Chapter 52: Enhancement Materials for the Legendary Token
“When I was chopping trees in the forest just now, I suddenly came across an old tree with a human face. It was terrifying.”
Qian Gongyu made a grimace, unsure if she was showing how scared she had been or mimicking that old tree. “But I didn’t panic. I didn’t walk away. Instead, I talked to it. It said if I gave it fifty Spirit Jade, it would gift me a martial technique manual.”
“After I threw fifty Spirit Jade into its mouth, it chewed for a bit, then actually spat out a manual! After reading it, I immediately mastered the Advanced Fist Technique. Right after, I advanced my class again and became an Iron-Claw Messenger. My Vital Energy and Blood skyrocketed, my strength surged, it was insane! But then the old tree turned into an ordinary tree. Even when I chopped it down, it didn’t react.”
Although Qian Gongyu worked hard to make the story thrilling, no matter how it was told, it still sounded like she just had dumb luck. Yet the ending gave everyone a new impression of her—just after receiving a martial technique manual from some unknown being, she had the guts to chop it down. She was even bolder than Jiang Ten.
Jiang Ten also shared her encounter with the Spirit-Gathering Altar and took out the Jade Pendant to show everyone. The difference between an ordinary token and a rare token was very obvious. Ordinary tokens were dull, while rare tokens emitted a blue glow.
“You’re saying the Spirit-Gathering Altar can enhance any ordinary token into a rare token?” Shang Xinlei stressed the word “any.” “No restrictions at all? Even for the third to fourth job change?”
Jiang Ten: “Even the ninth.”
Shang Xinlei and Jie Yuanshao thought she was exaggerating, but the mere fact it could enhance a fourth-job-change ordinary token was enough to cause a huge uproar in the outside world—maybe others didn’t know, but in Great Liang, most fourth-stage Messengers only owned ordinary tokens. Some didn’t even have one!
A fourth-stage rare token was enough for a Messenger to dominate their generation and speak with unquestioned authority!
If those fourth-stage Messengers truly ruling Great Liang learned of such a miracle in the Mansu Woodland...
“Miss Jie.” Shang Xinlei suddenly called out to Jie Yuanshao, then stared at her fixedly.
Jie Yuanshao’s lips moved slightly. After a moment of silence, she gave a slight nod. “I can only promise not to tell the other clans.”
Having reached a consensus with Jie Yuanshao, Shang Xinlei then seriously addressed the two members of the Qian Family. “Don’t spread the news about the Spirit-Gathering Altar. This information is far too explosive. If the earlier events were considered small skirmishes, now that it involves fourth-stage rare tokens, we’re talking about a landslide-level vortex. Even we may not be able to protect ourselves—let alone you two.”
Qian Gongyu nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick, frightened. Jiang Ten simply nodded calmly. Shang Xinlei had originally wanted to advise Jiang Ten not to use the rare Jade Pendant anymore, but she knew Jiang Ten’s response wouldn’t be satisfactory, so she didn’t bother.
“But the news of Qian Gongyu’s second job change can’t be hidden. Everyone saw her previous strength. No one will believe it happened naturally,” Jie Yuanshao said. “The fact that the woodland can produce advanced manuals alone is enough to raise the attention of noble families—advanced manuals only come from third-stage secret realms, and each one is stained with dozens of lives.”
“Stained with lives?” Qian Gongyu didn’t understand.
“Even if third-stage Messengers form a team to enter a third-stage secret realm, they could still be seriously injured or suffer casualties,” Shang Xinlei explained. “And third-stage Messengers are prideful. To get them to raid a secret realm, how much profit would you need to offer?”
“Therefore, most third-stage secret realms are conquered using a few third or second-stage Messengers as the core, with a large number of ordinary soldiers as meat shields at the front, taking the brunt of the demon attacks. Usually, after one battle, most soldiers are severely wounded and replaced. When the demon lord of the secret realm is finally slain, there are typically at least a hundred soldiers gravely wounded or dead.”
“Miss Jie’s words that each advanced manual is stained with dozens of lives are not an exaggeration,” Shang Xinlei sighed. “Even in peacetime, thousands of soldiers die every year because of this.”
“T-this is…” Qian Gongyu struggled for a long time before forcing out a word. “Too cruel, isn’t it?”
“Cruel? This is considered benevolent governance that everyone praises.” Shang Xinlei shook her head. “Every year, countless people want to join the military garrison to support their families. Participating in a third-stage secret realm raid is even seen as a shortcut for commoners to ascend—because anyone, regardless of background, will be granted a basic martial technique and helped to become a Messenger after ten such raids.”
“Many ancestors of prestigious families started as soldiers in the military garrison. Using the common folk isn’t cruel. What’s truly cruel is not giving them even the chance to be used, trampling them like weeds, letting them die without hope.”
The firewood in the fireplace crackled, casting flickering light over Qian Gongyu’s uneasy face.
Shang Xinlei had said so much just to fully explain the importance of advanced martial techniques.
They were strategic resources that any family would sacrifice dozens of lives to obtain.
Jiang Ten was already at the center of attention, and if this news got out, she would become even more sought after.
It would be a blessing for the strong, but a disaster for the weak.
“Jiang Ten.” Qian Gongyu clutched the corner of her clothes, looking like a helpless and pitiful little raccoon. “Did I… did I cause you more trouble again?”
After a short silence, Jiang Ten nodded. “You did.”
“Then you’ll have to be my ox and horse for life to repay me, Missy.”
Huh?
This was the first time everyone had heard such a strange form of grammar—every word made sense, but strung together, it became extremely odd.
“It’s not so serious that I have to serve you for a lifetime like an ox or horse!” Qian Gongyu couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Jiang Ten was easy to talk to: “Then how about ten years?”
“Ten years is no good either!”
“Five years?”
“No!”
“How about one year?”
“One year… If it’s one year…”
Wait, were they seriously discussing this?
Shang Xinlei was a bit speechless but also felt this was just Jiang Ten’s style.
Free-spirited, greedy, completely unconcerned with moral norms, and very honest—she had never heard Jiang Ten utter a single falsehood, because Jiang Ten would never let herself suffer any grievance.
She had originally wanted to use those two pieces of intelligence to push Jiang Ten into a corner and scare her, making her realize how many people would target her, and that the only way out was to join either her family or the Jie Family.
But seeing Jiang Ten’s demeanor now, she suspected it had backfired.
After all, besides “integrating into the world,” there was another way to solve “you can’t fight the whole world”—and that was “blow up the whole world.”
Shang Xinlei wanted to discuss this with Jie Yuanshao, but found that Jie Yuanshao was cupping her chin while watching Jiang Ten and Qian Gongyu argue whether to sell herself for seven or eight months, looking like an introverted warrior who wanted to join the conversation but didn’t know how.
For some reason, the complex thoughts in Shang Xinlei’s mind gradually faded.
She lazily leaned against the soft leather chair, watching Jie Yuanshao rack her brains to finally come up with a topic to join the chat, and thought to herself—if only there were milk tea and pastries here.
Soon, the demon wave ended, and it was time to go out and gather again.
But this time they didn’t get three quarters of an hour—only fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes passed in a flash, and everyone returned with gathered resources, then began discussing how to best utilize what they had, based on the building list Jiang Ten provided.
“If you trust me,” Jiang Ten suddenly said, “I still suggest upgrading the Shelter first.”
Jie Yuanshao: “Reason?”
“The Castle is a Level Four Shelter.” Jiang Ten repeated, “Level Four.”
Jie Yuanshao and Shang Xinlei immediately understood her idea and agreed, but Qian Gongyu was still clueless. “What’s so great about Level Four?”
“Whether it’s secret realms, tokens, or job changes, the fourth stage is a huge watershed. Crossing it leads to earth-shaking changes,” Shang Xinlei said. “If the Shelter follows the same logic, then the buildings unlocked by a Level Four Shelter might be beyond imagination.”
The resources surged like a torrent into the barrier.
Standing within, they felt as though they were in a flash flood or tsunami.
When the world returned to calm, a solemn and majestic castle appeared before them.
The floor was carpeted, and the candlelight had been upgraded to splendid torches.
But none of this sparked anyone’s interest.
They all stared at Jiang Ten, waiting for her to introduce the new building options.
However, Jiang Ten didn’t say a word.
Instead, they saw the remaining resources in the courtyard transform into streams of light that rushed into a room inside the castle.
She had built a new facility without consulting anyone—and nearly used up all the resources!
Shang Xinlei and Jie Yuanshao raised their eyebrows slightly.
Such unilateral action didn’t fit Jiang Ten’s usual style.
It could only mean one of two things: either this facility was so important to her that she’d build it even against opposition, or she was certain everyone would support prioritizing it.
Jiang Ten walked over and opened the new room.
Soon, she emerged, carrying a sword, a blade, a pair of iron claws, and a set of throwing rings—exactly matching each of their weapon types.
“Take them.”
Shang Xinlei received the throwing rings and saw that they were just ordinary iron rings—not even tokens. She asked doubtfully, “What are these for?”
“The second wave is about to start,” Jiang Ten said. “Let’s go out and crush them.”
Everyone was stunned.
Jie Yuanshao immediately reacted. “These weapons… can harm the demons in the Mansu Woodland?”
“Not just that.” Jiang Ten said, “If you use these blood weapons to kill over a hundred enemies in the Mansu Woodland, the blood weapon will transform, based on your usage, into a token exclusively for you. And if you kill over three hundred enemies, you can even take the blood weapon out with you.”
Before Shang Xinlei and the others could digest this information, Jiang Ten dropped an even heavier bombshell.
“If you kill a thousand enemies, the blood weapon becomes an enhancement material that can be fused into any other token, raising it to an even higher level.”
She paused, then added:
“But at most, it can only be enhanced into a Legendary Token.”