I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 502: Wishing to Go to Vine Country

The two did not stay in the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space but returned to Modu City. Although the city in the Pioneer Space was huge, it was essentially a ghost town. Moreover, with the El Nino period ongoing, all Star Martial Warriors were on standby, leaving the city even more deserted.

Aside from going out for walks and meals to relax on the first day, the two spent the rest of their time at home. Wang Lan successfully helped Jiang Xinyu cultivate Sword Qi by channeling his own into her. After seven days of stimulating the condensation of Sword Qi, combined with Wang Lan’s sparring, Jiang Xinyu made rapid progress.

After seven days, Jiang Xinyu had cultivated the Sunlight Sword Skill to the point of generating Sword Light. With Sword Light unleashed, who could contend with her? Coupled with her already exquisite swordplay, Jiang Xinyu’s combat strength had truly reached the mid-stage of the Star Sea realm.

Possessing mid-stage combat power despite being at the early stage of the Star Sea realm put her ahead of ninety percent of other early-stage Star Sea realm experts. Only after reaching this level did Jiang Xinyu’s anxiety begin to ease, feeling that she was not too far behind Wang Lan.

It was another sunny day when Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu woke up in each other’s arms. This time, it wasn’t Xiao Ai’s automatic alarm clock that woke them but an urgently ringing cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Wang Lan, are you in Modu City?"

"Yes, Chief Cheng. Is there a mission? Please give your instructions."

"I knew you were on holiday and thought you were in Cloud Sea. I didn’t expect you to run back to Modu City. The Commander has been looking all over for you. Hurry to the Tianjian Bureau; there’s a mission."

"Yes!"

"What’s the matter?" A gentle voice spoke beside him as the silk velvet quilt slipped from Jiang Xinyu as she sat up.

"I don’t know. Chief Cheng ordered me to the Tianjian Bureau for a mission briefing. I’ll go first. Have Xiao Ai order food for you. If it’s not too urgent, I’ll come back."

"Mm, be careful."

Watching Wang Lan leave, the smile on Jiang Xinyu’s face faded, as worry creased her brow and settled in her heart. Nowadays, Jiang Xinyu was becoming more and more like a housewife, something unimaginable to the Jiang Xinyu of the past. The former Jiang Xinyu would never have been so preoccupied with a man, rejoicing in his happiness, anxious when he went out, her heart and mind filled with thoughts of this man. Even now, she was completely unaware of these changes within herself.

Getting into the smart sports car, Wang Lan sped to the Tianjian Bureau. He was then directly summoned to Cheng Jianlong’s office, where Jin Committee Member, whom he had met once before, was also present.

"Reporting in!"

"Ha, our hero arrives! You truly handle matters and then depart quietly, concealing your merits and fame. To find you, I had to make more than a dozen calls."

"Commander, you flatter me; I am truly unworthy."

"Alright, no need for modesty. I have three things for you. First! Congratulations. In light of your outstanding performance and achievements in the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space, I, on behalf of Jade Country, confer upon you a Star Martial honorary title."

"The honorary title is Greedy Wolf. Greedy Wolf, the star of northern conquest—once it emerges, it does not retreat until the enemy is vanquished. From today onwards, your glory is Jade Country’s glory, and the glory of Jade Country is your mission."

"I hope that you will live up to the title bestowed upon you by Jade Country, and the prestige of a Titled Strongman."

"Yes! Thank you, Jade Country! Thank you, Commander!"

"Congratulations, Host, for acquiring the honorary title! Reward: 300,000 skill points!" A prompt sounded timely in his mind.

"The second matter: in view of Mr. Wang Lan’s feats in the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space, where he twice single-handedly quelled beast tides, saving the lives of tens of thousands of warriors and preserving over ten years of achievements in the Pioneer Space."

"After discussion, we hope Mr. Wang Lan will continue his efforts, not fail the nation’s expectations, protect Jade Country, and achieve new accomplishments."

Hearing this, not only was Cheng Jianlong surprised, but Wang Lan was also shocked.

A promotion to a high command rank?

It was a rank on a completely different level. Colonel-level ranks, even a senior colonel, were only considered mid-level officers. The difficulty of achieving such a promotion was comparable to the cumulative difficulty of rising from an ordinary soldier to a senior colonel. One might spend ten years advancing from a lieutenant to a senior colonel, but another might not even achieve that rank in fifteen years. Most people relied on promotions tied to their positions; certain roles required a specific rank to be held, so such advancements essentially borrowed the prestige of the post. For instance, Lu Zhao of the Suzhou City Tianjian Bureau was promoted because the bureau’s administrative level was upgraded. But Wang Lan didn’t even hold a significant official post. To be promoted based purely on merit and strength, without a formal position, and at only twenty years old—that was terrifying.

But Wang Lan’s accomplishments this time were indeed immense. He single-handedly suppressed two large-scale beast tides in the southwest area and the West area, truly embodying the principle of one man’s strength securing an entire region.

Therefore, this promotion and this title were well-deserved; no one could possibly object.

"Congratulations, Host! Reward: 300,000 skill points."

As Jin Committee Member changed his shoulder insignias, the prompt sounded in his mind again.

"Wang Lan, seeing your achievements, I am very gratified. However, we currently have a troublesome mission that requires you to go abroad."

"Abroad?" Wang Lan’s eyes gleamed. "To Vine Country?"

"Exactly! You have firsthand experience of the events that transpired in the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space, with tens of thousands of warriors killed so inexplicably. Jade Country will not let this go."

"If it’s Vine Country’s doing, then let Vine Country give an explanation."

"Hmph, can they afford to? Besides, Vine Country keeps insisting this matter has nothing to do with them, claiming they are willing to open their borders for our investigation. Given this, if we don’t investigate, we’d appear too overbearing."

"Yu Ruoyun of the General Staff has worked with you many times already, and both of you are among the finest of your generation. Therefore, Number One’s intention is for you two to go to Vine Country together to investigate."

"You will depart directly from Modu City tomorrow morning. Yu Ruoyun just took off from the Imperial Capital and will arrive in Modu City in two hours."

"Yes!"

"There’s nothing else; you can go back and prepare. Remember, when you’re abroad, we don’t look for trouble, but we’re not afraid of it either. Don’t let down Jade Country’s prestige."

"Yes!"

Wang Lan left the Tianjian Bureau and went straight back to Phoenix Plaza. From his trip to the Tianjian Bureau and back, not even an hour had passed. Seeing Wang Lan return so quickly, Jiang Xinyu was quite surprised.

"Haven’t you eaten breakfast yet?"

"No. Xiao Ai, order another one for me." Wang Lan sauntered into the room with a smile and suddenly scooped Jiang Xinyu into his arms, twirling her around on the spot.

"What’s the matter? Why so happy?" A tender smile spread across Jiang Xinyu’s face.

"Look at me. What’s different about me compared to when I left?"

Jiang Xinyu’s gaze swept over Wang Lan, and when her eyes flitted across Wang Lan’s epaulettes, her pupils shrank instantly.

"You... You?"

"Correct! Jade Country’s youngest high-ranking officer. From now on, when I introduce myself, I can say that... Hahaha! Isn’t it impressive?"

"They called you to the Tianjian Bureau to confer a rank on you? No, that can’t be right. If it was a conferral, why would you return so soon?"

"I was granted the title Greedy Wolf, along with a mission. Tomorrow, I am going to Vine Country with Yu Ruoyun."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyu’s expression shifted subtly. "For the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space matter? Isn’t that going deep into enemy territory?"

"Going deep into enemy territory is an exaggeration. First off, your husband is not some weak scholar who can’t even truss a chicken. With Yu Ruoyun and me joining forces, not even a Star Soul-level expert would be able to hold us back. And Vine Country doesn’t have any!"

"Furthermore, we have Jade Country behind us. Even if Vine Country had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, they wouldn’t dare touch us. We’re just going there to find fault and, incidentally, investigate what happened."

"Can I go too?"

"It’s better if you don’t. Take this time to practice ’Supreme Goodness Like Water’ more. You’ve said these days that ’Supreme Goodness Like Water’ is fundamentally not a Water Attribute Star Martial Skill but a Cultivation Technique for practicing the Law of Water. Even just beginning to grasp it, you’d have the strength worthy of a Titled Strongman. If you can achieve some mastery, even the Star Soul realm will be within easy reach."

"Okay!" Jiang Xinyu had become very obedient recently, and she readily agreed.

That day, Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu practiced as usual. Both were accustomed to hard work and had few leisure hobbies, so they were quite content staying at home.

As dusk approached, Jiang Xinyu’s phone suddenly rang. The caller ID unexpectedly showed Yu Ruoyun.

"Hello, Xinyu, where are you now? I’ve arrived in Modu City."

"At Phoenix Plaza. Should I have Wang Lan pick you up?"

"No need, I’ll be there shortly."

Before graduating, Yu Ruoyun used to be quite close to Wang Lan. Even when she lived in the same dorm as Jiang Xinyu, there had always seemed to be a slight distance between the two women. But after Yu Ruoyun graduated, the relationship dynamics abruptly shifted.

Wang Lan hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but Jiang Xinyu had her suspicions. When we lived together, we were somewhat distant. Now that we rarely meet, I feel like Yu Ruoyun’s aura has suddenly vanished. I sense she’s doing this deliberately, but I can’t understand why. If Jiang Xinyu possessed such sharp insight into human nature, she would not have remained oblivious to the relationship between Xie Sisi and Wang Lan until now.

"Why did she call me instead of you?" Jiang Xinyu asked Wang Lan puzzledly after hanging up the phone.

If Jiang Xinyu had asked about Xie Sisi, Wang Lan might have felt a twinge of guilt, but when it came to Yu Ruoyun, Wang Lan’s conscience was clear. There had never been anything between him and Yu Ruoyun, so his thoughts on the matter were naturally simple and direct.

"What else could it be? We live together, and it’s not like she doesn’t know. You’re a girl—should she call me instead of you? Isn’t there a saying online, ’Be wary of fire, theft, and best friends’? A wise woman takes care to avoid misunderstandings."

"But tomorrow it’s you two on an overseas mission together; it would make more sense for her to call you. I feel like her calling me was a bit deliberate. Never mind, maybe I’m overthinking it. You’re setting off together tomorrow. Should we have Ruoyun stay over tonight?"

"Otherwise? We can’t let her stay in a hotel; that wouldn’t be very friendly. Should I go pick her up from the airport?"

"She said she’ll be here very soon."

Shortly after, Xiao Ai announced, "Wang Lan, Miss Yu Ruoyun has arrived."

"Let her come up."