'Am I just the supporting act meant to highlight what a genius Brother Ma is?'
Shu Feng's face darkened.
"Shu Feng, your Cultivation Talent is truly atrocious. However, the Spiritual Ability you awakened is much stronger than Ma Da's. If you want to advance quickly, you need to find a way to use your Spiritual Ability to earn more money. Buy pills, and use their power to evolve."
"As long as you have enough pills, your cultivation speed will never match a true genius, but you can still catch up to those with excellent or elite talent," You Meng said comfortingly, a small smile on her face.
Ma Jin also patted Shu Feng's shoulder and said earnestly, "That's right, Shu Feng! My talent is just ordinary, too. But plenty of Spiritualists with excellent or elite talent never advance to the Spirit Warrior level. I managed to become one because I took on a ton of missions and gathered massive amounts of resources. That's how I broke through."
Shu Feng nodded. "I understand, Brother Ma, Sister You!"
You Meng narrowed her beautiful eyes, a cryptic smile playing on her lips as she glanced at Shu Feng. "What did you just call me?"
Shu Feng asked curiously, "Sister You, is something wrong?"
"Of course not!" You Meng's smile was like a gorgeous, blooming poppy. "Anyway, it's Sunday, and both I and that blockhead Ma Da are free. Perfect time for a few lessons. Ma Da will teach you Spear Technique, and I'll teach you the Basic Grappling Combat Technique."
Shu Feng's face lit up with excitement. "Thank you so much, Sister You! I promise I'll work hard!"
Every man loves firearms, those weapons of violent beauty. The Qianyuan Republic had incredibly strict gun control, so ordinary people never even got the chance to touch one. The thought that he could actually learn Spear Technique and handle a real gun made Shu Feng ecstatic.
You Meng's smile widened, growing even more beautiful, like a poppy in full bloom.
But Ma Jin, a flicker of pity in his eyes, patted Shu Feng's shoulder. He fell silent after You Meng shot him a glare.
Ding Xiaoxue smiled. "Captain, Shu Feng has awakened a Spiritual Ability, and an Earth Level one at that. According to the rules, he should be eligible for a raise, right?"
Zhou Yang pushed up his glasses and said with a gentle smile, "You Meng, please test the strength of this Void Demon."
Sitting on the sofa, You Meng beckoned to Shu Feng with her finger. "Shu Feng, have your Black Dog Illusion Demon attack me with all its might."
A worried look appeared on Shu Feng's face. "Sister You, please go easy on it. Don't kill my Void Demon!"
Ding Xiaoxue, who wasn't even a Spirit Warrior, could slay a Black Dog Illusion Demon with a single strike. The one Shu Feng had synthesized was a degraded version, so you could imagine its fate against a Spirit Warrior Level opponent like You Meng.
You Meng shouted sharply, "Relax, I'll hold back. Stop being a mother hen and tell it to attack!"
Shu Feng commanded in a low voice, "Big Black, attack with everything you've got!"
A faint crimson glow appeared in Big Black's eyes, and wisps of black mist coiled around its limbs. It suddenly erupted forward, pouncing at You Meng like a cheetah.
"Not bad!"
You Meng's eyes lit up. Her long, slender legs sprang into action, and she sent a powerful kick into Big Black's side.
THUD!
Like a rag doll, Big Black was thrown hard against the wall. But the moment it landed, a vicious light flashed in its eyes, and it lunged again, pouncing madly at You Meng.
This War Beast, synthesized by the Mysterious Base, would attack its enemies relentlessly unless Shu Feng ordered it to stop, fighting until it was destroyed.
You Meng arched an eyebrow. "That's enough, Shu Feng!"
Shu Feng shouted sharply, "Big Black, stop!"
In an instant, the red glow in Big Black's eyes vanished. It landed, leaned forward slightly, then froze and sat down on the ground.
"Such an obedient Void Demon!"
You Meng, Ma Jin, and Zhou Yang's eyes all lit up. Being widely experienced, they had all seen Void Demon Beast Taming before. Most Void Demons were savage by nature. Even under the control of a Spirit Binder, their demonic instincts were hard to suppress. It was incredibly rare to see one so obedient.
You Meng said, "In terms of pure combat power, it's already comparable to a Level 3 Spirit Warrior Apprentice who has trained in Spiritual Martial Arts. Taking into account its Special Abilities as a Void Demon, it can be rated as a Level 4 Spirit Warrior Apprentice."
"Excellent! Shu Feng, as of today, your compensation is upgraded to that of a Level 4 Spirit Warrior Apprentice, and your salary is increased to forty thousand a month. You are also now a Third-level Police Chief. I'll get you the proper credentials in a bit."
"Our organization, [Guardian Flame], is a higher authority within the police structure. However, to the general public, we are all just members of the police force," Zhou Yang explained.
A joyful glint appeared in Shu Feng's eyes. 'Forty thousand!! I'm a high-earning professional making forty thousand a month!'
In a small city like Lei Jiang City, a monthly salary of forty thousand was definitely considered high-earning professional territory. Many company vice presidents only made that much.
After graduation, Shu Feng would have been more than happy with a job that paid four thousand a month. Now, he was making a staggering forty thousand, and he was ecstatic.
Zhou Yang handed a box to Shu Feng. "These are Basic Spirit Cultivation Pills. This month's salary has already been deposited to your card. Next month, your salary will be raised to forty thousand."
Ma Jin said, "Alright! Let's go learn Spear Technique! Just keep getting stronger, and your salary will keep rising. Once you become a Spirit Warrior, a million a year is just the starting point."
'A million a year!'
Shu Feng's eyes lit up with excitement. One of the main reasons he was so drawn to the Extraordinary World was the chance to earn real money and lift his family out of poverty.
"I've already learned Spear Technique! Shu Feng, I have something to do, so I'll be going now. Take your time learning!"
With a bright laugh, Ding Xiaoxue gave a casual wave and departed.
Under Ma Jin's guidance, Shu Feng arrived at the firing range of a firearms training facility on Beiling Street.
"This is the [Black Crow]. It's the standard-issue version of the [Hei Ya], the Tier One Spiritual Spear used by the Spiritual Spear Masters of the Qianyuan Republic. For a Spiritual Spear Master, a good firearm is their best weapon and companion. Maintain it constantly, master its performance, and it will reward you in battle."
"Once you are familiar with the [Black Crow], when you advance to Spirit Warrior in the future, you can easily master the performance of the [Hei Ya] and become an outstanding Spiritual Spear Master."
Ma Jin handed Shu Feng an exquisitely beautiful black handgun. It was pitch-black, with a long, slender barrel and mysterious patterns etched into its frame.
"The [Black Crow] has a 12.5mm caliber, weighs 1523 grams, and holds a 20-round magazine. Its power and range are immense. A standard police handgun has an effective range of about 50 meters. The [Black Crow]'s is 500 meters."
"For an ordinary person who hasn't cultivated Spirit Martial Arts or the [Spirit Shield Technique], a single bullet from this will blow a massive hole right through them. It's a terrifying weapon of slaughter."
"In the future, once you learn the Spirit-Attached Bullet Technique or use special Spiritual Bullets, its power will be even more immense."