Chapter 312: Chapter 311: Seven-Person Squad

Before Shen Haoran, four Martial Artists were seated in a circle, discussing something. The four of them couldn’t have looked more different. There was a burly, formidable man, a stunning woman with a fiery figure, a young man with a scholarly air, and finally, surprisingly, an old, blind man.

Upon hearing Shen Haoran, all four turned their heads to look at him and his two companions.

"Didn’t you see the sign? Martial Artists below the Spirit Marquis Tier, don’t bother us! A scrawny guy like you—you think you have the strength of a Spirit Marquis?" the burly man roared, glancing at Shen Haoran. His voice was so loud it made everyone’s eardrums ring.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran chuckled. "If we want to join your team, we naturally need to be worth our salt, don’t we? If you don’t believe me, feel free to test me!" With that, Shen Haoran beckoned to the burly man.

Seeing Shen Haoran’s provocative gesture, the burly man burst out laughing, then stood up and strode right up to Shen Haoran.

The man was incredibly burly. As he stood before Shen Haoran, a palpable pressure emanated from him. He clenched his fists, letting out a series of loud cracks from his knuckles. He stared intently at Shen Haoran and said, "Kid, you’re the first person in all of Desert City who’s dared to provoke me, Shi Dahuo!"

"Whoa, it’s Shi Dahuo! He’s a legend in the Mercenary Guild!"

"I heard Shi Dahuo was born with Divine Power. He once fought his way out from the heart of the Desert Land with nothing but his bare fists. The man is unbelievably fierce!"

"Is that kid out of his mind? How dare he provoke Shi Dahuo! I remember the last guy who crossed Shi Dahuo got turned into a meat patty with a single punch. Is history about to repeat itself?"

"Hmph..." Hearing the crowd’s chatter, Shi Dahuo snorted. An extremely tyrannical aura erupted from him, flipping over all the nearby tables and chairs. The huge commotion drew the attention of every Martial Artist in the Mercenary Guild.

"Today, I’ll see what you’re made of!" Shi Dahuo bellowed. The veins on his arm bulged as his sandbag-sized fist hurtled toward Shen Haoran. The powerful gust of wind it generated created a series of sonic booms, a truly terrifying sight.

Watching the terrifying display from Shi Dahuo, the other Martial Artists in the Mercenary Guild couldn’t help but grimace. ’No wonder there’s a saying among the mercenaries of Desert City: "Turn pale at the mention of a tiger,"’ they thought. ’Just one look at this Big Tiger and you know why. Who could possibly withstand a punch like that!’

Everyone watched Shi Dahuo with fearful hearts. But Shen Haoran, the target of the attack, simply chuckled, seemingly completely unfazed.

Seeing that Shen Haoran was still smiling calmly, Shi Dahuo snorted again. The power behind his fist surged, and in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Shen Haoran’s face.

At that moment, Shen Haoran finally moved. He raised his arm, clenched his fist, and threw a seemingly effortless punch forward. The next instant, their fists slammed into each other.

BOOM... With a muffled thud, a visible ripple of Powerful Qi radiated outward from their colliding fists, splintering the overturned tables and chairs in its path. The surrounding Martial Artists were all forced back.

"Such... such incredible physical strength!" The onlookers were stunned as they watched the two men locked in a stalemate.

Shi Dahuo’s eyes went wide as he stared at Shen Haoran in utter disbelief. When their fists had met, he felt as if he had punched a great mountain, unable to budge it in the slightest. ’I’ve never encountered anything like this in my entire life!’

As he looked at Shen Haoran, a smirk suddenly appeared on the young man’s face. A wave of immense danger washed over Shi Dahuo, and his pupils contracted.

Then, a continuous, terrifying force surged from Shen Haoran’s fist and slammed into Shi Dahuo. His body was instantly sent flying backward, gouging dozens of deep footprints into the floor as he stumbled back!

The Martial Artists in the Mercenary Guild gasped. This impossibly scrawny kid had actually forced Shi Dahuo back with a single punch!

"So, can I join your team now?" Shen Haoran asked calmly, retracting his fist and straightening up as he looked at Shi Dahuo.

"Hmph!" Hearing this, Shi Dahuo snorted, sat down cross-legged, and began to regulate the churning qi and blood in his body. Shen Haoran’s punch had really shaken him.

"Haha, my friend, Brother Shi can be a bit reckless. Please allow me to apologize on his behalf. And of course, we would be delighted to have the three of you join our team!" the white-robed, scholarly young man said with a smile as he stepped forward.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Ling Feng, a disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect. This is my junior sister, Duan Ruyan. We were invited by Brother Shi to enter the Desert Land in search of Spirit Medicine," Ling Feng explained.

"A disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect! He’s actually from the Celestial Spirit Sect!"

"No wonder Shi Dahuo is so polite to him. So he’s from the Celestial Spirit Sect." The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves upon hearing Ling Feng’s identity.

’The Celestial Spirit Sect?’ Shen Haoran thought, puzzled.

Murong Wanqing leaned close to Shen Haoran’s ear and whispered, "Cousin, the Northern Domain has a clear power structure. It’s essentially controlled by the Two Sects and Two Valleys. The Two Sects are the Celestial Spirit Sect and the Wind Sword Sect. The Two Valleys are the Valley of Heartless and the Fallen Valley. As for the five major cities... they’re not worth mentioning. They’re basically just vassal powers to the sects and valleys."

Hearing this, Shen Haoran withdrew his aura. He looked at Ling Feng, cupped his fist, and said, "I am Xuan Hao. This is my younger sister, Mu Wanqing, and this is Elder Bai."

After Xuan Hao’s introduction, Ling Feng burst into laughter. "Haha, Brother Xuan, it seems we’ve become friends through fighting! Tonight, it’s my treat. Let’s all go for a drink, and consider it an apology to you!"

"In that case, I’d be happy to accept." Shen Haoran saw that Ling Feng’s attitude was sincere and he didn’t seem like a treacherous person, so he agreed. ’After all, the Desert Land is fraught with danger. An extra ally means a better chance of survival.’

"Elder Xue, we’ll meet back here tomorrow," Ling Feng said respectfully to the old man, seeing that Xuan Hao had agreed.

Elder Xue grunted in acknowledgment and then walked unsteadily into the depths of the Mercenary Guild.

"That’s Elder Xue," Ling Feng said to Shen Haoran, watching the old man’s retreating back. "He’s the only one in the Mercenary Guild who dares venture deep into the heart of the Desert Land, and the only one to have ever returned alive. He’ll be our guide for this trip."

"His eyes...?" Shen Haoran asked, having noticed that Elder Xue was blind.

"Don’t mind that Elder Xue is blind. He’s still able to freely travel to and from the heart of the Desert Land. We won’t go wrong by following him. Come on, let’s go get that drink!" With that, Ling Feng led Shen Haoran and the others toward a tavern in the city. The seven-person team was officially formed!