Shadowstep

Sitting in the tent, facing the extra skill points from leveling up, Xu Jiang looked quite conflicted.

"You two, do you need skill points to upgrade your skills?"

Qianji: "To answer the General, cultivation brings me joy. If I don't train, my mech-life loses its meaning. I hope to improve through training and don't need skill points."

Shaying: "Ah~~ I'm too useless. I've only comprehended one skill so far. How could I have the face to waste the General's skill points?"

Alright, both of his great generals had refused his kindness.

But he couldn't use them himself either!

His talent couldn't be upgraded, and his only skill was [Basic Repair], which didn't seem very useful for now. He'd just hold onto them.

He'd heard that in Spirit Domain rewards, there was a chance to get Skill Stones. He hoped to obtain a powerful skill and then use the skill points on it.

Xu Jiang had a plan. He closed the manual, pulled up his blanket, and fell asleep peacefully.

Xu Jiang was the only one treating the Spirit Domain like a vacation. Tonight, no one in the Black White Forest could sleep soundly.

"Hurry! Disassemble all the parts and assemble them. Our task is tight—no one sleeps tonight."

"Understood. I'll keep watch around the perimeter. The rest of you, cut some wood for spare."

"Let me finish this biscuit first. I'll be quick."

Busy voices rose and fell in front of a cave. The leader was none other than the student of Old Man Mo, who had bickered with Grandpa Lei.

By now, over a dozen people had gathered before the cave. There were Elementalists, Paladins, Swordsmen, and Shadow Dancers—the team's composition was quite complete.

A few Mech Warriors followed behind, but these Mech Warriors weren't main combatants. Instead, they used their strong carrying capacity to help transport things.

Parts were taken out of mechanical backpacks one by one and assembled on the ground. Their movements were very skilled, as if they had rehearsed many times.

"Young Master Pang, the machinery has started installation. Our people are also gathering here. We'll definitely make it in time." A girl holding a magic book reported to a young man.

Pang Shi, a Swordsman. From the moment he was born, he had possessed an S-grade talent: Wealth.

Every time someone entered a Spirit Domain for the first time, if their rating reached S-grade, they would receive additional skill points on top of the normal rewards.

S-grade gave 1 point, SS-grade gave 2 points—precious power that money couldn't buy.

Thus, the Pang Family had gathered massive manpower and resources, hired the most professional instructors, and designed the most perfect plan, all to help Pang Shi achieve the highest rating.

"This time, we will definitely succeed." Pang Shi watched everything unfold smoothly and clenched his fists with confidence.

The sky was barely light, and the blazing white sun hung once again in the sky, baking the scorched black earth.

Xu Jiang crawled out of his small tent, still sleepy-eyed. Seeing the dozen or so broken trees around him, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

To be honest, he hadn't slept well last night.

It was already hard enough to sleep soundly in a terrifying forest, but with constant 'bang! bang! bang!' sounds all around, who could stand it?

Qianji had been kicking trees all night and had broken over a dozen.

"When I have money, I'm definitely buying a villa with a training ground and installing the best soundproofing materials."

Xu Jiang grumbled, got up to stretch, put out the fire, re-merged with Qianji, and began another day's journey south.

The second day's journey wasn't as simple as he had imagined.

Spirit Domain ratings gradually increased. A C-grade evaluation was easy, but B-grade and above required defeating stronger monsters—like the sturdy Minotaur standing before Xu Jiang.

Over two meters tall, wearing a grass skirt, its upper body showing solid pectoral muscles, holding an axe in its hand—it looked extremely burly.

Around it were three Ya Ya People. The four monsters sat in a circle on the ground, seemingly studying a metal box.

On one side came 'Ya Ya' calls, on the other 'Moo~' roars. How they communicated was anyone's guess.

"Three small, one big. Can we handle this?" Xu Jiang weighed their combat strength and asked Qianji's opinion.

"The enemy is in the open while we're hidden. I think it's worth a try. Go for it, General."

Xu Jiang nodded. He also thought it was worth a try. His confidence came from the small cliff-like slope not far away.

He quietly circled around, crouched at the edge of the cliff, and aimed his gun at the distant Ya Ya People.

"We'll kill the three small ones first, then deal with the big one."

"Understood, General!"

With the plan set, Xu Jiang pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The first shot rang out, startling the four monsters not far away.

No, now there were only three left. Xu Jiang had aimed carefully for the first shot, and the bullet hit one of them precisely—a headshot, instant kill.

"Moo!!!"

Seeing its playmate die, the Minotaur's eyes turned red with rage. It let out a furious roar, lifted its axe, and charged forward.

Perhaps because the big brother led the charge, the remaining two Ya Ya People also abandoned their idiotic thoughts and followed in the charge, full of fighting spirit.

Xu Jiang didn't hesitate any longer; his fingers pulled the trigger in rapid succession, bullets firing wildly.

Moving targets were harder to hit.

Fortunately, with Trajectory Correction, a full magazine's worth of fire proved fairly effective—the Ya Ya People all fell before they could reach him.

The last Minotaur, however, was troublesome—strong, sturdy, and alarmingly fast. Luckily, Xu Jiang was cunning enough to have secured his position in advance.

The broken slope he stood on was nearly four meters high; this bull wasn't going to leap up.

It could only scratch its head and ears below, then take the long way around from the gentlest incline to climb up, buying Xu Jiang time to reload.

Slapping in a fresh magazine, Xu Jiang opened fire on the Minotaur, but the result sent a chill through his heart.

Against a fast-moving target, even with Trajectory Correction, only five out of seven shots landed—and none hit a vital spot.

The bloody holes didn't bring the Minotaur down; instead, it seemed enraged, eyes reddening as it charged faster.

"So tanky!" Xu Jiang sensed trouble.

He fumbled to reload while nervously judging the timing—if it got close, his only combat skill left was Knee Strike.

He hoped the force of Knee Strike could withstand the Minotaur's charge, or else he'd really be knocked off the slope.

Just at this critical moment, Qianji showed her power again.

"The enemy is strong and we are weak; do not fight force with force."

[Congratulations, Admiral Qianji had a flash of insight, grasped the essence of military strategy, and learned the skill: Shadowstep Lv1]

[Shadowstep Lv1: Leave a shadow in place; the user enters 1 second of invisibility and high-speed movement. Attacking or using a skill breaks stealth. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]