I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 478: Pioneer Space of the Cloud Sea

"Foiled the Destruction Demon Clan’s conspiracy: reward 50,000 experience points, 2,000 skill points," the system’s notification sounded in his mind. This single event alone probably wasn’t worth such a reward. A large part of it likely came from Qian Shihua, that powerful Demon Clan member.

This Demon Clan conspiracy also conveniently gave Jade Country a reason not to export the Time-Space Gemstone. No matter how much White Eagle Country protested, at least the Time-Space Gemstone was safe in Jade Country. Who knew what would happen if it were in White Eagle Country?

A nationally idolized scientist in White Eagle Country was a Demon Clan spy. This revelation raised concerns about how many others might be hidden within White Eagle Country. Who knew if White Eagle Country could adequately protect the Time-Space Gemstone?

These were matters for diplomats to haggle over; Wang Lan retired with his task accomplished after resolving the issue.

The senior year curriculum focused mainly on practical internships, as most necessary theories had already been covered.

Barring special circumstances, the Pioneer Space was a mandatory internship location. Even for many graduates from the top four Star Martial Academies, going to the Pioneer Space was a necessity.

However, even when heading to the same Pioneer Space, the departments they were assigned to were definitely different.

To draw an analogy, imagine the Pioneer Space as a construction site. Students from the top four Star Martial Academies would be like those recruited by property developers, positioned in the middle or upper echelons of power.

Whereas those in Pioneering Legions and the like were akin to construction workers; they only accepted tasks from their superiors and then carried them out. In the Pioneer Space, strength spoke for itself. With outstanding performance, one could also be noticed by the Pioneer Space Command and be given an official position.

However, ninety percent of Star Martial Warriors belonged to what could be called unofficial Pioneering Legions. The fact that a ten-person squad could call itself a Pioneer Team spoke volumes.

In the golden autumn of October, Wang Lan, like most of his peers, was assigned by the Academy to intern at one of the five major Pioneer Spaces. Wang Lan pulled some strings to get Jiang Xinyu assigned to the same Pioneer Space as him.

Cloud Sea Pioneer Space, located in Jade Country’s southwest, west of Shu Province, possessed the most complex topography among the five Pioneer Spaces. It wasn’t just a Pioneer Space; it also served as one of Jade Country’s national gateways.

Cloud Sea Province, near the Golden Triangle Area, bordered several Southeast Asian countries. Its populace was known for being fierce, and its society complex. However, due to the large number of Star Martial Warriors stationed there, Cloud Sea’s public safety had actually been quite good in recent years.

"Chief Wang! This is the latest order from Command," announced a Star Cloud Stage Star Martial Warrior in camouflage, hurrying over to Wang Lan. He saluted before handing the military dispatch to Wang Lan.

"Advance one hundred kilometers westward and secure Ice Cliff?" Wang Lan murmured, his eyes thoughtful as he scanned the military order. He then nodded and put away the directive. "Command really is thinking big," he thought.

"Chief, a hundred kilometers... that’s quite a run, isn’t it?"

The Star Martial Warrior before him was Zhou Jianfei, nicknamed Black Skin because his skin was indeed very dark, like a black-skinned watermelon. Despite his dark complexion, he had an extremely gentle personality.

Black Skin flashed a simple, honest smile, his eyes filled with admiration and trust as he looked at Wang Lan.

Wang Lan had arrived at Cloud Sea for his internship three months prior. He and Jiang Xinyu, just the two of them, had been assigned to the most arduous southwestern area, a region the Cloud Sea Pioneers called the Savage Land.

The Exotic Beasts here were fierce and powerful, though not numerous. Unlike in other places, they didn’t form large tribes. This, combined with the complex and ever-changing terrain, created a battlefield perfectly suited for Exotic Beast combat.

Previously, Star Martial Warriors stationed here dared not sleep soundly. No one knew if an Exotic Beast might quietly lick their face in their sleep.

Initially, Wang Lan hadn’t revealed he was an intern from the Star Martial Academy, simply stating he was a new Star Martial Warrior assigned to this Pioneer Team.

At first, Black Skin, like most Star Martial Warriors, thought they had gained a burden. Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu, just as they suspected, spent their time on logistics, familiarizing themselves with life in the Pioneer Space.

This continued until a hunting Pioneer Team was ambushed by a powerful Exotic Beast. Only three members returned, two of whom were so grievously injured they were almost beyond saving. It was then that Wang Lan revealed his identity as a Medical Star Martial Warrior.

The veteran Star Martial Warriors, including Black Skin, were worldly and experienced, yet none had ever witnessed such a potent Medical Star Martial Technique. In less than ten seconds, two half-dead individuals were restored to full health.

Black Skin never forgot the shock of that moment. The rookie they had dismissed as a burden turned out to be a treasure. Wang Lan’s status skyrocketed. He was instantly recruited by this 500-strong branch of the Pioneer Team and appointed head of the medical group. In truth, the so-called medical group consisted only of Wang Lan, or two if Jiang Xinyu was included.

But the surprises Wang Lan delivered didn’t end there.

On the second day, and then the third, the Star Martial Warriors on reconnaissance suddenly realized something: they hadn’t encountered an Exotic Beast attack in three days. Forget attacks; they hadn’t even seen a shadow of one.

This anomaly suggested one of two things: either the Exotic Beasts had relocated, or they were hiding, planning a vicious assault on the camp. Just as everyone was wondering where the beasts had gone, one night, a Pioneering Legion lost its way in the complex terrain and accidentally headed in the direction opposite the camp.

Startled by the distant sounds of battle, the squad decided to investigate quietly. The sight that greeted them turned their faces pale with fear.

Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu were positioned at a canyon mouth, mowing down dense hordes of Exotic Beasts just outside the valley. Each Star Martial Skill they unleashed felled a large number of them. The sheer efficiency of the slaughter made even the observing Pioneer Team members feel a little queasy.

After watching for a while, the Pioneer Team quietly retreated. In that short half-hour, Wang Lan had killed at least fifty to sixty thousand Exotic Beasts. No wonder there was no trace of Exotic Beasts inside the canyon. With Wang Lan already clearing out the area outside the valley, what chance did any Exotic Beasts inside have?

This time, when Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu returned to the camp, the entire Pioneer Team was waiting for them outside.

Wang Lan had naturally anticipated this. How could that Pioneer Team approach without me noticing? He also had no intention of hiding his actions from others. Frankly, the level difference is too vast for us to operate together anyway. Since the camp’s Pioneer Teams know now, so be it. It doesn’t matter anymore.

Wang Lan wasn’t intentionally feigning weakness, nor was he the type to show off. It was just that the relationships between Pioneer Teams were far more complicated than he had imagined, especially in remote Pioneer Spaces like Cloud Sea.

Although they all belonged to the same Pioneer Space and answered to the same command structure, the Pioneer Teams were like rival sects in a martial arts novel. While exterminating Exotic Beasts and defending the Pioneer Space, they also engaged in constant internal scheming and backstabbing.

The entire Savage Land was dotted with dozens of camps, and each camp housed over a dozen Star Martial Warrior teams from different factions. They banded together tightly, fiercely protecting their own interests while covetously eyeing the resources of others, like wolves.

Tasks drifted into this region like snowflakes every day. Some were straightforward, some dangerous; some offered meager rewards, while others were simple yet lucrative.

Star Martial Warriors not only had to assess their own strength to take on manageable missions but also had to compete with other Pioneer Teams for desirable tasks, sometimes resorting to force.

Star Martial Warriors were born fighters; a warlike nature was etched into their very bones from the moment of their awakening. Wang Lan had heard that in some Different Dimensional Spaces, certain Pioneer Teams even hunted other Pioneer Teams. Although such acts of preying on their own kind were rare, they undeniably occurred.

Wherever there were interests, there was strife. In the lawless Pioneer Spaces, it was natural for some to take desperate risks for profit.

This was why Wang Lan didn’t fit in when he first arrived. It was unlike his experience supporting the East Sea Pioneer Space—where he knew people and the structure involved single, unified Pioneer Teams—there, Wang Lan had integrated almost perfectly and immediately.

The Commander of Wilderness Camp personally invited Wang Lan to his office, formally inquiring about his and Jiang Xinyu’s identities for the first time. Upon learning that both Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu were students from Modu Star Martial Academy and had reached the peak of the Galaxy Stage, the Commander’s first instinct was to send them away.

He himself was only at the peak of the Galaxy Stage. Two students at the Galaxy Stage peak? The Commander knew that, being over forty, he had likely reached his own cultivation ceiling. Yet these two were students from Modu Star Martial Academy! Rumor had it that eighty percent of graduates from the four great Star Martial Academies broke through to the Star Sea Stage.

Even if they couldn’t break through while at the academy, a few years of practical experience would surely suffice.

Fortunately, the Commander possessed some composure. After wrestling with the impulse several times, he suppressed it. Besides, interns are supposed to return to their schools once their internships are over, right?

Subsequently, the Commander integrated Wang Lan into the formal combat ranks, placing absolutely no restrictions on him and Jiang Xinyu. Essentially, they were told they could do whatever they wanted: join missions or sleep all day—it was no problem.

Only then did Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu gradually begin to integrate into this group. Integration wasn’t something one could simply decide to do; it was a process of mutual acceptance.

Thanks to Wang Lan’s involvement, the Green Maple Pioneer Legion began successfully undertaking numerous high-difficulty missions, such as scouting the Chaos Mist, exterminating an Exotic Beast tribe, or rescuing trapped Pioneer Teams.

Missions that typically required the combined efforts of several large Pioneer Teams were handled effortlessly by the Green Maple Pioneer Legion, completed quickly and flawlessly.

In no time, the Green Maple Pioneer Legion’s reputation soared, simultaneously astonishing the other large Pioneering Legions. Once they understood why, envy, jealousy, and resentment followed. Some even complained to Command about the Green Maple Pioneer Legion ’cheating,’ demanding that they be prohibited from deploying Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu first when competing for missions.

「Three months passed.」

Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu’s days remained relatively carefree. The southwestern region, considered a savage wasteland by others, was a tranquil haven for the pair.

Through their eyes, even the typically violent and ferocious Exotic Beasts seemed rather cute and docile. Wang Lan had even tested this: he stood perfectly still, and one Exotic Beast, after trying to bite him, ended up breaking its own teeth and whimpering away.

Unfortunately, it then blundered into a Pioneer Team on a killing spree. With a THWACK, it was ’joyfully’ reunited with its kin.