Bai Qingxue's invitation had caught the attention of both Zhao Yueru and Xiaoyue'er.
Shi Feng's strength was surely high, but neither of them had actually seen him in action. They were both quite curious and wanted to see for themselves the strength of the legendary Star Moon Kingdom's Chief Blacksmith.
"That's right, Big Brother Black Flame, join our party! Everyone in our party has great skills, and grinding together would be much more efficient," Xiaoyue'er said with a smile from the side.
Zhao Yueru glared at Xiaoyue'er — the little girl had beaten her to it.
Xiaoyue'er ducked behind Bai Qingxue and stuck her tongue out at Zhao Yueru, looking rather cute.
Zhao Yueru stomped her feet in frustration, the curves on her chest heaving with each breath. If Black Flame weren't here, she would have taught the little brat a lesson right then and there.
The girls were brimming with curiosity about Shi Feng's strength, but the two remaining male players were fired up with competitive spirit. Why were all three beautiful women so focused on Shi Feng? A sense of rivalry immediately sprang up in their minds, and they shot challenging glances at Shi Feng, unwilling to believe they were any worse than him.
Shi Feng paid these provocative glances no heed. In a low voice, he said, "I appreciate the offer, Miss Bai, but I have a quest to complete here, so I won't be able to join you for leveling."
"A quest?" Bai Qingxue was somewhat surprised. This was a level-8 monster zone, and she was quite curious about what quest could bring someone here. But prying into another person's secrets would be rude, so she politely said, "Then we won't bother you. If you need any help, just say the word. I can't promise we'll be much use, but we'll definitely do our best."
Hearing Bai Qingxue's words, Shi Feng smiled faintly. Having someone willing to help was certainly a good thing. Getting into the Steel Fortress wasn't going to be easy — there would definitely be guarding monsters, and dealing with them alone would take far too long. With a powerful party like this, he could save a great deal of time.
"That would be great. I need to get to a place, but there are a lot of monsters there and it's not easy to get in. Could you help me clear them out?" Shi Feng said.
Bai Qingxue had originally wanted to use this opportunity to build a closer relationship with Shi Feng. She hadn't expected him to be the one asking for their help. Without hesitation, she said, "Sure! I'll invite you to the party. You lead the way."
Shi Feng accepted the invitation and joined Bai Qingxue's party.
With Shi Feng leading the way, the group quickly arrived at the core area of the Ficis Canyon.
"Once we get past these woods, we'll be there. But there are a lot of birdmen in this area — they nest in the trees and are very hard to spot. You need to watch the skies at all times for birdmen swooping down. If they grab you with their claws, they'll carry you high into the air and drop you to your death," Shi Feng warned as they walked.
"They're just birdmen — what's there to be afraid of? Just watch how we deal with them," the Shield Warrior said, thumping his chest dismissively.
Shi Feng said nothing more, silently pushing aside the branches blocking their path.
However, Bai Qingxue did not let her guard down. She ordered, "Everyone, watch the skies. At critical moments, protect the healer."
"Yes!"
The two male players immediately sobered up, not daring to be careless. They guarded Xiaoyue'er closely — as long as she didn't die, she could resurrect them after combat ended, which meant less experience loss and fewer lost skill proficiency points.
Sure enough, before long, four white-winged birdmen with avian heads and human bodies swooped down from the treetops. Their razor-sharp talons dove like an eagle striking its prey, and one of them seized the male ranger in an instant. The rest managed to either block with their weapons or dodge out of the way, thanks to their quick reflexes.