Chapter 295 New Friends

Ye Fan appeared in a dense jungle at the border of Tianyuan Domain, which was an important place for casual cultivators to hunt monsters and accumulate resources. The jungle was filled with strong demonic energy and the fragrance of plants, but the danger hidden in it made people dare not take it lightly.

Ye Fan gently pushed aside the branches that blocked his way, and looked around vigilantly. After a moment, his ears caught a trace of movement, and he held his breath and focused. Not far ahead, a monster covered with gray and white stripes, the Wind-Splitting Wolf, was drinking water by the stream. This monster was extremely fast and was known for its swiftness in attacking its prey.

"The Wind-Splitting Wolf is a third-rank low-grade monster. Its core and fur are worth a lot." Ye Fan estimated it secretly, and a sharp look flashed in his eyes.

He did not act rashly, but mobilized his spiritual power to inject it into his legs and approached quietly. When he was within ten meters, the Wind-Splitting Wolf seemed to have noticed something, and suddenly raised its head, letting out a low roar between its fangs.

At this moment, Ye Fan burst out with amazing speed, and the spirit sword turned into a cold light and pierced the throat of the Wind Wolf. The Wind Wolf reacted very quickly, dodged sideways in an instant, and raised its claws to slap Ye Fan's chest.

"Spirit beast appears!" Ye Fan shouted, and a flame-surrounded fire tiger phantom suddenly appeared and pounced on the Wind-Splitting Wolf. The Wind-Splitting Wolf was caught off guard and was hit in the side by the claw of the fire tiger, and blood spurted out. It let out a painful wail, and before it could fight back, Ye Fan pierced its throat with a sword and fell to the ground.

Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief, put the body of the Wind-Splitting Wolf into his storage bag, and then continued to explore deeper.

Not long after, Ye Fan discovered a two-headed armored python. This was a fourth-level monster, huge in size and extremely defensive. The most troublesome thing was that its two heads could attack at the same time, and were extremely poisonous.

Ye Fan took a deep breath and did not choose to fight head-on. Instead, he used his body skills to move around the armored python, constantly probing with his spirit sword to find flaws. The battle lasted for half an hour, and Ye Fan finally seized the opportunity and pierced one of the snake heads with a sword, and then cooperated with the fire tiger to tear the other snake head apart.

Although he successfully hunted down the Iron Armored Python, Ye Fan also paid a heavy price. He had multiple scratches on his body, and the poison gas eroded his body's spiritual power. He had to take a detoxification pill and quickly collect the monster materials to evacuate.

After completing the hunting mission, Ye Fan returned to the branch of the Loose Cultivator Alliance. This branch is located in the border city. It is a three-story building with four conspicuous characters "Loose Cultivator Alliance" engraved on the outer wall. There are people coming and going here, and the lone cultivators are constantly shuttling in with various monster materials, spiritual medicines, and mission items.

Walking into the hall, you can see a huge counter in the central area, on which is installed a row of special spiritual energy scanning devices. These devices are made by the top refiners in Tianyuan Domain, and can accurately assess the value of monster materials and automatically record points.

Ye Fan came to the counter, took out the bodies of the Wind-Splitting Wolf and the Two-Headed Iron-Armored Python from the storage bag one by one, and placed them on the scanning device. The female cultivator in charge of reception glanced at him, and then skillfully activated the device.

A soft light rose from the scanner, covering the body of the monster. After a moment, the device made a slight sound, and detailed assessment information appeared on the screen:

Wind Wolf (complete): 15 points

Two-headed Iron-armored Python (complete): 120 points

"A total of 135 points." The female cultivator said lightly, and then handed Ye Fan a new waist badge. The score number on it changed from "50" to "185".

Ye Fan nodded and quietly put away his badge. Other casual cultivators nearby saw the body of the two-headed armored python and couldn't help but cast surprised glances:

"That was a fourth-level monster, and he actually killed it all by himself. This guy is very powerful." A middle-aged casual cultivator sighed in a low voice.

Ye Fan ignored everyone's discussion. He knew that in the Loose Cultivator Alliance, strength and low-keyness were equally important. Points meant resources, and resources could improve his cultivation and lay the foundation for future plans.

In the next few days, Ye Fan continued to shuttle between the jungle and the branch. He hunted monsters of various levels, from low-level to high-level, constantly challenging his own limits, and at the same time used points to exchange for elixirs, martial arts manuscripts, and spiritual tools needed for cultivation.

Every time he hunted, Ye Fan would strictly calculate the risks and rewards and never take risks easily. He knew that although the independent cultivators in Tianyuan Domain did not have as abundant resources as the disciples of the sect, they had strong survival ability and rich experience. Once their strength or secrets were exposed, they might cause unnecessary trouble.

Through continuous accumulation, Ye Fan's strength and background have quietly grown. The points on his waist badge have gradually increased, from the initial double digits to now exceeding "500". This is already considered an upper-middle level among ordinary members of the Loose Cultivator Alliance.

Under the protection of the Loose Cultivator Alliance, Ye Fan temporarily found a foothold. He used this platform to obtain resources while keeping a low profile and observing the situation in Tianyuan Domain.

As Ye Fan's days in the Loose Cultivator Alliance passed, he gradually made many new friends as he hunted more monsters. No one knew him here, and no one knew his past. He used the pseudonym "Xiao Fan" and integrated into the world of loose cultivators.

On this day, Ye Fan had just returned to the branch from the forest. After handing over several third-level monsters he had hunted to the counter, he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him:

"Brother Xiao! Are you making another move?" A burly young man walked forward with a smile. He was a friend of Ye Fan who was a casual cultivator in the alliance. His name was Yue Tieniu. Yue Tieniu had a generous and righteous personality. He and Ye Fan gradually became familiar with each other after several collaborations.

Ye Fan turned around, smiled slightly and said: "They are just some small monsters, just to earn some points."

Yue Tieniu looked at the storage bag in his hand and said in amazement: "Brother Xiao, these are not small monsters you hunt! I'm afraid your methods are more powerful than those of us."

At this time, another young woman also came over. Her name was Liu Qingyan. She was a casual cultivator that Ye Fan had accidentally saved. She was good at formations and often formed a team with Yue Tieniu and Ye Fan. She said with a bit of sarcasm: "Tieniu is right. Brother Xiao is really capable. I'm afraid he can get a good ranking in the trial conference."

Hearing the words "Trial Conference", Ye Fan raised his eyebrows slightly, and then asked curiously: "Trial Conference? What's going on?"

Yue Tieniu patted Ye Fan on the shoulder and laughed, "Brother Xiao, you don't even know this? Our Loose Cultivator Alliance holds a trial conference every year to select outstanding talents and provide resource support. Moreover, it is said that the rewards this time are extremely generous, with a top-grade spiritual weapon and 500 points. Aren't you tempted?"

Liu Qingyan took over the conversation and added: "Not only that, the top ten of this conference will be eligible to directly join the core members of the alliance. I heard that many major forces in Tianyuan Domain will also send people to observe. This is a good opportunity to make a splash."

Ye Fan's eyes flickered after hearing this. He just needed to improve his strength, and these rewards could obviously greatly accelerate his growth. More importantly, joining the core members of the alliance could provide him with more intelligence channels, which was extremely important for his future plans.

"I'll participate." Ye Fan said firmly without any hesitation.

Seeing Ye Fan being so straightforward, Yue Tieniu laughed out loud: "I knew you would participate! However, there are quite a few people who signed up this time. I heard that many fourth-level masters are also here. You have to be careful!"

Liu Qingyan nodded and reminded him, "Brother Xiao, although you are quite powerful, some people at the Trial Conference are determined to win. They may use some extraordinary means, so you must be more careful."

Ye Fan nodded at their concern and said with a faint smile: "Thank you for the reminder, I will pay attention to it."

At this time, the Alliance Hall gradually became lively. It turned out that the registration desk for the Trial Conference was open, and many independent cultivators were queuing up to sign up. Ye Fan, Yue Tieniu, and Liu Qingyan walked towards the registration desk together.

At the registration counter, the person in charge of reception was an alliance steward who was loudly announcing the rules: "The trial conference will be held in three days, and the location will be the Tianyuan Trial Field. All participants must bring their own spiritual weapons and elixirs. External assistance is strictly prohibited. If there is any cheating, the qualification will be disqualified!"

When it was Ye Fan's turn, he handed over his badge. The deacon glanced at it, registered it, and handed Ye Fan a wooden sign with the number "341" written on it:

"Xiao Fan, number 341. Use this card to enter the venue in three days. Good luck."

After completing the registration process, the three of them found a quiet corner to sit down and chat. Yue Tieniu said with anticipation, "Brother Xiao, I've also registered this time. We might meet in the trial. Please show some mercy then!"

Liu Qingyan chuckled: "Even if you don't meet Brother Xiao, you may not be able to enter the top 100, don't be too confident."

Yue Tieniu touched the back of his head, smiled and said, "Haha, indeed, I just came here to try my luck, but maybe I'll be extremely lucky!"

Ye Fan felt a little warm in his heart as he watched the two bickering. Although he did not reveal his true identity here, he made these two sincere friends, which made him feel less lonely.

Before leaving, Liu Qingyan patted Ye Fan on the shoulder and said seriously: "Brother Xiao, Tie Niu and I both hope that you can achieve good results, but don't be too stubborn, safety is the most important thing."

Ye Fan nodded, and after watching the two leave, his eyes gradually became firm. He knew that this trial meeting was not only an opportunity to improve himself, but also a test. "For the sake of future revenge, I must not retreat from this step."