"A healthy adult male has a danger level of about 1 to 1.1,"
"This grading system is exponential, similar to the Richter scale. A difference of 0.1 roughly equates to a multiple of 1.414; in theory, a person at level 1.1 is approximately 1.4 times stronger than one at level 1."
"Simply put, the highest danger level of the Heavenly Lodge Insect Mother is 6.2, which is equivalent to sixty-five thousand of you stacked together," Void Blade said.
Xue Jing raised an eyebrow.
That was indeed dangerous...
"Of course, this is an extreme case. In reality, the level of the Heavenly Lodge Insect Mother fluctuates greatly, with a maximum of 6.2 and a minimum of 1.8."
"The Heavenly Lodge Insect Mother can assimilate the genetic information of the creatures it consumes to spawn corresponding insect species, and it can even mix the genes of different creatures..."
"A little over a month ago, a smuggling gang from the Intersecting Boundaries captured a Heavenly Lodge Insect Mother at 'Rotten Flesh Lake' and took it out."
"Upon receiving this news, we pursued them relentlessly until they fled into Qingcheng and suddenly disappeared."
"It doesn't matter that they disappeared, but the Heavenly Lodge Insect Mother must be found; otherwise, if it eats something indiscriminately and spawns some monstrous creature, it won't be a laughing matter."
Void Blade looked at Xue Jing.
"And now, through you, we finally have a clue,"
Xue Jing frowned and said, "You mean, the cockroach monster I killed was spawned by the Heavenly Lodge Insect Mother?"
Void Blade nodded and said, "Correct."
Xue Jing narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So this thing... was a fusion of a cockroach and a human?"
"Probably. The Heavenly Lodge Insect Mother moves slowly, and it's a large target. If it were acting alone, it wouldn't remain undetected for so long; someone must be hiding it, intending to use it for some purpose."
Void Blade looked at Xue Jing earnestly and said, "Xue Jing, you're only seventeen years old, and in just over a month of martial arts training, you've reached such a level. Your talent is outstanding, and you have the courage to face creatures from the Intersecting Boundaries... Someone like you would be wasting your potential staying in the Outer Ring."
"I hope you can join our White Crow Task Force. We are backed by the [organization], possessing the most professional and advanced training system in all of Zhuxia, and we can fully unlock your potential without any dead angles."
"You deserve a bigger stage."
Xue Jing remained silent.
For a moment, he was truly tempted.
But soon, he dismissed the idea.
Joining the White Crow, backed by the organization, what Void Blade described sounded wonderful, but unfortunately, it wasn't suitable for him.
A training system superior to all others, he had had that from the beginning...
Perhaps joining such an official organization would indeed accelerate his growth, but the thought of the accompanying lack of freedom made him uncomfortable.
There's no such thing as a free lunch... Accepting things from the official side inevitably required giving something in return.
What if the higher-ups asked him to carry out orders he was unwilling to execute?
To be beholden to others for such a slight increase in growth rate wasn't worth it.
Xue Jing shook his head and said, "Sorry, but I must decline."
Void Blade's expression didn't change, as if he had anticipated this response, he said, "No worries, I probably understand your thoughts, but don't be too quick to refuse."
"How about this, as the captain of Squad 838, I temporarily grant you the status of an external member of the White Crow Task Force."
"You will still be free, not obligated to obey anyone in the organization, but when necessary, I will ask you to do tasks in the form of requests, which you can choose to accept or reject."
"If you choose to accept and complete the task, I will also report to the organization and reward you accordingly."
"If you eventually wish to join formally, you can become an official member at any time."
"How does that sound?"
Beside him, the Mountain Demon showed an expression of wanting to speak but stopping, and stopping but wanting to speak again.
The captain was perhaps treating him... too favorably.
Was talent really that amazing?
Xue Jing: "..."
The conditions were overly generous.
However, they meant little to him, and he was about to decline, but then something crossed his mind.
Xue Jing opened his mouth and asked, "Do you have any Divine Relics in this 'organization'?"
Void Blade was slightly startled and, considering Xue Jing's identity as a C-level Custodian, a hint of a smile passed through his eyes.
"Yes, of course, there is. One of the research departments within the organization is the 'Divine Relic Institute,' which houses many Divine Relics, including several in the top hundred rankings..."
"Are you interested in Divine Relics?" Void Blade asked.
Xue Jing pinched his chin, "I am interested, not going to lie to you, I'm a Divine Relic enthusiast. My dream is to touch all the Divine Relics. Of course, just touching them is enough for me."
Void Blade understood what he meant.
"Then, as long as you complete the tasks commissioned by White Crow in the future, I will report to the agency and reward you with the opportunity to access the Divine Relics within the agency."
Xue Jing extended his hand, sincerely saying, "Deal. Not going to lie to you, I've been a fan of White Crow for ten years. My dream is to become a member of White Crow... Naturally, as an external staff member."
Void Blade shook his hand and laughed, "Deal."
...
After exchanging contact information with Void Blade, Xue Jing called the Pei brothers back, and the three of them drove away from the hills behind the North City District.
After they left, only Void Blade and the Mountain Demon remained at the scene.
"Captain, is it necessary?"
The Mountain Demon crossed his arms, tucking them behind his head, "He's just a martial arts prodigy, although rare, it's not too uncommon, right? To keep him, you even offered such conditions?"
Void Blade shook her head, "You don't understand."
"This person... is not just a simple martial arts prodigy."
She tapped her forehead with the silver bracelet on her wrist.
Instantly, countless pixel-like colorful little squares erupted across her face, transforming her ordinary scarred face into a quite striking pretty face.
"Yesterday, I made contact with that Miss Wu of the Wu Family to probe a bit, and her level of concern for Xue Jing was beyond imagination."
The Mountain Demon exclaimed in surprise, "Miss Wu from the Wu Family? The 'Natural Gifted One'?"
Void Blade nodded, "Yes."
"She has always been searching for a way to rid herself of the Blessed One status... Only a god can contend with another god."
"Apart from Divine Relics, she apparently cares about other things too... Xue Jing must have some special qualities that we haven't discovered yet."
Void Blade gathered her wind-blown short hair, her gaze following the direction Xue Jing had left in.
"When you know it's something good, even if you're not sure what it is, you should grab it first then figure it out."
"White Crow, that's how greedy we are."
She muttered softly.
...
Sitting in the car, Xue Jing suddenly remembered something.
Previously, while riding in a taxi, he had looked out the window towards the South City area and saw a building that seemed to have a cockroach-like creature.
Although it seemed like he was mistaken, it was just a black plastic bag...
But just to be safe, he took out his phone and sent the information to Void Blade via WeChat.
Soon, he received a reply from her, stating she would investigate the area, and Xue Jing nodded and put away his phone.
Xue Jing didn't go to visit the Pei brothers but had them drop him off at his house instead.
The Pei brothers tried to persuade him to stay, but seeing that Xue Jing really wasn't interested, they gave up.
After getting out of the car outside his residential complex and saying goodbye to the two brothers, Xue Jing was about to go home to play with his cat when his phone suddenly vibrated.
He opened it to see a WeChat message from Youqing Wu.
"[When you have time, come find me at the library.]"
Xue Jing thought for a moment and seemed to have no other plans at the moment.
Since the rich and powerful boss is summoning, he might as well go and see if there's a Divine Relic to touch.
...
(Two chapters totaling 8K, already updated one chapter, currently owe 13 chapters, would love your monthly votes~)