6: Add some fuel, and let's take off!

Captain Qin took a deep breath and said,

"Kid, you've struck it rich this time."

"If this thing were put on the black market, it would be worth at least this much!"

Captain Qin tossed the crystal to Jiang Hao and then held up three fingers.

Jiang Hao thought for a moment and said, "Three million?"

Captain Qin raised an eyebrow. "Three hundred million!"

"Regardless of how much it's worth, what does this thing do?" Jiang Hao asked.

Captain Qin silently took out a new lollipop, unwrapped it, popped it into his mouth, and said indistinctly,

"It improves a Martial Artist's physical fitness and mental strength!"

"Of course."

"You can also use it like a yuan crystal or Yuan Marrow Spirit Liquid to directly increase your cultivation. It can allow you to quickly advance to the Second-Rank Peak without any side effects."

"However, that would be too wasteful. You wouldn't be able to digest a lot of the Qi and essence, and it would dissipate into the surrounding environment. After all, unless they're children from top Families, most people use it to break through Realms or increase their mental strength."

"It's also your luck, kid. This snake was originally at the Seventh-Rank Peak, but was beaten to the brink of death by the military."

"That's how you managed to pick up such a huge bargain!"

"Of course, the military said that the spoils belong to whoever made the kill, so you can keep it without worry."

Captain Qin glanced at the crystal again and said, "You should know that in the future, when advancing to the Fourth-Rank or Seventh-Rank, there are requirements for mental strength!"

"I reckon no one in the entire Yuanlan City has ever used this thing. Money alone can't buy it."

Jiang Hao looked at his Mental Energy, which was about to reach the Fourth-Rank, and nodded silently.

Got it!

He'd use it to top up in a bit!

Captain Qin waved his hand and turned around as if he didn't want to see the crystal.

"If you're using it yourself, find a quiet place, hold it in your hand, and run your Cultivation Technique to absorb it."

"The bonus will be sent to you in a couple of days. Hurry home."

"Contact me if anything comes up in the future."

As he spoke, he tapped on the light screen a few times, and Jiang Hao's smart bracelet received a friend request.

He clicked accept.

Jiang Hao said, "Then I'll head back first, Captain Qin. I'll treat you to a meal once I get into Shenzhou Martial Arts School!"

Captain Qin shook his head. "Forget the meal. Just let me know in advance if you have any news about the 'Sacred Beast Society'."

Jiang Hao said a final "goodbye" and left.

Captain Qin immediately returned to the Martial Unification Bureau, opened his smart bracelet, and sent the death report of the Seventh-Rank giant snake to the higher-ups of the Yunxiao Prefecture Martial Unification Bureau.

"Martial Artist Jiang Hao was resourceful and brave, showing no fear of powerful enemies. He discovered a 'Sacred Beast Society' stronghold... and killed one Third-Rank Peak Martial Artist. His talent, strength, and Heart-Nature are all top-tier."

"He luckily killed a Seventh-Rank Exotic Beast that had undergone scale-shedding reincarnation. The Seventh-Rank life crystal belongs to Jiang Hao himself."

"Recommendation: A reward of 10,000,000 Xia Coins, some Second to Third-Rank martial resources, and three Martial Skills below the high rank..."

...It was already afternoon by the time Jiang Hao got home. After eating a little to fill his stomach, he couldn't wait to use the life crystal to charge his system panel.

[Ding! Seventh-Rank life crystal charging complete. Obtained 5,000 points!]

"system panel, add points!"

Jiang Hao spent 1,000 points to raise both his Physique and Mental Energy to 40, reaching the Fourth-Rank. He then spent another 300 points to raise his Realm to the Seventh Heaven, reaching the Second-Rank Late Stage.

Finally, he used 1,500 points to strengthen the Martial Skill 'Collapse Fist', breaking through its original limit to reach the level of a Fifth-Rank Martial Skill.

After his body underwent a series of changes...

Jiang Hao felt as refreshed as if his whole body had received an oil massage. He excitedly shouted in his heart, "Open system panel!"

A blue light screen appeared in his mind.

[Name: Jiang Hao]

[Realm: Second-Rank Seventh Heaven] +

[Physique: 40 (Comprehensive measurement of explosive power, endurance, strength, speed, recovery ability, etc.) Fourth-Rank] +

[Mental Energy: 40 (Comprehensive measurement of Soul strength, perception, will, Mental Energy, etc.) Fourth-Rank] +

Talent: Martial Arts Prodigy + Rapid Adaptation +

Martial Skill: Collapse Fist +1 (Fifth-Rank) [Perfection] + Nine Flashes of an Instant [Minor Achievement 256/2000] + Flash Thunder Saber [Minor Achievement 253/300] +

Cultivation Technique: Xia Country's 8th Basic Body Tempering Method [Third-Rank] +

[Points: 3208]

[Evaluation: Great God, please withdraw your Divine Ability and stop being a Fish Fry King!]

Jiang Hao looked at the system panel with satisfaction. Who would have thought that just a few days ago, he was only an ordinary First-Rank Martial Artist?

But now, his strength could easily crush a Third-Rank Martial Artist!

As for the evaluation?

Heh, where would the points come from if he didn't act as a Fish Fry King?

Thanks to the 'Rapid Adaptation' talent, Jiang Hao only needed to fight in the Virtual Combat Space for two days to fully digest his skyrocketing strength, and then he could happily farm points!

Jiang Hao opened the Virtual Combat Pod and skillfully clicked on the 1v1 combat mode.

"Hmm, with my talent, I'll soon advance to the Third-Rank. When that happens, I won't be able to go to the Second-Rank area anymore."

Thinking about how the Second-Rank area had accompanied him for so long, and the joy and bitterness (for others) he had experienced since getting the system panel and acting as a Fish Fry King in the Second-Rank...

...as well as some old friends he had been matched with multiple times.

"Today will be my last time fighting in the Second-Rank. This time, I won't go for an instant kill right at the start."

"I might not see many of these old friends again in the future, so I'll go easy on them."

Of course, going easy was one thing, but surrendering was impossible. At most, he would chat with his opponent and tell them he was moving on to fight in the Third-Rank.

They shouldn't miss him too much.

Finally, he'd give them a few pointers. After all, Jiang Hao's win rate was currently still 100%!

Even in those few matches in the Third-Rank before, he had won by using rogue tactics to exhaust the opponent's Qi.

Third-Rank Martial Artists can release Qi externally to generate a Qi shield. As long as they still have Qi, the shield can be maintained indefinitely.

Of course, the consumption of Qi would also accelerate when under attack.

A Qi shield isn't omnipotent. If the power is great enough, it can still be penetrated by certain Martial Skills, causing shock injuries or even being shattered directly!

"Match successful. The battle will begin in thirty seconds. Please select your weapon."

Jiang Hao looked at the young man opposite him. "No facial blurring? Seems like he's quite confident!"

"That's not good. One should learn to be low-key. What if someone ambushes you one day?"

But the young man opposite him became nervous. "Fish Fry King!"

"Uh, someone who knows me? Have we met before?"

Jiang Hao looked at the long saber he was holding. "But I've never shown my face. He couldn't have recognized me just by seeing me with a saber, right?"

"Battle start!"

The voice of the virtual combat System rang out.

Jiang Hao tossed the saber aside, then walked quickly to the trembling young man and said speechlessly,

"Buddy, is this really necessary? It's a virtual battle, what the hell are you afraid of?"

Seeing that the 'Fish Fry King' didn't take him out right away, the young man breathed a sigh of relief and said,

"Big shot, I've encountered you three times before! Three times!"

"Every single time, I was sent away with one punch. I feel like I've been beaten silly by you."

Jiang Hao said speechlessly, "The virtual battle doesn't affect your real self after it's over. You must just be too timid."

"Also, you can rest easy. I'm moving to the Third-Rank area after this. Since we're old friends who've been matched four times, I can go easy on you today."

The young man asked, "Really? You're about to advance to the Third-Rank, big shot? Congratulations!"

Seeing that the young man had no weapon, Jiang Hao asked curiously, "Isn't it impossible to start a virtual battle without a weapon? Why don't you have one?"

"Uh, big shot, you didn't know?"

"As long as you awaken a talent related to Arcane Arts and follow the path of the Spellcasting School, you can register your information at the Martial Unification Bureau."

"Within 24 hours of registering, the Blue Star Net will notify you whether you want to carry a weapon during duels."

"I follow the pure Spellcasting School, so I don't use weapons."

The young man said somewhat proudly, not noticing Jiang Hao's face darkening.

"Damn, what's wrong with being a pure Martial Artist?!"

Jiang Hao naturally knew that when fighting Exotic Beasts, Martial Artists who used Arcane Arts were more popular than pure Martial Artists with weapons.

After all, they have a long reach and a large attack range. During Exotic Beast riots, most low to mid-rank beasts are dealt with by Spellcasting School Martial Artists.

That's how it is for the magic lords. Pure Martial Artists only care about the thrill of combat, while the magic lords have more to consider.

Jiang Hao let out a breath and said, "Come on then, let me see just how flashy you magic lords can be!"

...At the same time.

Jiulong Prefecture—

Imperial Capital—

Shenzhou Martial Arts School—Weapon Combat Department.