C10 The People in the City Really Know How to Play

Xiao Xiaofan snapped back to reality and responded, "My name is Xiao Xiaofan. What happened earlier was merely lending a hand; the real credit goes to your own formidable strength!"

Xiao Xiaofan's words were the epitome of humility. He didn't show any pretense despite having rescued the Blueprint Mercenary Group.

He even went so far as to compliment the Blueprint Mercenary Group, affording them considerable respect.

After all, his intervention was largely due to the mission at hand. Besides, the Blueprint Mercenary Group was a well-known, mid-sized mercenary group in Sylhasera. It would certainly be beneficial to maintain a good relationship with them.

The members of the Blueprint Mercenary Group were thrilled with Xiao Xiaofan's demeanor, privately praising his temperament as exactly the kind they admired.

"Haha!" Lan Luo bellowed with laughter, "True heroes emerge from youth. Brother Xiao, you must be quite young, yet you possess such impressive Battle Aura and magnanimity!"

"In Sylhasera, Brother Xiao, you are undoubtedly among the elite geniuses!"

Leader Lan flatters me," Xiao Xiaofan demurred, shaking his head. "I hardly deserve the title of genius."

Xiao Xiaofan modestly declined the label of genius, without specifically denying his status as a genius in Sylhasera.

His ambitions stretched far beyond Sylhasera, aiming for recognition across the entire continent!

Given his current age and level of cultivation, he couldn't yet claim the title of genius on a continental scale.

His cultivation journey had been brief, making it impossible to match those who had been backed by powerful factions from a young age.

Nevertheless, his rate of cultivation was undeniably genius-level. Although his attainment of Ten-star Warmaster was aided by his Divine Body, he had managed to advance three levels in the Warmaster rank in just one week!

To outsiders, the transformation from an ordinary person to a Three-star Warmaster in a mere seven days would be nothing short of astonishing!

Lan Luo, a man of simple thoughts, missed the subtext in Xiao Xiaofan's words and sighed, "Brother Xiao, you're being too modest. At your age, I had only just reached the Apprentice level!"

Xiao Xiaofan offered a slight smile, choosing not to contradict further.

Persisting in feigned modesty would risk implying a lack of respect for Lan Luo.

"Oh, right!" Lan Luo extended the demon core to Xiao Xiaofan, saying, "The credit for slaying the Black Rock Demon Bear goes to you. Please, take this demon core!"

"I'm not sure that's appropriate," Xiao Xiaofan replied gently. "Defeating the Black Rock Demon Bear was a team effort. The Blueprint Mercenary Group put in far more effort than I did!"

Lan Luo's respect for Xiao Xiaofan grew upon hearing this. To resist the lure of profit and remain ungreedy was the mark of an exemplary young man!

He then insisted, "You can't say that. Without you, the kill would have been impossible! And let's not forget, you saved my life, so this demon core is rightfully yours!"

The other mercenaries chimed in, "The Guild Leader is right! We may be rough around the edges, but we understand the importance of gratitude. Without you, we might've been goners under that beast's claws!"

"Xiaofan, please don't decline. We all stand by the captain's decision!"

"Exactly. If you don't accept it, we at the Blueprint Mercenary Group would be shamed!"

With everyone's encouragement, Xiao Xiaofan found it hard to refuse and finally relented with a sigh, "Alright, I'll accept it then."

Seeing his acceptance, the group nodded with satisfaction, showing no signs of discontent.

Xiao Xiaofan then retrieved five small red vials from his system backpack and offered them, saying, "This potion can heal injuries. If you trust me, feel free to use it."

"Brother, what are you talking about!" Lan Luo shook his head. "How could we possibly doubt you?"

With that, he tilted his head back and drank the potion, and the others followed suit.

As for Xiao Xiaofan, with his Divine Body, he had already returned to his peak condition!

As the potion took effect, the Blueprint Mercenary Group members' eyes widened in astonishment. They felt a soothing warmth flow through them, and in just five seconds, they had recovered 20% of their injuries!

The potency was astounding. Ordinary first-grade medicinal pills could only heal 10% of injuries, yet even that small percentage was highly sought after by mercenaries!

Traversing the Magic Beast Forest, having an extra 10% could sometimes mean having an extra life!

However, those potions were quite costly, and even our Blueprint Mercenary Group's reserves were limited.

We didn't bring any this time, thinking the mission was straightforward, but we never anticipated encountering a Black Rock Demon Bear!

Lan Luo regained his composure and sighed, "Ah! Brother Xiao, you truly are remarkable. The value of just the five vials of medicine you provided exceeds that of the demon core!"

Xiao Xiaofan was taken aback, not expecting the small red vials to be so valuable!

But with his Divine Body, he wasn't particularly concerned about such medicines. He dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand, "It's no big deal. Wealth is merely an external possession; it's not something I worry about!"

Seeing Xiao Xiaofan's nonchalance, Lan Luo was even more convinced that he must be from a prominent family or a major sect!

He had witnessed the five medicines materialize from nowhere, indicating that Xiao Xiaofan certainly possessed a spatial artifact!

It's well-known that even the simplest spatial ring costs a thousand gold coins and they're exceedingly rare!

In all of Sylhasera, only a select few could boast ownership of a spatial ring!

Yet, Xiao Xiaofan's attire was surprisingly shabby, almost beggar-like!

Could it be a peculiar hobby among the scions of great families and powers to disguise their strength?

If Xiao Xiaofan were privy to these thoughts, he'd surely have a wry smile on his face!

After all, hadn't he been a beggar before? Now, perhaps, he was a beggar skilled in martial arts?

Lan Luo didn't dwell on it and inquired, "We're heading back to Sylhasera City. Where might you be headed, Brother Xiao?"

"I'm also returning to Sylhasera City," Xiao Xiaofan replied quietly. "After seven days in the forest, it's time to head back and rest."

"Hmm?" Lan Luo paused, then asked reflexively, "Little brother, are you from Sylhasera City as well?"

Xiao Xiaofan, puzzled, responded, "Yes, is there an issue?"

"Oh, no issue at all!" Lan Luo quickly replied, "In that case, let's travel together!"

Xiao Xiaofan saw no reason to decline the invitation, so he nodded and made his way back with the members of the Blueprint mercenary group.

Meanwhile, Lan Luo racked his brain. In Sylhasera City, there wasn't a single prominent family with the surname Xiao. Given Xiao Xiaofan's demeanor, he must belong to a family on par with the top three of Sylhasera City. It was inconceivable that he could be so inconspicuous within the city. Could the Xiao family be a powerhouse, secretly operating within Sylhasera City?

Xiao Xiaofan, on the other hand, appeared utterly at ease, occasionally picking up stones, clumps of earth, or various plants to stow away in his system backpack. These items were all listed in the alchemist's handbook as materials that could be transformed into alchemical products!

The Blueprint mercenaries, observing his ragged attire and his collection of what they considered to be rubbish, were visibly perplexed. A single thought prevailed among them: Truly, this is the behavior of someone from a grand family—they certainly have their own unique hobbies!