Chapter Forty-Nine: Duan Feng’s Hunting Forum

Logic is a scientific discipline that studies modes of thinking, characteristics of thought, and its rules; in real life, logic is everywhere.

To give a simple example: someone is squatting to relieve himself; someone is sitting to do so. Both statements are logical. But if someone is standing while doing it, that seems a bit unrealistic—this is logic at play.

Logical thinking, then, is the way of approaching problems under the premise of logic; it helps people complete certain tasks more efficiently. Especially in the hunting grounds meticulously designed by humans, logical thinking becomes all the more crucial.

Of course, logical thinking differs from ordinary thinking—it operates on a higher level. It uses concepts, judgments, and reasoning to vividly reflect rational cognition of objective reality, unveiling the essence and regularity of things.

In short, only after rigorous logical deliberation can humans truly comprehend something and, by extension, the objective world. The advanced stage of logical thinking is rational cognition.

To put it plainly, for a hunter or a hunting ground architect, logical thinking is the most important cognitive skill. One can easily imagine the significance of such a reward.

“Sigh... Fortune does favor the bold. For a hunter, an upgrade in logical thinking is... exhilarating.”

Fang Nian steadied his excitement and clicked to check his new profession—Story Curator.

“Hm... This profession is almost useless in hunting grounds without a storyline. But if the core is narrative-driven, then it’s absolutely indispensable. Applying logical thinking to develop a complete story will be vital for my future hunting career. Looks like it’s time to intensify my training.”

With this in mind, Fang Nian took a deep breath and opened the task list again. As expected, it had refreshed.

Commoner Difficulty: Write a script for an F-grade hunting story; just make it coherent.
Mortal Difficulty: Independently construct a hunting ground of F+ grade or above, themed on extreme escape, with no killing elements allowed.
Hell Difficulty: Form a hunting team that must include the following professions: Warrior, Story Curator, Mechanic, and Codebreaker, with a composite rating no lower than F-grade.
Nightmare Difficulty: Can be triggered by special events.

Fang Nian glanced at the task panel and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“The Nightmare Difficulty has changed, but requires a special event to unlock—no need to worry about it for now. Overall, these tasks seem fairly normal this time. Especially the Hell-level one—it looks like I won’t have to risk my life for this round. So, which should I choose?”

“The Commoner level is simple, but the reward isn’t appealing at all. The Mortal level is worth a try. I just acquired the extreme escape attribute and template, and this ‘Enigmatic Escape Camp: Song of Ice and Fire’ seems quite interesting. Why not...?”

“Brother-in-law.”

At that moment, Xia Moyu suddenly pushed the door open, bustling in with an excited expression.

Fang Nian collected his thoughts and sat up from the bed.

“What’s up? Did Fatty get another big deal?”

Xia Moyu shook his head, grabbed a bottle of ice water from the fridge, downed it in one go, then pulled out something resembling a wedding invitation from his pocket and tossed it on the table, excitement in his voice.

“Not from Fatty. Brother-in-law, take a look at this first.”

Fang Nian picked up the invitation. The moment he touched it, he sensed its premium quality, with a faint scent of sandalwood lingering on the material.

“Duan Feng Hunting Forum Invitation? What’s this? Who is Duan Feng?”

Xia Moyu, now collected, sat down, still flushed with excitement.

“Brother-in-law, you don’t know—Duan Feng is a legendary figure in District 16. He’s the eldest son of the city lord, Duan Lenghan, and an exceptional hunter with outstanding talent. I haven’t met him personally, but they say at a major hunting tournament years ago, he single-handedly challenged the elites from eight districts and emerged victorious—a true legend.”

“This Hunting Forum was his creation, held every three years. The purpose is for District 16’s hunting elites to sit together and share their experiences and insights, advancing together. Such a forum greatly benefits the hunting industry here.”

Fang Nian nodded; indeed, in this world, only a united group can go farther. Duan Feng’s initiative was admirable.

“So, is Duan Feng organizing this year’s forum?”

Xia Moyu shook his head with a hint of disappointment.

“No, Duan Feng passed away from illness eight years ago. The forum wasn’t originally named after him, but later, people renamed it in his honor. This year’s host is his younger brother—Duan Hanbing’s second son, Duan Kai.”

Fang Nian frowned slightly and nodded.

“I see... That’s really a pity. So what’s with this invitation? Why give it to me?”

“Well... Our Xia family is a long-established operator in District 16’s hunting grounds, so we never miss the forum. Every session, our family attends. In the past, my sister would lead our research elite team.”

“But this time...”

Xia Moyu spread his hands, helpless.

“You know, to expand, our Xia family is negotiating financing with a major clan. My sister left for District 6 three days ago and can’t make it back. So she asked me to give you the invitation and have you attend on her behalf.”

Fang Nian hesitated, troubled.

“Isn’t this a bit much for me, the son-in-law? There are plenty of elders in the family—wouldn’t it be better for them to go?”

Xia Moyu waved his hand dismissively.

“No, brother-in-law, when the forum was founded, there was a rule: to cultivate young talent, only those thirty-five and under can attend, except for the host. In our family, only my sister and you are actually presentable.”

Fang Nian could only smile wryly. The hat Xia Moyu had put on him fit perfectly. The truth was, compared to the other sons and daughters of the Xia family, he really was the best choice—at least in the hunting field, he had his own achievements.

The forum was scheduled for 4 p.m. at the North City International Grand Hotel. After agreeing, Fang Nian began preparing, familiarizing himself with the process. All in all, it was just two things: a seminar and a banquet.

Basically, all he needed was a mouth to speak and ears to listen.

At three in the afternoon, Fang Nian put on the suit Xia Moyan had bought for him, styled his hair, and admired himself in the mirror, unable to suppress a sigh.

“Indeed, clothes make the man. I look absolutely dashing.”

As he was basking in his own reflection, Fatty suddenly called.

“Hello, Fatty.”

Fatty’s voice was a bit lazy. “Got anything tonight? Want to go out for a drink?”

Fang Nian paused. “Aren’t you busy?”

Fatty sighed. “Things have been tough lately; that Xiao family’s been stirring up trouble. Business is slow, so I’m closing up early.”

Fang Nian knew Fatty’s business had been booming recently, capturing much of the North City market. To suppress him, the Xiao family had caused plenty of trouble, leaving Fatty frustrated for days.

Hearing Fatty wanted to relax, Fang Nian told him about attending the forum.

Fatty immediately perked up. “Hey, now that’s something—good food, good drinks, and it’s all free. Take me with you. I want to sample the high society life.”

Fang Nian chuckled helplessly. “Alright, meet me at the entrance of the North City International Grand Hotel at 3:30. We’ll go in together.”

Fatty agreed immediately. “No problem.”

By the way, didn’t you say you wanted to form a hunting team? All the young talents from District 16 will be at the forum—why not look for some capable members there?”

Reminded, Fang Nian realized the opportunity. “Hey, you’re right. This is an excellent chance.”