The heavy rain poured down on Jiang Kai and Ruan Yu, drenching them in an instant, but they didn't care. They both stared wide-eyed at Hu Yan.

"Old Hu has mastered it!" Ruan Yu exclaimed with delight. "His rain is really something!"

Jiang Kai, on the other hand, paid special attention to the range and duration of the rainfall.

Hu Yan could create rain within a 200-meter diameter area for about 30 minutes.

By the time the rain stopped, the ground in that area had turned into a muddy mess, and some low-lying spots had even formed small ponds.

It was clear that while the area Hu Yan could cover with his Rain Prayer wasn't large, the amount of rainfall was quite significant.

That evening, the team moved to a dry area to rest, and the three drenched men sat by the fire, warming themselves.

Jiang Kai glanced at Hu Yan, who had become unusually quiet for some reason. Intrigued, Jiang Kai asked, "Old Hu, what does it feel like to call for rain?"

Hu Yan pondered for a moment and then said softly, "When I summon it, I see the dark clouds gathering overhead, hear the thunder god tearing through the sky at my call, and feel the rain washing over the earth..."

He looked at his two companions, a certain gleam in his eyes. "I felt a sense of... commanding the wind and rain!"

Perhaps realizing he was getting carried away, Hu Yan quickly lowered his head, the gleam in his eyes fading into longing. He shook his head self-deprecatingly. "Heh, I know this skill isn't much use in actual combat. It's just that the feeling at the time was quite extraordinary."

Jiang Kai hadn't expected Hu Yan to have such reflections, and his words made Jiang Kai put away his playful mood.

The Rain Prayer skill gave Hu Yan a special feeling, but his words still revealed a lack of confidence.

"Who says heavy rain is useless in combat!" Jiang Kai suddenly said.

"I've seen people use rivers to stealthily approach prey, use rivers to escape danger, seen a doctor use gravity from a height to suppress beasts much stronger than them with the help of companions, and seen ambushes in grass kill targets in one strike!"

"The things they relied on weren't even considered skills."

"Old Hu, don't underestimate any profession, don't underestimate any skill, and don't be afraid of people mocking your insights. The more you understand, the more opportunities you'll have to use them in the future!"

Hu Yan nodded thoughtfully, repeating Jiang Kai's words, "Don't underestimate any profession, don't underestimate any skill..."

"Kai, you said we should find the Black Tortoise Squad..." Hu Yan suddenly looked at Jiang Kai, as if he had something to say.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Jiang Kai smiled slightly, poking the firewood with a stick. "Want to continue understanding? It seems you really enjoy that feeling. No rush, take these few days to focus on mastering Rain Prayer. I'll keep practicing my darts, and Ruan Yu, you cook."

"Okay," Ruan Yu agreed.

Meanwhile, the Fire God Squad was entering intensive training, and at the same time, in the southeast direction of King's Valley, numerous teams were heading towards a massive frozen lake.

Five days later!

Map coordinates, King's Valley Permafrost Lake!

The first impression for those arriving here was the biting cold wind sweeping across the lake, with extremely low temperatures!

The cold here could freeze water instantly, and many people had frost covering their faces, the result of their breath quickly condensing.

Occasionally, teams would encounter two-horned mermen bursting through the ice, leading to battles.

Yet, despite the harsh weather and powerful beasts, nothing could stop the large number of teams gathering here.

Li Biao was currently leading the Tiger Squad across the ice lake.

The storm ahead was mixed with hail, visibility was only a few dozen meters, but they knew that tomorrow, about two kilometers away on the "Permafrost Island," a great battle would erupt.

One of the top ten guilds in China, the Black Tortoise Guild, would be hunting the king-level BOSS there for the third time, the Frozen Merman Lord!

"Captain, how strong is the Merman Lord?" Yuan Zhu asked curiously.

Li Biao smiled, "You'll see. You two are lucky. Usually, newcomers don't dare to come here, but since we're nearby, I'll take you to see it and broaden your horizons."

"After all, our military will also have missions to hunt king-level BOSSes, even map BOSSes, and... the most terrifying Guardian Lord!"

Chen Yueling chuckled, "Captain Li, Zhu and Weiwei are far from BOSS battles. To participate in a king-level BOSS fight, you need at least a max-level second-tier profession!"

Weiwei frowned, "Can a second-tier profession participate?"

Hua Ziyan laughed, pulling Weiwei's arm. "Silly girl, max-level second-tier professions in BOSS battles are meant to deal with the BOSS's minions."

"For example, the Frozen Merman Lord that Black Tortoise is hunting this time has eight commander-level BOSSes around its throne, fifty general-level ones, and countless elite-level ones."

"Not to mention the ordinary mobs, there are even more. Other teams also have to cooperate with the Black Tortoise Guild to ensure that when hunting the king-level BOSS, the number of mobs flooding Permafrost Island isn't too high. So, we're here to observe and help."

Yuan Zhu snorted, "We have to help the Black Tortoise Guild? I don't have a good impression of them."

Li Biao said seriously, "Whether you like them or not, we have to help. It's the rule in China because it involves the development of Ghost Star."

"In the face of the greater good, we must understand what's more important."

Yuan Zhu muttered, "I understand the captain's reasoning. I can help, but that doesn't stop me from disliking Black Tortoise."

"Oh!" Chen Yueling looked at Yuan Zhu in surprise. "For your childhood friend, you're finally standing up for once."

"It's not just because of Jiang Kai. I know what kind of people the Huang Family are," Yuan Zhu retorted.

Li Biao didn't continue to lecture Yuan Zhu, just snorted, "If you had this spirit when fighting the Ghost Banshee, you wouldn't faint every time."

"Encountering elites is one thing, the fear-inducing attack is indeed dangerous, but fainting at ordinary ones too, with your size, you scream like a woman," Chen Yueling added, "It's a pity you don't sing soprano."

Exposed, Yuan Zhu lost his confidence.

"Brother Chen, can you not bring that up..."

Li Biao's stern face secretly showed a hint of a smile.

After spending over a month together, thinking back to when Yuan Zhu fainted, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about it. Courage isn't something Zhu can control. He'll get better with more experience," Li Biao said, changing the topic. "Now, Black Tortoise hasn't officially launched an attack, and there are many teams nearby. Killing ordinary mermen isn't difficult, so it's relatively safe. Let's find a place to rest."

"We've been out for over a month, and supplies are running low. Let's conserve as much as we can before the battle. After experiencing a king-level BOSS hunt, we'll return to the Safe Zone," Li Biao said, leading the team forward.

The Tiger Squad was strong. Over the past month, Li Biao, Chen Yueling, and Hua Ziyan mainly handled the battles, while Yuan Zhu and Weiwei finished off the kills to level up.

With these three high-level second-tier professions leading, and hunting weaker beasts, the consumption wasn't much, so they managed for over a month.

Yuan Zhu and Weiwei both reached level nine.

Soon, the hailstorm ahead weakened.

About two to three hundred meters in front of the Tiger Squad, a massive island appeared.

Yuan Zhu and Weiwei couldn't help but widen their eyes.

What shocked them wasn't the island, but the tens of thousands of Black Tortoise Guild teams camped around it!

They had surrounded Permafrost Island!

"My god, so many teams!" Yuan Zhu couldn't help but stop, shocked. "Is this the power of the Black Tortoise Guild?"

"No," Li Biao said calmly. "This is just the main force of the Black Tortoise Guild's Eighteenth District branch, probably around sixteen to eighteen thousand ten-man squads, all max-level second-tier or higher combat or support professions."

Yuan Zhu's eyes widened even more.

With such a lineup, nearly 200,000 elite fighters, and they failed in their first two hunts?

What kind of existence is the Frozen Merman Lord?