Chapter 149: You Have Even Become a Squad Leader

Zhou Huai's consciousness sank into Zhuge Kongming's body.

He opened his eyes, looking at the stone wall in the underground secret room that he had repeatedly carved over a hundred times.

After so many days of secluded cultivation, the millions of Materials procured by Jasmine were almost entirely consumed.

At this moment, it was finally time to witness the fruits of his labor.

Zhou Huai raised his hand, slowly channeling the surging mana within his body into the intricately complex Formation patterns on the wall.

Zhuge Kongming at Rank 10 had a mana pool that was no longer what it used to be.

But even so, when he poured the very last bit of mana into it, he still felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Hum—!

The entire wall suddenly erupted with a brilliant earth-yellow light.

Amidst the light, a heavy and solid phantom of Xuanwu emitted a silent roar into the sky, entrenched within the narrow secret room.

An indestructible, heavy aura instantly filled the entire space.

It was a success.

Grade 4 defensive Formation, [Wall of Xuanwu].

It was enough to withstand the full-force fierce attacks of a Rank 40 exotic beast.

Zhou Huai looked at the masterpiece before him, a smile appearing on his face.

Scraping it off just like that would be far too wasteful.

With a thought, he activated the exclusive skill of the Heavenly Artisan Sorcerer.

"[Stick to Conventions]."

As his voice fell,

the shining Formation on the wall instantly transformed into a stream of light, detaching from the stone wall, merging into Zhuge Kongming's palm, and condensing into a delicate earth-yellow talisman imprint.

Zhou Huai pushed open the secret room door and walked straight into the first-floor lobby of the guild headquarters.

He walked up to the heavy alloy door and gently pressed the talisman imprint in his hand against it.

The talisman imprint merged into the door and disappeared.

The next second, a layer of naked-eye-invisible energy fluctuation enveloped the entire building.

The Eternal Night Guild finally had its own protective Formation.

However, to keep this grand Formation running long-term, a stable energy core was required.

The best energy source was undoubtedly magic crystals.

At the thought of magic crystals, Zhou Huai's mind involuntarily conjured up the mountain-like piles of crystals in the underground cave of the Radiant Alliance.

Right, carving the teleportation Formation also required magic crystals.

A cunning smile appeared on Zhou Huai's face.

It was time to go "borrow" some back.

His consciousness instantly detached, crossed space, and descended upon Moria in the Secret Realm.

After nearly a month of crazy leveling, Moria's Rank had already reached Rank 28.

Yasuo and Xiang Yu had also each leveled up to Rank 27.

Although incomparable to Gandalf's rocket-like speed, in this resource-rich Secret Realm, the improvement was already quite considerable.

He left instructions for Yasuo and Xiang Yu to continue pushing deeper into the lake.

As for himself, he controlled Moria, grabbed a handful of moist soil from the ground, and carefully stored it into his Storage Ring.

This was the most crucial spatial beacon for constructing the teleportation Formation.

Having finished all this, he relied on the faint Soul link with Qin Ming to begin returning along the same path.

Before long, that familiar ghost stone forest appeared before his eyes once again.

Within the stone forest, it was still the same busy and oppressive scene.

Professionals coming and going, under the scoldings of the overseers, risked their lives to climb up the stone pillars and mine magic crystals.

What surprised Zhou Huai a bit was…

Qin Ming at this moment was actually not among the sweating Ranks of miners.

He had changed into a black uniform, with a standard long saber slung at his waist, and was standing on a high ground supervising others working.

That expression, that posture, carried quite a bit of the airs of a minor leader.

Zhou Huai controlled Moria, his figure transforming into an inconspicuous shadow as he silently glided to Qin Ming's feet.

"Qin Ming."

A voice only he could hear echoed in his heart.

Qin Ming, who was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, froze abruptly.

His expression remained unchanged, his gaze swept around the surroundings, and after confirming no one was paying attention, he slowly walked to a deserted corner.

"Master?"

He lowered his voice, his tone tinged with a trace of excitement.

"Is that you?"

Zhou Huai's consciousness asked from the shadows.

"What's going on with this outfit of yours?"

Qin Ming gave a chuckle, a flash of smugness appearing on his face.

"Master, you wouldn't believe it, that person in charge surnamed Zhang is actually quite easy to fool."

"A while ago, I intentionally showed off a couple of tricks in front of him and acted utterly loyal to him, and he actually believed it."

"So directly, he promoted me to a squad leader. Now I've got over twenty people under my command."

Hearing this, Zhou Huai was also left speechless in his heart.

Good grief.

How long has it been, and he's already worked his way up to being a cadre?

This kid really missed his calling by not acting in Infernal Affairs.

Seeing Zhou Huai didn't speak, Qin Ming thought his master was praising him, and the smile on his face grew even wider.

He lowered his voice again, speaking mysteriously.

"Master, let me tell you, there's probably going to be a big move in this Secret Realm recently."

"I've seen quite a few unfamiliar faces, and every single one of their auras is frighteningly strong. I reckon they're at least around Rank 50."

"Oh?" Zhou Huai raised an eyebrow, "Any idea where they came from?"

"I know!" Qin Ming replied immediately, "I heard Boss Zhang mention it once when he was drunk."

"He said those people are all experts sent by the Liu Family of the Imperial Capital."

"This time, it seems even the third son of the Liu Family head came over personally."

The Liu Family?

Zhou Huai's gaze grew a bit colder.

It seemed there really was something extraordinary hidden within this Secret Realm.

Even the Zhou Family found it too hot to handle and had to invite such a heavyweight as the Liu Family.

Qin Ming paused for a moment and added.

"Right, Master, they've recently expanded their exploration range. If you and the two lords are leveling up inside, you must be extremely careful not to let them discover you."

"Mhm." Zhou Huai responded, "You continue to stay here, act cautiously, and investigate their purpose."

"I believe it won't be long before this Secret Realm becomes our territory."

Hearing this, Qin Ming's spirit soared, and he immediately straightened his back.

"Understood, Master! Guaranteeing completion of the mission!"

Zhou Huai distributed another two thousand strands of Devilish Qi to him so he could save his life in a critical moment.

After that, he didn't linger any longer.

Controlling Moria, he silently blended into a team transporting magic crystals and left the Secret Realm.

Passing through the huge grayish-white vortex, he returned once again to that massive underground cave.

Moria's figure shuttled through the shadows, familiarly arriving deep within the cave, before the small mountain piled high with magic crystals.

Zhou Huai observed from the shadows for a moment.

Compared to last time, the current quantity of magic crystals had noticeably decreased by a small fraction.

His heart ached slightly.

These were all his future assets.

He didn't waste any more time.

Within the shadows, a pale hand stretched out silently.

His fingertips touched a football-sized magic crystal.

The crystal felt ice-cold to the touch, with what looked like a galaxy flowing inside, radiating pure energy.

The next instant, the magic crystal vanished into thin air, stored away into his Storage Ring.

Zhou Huai's heart skipped a beat with joy, his actions continuous.

Second, third, fourth…