"Hooo..."

Wang Defa let out a long breath, the earthy-yellow Gang Qi around him slowly receding.

He wiped the sweat from his face, glanced at the puddle of pus on the ground, and cursed with a grimace.

"This damn thing was tough as hell. My Earth-Splitting Wave could barely hold it for a second."

Only then did everyone else snap out of their daze.

"Brother Meng, are you okay?"

Han Feng walked over and patted Wang Meng on the shoulder.

"I’m fine... just a little weak in the knees."

Wang Meng gave a dry laugh and plopped down on the ground.

"Commander, thanks."

Wang Defa waved his hand dismissively and sheathed the saber on his back.

He turned, his gaze sweeping over every member of the Sharp Sword Squad before finally resting on Han Feng and Zhang Hao.

"We have you to thank for tonight."

The gruff man’s tone was uncharacteristically serious.

"If it weren’t for Han Feng’s shot breaking its defense, Zhang Hao’s quick reaction, and my timely arrival, tonight wouldn’t have ended so easily."

"If this Blood Gu had escaped, our entire farm would have been done for."

"Just doing our job."

Zhang Hao slid his blade back into the sheath at his waist.

Han Feng just shrugged.

"Getting paid to do a job. It’s only natural."

"Besides, the farm director promised me a bonus of ten thousand Contribution Points."

Wang Defa paused for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Don’t worry, you’ll get every last one!"

"Old Lei might be a cheapskate, but he never skimps on important matters like this."

"Alright, my men will handle things here. You’ve all had a long night, go back and get some rest."

With that, he called over his guards to start cleaning up the scene, moving the bodies, and comforting the terrified families.

Only then did the members of the Sharp Sword Squad finally relax completely.

Once the tension broke, exhaustion washed over them like a tide.

"Let’s go. Time to head back and shower off all this stinking sweat."

Old Liu put away his gun, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

As Gu Yun passed by Han Feng, he hesitated for a moment as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just grunted and walked away quickly.

Han Feng watched him go, somewhat amused.

’This young master might be arrogant, but he didn’t chicken out back there. He’s got some guts, at least.’

The night wind was a bit chilly on the way back to the barracks.

Zhang Hao deliberately slowed his pace to walk alongside Han Feng at the back of the group.

"Han Feng, there’s something I want to talk to you about."

Zhang Hao pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Han Feng.

Han Feng waved his hand.

"I don’t smoke. It affects the steadiness of my hands."

Zhang Hao smiled, lit one for himself, and took a deep drag, exhaling a cloud of pale blue smoke.

"That shot of yours... it wasn’t just pure skill, was it?"

Han Feng’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained impassive.

"What are you getting at, Captain?"

"Relax, I don’t mean any harm."

Zhang Hao flicked the ash from his cigarette, his eyes on the dark wheat fields in the distance.

"I noticed it back at the shooting range. Your use of ’qi,’ or rather, your perception of energy, is a little special."

"The Spiral Force, combined with the Penetration Power you infused into the bullet..."

"If I’m not mistaken, besides your Perception Talent, you must have also awakened some kind of energy-control Talent."

Han Feng was silent for two seconds.

’What could he say? He couldn’t just admit they were System Skills!’

’But on second thought, if everyone else’s special abilities are called Talents, why can’t his System Skills count as one?’

Once he opened his mind to that possibility, everything suddenly became much simpler.

But he didn’t admit it directly. Instead, he said with a hint of reminiscence,

"I’m not sure if I’ve awakened an energy-control Talent either."

"It’s just that, during a previous battle with a Demon Beast, I vaguely felt a special kind of connection to the Qi Blood in my body."

"I tried to control it a few times, and it felt like my Qi Blood was especially obedient."

"That’s it."

Zhang Hao’s expression was one of "I knew it" as he clapped Han Feng on the shoulder.

"That’s the precursor to a Talent awakening."

"Many Martial Artists awaken special abilities during life-or-death battles or when they push past their limits."

At this point, Zhang Hao’s expression turned serious.

"I suggest that as soon as you get back to the university after this mission, you go straight to the Talent Assessment Center for a formal test."

"Talent assessment?"

Han Feng immediately recalled what Zhao Yu had said before.

"But Engineer Zhao warned me that my file is on a ’watchlist,’ and I’ve already attracted some attention."

"If I go get a talent assessment now, won’t that just draw all the rats out of the gutter?"

Hearing this, Zhang Hao’s expression grew even more solemn.

"It’s good that you’ve thought that far ahead."

"It shows you’re not just some reckless hothead who only knows how to charge forward blindly."

He flicked his ash again and continued.

"Your concerns are valid."

"Talent is a double-edged sword. It can make you valued by the higher-ups, but it will also inevitably draw the attention of eyes in the dark."

"There’s no avoiding that."

"Then why are you still suggesting I get tested?"

Han Feng was confused.

"Because the way to deal with this risk isn’t to hide, it’s to get stronger as quickly as possible!"

Zhang Hao’s tone grew more intense.

"Those rats don’t dare to make a blatant move against you inside East Sea City."

"The higher your Talent is rated, the more the university will value you, and the safer you’ll be in the city."

"As long as you don’t go running outside the city by yourself and don’t give them a chance to strike outside the rules, all they can do is watch."

"And inside the city, making a move on a highly-watched genius is like slapping the East Sea Martial Arts University in the face. No one would dare take that risk."

Han Feng nodded thoughtfully.

"And the most crucial thing for Martial Arts cultivation is resources, understand?"

Zhang Hao looked at him.

"What you lack most right now is resources."

"The higher your rating, the more public resource subsidies the university will give you, and the higher your clearance will be."

"With resources, you can quickly convert your Talent into actual strength."

"Once you’re strong, what’s there to fear from those rats?"

"Hide and be an ordinary person, cultivating slowly?"

"It might seem safe."

"But in this dangerous wasteland, being slow is the greatest danger of all."

Every word Zhang Hao said struck a chord deep within Han Feng.

"Of course, there’s a huge pitfall in all this that you must remember."

Zhang Hao threw his cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it with his foot, his expression graver than ever.

"Once you test as having a High Level Talent, say B Level or even A Level, you won’t just get public benefits from the university. Countless olive branches will be extended to you."

"Star Sea Technology, the Celestial Craft Group, even some special departments in the military."

"They’ll make you offers you can’t refuse—millions of Contribution Points a year, gifts of Spirit Plants, Cultivation Techniques, and luxury mansions—all just for signing a ’sponsorship agreement’ with them."

Han Feng’s breath caught slightly.

"These sponsorships sound tempting, don’t they?"

Zhang Hao’s tone was flat.

"But you need to understand, there’s no such thing as a free lunch."

"Those corporations aren’t philanthropists. Every single cent they spend has a price tag attached."

"You take their money, you do their bidding."

"For example, cooperating with some of their ’cutting-edge research projects’ or ’new equipment tests’."

"And that’s where the risk lies."

"I’m not saying all sponsorships are traps, but you can’t guarantee that the one you encounter won’t be."

Zhang Hao looked at Han Feng, his gaze solemn.

"In East Sea Fortress City, the university isn’t the only power player."

"In the council, the major corporations, the military, and the powerful families are all deeply intertwined."

"Once you step outside the university’s gates, many things are not as simple as they seem."

He paused, lowering his voice.

"It’s happened before—a gifted student from a common background accepts a huge sponsorship from some corporation."

"And then... during an ’equipment test,’ there’s an ’accident.’ Their genes collapse, or they simply vanish into thin air."

"But you signed the agreement voluntarily, and the risk clauses are written in black and white. Even if the university wants to investigate, they won’t have any grounds to do so."