Leaving

"Water, Fire, and Earth Three-Attribute Spiritual Root talent? Ran Min actually possesses the aptitude of a cultivator! No wonder his natural gifts are so formidable, his comprehension so astonishing—he can learn nearly any martial technique or military text at a single glance. Could it be that Immortal Masters truly descended upon Yan Kingdom in the Heavenly Azure Realm long ago, and that Ran Min's ancestors were among them?"

Thinking of Jingyuan and Ran Min's formidable talents, Gu Han speculated inwardly, while also feeling pleasantly surprised at his own luck.

For this random draw, he had held virtually no hope in his heart; he had only thought not to waste this opportunity, to use it since it was there for the taking.

After all, with his current strength, within tens of thousands of li around Yan Kingdom in the Heavenly Azure Realm, there was almost nothing left that held great appeal for him.

Of course, that was his thinking before obtaining Ran Min's talents.

"Heavenly Divine Strength," "Eidetic Memory," "Peerless Level Martial Arts Comprehensive Talent," and "Water, Fire, and Earth Three-Attribute Spiritual Root"—these were the four most outstanding talents on Ran Min.

Other secondary talents, such as sturdy bones, resilient meridians, and extraordinary comprehension, were not listed here, but even if unlisted, they were still genuinely appended to Gu Han.

If all these talents, great and small, were exchanged through the system's exchange list, they would require thousands or even tens of thousands of Simulation Points to afford.

Such a vast number of Simulation Points—not even Gu Han's current achievements in Yan Kingdom, nor if he were to go back and turn the entire Yan Kingdom world upside down for a super divine evaluation—would likely yield such an enormous figure.

Moreover, talents exchanged through the simulator came with a restriction: in each world, the talent could only be used once, after which it was consumed, essentially a trial card. But what Gu Han now possessed was permanent!

Only, he wondered...

"Simulator, can talents obtained in the real world be reflected for use by my avatar in the simulated world?"

With a thought, Gu Han raised this question and quickly voiced it.

"Answering the host: everything obtained through the simulator can be used in successive simulated lives. Since Ran Min's talents were drawn by the system this time, in the host's next simulated life, these talents can stack with the avatar's talents in the simulated world for a stronger effect. However, if the talent originates from the host's main world itself, it cannot be stacked."

Hearing Gu Han's inquiry, the simulator's mechanical voice immediately rang out in reply.

"They can stack!"

Upon receiving this news, a smile once again crept onto Gu Han's face.

Only after obtaining Ran Min's talents did he truly understand what it felt like to be a genius.

In the past, when Gu Han absorbed the world's spiritual energy or comprehended various martial techniques, he always felt a sense of obscurity, like looking at flowers through a fog—clearly right before his eyes, yet never quite clear.

But now, in his perception, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed a thousand times more active, as if it had come alive and was dancing, eagerly burrowing into his body, no longer reluctant as before.

As for the various martial techniques in his mind, all confusion had vanished. He could see them as clearly as firelight, not only easily seeing through how to master them but also feeling that with a little time, he could deduce and optimize them.

With such terrifying talent, it was no wonder Ran Min had advanced so swiftly in his cultivation back then, with only the breakthrough to Inner Qi briefly hindering his pace.

If Gu Han had possessed such talent when he first entered Yan Kingdom, he would likely have become invincible long ago, and the matter of the Barbarian King destroying the mountain would never have occurred. He alone could have slapped to death all the leaders of the barbarian army.

"But obtaining it now is still good. Whether in the real world, the next life, or the life after that, I now have a foundation to stand on!"

Gu Han thought to himself.

Although he was not particularly familiar with the Cultivation World, he knew that a talent like the Three-Attribute Spiritual Root was neither high nor particularly low in that realm.

Take the Immortal Masters of Yan Kingdom, for example. Gu Han didn't know them well, but he knew their spiritual root aptitudes were definitely not high.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have spent decades cultivating only to scrounge around in the small territory of Yue Kingdom, lording over this weak nation and bullying mortal martial artists, unable to venture into a broader world.

Gu Han recalled the memories in his mind.

Yue Kingdom was, in fact, an extremely weak nation in this world. Aside from its bordering Yan Kingdom and Zhou Kingdom, which were similarly weak, there was hardly any nation weaker on this vast land.

Not to mention distant places—take Zhou Kingdom, five thousand li away. Its strength far surpassed Yue Kingdom. There, ordinary Innate Masters held some status but were not particularly esteemed, roughly equivalent to second-rate martial artists in Yue Kingdom.

In fact, even some weaker Immortal Masters there had to show respect to the Zhou King, unlike in Yue Kingdom, where any Immortal Master could converse with the Yue King on equal or even higher footing.

"Enough. Immortal Masters or not, that's still too far for me right now. Even if I now have spiritual root talent, without a cultivation technique, it's useless. The most important thing now is to escape the Suicide Squad, so I'm not constantly in danger, afraid of losing my life at any moment."

Shaking his head, Gu Han cast aside the jumble of thoughts in his mind, then closed his eyes to rest, quietly awaiting the arrival of the next day.

"Woo... woo... woo..."

In the east, the sun had just risen, and the sky was barely light when the battlefield's horn call had already spread across the land, startling the soldiers awake.

"Time to eat! Time to eat!"

After the horn call faded, rough, loud male voices rang out from outside the military tents, accompanied by the beating of gongs and drums.

Hearing this sound, the soldiers of the Suicide Squad, with dazed eyes, carried their weapons and, reeking of body odor, trudged toward the army's mess hall. Among them, not a single person noticed Gu Han, let alone perceived any change in him.

After all, that was the Suicide Squad—everyone lived on the edge of life and death daily, having long lost their will, indifferent to the outside world, merely surviving one day at a time. They were less like men and more like...

The living dead.

"Slap, slap..."

Following the footsteps of the Suicide Squad convicts, Gu Han carried a long spear, his blood and inner energy fully restrained, stepping on the damp ground as he swayed his way to the mess hall.

"Ding Jia Battalion, Number One—this is yours!"

"Ding Yi Battalion, Number Nine—that's yours!"

"Ding Mao Battalion, Number Eighteen—take yours!"

Under the disgusted gazes of the mess soldiers, who pinched their noses, Gu Han finally received his breakfast.

It was two pitch-black, unidentified objects, seemingly made from something unknown. They looked somewhat like black steamed buns but were far inferior in texture—not only extremely hard but also gave a scraping sensation in the throat when swallowed, as if eating wood shavings, making it utterly unpleasant.

"Crunch, crunch!"

Gu Han bit down on the hard ration, a grinding sound filling his mouth as a wave of bitter taste spread across his tongue. After decades of fine clothes and rich food in this other world, it was utterly unbearable for him.

But unbearable as it was, Gu Han showed no sign of discomfort on his face. He was no naive newcomer fresh from a time-travel after all. So after observing the expressions of the other suicide soldiers, he quickly mimicked their demeanor and began eating slowly.

Between bites, he would take a few sips of clear water, pretending nothing was amiss.

Before long, a black-armored officer arrived.

"Alright, finished eating? If you're done, follow me to the battlefield! Today, the Xinzi Battalion's suicide squad leads the charge. Everyone with 'Xin' in their designation, step forward. Remember, no cheating or trying to slip through, or you'll suffer worse than death!"

The Black Armored General snarled menacingly, drawing his longsword and brandishing it in threat, making the deathly pale suicide soldiers—already moving like walking corpses—all flinch in fear.

"No! I won't lead the charge! I don't want to die! My foster father promised to come rescue me soon—I can't go to the front!"

As the Black Armored General's words fell, a suicide soldier in the Xinzi Battalion, who looked around twenty with a handsome face and eyes far from the dull, lifeless gaze of the others, shook his head frantically, his face full of terror.

At the same time, he activated his Lightness Skill, Inner Qi erupting as he sped away, trying to flee the army.

"Courting death!"

Seeing the suicide soldier's audacity, the Black Armored General flew into a rage. His tiger-like eyes widened, and a powerful aura burst forth.

With a distant point of his longsword, a red sword beam shot from the tip, chasing the fleeing soldier like a teleport. In an instant, it sliced him in half at the waist, leaving only two mangled remnants and a spray of blood scattering on the ground.

"Anyone who tries to flee without fighting dies!"

With the soldier dead, the Black Armored General's face hardened as he roared at the remaining suicide soldiers. Then, taking the lead, he directed the regular soldiers to escort the entire Xinzi Battalion's suicide squad to the front lines.

"General, the Xinzi Battalion's suicide squad has been brought here, except for one who tried to flee and was executed by this subordinate. Please give your orders!"

Once at the front, the Black Armored General bowed respectfully to a Golden Armored General riding a two-zhang-long Red Mane Lion, whose body radiated a powerful aura, and reported.

"Mm. Since they're here, drive them to the vanguard."

The Golden Armored General nodded, casting a casual glance over the suicide squad before looking away, utterly indifferent.

But he didn't know that this single glance had struck Gu Han like a thunderbolt.

"A master! A great master! This is definitely a master above the Innate level!"

When the Golden Armored General's eyes swept over him, Gu Han's instincts screamed danger. It felt like being stared down by a fierce tiger in his youth—he wanted to flee immediately, not even daring to breathe loudly.

In all his lives, past and present, this Golden Armored General was one of the strongest masters he had ever encountered.

Only the few vaguely remembered Innate elders of the Gu Family, buried deep in his original body's memories, could compare.

Fortunately, the man had only glanced at him in passing. If his gaze lingered even a moment longer, no matter how confident Gu Han was in his technique to conceal Inner Qi and blood energy, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be exposed.

"This suicide squad is truly no place to stay. It's dangerous and risks exposure at any moment. I got lucky today, but if my luck runs out next time and an Innate Master actually takes notice, I won't be far from death."

Gu Han thought silently, his desire to leave growing stronger.

Though the Immortal Master had said that as long as the Gu Family sent children under twelve into the suicide squad or official brothels, they would be spared further punishment, who knew if those words were true?

If the Immortal Master broke his promise and struck out personally, who could stop him?

Even if, by some miracle, he kept his word, who could guarantee that those below wouldn't target Gu Han to curry favor with the Immortal Master?

After all, a twelve-year-old Second-rate Master was terrifying—even an Innate Master couldn't have achieved such a feat in childhood. Perhaps only the lofty descendants of the immortals themselves could easily surpass him.

"All troops, attack!"

Just as Gu Han's mind wandered, a thunderous roar rang in his ears.

While he had been thinking and moving with the crowd, he had unknowingly reached the vanguard. Now, the army was sweeping him forward into battle!

"Charge! Kill!"

"Slay these Yan Kingdom men!"

Cries of assault rose and fell around Gu Han, accompanied by the pounding of war drums to stir the spirit.

On the muddy yellow earth, Gu Han fought desperately against the enemy soldiers, drenched in blood, his body swaying as if on the verge of collapse. Time and again, he seemed at his limit, yet he always managed to dodge fatal blows, letting only his skin and muscle be "cut" before decapitating his foes with a single stroke!

After more than two hours, Gu Han—"drenched in blood" and "tottering"—finally reached the edge of the battlefield.

Then, he exploded into action!

He killed the few bewildered regular soldiers who had chased him, all in one swift stroke.

Finally, his height suddenly stretched by over ten centimeters, and he quickly swapped his face for a Human Skin Mask of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth before vanishing into the distance.

From then on, the sea was wide for the fish to leap, the sky high for the birds to fly!

Can't find the book title? Try searching the author's name—maybe it's just been renamed!