An Long and the others were taken aback, then one by one lowered their heads.

When they came out, they already possessed earth-level abilities, and during their time as mercenaries, their strength had not actually improved much. This was related to them being captains and also to their belief that their strength was sufficient for the mercenary world.

In the end, it was because things had been going too smoothly all along.

"Since you came out, you've encountered battles, and you've fought with the belief that you must win! But have you ever considered whether you can keep winning forever?"

Jiang Chen continued, "Have you all forgotten the defeat to Dark Spider? After the battle with Dark Spider ended, Xuan Long told me that you didn't find that traitor Scorpion in your quarters. Have you forgotten about him?"

"Of course not!" An Long and the others said in unison.

"Not forgotten, then I ask you, where would he go?"

Jiang Chen spoke solemnly, "A person who now holds the essential combat strength of Long Yan, and has already sided with the enemy, where would he go? Did he flee far away? Or did he join another potential enemy? If he really went to other enemies, after I return to the country, Long Yan will face an enemy who knows you inside out. Do you think you can still win?"

Xuan Long and the others were all shocked, struck with sudden realization.

From Jiang Chen's arrival, wiping out Dark Spider, and then annihilating the Burst Flame Mercenary Corps, they felt that they had moved to the upper echelons of the mercenary world.

But after being pointed out by Jiang Chen, they realized that they still had a major enemy they hadn't dealt with.

"We must find that Scorpion and kill him!" Scar gritted his teeth.

"Is killing him enough?" Jiang Chen asked indifferently, "After you kill him, do you think Long Yan can stand at the upper reaches of the mercenary world? What are you thinking? Can't you see what strength Long Yan is at now?"

"Aren't we quite strong? The Paladin Knights have you, Dragon King, Long Bro, Snake Woman, and also..." Scar began in confusion but then suddenly realized what he was saying.

"And what else? Yan Mo? Kuang Shi? Or the imminent arrival of Mo Bao and his two brothers?" Jiang Chen looked coldly at Scar, then turned his head to sweep over Xuan Long and the others, "Is that what you all think, too?"

Xuan Long and the others fell silent, but their facial expressions had already betrayed them.

"Hehe!" Jiang Chen scoffed and shook his head, "What were you thinking? Do you want to rely on Burst Flame and become a subordinate force of Burst Flame?"

"Of course not, Burst Flame isn't..." An Long quickly spoke up, shot a glance at Scar, and left his sentence hanging.

Jiang Chen said mockingly, "Burst Flame is Scar's force, so you think that makes Burst Flame part of Long Yan's force? You're thinking too much! Burst Flame supports Scar now, but once the Ge'er Family's heir contest is over, Burst Flame will be taken back by the Ge'er Family!"

"No, Dragon King, if..." Xuan Long softly spoke.

"If what? If Scar wins the heir title of the Ge'er Family, Burst Flame will always be his, is that it?"

Jiang Chen's expression turned ice-cold, "With your current strength, you can't even compare to Burst Flame. How can you help Scar contend for the heir title of the Ge'er Family? Moreover, Long Yan is Long Yan, Burst Flame is Burst Flame. Scar is one of us in Long Yan, but the people of Burst Flame are not!"

After looking at Scar, Jiang Chen spoke in a grave voice, "Scar, from today onwards, Burst Flame is not to help Long Yan in any way, and Burst Flame is not to interfere in any matters wherever Long Yan is!"

"Dragon King, it's fine, we are all one family!" Scar softly replied.

Jiang Chen spoke expressionlessly, "Scar, are you trying to assimilate Long Yan? To swallow Long Yan into Burst Flame?"

"No no no, Dragon King, of course not!" Scar's complexion changed drastically as he quickly responded.

"Then don't let Burst Flame help Long Yan anymore."

Jiang Chen sighed softly, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have brought Xue Yu and others to Long Yan, nor should I have asked Yan Mo and the others for help. Now look what has happened, a group of hot-blooded men have lost themselves after just two battles, their hearts have already become dependent on Burst Flame. Think about it, if we go by what you say, is Long Yan still Long Yan?"

Xuan Long and the others stood there stunned, each furrowing their brows tightly. When they relaxed their brows, they were covered in a cold sweat!

"Dragon King, we were wrong!" Xuan Long lowered his head, knowing that as the leader, he bore an undeniable responsibility for such a situation in the team!

"Dragon King, we're sorry, we were wrong!" An Long and the others also lowered their heads.

Jiang Chen glanced at everyone and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Blind confidence could lead to destruction. If Xuan Long and others hadn't come to their senses, he would have had to take them back to their country; he couldn't let them stay abroad anymore, for what waited for them would only be death.

What Jiang Chen hadn't expected was that today's wake-up call planted a seed in Xuan Long and the others—a seed that they must see themselves clearly. In the not too distant future, when they really stood at the top of the mercenary world, they would still maintain a vigilant and diligent heart.

"As long as you understand!" Jiang Chen nodded with satisfaction. "Next, what we need to do is to take down the Mercenary Corps that sent those four Paladin Knights to support Burst Flame while guarding against attacks from other Mercenary Corps."

Turning to Du Feng, Jiang Chen spoke softly, "Du Feng, you are skilled at gathering intelligence. Take An Feng and An Yu with you and teach them how to better obtain information."

"Yes!" Du Feng nodded firmly.

"Spirit You, you…"

"Feng Lang, you…"

"Xue Yu, you…"

Jiang Chen divided everyone into teams, having Xue Yu and others teach An Long and the rest specifically.

"For now, you will train one-on-one like this. And during this month, the battles will not stop. Learn through combat and strive to be able by the end of the month to use your own rifles to lock down a Paladin Knight. When we leave, Xing Fei is definitely going back to her country; it's been a long time since she has seen her grandfather."

Jiang Chen said in a deep voice, "With that, Long Yan will be left with only Xuan Long as a Paladin Knight. You all need to work hard!"

"Yes!"

An Long and the others nodded in shame. They were just realizing that without Long Ya and Burst Flame, Long Yan was indeed weak!

...

Half a month passed amid intense training and combat.

Time and again, Long Yan launched strikes, eradicating Mu Si and other Mercenary Corps completely!

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

"Not enough! An Long, you're too slow!"

"An Feng, what are you shooting at!"

"Dark Thunder, what the hell are you hitting the ground for? Do you think you can hit me by shooting at my feet?"

In a dense forest in Diamond Country, having just eradicated Mu Si's Mercenary Corps, the brothers of Long Yan once again entered into rigorous training.

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