Perfect Clear

"After giving me such obvious hints, did I really have any choice besides taking everything?"

You have confirmed the Perfect Advancement path. The path to advancement has opened. Please collect the following materials as soon as possible.

Spirit Seed: 1/1

Hardened Carapace: 2/10

Colorless Crystal Shards: 0/500

Mana Alloy: 0/30

Level 20 Powered Armor (Purple Quality): 0/1

Mech Operating System: 0/1

"General, these are all the materials needed for your first advancement."

That's all... It sure sounded simple!

Double the happiness came at the cost of double the effort. Xu Jiang looked at the material list and immediately felt a headache coming on.

Other than the two bull horns he had just obtained, which could substitute for Hardened Carapace, everything else was still far beyond his reach.

"Time to start working."

In his previous life, he had been forced into a 996 schedule to pay off his mortgage.

In this life, it seemed he would have to start living on a 007 schedule for the sake of upgrading his mech.

Why was life after transmigrating to another world still so miserable?

Please note.

The Spirit Domain will end in 10 minutes. Reward settlement will begin.

The prompt sounded beside his ear. Xu Jiang quickly slung his luggage onto his back. These were all his gains from the Spirit Domain; as long as he could carry them, he could take them out.

Settlement complete. Explorer Xu Jiang independently killed the Frost Giant Bull. Rating: SS Rank. An additional hidden treasure was obtained, raising the rating to SSS Rank.

As this was his first time entering a secret realm and he received an SSS Rank evaluation, he was additionally awarded 3 skill points.

Rewards obtained: Frost Crystal x10, Reinforced Magazine (Accessory), Quick Draw (Skill Stone).

After the prompt ended, three new items appeared on Xu Jiang's body. Though there were few of them, each was extremely valuable.

First were the ten Frost Crystals, each about the size of two fingers. They were crystal clear and quite beautiful.

These were not special crafting materials, but a form of special currency.

They could only be obtained by earning an extremely high evaluation in the Spirit Domain. Xu Jiang had once seen people purchasing them online at high prices. They were incredibly precious.

The second item was the Reinforced Magazine, which increased magazine capacity by 3.

It was a firearm accessory that could be used to upgrade guns. The moment he got it, he heard Sand Eagle's request.

"General, can you give that magazine to me? I can only hold seven bullets. It's far too humiliating. I want to become stronger."

Since it had the desire to grow stronger, Xu Jiang naturally would not refuse.

He nodded and replied, "Of course. I was planning to give it to you anyway. But it's only an accessory. We'll need to find a Mech Modder to complete the modification."

"There's no need. You can use it on me directly."

"Use it on you? How?" Xu Jiang looked at the new magazine.

Its size was obviously much thicker than Sand Eagle's original magazine. Without expanding the magazine well, how could it possibly fit?

"Just force it in. If I can't endure even this little pain, how can I revive the glory of machinery!"

"..."

Xu Jiang fell silent for a long while. Looking at Sand Eagle's slightly small magazine well, he finally gritted his teeth and decided to fulfill its wish.

"Fine. It's pretty big, so bear with it!"

"Yes, come on, General. Don't hold back—push it in hard. The first time always hurts a little. After a few more times, it'll... Ah!!!"

Congratulations. Major Sand Eagle's magazine capacity has increased to 10 rounds.

With that scream, Sand Eagle had grown. It was truly something worth celebrating.

Last was the centerpiece: the Skill Stone.

This thing was incredibly precious. A Skill Stone with good attributes would start at millions on the market. Just this one could make Xu Jiang rich overnight.

Of course, he had no intention of selling this Skill Stone. Money could always be earned again, but this skill suited him exceptionally well.

Quick Draw (Skill Stone): Consume 1 skill point to learn Quick Draw Lv1, increasing draw speed and reload time.

It was an extremely practical support skill. The faster one could change magazines, the shorter the interval between shots. It was a technique every gunner had to master.

And draw speed did not merely refer to drawing a gun before combat. It also included the speed of switching between different firearms. Once he had more weapons in the future, this would practically be a godly skill.

"This skill is excellent. I'm level 4 now, and with the 3 skill points from the reward, I have 6 skill points on hand. I can..."

"General, can you give this Skill Stone to me?" Qianji's clear voice sounded beside his ear.

Xu Jiang froze and asked, "You want this Skill Stone?"

"Yes. As a mech, if I'm not proficient at drawing and reloading, how can I establish myself in this world? Please grant my request, General."

"...It's not a matter of granting your request or not. I just want to ask—if you use this Skill Stone, do you need me to provide skill points as well?"

"Of course not. The essence of increasing combat strength is training. While you rest at night, I will work hard on my own and raise the skill to the maximum level."

As she spoke, the Skill Stone melted away in Xu Jiang's hand.

Congratulations. Admiral Qianji has successfully comprehended the skill Quick Draw Lv1 through the Skill Stone.

T-1000 Exoskeleton Mech (Admiral)

Type: First-Generation Light Skeletal Mech

Quality: White

Weapon Slots: Desert Eagle Pistol, Stun Baton, Empty, Empty

Current Weight: 40 kg

Attributes: Increases explosive limb strength by 80 kg.

Skills: Robust Physique Lv10, Knee Strike Lv10, Shadowstep Lv3, Quick Draw Lv1

Wasn't my mech a little too overpowered?

It could even use Skill Stones and level up on its own. This was making me, the Mech Warrior, look pretty useless!

What exactly were my skill points supposed to be for?

Before Xu Jiang could figure it out, the world around him darkened. Time was up in the Spirit Domain, and all adventurers were teleported out.

Outside the Spirit Domain, a group of parents anxiously waited for their children to emerge.

This trial was far more brutal than the college entrance examination.

Those who passed would have a bright future ahead of them. Those who failed would be separated from the living forever.

In the most luxurious teahouse beside the Spirit Domain entrance, two old men sat leisurely at a window table, sipping tea.

"Old Lei! Didn't you keep thinking about my tea leaves last time? I'm in a good mood today, so drink up."

"Oh? Is old Mo finally being kind because he's about to die? You're usually so stingy, yet today you actually brought out your treasured tea leaves."

The only people who could enjoy morning tea so leisurely were naturally the two old men who had retired and spent their free time guiding newcomers.

Grandpa Mo was still dressed in martial arts clothes, every corner neat and spotless. He had clearly dressed up carefully.

He set down his teacup, stroked his little mustache, and said smugly, "I'm just happy. Thinking about my disciple getting an S-Rank Score feels wonderful."

Grandpa Lei rolled his eyes, kicked off one slipper, and carelessly rested his leg on the chair. He grabbed the teacup in front of him and drained it in one gulp.

"You think that's your achievement? The Pang Family bought it with money. You're just lending your name to it."

"Who says so? I carefully taught Pang Shi. I'm his rightful mentor! You old fool, you're just jealous of me."

"Jealous of you? I'm afraid you'll ruin your reputation in your old age."

"Bullshit! You're the one ruining your reputation, always picking up trash by the roadside. Of the people you sent into the Spirit Domain, how many do you think will come back alive?"

The two old men started arguing again, making the nearby waitstaff nervous.

Neither of these two had ordinary identities! What if they actually started fighting later...

"To be honest, your tea is pretty good."

"Of course it is. It costs thirty thousand per fifty grams. I only got half a kilogram this time. I'll give you fifty grams to take home later."

Huh? They had made up again? How strange. The waitstaff breathed a sigh of relief.

This kind of bickering had long become routine. The two of them would argue whenever they met, and nobody could stop them.

But gradually, people around them noticed something. Their so-called arguments were more like proof of the old men's friendship, an exceptionally "friendly" form of communication.

After all, they were both retired old men. They could no longer experience the thrill of battle on the front lines, so arguing was a way to get their blood flowing.

Sure enough, early that morning, Grandpa Mo had dragged his friend out for tea with a clear purpose: to show off his disciple.

Grandpa Lei had not refused. He also wanted to wait here and see Xu Jiang's final result. Though they had only known each other for two days, he was Xu Jiang's recommender and should bear that responsibility.

When he was young, he had also been a penniless wandering orphan, fortunate enough to receive help from others.

He wanted to give ambitious young people a chance as well. He hoped they would succeed, and even more, that they would return safely.

Rumble!

A sudden shift in wind and clouds signaled the prelude to the Spirit Domain's end, when the trial participants would be sent out.

But this time, something was different.

Within the storm sweeping across heaven and earth, a layer of gold seemed to have appeared. It spun and spread, like a firework exploding in the sky, dazzling beyond compare.

"This is... Someone has perfectly cleared the Spirit Domain!"