This time, in addition to the hunters recruited by the Mu Family, several of the Mu Family's younger generation also joined the expedition.
From another bus, a graceful figure stepped down, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
The girl had long flowing hair and a slender, athletic figure. She wore a fitted set of sportswear that perfectly accentuated her curves.
The delicate shape of her body made several of the male hunters quietly gasp in admiration.
Song Jie looked at her and immediately thought of someone—Mu Nujiao!
Since this was a Mu Family recruitment mission, it was only natural that the one leading them might be her.
"Wow, isn't she still in her third year of high school? How can she already have such a figure?" Song Jie muttered in disbelief.
What's it going to be like once she's fully grown?
Let's face it—when a beautiful girl appears, every man instinctively takes a second look.
Some even say that admiring beauty can prolong one's life. Whether that's true or not hardly matters.
"Brother Lei." Mu Nujiao approached a young man standing ahead—Mu Lei.
They were both disciples of the Mu Family, out on this expedition as part of their training.
Mu Lei nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping over the assembled hunters.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped on a familiar face.
Why is he here?
Mu Lei's brows furrowed slightly.
"Brother Lei, who are you talking about?" Mu Nujiao asked curiously.
She and Mu Lei had always been close, often working together during family missions.
"A classmate," Mu Lei replied simply, then looked away.
The person he had recognized was none other than Song Jie—and Song Jie had noticed him as well.
"Brother Lei, congratulations on being admitted to Mingzhu Academy," Mu Nujiao said sincerely.
She had just come out of secluded cultivation and heard that Mu Lei had passed the Academy's special recruitment exam.
Mu Lei nodded, his expression distant.
During that assessment, Song Jie had completely crushed the other candidates.
Mu Lei couldn't help but feel both admiration and curiosity toward him.
Following Mu Lei's gaze, Mu Nujiao's eyes also landed on Song Jie.
Instantly, the crowd of male hunters nearby began whispering excitedly.
"Damn, is she looking at me? I feel like I've just gained twenty years of lifespan!"
"Stop dreaming. With your face? She's obviously looking at me!"
"What are you two talking about? She's clearly looking at me—these muscles don't lie!"
Song Jie couldn't help but shake his head, amused by their childish chatter.
He knew perfectly well that Mu Nujiao's glance had nothing to do with them—she was probably just curious about his connection to Mu Lei.
Before long, Mu Nujiao and Mu Lei joined the three middle-aged men standing at the front of the group.
Song Jie took one look at them and could immediately tell that these three were high-level mages—likely assigned by the Mu Family for protection.
"If everyone's ready, let's move out," said one of the middle-aged mages, his slicked-back hair gleaming in the sunlight.
His tone was calm but carried an unmistakable authority.
"Alright, let's go," the uncle from before replied, smiling as he motioned for Song Jie and the others to follow.
They passed through the post station, then continued toward the gate leading into Xiaokunshan.
The Mu Family's members led the way, while the hired hunters followed behind.
"It's quite dangerous in Xiaokunshan," one man warned in a low voice.
"If things go south, run toward those three up front." He pointed discreetly at the high-level mages.
"Thanks for the tip!" another hunter said, quickly lighting the man's cigarette in gratitude.
Standing nearby, Song Jie silently agreed. If a demon attacked, those three definitely wouldn't stand by and watch.
"Brother, are there really that many plant stamens in Xiaokunshan?" someone asked nervously.
The man took a puff of smoke. "Not really. You're lucky if you find one or two and make it out alive."
"What?! Only one or two?" Several hunters' faces fell. Many of them had clearly been misled into thinking they'd strike it rich overnight.
But Song Jie focused on something else—the man's words: 'If you make it out alive.'
That single phrase told him everything he needed to know.
This was no simple collection trip.
If the Mu Family had sent three high-level mages, along with a dozen mid-levels and over a hundred low-level hunters, then danger was guaranteed.
"Everyone's just here to try their luck," the man continued. "There are always a few lucky ones who manage to find ten or twenty flowers each trip."
Hearing that, some hunters looked a bit more reassured, even hopeful.
Song Jie, however, didn't believe in luck. If he were already a mid-level mage, he would never have joined something like this.
Easy money never comes easy. That uncle's earlier promises were clearly exaggerated.
Half an hour later, the group finally reached the boundary of Xiaokunshan.
The post station had been built specifically to support expeditions here, so it only took about an hour to arrive.
As they stood before the dense, misty forest, the uncle raised his voice:
"Next, we'll split into three teams. Each group will have one high-level mage, so don't panic!"
With so many participants, entering the forest all at once would only attract unwanted attention from monsters.
It was safer to divide and explore separately.
Once the assignments were made, Song Jie glanced up—and noticed that Mu Nujiao was in the same group as him.
He also spotted Mu Lei speaking quietly with the uncle who was organizing things.
Moments later, Mu Lei approached Song Jie with a smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."
Song Jie returned the smile politely.
"This is my sister, Mu Nujiao," Mu Lei said, introducing her. "She might end up being your junior at Mingzhu Academy."
Mu Nujiao nodded slightly. She wasn't sure why her brother valued this man so highly.
"Song Jie," Mu Lei continued, "he's one of my classmates. A very capable one."
Then he added, "Why don't you join our group? It'll be safer that way."
It was true—staying close to a high-level mage was much safer than blending in with the general hunters.
But Song Jie politely declined. He didn't want to get too involved with the Mu Family right now.
For this trip, he was simply here to "tag along" and gain some experience.
Mu Lei wasn't offended. He simply nodded and returned to his group with Mu Nujiao.
On the way, Mu Nujiao asked softly, "Brother Lei, is there something special about that Song Jie?"
"He took the special recruitment exam with me," Mu Lei replied.
"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" she pressed.
Mu Lei smiled faintly. "You're right. His Light Element is… unusual."
"Unusual?"
"Yes. Normally, Light magic isn't very offensive in the early stages. But his basic Light magic can already match the power of mid-level attack spells."
Mu Nujiao's eyes widened in surprise. That level of talent was beyond rare.
She recalled Dongfang Lie from the Dongfang Family—known for his "Mutated Star Path."
A Mutated Star Mage had four levels per realm instead of three.
Others would need to use Spirit Essence to strengthen their stars to reach the fourth level—but even wealthy families couldn't afford to waste such a priceless resource.
As a result, Dongfang Lie's strength far surpassed ordinary mages of the same level.
"So… Song Jie's Light Element is a mutated one?" Mu Nujiao asked.
Mu Lei nodded. "Exactly. His basic spell power is already comparable to intermediate-level magic. If it mutates again when he advances, it could rival high-level spells."
Mu Nujiao was stunned.
If that were true… then this seemingly ordinary hunter might grow into something terrifying.