He gave a rough account of everything: entering the restricted zone of the Muhan Forest valley, witnessing the Blood Centipede entangled by the squid, the subsequent ambush when he attempted to reclaim the magic crystal, the fierce battle he fought against the monstrous beasts, and finally, how he managed to escape.

He intentionally omitted the details of his injuries; Muhan didn't want to worry them, and since his wounds were nearly healed, there was no need to tell Dali and the others and cause them concern.

Upon hearing Muhan's explanation, Dali and the others were astonished. When they heard about the intense fight between Muhan and the squid, they became incredibly tense. Although they knew Muhan must have been fine—otherwise, he wouldn't be standing there—they still felt a cold sweat for him.

Listening to Muhan's explanation, Yan Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Boss, it's a good thing it was you who went. If it had been anyone else, I estimate they would have died in there."

Muhan nodded upon hearing this and said, "Truthfully, I largely relied on the Holy Sword of Light, which gave me the opportunity to severely injure that beast. Otherwise, given the monster's rank, ordinary swords couldn't have harmed it. No wonder so many A-rank mercenary groups died in there; without the Holy Sword of Light, I likely would have met a grim fate too."

Dali spoke up after hearing this, "Since the mission is complete, perhaps we should leave quickly. Who knows if that super beast will chase after us? It was badly wounded by Muhan; it might not let things rest so easily."

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this. They were still nursing lingering fears about the giant squid Muhan had described; if they encountered it themselves, it would be serious trouble.

Muhan thought the same and said, "Exactly. Since we've taken care of our business, we should leave quickly. It's always better to get out of this damned place sooner rather than later."

Hearing this, the group quickly packed their belongings and departed in the direction they had come from.

On the return journey, they didn't encounter any formidable beasts, and since their mission was complete and they no longer needed to search for the Blood Centipede, their progress sped up considerably. Consequently, they left the Magic Forest in just one day. Upon arriving back in Baily City, they immediately ran into a house servant sent by Murong Tian. It turned out Murong Tian had already helped Muhan select a fief outside Dragon City and was currently preparing to build the Duke's mansion. However, he was unsure of Muhan's exact intentions and vision, so he requested Muhan return when he had time, or to relay any suggestions or ideas directly through the messenger, assuring Muhan that he would build everything according to his specifications.

After some thought, Muhan gathered everyone through Latin and voiced his plan: he intended for Yun Xiang to lead Marco, Schmidt, and the others back to Dragon City first. Firstly, their current martial arts skills were not much help there, and they would be better off returning to Dragon City to diligently improve their techniques according to their own methods. Secondly, Muhan intended for Marco, given his maturity and experience, to return ahead of time to assist in managing the fief and overseeing the mansion construction.

After spending some time together, Muhan realized that Marco was naturally suited to be a steward, but he had never had the opportunity before, which is why he became a mercenary—it was truly a waste to leave him elsewhere. Muhan believed that if he simply explained his general vision to Marco, Marco would understand, and with Marco's maturity and experience, handling other matters should not be an issue. Thus, Muhan thought this arrangement was a win-win: it solved his fief management problem while simultaneously allowing Schmidt and the others to advance their martial arts training—a perfect solution.

As a result, Muhan's proposal was met with universal approval. Only Yun Xiang was a little reluctant to leave Muhan, but after his persuasion, she also nodded in agreement. Marco, seeing how much Muhan trusted him, was visibly moved and declared his willingness to swear allegiance to Muhan. Following this, Muhan instructed Latin to give Marco the martial arts manual he had given him, and then told them to leave with the carriage sent by Murong Tian to head back to Dragon City. Schmidt and the other two were just as excited as Latin had been when they saw the Lightning Manual from Sword Saint Kazai. After swearing their loyalty to Muhan, they left with the carriage, heading toward Dragon City.

Muhan and the remaining group went directly to the branch of the Mercenary Guild located in Baily City to finalize the mission handover. Their team rank finally advanced to C-rank as hoped, marking their entry into the ranks of high-level mercenary groups. Although future upgrades would be significantly harder, this achievement brought Muhan and the others immense joy and further deepened their admiration for Muhan's capabilities. Muhan had only joined the Flying Cloud Mercenary Group for less than half a year, yet he had already led them through two promotions—a feat of incredibly rapid advancement, undoubtedly a record-breaking achievement, which only increased their awe and worship for him.

After several days of rest in Baily City, upon Muhan's suggestion, the Flying Cloud members decided to remain near the Magic Forest to accept new assignments. On one hand, the missions in the Magic Forest offered high ranks and substantial experience points, aligning with their desire to quickly raise the mercenary group's level. On the other hand, the monsters within the Magic Forest were indeed suitable for Dali and Latin to train, hone their martial arts, and gain practical combat experience. Therefore, the proposal received widespread support.

And so, over the course of a month, Muhan led Dali, Latin, and Murong Feixue in constantly entering and exiting the Magic Forest for training, continuously completing various difficult missions, causing the team's experience points and the individuals' strength to increase rapidly.

Because Muhan and the others completed various C-rank missions with such speed and ease—and even occasionally accepted B-rank missions which they also completed swiftly, breaking the Mercenary Guild's mission records for completion speed—they gradually gained some notoriety within the Baily City Mercenary Guild. Every mercenary group in Baily City now knew about the Flying Cloud Mercenary Group, which brought Muhan and his comrades one step closer to their dream: making the Flying Cloud Mercenary Group renowned across the continent.

Seeing all this filled Muhan with deep satisfaction; his efforts had not been in vain. As long as they continued to work hard, they would eventually realize everyone's ideals.

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