William Grant, as the one with the highest cultivation, needed to conserve his strength to deal with any possible emergencies, and would not waste his true energy on something as trivial as clearing the path. Meanwhile, Emily Thompson, with the weakest cultivation and her first time leaving the mountain, was protected in the middle of the group. The remaining three would take turns handling the task.

Such an arrangement could definitely be called fair and reasonable.

However...

"I have a bit of an opinion." Liam Carter, who had been standing at the very end of the group, suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm?" William Grant frowned and looked at him.

Everyone's gaze also fell on his ever-smiling face, faintly unfriendly. No one knew what this newcomer from Silver Sword Peak was up to.

Then, they heard Liam Carter say, "Let me handle the task of clearing the path and eliminating monsters alone. There's no need to take turns."

Chapter 010: Hundred Flowers Scattered

"What?"

As soon as Liam Carter said this, everyone couldn't help but be a little surprised.

After all, in a jungle overrun with demons, where true energy couldn't be replenished, there was no telling what dangers might arise. If something unexpected did happen, the more cultivation one had saved, the better the chance of escaping danger.

So, from the bottom of their hearts, none of them wanted to waste their true energy on clearing the path. That was precisely why William Grant had proposed the fair plan of rotating the task among three people.

The moment Liam Carter spoke up with an opinion, they all thought he was trying to shirk responsibility, or drag William Grant and Emily Thompson into it as well.

But to their utter surprise... this gentle-smiling young man before them actually volunteered to take on the task of clearing the path alone.

He was only at the early stage of Divine Intent Realm himself—such responsibility was truly unexpected.

"The Carter Brothers, this isn't something to joke about," Benjamin Lee was the first to advise. "Besides, this road might take an hour or two to walk. If you exhaust your true energy, it will affect our later efforts to pick the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower. Let's just take turns clearing the way."

Liam Carter smiled and said, "It's fine, I have confidence. If my true energy is about to run out, I'll naturally step back and let someone else take over. My cultivation is low, so there aren't many ways I can help. Let me put in a bit more effort here."

His words were sincere, his expression earnest, and everyone was somewhat moved.

"If you insist, then you can clear the way first. It's getting late, and we need to enter the mountain as soon as possible," William Grant said, turning around. After a pause, he added, "But remember, if your true energy is more than half depleted, switch out in time. If you wait until it's all gone, it'll be too late."

"I understand," Liam Carter nodded.

The young girl Emily Thompson looked at Liam Carter and pouted.

In fact, Emily Thompson's spirit pet, the white bird, wasn't given by her brother, but by her master. Henry Walker had doted on her since childhood, so Emily Thompson was deeply attached to her master. Naturally, she had a poor impression of Silver Sword Peak, which had a grudge against Henry Walker.

When she first heard that Liam Carter was the disciple of Silver Sword Peak's Imperial Phoenix, she was secretly hostile. When she let him ride her white bird, she was still a bit upset and deliberately sat in front to isolate him.

But the girl's heart was so soft. At this moment, seeing Liam Carter take the initiative to shoulder responsibility for the team—clearly to get closer to everyone—she suddenly felt that her earlier behavior of isolating him was really wrong.

And this senior brother Liam Carter...

So quiet, also very handsome, and his smile was so nice... He really seemed like a good person.

Emily Thompson tugged at her sleeve, ran a few steps to catch up to Liam Carter, and took out a small bottle, saying, "Senior Brother Carter, here are three Qi Gathering Pills. Keep them for yourself."

Qi Gathering Pills, which could quickly replenish true energy, were of great use at a time like this. However, their main function was to aid cultivation after taking them, and since they couldn't continue cultivating here, using them just to restore true energy was a bit of a waste.

"Junior Sister Thompson, this..." Liam Carter was about to politely refuse, but saw the girl looking at him with big, watery eyes full of apology. It seemed that if he didn't accept, she would burst into tears.

This left him a bit confused, so he could only accept and say, "Alright, thank you very much."

"Hehe, it's nothing. I have plenty more," Emily Thompson said with a sweet smile after he accepted.

Liam Carter stepped forward and transformed his flying sword, holding it in his hand. He had no time to ponder the inner thoughts of the disciples from Jade Sword Peak. The reason he volunteered to clear the way was simple.

The one clearing the way gets to fight monsters.

...

"Hiss—"

In the vast green mountains, the dense forest was filled with ancient trees several meters tall, their crowns and vines twisted together, blocking out the sky and sun, letting not a single ray of light through.

William Grant held a lantern-shaped magical artifact in his hand, emitting a soft glow that enveloped the group and illuminated the path ahead. At the very front, Liam Carter spread his spiritual sense several meters ahead, walking each step with caution and vigilance.

Just as his spiritual sense detected a trace of demonic energy, a strange sound came from ahead.

Among the many vines coiled around a thick ancient tree, one suddenly sprang up like a giant green-spotted python! At the tip of the vine was a red flower bud the size of a fist, its color dazzlingly seductive.

A flower demon!