A quiet fishing ground by the river.
"Ice Lock—Pierce!"
Mu Nianbing's voice rang out clearly as sharp chains of ice burst from the ground.
The third-level Ice Lock shot forward, piercing through the thick scales of the advanced Iron-Skinned Crocodile Monster with a crisp crack.
This was his first mission after joining the Qingtian Hunting House.
Because of these crocodile monsters, the fishing ground had suffered devastating losses. The owners had no choice but to hire hunters to deal with the infestation.
Mu Nianbing collected the spirit essence released by the fallen monster, then turned toward Lingling with a calm smile.
"Isn't this mission a bit too easy?"
"Hmph, that's only because you're slowing me down."
Lingling lifted her little chin proudly, shooting him a sidelong glance. Still, she had to admit—among hunters of her age, Mu Nianbing was easily the most capable she had seen.
He was calm, decisive, and precise in battle, not like a novice hunter at all.
Mu Nianbing only shrugged. Though they'd only worked together for a short while, he had already gotten used to Lingling's sharp tongue and cold arrogance.
The bounty for this job was five hundred thousand yuan. Split evenly, each would get two hundred and fifty thousand.
After deducting the Hunting House's commission, Mu Nianbing's actual share came to around two hundred thousand.
Fortunately, among the crocodile monsters they hunted, one had a spirit worth nearly five million.
At this rate, he thought wryly, it was still uncertain whether he could earn a hundred million within a year.
"Looks like I'll still need to head out of town to hunt more monsters," he murmured.
Lingling glanced sideways at him, narrowing her eyes. Was this guy plotting something reckless again?
After resolving the fishing ground issue, the two returned to Qingtian Hunting House. They reported the mission details and deposited the bounty.
To Mu Nianbing's surprise, after the Hunting House took its cut, Lingling had actually credited the remaining amount straight into his account.
As expected of the tsundere Lingling… always making people love and hate her at the same time.
Over the next six months, Mu Nianbing spent most of his time training and completing commissions with Lingling.
While early-stage missions didn't bring much profit, higher-level hunters could take on far more lucrative jobs. More importantly, hunting monsters helped hone practical combat experience.
In addition to his steady stream of commissions, Mu Nianbing had also ventured beyond the city twice.
With the help of Lei Yi and Cangming Jiao, he harvested three general-level spirits and sixteen servant-level ones.
After receiving Qilin's protection, his explosion rate for spirit essences had improved significantly.
He didn't sell them all at once. Instead, he divided them into three separate batches and sold them through Zhao's Auction House, spacing each sale about four months apart to avoid suspicion.
Even if Zhao's Auction House noticed the pattern, they would likely assume some elder of Mu Nianbing's was behind it.
Zhao's Auction House, VIP Room
"Brother Mu, are you planning to purchase a Galaxy Vein to aid your breakthrough?"
Zhao Manyan's expression carried his usual easy smile, but his tone was clearly probing.
Mu Nianbing had met Zhao Manyan half a year ago. Frequent spirit sales had naturally attracted the second young master's attention.
"Just making some preparations in advance," Mu Nianbing replied calmly.
"Brother Mu's talent truly makes me envious. I've been cultivating for three years and only just reached the intermediate level," Zhao Manyan sighed.
By his estimation, Mu Nianbing's strength was already close to intermediate level three—something he himself would take at least two more years to achieve.
The gap in talent was plain to see.
"Haha, you're the second young master of the Zhao Family," Mu Nianbing said lightly. "With the resources at your disposal, you'll catch up soon enough."
The Zhao Family's status meant Zhao Manyan had access to the best stardust and nebula magic tools money could buy. That alone gave him a tremendous advantage.
Still, compared to Mu Nianbing's Ice God's Protection, those resources were far from enough.
After six months of training, his Ice Element was nearly perfected, and his Summoning Element had reached intermediate level three.
"Brother Mu, you're too modest," Zhao Manyan chuckled.
"I know my own limits. I'm not the worst, but definitely not among the best. Even with all my resources, I couldn't compare to geniuses like you."
If his talent had been exceptional, he would've long been taken as a disciple by Master Bai Song within the Zhao Family.
Mu Nianbing smiled faintly. If I didn't have the money to buy my own Nebula Magic Weapon, I wouldn't be this far either.
Money wasn't everything—but without money, nothing could begin.
In the end, talent determined the lower limit, but resources determined both the upper and the higher limits.
Qingtian Hunting House
"I've got a new commission. Want to take a look?"
Lingling came bouncing over, her twin ponytails swaying as she handed him the order form.
Mu Nianbing accepted the tea brewed by Senior Sister Leng Qing before glancing at the sheet.
"A commission from the Mu Family? That's rare."
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. Big families like the Mu Family rarely issued public commissions—unless they had a real problem on their hands.
After all, the Mu Family was one of the Four Great Families in the Magic City. They had no shortage of high-level or even super-level mages.
If the problem was minor, they could simply send a few of their own. If it was serious, they would release a major mission, not a minor 10-million-yuan commission like this.
In Mu Nianbing's eyes, ten million barely qualified as "small."
Within a year, he had already risen to Elite Hunter, just one step away from Master Hunter. That alone spoke to how many commissions he had completed.
His diligence in taking missions had also greatly improved Lingling's opinion of him.
For her, hunting monsters brought a joy no other pastime could match—it was like a child receiving their favorite toy.
A strange hobby, yes, but one Mu Nianbing deeply respected.
After all, Lingling's last partner had been her father…
"Capture a fire-attributed servant-level monster?" Mu Nianbing read aloud. "Doesn't sound too difficult. I'll take it."
"The meeting time is set for tomorrow morning," Lingling said, satisfied. "Make sure you're ready."
What she liked most about him was that he never turned down work—quantity over everything!
As soon as the decision was made, Lingling dashed upstairs to prepare.
"I'm usually busy with my duties, so thank you for taking care of Lingling," Leng Qing said softly.
"What are you talking about, Senior Sister? It's Lingling who's been helping me all this time," Mu Nianbing said sincerely.
Most of the rewards from their missions ended up in his pocket. The least he could do was look after her.