Chapter 255 - 194: Sky Ladder Team

Words : 2060 Updated : Oct 12th, 2025

Chapter 255: Chapter 194: Sky Ladder Team"Those are just empty titles." Ji Xinghuo said with a smile as he shook hands with Zhulige Tu. Zhulige Tu’s name was distinctive, and from his features and physique, it was clear he belonged to an ethnic minority. In the 23rd century, the Asia-Pacific Community had seen a significant fusion of ethnicities, and it was rare to see someone with such distinct ethnic minority traits. Most preserved their heritage due to family customs or personal preferences and enjoyed no special policies, just like other citizens. "Hehe..." Zhulige Tu chuckled good-naturedly, "Zhonglin has always said he’s your brother, I didn’t believe it, but it turns out to be true." Chi Zhonglin immediately protested, "When have I ever lied to you?" "You’ve lied to me six times." Zhulige Tu began seriously counting on his fingers, "Just now, for example, you only drank 25 cups of liquor but told me you had 29. I was about to settle the score with you when you ran off." "Cough... Does drinking counts as lying?" Chi Zhonglin felt somewhat embarrassed. "It does." Zhulige Tu nodded. He continued, "And on the 12th of this month, you said you would take me to the ’Gathering of Heroes’ to have a look, and I ended up waiting for two weeks..." "Okay, okay, I just forgot for a moment, I’ll definitely take you next time, my treat," Chi Zhonglin interrupted Zhulige Tu in embarrassment, "I called you over to talk business, and I’ll make sure all those entertainment items are arranged for you." Zhulige Tu nodded, clearly remembering everything. Ji Xinghuo and Jing Ji exchanged glances. He had guessed how Chi Zhonglin knew Zhulige Tu—it was either on the drinking scene or the pleasure scene, and it was possible the two even shared some proclivities. And this is considered honest and straightforward? Ji Xinghuo asked, "Zhulige Tu, what’s your actual strength?" "I advanced to Super Mutant six years ago, became a Battle Priest, and am currently ranked 1812 on the competitive ladder," Zhulige Tu said with a simple smile, "You can check my ladder records, ADC has it all written out." Ji Xinghuo opened the official ladder website and started checking. Indeed, Zhulige Tu was listed on the ladder. He was 38 years old, had been a competing Mutant before, fought in Class A leagues, with a career win rate of 62%, which was quite impressive. Later, a Star Realm Hunting Company employed him at a high salary, and he ventured into the Star Realm for ten years, amassing rich combat experience, having participated three times in the killing of Catastrophe monsters, and performing exceptionally well. His contract with the company expired this year, and he became a free agent. ADC rated Zhulige Tu highly, praising his excellent healing ability, his Doctor of Medicine degree, and his ability to support and enhance his teammates’ condition. The most precious of his attributes was his formidable strength, comparable to a Giant General, and his close combat skills were extremely sophisticated. He can tank, he can fight, and he can heal! Zhulige Tu’s overall combat effectiveness was extremely high, making him a rare all-around healing Mutant. "Impressive!" After reading, Ji Xinghuo let out a sound of admiration. A healing Mutant like this was highly sought after, both in companies and professional leagues. Jing Ji curiously asked, "Zhulige Tu, why didn’t you continue working with the Hunting Company?" "I was tired." The answer from Zhulige Tu was simple. He added, "I worked for the company for ten years, made them a lot of money, and barely took any rest. Last year, when it came to renewal discussions, they thought my salary was too high, and they wanted a cut. They felt they couldn’t afford me, and it just so happened I was tired, so I decided to take a break for a year or two." In essence, the Hunting Company was too small a temple to accommodate this deity. "I see." Ji Xinghuo nodded, then repeated the hunting target for this time. "I’m in," Zhulige Tu agreed straightforwardly, "Africa isn’t very dangerous, this monster doesn’t look too strong, but it’s very valuable. If I had seen this video before, I would also have assembled a team to try my luck in Africa." "Based on your experience, what level do you think this monster is?" Ji Xinghuo asked. "Definitely Superior." Zhulige Tu thought for a moment, then cautiously said while watching the video, "However, there’s also about a 30% chance it’s a Catastrophe monster, but it won’t be higher than Flood Level." "That’s similar to our judgment." Ji Xinghuo had discussed it with Jing Ji before. "Flood Level!" Chi Zhonglin was startled. He had just learned that they might face a Flood Level monster. Although a Flood Level was the weakest among Catastrophe monsters, it was still more frightening than a typical Legendary powerhouse. "It’s just a probability," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile, "We are all ladder Mutants, and if we join forces to hunt down a Flood Level monster, and since Earth isn’t the Star Realm, we can use modern weapons, so it should be fairly secure to take it down. You don’t have to worry." After participating in the killing of a Dagon person last time, Jing Ji’s ladder rank had jumped from over seven hundred to 408. Yuan Chongzhen had also entered the top three thousand. Chi Zhonglin brooded for a few seconds, then said in frustration, "I’m not on the ladder, though..." "In my eyes, you are a ladder expert." Ji Xinghuo consoled him. Chi Zhonglin had advanced to Super Mutant last month, greatly increasing his strength. He was originally stronger than most Super Mutants and had successfully passed the Master’s qualification match at the beginning of the year, earning the title of Martial Arts Master, which meant he could be within the top two thousand on the ladder. If he could get the Heavenly Fury Green Blood Spear, breaking into the top thousand on the ladder shouldn’t be a problem. "Don’t forget the Heavenly Fury Green Blood Spear," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile. "Hahahaha, that’s true, hurry up and hand over the long spear to me," Chi Zhonglin’s eyes lit up, feeling his confidence returning. Zhuo Lige suddenly asked, "Is our team composed of only us four?" "There’s another friend in the Star Realm who should be back by tomorrow," Jing Ji introduced. "He is a half-orc, ranked 2743 on the Heavenly Ladder, and in our team, he serves as a jack-of-all-trades." Yuan Chongzhen’s versatility was slightly higher than Zhuo Lige’s. Scouting, attacking, healing, supporting, taking damage—there was nothing Yuan Chongzhen couldn’t do, and he was highly skilled at all. "Are we missing a shooter?" Zhuo Lige asked again. With ten years of hunting experience in the Star Realm, he had a deep understanding of the ideal team composition, explaining, "Although we will all carry firearms, none of us are specialists, so it’s best to have a powerful archer to ensure long-range firepower." Chi Zhonglin and Jing Ji exchanged a look, and Chi Zhonglin laughed, "Xinghuo is exactly that. He’s the strongest archer on Earth, bar none." Zhuo Lige was taken aback and scratched his head in embarrassment. He had seen many news reports about Ji Xinghuo, but he mainly focused on the gossip about relationships and did not have a deep understanding of Ji Xinghuo’s personal strength. "What about scouting?" Zhuo Lige asked. "It seems we’re not particularly good at it. To find that monster, we need strong tracking abilities." Chi Zhonglin laughed again, "That’s Xinghuo too. His scouting ability is also top-notch globally. I’ve never seen anyone stronger than him." "What?" Zhuo Lige was dumbfounded. He stared at Ji Xinghuo and couldn’t help asking, "Is there anything you can’t do?" "I’m not all-powerful," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile, shaking his head. "I specialize in defensive scouting; when it comes to actively tracking prey, I can’t compare with a top hunter." The range of magnetic field sensing is vast, perfect for all-around defense against enemy ambushes, but the monster’s activity range spans three to four million square kilometers. Relying on magnetic field sensing to find it would be extremely difficult; what’s needed is a more proactive scouting and tracking ability. Jing Ji also added, "Indeed, we’d be better off with a hunter." Zhuo Lige watched the videos over and over. "This monster is a typical amphibious species with rather strong glandular odors, so we should start with the sense of smell." "Exactly," Chi Zhonglin agreed. Jing Ji thought for a moment and said, "If we had a primeval hound, or a Soul Chaser Beast, or a Strange Hunting Bird, it might be easier." These three Star Realm creatures were renowned for their powerful olfactory tracking capabilities. An idea struck Ji Xinghuo. Qing Hong possessed "Spirit Smell" and had been promoted to the Fourth Level, capable of taking on the duty of tracking the monster. However, the team shouldn’t rely solely on himself; handling all concerns alone was undesirable. On one hand, it was unnecessary; on the other, exposing too many abilities was not wise. Plus, he had an ulterior motive. "I have a college friend who is a hunter. He owns a primeval hound," Ji Xinghuo spoke up. Sёarᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then that’s even better," Jing Ji said with a smile. "His strength might be lacking, but tracking the monster definitely won’t be a problem," Ji Xinghuo sought the opinions of his teammates openly, not beating around the bush. "He is my best friend, and I want to help him out. If everyone doesn’t mind a newbie, I’ll call him over." "Since you’ve spoken up, Xinghuo, I’ll certainly give you face," said Chi Zhonglin without an ounce of hesitation. "Every one of us was a newbie at one point," Jing Ji nodded. Zhuo Lige was nonchalant, "It’s just Africa, not too dangerous. Many mutants start by training in the African nature reserves; adding him won’t make much of a difference." "Great, thanks, everyone." Ji Xinghuo stepped out of the private room to call Lu Yunhai outside. "Hey, Xinghuo," Lu Yunhai appeared on the screen, smiling, "Instead of spending a romantic evening with Sword Immortal, how come you have time to contact me?" "It’s urgent business," Ji Xinghuo asked, "I’ve formed a hunting team and plan to hunt a monster in Africa. If successful, the profit will be significant. Are you in?" "I’m in!" Lu Yunhai agreed without hesitation, his face full of excitement. Then he became a bit worried, "I’ve just recently advanced to an intermediate mutant, and I don’t have much experience. Will I be holding you back?" "No problem, I’ve got you covered," Ji Xinghuo said with a calm smile. "Then I’m relieved." Since Lu Yunhai successfully merged with an Alien Species for the second time and became a mutant, things started looking up for him. Not only did he show exceptional cultivation talent with his Star Power growing much faster than others, but he also received financial support from his girlfriend Fang Yinpeng’s family, allowing him to pay off his own debts earlier. The Fang Family, although not one of those top-tier wealthy clans and mainly run various industrial investments totaling about five or six hundred million, had enough resources to provide substantial assistance to Lu Yunhai. Especially over the last two or three months, since Ji Xinghuo returned from the Star Realm and shot to fame. The Fang Family immediately increased their investment in Lu Yunhai, providing him with expansion artifacts and Alien Species, various auxiliary potions, and even purchasing several pieces of superpower equipment for him. The most precious was a primeval hound. As a hunter, Lu Yunhai’s strength surged with this elite war pet, and it would greatly help him in future Star Realm adventures. Prior to this, Ji Xinghuo learned about these developments and decided to give his best friend a boost. The trip to Africa was an excellent opportunity. "Yunhai, get ready and wait for my notice to assemble," Ji Xinghuo finished the call and returned to the private room to discuss more with his teammates. They decided to set off as soon as Yuan Chongzhen returned to Earth and the team was assembled.

Chapter 255 - 194: Sky Ladder Team

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