Chapter 319 – Loaded! Inhumanely Loaded!

“By the way, Commander, what did you gather us here for?”

After the joyful atmosphere subsided, Chi Qian finally brought up the main matter.

“Oh right, Commander, why did you call us here so late?” Feng Qing’er, now wide awake because of Chi Qian’s matter, even joked, “Are you feeling lonely at night and need us sisters to keep you company?”

“Qing… Qing’er sister…!?”

Tong Xinyao immediately became flustered and shy.

Such bold words—how could a young girl of only fourteen not feel embarrassed?

Even Chi Qian and Mu Yan wore slight bitter smiles, shooting Feng Qing’er looks one after another as if telling her not to speak recklessly.

Su Ming also glanced at Feng Qing’er and said with a half-smile, “What if I said yes? What would you do then?”

“Ah, well…”

Feng Qing’er was immediately speechless.

What could she do?

Could she just charge forward and offer herself, asking to warm his bed and sleep with him?

…Hmm? Actually, that might not be a bad idea?

The Commander was so strong at such a young age—he had already broken world records, becoming an Upper-Rank Professional at eighteen—yet he remained neither arrogant nor impatient, keeping a low profile and avoiding the limelight. He was undoubtedly countless times better than those so-called geniuses full of themselves.

Moreover, the Commander wasn’t bad-looking either—quite handsome, fair and clean, like a gentle big brother. If she really went for it, wouldn’t she be the one gaining?

The only pity was that this handsome and powerful Commander was just too young, a full six years younger than her. If she took advantage of him, wouldn’t that be like an old cow eating tender grass—and right from her own pasture?

Feng Qing’er began to wrestle with her thoughts.

Fortunately, Su Ming didn’t let the girl agonize for too long.

“I called you here because there are indeed some matters to attend to. If you keep joking around and something goes wrong, don’t blame me,” Su Ming teased Feng Qing’er, making her mutter a few times before falling silent.

Only then did Su Ming explain his purpose for gathering everyone.

“I called you here for no other reason than to fulfill the promise I made when we signed the contract.”

Su Ming’s words first stunned the group of girls, then made their eyes light up in unison.

“Commander, are you going to start training us and improving our strength?” Tong Xinyao asked with great anticipation, causing all the girls to fix their burning gazes on Su Ming.

“Exactly.” Su Ming didn’t beat around the bush, nodding directly. “When we signed the contract, I promised you that I would not only be responsible for your training but also help you improve your strength in a short time, at least by one star.”

According to the initial promise, Su Ming had to help Chi Qian and Mu Yan advance within three months, ensure Feng Qing’er advanced within the year, and have Tong Xinyao advance before she turned sixteen.

Currently, Chi Qian and Mu Yan were already at the Peak level—one at Five-Star Peak and the other at Four-Star Peak—only a step away from advancing, which was why Su Ming had originally given a three-month deadline.

Feng Qing’er, however, hadn’t yet reached Four-Star Peak, so it would undoubtedly take more time, which was why Su Ming had set the deadline for within the year.As for Tong Xinyao, although she was already a Three-Star Sorcerer, she had not yet reached her limit and it was not yet time for her Rank breakthrough. Moreover, this breakthrough was a major Realm breakthrough—advancing from a lower-rank Professional to an Upper-Rank Professional. Therefore, to be conservative, Su Ming had offered the promise of helping her advance before she turned sixteen.

However, Su Ming had deliberately set the deadlines as long as possible.

By his own estimation, it shouldn’t take that long for the four girls to achieve their breakthroughs.

Originally, Su Ming hadn’t planned to start cultivating these girls so soon. He intended to complete more missions first, raise the team’s Rank, earn a batch of Contribution Points, and accumulate some resources before fulfilling his promises.

But tonight’s meeting and conversation with Xu Xiayan made Su Ming decide to advance his plans.

Thus, Su Ming waved his hand grandly, causing a small pile of red medicinal stones to suddenly appear on the ground beside him.

“What is this…?”

The girls immediately focused their attention on the small pile of red stones.

“These are Red Vein Stones.The red medicinal stones Su Ming had taken out were precisely the Red Vein Stones he had obtained from his package.

“Red Vein Stones?”

Mu Yan and Feng Qing’er both exclaimed in surprise.

Even Chi Qian was visibly moved.

“These are the Red Vein Stones that can enhance bloodline concentration, increase Awakening probability, and allow one to quickly cross the lower and upper Realms to become an Upper-Rank Professional?”

Chi Qian stared at the small pile of Red Vein Stones on the ground, her restored, flawless beautiful face filled with astonishment.

“Correct.” Su Ming nodded calmly. “These are exactly the Red Vein Stones you know about—genuine beyond doubt.”

His words did little to reassure the girls.

“H-how… how can there be so many?”

Feng Qing’er could hardly believe her eyes.

“Aren’t these supposed to be extremely precious and rare?”

Even Mu Yan couldn’t help speaking up.

Red Vein Stones, these precious items that only appear in the Spirit Demon Abyss and can greatly enhance Phantom Demons’ evolution speed and probability, are extremely scarce strategic resources even within human sanctuaries like Tianfeng City.

Every time they appear, they cause a frenzy among Professionals, making even super families like the Eight Great Families want to acquire them. They’re treasures that are beneficial to stockpile even if not immediately usable.

If such treasures were put up for auction, they would definitely qualify for the Third Floor of the Wanbao Auction House. Even if they couldn’t be the final auction item, they could still sell for at least 100,000 Contribution Points or more.

And that’s just for a single piece.

But now?

With a casual wave of his hand, Su Ming had piled up such precious treasures into a small heap, casually thrown on the ground.

This extravagance truly stunned all the girls.

Little did they know that the Red Vein Stones Su Ming had produced represented only a small portion of what he currently possessed.

Su Ming’s backpack still contained several times this amount of Red Vein Stones, reserved for Little Hai’er’s use. What remained was what he had brought out now.

Su Ming pointed at the small pile of Red Vein Stones on the ground.

“Chi Qian, Mu Yan, Qing’er, you three divide these Red Vein Stones among yourselves.”

Without offering any explanation about the origin of these Red Vein Stones, Su Ming directly proceeded to distribute them.His casual demeanor and tone, in the eyes of Chi Qian and the others who understood the value of Red Vein Stones, seemed countless times more extravagant than squandering vast sums of gold.

“For… for us?”

Feng Qing’er was even somewhat flustered.

“No.”

Chi Qian instinctively refused outright.

“This is too precious.”

Mu Yan also shook her head.

In response, Su Ming merely snapped his fingers.

“I said, I’m not feeling any heartache over it, so why are you all so concerned?” Su Ming spoke thus. “This was a promise I made beforehand. Since I’ve decided to nurture you, I will naturally keep my word. Otherwise, the contract between us would be void.”

Su Ming was well aware of the preciousness of Red Vein Stones.

But the thing was, he had unexpectedly obtained quite a few from his packs. Wouldn’t it be a waste not to make full use of them?

“Although Red Vein Stones are most effective when lower-rank Hunters advance to upper-rank Hunters, that doesn’t mean they become useless after reaching the upper rank.”

Su Ming explained this to everyone.

“Consuming Red Vein Stones can increase the concentration of one’s Bloodline. If taken in large quantities, the Bloodline concentration will rise significantly, which in turn causes a substantial growth in magical power.”

“And the growth of magical power feeds back into the Bloodline and the physical body.”

“Magical power is Phantom Demon Power, the source of a Hunter’s strength. When Phantom Demon Power increases, the body improves along with it. Once it reaches a certain level, a qualitative change occurs, ultimately leading to a breakthrough in rank.”

This was the reason Su Ming brought out the Red Vein Stones.

Though Red Vein Stones were indeed precious, for Su Ming, who had already consumed large amounts and raised his Bloodline concentration to its limit, they no longer held much value. On the other hand, Little Hai’er, an immature Nightmare Species who had not yet fully grown, could make use of them. She could employ them to enhance her Bloodline’s growth rate, allowing herself to mature quickly into a fully developed, truly mature Nightmare Species.

Therefore, for Su Ming, Red Vein Stones had been reduced to nothing more than food for his own pet. Beyond that, their remaining utility was probably just selling them off.

If he were to sell the Red Vein Stones, he could undoubtedly acquire a massive amount of Contribution Points, enough to never worry about the quantity of Contribution Points again.

However, precisely because Red Vein Stones were rare and valuable, Su Ming couldn’t afford to sell them in large quantities.

If he were to sell such items in bulk, not only would it provoke conflicts among numerous factions, but the sheer extravagance of his actions alone would attract the covetous eyes of countless organizations.

Strategic resources like Red Vein Stones, which could increase the chances of Awakening and allow people to quickly advance to upper-rank Hunters—if any Family could possess them in large quantities, just imagine how many Upper-Rank Professionals they could nurture.

If Su Ming were to act so generously, it would inevitably stir malicious intentions among the major Families and powerful factions.

At that point, even with his alternate identity and various methods to conceal himself, Su Ming had no confidence in being able to contend against all the Family factions in Tianfeng City.

Who knew what sophisticated methods those major Families might have hidden?

If they had some Divine Artifact or alchemical tool that could uncover his identity and secrets, Su Ming would truly be in trouble.

Given this, unless absolutely necessary, Su Ming would not sell Red Vein Stones in large quantities. At most, he might sell a few pieces here and there.In that case, it would be better to make the most of them by using them to secure a few high-potential individuals to work and dedicate themselves to me.

Especially Chi Qian, who had already signed a contract of servitude. If she achieves another breakthrough, she could reach Six-Star level, keeping pace with me and Little Hai’er. She would undoubtedly be the best enforcer.

Considering all this, Su Ming had prepared to bring out the Red Vein Stones when he decided to sign Chi Qian. Now, it was just a matter of adding Mu Yan and Feng Qing’er to the plan.

“As long as you take these Red Vein Stones on time, Chi Qian and Mu Yan, who are already just one step away from advancing, should be able to complete their breakthrough within seven days. Qing’er will need a bit longer, but breaking through within a month is also not a problem.”

Su Ming said this to Chi Qian, Mu Yan, and Feng Qing’er.

“You can use the remaining portion as you see fit, treating it as a resource for continuous improvement until you’ve maximized your Bloodline concentration.”

With that, Su Ming considered the contract with Chi Qian, Mu Yan, and Feng Qing’er fulfilled.

Understanding Su Ming’s intentions, the three of them exchanged glances.

They truly hadn’t expected Su Ming to help them break through in this way.

But it had to be said, this method fulfilled everything he had previously promised.

Originally, Chi Qian and the others had been wondering how Su Ming could possibly fulfill his contract with them, achieving the near-impossible feat of helping them advance in such a short time.

Who would have thought that Su Ming’s final approach would be like this?

Extravagant!

Utterly extravagant!

Such a move was probably beyond even the Eight Great Families, wasn’t it?

“Are you sure about this?”

Feng Qing’er timidly confirmed, causing both Chi Qian and Mu Yan to fix their gazes intently on Su Ming.

Su Ming didn’t say anything more. Instead, he directly picked up the Red Vein Stones and distributed them to Chi Qian and the others.

Then, he turned to Tong Xinyao, who had been stunned into silence nearby.

“Yao Yao, for now, you should study this Spell Formula. I need some time to prepare the resources that will help you advance.”

Su Ming then took another treasure out of his backpack and handed it to Tong Xinyao.

It was a Spell Formula book.

Moreover, it was a book for an Advanced Spirit Art.

Green Vine Breath (Sixty-Sixth Form): Advanced Spirit Art, auxiliary type. Can deploy a protective Spell Formula for oneself and others, continuously absorbing damage and converting it into stamina, providing an endless supply of energy. The effect depends on the amount of Spirit Power infused by the caster.

This was the Advanced Spirit Art book Su Ming had initially obtained from the package.

As mentioned before, before the Eighty-Eighth Form: Fate Heaven Earth Shift, Su Ming had also acquired an Advanced Spirit Art book. However, the compatibility between that art and Su Ming was not only low but almost nonexistent, causing him to feel dizzy and confused just by opening the book. He couldn’t even study it, let alone master it.

After some effort, Su Ming confirmed that he simply couldn’t learn this art and shelved it, leaving it to gather dust in his backpack.

It wasn’t until today that he finally brought it out and gave it to Tong Xinyao.

“This… this is too precious…!?”

As soon as Tong Xinyao took the Spell Formula book and saw the name and sequence rank marked on it, her hands trembled, and she became overwhelmed with awe and trepidation.”I’m just lending it to you temporarily. Take a look at it for now. It would be best if you can learn it, but don’t force yourself if you can’t.”

Su Ming comforted Tong Xinyao, who had fallen into a state of panic.

There was no other way—all the Extraordinary Items in his backpack that could enhance Spirit Power had been used by himself. If he wanted to give something to Tong Xinyao, he would have to obtain it from his pack.

Additionally, Su Ming himself needed new resources for further training and improvement. So, he decided to first let Tong Xinyao learn the Spell Formula of [Green Vine Breath], and tomorrow he would make a trip to the Wanbao Auction House.

This trip wasn’t just for selling items—he also planned to buy things.

He would purchase what he needed for himself, as well as items with high cost-effectiveness that could be exchanged for chips.

“For this week, we’ll temporarily suspend missions. Focus on improving yourselves. Once Chi Qian and Mu Yan advance, I’ll take you to meet someone.”

Su Ming made this announcement, his demeanor clearly leaving no room for opposition.

Chi Qian and the others could only accept the items Su Ming gave them, their gazes lingering on him without shifting away.

As for what was going through their minds, only they themselves would know.

(End of Chapter)