Gale Power!

When Jiang Mian returned to her dilapidated home in West City, it seemed that as the last batch of remains had finished burning, she finally touched the threshold of Second-tier.

The familiar, insect-like text branded itself directly onto her retina:

[Ignite] has automatically upgraded: [Fierce Flame]

Mark range increased to twenty meters. Flames can spread and propagate along "Fuel." Fire intensity can be controlled independently.

These words only existed for a few seconds before rapidly changing:

Please select your Initial Skill. Remaining Time: 30s

I. [Crystal Rock]

Generate Energy Crystals, usable for constructing Temporary Defense or actively detonating. Can also designate a target within twenty meters to undergo Crystallization, restricting their movement.

II. [Tide]

Gain Basic Water Control. During combat, Attack power gradually stacks with each offensive strike. As skill usage increases, Main Body strength increases.

III. [Gale]

Gain Basic Wind Control. Through Flowing Wind, expand perception, reduce leaked Aura, and create a Small Wind Field, achieving Brief Hover effects. Attacks inflict Tearing Damage.

As expected!

The corner of Jiang Mian's mouth lifted. Wasn't this looking up?

After advancing, not only did [Ignite] auto-upgrade, but the effects of the other options were also much better than when they first appeared.

This [Crystal Rock] had both control and damage. If paired with the upgraded [Fierce Flame], it would make a decent combo.

Compared to First Order, the latter two skills had also undergone some changes, gaining more effects.

Though a real man would prefer fist-to-flesh combat, that fighting style easily exposed oneself—especially now that her identity was sensitive. More means were better.

Currently, what she needed most was the [Gale] ability.

What's more, among [Gale]'s new effects, there was an introduction to aura shielding and Brief Hover!

This meant her disguise would be even more seamless.

Moreover, even if an emergency arose requiring a fall from a height, she could use this ability to protect herself!

Facing potential concealment, relocation, or even pursuit by others in the future, this was undoubtedly a huge safety guarantee.

And besides, Wind Aids Fire. If [Gale] could remotely control the spread direction of [Fierce Flame]...

Thinking this far, Jiang Mian acted Without Hesitation, focusing her mind on [Gale].

"You're the one!"

As the choice settled, a Strange Feeling struck from her heart—just like the first time, it hurt a bit, but much lighter.

Jiang Mian let out a muffled groan, her body trembling slightly as she clutched her chest, cold sweat seeping from her back.

She could feel two completely different forces converging at her core within her body, coexisting in a peculiar way.

A few minutes later, this discomfort slowly faded.

"Phew~"

Jiang Mian let out a long breath. The fabric on her back was completely soaked, sticking to her skin, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Every advancement has to come with this, really..."

She muttered discontentedly, but if a bit of pain meant leveling up, she was quite willing.

Jiang Mian casually picked up her nightgown and walked into the bathroom.

In the hazy Water Vapor, she looked at herself in the Mirror, her right hand instinctively covering a certain smooth Mysterious Area.

"So perky... and such a great figure..."

Even though so much time had passed, she still felt a bit dazed.

The former Jiang Mian had never interacted with the opposite sex, and now she had to adapt to Living On in this identity.

When she first arrived, she was very unaccustomed, clumsy at everything.

But after "awakening," Jiang Mian could only hide her soft side, doing her best to learn everything she could, hone her Acting Skills, learn to scheme, and survive in this terrible world.

She always felt that she was neither Jiang Ming nor Jiang Mian anymore.

Under the combined effect of nearsightedness and Water Vapor, the figure in the Mirror was especially blurry.

Jiang Mian moved closer and looked again carefully.

The Girl in the Mirror had clear eyes and brows, carrying a hint of obedient weakness, but her figure was unexpectedly well-endowed, looking especially alluring.

Who would have thought that within this seemingly frail body lay the power of [Cataclysm], a core belonging to [Calamity]?

The former male soul and the current female body, human consciousness and monster instinct—all these contradictions intertwined within her, often leaving her with a sense of confusion, unable to see the path ahead.

Sometimes she would gaze out the window, a groundless melancholy rising in her heart; other times, a single glance from someone else could stir up baseless violence within her.

"Really... am I being influenced by something..."

Jiang Mian shook her head, casting aside this sudden sentimentality.

Regardless, this was a reality she had to face.

After a while, Jiang Mian's cheeks flushed slightly as she walked out of the bathroom in a pure white strappy nightgown.

Ever since her transmigration, the pressure on her had indeed been a bit heavy.

Although she had always wanted to try exploring, to release some of that pressure, she inexplicably felt a sense of fear, unable to bring herself to act, as if something bad would happen.

"Forget it. I'll deal with it later."

Jiang Mian guiltily straightened her skirt and walked over to the wardrobe.

On the way back, she had already scouted a place.

Roughly at the junction of North City and West City, it was a remote area with few people, and the rent was acceptable, though utilities were a bit more expensive than here.

Jiang Mian had originally planned to keep her distance from crowds anyway, so that place suited her intentions. She would pack up tonight and move there after work tomorrow.

She rummaged through the wardrobe, which was stuffed with all sorts of clothes, mostly old ones.

School uniforms... she was almost done with school anyway, no use for them, and they took up space. She'd keep one set.

The rest were casual wear and a few skirts she'd hardly ever worn, not much in total. With some inexplicable mindset, Jiang Mian folded them all and put them away.

When she had sorted out most of the useful clothes, she suddenly spotted a few unopened packages of... stockings?

Curious, Jiang Mian spread them out to look. Some were thick, some thin, but mostly white.

She had almost no memory of these. Thinking back carefully, she recalled that her mother had bought them for her.

After her mother passed away, Jiang Mian had been in a state of self-isolation, burying many old things under the wardrobe, gradually forgotten.

"Sigh... I'll keep them, even if I'll probably never wear them..."

With mixed feelings, Jiang Mian carefully put them away.

She shook her head. Grief was useless; nostalgia couldn't take her back to the past.

The priority now was to quickly adapt to the power of [Gale] and "accidentally kill" Li Hao during the "Awakening."

Each of the five paths had its own characteristics.

Without considering rankings, [War] was generally the strongest path in the early stages, since its abilities mainly enhanced the body, excelling at close combat.

The [Elemental] Path, on the other hand, was like a mage—weak at the start, needing time to grow.

But the High-tier Sequences that ranked in the top fifty were different; they already bore some resemblance to the Apex Sequences.

Take [Eye of the Storm], for example. Its power wasn't solely tied to the Awakened's own energy reserves, but rather...

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