Contributing to Exchange Resources, First Time as Captain

# Chapter 16: Exchanging Contributions for Resources, First Appointment as Squad Leader

The night was deep. Within the quiet chamber of Li Yifan's small courtyard, the surging sound of blood and qi rose and fell like the tides.

After the settling from the battle at the Mortuary and days of intense cultivation, coupled with the continuous nourishment of his physical body by Nine Yang True Qi, Li Yifan felt the bottleneck of Bone Forging Mid had become as thin as a cicada's wing. He sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into his body, guiding the increasingly thick and scorching Nine Yang True Qi to wash through his bones again and again.

Where the true qi passed, his bones emitted a faint yet dense hum, as if metal were being repeatedly forged. Impurities were expelled, and the structure grew denser and tougher. The originally pale-gold Nine Yang True Qi, in the process of tempering his bones, seemed to deepen by a shade, its contained power growing ever more vast.

[Realm: Body Tempering · Bone Forging (Early Stage Peak: 190/500)...195/500...199/500...]

When the first hint of pale dawn appeared on the eastern horizon, some barrier within Li Yifan's body seemed to burst open! A surge of strength far greater than before instantly filled his entire being. His bones sang in unison, emitting a low thunderous roar! Blood and qi surged like a tide; the muscles beneath his skin swelled and pulsed, containing explosive power.

He snapped his eyes open. A sharp light flashed within them like lightning, illuminating the dim room!

[Effortless breakthrough! Realm elevated to: Body Tempering · Bone Forging (Mid: 200/500)!]

[Blood and qi like tides, sinews and bones humming in unison. Strength, defense, and endurance greatly enhanced!]

Bone Forging Mid, achieved!

Feeling the transformative changes within his body, Li Yifan rose to his full height and casually threw a punch. The air let out a sharp crack! Strength, speed, reaction—all fully upgraded! More importantly, with the breakthrough in realm, the Nine Yang True Qi in his dantian had also expanded by a circle, circulating more smoothly and freely.

[Realm breakthrough boosts technique operation efficiency. Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique Proficiency +20!]

After the joy of the breakthrough subsided, Li Yifan calmed down. Improving strength was fundamental, but how to convert the 200 contribution points in his hand into immediate combat power was a question that required careful consideration.

He arrived at the "Martial Merit Hall" within the Xuntian Guard headquarters, the place for exchanging techniques and resources. The hall was bustling with people, the atmosphere solemn. On a massive jade wall, a flowing, radiant display showed the list of exchangeable items and their required contribution points—a dazzling array that made one's eyes blur.

Li Yifan first looked at the technique section.

Yellow Grade techniques cost between 300 and 800 contribution points.

Yellow Grade Mid techniques cost between 1,000 and 3,000 contribution points.

Yellow Grade Upper techniques were clearly marked at 5,000+ contribution points! If he were to exchange for the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique he cultivated here, it would probably cost at least six or seven thousand points.

Yellow Grade Peak techniques were even higher, starting at 10,000 contribution points and above, with annotations like "Requires Commander-level authority or above" or "Special military merits."

As for Xuan Grade techniques, the jade wall only displayed their names and a blurry halo of light, with a note below: "Insufficient authority to view detailed information and exchange conditions."

Li Yifan clicked his tongue in amazement. His 200 contribution points were a mere drop in the bucket when faced with truly premium techniques. He temporarily shelved the idea of exchanging for a new technique.

Next, he looked at the pill and resource section.

A bottle of ten "Bone Tempering Pills" (assists Bone Forging realm cultivation) cost 50 contribution points.

A bottle of five "Qi Gathering Pills" (accelerates true qi recovery and slightly boosts cultivation speed) cost 80 contribution points.

A common Yellow Grade Mid defensive technique manual, Iron Cloth Technique, cost 1,200 contribution points.

A standard waist saber forged from thousand-refined fine steel (better than the one he currently used) cost 150 contribution points.

Contribution points indeed had strong purchasing power, but the prices of high-end items were also shockingly high. Seeing the price of Bone Tempering Pills, Li Yifan couldn't help but click his tongue. The difference between the rewards for the top three and those for fourth to tenth place was like heaven and earth. No wonder they said the strong only grow stronger.

Li Yifan carefully weighed his own situation: Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique and Burning Wood Saber Technique had great potential and were sufficient for now; Spirit Fox Steps was passable; Scorching Sun Finger was just newly formed. His biggest weakness were defense and sustained combat capability. But with so few contribution points, he couldn't afford much.

He finally made his decision:

Exchange for one bottle of "Bone Tempering Pills" (50 points): to accelerate consolidating his Bone Forging Mid cultivation and push toward the late stage.

Exchange for one bottle of "Qi Gathering Pills" (80 points): for emergencies, to quickly restore true qi at critical moments.

Keep the remaining 70 points for now: as savings or to deal with unexpected situations.

With the exchange complete, Li Yifan felt much more grounded holding the two small jade bottles and looking at the remaining 70 points on his identity token. These resources would effectively assist his upcoming cultivation.

Back at Battalion C, news of Li Yifan's breakthrough to Bone Forging Mid quickly spread, drawing sidelong glances from everyone. Combined with his outstanding performance in the Mortuary case, Commander Wang valued him even more. Zhang Meng patted him on the shoulder, both gratified and somewhat emotional: "Good lad! It's only been this long, and you're already at Bone Forging Mid! Looks like my squad can't keep you much longer."

Sure enough, a few days later, Commander Wang summoned Li Yifan to his hall.

"Li Yifan, since your induction, you have performed excellently and rendered repeated meritorious service. Now your cultivation has also reached Bone Forging Mid. According to Xuntian Guard regulations, those at Bone Forging Mid are qualified to independently lead a squad and serve as a full squad leader."

Commander Wang took out an appointment document. "Upon my recommendation and approval from the Guard headquarters, you are hereby promoted to full squad leader of the Seventh Squad, Battalion C! The former Seventh Squad leader has been transferred to another post. The three full Xuntian Guards and two trainee Xuntian Guards under his command are now placed under your authority. I hope you will be diligent in your duties and live up to this trust!"

A full squad leader! Although his official rank was still "Xuntian Guard," becoming a full squad leader meant truly standing on his own—possessing independent personnel authority, mission execution authority, and greater autonomy. It was a key step toward higher positions. His salary and monthly contribution point subsidies would also increase accordingly.

"Your subordinate accepts the order! I will do my utmost to lead the team well and not disappoint your promotion!" Li Yifan suppressed the excitement within him and solemnly accepted the appointment document.

After becoming a full squad leader, the first independent mission Li Yifan received was quite challenging.

Recently, within "Linshan County" under Qingzhou Prefecture's jurisdiction, several villages had been attacked in succession. According to survivor accounts, the attackers were not human but bizarrely shaped, immensely strong "Corpse Puppets" that were impervious to blades and feared fire. The local County Government was powerless to handle the situation and reported it to the prefecture, requesting Xuntian Guard support.

"Corpse Puppets?" Li Yifan frowned slightly as he looked at the mission dossier. This sounded like the methods of evil cultivators. The mission was rated "Grade C Upper," recommending execution by a full squad leader at Bone Forging Mid or above. Mission reward: depending on investigation results and resolution degree, 500 to 1,000 contribution points.

The contribution point reward was quite generous, but the danger was also considerable. Corpse Puppets were impervious to blades—this would be a good test of whether the scorching nature of Nine Yang True Qi could counter them. Moreover, independently leading a team to handle such an incident was an excellent opportunity to accumulate merits, establish authority, and train the squad's capabilities.

Li Yifan didn't hesitate. He accepted the mission. He immediately gathered the team members newly assigned to him: the three full Xuntian Guards were Zhao Xiong (Body Refining Late), experienced and skilled with saber and shield; Qian Xiaoliu (Body Refining Mid), quick-witted and good with archery; and Sun Shi (Body Refining Mid), taciturn with an extremely stable lower body, skilled in defense. The two trainee Xuntian Guards were still Chen Feng and Zhang Tie.

Including himself, there were six people in total, forming the Seventh Squad of Battalion C. After briefly understanding his team members' characteristics, Li Yifan ordered preparations for departure.

Three days later, everything was ready. Li Yifan led the Seventh Squad, riding fast horses, leaving Qingzhou Prefecture City and galloping toward Linshan County.

The sound of hooves scattered, dust flying. Li Yifan took the lead, his sharp gaze fixed on the distance ahead. This was his first time executing a mission independently as a full squad leader, with five team members under his command who needed his leadership and responsibility. In his heart, there was both vigilance toward the unknown mission and a determination to prove his leadership abilities.

The mist of Linshan County awaited him to unveil it. And this would be his first true test as a full squad leader.