C16 Under Ye Hann!

Lin Hann regarded Liu Tianqi with a hint of curiosity. It stood to reason that the Liu family, having suffered a significant setback in Hui City, would not let the matter rest so easily. That is, unless Liu Tianlin's dealings in Hui City were of a clandestine nature, and the Liu family preferred to keep a low profile. They might also be probing to see if the Ye family had caught wind of their covert plans, which would explain their demeanor towards the Ye family's representatives.

After a moment's reflection, Lin Hann smiled at Liu Tianqi and said, "If Mr. Liu holds me in such high regard, I am honored to accept. I look forward to everyone's support in the days to come!"

Liu Tianqi, pleased with the outcome, clapped Lin Hann on the shoulder and inquired, "By the way, how should I address you, my friend?"

Lin Hann's eyes twinkled with resolve. With a hearty laugh, he proclaimed, "I'm Ye Hann. From now on, we're brothers! With you all by my side, I'm incredibly confident about our chances in the upcoming assessment."

Liu Tianqi watched the seemingly naive Lin Hann and felt reassured. As long as Lin Hann was on his team, whether he was genuinely simple-minded or not, Liu Tianqi wouldn't allow him any opportunity to gain the upper hand.

Liu Tianqi then introduced Lin Hann to the rest of the squad. With Lin Hann included, the team now comprised five members. The other three were scions of renowned families from the capital: Qi Xiaosheng of the Qi family, Qiu Ziang of the Qiu family, and Sun Xiuxiu of the Sun family. These families had long-standing legacies in the capital, ranking just below the four great families and were staunch allies of the Liu family.

Upon meeting everyone, Lin Hann greeted them with enthusiastic handshakes and embraces, leaving Liu Tianqi and the others utterly dumbfounded. They couldn't fathom how a member of the esteemed Ye family from Hui City could be such a character.

Unperturbed by their stares, Lin Hann mingled with the group with ease, exuding the charm of an innocent and straightforward young man.

The following morning, the group was assembled once again. At the instructor's direction, they dispersed into the forest.

Before setting off, Liu Tianqi took Lin Hann aside and cautioned, "Mr. Ye, we'll all be spread out in the forest initially, so you must be vigilant during the first few days. Ensure you stay safe until we can regroup!" Liu Tianqi was concerned that Lin Hann might get eliminated before they could unite, rendering his efforts to recruit him futile and potentially jeopardizing the task assigned by his father. With that, he handed Lin Hann an item.

Lin Hann accepted the item with a guileless smile and said, "Don't worry, Brother Liu, I won't be eliminated that easily! You all need to be careful too!"

Liu Tianqi, upon hearing Lin Hann's heartfelt words, nodded with a complex look on his face before heading into the forest under the instructor's direction.

Once everyone had dispersed into the woods, Lin Hann checked the time; there were fifteen minutes left until the start. He examined the item Liu Tianqi had given him, noticing a small note attached to the back.

Lin Hann chuckled to himself, "It looks like my disguise worked perfectly. Liu Tianqi didn't spot anything off and even gave me something to save my life. Still, he's bound to have his own strategy, so I'll need to stay alert."

Reading the note, Lin Hann learned that the item was a "Fire Talisman," a single-use Spirit Weapon crafted by the Liu family. Essentially, it was a seal of fire-attributed Spiritual Energy that could be activated to release a potent attack. It was a favored life-saving tool among Esper Ability users because it required minimal Spiritual Energy to trigger and could be used instantaneously. However, due to the complexity of its creation, only the elders of prominent families would dedicate the time and effort to produce it for their descendants.

"This is truly a valuable item!" Lin Hann marveled. The Fire Talisman contained a fireball spell, comparable to an attack from the late Body Tempering stage.

Liu Tianqi had thought he was merely handing over a Fire Talisman, unaware that with enough time to recover, Lin Hann could transform into an indefatigable powerhouse of offense!

As time ticked away, those who had been waiting quietly began to stir into action.

Yet, Lin Hann wasn't in a rush to seek out the others. He wasn't short on food or water and was now entertaining a daring plan.

Having already replicated the abilities of his three acquaintances, including Qiu Ziang's enhanced perception, Lin Hann felt right at home in the vast forest, especially when combined with the Elemental — Wood ability.

Lin Hann channeled the Wood Department's Spiritual Energy into a large tree, causing it to grow rapidly until it reached a diameter of one meter. Climbing the tree, he crafted a wooden door about four or five meters above the ground, hollowed out a space inside, and settled himself cross-legged. After closing the door, he wrapped the tree in several layers of vines, creating a concealed sanctuary amidst the forest canopy.

After completing these tasks, Lin Hann breathed a sigh of relief. He retrieved the Fire Talisman and activated his special ability, scanning the Fire Talisman into the Spirit Space.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Lin Hann began the materialization of the Fire Talisman. As the talisman in his hand gradually took form, the Spiritual Energy within his dantian was rapidly depleted. It took half of his Spiritual Energy to finally bring the Fire Talisman into existence.

Lin Hann wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a mix of exhaustion and excitement. His diligent training over the past days had paid off, resulting in six Spiritual Energy Balls within his dantian, signifying that he was at the peak of the Body Tempering Middle Period. His next goal was to expand the Spiritual Energy Balls to seven. The fact that creating a single Fire Talisman required half of his Spiritual Energy spoke volumes about its formidable power.

Feeling a renewed sense of determination, Lin Hann crafted another Fire Talisman. Once it was successfully made, his Spiritual Energy was completely drained. He pulled out a small jade bottle and took out a verdant pill, swallowing it. After a brief twenty-minute meditation to regulate his breathing, he was ready to dive back into the demanding task of producing Fire Talismans.

The bottle of pills had been a parting gift from Lau Ruyan, known as the Spirit Recovering Pill. Each stage of cultivation had its corresponding pill, and the one Lin Hann possessed was tailored for those in the Body Tempering stage, designed to rapidly replenish Spiritual Energy. Lau Ruyan hadn't left many behind, given the pill's potent effects and its rarity even among prominent families. But Lin Hann had the ability to replicate them. In the month following Lau Ruyan's departure, he had managed to produce a hundred pills during his downtime. Despite the consumption during his ability training, he kept a substantial stock on hand, which now proved invaluable.

After using fifteen Spirit Recovering Pills, Lin Hann had an additional thirty Fire Talismans at his disposal.

He pondered, "This still isn't enough. With over fifty people involved this time, there's no guarantee that one talisman per person will do the trick. I need to push myself further!" Aware of the importance of balancing effort with rest, Lin Hann closed his eyes and began his daily cultivation routine, channeling his practice methodically.

While Lin Hann was cultivating at his leisure, others scattered throughout the forest could no longer contain themselves and began to clash.