We are truly strong

As expected of the boosted state—just a few seconds after activation, and he'd already comprehended another skill. Truly impressive.

Moreover, this [Knee Strike] was a close-combat skill. In the future, if someone pressed him up close and he had no time to draw his gun, he could use this move to fight back.

As for now, White Snake was already knocked out a few meters away, giving him ample time to pull his gun and fire.

Drawing the pistol from his waist, he gripped it with both hands, steadied his breath, and aimed the muzzle at the distant little snake.

After yesterday's two-hour special training with Grandpa Lei, he had fully grasped the knack of using a gun. It was just a snake, right? Watch me take it down with one shot...

Bang!

Alright, he missed.

Although the Desert Eagle had decent accuracy, snakes were still a bit small in size. It was normal for a beginner to miss.

Fortunately, while his gun-handling skills were poor, the pistol itself was more than capable.

[Telekinetic Bullet activated. Trajectory correction successful.]

The prompt sounded. The moment the bullet left the barrel, it made a slight course adjustment, as if tracing an arc through the air, heading straight for the viper's forehead.

Pfft~

A bloody hole burst open on its head. The viper was instantly killed, twitching on the ground a couple of times before going still.

Perfect. The first enemy he encountered was taken down with precision. We're really strong.

Landing that hit was a good start to the trial, but before Xu Jiang could celebrate for two seconds, a new enemy appeared.

Drawn by the gunshot, a small monster emerged—wearing a mask, topped with white fur, barely a meter tall, and clutching a wooden club.

Ya Ya People. That was the monster's name. It sounded kind of cute.

Although these little monsters also attacked humans, compared to the terrifying and vicious beasts outside, they were considered quite friendly.

How friendly? They were practically a newbie's blessing!

Hearing the gunshot and running over, it spotted Xu Jiang killing the viper, only to get scared itself. Its body bounced in place, letting out a "Ya!" cry.

Then it tightened its grip on the club, stared at Xu Jiang, and paced left and right.

It didn't look very bright. While pondering its attack strategy, it even scratched its own white fur with a hand. The sight was rather cute.

Bang! Bang!

Xu Jiang raised his hand and fired two bullets at it.

One hit the shoulder, one hit the head. The Ya Ya Person collapsed forever in a pool of blood.

"Cute? I'm here to beat the cute out of you."

"Not bad for a newbie trial ground—monsters even give a warning beforehand. With enemies like this, Grandpa Lei really underestimated me, huh."

A C-rank evaluation only required killing twenty Ya Ya People. Wasn't that like child's play?

Too bad Grandpa Lei couldn't hear him, or he'd probably be coughing up blood.

You only learned how to grip a gun yesterday, didn't you? A normal beginner would struggle just to aim.

Without that [Telekinetic Bullet] forcibly bending the trajectory, you couldn't hit a damn thing!

Seeing Xu Jiang so valiant, Qianji spoke up.

"General, these little monsters are far too weak to bring out your true strength. I suggest heading straight for the final treasure."

That remark felt a bit like flattery. They had only stepped into the Spirit Domain ten minutes ago, and now they were going for the final treasure? Wasn't that a bit too hasty?

Xu Jiang looked up at the sun. With its eerie color, it probably completely defied the rule of rising in the east and setting in the west.

"This vast white forest—I can't even tell north from south. How am I supposed to know where the treasure is?"

"To the south."

"Oh? How do you know?"

"I sensed it. There's a Spirit Seed Fragment to the south. That thing can make me stronger."

So this was what they called a fateful encounter sense? It was like a craving for a certain power deep in his heart. His mech could actually find ways to upgrade itself. Truly powerful.

And what Qianji had just mentioned seemed to be a Spirit Seed Fragment?

"Spirit Seed? The thing I touched when I changed class?"

"Close, but not as complete. The Spirit Seed is the source of evolution. Even a fragment holds considerable value."

"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's move."

With a goal in sight, Xu Jiang was full of drive and began heading south.

The stark white trees, the scorched black earth—a world of yin and yang, giving off a very oppressive feeling.

Fortunately, along the way, aside from the occasional ambush by snakes, insects, and vermin, only three Ya Ya People posed any real challenge.

The Desert Eagle's lethality was decent, but its recoil was too strong. Luckily, with his Skeletal Mech's support, his hands didn't go numb after a few shots.

After emptying a full magazine and adding one Knee Strike, he perfectly finished off these little creatures.

He glanced at the darkening sky and decided to eat and rest.

"It's getting dark. Let's stop here for today. Rest tonight, and we'll set out again tomorrow."

The forest at night was far more dangerous than by day.

The murky Black Moon in the sky, paired with the white mist rising in the dark, draped the entire forest in an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.

Sleeping at night meant you couldn't afford to doze off too deeply—you had to stay constantly alert for enemy attacks.

Of course, for Xu Jiang, this wasn't a problem at all.

"General, please rest well. Tomorrow's great battle will still need your command."

"Mm. And what about you all?"

"We'll naturally keep training! Only by growing stronger can we revive the glory of mecha." Qianji clenched his fist and replied with a resounding voice.

Having two subordinates with boundless energy standing guard was truly reassuring.

He set up a simple tent, lit a campfire, and leisurely ate a roasted sweet potato while flipping through the newly acquired official Cultivator's Guide by the firelight.

Grandpa Lei had handed it to him before leaving, so Xu Jiang wouldn't go looking for novels to read again.

During the day's travel, Xu Jiang had killed seven Ya Ya People along the way, and his experience had finally maxed out. After a refreshing surge, his level reached 2.

"But after leveling up, I don't feel much different!"

Xu Jiang checked his body in confusion—he hadn't grown taller, hadn't gotten stronger, and hadn't gotten longer.

He flipped to the section on levels and began studying seriously.

There were three types of levels: Talent Rank, Class Level, and Skill Level.

Talent Rank corresponded to Xu Jiang's two talents: the B-rank [Mech Overload] and the SSS-rank [General's Order].

In others' eyes, his [Mech Overload] was considered a fairly garbage talent.

Though the ten-second double burst seemed strong, its cooldown was as long as six hours, making its usage far too restrictive.

Factoring in time spent on missed shots, aiming, reloading, and adjusting position, the actual output wasn't much.

For another B-rank talent, even a mere 20% boost to sustained combat power would be far more valuable than [Mech Overload].

As for Class Level, it was gained by killing monsters and enemies, or through methods like an Elementalist's meditation or a Cleric's prayers, earning experience to level up.

Though it didn't increase personal stats, each level-up granted 1 skill point, which could be used to upgrade existing skills or learn new ones.

In short, skill points were extremely precious to 99.9999% of people worldwide—and the sole exception was Xu Jiang.