Eighteen thousand experience points, including forty-five thousand from the Black Spider mission reward, with the remainder largely derived from Xiao's relentless production of folding combat knives and high-explosive ammunition over recent days. These blueprints have now reached levels 2 and 3, respectively. These low-cost, straightforward blueprints proved easier to master than the Light Power Arm or Generation I Ranger, owing to abundant practice opportunities—especially consumable blueprints like ammunition, where grinding proficiency was straightforward.
Having arrived in West Capital barely a month prior, he'd amassed over 200,000 experience points—equivalent to one-third of his six-month haul with the Sprout. With over 1.5 million credits in hand, material costs were temporarily negligible.
The first advancement brought the most significant changes: Qi would gain attributes.
Xiao lightly touched his index finger to his thumb. A strand of Qi, as fine as an electric thread, adhered to his fingertips, faintly containing a trace of magnetic force. Magnetic was one of the exclusive attributes of the Mechanics system. In combat, it couldn't rival the destructive power of violent attributes like Fire or Lightning, but its function lay in enhancing affinity with machinery. Once Qi power reached a certain level, it could replace hands in crafting mechanical devices.
The attributes of Qi extend beyond natural elements, primarily signifying a profession's application of Qi power. For instance, psychic-based Qi possesses the [Mental] attribute. Moreover, Qi attributes are not fixed; Martial Artists, for example, can alter their inherent Qi attributes through training in different schools—embodying the explosive force of fire, the swiftness of wind, the resilience of iron, and so forth.
Among the advanced skills acquired, Geometric Thinking is one of the specialisations unlocked by the Mechanic's advancement. Intermediate Mechanical Affinity goes without saying, its effects surpass the basic tier. Sliding Shot is a long-awaited active skill.
Opting for the Gunner path grants three primary skills, whereas choosing the Mechanic path grants one of them. [Sliding Shot] leans towards evasion. Though Xiao isn't exactly fragile, he genuinely prefers such versatile offensive-defensive minor skills over high-damage ultimate moves that consume vast resources. Moreover, its burst fire isn't constrained by magazine capacity, potentially proving unexpectedly effective in certain situations.
[Qi Refinement Technique] is the pivotal skill unlocked upon first advancement for the primary profession.
This represents a distinct skill type—a growth-oriented skill lacking fixed tiers. Its effects augment through repeated training sessions, each consuming experience points to enhance Qi reserves. Skill progression ceases only upon reaching the maximum training threshold, with effectiveness determined by the primary profession's core attributes.
Most Qi cultivation methods fall under this growth-type category.
Qi forms the foundation of a superpowered individual, largely determining their power level and rank. The benchmark tiers for early Qi levels are: Lv1-6: 10, 50, 100, 200, 400, 1000...
Upon meeting the threshold, one ascends to the next Strength tier, gaining new attribute bonuses. At certain pivotal tiers, Qi unlocks novel applications.
The first advancement marks a watershed moment. At level 30, Hela's power level reached 500 Ouna—roughly five times Xiao's—in part due to the [Qi Refinement Technique].
Titanium alloy was a new blueprint acquired through [Advanced Material Synthesis]. Classified as a material blueprint, it was a green-grade material suitable for crafting external armour with exceptional impact resistance. Its manufacturing requirement was Primary Refinement LV5.
With 180,000 experience points, Xiao first spent 25,000 to elevate [Agent] to LV10. Reaching the maximum level granted additional attribute bonuses: Strength +2, Agility +2, Stamina +3, Charisma +1, plus 1 Potential Point and 1 Free Attribute Point.
[Detected advancement. Confirm cancellation of [Commoners] class.]
The Commoner is the initial profession for most humanoid players, serving as a tutorial class to prevent players from being unable to level up without a profession at the outset. Upon first advancement, one may choose to remove the Commoner profession, thereby reducing the experience returned for attributes. However, if the Commoner is levelled to its maximum tier, it cannot be removed after advancement. Many perfectionist newcomers have been severely penalised by this.
'Cancel it,' Xiao declared. Having gained no bonuses from this class, he stood to lose nothing.
The [Commoners] entry vanished from the secondary class slot on his interface, leaving only the max-level [Agent] class. His total level remained at 21.
He spent another forty-five thousand experience points to upgrade [Basic Shooting] to level ten, granting a 10% shooting accuracy bonus, +2 Agility, and an additional potential point.
That alone consumed seventy thousand points. Xiao still needed to reserve sixty-four thousand experience points for the [Qi Refinement Technique], leaving him with... Hmm, hold on, let me count on my fingers.
Oh, forty-seven thousand experience points remaining!
'Best save them for now.'
Xiao sighed. Experience came swiftly, but it vanished just as fast.
Fortunately, I still possess high-explosive ammunition. Once sales commence, it will provide a steady source of experience....
The moment arrived, and Gu Hui promptly reminded him. They returned upstairs.
Feng Jun had been waiting for some time and led Xiao away.
Xiao Han suddenly remembered something. 'Oh, I heard a man named Krat submitted a folding combat knife. Pass on the message for me—I won't sell him anything.'
Feng Jun sighed helplessly. 'You really do treat me like a messenger, don't you?'
Xiao looked puzzled. 'Isn't that who you are?'
Feng Jun was momentarily speechless before grumbling, 'I'll pass it on.'
...
'He says he won't sell me anything?'
Upon hearing the rumour, Krat scoffed dismissively.
He cared little for Xiao's background; his focus lay solely on tangible profit. In his view, Xiao might not secure superior machinery in future, meaning no further business opportunities. Such threats were utterly insignificant.
...
With the R&D department matter settled, he returned to the repair shop. Life remained quiet for two or three days.
Having completed his advancement, Xiao familiarised himself with his newfound power at home. Drawing on past experience, he swiftly mastered the techniques and began practising the [Qi Refinement Technique]. Each session consumed not only experience points but also physical stamina. With limited stamina regeneration and his mechanical manufacturing commitments, he could only train twice a day at most.
[You practised the [Qi Refinement Technique] once. Perfection: 81%. Qi Power +3]
Training effectiveness depended on the primary attribute of the chosen profession. For the Mechanical discipline, that attribute was Intelligence. Xiao had four free attribute points, all invested in Intelligence, bringing it to 36 points. Previously, to escape the base, he'd invested considerable points in Strength and Stamina, but now he only needed to focus on Intelligence.
The training effects of the [Qi Refining Technique] were tiered: below 40% perfection granted +1 Qi Power, 40%-80% granted +2, and above 80% granted +3. Xiao had just reached the third tier.
With no market for his folding combat knives, Xiao had seen no sales for several days. He decided it was time to release his new product: high-explosive ammunition. Over the past few days, he had accumulated thousands of rounds in various calibres.
Just as he was preparing to ask Li Yalin to spread the word, she called ahead of schedule.
'The Captain has been discharged. Assemble everyone.'
...
Arriving at the squad meeting room in the covert operations department, his teammates had been waiting for some time. Xiao immediately noticed an additional man present—a square-jawed figure radiating integrity and earnestness, his lips pressed together in a manner that seemed trustworthy.
'You are Xiao Han?'
The Captain's expression was displeased, his gaze carrying dissatisfaction and wariness as he scrutinised Xiao Han sternly.
Xiao paused slightly. Just then, Lin Yao tugged at his sleeve and whispered, 'The Secret Service Squad can only recruit new members with the Captain's approval. But your application was specially approved by the Bureau while the Captain was recovering. So he might have some... er, opinions about you. Don't worry though—he's stern, but he's a good bloke.'
I see.
Xiao turned to glance at her and was startled. Lin Yao was wrapped head to toe in bandages like a rice dumpling, with only her eyes and mouth visible, looking utterly wretched.
'Who on earth beat you up?' Xiao asked in astonishment.
Li Yalin cleared her throat.
Lin Yao looked utterly aggrieved and amended, 'I... fell.'
Xiao's mouth twitched. Injured this badly, and you participated in some sort of 'Real Men Fall a Hundred Times' challenge?
The captain spoke, drawing everyone's attention back. His voice was deep and authoritative. 'Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Zhang Wei, the squad leader.'
Xiao was stunned. "Just how careless were your parents when naming you? Only "Ye Qiu" and "Ye Fan" seem to appear more frequently than you."
Zhang Wei looked surprised. 'You know Ye Fan from the Naval Military Intelligence Department? Well... cough cough... before my hospitalisation, we collaborated on several missions.'
Bloody hell, someone actually has that Chosen name! That bloke's luck must be S+!
'Now, to the point.' Zhang Wei's eyes burned with intensity as he spoke sternly, 'With you joining, our squad is back to full strength with five members. Your role is logistics. But let me make this clear: your resume is blank. I have no faith in your abilities. I'll approach any orders from you with scepticism. If I deem you incompetent, even if you're a member specially approved by higher-ups, I'll kick you out of my squad.'