Early the next morning.
Jiang Lan changed into his combat uniform and left his room.
Shen Qingqiu was already waiting in the living room, likewise dressed in neat combat gear.
"Morning."
"Mm." Shen Qingqiu answered, briefly meeting Jiang Lan's eyes before quickly looking away.
Jiang Lan glanced at Shen Qingqiu.
Somehow, his aunt seemed a little different today.
Had he not slept well?
But Jiang Lan did not dwell on it and followed Shen Qingqiu downstairs.
The SUV left the residential complex and headed straight for the City Guard compound.
Inside the vehicle, Shen Qingqiu held the steering wheel, his eyes fixed ahead, and said nothing the whole way.
Usually, he would have chatted a little by now, reminding Jiang Lan to stay safe or something along those lines.
"Auntie, did you not sleep well?"
"Hm? Ah..." Shen Qingqiu shook his head. "No... it's nothing."
Jiang Lan grew even more curious, but since Shen Qingqiu did not want to talk about it, he could hardly keep pressing.
A short while later, the SUV stopped outside the City Guard compound.
Zhao Gang spotted Jiang Lan from a distance and came over with a smile.
"Haven't seen you in a few days."
"Brother Zhao." Jiang Lan greeted him with a smile.
Nearby, Li Hu stood beside his team. He glanced at Jiang Lan without saying anything, then turned back to continue his quiet conversation with the person beside him.
Jiang Lan noticed, of course, but he did not care.
By now, he and Li Hu were living in completely different worlds.
As long as Li Hu was not stupid enough to come looking for trouble again, Jiang Lan could not be bothered with him.
If a dog he passed on the street did not bare its teeth at him, he had no interest in walking over and kicking it.
After chatting briefly with the team members, everyone assembled, boarded the vehicles, and set off.
Their destination today was once again the Northern Suburbs Ruins.
Upon arrival, the three squads split up as usual.
Jiang Lan was just about to leave the team and act alone as he normally did when Shen Qingqiu suddenly spoke:
"I'm coming with you today."
Jiang Lan paused in surprise.
"You're not leading the team today, Auntie?"
"Zhao Gang can take care of the team. They'll sweep the outskirts," Shen Qingqiu said. "I'll go deeper in with you."
Jiang Lan raised his eyebrows slightly.
It was rare for his aunt to want to join him.
"Sure. If you're in the mood, Auntie, let's go together."
"Mm."
After answering, Shen Qingqiu quietly gave Zhao Gang a few instructions, then followed Jiang Lan deeper into the ruins.
He walked one pace behind Jiang Lan, his gaze unconsciously settling on Jiang Lan's back.
Jiang Lan really had changed a great deal.
Not only were his steps lighter, but his movements also had an effortless, natural quality.
Most importantly, he was confident.
An ordinary person would certainly feel anxious upon entering the Wilderness Zone.
Yet Shen Qingqiu sensed no tension whatsoever in Jiang Lan, as though they were not in the Wilderness Zone at all, but in his own home.
The two continued deeper for around ten minutes.
"Rooaar!"
A low growl came from ahead.
Shen Qingqiu briefly slowed, his right hand instinctively gripping the hilt of the long saber at his waist.
Ahead of them, a second-tier Red-Scaled Lizard crawled out from behind a pile of rubble.
The Red-Scaled Lizard was dark red all over and more than two meters long, its slit pupils fixed intently on the two people before it.
A second-tier ferocious beast.
In the past, killing an opponent like this would have cost Shen Qingqiu serious injuries at the very least.
Jiang Lan calmly extended a hand.
"Auntie, leave this to me."
As he spoke, he stepped forward.
At this, the Red-Scaled Lizard gathered strength in its hind legs and lunged fiercely at Jiang Lan.
The instant the Red-Scaled Lizard leaped, Jiang Lan could clearly determine where it would land.
Eyesight alone could not accomplish this.
He could do it entirely thanks to the heightened perception brought by the increase in his mental attribute.
Jiang Lan could clearly see the Red-Scaled Lizard's center of gravity, as well as the force and angle of its leap.
With that, predicting its landing point was hardly difficult.
Jiang Lan narrowed his eyes and stepped diagonally forward to the left. His punch moved second but arrived first.
Thud!
From Shen Qingqiu's perspective, it looked as though the Red-Scaled Lizard had run straight into Jiang Lan's fist.
With a dull impact, a large section of the Red-Scaled Lizard's skull instantly caved in.
The tremendous force smashed the lizard straight into the ground, driving all four legs deep into the earth. It twitched twice, then went completely still.
Dead in one blow!
Behind him, Shen Qingqiu stared at the Red-Scaled Lizard's corpse on the ground, unable to recover from his shock for a long time.
He knew Jiang Lan was strong now.
But knowing and witnessing it firsthand were two entirely different things.
Had Jiang Lan... already grown this powerful?
Crouching down, Jiang Lan deftly harvested the blood essence and core.
Only after finishing did he turn back and smile at Shen Qingqiu.
"Come on. Let's keep going."
Shen Qingqiu came to his senses, released the saber's hilt, and nodded.
The two continued deeper.
An hour later, Jiang Lan had killed a total of four second-tier ferocious beasts and seven first-tier ferocious beasts.
At first, Shen Qingqiu was still astonished, taking a long time to recover each time.
But later, he had become almost numb to it.
Along the way, not a single ferocious beast, whether first-tier or second-tier, could withstand a punch from Jiang Lan.
Every one of them died in a single blow.
Only one second-tier Shadow Leopard had managed to dodge Jiang Lan's first punch with its speed.
But the second punch smashed it straight in the head, leaving it well and truly dead.
Even now, Shen Qingqiu had not so much as drawn his saber.
There had simply been no opportunity for him to act.
Four second-tier ferocious beasts and seven first-tier ferocious beasts.
Jiang Lan finished collecting the Ironback Wolf's blood essence, stood up, and dusted off his hands.
"Auntie, isn't it about time?"
Shen Qingqiu nodded.
Seeing this, Jiang Lan smiled. "All right, let's head back."
On the way back, Shen Qingqiu remained silent for quite a while.
Only after three or four minutes did he turn to glance at Jiang Lan, his eyes carrying a complicated look as he spoke:
"The speed of your growth... really has gone beyond anything I imagined."
Even counting every day, it had only been a little over a month.
Before this, Shen Qingqiu had heard stories about geniuses.
But someone as gifted as Jiang Lan was beyond anything he had ever imagined, let alone heard of.
Who could have imagined that a young man who had awakened his talent just over a month ago could kill a third-tier demon beast head-on and possess a physique on par with the astral condensation realm?
Even if they told anyone, probably no one would believe it.
"Hehe... it's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Auntie."
"Enough with the flattery." Shen Qingqiu glanced at Jiang Lan. "When have I ever taught you?"
Jiang Lan kept smiling.
"Isn't it a good thing that I'm strong? The stronger I am, the better I can protect you, Auntie."
"You..."
Shen Qingqiu sighed helplessly and did not question him further.
"Let's go."
They returned to the meeting point, and after a head count, everyone boarded the vehicles and headed back to the City Guard compound.
As usual, Jiang Lan handed out a few first-tier cores.
Then, after saying goodbye to everyone, Jiang Lan rode home with Shen Qingqiu.
The moment he entered the house, Jiang Lan headed straight to his room and took the blood essence he had collected today out of his backpack.
Eight bottles!
Enough to level up!