Olive Branch

Jiang Ran was stunned by these words, not yet having the chance to respond.

Beside him, Meng Xi's smiling voice rang out.

"I think it would be hard for anyone to refuse an opportunity like this," Meng Xi said, having walked to the edge of the training area at some point. She stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. "After all, legend has it that there is a chance to become transcendent inside."

Jiang Ran and Li Xintong turned their heads to look at her simultaneously.

A relaxed smile hung on Meng Xi's face as her gaze swept between the two of them, finally settling on Li Xintong.

Hearing this, Li Xintong gave Meng Xi a deep, searching look.

Afterward, she did not continue the topic, simply nodding at Jiang Ran with her voice returning to its usual calm: "I'm going to take a shower first."

Having said that, she turned to Meng Xi: "Sister Meng, I'll be going now."

Meng Xi waved her hand with a smile: "Go on, go on. Come back tomorrow."

Li Xintong said nothing more; she picked up her bow bag and turned to walk toward the locker room.

Not until her figure disappeared around the corner of the hallway did Meng Xi turn to look at Jiang Ran, her smile carrying a hint of mischief: "Well, Coach Jiang? Still taking on students? There's a whole line of wealthy ladies waiting for you."

Jiang Ran's mouth twitched at the remark, and he shook his head: "That's enough for today. No more for now."

Seeing this, Meng Xi didn't force the issue, merely teasing: "Fine, then get some rest. But I'll remind you, those ladies are very generous; you won't find another shop like this once you pass this village."

Jiang Ran chuckled, waved her off, and began to pack up his gear.

Meng Xi turned and left with a smile, the sound of her high heels clicking against the floor gradually fading into the distance.

Jiang Ran watched her back disappear at the end of the hallway and let out a soft sigh.

Meng Xi's appearance just now was definitely not a coincidence.

Given her understanding of Li Xintong's personality, she wouldn't have interjected at that exact moment unless it was intentional.

Jiang Ran also understood what she and Old Chen were aiming for.

Extending an olive branch.

However, Jiang Ran had no intention of getting involved with anyone in the Abyssal Void at the moment.

From a psychological perspective, the reason was actually quite simple.

Every interpersonal relationship within the Abyssal Void was based on a completely new starting point.

Trust, friendship, and cooperative relationships built in reality all needed to be re-evaluated once one entered the Abyssal Void.

People change.

If friends from reality re-establish contact within the Abyssal Void, is that person still truly a friend?

This question, in truth... is not certain.

After all, in reality, the greatest temptation between people is often just profit—money.

But the temptations in the Abyssal Void are far too numerous.

Power, various new resources, transcendent legacies, and even lifespan!?

In the face of power capable of rewriting one's destiny, how much can the human heart withstand?

Jiang Ran did not want to gamble.

At least, not right now.

He shook his head, pushing down his chaotic thoughts. After changing his clothes, he shouldered his bag, left the club, and headed toward the Voyage Training Center next door.

At the reception desk of the training center.

The young lady in professional attire stood up respectfully as always to greet him: "Good evening, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Ran nodded at her: "Is Boss Chen in?"

"He's on the third floor. Would you like me to take you up?"

"No need, thank you."

Jiang Ran walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.

When the elevator doors opened, Old Chen happened to be walking out of his office, holding a folder in his hand.

Seeing Jiang Ran, he immediately broke into a smile: "Ah, Little Jiang is here. Perfect, I just finished looking over this month's report."

Jiang Ran also nodded with a smile: "Is everyone here?"

"They are." Old Chen closed the folder and led him toward the training room. "Though, there are three extra people today."

As he spoke, he pushed open the door to the training room.

The room was brightly lit.

Aside from the five familiar faces from last time, there were two new ones, both of whom were women.

Both appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

However, after his gaze swept over the seven people, Jiang Ran frowned slightly and looked at Old Chen: "Didn't you say three people?"

Old Chen listened, a smile appearing in his eyes.

He stepped forward, walked up to the seven people, stood in line with them, then turned his head to look at Jiang Ran and said with a grin:

"Count me in."

Jiang Ran couldn't help but be stunned: "Are you sure!?"

Old Chen was in his thirties; although he was well-maintained and his physique hadn't gone to seed, he was, after all, no longer a twenty-year-old youth.

This kind of high-intensity practical training placed a tremendous burden on the body.

Seeing this, Old Chen waved his hand: "Sure. Don't worry, just go ahead, don't treat me like a middle-aged man."

Hearing this, Jiang Ran didn't ask any more questions, just nodded.

Very well.

Since Old Chen requested it himself, he had nothing to be concerned about.

Jiang Ran walked in front of the seven people, his gaze sweeping calmly over each of them.

After last night's sparring, there was no longer a shred of defiance in the eyes of the five veteran members, only focused intensity.

The two newly joined female members looked at Jiang Ran with scrutiny and curiosity.

"When I sparred with you last time, I discovered that your physical flexibility and control were severely lacking."

Jiang Ran spoke, his voice echoing in the empty training room, "Today, we are going to train body control in actual combat..."

Three hours later.

The training room was in a state of disarray.

Except for Jiang Ran, who remained standing straight, the other seven were either sitting or lying down, all panting heavily.

Old Chen sat on the floor, his back against the wall.

Sweat from his forehead dripped down his cheeks.

His training suit was soaked through, his chest heaving violently, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

The other six members were in even worse condition; two were already lying on the ground unable to get up, their bodies covered in various bruises and scrapes.

"That's it for today." Jiang Ran glanced at the time, "You all go and rest first."

Hearing this, the six helped each other up, nodded to Jiang Ran and Old Chen, and limped out of the training room.

The door closed softly.

Only Jiang Ran and Old Chen remained in the training room.

Jiang Ran walked over to Old Chen, squatted down, and looked at him with interest: "Old Chen, your body is not bad."

Old Chen waved his hand, catching his breath before saying with a smile: "It's tiring, but I feel alright."

He braced himself against the wall to stand up, loosened his shoulders, and suddenly asked: "Did you go online today?"

Jiang Ran nodded: "I did, why?"

Old Chen turned around, the smile on his face gradually fading, his expression becoming serious.

"Those reports," he said, enunciating each word, "are all true."

Jiang Ran appropriately showed surprise: "How do you know?"

Old Chen listened, raised his right hand, and said softly: "Because I've been inside."

"And... I obtained a supernatural inheritance from within."

The next second...

Hum!

A faint current of air rippled out, centered on his right hand.

Under the skin of Old Chen's entire arm, veins began to bulge and squirm like living creatures, while simultaneously emitting a faint golden luster.

"Vajra Body."

Old Chen's voice sounded at the same time.

"It can significantly enhance the strength and defense of the physical body."

He paused, his gaze falling on his glowing golden arm.

"If I imbue it with my supernatural power, one punch from me... an ordinary person simply couldn't block it."

As his voice fell, the golden luster on Old Chen's arm slowly faded, and the veins gradually calmed down.

The training room fell into a brief silence.

Jiang Ran stared at Old Chen, stunned for several seconds.

This really wasn't an act.

Because he hadn't expected Old Chen to reveal his supernatural power to him...

Before he could even speak, Old Chen took a step forward, his voice lowered with sincerity:

"How about it?"

"If I were to give you a chance to enter, would you be willing?"

Old Chen's gaze locked directly into Jiang Ran's eyes.

"With your talent, if you were to obtain a divine ability, and with the assistance of my resources... I won't guarantee anything else, but you would absolutely be among the small handful of people standing at the very pinnacle of the Abyssal Void."

Jiang Ran listened to these words, which were nearly identical to what Li Xintong had said.

The same invitation.

A different occasion.

A different person.

Jiang Ran remained silent for a few seconds, unable to help but shake his head with a faint laugh. As he stood up, he said softly:

"We'll see."

Having said that, Jiang Ran did not look at Old Chen's reaction, turned toward the training room door, pulled it open, and walked straight out.

A few seconds later.

A small door on the side of the training room opened silently.

An old man with graying hair stepped out from within and came to Old Chen's side.

He looked at the tightly shut door, his brows furrowed, his face showing clear regret.

"Young Jiang refused," the old man said in a low voice. "Should we..."

Before he could finish, Old Chen suddenly raised his hand, cutting the old man off.

The old man immediately fell silent.

Old Chen did not turn back, still staring at the door, a strange expression gradually appearing on his face.

"This brat..."

Old Chen suddenly laughed, though this time, his smile held a hint of intrigue.

"I'm afraid he's already been inside, hasn't he?"

He muttered to himself, his tone certain.

He then turned around to look at the old man beside him.

"Everything remains unchanged," Old Chen said softly. "Regularly send a small portion of the Spirit Crystal resources we've collected to him."

Hearing this, the old man's expression froze in surprise.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.

But Old Chen had already turned and was walking toward the training room door.

"Just do as I say."

Old Chen left only those words behind before pulling the door open and walking out, leaving the old man with nothing but his retreating back.

The black sedan drove steadily through the night.

Jiang Ran leaned back in the rear seat, closing his eyes to rest.

His consciousness sank deep within.

A pale blue panel emerged in his field of vision.

[Congratulations, basic profession skill Compound Bow Shooting has leveled up from Lv.7 to Lv.8 (0/800)]

[Congratulations, you have gained 2 profession points]

[Congratulations, basic profession skill Jiu-Jitsu has leveled up from Lv.5 to Lv.6 (0/600)]

[Congratulations, you have gained 2 profession points]

This afternoon at the club, by conducting high-intensity sparring with Li Xintong, he had successfully leveled up Compound Bow Shooting.

This evening at Old Chen's place, he had managed to max out the experience for Jiu-Jitsu as well.

4 profession points.

Jiang Ran's gaze landed on the Martial Monk profession panel, and he quickly formulated a plan for the upgrades.

[Profession: Martial Monk Lv.1 (63/100)]

[Basic Profession Skill: Dragon-Tiger Fist Lv.1 (78/100)]

[Golden Bell Shield Lv.2 (32/200)]

[Eight-Step Cicada Chase Lv.2 (13/200)]

[Core Profession Skill: Buddha's Wrathful Vajra Lv.1 (9/100)]

For now, Golden Bell Shield and Eight-Step Cicada Chase were sufficient.

What he lacked was the power of his offensive means.

He would invest 3 points into Dragon-Tiger Fist, which would raise it to Lv.3.

The remaining 1 point would go toward upgrading his trump card, Buddha's Wrathful Vajra.

With that, he should be able to attempt a challenge against the exotic beasts recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.