142: Chapter 142 Reference Points for Combat Power

"If we join the Night Watchers, will the Specters we killed these past two days count as our recruitment performance?" Chu Xuan asked.

"Of course they count."

Zhang Qiang smiled and said, "We have always had extra subsidies for slaying Specters. Whether it's equipment or related potions, they can all be exchanged."

"Uncle Qiang, there are three people standing here. Can't you take me along too?" Qin Shaowu chuckled.

Zhang Qiang glanced at him sideways and asked with a smile, "What talent did you awaken?"

Qin Shaowu blinked and shook his head. "I don't have a talent."

Zhang Qiang asked again, "Which sequence did you step into?"

Qin Shaowu was embarrassed and shook his head again.

"No awakened talent and no sequence? That means you haven't bound a System. Then what are you talking about!" Zhang Qiang swatted Qin Shaowu's head and pushed him aside.

But Qin Shaowu quickly leaned in again. "Don't be like that! My Transcendent ability is Gale; I'm very fast. Besides, my physical fitness is currently beyond normal. I even killed nearly twenty Specters today!"

"Without stepping into a corresponding sequence pathway, your Transcendent Skill can only be raised to Level 3 at most, and even that depends on luck and all sorts of hard training! Plus, without a bound System, you have no way to actively use your spirituality value. Your strength will improve too slowly..."

Speaking to this point, Zhang Qiang waved his hand impatiently and pushed Qin Shaowu aside again. "Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. I'll give you an assessment later as well. If you pass, you can start training as an intern. As for whether any official members are willing to take you on missions, that will depend on your luck."

Hearing this, Qin Shaowu immediately beamed with joy.

Zhang Qiang quickly switched back to a very friendly smile. "As for you two, it's different. You're both special talents who have awakened talents. You only need some simple training to become official members directly..."

Just then, Luo Xiaotian's voice came through Zhang Qiang's walkie-talkie: "Old Zhang, come to Shouguo Temple quickly. There's a situation here! Two B-rank Ghosts are dead, and one of them might have been close to A-rank..."

Hearing this, Zhang Qiang looked at Chu Xuan with a startled expression. "You two did all this?"

Seeing Chu Xuan nod, Zhang Qiang's expression became complex. He sighed with emotion, "The younger generation is truly to be feared. It seems Qin Qing's words weren't exaggerated at all."

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Qiang said, "I'll have to trouble you to go up the mountain with me again. It's a good chance to tally your contributions on-site. Everything else will be handled nearby as well."

Everyone's expressions changed slightly as they all recalled that Specter on the mountain that emitted a sky-piercing stench and was incredibly disgusting.

However, seeing Zhang Qiang's persistence and his clear intention to personally supervise them without letting them leave freely, they had no choice but to brace themselves and agree.

Meanwhile, more uniformed official staff and armed personnel were driving up from the foot of the mountain. Zhang Qiang immediately began directing the scene, and soon the group returned to the mountain.

Returning to Shouguo Temple, the foul odor had mostly dissipated, but as they approached the Mahavira Hall, they smelled the thick stench once again.

A helicopter was parked on the plaza. Luo Xiaotian and three people in white lab coats were busy working.

"Did a septic tank explode here? Luo Xiaotian, hurry up and deal with this!"

Zhang Qiang's expression stiffened slightly, but seeing the mutated monster and the Great Buddha's corpse, he still pinched his nose and walked over.

"I'm already trying my best to purify the air here!" Luo Xiaotian's Face was somewhat pale, but his body shuddered as waves of light radiated from within him.

The stench in the area lightened significantly once again.

"This is Luo Xiaotian. His talent is [Purification], which has the effects of detoxifying, sterilizing, removing dust, and purifying the air," Zhang Qiang introduced.

"Although his talent isn't as good as those of you who awakened Innately, its practicality is decent. As long as you have him by your side, you'll never have to worry about the trouble of washing clothes again."

"Uncle Qiang, can you give me some Face? I need to save some Face too..." Luo Xiaotian said helplessly.

"I am your biggest source of Face. What other Face do you need?"

Zhang Qiang grinned and introduced Chu Xuan and Tang Zheng. "Chu Xuan, Tang Zheng—these are the two Qin Qing mentioned. They're very outstanding. As for the one in the back... Qin Shaowu, he's so-so, but he might become our intern."

Zhang Qiang glanced at Qin Shaowu standing in the back. Upon hearing this, the latter immediately grinned and gave Zhang Qiang a thumbs-up.

Luo Xiaotian nodded slightly to the group and then began his report:

"We found a Specter corpse here. Although it was dismembered by other Specters with only some fragments remaining, preliminary testing and analysis suggest it was very likely a Specter about to promote to A-rank! Uncle Qiang, without the right equipment, even you would have a hard time dealing with it."

Luo Xiaotian pointed at the Great Buddha's corpse.

This time, Zhang Qiang didn't act as shocked as he had in the dream.

Chu Xuan understood; this was likely because he had learned something about Tang Zheng's talent from Qin Qing.

Under normal reasoning, if someone could pummel an A-rank Night Demon, slaying a B-rank Great Buddha was naturally no problem.

Next, Luo Xiaotian pointed toward the entrance of the Mahavira Hall at the corpse of the mutated monster that Tang Zheng had hacked into pieces:

"That Specter remnant barely reaches B-rank level, equivalent to a Level 5 human Transcendent. Its body contained a large amount of corrosive flesh and possessed regenerative properties. Although these traits mostly dissipated after death, based on the residual power detected, it happens to counter you quite a bit. Even if you could take it down, you'd probably end up puking up your dinner from last night."

Zhang Qiang's Face turned slightly dark.

With the corners of his mouth curling up, Luo Xiaotian spoke again:

"Additionally, researchers found another Specter corpse outside the village. According to tests and preliminary data comparison, it's at least a B-rank Ghost, predicted to have a level equivalent to a Level 6 human Transcendent. Analysis of its flesh activity suggests it likely activated a Berserk skill before death. If this monster used its ultimate right in your Face and you didn't have your [Smoke] talent, you might have been insta-killed."

Zhang Qiang looked at an enlarged photo on Luo Xiaotian's phone, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"You little brat, you actually dare to use your Uncle Qiang as a reference for combat strength."

Chu Xuan leaned over to glance at the photo. It was the Bald Man whose head Tang Zheng had smashed outside the village at the very beginning.

However, in the dream, the Bald Man was initially judged to be around Level 4. He hadn't expected that after being completely taken over by the Specter inside him, he would actually reach Level 6.

Thinking of this, Chu Xuan's heart suddenly stirred, and he couldn't help but ask:

"How are the power levels of human Transcendents and Specters classified in comparison to each other?"