Gao Neng was truly excited.

But after the intense excitement came overwhelming sleepiness.

After fighting continuously for dozens of hours, he couldn’t hold on anymore. His eyes could barely stay open. Even Shen Ning’Er was turning into two, then four, in his vision.

"Ning’Er, I’ll try one more time..." Gao Neng shook his head hard, trying to clear it. ’At the very least, I have to test this thing’s true power.’

But with just that shake...

He felt the world spinning around him.

’So dizzy!’

He saw Shen Ning’Er, who appeared to be saying something.

But he couldn’t hear a thing.

He was truly exhausted.

Simply pulling an all-nighter was no problem, but he had maintained a state of high mental tension for the past few dozen hours. The moment he relaxed, he pitched forward and collapsed.

...

「That night.」

Gao Neng slept soundly.

No thoughts of system missions entered his mind. In fact, he even had a dream...

In the dream, he was unstoppable. He sent Principal Song Tianyun flying with a single palm strike and broke Vice-Principal Wang Qixing’s leg with a kick. As for Gui Zian, he could only grovel at Gao Neng’s feet, trembling.

"A bald little pup, and you dare call yourself Bald Shark? I’ll pluck all your hair... Oh, right, you don’t have any!" Gao Neng laughed with abandon in his dream.

By the time he woke up, it was already ten in the morning.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a bed. The room was completely silent. Shen Ning’Er was gone; only a sculpture covered with a cloth remained.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the third night of ’Three Days and Three Nights.’ Reward: one spin of the Lucky Wheel."

’I completed the mission?’ The moment Gao Neng heard the mechanical voice, his mind finally cleared. ’Shen Ning’Er didn’t leave last night? But if she didn’t... why am I on the bed? Shouldn’t I be on the sofa? What is going on?’

So, does that mean...

’Shen Ning’Er slept on the sofa all night?’

Gao Neng shook his head. He glanced at his clothes and saw they hadn’t been taken off. It seemed nothing that crossed the line had happened last night.

However, he saw a note left on the table.

"I’ve returned to the Military Department. I’ve issued the challenge for the D-Rankings for you. Wagered 200 Merit Points. Time: 4:30 PM. If you lose... I’ll beat you to death!"

Gao Neng was left speechless.

’Classic Shen Ning’Er.’

The note had a distinct military air to it.

Gao Neng put the note away, quickly washed up, and then his gaze fell on the golden wheel that had been waiting in front of him.

’It’s time for the Lucky Wheel again!’

’I wonder what I’ll get this time?’

"Begin the draw!"

"Lucky Wheel, spin, spin, spin..."

The pointer quickly came to a stop.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’re radiating with good fortune! You have obtained the ultra-powerful special ability, ’Wordless Celestial Book’."

’Wordless Celestial Book? And it’s an *ultra-powerful* special ability?!’ Gao Neng was thrilled to hear the words "ultra-powerful special skill." ’Another special skill, and an ultra-powerful one, no less!’

’That’s got to be invincible, right?’

’But what exactly is a Wordless Celestial Book?’

He opened the system’s Attribute Panel.

Sure enough, there was a new item under Special Abilities.

Special Abilities: 1. Eye of Deprivation (Beginner). 2. Second Magnetic Core (Advanced). 3. Lifeform Transformation (Beginner). 4. Wordless Celestial Book (Beginner).

He opened the description for the Wordless Celestial Book.

Wordless Celestial Book: Place a combat technique into the Celestial Book. Through the Celestial Book’s evolution process, any existing flaws in the technique will be automatically repaired, and it will be enhanced into a new combat technique.

Cost: The cost varies depending on the grade of the combat technique. For example: 100,000 Alliance Coins per use, 500,000 Alliance Coins per use...

’Wow, it really is ultra-powerful! It can fix flaws in combat techniques? Any combat technique can be evolved and enhanced into a new one. This is an essential skill for every occasion! But the problem is... a minimum of 100,000 Alliance Coins per use? Is this a fucking robbery?! Motherf—’

Gao Neng bit back the last word.

Because this ability was just that powerful!

’Fixing flaws in combat techniques... That’s basically perfecting low-level techniques. Is it powerful? Damn right it’s powerful! But the problem is... he’s broke.’

’The Second Magnetic Core costs money!’

’Lifeform Transformation costs money too!’

’And now the Wordless Celestial Book also needs money!’

Gao Neng could already see it: the higher the skill tier, the higher the cost. On top of that, training and fighting both required energy, which meant more money.

’Money, money, money...’

’So you can’t even play the game right without being rich, huh?’

The world was already realistic enough, but the system he got was even more of a goddamn materialist.

Gao Neng didn’t dwell on it. He had two combat technique manuals on hand. One was Military Boxing—a dime-a-dozen technique, so there wasn’t much point in enhancing it.

As for the second one...

It was the combat technique Gui Zian had given him.

It was called: Seven-Step Kill.

Gao Neng had glanced through it when he got it. The gist was that with each step, your aura would change, as would the power of your attacks.

It was a fairly generic combat technique, focused on building up the user’s aura. To put it simply, the goal was to kill an opponent in seven steps.

By the time you take the seventh step...

...your aura will have reached its peak.

And a single punch can take your opponent down.

The only condition is...

...your opponent has to let you take all seven steps.

Gao Neng thought it was kind of bullshit. ’If I can kill someone in one step, why must I take seven? Isn’t that just giving my opponent more time?’

Still, he was actually planning to practice it.

Because, apart from Seven-Step Kill, he didn’t have any other decent combat techniques. It’s not like he could rely on Military Boxing, right?

As for why he hadn’t started practicing yet...

It was because he hadn’t found the time to practice yet.

’I can enhance this Seven-Step Kill when I get the chance. For now, though, I should head to the Logistics Department to grab some things. I’m out of Energy Pills!’ Gao Neng stopped mulling it over. Since the challenge had been issued, a shopping trip to the Logistics Department was now a necessity.

...

「Logistics Department.」

The old lady wearing glasses looked at Gao Neng.

Gao Neng was also looking at the old lady.

"I’m not answering any questions," the old lady said, breaking the silence.

"I’m not asking any questions. I’ll take everything on the last list. The whole thing. And with the twenty percent discount, right?" Gao Neng said with an air of magnanimity, showing a man’s decisiveness without a hint of hesitation.

"So straightforward today?" The old lady was a bit surprised as she took the list. "1050 Merit Points. After the 20% discount, that’s 840. You’ll have 310 left. Are you sure you want to make the exchange?"

"I’m sure!"

"..."

After leaving the Logistics Department.

Gao Neng finally had the feeling of being rich.

He had bought fifty Energy Pills in one go. Besides that, he also got a weapon, and some raw materials and ores.

Millions of Alliance Coins’ worth of stuff, weighing down the bag on his back.

Gao Neng’s gaze swept around. For a moment, everyone looked like a thief to him. After all, with a few million in the Forgotten Land, you could buy several buildings. Just by collecting rent, you could live comfortably all year round.

"We finally found you, Gao Neng! How dare you still wander around here? Bald Shark is furious right now! He said that after he catches you, he’s definitely going to beat you up badly!"

As he was looking around, he saw two figures running over from not too far away. It was Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing, both with a hint of nervousness on their faces.

"Why does he want to beat me up?" Gao Neng was baffled.

"You don’t know what you did?" Kong Kun looked at Gao Neng in astonishment.

"What did I do?"

"You were the one who issued the challenge for the D-Rankings, right?"

"Yeah... I guess you could say that? What’s the problem?"

"..." Kong Kun was rendered truly speechless this time. He gave Gao Neng a strange look. "And you don’t think there’s a problem with that challenge letter?"

"???" Gao Neng was genuinely clueless.

"Arrogant!" Seeing Gao Neng silent, Feng Qingqing finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. "Even though you said you’d cover all the Merit Points if we lose, but..."

Feng Qingqing didn’t say the rest of her sentence, but her face was clearly flushed.

Gao Neng roughly understood what Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing meant.

’So the problem is with the challenge letter?’

’But didn’t I already say I was going to keep challenging the D-Rankings? What could the problem be...? Besides, I wasn’t the one who issued the challenge. Shen Ning’Er did.’

’Wait a minute!’

’Shen Ning’Er issued the challenge letter?!’

"Wait a minute. How did the two of you see the challenge letter *I* issued?" Gao Neng finally pinpointed the issue. According to protocol, only the members of the challenged team should be able to see the letter’s contents.

But the crucial point was that Shen Ning’Er had written this letter.

So where had Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing seen it?

’Isn’t the challenge letter supposed to be delivered directly into the hands of the challenged captain?’

"Duh! You hung the challenge letter on the War Academy building! Even a blind person could see it, okay?" Feng Qingqing was so angry her face turned a little pale.

"’The challenge letter was hung on the War Academy building...’" Gao Neng’s expression finally shifted. He had a feeling this wasn’t as simple as he’d thought.

Without any further delay, he ran towards the War Academy without looking back.

Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing immediately followed.

As soon as he reached the War Academy...

Gao Neng’s face truly darkened.

’What a huge challenge letter!’ Gao Neng stared at the large red paper hanging high at the entrance of the War Academy, momentarily at a loss for words.

"I, Gao Neng, hereby issue this challenge. In the coming month, I will continuously challenge the 19 teams of the D-Rankings. You lowly scoundrels..."

Gao Neng skimmed past those words.

Because that wasn’t the crucial part.

The real issue was the list of conditions below:

1. Merit Point Wager: Each challenge must have a wager of 200 Merit Points or more. If you don’t dare, get lost!

2. Money Wager: Besides Merit Points, each challenge must also include a wager of at least 100,000 Alliance Coins. If you don’t dare, get lost!

3. Hunt Mode Wager: If you achieve a clean sweep, the Merit Point and money stakes are doubled. If you don’t dare, get lost!

4. Time Wager: Achieve a clean sweep within 15 minutes...

5. Captain Wager...

...

Gao Neng looked at the long list of wagers below, and that outrageously arrogant "Get lost!" after each one. He had a feeling his life was about to get a lot harder.

And reality proved him right...

The moment he appeared, the crowd that had been spectating at the War Academy’s entrance surged toward him like a starving man spotting a naked woman.