The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 185 Another Disciple

As night deepens, the bar transforms into a miniature intelligence exchange.

Like a ship sailing at night searching for a lighthouse, the white hunters weave through the patrons, looking for a partner who can take them out of the polluted area.

The hunter's slightly tipsy whispers blended with the sizzling sound of exploding food to create a peculiar background sound.

Su Ninglong suddenly waved to Feng Ying, who had some free time: "Yingzi, where are those young rich kids who used to peek into the bar all the time?"

Feng Ying cautiously surveyed the booth area, making sure the young faces were gone before leaning close to Su Ninglong and whispering, "Most of them ran away. Maybe they moved to a new address and they don't know. But I know some went to become online hunters, some have to work, and a few are just plain stupid..."

She mimicked the arrogant demeanor of the young masters and princesses, saying, "'Is this all you've got? I could do that too!' Then they turn around and spend money to find ways to sneak into polluted areas."

"Huh? They've never even been inside a simulator, is it that hard to get a Net Hunter certificate?" Su Ninglong couldn't believe it. Even she, a former Mahayana stage ancestor, hadn't easily ventured into the contaminated zone. Why were they so confident?
“It’s tough!” Feng Ying has the right to speak on this. “The current online hunting certificate is like three hellish trials. First, you have to pass a written exam, a closed-book exam, out of 100 points, and you have to score at least 85 to pass. Then there’s an exam on reaction speed and the ability to make rational judgments after being stressed. The last step is to use a simulator.”

She wagged her finger. "The whole process will take at least two years."

"No wonder." Su Ninglong scoffed, "Two years to get certified, and three months without doing any work and the qualification is revoked. How can those young masters and ladies stand such constraints?"

Spoiled chicks only crave the thrill of soaring high, but are unwilling to bear the burden of foraging for food in the wind and rain.

Su Ninglong looked at Feng Ying with approval: "That's why you're so amazing, you persevered."

Su Ninglong learned from Xingyuan that Feng Ying had obtained her net hunter qualification certificate and that she had gone to train before dawn.

She was still studying books related to online hunting late into the night, all her efforts were for the slim chance of awakening superpowers.

A bit silly, but truly remarkable.

Praised by Su Ninglong, Feng Ying's ears turned red, and she waved her hand, saying, "I can't compare to you."

"Net hunting has its advantages; at least your family doesn't have to live in constant fear. The risks faced by hunters are just too great..."

Everything has two sides. Take Lian Xinyi, for example. Although he was an only child, his father did not expect him to enter politics and take his place. Therefore, becoming a hunter would actually help him protect himself better.

Song Hu comes from a family of Word Spirit Masters; it would be difficult to maintain the family's advantage outside of that environment.

The others are in similar situations; they all have their own reasons for joining the Star Alliance.

"That's not how it is." Feng Ying clutched the edge of her apron, stammering, "Actually... do you need an assistant?"

Su Ninglong was taken aback for a moment, then saw through her thoughts, "You really want to become a superhuman?"

Feng Ying nodded vigorously, a desperate flame burning in her eyes.

Lei Qingya, who was holding Qirui, interrupted her: "Wait, don't your parents object? Do they allow you to gamble with your life?"

“They’ve been divorced for a long time. Apart from giving me about 100,000 yuan a month for pocket money, no one remembers that I’m their daughter.” Feng Ying forced a pale smile, her nails digging into her palms.

In particular, she is a complete failure, addicted to online hunting every day, and also works as a waitress in a bar as if she has a screw loose.

The friends who had gathered around her because of her family gradually drifted away.

In fact, apart from bars, she doesn't know where else to go in her free time.

It was the landlady who took her in, allowing her to continue working there so she could continue her online hunting, thus preventing her from losing her purpose in life.

"Is that okay? Do you still hire assistants?"

"Do you want to become an esper like Lei Qingya, or like Charlie and Lian Xinyi?" Su Ninglong's voice was soft and gentle, seemingly possessing a magic that made people tell the truth.

“Of course, I want to become like Sister Qingya,” Feng Ying blurted out, her eyes resolute. “My wish is that the human world will never have to sacrifice anyone for the Mysterious Spirits again.”

“A noble wish.” Su Ninglong nodded gently, “but it’s not enough. Your reasons are not sufficient.”

In other words, does having a good reason guarantee success?
Feng Ying cautiously added, "I want to become a superhuman, I want to impress my former classmates, and I want to become a better version of myself."

Seeing that Su Ninglong remained unmoved and her expression was still indifferent.

After a moment of internal struggle, Feng Ying gritted her teeth and revealed the reason hidden deep in her heart.

“My parents can’t support me forever, so I have to prepare for my own future.”

She took a deep breath and quickened her pace, “During this time, I desperately learned skills from many other professions. Repairman, mechanical designer, venture capital analyst... I even tried small-scale entrepreneurship. But after all the twists and turns, my strongest desire is still to be a hunter. Even if it means taking huge risks to my survival, I still want to do it. If I could only have one profession for the rest of my life, then I would want to be a hunter.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the air in the booth froze instantly, falling into complete silence.

Damn, how much has this woman learned? The key point is that she even got the certifications to try her hand at these professions?

Su Ninglong remained outwardly calm, but a rare hint of guilt flickered in her heart.

She had initially thought that the girl in front of her, who used to wear smoky eye makeup, was just a good-for-nothing rich kid, but she never expected that the other party would be so ruthless to her.

This contrast left her somewhat at a loss.

"How did you do that?" Lei Qingya finally couldn't help but spit out the fried chicken wing bone in his mouth, his voice full of incredulous amazement.

She thought she had learned enough and worked hard enough to learn various survival skills, but the person in front of her was simply putting the words "reckless" into action.

Where does she find so much time in a day?

Feng Ying met Lei Qingya's probing gaze and explained, "I naturally sleep much less than the average person. At first, my family thought I had a psychological problem and took me to see a psychologist, but the tests showed that I was completely normal. Later, I went to the hospital for a more comprehensive examination and found that while others usually need to sleep for eight hours, I only need about three hours of deep sleep to stay energetic all day."

Envy, utter envy. Charlie dramatically pulled out a tissue and wiped away non-existent "tears" from the corner of his mouth. "How come I was left behind during human evolution?"

His words were filled with genuine, bittersweet emotions.

You should know that he is the only one among the inner court students who cannot be considered an academic genius.

Others can score 90 points with hard work, but even with all his effort, he can only barely get 70.

At this moment, Su Ninglong turned her gaze to Feng Ying and extended an olive branch to her: "Give me your hand." Feng Ying was clearly taken aback, looking at the outstretched hand with some confusion, completely not understanding what this gesture meant.

"Give me your hand!" Lei Qingya, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and urged him on, while picking up another piece of fried chicken. "In our sect, the first step to entering is to verify one's aptitude. If one's aptitude is not good, then cultivation will be twice as difficult and half as slow. In that case, you can only follow Charlie's path and will not be able to become one of our disciples."

"Oh, okay." Feng Ying realized what was happening and quickly and obediently extended her hand.

Their fingertips touched, and after a moment, a look of surprise flashed in Su Ninglong's eyes.

Coincidentally, Feng Ying has dual spiritual roots, one of which is metal and the other of earth.

"You've passed." Su Ninglong's expression turned solemn as she looked directly into Feng Ying's eyes. "To join our sect, there is an ironclad rule you must always remember: never betray us. No matter the reason, if you ever entertain the thought of betrayal, I won't even need to lift a finger; you will be plunged into an abyss of despair, a pain worse than death."

Lei Qingya gently poked Su Ninglong's smooth cheek with his slender fingertips, teasing her with a hint of helplessness, "Hey, Su Su, don't make us sound like some kind of cult, okay? We don't have any complicated rules, nor do we restrict your freedom of action or thought. The core principle is just one thing: like the most solid army, be loyal to each other and never betray each other. That's enough."

Without the slightest hesitation, Feng Ying immediately agreed, even making a solemn oath: "Understood! If I betray you in the future, may a meteorite fall from the sky and hit me on the head first."

The oath was so ruthless that Charlie instinctively shrank back; the meteorite impact had almost completely obliterated his remains.

Su Ninglong said no more, and a tiny, almost imperceptible glint of light gathered at her fingertips, which she gently touched on Feng Ying's forehead.

A slightly cool touch seemed to penetrate her skin, and the invisible "slave brand" was silently imprinted into the depths of her soul.

"When you leave the day after tomorrow, you'll travel with the group," Su Ninglong said with a smile, withdrawing her hand.

Feng Ying subconsciously touched her forehead where Su Ninglong's fingertips had brushed against it; there were no marks there, and the texture was normal.

But strangely, a tremendous, indescribable sense of ease and joy welled up from the bottom of her heart, making her feel somewhat lightheaded; she truly felt accepted.

After the initial excitement, Feng Ying remembered a practical question and, with a touch of newcomer nervousness, asked, "Um, after I join you, what should I call the other members?"

Lei Qingya immediately straightened his back, looking like he knew this inside and out, and took on the responsibility of teaching the newcomers without hesitation.

Feng Ying grasped the meaning quickly, a smile blooming on her face. She sweetly called out to Su Ninglong, "Little Master," and then turned to Lei Qingya, calling out in the same clear voice, "Little Senior Sister."

"You're on the right track! You're really on the right track!" Lei Qingya's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he gave her a loud thumbs up.

That sweet "Senior Sister" made her feel completely comfortable, like drinking ice water on a sweltering summer day, with a sense of ease even in her bones.

Su Ninglong remained expressionless as she accepted a disciple.

In her mind, this new disciple, Feng Ying, would become a key subject of observation to verify whether Lei Qingya's journey on the path of cultivation was truly influenced by some trait deep within her soul.

"Aren't you incredibly envious?" Song Liu nudged Charlie, who looked utterly dejected, with her elbow.

Charlie was immersed in the indignation of "why didn't human evolution take me with it?" Hearing this, he could only remain speechless and choked with emotion, not even having the energy to complain.

Song Liu slapped her forehead, as if suddenly enlightened, and said with a hint of annoyance, "Oh dear! Why didn't I think of that? I could have given it a try!"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had missed a golden opportunity. If he could have joined so naturally, why would he have needed to go to such lengths to deliberately get close to him? What was limiting his thinking?
"You can't." Song Hu poured cold water on his brother's fantasy without hesitation, his tone icy as he shattered the illusion. "You were born a Word Spirit Master. Judging from the way Su Ninglong and her sect are doing, they clearly only accept people who don't have any special abilities."

Song Liu wasn't bothered by her brother's sabotage. She rolled her eyes and said, "Brother, since everyone's here, let's not just sit around. Let's have a real team-building activity to liven things up."

Sally, who had been sitting quietly, showed a hint of interest upon hearing this: "Oh? What kind of team building activity?" She also felt that just chatting was getting a bit boring.

Song Liu enthusiastically suggested, "Let's go to the game hall upstairs. I heard they have tons of competitive games, from shooting to fighting, from strategy to racing, you name it. It'll be a perfect opportunity for everyone to show off their skills and have a competition."

He then cautiously added, "But Sister Su can't participate. With her around, all of us combined would just get crushed. What's the point of playing then?"

Just then, Lian Xinyi, who had been lying on the table, suddenly sat up with a jolt. With her eyes still a little sleepy, she threw out a "bizarre idea" that was sure to shock everyone: "Then... why don't we all challenge Sister Su alone? Let's see if we can beat her with so many of us."

As expected of you, Lian Xinyi!

Of all the people I've known for, you're the most daring, directly provoking Su Ninglong.

Su Ninglong really wanted to refuse. It was getting late, and this kind of "challenge" seemed too childish to her.

But seeing the faces around her, instantly ignited with fighting spirit, she couldn't bear to be the one to spoil the fun.

"Alright then." Su Ninglong agreed casually, but she was determined to give these energetic young people a good beating tonight and show them what a difference there really is.

The group got up laughing and joking, some still holding buckets of fried chicken they hadn't finished eating. They excitedly pushed open the door to the private room, ready to head to the arcade.

However, the lively atmosphere froze the moment the door was pushed open halfway.

In the dim light at the entrance of the bar, a group of people dressed in a particularly "unique" manner stood out.

Leather jackets, studded details, exaggerated hairstyles, and gleaming metal clubs in their hands—they were striding menacingly toward the bar's entrance.

From any angle, they didn't look like customers who came to spend money.

"Heh, building a big building and opening a bar on this land, and you dare not even call us first?" The leader of the thugs had a sinister and ruthless look in his eyes. His gaze swept over the bar's sign and finally landed on the door. "Boss lady, come out and have some fun with us? If you know what's good for you, I might give you a break."

Inside the bar, Zou Shuyi slammed the rag she was using to wipe the glasses onto the sink and muttered irritably, "It's those persistent bastards again. They're never going to stop."