Summer Vacation Demon Riot, Blood Vine Armor, Sword, Rainbow Blade! Stepping into the Wil

Chapter 27 Summer Vacation Demon Riot, Blood Vine Armor, Sword, and Rainbow Blade! Stepping into the Wilderness (Two-in-One, 5000 words)

Half of summer vacation had passed, and Ling Tianyu's curse and plant magic systems had both reached the second level of the initial stage, their power increasing significantly. The plant magic system, in particular, absorbed the life force of numerous demons, its resilience approaching that of the mid-stage [Kun Forest].

My daily routine was pretty much the same as during the winter break, so I won't go into too much detail here.

One day, with nothing to do, Ling Tianyu turned on the living room TV to catch up on the city news.

"Attention citizens, there has been unusual activity from demons around Bo City recently. The military has dispatched personnel to suppress them. We urge everyone to avoid going out unless absolutely necessary, especially to the suburbs," a female news anchor of average appearance reported.

"A demon uprising?" Ling Tianyu searched his memory, vaguely recalling that the original work mentioned something similar. However, Mo Fan's strength was weak at the time, and he had no experience in dealing with demons whatsoever, so he missed it.

Most people would probably avoid this like the plague, but Ling Tianyu was even more excited. Killing those two or three small fry in the city wasn't worth it; it was better to hunt them down at the front-line military headquarters, and while he was at it, he could accumulate some hunter points, improve his rank, and make it easier for him to survive in Shanghai later on.

Intermediate hunters are what they commonly call rookie hunters; the Hunter's Guild can't even accept commissions from them, requiring at least elite hunters.

Just as this thought popped into Ling Tianyu's mind, the phone rang.

"Hey, Yutian, is this your little brother? I have a big order, want to take it?" Xu Dahuang's deep voice rang out.

"A big order? Is it from the military?" Ling Tianyu asked, recalling the news on TV.

"Wow, not bad! You've been watching the news?" Xu Dahuang asked with a hint of surprise.

"That's convenient. You should already know the basics. This demon uprising is quite large. Whether we take this job or not, the Hunter's Alliance will offer a substantial reward!"

"Damn! I'm practically rusting from being cooped up at home all day!"

Ling Tianyu prepared items to conceal his identity, including a mask and a black baseball cap, before heading out.

After disguising himself, Ling Tianyu arrived at the entrance of the Hunter Alliance, which was also their agreed meeting point.

"Brother Yutian, over here!" Ling Tianyu finally found the group amidst the bustling crowd.

Team leader Xu Dahuang, vice-captain Guo Caitang, Xiao Ke, Li Wenjie, Fei Shi, and Ling Tianyu—the six-person team is ready to go.

"By the way, remember when you accidentally captured a member of the Black Vatican? Afterwards, the military conducted a thorough investigation of its own members. Guess what they found?"

"What did you discover?" Ling Tianyu was also impressed by this riddle-solving person.

"Someone actually used the military's laboratory to prepare special reagents, but unfortunately it was only a semi-finished product, and its true function is unknown."

"Is it the [Foggy Spring]?" Ling Tianyu was shocked. He didn't expect that the Black Vatican would play the "blind spot" trick. If Bai Yang's identity as the Black Vatican hadn't been accidentally exposed, they probably could have continued to hide.

I hope my influence can stop, or at least delay, the disaster in Bo City!

…………

Bo City, the Snow Peak Mountain Post Station, serves as the city's border and must directly confront the onslaught of demons from outside. While the number of mages here may not be greater than within the city, in terms of combat prowess, these military mages, who have fought their way through hordes of demons, far surpass the teachers and aristocratic leaders within the city in both combat awareness and mental fortitude. At the same level, a military mage can easily contend with several ordinary mages.

Furthermore, the strongest high-level mage in Bo City (at least superficially) is Zhan Kong, who is actually a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau. (This excludes members of the Black Vatican such as Mu He and Salang.)

It was thanks to the dedication of these great military mages that ordinary civilians in the city were able to live a peaceful life.

Looking at the massive stone gate of Xuefeng Mountain Station, Ling Tianyu was filled with excitement. He had only been here as a visitor before, but this time he finally had the opportunity to go to the battlefield himself.

"Young man, this battle is no child's play. Prepare any hidden magical artifacts you have on hand; they could save your life in a critical moment!" Li Wenjie kindly reminded him.

Ling Tianyu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his mind, calming his restless heart.

This time, going into the wilderness is not as safe as going into the city. The terrain is complicated, with caves, jungles, riverbanks... demons might suddenly jump out from any ditch.

Furthermore, wild demons, especially those with formidable individual strength and a habit of living in packs, often either don't appear at all, or when they do, they come in large groups. If you're even unlucky enough to encounter a group led by a warrior-level demon, many novice mages would be easy prey.

Magical tools can also be considered an effective means of protecting the personal safety of magicians.

"Since Wenjie has said so, let's go to the military headquarters' market and check out some handy magical tools." Xu Dahuang made the decision. In fact, it was obvious to everyone that this was Xu Dahuang's special consideration for Ling Tianyu. After all, the other members of the demon-hunting team were all seasoned veterans; how could they not have a few handy magical tools on them?

"Meet here in half an hour!"

After the demon-hunting team stepped through the stone gate, they scattered to search for their respective targets.

"Excellent armor mold, come and take a look!"

Ling Tianyu was dazzled by the dozens of stalls in front of him, thinking helplessly, "How am I supposed to choose?!"

Ling Tianyu first went to a nearby stall selling magical tools. The stall owner was a middle-aged woman with a slightly weathered look, who seemed easier to talk to than the big men.

"Young man, what would you like to buy?" the middle-aged woman asked as she saw someone approach her stall.

"This..." Ling Tianyu pondered, looking at the magical artifacts before him. "Could you please describe them all?"

"This is a magic-enhancing device made from the bones of the Swift Star Wolf. It allows a magician to gain a ten-minute burst of speed, comparable to the speed of an advanced-level demon servant."

"this……"

Ling Tianyu's eyes swept around the stall, and his gaze fell on a magical armor that was placed in a very secluded location and looked like it was wrapped in vines.

"This is..." Ling Tianyu pointed to the vine armor magic tool.

"It?" the middle-aged woman advised, "This armor has mediocre defensive capabilities and hinders a mage's movement. I don't recommend you choose it. Why don't you consider..."

The middle-aged woman pointed to a suit of armor with a metallic sheen displayed in the center of the stall.

"This is my prized possession, the Iron Rhinoceros Armor. Its defensive power is comparable to that of a demon in the advanced stage of a servant. However, it is a bit cumbersome, which affects movement and is not suitable for wind-type mages."

Buzz!

Just as Ling Tianyu hesitated, the plant system in his spiritual sea suddenly showed signs of activity, flashing with light and conveying a message.

"Such a good thing!" Ling Tianyu was overjoyed and took off the Vine Armor without hesitation.

"That's it. How much?"

"Young man, are you really going to take it? Since you can't sell it anyway, I'll sell it to you for a million!"

Ling Tianyu didn't haggle, paid readily, picked up the Vine Armor, branded it with his spiritual mark, and connected the magical artifact to his spirit and soul, so he could summon it with a thought.

This demonic armor is called "Vine Armor," made from the vines of the False Fear Demon servant. Its defensive power can only withstand the claws of the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat, and it cannot even completely withstand the pounce of the One-Eyed Demon Wolf. Its toughness is indeed not outstanding.

Ling Tianyu avoided the crowd and summoned the [Vine Armor]. In an instant, a mixture of blood-red and green energy surged from the plant element and flowed into the [Vine Armor].

The dark green outer skin of the vine armor was dyed blood red at an extremely rapid pace, clearly evolving in the direction of Ling Tianyu's demonic vine.

Become!

Ling Tianyu was secretly delighted. He hadn't expected that its plant-type nature would have such a characteristic, allowing the originally useless vine armor to evolve. In the future, its level would increase as its plant-type cultivation level increased, which meant that he would no longer need to purchase additional armor magic tools.

Judging from its blood-red appearance, from now on it will be called the [Blood Vine Armor]!

Having found a bargain, Ling Tianyu was in a particularly good mood. Seeing that he still had about fifteen minutes left, he strolled briskly among the stalls.

"Old Li, your sword demon tool doesn't have any special effects, so don't expect it to sell."

"Sigh, whatever, it's just sitting there anyway. How about I sell it to you for ten thousand yuan?"

"I'm not going to be that kind of fool. So what if your thing can cut through iron like mud? It doesn't have any special magical effects, it's not even a magical tool. In the hands of a mage, it's just scrap metal. Do you really expect a mage like me to fight demons hand-to-hand?" An ordinary soldier was chatting with a stall owner at the market, and the word "hand-to-hand" made Ling Tianyu, who was passing by, start to think.

Other mages don't choose melee combat because their physical condition doesn't allow it. Mages are fragile, and their reaction speed and strength are no match for demons of the same level. Aside from the advantage of ranged magic and the demons' close combat, they would be crazy to try to take advantage of the demons' strengths with their weaknesses.

But for Ling Tianyu, hand-to-hand combat actually seems like a pretty good option. His physical abilities, comparable to those of demons, make what was originally a fantastical fighting style possible, and also conserve a lot of magical energy to deal with unforeseen situations.

"Boss, I'll take your sword!"

The stall owner turned his head and saw a young man wearing a black baseball cap walking towards him. He was masked, but judging from his voice, he seemed to be young, around twenty years old.

"Good, as expected, there are people who know their stuff!" The boss was overjoyed to see someone willing to take on this "magical tool," and immediately handed the sword to Ling Tianyu after payment.

"This sword can cut through iron like mud, and it's even strong enough to break through the defenses of a warrior-level demon. You've really hit the jackpot with those ten thousand!"

Ignoring the stall owner's incessant chatter, Ling Tianyu took the iron sword. It was entirely silver-white, radiating a chilling and murderous light in the sunlight. It could cut a hair with a single blow. In his previous life, in ancient times, it would have been the object of pursuit for countless heroes and warriors. Its quality was comparable to Cao Cao's Qinghong Sword and Qin Shi Huang's Tai'a Sword.

"Sigh, young man, this is a waste for us mages!" The guard next to him shook his head regretfully.

"It's nothing, it's not bad as a collectible!" Ling Tianyu naturally wouldn't reveal the truth.

Arriving at a dense forest, Ling Tianyu, longsword in hand, his gaze sharpened, and with a flick of his forearm, he executed a beautiful sword flourish. A flash of cold light, and a tree large enough for one person to encircle crashed to the ground, the cut remarkably clean and smooth.

"Not bad!" Ling Tianyu nodded in satisfaction, looking at the sword's edge, which was not stained with a trace of tree sap and still emitted a cold golden light.

"What a fine sword!"

Ling Tianyu gently stroked the surface of the cold energy, muttering to himself, "Very good. From now on, I will take one character each from the ancient Azure Rainbow and Tai'a Sword, and name it [Taihong]!"

After testing the sword, Ling Tianyu, seeing that time was running out, hung the Taihong sword on his waist and hurried to the meeting point. (Not a magical artifact, cannot be stored in the Sea of ​​Spirit)

At the stone gate of the post station, a number of hunter mages had already gathered, many of whom exuded a powerful aura and whose cultivation had reached the middle level.

Normally, there would never be so many mid-level mages gathered here. It seems that the news of the demon uprising has attracted many experienced hunters from Bo City.

Despite the large number of people, Xu Dahuang's burly figure was still conspicuous even here, and it didn't take long for Ling Tianyu to find the city's demon-hunting team.

From afar, Xu Dahuang could be seen talking to the hunter mages from other teams, occasionally bursting into laughter; they were probably old acquaintances.

Somewhat strangely, Ling Tianyu only saw Xu Dahuang; the other team members were nowhere to be seen.

"Brother Yutian, you're here!" Xu Dahuang greeted him loudly, then grabbed his shoulder and called to the others.

"This is our team's plant-themed newbie!"

The bearded man spoke first, "Young man, you're quite mysterious, wearing a mask. Are you afraid we'll eat you up or something?"

"Due to personal reasons, I cannot show my face. Please understand!"

"I understand! Everyone has their own troubles!"

…………

As they talked, everyone else had already left one after another. Ling Tianyu asked Xu Dahuang, "Captain, where are the other team members?"

"They've all been scattered by the military and assigned to various teams. I'll be leaving soon too. One of your new teammates is that bearded man from earlier; he's also a low-level fire mage, and his strength is about the same as mine. As for the captain, he'll be appointed directly by the military, and he'll tell you your objective later. Good luck, I believe in you!"

Xu Dahuang was probably in a hurry, so he explained the arrangements for Ling Tianyu and then left in a rush.

During this time, Ling Tianyu got to know the people around him, who were probably his teammates. There was a man and a woman, plus himself and the army commander, making a small team of four.

Needless to say, the man with the thick beard was more than capable and experienced, and the woman, dressed in a green military uniform, was clearly also a beginner-level military mage.

"Is everyone here?" an officer asked hurriedly as he ran over from a distance.

"Uncle Li?" Ling Tianyu really didn't expect to run into an acquaintance while doing this commission. There were at least twenty mid-level mages in the military, and it was lucky that he could be assigned to the same group as them.

Uncle Li was a former colleague of Ling Tianyu's parents and took good care of him.

"All here!" the bearded man said.

"Very good!" Uncle Li nodded, his eyes sweeping over his three team members before settling on Ling Tianyu.

"I can't see through you at all, and you're even wearing a black trench coat, all bundled up. Tell me, what level of cultivation have you reached!"

Feeling nervous in front of acquaintances, and wanting to avoid arousing Uncle Li's suspicion, Ling Tianyu deliberately lowered his voice and said, "I am Yutian, a plant-type mage, at the second level of the initial stage. Nice to meet you!"

Upon hearing Ling Tianyu's cultivation level, the three present couldn't help but look at him with disdain. "Even for beginner-level fully-cultivated mages like them, this wilderness hunt is extremely dangerous. Even intermediate-level mages wouldn't dare to say they're safe. How dare a mere level two novice like him go?"

"Plant-related? That reminds me of someone I know, but that's not a reason for you to come with us into the wild."

"Level 2 of the beginner stage? Even if you're a rare plant-type, you're only good for tickling demons at best! Who put you in our team!" Uncle Li's expression was gloomy, completely unlike his usual kind and amiable demeanor.

However, we can't blame him; after all, Uncle Li meant well. A mere beginner-level two mage daring to venture into the wilderness—he probably doesn't know the meaning of death!

"Captain, believe me, my plant-based magic is special; its power is no less than other people's beginner-level third-tier spells!" Ling Tianyu reluctantly revealed a little information. Xu Dahuang's name might be quite useful in the city, but in front of Uncle Li, to put it bluntly, it's nothing. A mid-level mage begging for the attention of a beginner mage? Are you kidding me!

If he doesn't say something soon, Uncle Li will probably send him home on the spot.

Of course, Ling Tianyu had considered revealing his identity. Although he trusted Uncle Li completely, others might not! Besides, even if he did reveal himself, Uncle Li would definitely not allow him to enter the wilderness, and would likely oppose it even more strongly.

"Oh? A natural talent? Well, I can keep you around and observe you! If I'm not satisfied, you'd better pack your bags and get out!"

After finishing speaking, Uncle Li looked at the other two and said, "You two, introduce yourselves!"

The bearded man, quick-tempered, spoke first, "My name is Luo Bin, a beginner-level master of fire magic, nice to meet you!"

A woman in military uniform followed closely behind, introducing herself as "Zhang Li, a fully-trained water-elemental mage!"

Zhang Li has a pretty face, but her skin has a dull wheat color due to her long-term stay in the wild.

Throughout, she remained expressionless, cold, and spoke concisely, appearing rather unapproachable.

"I am Li Shi, an officer here, a military mage with full mastery of both fire and earth magic. This time, I will lead you to hunt demons outside the Anjie. Let me make it clear beforehand that my magic energy is very precious. I will not attack any lone demons we encounter on the road. The three of you will need to discuss how to handle them."

His tone was ruthless and showed no mercy; this was the ruthlessness and decisiveness of Uncle Li as a military strategist, never hesitating to make a fuss.

There are dedicated military mages guarding the gates of Xuefeng Mountain Post Station. Ordinary people and weaker mages are ruthlessly stopped. Without military personnel to guide him, it would be a pipe dream for Ling Tianyu to leave alone.

Stepping out of the magnificent stone gate of the Xuefeng Mountain Inn, the view suddenly opened up before me: dense forests, a cool summer breeze carrying a refreshing scent. This should have been a peaceful and tranquil scene, but it was shattered by the faint roars of beasts that drifted through the air.

Ling Tianyu looked back and saw a stone gate standing behind him, with military mages stationed on a high platform.

Taking a deep breath, Ling Tianyu resolutely embarked on his first journey through the wilderness.

"You, the newbie from the plant department, will walk in the middle. Zhang Li will walk in front of him, ready with water defenses in case of any possible attack. I'll walk at the very front, and Luo Bin will bring up the rear!" Everyone agreed with Uncle Li's arrangement.

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(End of this chapter)