Old Gao and Little Xu had no intention of accommodating Duan Ming. In fact, their main plan was to shake off Duan Ming.

In their eyes, Duan Ming was merely an ordinary person.

An ordinary person following them would only end up dead. They didn't care about Duan Ming, but if they could shake him off and keep him alive, they wouldn't want him to die.

Therefore, the two suddenly quickened their pace, moving with the speed of the wind at their feet.

Both of them were martial mutants, having cultivated their agility, and they could move even faster than a car.

As they sped up, they were confident they would soon shake off Duan Ming.

However, gradually, Duan Ming's performance surprised them. Despite their speed, Duan Ming was equally fast, making it impossible for them to leave him behind and even stay closely followed.

"Hey, Duan Ming, how's your speed so fast? Aren't you an ordinary person? Didn't Master Chang take you in, or did you join Master Qin?"

Seeing their astonished expressions, Duan Ming couldn't help but laugh loudly in his heart, feeling both avenged and proud.

He retorted, "Do you think I can't follow anyone else for cultivation besides Master Qin and Master Chang?"

As he spoke, he observed Old Gao and Little Xu's condition. He found that although they moved swiftly, their strength was noticeably inferior to his own, even far inferior.

This made him more smug, proud of the source of his strength. He began to think that the person who gifted him the fruits must have strength above Master Qin and Master Chang, perhaps far above.

Old Gao and Little Xu followed Master Chang in cultivation longer than he did, yet their power was still inferior.

But he, how long had he been cultivating by now?

Not to mention, the person who guided his cultivation did so for how long? That master only gave him two fruits and didn't instruct him personally.

Merely two fruits allowed him to surpass Master Chang's direct disciple. What can be said about that master's strength?

Little Xu was even more astonished, staring at Duan Ming with uncertainty: "You're following someone else for cultivation? Are there other masters in the Ancient City besides Master Qin and Master Chang?"

There were indeed other masters in the Ancient City, but none could compare to Master Qin and Master Chang. In fact, their strength was far less, with most masters merely being disciples of Master Chang or Master Qin.

"Haha! There are many masters you don't know of."

Duan Ming laughed again but did not reply further, not revealing whom he had encountered.

He felt that the master he met was too mysterious, and since that master hadn't revealed their own information, it was clear the master didn't want their identity known.

The master didn't want his information leaked, so Duan Ming naturally dared not disclose it carelessly.

Old Gao and Little Xu grew more uncertain, finding Duan Ming increasingly mysterious.

Understanding that further inquiry wouldn't yield any answers, they stopped asking questions.

However, despite stopping their questions, the two began to use their agility techniques, slowly increasing their speed, deciding to test Duan Ming's strength and see if he could keep up.

Unprepared, Duan Ming was quickly left behind, causing Old Gao and Little Xu to exchange a smile, thinking Duan Ming's strength wasn't much after all.

But before they could revel in their moment of triumph, Duan Ming's feet burst into flames, quickly catching up.

Old Gao and Little Xu were greatly shocked, and they continued to increase their speed, but no matter how much they sped up, they could not shake off Duan Ming.

Xiao Mu followed behind, watching the scene and found it amusing.

Duan Ming's strength wasn't high, but his unwillingness to concede was strong, which was a good thing. If he were someone who easily accepted his fate, Xiao Mu wouldn't have given him the flame fruits initially.

He followed quietly, without revealing any traces.

With his strength, even if he stood right in front of Duan Ming and others, they wouldn't be able to sense his presence.

After initially failing to shake off Duan Ming, Old Gao and Little Xu stopped testing him and slowed down.

Seeing them slow down, Duan Ming followed suit.

The three moved together, heading towards the other side of the Ancient City.

On the other side of the Ancient City, a large group had already gathered at the city gate, numbering at least forty or fifty people.

Among them, Brother Guo, the disciple of Master Chang whom they encountered that day, was clearly the leader of these people.

These people had apparently been waiting at the city gate for quite some time, and some grew impatient, shouting loudly, "Brother Guo, how much longer do we have to wait, anyway? How many people are still coming?"

"No rush, not all of my junior brothers have arrived. We'll set out once everyone is here," Brother Guo reassured, though he too seemed equally anxious, involuntarily furrowing his brows.

"Who else? Why aren't they here yet? Why are they so slow?"

Someone grew dissatisfied and shouted.

Then many began to scold the latecomers, blaming them for the delay.

They had been repressed for so long, under the threat of the heavenly powerhouses, their nerves were taut. Therefore, like moths to a flame, they felt investigating the Ancient Village was likely to lead to encounters with the heavenly powerhouses, and facing them would mean certain death. Yet, having been suppressed for so long, they viewed death as a form of detachment.

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