Volume Two: Embarking on the Journey Chapter 20: Choosing to Hone Skills Alone

"Whew..."

Seeing that everyone agreed with his decision, Shen Feng finally felt a sense of relief. "Then it's settled. We will rest for the night and return to the Safe Zone first thing tomorrow morning."

Su Yu and the others nodded in response, showing no signs of opposition.

"Captain, Brother Yu, Sister Yan, Sister Xin, I..." Wang Jue hesitated for a moment before smiling at them. "I won't be returning with you all this time. My cultivation level is still low, and whether it’s for improving my martial arts techniques or my cultivation base, I believe that the tempering gained from fighting Star Beasts is the most effective!"

His main reason was that he had only just arrived at the border battlefield and was not like veterans such as Shen Feng. He was still confused about many aspects of the border battlefield and intended to take this time to learn more while honing his martial arts—earning money while simultaneously acquiring Star Source points to upgrade his talent.

"You say you aren't coming back with us?" Shen Feng and the others looked slightly troubled.

"That's right." Wang Jue nodded. "I plan to stay behind, learn more about the border battlefield, and then prepare to venture into the wilderness alone to temper myself."

Practicing at home meant only fighting hypothetical enemies. How could that compare to the effectiveness of truly battling Star Beasts?

"What? Alone?" Shen Feng, Su Yu, and the others looked shocked. "Are you sure you aren't joking?"

"Yes," Wang Jue nodded with a smile. "I'm not joking. Right now, whether it's my cultivation realm, strength, or combat experience, I am the one holding our team back. Besides, you all have much higher cultivation levels than I do, and even you are choosing to return to improve yourselves; as the one with the lowest cultivation in the team, how could I afford to waste any time?"

"Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to properly improve myself."

In truth, he had harbored this thought for a while but had never been firm enough. Previously, because he was unfamiliar with the border battlefield and didn't want to disappoint Ning Chuan’s good intentions, he had joined Shen Feng’s Hurricane Squad. However, after the recent ambush, Wang Jue understood clearly: the wilderness was not the Safe Zone. No one would reason with you there; sometimes, even without any prior grudge, people would kill just to get their hands on another’s loot.

In this world where "strength is king," if one wants to become a powerhouse standing at the peak, one cannot afford the slightest slack.

"No, it's too dangerous!" Shen Feng shook his head.

"You've misunderstood, Captain," Wang Jue explained. "I plan to train around the supply camps near City No. 1. I won't be going to those dangerous areas."

"The supply camps near City No. 1?" Shen Feng, Su Yu, Jiang Yunyan, and Jiang Yunxin all let out a sigh of relief. "That's better."

The Star Beast forces around City No. 1 were inherently weak; creatures like Level 3 Star Beasts wouldn't dare linger near the supply camps next to the city. Therefore, the areas around these camps were almost entirely populated by Level 1 Star Beasts, with a fair number of Level 2s. While Level 3 Star Beasts weren't entirely absent, they were quite rare. Because Level 3 beasts were so scarce, those camps attracted many lone rangers and small, lower-strength squads.

No martial artist squad with any real strength would choose to go there. The materials from Level 1 Star Beasts were low in value; after deducting basic expenses for a trip, one would likely earn nothing and might even lose money. While Level 2 Star Beast materials were worth more, the consumption of a martial artist's resources varied with the beast's level. Generally, capable squads couldn't be bothered with these camps because there was no profit to be made. No one who wasn't a fool would engage in a "losing" business.

"Yes, I noticed those camps are very close to the city," Wang Jue said with a smile. "I plan to hunt outside the camps during the day and return to the city to rest at night."

Given his speed and the short distance, he could naturally commute between the supply camps and City No. 1 daily. Of course, this didn't mean other squads didn't camp out there. On the contrary, many chose to stay at the camps since it cost nothing to spend the night as long as you brought your own tent. However, staying in City No. 1 required paying for a hotel, and even the rates at the Adventurer Headquarters were not free. While the money wasn't much, for lone rangers or low-strength squads, it was a significant expense. After all, they came to the border battlefield to make money.

"I remember the surrounding supply camps don't have dangerous Level 3 Star Beasts, and even Level 2s are few," Jiang Yunxin, usually the quiet one, couldn't help but worry. "But there are a massive number of Level 1 Star Beasts. If you get surrounded..."

"Oh, my silly little sister, we all know how fast Wang Jue is. Are you really worried about him being surrounded?" Jiang Yunyan said, laughing in spite of herself.

"Uh..." Hearing her sister's words, Jiang Yunxin paused, then smiled.

For slow martial artists, being surrounded by a beast horde meant almost certain death. But for those with great speed, as long as they were fast enough, they could easily escape before the horde formed a tight perimeter. As long as he didn't do anything reckless, there was essentially no danger.

"It is indeed a good idea," Shen Feng chimed in with admiration. "Wang Jue, what you've said almost makes me want to go train there too. But I don't have the speed to break through a beast horde's encirclement."

"By the way, Wang Jue, when do you plan to set off?" Su Yu asked curiously. Shen Feng, Jiang Yunyan, and Jiang Yunxin also looked at him expectantly.

"No time like the present. I plan to prepare tonight, and after seeing you all off tomorrow morning, I will head out immediately." Wang Jue thought for a moment and added, "Captain, when you return to the border battlefield, remember to send me a message before you head into the wilderness."

There are no shortcuts on the road to becoming a powerhouse! Only through step-by-step, diligent cultivation can one reach the summit!

...

That night, with his coffers full again, Wang Jue generously purchased a shield and a combat suit. As for a backpack, he decided against it. He now wore a space ring on each hand, allowing him to store everything inside. Not only would this not hinder his movement, but even if he encountered others in the wilderness, seeing that he carried no backpack would mean they wouldn't naturally target him as a rich mark.

The efficiency of the Headquarters was undeniably high. Less than five minutes after Wang Jue placed his order, the items were delivered to his room by a staff member. After receiving his gear, he rested well for the night.

The next morning, Wang Jue woke up and accompanied Shen Feng and the others to the spaceport. After seeing them off, he returned to his room, donned his form-fitting combat suit, and strapped on his shield and longsword. Fully armed, Wang Jue embarked on his journey to the wilderness once more.

And this time, Wang Jue was all alone.

...

"The weather is quite nice," Wang Jue strode forward through the wilderness. Ahead, the landscape was overgrown with wild grass reaching half the height of a man. Wang Jue sought out a path where the grass was shorter, walking rapidly along the trails worn down by other martial artists.

About three hours passed.

As noon approached, he reached the supply camp. The distance from City No. 1 to the supply camp was nearly two hundred li. Along the way, Wang Jue had already killed no fewer than thirty Level 2 Star Beasts.

"Rip..."

Wang Jue sliced open the belly of a Level 2 Green-Scaled Snake, extracted the snake tendons, and tucked them into his ring. He abandoned the snake skin. Generally, the materials from snakes were their skin, tendons, and bones, but the tendons were undoubtedly the most valuable. Of course, the main reason was that tendons took up less space than skin. Although Wang Jue had two space rings, the one he had looted from the young man was already filled with quite a few items. Moreover, he was alone now and didn't have the time to spend on meticulous dissection. To save time without being wasteful, he could only prioritize the most expensive materials.

"Free sparring partners every day and I get paid for it. Where else could you find such a deal?" Wang Jue smiled slightly, walking through a desolate plain. Hidden within the dense, waist-high grass were many Star Beasts.

To accurately gauge his progress, Wang Jue opened the panel he hadn't looked at in a long time.

[Name: Wang Jue]
[Cultivation: 4th Layer of Spirit Essence]
[Talent: Orange Grade (Mid-tier) 0/5000]
[Cultivation Method: Star Body Soul Technique 1st Layer (Unknown) 0/1000]
[Secret Technique: Heaven-Slicing Sword-Drawing Art (Entry) 0/10000]
[Martial Art: Basic Sword Technique (Grandmaster) 0/10,000,000]
[Martial Art: Basic Fist Technique (Grandmaster) 0/10,000,000]
[Footwork: Basic Footwork (Grandmaster) 0/10,000,000]
[Black Iron Grade: Nine Breezes Sword Art (Consummation) 0/10,000,000]
[Star Source: 627]
[Experience: 762,312]

Looking at the familiar yet strange panel, Wang Jue couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. "Too much experience needed; I can't even think about leveling up my martial arts right now. As for the Star Source points for talent, that's not happening anytime soon either. Currently, the only thing I can improve is my cultivation technique, but I'm still about a third of the way off from the one thousand Star Source points needed."

Why is nothing upgradeable?

Feeling slightly annoyed, Wang Jue closed the panel to put it out of sight and out of mind. He realized that ever since the exams ended, he had become a bit lax. Although he hadn't neglected his cultivation and his realm had improved, the experience and Star Source requirements for his martial arts and talent hadn't changed much at all. Essentially, there was almost no progress. If he hadn't participated in the adventurer combat assessment and killed some Level 2 beasts to replenish his points, he would be even more depressed.

Suppressing these thoughts, Wang Jue focused his mind. Looking up, he spotted a Star Beast lurking on a rock on the hillside ahead.

"It's time to start training for real..."

Wang Jue stomped hard on the ground. With a loud 'boom,' the earth cracked, and he launched himself toward the rock on the hillside like a cannonball.

The days of slaughter had begun!