17: Chapter 17 only gives you four or five points.

Gu Changming looked in the direction of the hand; the newcomer was Ye Qing.

Ye Qing narrowed her eyes at him with a smile, then turned to the stall owner.

The stall owner hesitated for a moment, glanced at the heavy backpack, and finally made up his mind.

"Fine, three points it is."

As soon as he spoke, a translucent transfer prompt popped up in front of Gu Changming.

He reached out and tapped "Accept," then turned to Ye Qing. "Thanks."

Ye Qing put her hands behind her back and smiled gently. "It’s nothing, we’re teammates after all. But why don’t you bargain when you sell things?"

Gu Changming pursed his lips. "I never learned how."

Well, truth be told, one or two points didn't really matter to him. His purpose for coming here wasn't to earn points anyway.

Ye Qing walked forward two steps with her hands behind her back, then looked back and said, "You have to learn."

Wasn't she the same before? She didn't know how to bargain and didn't like doing it, so she rarely went to wet markets to avoid haggling with vendors.

But things were different now; everything had to be learned.

Gu Changming nodded in agreement.

As they walked side by side for a while, Gu Changming suddenly remembered something and asked, "Didn't you say you were going back to your tent? Why did you come over here?"

Ye Qing pointed to her backpack and explained, "Carrying all this is quite heavy, so I wanted to sell some of it off."

Gu Changming nodded again.

The two walked a bit further. Since they had only known each other for a few days and weren't very close, neither spoke, and the atmosphere became a bit awkward.

Finally, it was Ye Qing who broke the silence.

"Why did you want to enter the Mystic Realm?" she asked softly.

Seeing Gu Changming’s questioning gaze, Ye Qing pointed at his empty backpack and explained, "You only pick some herbs and materials in there; a whole trip doesn't even net you four or five points."

It wasn't that she looked down on Gu Changming as a teammate; she was simply curious.

Entering the Mystic Realm carried a certain level of risk. Their former teammate had died inside, after all.

Yet Gu Changming only harvested a few points per trip; the effort and reward were clearly disproportionate.

One should know that she could earn over ten points in a single trip. As a man, he was earning even less than her...

Seeing Gu Changming pursing his lips and not answering for several seconds,

Ye Qing quickly changed the subject. "It's okay. Next time we go in, you can try hunting magic beasts like the Steel-Maned Rabbit."

The Steel-Maned Rabbit Ye Qing mentioned was one of the weakest magic beasts in the outermost region of the Mystic Realm. It was essentially a rabbit, but its outer fur was as hard as steel needles.

Its combat strength isn't high; even an unenhanced adult man could win with a wooden club. The fur, rabbit meat, and special incisors obtained after the kill can be sold for a good number of points.

At the very least, one rabbit was more valuable than the entire backpack of materials Gu Changming had just sold.

Gu Changming looked at Ye Qing with some surprise.

Meeting her sincere eyes, Gu Changming gave a light chuckle and then nodded.

"Alright, I'll try that next time."

Ye Qing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, her tone becoming more cheerful. "Don't worry, we're all in the same squad. We'll help you when the time comes."

"I should be fine on my own," Gu Changming said.

Ye Qing didn't argue, not wanting to dampen Gu Changming's enthusiasm, and changed the subject.

"After the Assessment, didn't everyone get a hundred points? What did you buy with yours?"

Gu Changming replied, "That body strengthening potion; it cost exactly a hundred points."

He wasn't lying. Of his remaining three hundred and eighty points, he had indeed spent one hundred to buy that potion to strengthen his body.

If he didn't enhance himself, he really wouldn't be able to keep up with the overall standards of modern humans.

"Most people chose that," Ye Qing nodded in agreement.

Just as she was thinking of another topic to chat about, a sudden commotion broke out not far away.

Shouts and pained cries mixed together, shattering the original noise of the market.

The two stopped in their tracks and looked over.

There was a burst of noise from that direction, accompanied by continuous screams of agony.

Gu Changming and Ye Qing stopped simultaneously and gazed toward the source of the sound.

"Maybe some squad entered the Inner Circle and encountered a powerful magic beast?" Ye Qing guessed softly, her brow furrowing slightly.

More and more people gathered there, and the sound of discussion buzzed.

With a thought, Gu Changming moved closer.

Ye Qing hadn't intended to join the crowd, but seeing Gu Changming walk over, she followed him.

Gu Changming quickly squeezed through the crowd to the front and saw the scene inside:

A burly man was slumped on the ground, his face as pale as paper. His left arm had been severed at the shoulder, leaving a bloody mess. The wound on his abdomen was even more horrifying—a massive tear ran across his waist and belly, and the faint outlines of his internal organs were visible.

Beside him knelt a "Physician" whose expressions and movements were equally frantic.

This Physician was someone who had earned two hundred points in the Assessment and then purchased a healing-related skill. However, it was clear that while he had the skill, he lacked the relevant experience, so he appeared quite flustered right now.

Of course, Gu Changming hadn't come in to see this; he was there to listen to the news people were discussing.

"Did they enter the Inner Circle?"

"No, it was in the Outer Circle. A demon creature rushed out, and out of the entire five-man squad, he’s the only one who survived."

"What kind of thing was it?" the person asking looked panicked.

"I don't know," the other person shook his head, adding worriedly, "I hope that magic beast is killed soon so it doesn't affect us."

"Yeah, we only stick to the Outer Circle for safety. If the danger level goes up, then this Mystic Realm won't be safe to enter anymore."

Everyone chimed in, most of them looking quite worried.

However, at this moment, the corners of Gu Changming's mouth curled up.

The information was correct; he had finally found what he was waiting for.

After the two squeezed out of the crowd,

Ye Qing led Gu Changming and hurried toward the area where wine was sold.

Since this had happened, they naturally had to share the news with the other two members of their squad.

"If even the Outer Circle of the Mystic Realm isn't safe, we won't be able to go in either," Ye Qing said with a worried expression.

"It's likely just an accident; it'll probably be fine soon," Gu Changming said.

"I hope so." The worry in Ye Qing's eyes still hadn't faded.

Once they reached the spot and told Wang Dongxin and the other teammate the news, they both showed similarly worried expressions.

They lost most of their interest in drinking and soon followed Gu Changming and Ye Qing to go and gather more information.

However, it really did seem to be just an accident.

Afterward, there was no more news of anyone being attacked, and the anxious hearts of the crowd gathered outside the Mystic Realm gradually calmed down.

Another day or two passed.

After finishing the sorting and selling of all their materials, Wang Dongxin’s squad began to line up, intending to re-enter the Mystic Realm for another adventure.

There was less than a week left until the second Assessment.

They had to take advantage of this time to earn more; when the Assessment began, they might be able to rely on the points they earned to buy items that could save their lives.