Yumao was no match for Fu Chen, she was no longer a novice either. Without a trace of panic, she actively met the monster head-on.

As she closed in, she executed a graceful spin, swung her long spear, and seamlessly followed up with [Inch Force].

However, the monster, having suffered two consecutive blows, was already right in front of her. While Qin Yumao was locked in her skill animation and unable to move, it smashed down toward her fiercely.

Relying on her agility, Qin Yumao skillfully dodged the fatal blow to her head, taking the monster's attack on her shoulder and losing 46 HP.

At the same time, her [Flowing Water] skill successfully landed, striking the monster once more.

Three consecutive skill hits chipped away at the Demonic Outpost Guard's health rapidly, leaving it with 984 HP.

Just then, Fu Chen, who had been following close behind, made his move. Wielding the dual hammers in his hands, he unleashed a ferocious [Frenzied Dragon Manifestation].

This single strike dealt a staggering 2,462 physical damage points. The Demonic Outpost Guard was instantly killed on the spot, collapsing to the ground with a lingering grievance.

Simultaneously, a notification popped up before all four members of the team: "Cultivation +54, Primordial Spirit +32."

Seeing this, Qin Yumao furrowed her brows slightly and asked with a puzzled tone, "Dust, isn't the cultivation granted by a level 15 monster a bit too low?"

Right at that moment, Qingmeng Youmeng behind them let out a surprised squeal, "Ah~ Just one monster gave me a 6% increase in cultivation! That's so fast!"

Fu Chen glanced back over his shoulder and explained with a smile, "Hear that? The earned cultivation is split evenly among all party members. That's the beauty of carrying people through leveling."

Qin Yumao lowered her head in thought for a moment before asking softly, "Dust, can you carry Zero and Beauty Yu as well?"

"Of course!" Fu Chen replied without a second thought. "You're the main DPS; whether we carry two or four is entirely up to you."

A rosy blush spread across Qin Yumao's face as her eyes crinkled into a smile. She muttered quietly, "Liars... clearly you're the main DPS."

She immediately recovered her normal tone and said, "Alright, I'll notify the two of them to come over right now."

"Got it, then I'll be the main DPS for a little while longer!" Fu Chen agreed with a smile, turning to dash toward the next Demonic Outpost Guard.

Soon after, Qing Lan and Qingmeng Youmeng, trailing far behind, witnessed the terrifying speed at which Fu Chen slaughtered monsters.

They saw Fu Chen step into [Swift Cloud Stance], his footwork as swift as a gale and his movements as elusive as a ghost.

Flashing eastward, he unleashed a fierce remote [Dragon Manifestation] at a monster. Once the move was cast, he never spared it a second glance.

Flashing westward, he closed the distance to a nearby monster in the blink of an eye, spun around to swing his dual hammers in an [Inch Force] strike, and immediately switched targets.

Whether attacking from a distance or in close quarters, after taking a single skill from Fu Chen, the monsters either died instantly or struggled for a few moments before perishing.

By that time, Fu Chen had already charged at a third monster, obliterating it instantly with another [Dragon Manifestation].

In this cyclical fashion, within the thirty-second duration of a single [Swift Cloud Stance], Fu Chen managed to slay four Demonic Outpost Guards in one breathless sweep.

Qing Lan was left utterly dumbfounded, finally understanding why her son could level up so rapidly.

No wonder he had said the monsters could barely hit him—was this merely about them failing to hit him? The monsters were being instantly killed outright, leaving them with zero chance to even counterattack.

Qingmeng Youmeng witnessed the exact same spectacle and burst into joyful cheers, "Ah~~~ Fu Chen, you're amazing! You're so handsome! Hubby, I love you to death!"

The words had barely left her mouth when she suddenly remembered that Qing Lan was still standing right beside her.

Embarrassed and blushing, she turned around to apologize, "A-Auntie, I'm so sorry, I got a bit too excited just now."

A smile played at the corners of Qing Lan's lips as she teased, "Young people are always so energetic. Don't worry about it, I'm not some rigid old-timer."

Pausing for a moment, she added, "More people will be arriving soon, and since this isn't the outside world, you can just call me Qing Lan, the same way you call Fu Chen."

"Okay, I'll remember that," Qingmeng Youmeng replied obediently, her face burning red.

On the other end, Qin Yumao stayed where she was and messaged Zero and Beauty Yu, telling them to purchase [Mountains and Rivers Geographical Maps].

Hearing Qingmeng Youmeng's enthusiastic cheers, an uncontrollable wave of disappointment washed over her.

She hurriedly sent a voice message: "After using the item, teleport straight to the lumber yard. I'll carry both of you to level up."

She immediately closed the chat window, activated [Swift Cloud Stance], and rushed back to catch up with Fu Chen, resuming her role as the primary attacking force.

Seeing Qin Yumao return to the battlefield, Fu Chen automatically stepped back to provide supporting attacks, and the speed at which they killed monsters returned to its normal rhythm.

Even so, under their tacit cooperation, Demonic Outpost Guard after Demonic Outpost Guard fell continuously.

In a mere three minutes, level 4 Qing Lan and Qingmeng Youmeng broke through one after another, advancing to level 5.

Yet the battle between the two in front continued unabated, and notifications regarding gained cultivation and primordial spirits flickered across their visions like a flurry of snowflakes.

Another five or six minutes passed swiftly, and the two of them once again broke through their current cultivation thresholds, rising to level 6.

At this moment, Qing Lan and Qingmeng Youmeng couldn't help but recall the bitterness and hardships of doing quests on their own previously.

Simultaneously, a sentiment arose in both their hearts: "Chilling and leveling with high-level experts feels genuinely amazing."

Before their reflections could fully settle, they noticed two new members join the party back-to-back: level 8 players Zero and Beauty Yu.

Zero said cheerfully, "Yumao, we've arrived! Whenever you find good items like the [Mountains and Rivers Geographical Maps] in the future, remember to share them earlier."

"If I had known about it beforehand, do you think I would have intentionally kept it from you?" Qin Yumao retorted with playful annoyance.

Beauty Yu, on the other hand, chimed in with a mix of delight and curiosity, "There are newcomers in the group! Hello there, Big Boss Dust. Are these your friends too?"

Fu Chen replied in a deep voice, "Yes. You two hurry up and get over here; if you're too far away, you won't get a share of the cultivation."

After Zero and Beauty Yu arrived, the average reward for killing a single monster dropped to "Cultivation 40, Primordial Spirit 20."

Beauty Yu couldn't help complaining, "The cultivation we get isn't that much after all. It's even lower than when we grind monsters by ourselves..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the notification prompt for "Cultivation 40, Primordial Spirit 20" flashed before her eyes once again.

Beauty Yu forcefully swallowed the second half of her sentence and corrected herself with pleasant surprise, "Oh! You guys kill monsters so fast!"

Zero had been carried through a leveling session before, so she wasn't surprised in the least. Instead, she expressed profound satisfaction: "The cultivation obtained looks smaller per kill, but the growth rate has actually accelerated. Hanging out with big shots is definitely the right choice."

Knowing her friend's personality all too well, Qin Yumao smiled and suggested, "Little Yu, why don't you and Zero help out with the fighting too? Leveling will be even faster that way."

Zero beat the others to the punch, saying, "Count me out. I still prefer following behind you guys to pick up loot."

As she spoke, she very consciously joined Qing Lan and Qingmeng Youmeng in their "cleanup" duties.

Seeing that Qin Yumao didn't press the matter of her fighting, Zero let out a sigh of relief and added, "Oh, by the way, I told Ah-Xuan about the [Mountains and Rivers Geographical Maps] too. They'll be heading over right away."

The moment Zero's voice trailed off, Qin Yumao received three consecutive party join requests.

Just as Qin Yumao furrowed her brows in hesitation, a man's voice echoed from the direction of the lumber yard entrance:

"Yumao, who's the party leader over there? Add the three of us in too."