142: Chapter 142 The Book of a Million Experience Points

Night had fallen.

The Jiang Family Manor was brightly lit, yet it was not noisy.

Tonight's celebratory family banquet had no outside guests; only core members of the Jiang Family were present. The long table was filled with important figures of the Jiang Family, and the atmosphere was relaxed yet solemn.

Lin Yan was seated in the guest seat next to the main seat, and Jiang Ruoxue sat on his left.

The seating was arranged by the Elders of the Jiang Family, who claimed that "young people have things to talk about when sitting together," but anyone with a discerning eye could see the implication.

When Jiang Ruoxue sat down, the tips of her ears turned slightly red. She secretly glared at the Grand Elder not far away, who was smiling kindly, but she didn't say anything, just sat quietly beside Lin Yan.

"Come, I propose a toast to everyone."

Jiang Haichao, Head of the Jiang Family, raised his glass, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally landing on Lin Yan and Jiang Ruoxue. His voice was resounding: "Today, on behalf of the Jiang Family, I congratulate you both on successfully making it into the Genius Training Camp!"

"This is an era that belongs to the young!"

"The future of the Seventh Safe Zone might truly change because of you two!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The Elders present raised their glasses one after another, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.

After a few rounds of drinks, the Elders took turns coming over to toast Lin Yan.

Especially the Second Elder, who had been the most strongly opposed to investing in Lin Yan, was now smiling like a blooming flower. He kept saying, "Nephew Lin is young and promising," and "The future of the Jiang Family will rely on your care," as if he weren't the same person who had slammed the table and said, "An F-Rank grassroots nobody is not worth betting on."

Lin Yan responded to each toast, neither humble nor pushy. His tolerance for alcohol was unfathomable; he drank several rounds without his expression changing at all.

During the banquet, Jiang Ruoxue occasionally spoke a few words to Lin Yan.

"These crystal shrimp dumplings are the signature dish of the Jiang Family's kitchen; you should try them."

"That soup has a bit of a medicinal taste; don't force yourself if you aren't used to it."

"And this is the porridge I cooked, try some..."

Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of imperceptible tenderness. When she spoke, she would also habitually push the wet towel for wiping hands toward Lin Yan.

Her actions were natural and intimate.

The Elders and clan Elders sitting around them saw this and revealed meaningful smiles, but they tacitly agreed not to point it out.

Jiang Ruoxue noticed the gazes of those around her, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

She whispered: "They seem to have misunderstood something."

Lin Yan glanced at her.

"Misunderstood what?"

Jiang Ruoxue suddenly didn't know how to answer and could only lower her head to eat.

...

The banquet ended, and night had fallen.

The moonlight was perfect, silver radiance spilling into the courtyard of the Jiang Family Manor, coating the rockeries and flowing water in a hazy halo.

"You've had quite a bit to drink. Shall I take you for a walk in the courtyard to sober up?"

Jiang Ruoxue stood beside Lin Yan, looked up at him, then quickly looked away. Her fingertips gently twisted the hem of her clothes, and her tone carried a hint of imperceptible anticipation.

"Alright."

Lin Yan nodded.

The two walked side by side on the stone path of the courtyard, their footsteps very light. All around were the rustling of wind through leaves and the croaking of frogs from the distant pond.

The atmosphere was quiet, yet not awkward.

After walking for a while, Jiang Ruoxue was the first to speak.

"By the way."

She turned her head, looking at Lin Yan's profile. The moonlight fell upon his features, sharp and defined, appearing slightly less cold and more gentle than usual.

"After you enter the First Safe Zone and join the Genius Training Camp, do you have any plans?"

Lin Yan's footsteps paused slightly, then he continued walking forward. His tone was very calm, yet exceptionally firm: "Improve my strength, continue exploring Dungeons, and become stronger."

Simple and direct.

Without any flowery language, it conveyed an unquestionable determination.

Jiang Ruoxue looked at him, her eyes brightening.

She loved this side of him.

Always goal-oriented, always calm and steady. It seemed that no matter what happened, nothing could stump him.

"I originally... thought it would be good enough just to make it into the top 100."

Jiang Ruoxue withdrew her gaze, looking at the stone path beneath her feet. Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of gratitude: "Being able to get third place on the overall ranking is all thanks to your help."

"If you hadn't shared so many points with me on the Fourth Level, I never would have made it this far."

"You're overthinking it."

Lin Yan shook his head, his tone calm: "Your own foundation is solid enough; you just lacked a bit of luck in the Chaotic Battlefield."

He was telling the truth.

Jiang Ruoxue's talent and combat awareness were not bad at all. Without his help, she probably would have still made it into the top 100 and joined the Genius Training Camp. He had merely given her a little push, making her ranking just a tiny bit higher.

But hearing this, Jiang Ruoxue's heart skipped a beat for no reason.

She bit her lip and whispered: "Then... once we reach the First Safe Zone, we can still look out for each other, right?"

"In the Genius Training Camp, everyone is a Prodigy from their respective Safe Zones; the competition must be very fierce."

When she said the word "we," her voice softened unconsciously, carrying a hint of imperceptible probing.

Lin Yan glanced at her and nodded: "Mm."

Not overly enthusiastic, but not distant either.

It was the attitude of an acknowledged partner.

Jiang Ruoxue's lips, however, couldn't help but curl upwards slightly.

After walking a while longer, Lin Yan checked the time and said: "It's getting late, I'll head back now."

"Alright."

Jiang Ruoxue stopped walking and stood there watching him: "I'll see you to the gate."

"No need, it's just a few steps."

Lin Yan waved his hand and turned to walk towards the manor gate.

Jiang Ruoxue stood where she was, watching his figure gradually disappear into the moonlight. She stood there for a long time before humming softly and turning back.

Her footsteps were much lighter than usual.

...

After leaving the Jiang Family Manor, Lin Yan returned to his apartment.

He didn't waste any time; the first thing he did was take out the Million Experience Book.

[Use Million Experience Book?]

Confirm.

Boom—

The moment his voice fell, the Experience Book instantly turned into a stream of pure white light, surging violently into his body.

An unimaginably massive amount of experience points, like a burst dam, surged through his Meridians, instantly filling his experience bar.

Lin Yan felt his whole body shake, and the power within him began to skyrocket wildly.

[Rank Increased!]

[Rank 24 → Rank 25!]

[Rank 25 → Rank 26!]

[Current Experience: 40000 / 700000]

The cold System notification sound rang out twice in succession. His experience was already only 300,000-something short of reaching Rank 25, and upgrading to Rank 26 only required 600,000 experience points; 1 million experience points was just enough to push him to Rank 26.

Lin Yan took another item out of his storage space.

It was a golden skill book.

It was the reward for first place on the Chaotic Battlefield overall ranking—

[Rank 25 Adaptive Golden Universal Skill Book]

It could automatically generate an exclusive skill best suited for the user based on their attributes, combat style, and talent System.

Lin Yan's gaze flickered.

Back then, a purple adaptive skill book had created [Peak State].

This skill was now one of his core trump cards.

It was precisely with the help of Peak State that he was able to burst out such massive damage and secure first place in the Chaotic Battlefield.

Purple quality was already so exaggerated.

Then... golden quality.

What would it bring?

Lin Yan took a deep breath, didn't hesitate, and pressed his hand onto the cover of the golden skill book.

Hum—

Golden light erupted instantly, dyeing the entire Cultivation room pure gold.

The cold System notification sound rang out in his mind one after another.

[Detecting host's combat System...]

[Analyzing host's attribute panel...]

[Analyzing host's talent Origin...]

[Matching optimal skill direction...]

[Generating exclusive skill...]

Notification after notification flashed by. Lin Yan stood in the golden light, his eyes fixed tightly on the System panel before him.

A few seconds later.

All the notification sounds suddenly stopped.

The next second.

[Generation complete!]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining exclusive skill: ???]