“Mr. Foster, haha, you’ve put on some weight lately, old brother!”

“It’s all thanks to you, the head guard!”

The two chatted and laughed as they walked upstairs, and Eric Bennett and his group quickly followed.

This wasn’t their first time here, but whether it was the shopkeeper or the staff, none of them had ever spoken a word to them. In those people’s eyes, “cannon fodder! useless trash” was their nickname.

Eric Bennett and his group were used to this, so they didn’t care. Only Paul Carter clenched his fist tightly, secretly thinking, “I’ll show you my strength soon enough!”

The third level of Iron Body Technique filled him with confidence. The stronger he became, the more resources he could get. He had even planned out his future: once he reached the fifth level of Iron Body Technique, he could join a family as a guard, and then he would bring honor to his ancestors.

“Gentlemen, ladies, Captain Michael Bolton has arrived…”

“Jack Jr., Miss Emily…”

After reaching the second floor, a dozen or so sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys and girls were sitting and drinking tea. The two quickly greeted them.

When these youths saw Michael Bolton and Mr. Foster, they nodded at them, but as for Eric Bennett and his group, these young men and women didn’t even spare them a glance.

“Michael Bolton, are you ready?” At this moment, a proud-looking youth sitting in the main seat, like an emperor above all, looked down at Michael Bolton and asked.

“Michael Bolton, the logistics for this trial are up to you!” After the youth spoke, a beautiful girl with a faintly proud expression sitting beside him also addressed Michael Bolton.

The youth was named Jack Bolton, grandson of the Zhang family’s Fifth Elder. The girl was Emily Bolton, granddaughter of the Fourth Elder. This time, they were leading the family’s newly sixteen-year-old youths to the Sirius Mountains for a trial.

Sixteen was a watershed age on the Sirius Continent. After sixteen, one was considered an adult, so sixteen was a crucial checkpoint.

Reaching the martial artist realm before sixteen meant you had talent and were worth cultivating. You could focus on martial arts in the family, with some resources allocated to you. But if you hadn’t reached the martial artist realm by sixteen, you would start working for the family, earning money to support other martial artists and help the family grow.

These dozen or so youths were the ones from the Zhang family who had reached the martial artist realm at sixteen. In large families, after turning sixteen, there would be a coming-of-age trial.

Michael Bolton was called a guard by some of the outer disciples in the Zhang family, but in the eyes of the true core members, Michael Bolton was just a servant, someone who relied on the Zhang family to live. Naturally, these young masters and ladies didn’t pay him any attention.

“Jack Jr., Miss Emily, everything is ready! We can set off at any time!” Michael Bolton and Mr. Bolton quickly replied respectfully.

“Good!” Hearing this, Jack Bolton nodded at them, then turned to the other youths and said, “You all go get ready too. We leave in an hour!”

“Okay, Jack!”

“Don’t worry, Jack! With you and Sister Emily here, this trial will be a piece of cake. Even if we run into a third-rank fierce beast, we won’t be afraid!”

“That’s right, with Jack and Sister Emily—both second-rank martial artists—what do we have to fear?”

…

They could ignore Michael Bolton and his group, but once Jack Bolton spoke, the arrogance on these youths’ faces was replaced by fawning smiles as they all spoke to Jack Bolton and Emily Bolton in the main seats.

These words also reached the ears of Eric Bennett and his group, who were coming downstairs, making them sigh inwardly.

A second-rank martial artist was like a legend to them—something they could never hope to achieve. To reach the second rank at sixteen was shocking even to Eric Bennett, who knew how difficult cultivation was.

However, after a moment of surprise, Eric Bennett returned to normal. He believed that as long as he had time, surpassing these people wouldn’t be a problem.

Just yesterday, he discovered that after being healed by the Vital Energy, his meridians had become a bit stronger, and there were no hidden dangers.

Originally, Eric Bennett had planned to concoct some medicine to strengthen his meridians, but the appearance of the Vital Energy made him abandon that idea.

Maybe medicine would work faster, but Eric Bennett found that after treatment with the Vital Energy, his meridians became more resilient—something herbs couldn’t achieve.

Therefore, Eric Bennett had already decided to use the Vital Energy to heal his meridians. Although the process might be painful, what was a little pain for a better foundation?

An hour later, Eric Bennett and his group were all standing at the entrance of the general store, but now each of them had a bulging bundle on their back.

Inside the bundles were the food and water needed by the young masters and ladies, and even some clothes.

A moment later, the young masters of the Zhang family also came out of the general store. They were all dressed in fitted outfits, carrying only weapons and a few necessities. All other miscellaneous items were carried by Eric Bennett and his group.

Eric Bennett and his group didn’t mind this. The pay for this job was high, and after completing the mission, the twenty members of the Flying Tiger Squad could split ten percent of the supplies. That ten percent was what they truly valued.