"This boar couldn't have provoked you. Even if it's just a beast, your aura would have scared it away. The materials that can be obtained from it are negligible for someone at your level, so there must be some reason that you hunted it." Bryce explained calmly.
The others' eyes lit up as they reasoned Bryce's words.
Adrian's face darkened. He didn't expect him to be able to deduce the whole situation just from a few clues.
'Dammit, this is going to be troublesome.' He thought as he tried to find an excuse to explain his actions.
Bryce didn't fail to notice the change in Adrian's facial expression. Even if he was wearing a mask, he could still see the crease in his eyebrows. This just further solidified that his reasoning was on point.
Adrian finally spoke after being silent all this time. "Would you believe me if I said I was just hungry?" He asked. He didn't want to tell them his real reason so he just made up a lie from the top of his head. He only hoped that these disciples would believe him and let him leave.
Alas, things didn't go as he had hoped. Bryce released his aura of the ninth stage foundation establishment realm. He didn't speak again but his actions were enough to show that he wasn't joking around.
Adrian heaved a sigh at that sight. He knew that saying anything else now was pointless.
He cleared his throat before speaking again.
"I found a lake in a valley. I think there is something valuable at the bottom, but I don't know what it is. I wanted to use the boar to lure out whatever was guarding it before deciding if I could face it or not." Adrian responded truthfully. Since he couldn't escape, he might as well tell them the truth.
In his mind, he was already plotting a way to use these disciples. He wanted them to defeat the beast. If he were alone, he wouldn't have been confident enough to deal with the beast, but now with this squad, they definitely stood a chance.
Since they took his bait from him, they could also actively replace it. Besides, everyone knows that live bait is better when fishing.
He smiled coldly internally as he sorted out his thoughts.
A glint flashed through Bryce's eyes as he heard Adrian's words. It seems they would be able to find something valuable today. He didn't believe that Adrian was lying to him. After pressuring him with his aura, only a fool would still dare to try to lie in front of him. Still, he didn't completely trust his words either.
"Take us there," Bryce limited himself to saying before storing the corpse of the boar in his own storage ring. Since he now knew its use, there was no point in leaving it there.
Adrian led them in the direction of the lake. He could feel all the pairs of eyes on his back. They wanted to make sure that he didn't try to run away.
"What are we even fighting? Can't you tell us?" Robert spoke again after a few minutes of silence. He wanted to amend his previous mistake by asking a seemingly 'smart' question.
Adrian stopped walking as he shot an incredulous look towards the man. He didn't know if he was joking or serious.
He didn't speak but limited himself to staring at the rest of his companions with a complicated look on his face.
It was as if he were using his eyes to express his disappointment at their choice of teammate.
The rest of the teammates avoided his gaze, seemingly embarrassed to be associated with such an idiot. Even Bryce, the fierce leader, limited himself to a cough.
Daniel finally broke the awkward atmosphere by saying.
"That's what the boar is for, Robert."
Adrian just shook his head and continued on his journey without even answering him. The rest just followed him, leaving the dumbfounded and embarrassed Robert behind.
After walking for about thirty minutes, the group finally arrived at the valley. They first inspected the entrance, weary of any traps. They still didn't completely trust Adrian.
After confirming that everything was alright, they entered the secluded valley. The serene atmosphere instantly attracted the attention of the various individuals. Just the serene atmosphere made it an exceptional cultivation spot.
The group was even tempted to just sit down and start cultivating immediately. Of course, they did no such thing. Who knew what dangers were lurking around the corners?
"What makes you think there is a treasure in the lake?" Bryce asked while looking at the crystal clear water of the lake.
"Enter it and you'll find out," Adrian responded coolly. He had already led them to the lake. As far as he was concerned, his job was done. Besides, he wasn't inclined to help them. He probably wouldn't get a share from the loot anyway.
A few angry gazes were directed at Adrian, but he didn't flinch. Seeing as they couldn't pressure him to talk, the group relented. After a while, one of the girls bravely entered the lake.
"Lily, what are you doing?" Robert shouted.
"We're not going to learn anything by just staring at it, are we?" Lily replied.
"Still, you shouldn't just enter it rashly," Daniel interjected.
"Are you going to enter?" Lily retorted a bit irritatedly. Those two men didn't have the guts to enter themselves, yet they were still trying to prevent her from going in.
Daniel was about to respond but the words got suck in his throat when he heard Lily's words. With his cowardly attitude, he was definitely not going to be the first one to enter the lake.
Seeing that they didn't respond, Lily continued moving forward. She started swimming a bit further before diving underwater. At first, she didn't notice anything, but as soon as she went a few meters underwater, she also noticed the density of qi increasing.
She wasn't as sensitive to Qi as Adrian was, so it took her a while to figure it out. She moved further downwards before confirming that she was indeed correct. In the excitement, she kept going further downwards. She kept diving for a few dozen meters before deciding to resurface.