Cultivation Partner Reborn in the Apocalypse

Chapter 158: Chapter158



Hearing this, Ge Qing breathed a sigh of relief but didn't let him off lightly, "I have absolute faith in Xu Nuo; his strength speaks for itself. The issue is you going with him; who knows if you might slow him down?"

Park Su felt like their friendship might be over, turning away without wanting to deal with him; after all, his own strength was off the charts.

Seeing help had arrived, Xu Nuo didn't want to keep manipulating Zhu Xiao, needing neither he nor Park Su to touch him anymore. He just used a slight amount of ability to prevent Zhu Xiao from using his own powers.

He then instructed Lu Shang and Ge Qing to take Zhu Xiao back to the team, figuring they could discuss who he was later. Lu Shang wanted to ask about Zhu Xiao but realized the current situation wasn't suitable for questions, so he nodded and helped carry Zhu Xiao back to the convoy.

Zhu Xiao wasn't actually a third-tier ability user; he was at the peak of the second tier. However, since the ability users he encountered were usually suppressed, no one could accurately gauge his level.

His village had more ordinary people than ability users, and they all thought he was impressive, at least at the third tier, or close to it, so they spread this assumption.

However, now being manhandled by two unfriendly third-tier ability users, he realized the vast difference between second and third tiers.

Even though he couldn't use his abilities due to Xu Nuo's control, he could feel the pressure emanating from them, understanding that he wouldn't stand a chance against either of them in a real fight.

At this moment, he missed the serums Elder Chen made for him. If he had a couple on hand, he might have found an opportunity to escape once in their convoy.

Unfortunately, he rarely left his compound and didn't carry any with him, and the antidotes those two had were still in their pockets, unused, making his chances of escape slim.

Now, he felt like a quail, obediently following them, feeling extremely humiliated as a man near forty being controlled by people who looked barely in their mid-twenties.

However, in this world, strength was what gave you a voice, and his days of robbing others had only reinforced this belief. Now, being suppressed, he hoped his abilities would grow stronger, but he was also curious about what they wanted with him.

Lost in thought, Zhu Xiao was brought back to reality as they reached the convoy. He was somewhat stunned to see that this small team had only about ten members, yet all were second-tier ability users!

He had only heard from his villagers about a small ability user team passing by, but he hadn't expected them all to be above second tier.

In his experience, the teams he had robbed included many first-tier users, with only seven or eight second-tier ones, and at most one or two third-tier.

This made him think that as a peak second-tier space ability user on the verge of breaking through to third, he was quite something.

However, looking at this team, he felt his level was somewhat inadequate. He hadn't been able to see through the abilities of the two they initially captured, but the two who came later were clearly third-tier, and now, to see that the rest of their team was all above second tier, how could this small team of just over ten people seem to have a higher combat strength than a team of dozens?

Upon seeing Park Su and Xu Nuo, everyone ignored Zhu Xiao and rushed forward to ask, "Captain, Vice-Captain, are you okay? Those people didn't do anything to you, did they?"

Hearing their titles, Zhu Xiao was taken aback. So, these two were actually the leaders of this team? Hadn't he played his cards completely wrong?

However, he couldn't entirely blame himself; not many leaders would put themselves in danger while having their team wait. Plus, these two looked so young that he couldn't have imagined their abilities were so much higher than his own.

Moreover, if all these second-tier ability users were willing to follow these young leaders, then being captured by them wasn't too disgraceful. After all, there were even older-looking members in this team.

Although Zhu Xiao hadn't spoken, his presence was too strong to ignore. Once Park Su and Xu Nuo confirmed they were unharmed, everyone's attention turned to the man Xu Nuo had brought back.

Someone asked curiously, "Captain, who is this?"

Xu Nuo smiled with a hint of meaning, "He's either a friend or an enemy; it's not clear yet. So, I brought him back to think it over. But right now, he's the head of that village."

There was a silence of about five or six seconds before someone asked uncertainly, "So, this is the leader of the village that threatened to capture us all unless we left our resources behind?"

Hearing this, Zhu Xiao felt his face grow hot with embarrassment, but Xu Nuo didn't spare him any dignity, nodding, "That's correct."

Zhu Xiao's face turned even redder, but the team members didn't pay attention to his complexion. They looked at Xu Nuo with expressions of "as expected," and someone praised, "Truly our captain, you know how to make an impact. Look, you brought their leader back. But from what you said, are you thinking of having him join our team?"

Xu Nuo smirked, "I do have that in mind because his ability is quite interesting. With him, our travels would become much more convenient. But his ability tier is still a bit low. If he's willing to join us, I might help him elevate his ability tier and combat skills, which would increase our resource collection by another level!"

Hearing this, the team members looked at Zhu Xiao with envy. Having followed Xu Nuo for so long, they knew how well he treated those he favored. Just look at Shi Lei, who, despite not knowing Xu Nuo before joining the team, was quickly promoted due to Xu Nuo's recognition, becoming the one with the fastest growth. Many envied him behind his back.

Xu Nuo also took Shi Lei on many small missions, which made him quite wealthy. There were many in the team who were jealous of Shi Lei, and if not for their high level of discipline, the team would have been far from peaceful.

However, they didn't expect another person to catch Xu Nuo's eye so soon, and from what Xu Nuo said, this person hadn't agreed yet?

Someone eagerly stepped forward and asked Xu Nuo, "Captain, Captain, if he doesn't want to follow you, no problem, we all do, especially me! Look at my strength, my potential. Why don't you take me under your wing? I'll work hard for you, and you can guide me more!"

Xu Nuo, seeing his enthusiasm, smiled a bit warmer, "Isn't the guidance I've given you all enough? But cultivation ultimately depends on yourselves. Plus, you have people to look after in S Base, and I'm not planning to go back there, so I can't take you with me."

"However, while you're a member of my team, I'll help you as much as I can. If you have any questions about cultivation, I'll answer them fully. As for the zombie crystals used for cultivation, you'll get your share, but I hope you'll obtain what you want through your own abilities rather than relying on others to give it to you."

Hearing this, the man sighed, understanding that Xu Nuo was looking out for him but still feeling a bit disappointed. As he walked past Zhu Xiao, he shot him a look of extreme resentment, muttering, "You're blind to your fortune. Our captain wants to take you in, and you're not willing? You're just a peak second-tier ability user, what's so great about that?"

Zhu Xiao inwardly roared, "You know I'm a peak second-tier ability user, so you should know I can hear your muttering, right? Could you walk a bit further before talking? Do you think I'm deaf?"

Although he was internally screaming, upon reflection, he found the conversation between this man and Xu Nuo to be quite strange. In his village, he had cultivated a culture of blind worship, but those who worshipped him were mostly ordinary survivors.

However, here were all second-tier ability users, with that man being at the peak second-tier just like him, yet showing such blind reverence for Xu Nuo and Park Su. This suggested that their abilities might not be just at the third tier as he had thought.

Moreover, Xu Nuo's words about helping him elevate his tier were shocking. What did that mean? Could he actually have a method to enhance an ability user's tier?

Seeing the jealousy in the team members' eyes without any skepticism told Zhu Xiao that Xu Nuo must have some way to earn such blind faith from these people. Could he really have a method to accelerate the growth of abilities?

The thought made Zhu Xiao's blood boil with excitement. From the beginning, he knew this was a world where the strong prey on the weak, and after being captured, he learned another lesson: in this world, relying solely on side methods like serums wouldn't guarantee invincibility. Ultimately, it was one's own ability that needed enhancement to protect those they cared about.

 


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