Chapter 47 – The Code of Hunters and Sorcerers

Inside the abandoned factory, Su Ming and his five companions completely concluded the battle and immediately commenced a debriefing session.

Su Ming, Lei Hao, and Ye Bai proceeded to conduct a post-battle evaluation of An Zijin, Yao Beibei, and Jiang Wanyu.

The assessment results were far from satisfactory.

There was no helping it.

“Junior Jiang, you nearly lost your life just now,” Lei Hao remarked to Jiang Wanyu while resting his greatsword on his shoulder. “When facing a brutal, bloodthirsty creature like the Phantom Demon, how could you suddenly lose focus?”

Lei Hao’s expression was unusually stern.

The situation Jiang Wanyu had faced was genuinely perilous. Had he not intervened promptly, she might have fallen victim to the Blade Demon’s saber.

Matters of life and death warranted seriousness, even from the typically boisterous Lei Hao.

“I’m sorry…”

Jiang Wanyu, aware of her mistake, bowed her head in remorse.

She had indeed been petrified by the Blade Demon’s ferocity, freezing entirely and nearly becoming its bloody feast.

The mere thought of that outcome filled her with dread.

“Junior Yao, your performance was also somewhat lacking,” Ye Bai turned to Yao Beibei with equal seriousness. “Although you sent the Blade Demon flying, you simultaneously fell into panic, lost composure, and stood frozen. A slight misstep in such a state could equally cost lives.”

Ye Bai’s words painted Yao Beibei’s face with shame.

If Jiang Wanyu had been frightened instantly, Yao Beibei was terrified in hindsight.

Her powerful hammer strike was less a display of skill and more an instinctive reaction. Without her unique sensory abilities, she might not have even managed that swing before the Blade Demon pounced on her.

Thus, while Yao Beibei’s actions appeared effective, her response was actually more inadequate than Jiang Wanyu’s.

At least Jiang Wanyu mustered the courage to stab the Blade Demon once, whereas Yao Beibei failed to act proactively, relying solely on subconscious instincts.

This resulted in Yao Beibei losing all Battle Intent the moment she regained awareness.

Had her hammer strike not been genuinely formidable—temporarily disabling the Blade Demon’s offensive capabilities—and had there been additional enemies present, Yao Beibei would have been in grave danger.

Given these circumstances, both Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei performed rather poorly in this subjugation battle.

“Remember, our enemies are Phantom Demons—brutal, bloodthirsty foes of humanity who see us as delectable prey and sources of evolution. The slightest negligence or exposed weakness will lead to a gruesome fate.”

Lei Hao’s expression was more serious and earnest than ever as his gaze swept over Yao Beibei and Jiang Wanyu.

“Especially for Hunters like us fighting on the Frontline. Unlike Sorcerers who possess Spirit Arts to counter Phantom Demons and inflict fatal damage, we engage in close combat with these dangerous human enemies. We cannot afford to relax or be negligent even with the most advantageous position, let alone when the enemy remains active and aggressive.”This is a guideline that Hunters must always remember when facing Phantom Demons.

“We Hunters rarely hold any advantage against Phantom Demons.”

“Even when we overpower them in strength, even when we suppress the Phantom Demons to their most miserable state, appearing to have a significant upper hand, in reality, we could face life-threatening danger at any moment.”

“Without effective means to harm Phantom Demons, even if we beat them until they’re covered in wounds, their regenerative abilities allow them to recover from such injuries in the blink of an eye.”

“In contrast, we continuously consume stamina and energy during battle, and any injuries we sustain don’t heal immediately. If we become careless, even a Seven-Star Hunter could die at the hands of a lower-ranked Phantom Demon.”

“Therefore, the first rule when Hunters battle Phantom Demons is to never reveal any openings under any circumstances, and never cease attacking no matter how great the advantage, nor assume victory is assured.”

Lei Hao articulated the most crucial combat principle.

“Never reveal any openings under any circumstances…”

“Never cease attacking no matter how great the advantage…”

Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei immediately murmured these words softly.

“This is awareness every Hunter must possess,” Ye Bai added from the side. “Without a Sorcerer present, if Hunters want to kill a Phantom Demon capable of constant regeneration, they must attack relentlessly, inflict as much damage as possible, and make the Phantom Demon bleed profusely until its blood is completely depleted.”

Because blood is the power source of Phantom Demons. Once they lose too much blood, their strength visibly weakens rapidly, and only when completely drained of blood will they finally die.

Thus, it’s quite troublesome for Hunters to solo Phantom Demons. Even the highest-ranked Seven-Star Hunter wouldn’t engage a lower-ranked Phantom Demon without preparation.

“Many high-Rank Hunters can inflict effective damage through special weapons or tools, but you don’t have those conditions yet. Therefore, you must remember this essential awareness for battling Phantom Demons.”

Ye Bai’s earnest advice made Yao Beibei unconsciously glance at Jiang Wanyu.

“Special weapons…”

Jiang Wanyu also inexplicably touched her chest, her expression unreadable.

Lei Hao and Ye Bai continuously imparted key points and experiences that Hunters must remember during combat to Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei, making the two girls’ expressions turn serious.

Su Ming watched this scene and nodded subtly.

Actually, the three of them had anticipated this outcome.

After all, both Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei were fighting Phantom Demons for the first time. Their understanding of the ferocity and characteristics of Phantom Demons remained largely theoretical, lacking substantial practical experience.

It was perfectly normal for them to make mistakes that Hunters shouldn’t commit.

Take Lei Hao for example – despite his confident lecturing now, during his first Phantom Demon hunting mission as a freshman, his performance was even worse than these two juniors.

At least Yao Beibei possessed astonishing strength while Jiang Wanyu had exceptional speed – both demonstrated extraordinary physical prowess through evident training.Lei Hao was different. Coming from a small Family, he didn’t possess the same natural talent as Yao Beibei and Jiang Wanyu. During his first Phantom Demon subjugation, he repeatedly made mistakes. Had it not been for senior students providing backup, he might not have survived.

Yao Beibei and Jiang Wanyu had no idea that before coming to Huaming District, Su Ming and the other two had already discussed how to guide them during missions.

Ultimately, the three decided to let these juniors act freely first while they observed from the sidelines, only stepping in to teach when the girls encountered difficulties.

This way, the juniors would truly internalize these Phantom Demon subjugation experiences.

Otherwise, Su Ming and the others could have explained these key principles before even entering the Abandoned Factory, rather than waiting until now.

Of course…

“Your abilities and innate qualities are actually quite solid.”

Su Ming spoke only after Lei Hao and Ye Bai had finished their lectures.

“Junior Yao possesses remarkable strength, and if I’m not mistaken, your senses are quite sharp too. If you can stabilize your mindset a bit more—acting with less hesitation and more decisiveness—you should quickly become a qualified Hunter.”

“The same goes for Junior Jiang. Your speed is outstanding, and you’re very proficient with weapons. If you remain calmer, even Phantom Demons like the Blade Demon would find it difficult to get close to you.”

“You’re not lacking in talent or ability—just some mental composure and experience. Don’t think you can easily handle Phantom Demons by training only your body while neglecting your mind.”

Su Ming had clearly analyzed both their strengths and weaknesses.

“We… we understand.”

Only then did Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei show expressions of having truly learned their lesson.

“What about me? Brother Su Ming!”

An Zijin, who had been listening nearby, spoke up anxiously.

“You?”

Su Ming glanced at An Zijin.

Actually, among the three, the one who surprised Su Ming the most wasn’t the incredibly strong and intuitively sharp Yao Beibei, nor the extremely fast and highly skilled Jiang Wanyu—but this seemingly adorable girl next door.

Both Yao Beibei and Jiang Wanyu were natural-born Hunters. Their families surely had elders guiding them, and they’d been training since childhood, so their capabilities weren’t surprising.

But An Zijin?

Her Spirit Constitution was only detected recently, and she’s been enrolled for less than a month. Yet she could execute Spirit Arts so smoothly and rapidly—without any stuttering or hesitation—with techniques that didn’t resemble a novice Sorcerer at all.

Not to mention, the girl had used the Thirteen Forms Spirit Art.

For a Spell Formula beginner like her who’s been enrolled less than a month, learning a few basic Spirit Arts below sequence ten wouldn’t be surprising. But to start with the Thirteen Forms—which barely ranks in the middle among low-level Spirit Arts—that truly indicates exceptional talent.

At the same age and same stage, Ye Bai was still struggling to learn the first form. Only Su Ming, relying on the Spirit Power boosted by opening packages, could barely execute several high-sequence Spirit Arts.

If not counting the influence from the packages, Su Ming felt his own ability would definitely be inferior to An Zijin’s.

Yet, Su Ming had a feeling.

(Probably, the Thirteen Forms isn’t the highest sequence Spirit Art this girl can execute, is it?)

However, An Zijin wasn’t without her flaws either.”Your control over spell formulas is still too lacking.” Su Ming spoke with brutal frankness. “The Thirteen Forms already possess considerable power, yet you over-infused spirit power to further amplify it. This caused the Roaring Blast’s energy to spiral out of control – not only blasting away the enemy, but also dispersing Ye Bai’s Grey Binding. Had I not delivered the final strike, the severely wounded Blade Demon could have escaped after breaking free, and our mission would have failed.”

“This…” An Zijin was left speechless.

“As Sorcerers in combat, we must continuously coordinate with our frontline Hunters,” Su Ming continued. “We need to constantly assess the situation and deploy the most appropriate Spirit Art at the optimal moment, rather than mindlessly casting powerful Spirit Arts for damage alone. Just as Hunters have the principle of maintaining relentless attacks without negligence, we Sorcerers have our own principle: never cease thinking, never ignore environmental factors or any influencing variables.”

“Sometimes, lower-sequence Spirit Arts can prove more useful than higher-sequence ones.”

“Raw power of spell formulas doesn’t determine everything. How and when to deploy them – these are considerations every Sorcerer must cultivate.”

Hearing this, An Zijin fell into thoughtful contemplation.

However, Su Ming left one thing unsaid.

That such principles didn’t apply to those practicing Dual Cultivation as both Hunter and Sorcerer.

For a Professional versed in both combat arts and Spirit Arts, charging into melee range while unleashing high-powered Spirit Arts could typically resolve any situation.

This was precisely why Su Ming remained determined to become a Professional practicing Dual Cultivation as both Hunter and Sorcerer.

He had already begun preparations.

He believed the day of achieving this wasn’t far off.

(End of Chapter)