Blue skin, cross-shaped pupils—he was a middle-aged man, but definitely not human.
Xu Jiang was not surprised by aliens. There had been the Ya Ya People before, then Minotaurs after. It was perfectly normal for all sorts of strange species to appear.
But this one was clearly a highly intelligent life-form. With blue skin all over, a huge head, and not a single hair on top, he looked very scholarly at a glance.
"Who are you? What do you want us to help you with?" Xu Jiang asked.
"My name is Pes. Unfortunately, I fell into a Void Rift. I'd like to ask you to protect me, and I can offer you generous compensation."
A wealthy but utterly weak alien—Xu Jiang quickly made his judgment.
Anyone with even a little ability would not spend a fortune hiring two "experts" squatting by the roadside and gnawing on chilled yams.
Xu Jiang was inwardly reluctant to accept this sort of request.
For one, they were of different races, and he did not trust Pes.
For another, this place was far too dangerous. Xu Jiang was already struggling to look after himself. If he wanted to make money, he needed to stay alive long enough to spend it.
Of course, there was no need to shut him down completely. He could take the opportunity to gather some information.
"We're looking for an exit. The road ahead may be even more dangerous, so we can't bring along another person."
Hearing Xu Jiang's words, Pes's face lit up. He hurriedly said, "You're looking for an exit? I can guide you. I know where it is."
He knew where the exit was? Were Void Rift exits really that easy to find?
Xu Jiang frowned slightly. He could not judge whether Pes was telling the truth, but keeping him around to probe for information was not a bad idea.
Pointing to a spot beside the campfire, he said, "My name is Xu Jiang, and this is my friend Lan Tie. We've cleared out the monsters nearby, so it's safe. Sit down and rest for a while."
Perhaps it was the warmth of the firelight, but Pes let out a long breath as he sat down.
"I'm so lucky. I thought I was doomed, but I never expected to run into my own kind. Otherwise, I could only have taken the risk of seeking out those untrustworthy humans."
His own kind? Untrustworthy humans?
Xu Jiang turned to look at Lan Tie beside him. The meaning was obvious: your surname was Lan, so were you related to this blue-skinned fellow?
"He meant you." Lan Tie fired back without hesitation.
"Me?" Xu Jiang was stunned as well. He asked Pes, "When you say your own kind, you mean me?"
"Of course. You must be from a tribe that wandered away. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The pleasure was not mine.
Look at my yellow skin, black eyes, and thick hair. How could I possibly be the same race as a bald blue-skinned guy like you?
"General, this creature contains a large number of runes similar to my rune system."
Qianji's reminder made Xu Jiang realize that the bracelet he had plundered last time had probably come from this race.
Runes were probably the Godlamp Clan's unique ability. Humans could not use them.
Yet Qianji was not human. After incorporating the runes for her own use, Xu Jiang had been keeping Divine Sense Blessing active at all times.
After all, its consumption and recovery were evenly balanced. Keeping it active also made it easier to accelerate and flee at any moment.
Thus, the blue glow around him had been mistaken by the other party as a sign that they were of the same race.
That was good too. It would help him earn Pes's trust.
"Let's put everything else aside. Do you really know where the exit is?"
"Yes, but we'll encounter many monsters along the way. I'm not good at fighting, so I'd like to ask you to protect me."
As if afraid Xu Jiang would abandon him, Pes laid out his situation in full detail.
Pes's race was called the Godlamp Clan. Every member of the Godlamp Clan possessed a special ability, and Pes's ability was concentrated in his eyes.
By looking up at the sky, he could analyze the structure of the current Void Rift and roughly determine the direction of its exit.
Unfortunately, he was merely a merchant from a distant star. After falling into the Void Rift, he had become separated from his bodyguards.
He could not cross such a perilous region alone. He could only seek help from others.
Lan Tie was thrilled by this. "In that case, Xu Jiang, let's set out! Find the exit and crush those vile creatures!"
As he spoke, he lifted his iron coffin... no, his Iron Totem. He looked as though he could not wait to find a pack of monsters and fight them, eager to die early and get it over with.
Xu Jiang did not want to die, so he needed to carefully judge how much truth there was in Pes's words.
Overall, Pes had left him with a fairly good impression.
At the very least, after talking for so long, Pes was still clear-headed and showed none of the madness unique to frenzy corruption. There should not be much of a problem.
"Then let's go. We don't have any destination anyway. Just be careful along the way."
Xu Jiang did not completely trust Pes, but having someone lead the way was better than searching aimlessly. They just had to stay alert.
Not long after they set off, Xu Jiang felt that his decision had been wise.
This big-headed blue-skinned man was reliable after all. He might not have had much combat power, but his eyes were remarkable.
The fog in the Void Rift was thick. They could not even see a person ten meters away, yet he could see through the mist at a glance and spot enemies from far off.
He led them around in advance, avoiding many pointless battles.
Xu Jiang was quite envious of this ability. There were many radar-like tools among the Mech-type, but most of them were not very useful.
Magnetic fields, stealth coatings, high-radiation interference, and many other factors could affect radar detection. Pes's ability was clearly much more powerful.
"Pes, can other people learn your ability?" Xu Jiang could not help asking.
Pes looked at him strangely and asked in return, "This is our innate enhancement ability! Xu Jiang, didn't your people teach you this skill?"
He still believed Xu Jiang had Godlamp blood.
Within the Godlamp Clan, every member could use runes to strengthen their body.
For the sake of specialization, most Godlamp Clan members only enhanced one aspect. Pes's eyes, which could see through illusions, were the result of such enhancement.
"Cultivation is actually very simple. You just need to perform our Godlamp Clan's Military Calisthenics."
"Military Calisthenics? Is it hard to learn?"
"Not at all. This set of Military Calisthenics isn't a secret anymore. It's just that other races can't learn it. Come, I'll teach you."
Pes did not hide anything. Standing with his legs apart, he explained while demonstrating the training steps.
"Raise both hands. Draw a dragon with me on the left, then paint a rainbow on your right... and that completes one enhancement. Did you learn it?"
Learn it? More like ruin it.
Xu Jiang awkwardly followed along once, then he realized something: he had been played.
With this ridiculous posture, you were dancing, weren't you? This counted as Military Calisthenics? That blue-headed bastard was definitely messing with him.
"General, I learned it!"
Huh? Qianji? You learned it?
"Yes, General. It's truly a profound set of movements. From now on, I'll perform it a hundred times every day."
Congratulations. Admiral Qianji has successfully comprehended the Godlamp Clan's Military Calisthenics. Please choose the body part to be enhanced.
As the notification sounded, Xu Jiang stared blankly at the blue light in his hand.
Humans could not learn it. That much was certain.
But Qianji was not human. She was a mech capable of using runes, and she seemed to be a little smarter than Xu Jiang, her host.
"Haha, I knew it! Xu Jiang, you really are one of my people. You learned it right away." Pes was overjoyed.
He had doubted before that Xu Jiang did not look much like a member of the Godlamp Clan. Now it seemed he had worried for nothing. Xu Jiang was merely ugly; he was still blue-blooded at heart.
Likewise, Old Tie beside them cast Xu Jiang a suspicious look. Was Xu Jiang actually human?
Xu Jiang had no time to answer that question. With the blue light in hand, he had to quickly choose a direction for his enhancement.
Pes earnestly warned him, "Everyone's energy is limited, so when enhancing yourself, it's best to specialize in one natural talent."
"That makes sense. You enhanced your eyes?"
"That's right. My eyes were naturally able to see through illusions, so I enhanced them. What about you? What natural talent do you have?"
"My natural talent!"
"Then enhance it!"
"I'm worried it'll become ridiculously overpowered after enhancement."
Before you continue