Volume 2: Embarking on the Journey Chapter 17: Taking Stock of the Spoils

Wang Jue’s gaze remained fixed on the ring in his hand. Soon, he noticed faint, arcane runes etched on its surface, starkly different from his own low-grade spatial ring, which he had dropped on the ground without even a second glance.

His ring, if described kindly, could be called “simple.” If described harshly, it was just perfunctory—a plain iron band, essentially.

In contrast, this ring was undoubtedly “high-end.” Its exterior bore mysterious runes, and even without those, the ring itself was exquisitely crafted—anyone could tell at a glance it was a ring. Most people probably wouldn’t even recognize his ring as a spatial ring.

“No doubt about it. This must be a spatial ring, and likely a high-level one,” Wang Jue thought.

To confirm his suspicion, he tried several times to break through the barrier but failed. He had no choice but to stop and muse, “If my guess is correct, then this barrier was set by that unlucky dead guy.”

“To break through, the only method I can think of is to overwhelm the opponent’s spirit with mine and violently shatter the shield.”

“But after the fierce battles at the past two stations, my spiritual power has barely recovered to thirty percent. It’ll take at least three or four hours to regain full strength, even with the aid of elixirs.”

At that moment, Wang Jue made a decision. “No, I must recover my spirit quickly and then verify if this really is a spatial ring.”

He put away the ring, glanced at Shen Feng and the others who were still unconscious, fed some dry wood to the fire, then sat cross-legged to recover both his wounds and spiritual power.

...

An hour later.

“Phew...” Wang Jue opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Fortunately, my injuries were light this time, or else recovery wouldn’t have been this fast.”

“My spirit has also recovered. It’s time to test my hypothesis.”

With that, he took out the ring and focused his spiritual power, instantly forming a sharp spear of energy that slammed forcefully against the barrier layer around the ring.

“Bang, bang, bang...”

He struck repeatedly but couldn’t break through. Each failed impact left him momentarily dazed by the spiritual backlash.

Realizing this method wouldn’t work, Wang Jue gritted his teeth, concentrated all his spiritual power, and struck the barrier again.

“Pop!”

It sounded like a bubble bursting.

The next moment, Wang Jue felt his spirit break through the shield. His vision shifted, revealing a vast space.

“Wow, this really is a spatial ring—and several times larger than mine. I’ve hit the jackpot!”

Wang Jue’s face lit up with joy. Although spatial rings were special items, low-grade ones were inexpensive—almost considered common. Any slightly wealthy warrior could own one.

Even Shen Feng and the others carried them. While they usually stored starbeast materials in backpacks during hunts, they reserved their spatial rings for truly valuable items.

Wang Jue happily examined the ring’s contents.

There was quite a lot inside.

Weapons, equipment, star energy stones, elixirs, potions, spirit herbs, ores—an impressive collection.

“Damn, this guy’s like a walking ATM!” Wang Jue marveled. “His wealth is terrifying.”

Then, on impulse, he took out a volleyball-sized ore from the ring.

Why pick this ore above all else?

No choice.

The ore was entirely purple and very eye-catching.

“Whoa.”

The moment Wang Jue held it, his palm sank slightly under its weight.

He was strong, and though he wasn’t fully prepared, the ore’s heaviness was undeniable.

Racking his memory, Wang Jue found no recollection of this ore. It had to be a rare, special mineral.

And undoubtedly valuable!

He felt a wave of gratitude toward that young man—though he didn’t even know his name.

After all, the guy gave him a Godslayer Cannon, a spatial ring, star energy stones, weapons, and all sorts of materials...

Is there anyone better than that?

Wang Jue stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Could it be that murder and looting are truly the fastest ways to get rich?

“Wang Jue...” Suddenly, Shen Feng’s weak voice came from behind.

“Captain, you’re awake!” Wang Jue quickly rose and approached, his expression warm and caring. “Feeling any better?”

“Not bad,” Shen Feng shook his head. “How’s everyone else?”

Wang Jue smiled. “Don’t worry, Captain. They’re about the same as you—just a bit lower in cultivation and more severely injured. They’re still out cold over there. See?”

Shen Feng scanned the cave and found all of them lying nearby.

“Good to know they’re alive...” His gaze trembled slightly.

As if stirred by Shen Feng’s awakening, Su Yu, Jiang Yunyan, and Jiang Yunxin gradually woke up one after another.

They sat around the fire, faces etched with relief after surviving such a calamity.

After a moment of silence, Su Yu asked curiously, “By the way, how did we survive?”

“Ask Wang Jue. He’s the one who saved us,” Shen Feng responded with a shrug.

Wang Jue raised an eyebrow and succinctly explained, “Basically, that young man thought you were all dead and recklessly jumped down from the sky. Then, seeing I was only a Spirit Mirror warrior, he let his guard down—and I ambushed him!”

“That’s it?”

Everyone was baffled.

“That’s it!” Wang Jue nodded. “What else do you think happened?”

“...” The group was speechless.

That was way too... casual.

The ruthless character who nearly wiped out their entire team was taken down by Wang Jue alone? It was hard to believe!

Could that guy really have been just a rookie, relying solely on the terrifying power of the Godslayer Cannon?

And holding the high ground, which forced their elite team into such a dire situation?

“Still, that guy’s identity is probably no ordinary one. We should be cautious when we get back,” Wang Jue said thoughtfully, giving everyone a heads-up.

“Anyone with a Godslayer Cannon is likely from a prestigious family. It’s best to pretend nothing happened to avoid bringing trouble upon ourselves.”

Shen Feng nodded gravely and then asked Wang Jue, “Have you cleaned up the scene?”

“Captain, don’t worry,” Wang Jue said proudly. “I’m a pro at destroying evidence!”

“...” Hearing that, the group’s expressions turned strange.

Judging by his tone, this guy had done this more than once?

They realized they had consistently underestimated this youth. Every time they thought they had him figured out, he surprised them again.

Was he really just a junior high graduate?

...

Since everyone had just woken up and were seriously injured, they decided not to travel and spend another day resting in the cave.

The next day.

After a day of recuperation, Shen Feng and the others had recovered somewhat, though full healing was still far off. Fearing someone might come looking for the young man’s killer, they decided to head to City One.

Carefully, they left the misty forest and reached the place where the heavy armored war vehicles were stored. They boarded the vehicles and returned to City One.

Adventurers’ Headquarters.

Some familiar warriors were shocked to see their condition.

“Shen Feng, what happened? Why do you look like this?”

Following their prearranged story, Shen Feng replied gloomily, “Don’t mention it. We ran into a Grade Four star beast inside. Our entire team nearly didn’t make it back.”

“You guys are really unlucky!” Several close comrades surrounded them, pity evident on their faces.

Shen Feng and the others said no more and just nodded before entering the headquarters building.

As they left, whispers behind them continued unabated.

...

Inside the headquarters, Shen Feng and the group discussed selling the beast cores and star bones to exchange for resources to boost their cultivation.

Their injuries were too severe to hunt star beasts again anytime soon, so they planned to rest in the safe zone for a few days.

They found the purchasing agent and sold all the star beast materials they had collected, except for the Unihorn Rhino’s star bone.

On the first floor of the Adventurers’ Headquarters, in the room the Hurricane Squad rented as their base, Shen Feng and the others gathered around a computer to divide their earnings.

“All the materials we hunted this time sold for 170 million,” Shen Feng said, looking at everyone. “We all contributed during the hunt. According to our squad’s usual rule, the money is split evenly.”

“However, on the way back, we were ambushed and Wang Jue saved everyone.”

“Without him, we wouldn’t have survived. His contribution is the greatest, so I’ve decided each of us gets fifteen percent, and the remaining forty percent goes to Wang Jue.”

“Any objections?”

Su Yu, Jiang Yunyan, and Jiang Yunxin exchanged glances and all said, “No objections.”

“None from me either,” Wang Jue nodded. His contribution warranted the extra share.

If he were selfish, he could have killed Shen Feng and the others and taken everything.

Fortunately, Wang Jue was not that kind of person.

“Alright, then. From this 170 million, each of us gets 25.5 million, and Wang Jue gets 68 million. I’ll transfer the money to your accounts,” Shen Feng said as he typed on the keyboard.

“As for the Unihorn Rhino’s star bone, its price is uncertain. Let’s check on the second floor. If the price is right, we’ll sell it and split the proceeds later. Everyone okay with that?”

“No objections,” they all nodded.

In other squads, distribution would be based on individual contribution—stronger members earning more, weaker members less.

But Hurricane Squad used an even distribution system.

Those who made exceptional contributions, like Wang Jue saving the entire team, received a larger share.

This rule existed in nearly all squads!