The two of them discussed for a while in the cabin. Shen Ruyue hugged her pillow, sat on the edge of the bed, and grumbled with a whine, complaining:

“Oh dear, following you around for all these months, just for this moment. Sigh. Could I have been cursed by someone too? Hong Hong, forget about the other rising forces for now. But hey, is this bad luck because you didn’t pay enough for dinner last time? “

“… ” Hong Haocheng turned around, rubbed the tip of his nose, and said, “Don’t talk about trivial stuff like that. Leave a message for that kid Bai Yuan, saying, ‘The situation has changed. Yang Zicang might escape the death threat this time again. Pay attention and proceed with the backup plan.’ “

The woman pouted, sulked for a while in silent frustration, then stood up hugging the pillow: “I’ll go write it. “

After walking a few steps, she turned back at the door and said:

“Brother Hong, leaving me out of this ancient gold this time is fine. Hey, do you know if there’s any other place where I could get a full stamp emblem? “

She became a bit excited:

“We might be able to try our luck and, in those evolving worlds, bump into other scenarios that have actually appeared in real history… “

“Ah… Hmm… ” Hong Haocheng scratched his head, “Gui Fen, you don’t seriously believe I’m some kind of angel who knows the past and future and controls everything in the world, do you! “

A pillow came flying at him, “Refuse to tell me, huh? Fine then, keep it! “

With a humph, Shen Ruyue stroked her smooth, dark hair, pursed her lips, pulled open the door, and walked out.

……

Boboli’s arrival made Yang Zicang feel as though his heart had finally tasted a long-lost joy.

After chatting a while about their recent circumstances, Yang Zicang said with regret:

“It’s a pity the civilization here has already been destroyed. Otherwise… I’d really love to take you to see the cities we built together back then. “

Boboli gazed at the boundless land, the broken bones scattered around, and the massive ‘lizard’ that crouched on the Gobi, its head tucked beneath its bony wings. To think such a creature could be found here—it was nothing short of a miracle.

“Don’t be upset, big brother. The Postmark World was always meant to train us, wasn’t it? ” Boboli held back the urge to blurt out a certain piece of information.

“But there’s nothing left here worth training for. Even with your abilities… we can’t find anyone here to grind levels with. “

“Heh heh, ” as if he had been waiting for just that question, Boboli twisted at the waist and, under the gaze of the two beside him, took off the rather cute little bag from his back.

As the scent emanating from it drifted over, the other two drew closer, watching the boy pull out book after book from the backpack.

“What’s… this? ” Calder looked in surprise at the uniform covers; only the vertical text written across them varied.

Dragon-Elephant Cloud-Rain Sword,Quaking Earth Palm Technique,Cloud-Splitting Sword Slash Art…

“Holy Flame Demon Vanquishing Art… ” After Calder read the title aloud, his face suddenly changed. “Wait, don’t tell me all of these are meant for cultivation practice? “

Qiao Bing had already flung himself onto the ground, paddling like he was swimming, and dog-paddled the few books Boboli had taken out over to his side.

“I hit the jackpot! This is what winning the lottery feels like! “

He wasn’t wrong; Yang Zicang also thought the guy had simply stumbled onto a stroke of pure luck.

“Holy crap, so this is how you use a ‘Complete Stamp Emblem’! If you train here, you’ll just learn it directly in the real world when you go back, right? ” Qiao Bing hugged the bookbag blissfully.

Hearing this, Kadeng turned his head in disbelief to look at Qiao Bing lying at his feet.

His throat moved slightly, a huge wave of shock rising in his heart.

Is this true? The Fogfolk actually have an ability like this! How is anyone supposed to compete with that?

But Boboli’s next line made Kadeng’s heart feel a little lighter.

“You learn it, sure, but when you get out, it’s just the learning experience. So you’ll still have to train again in the real world, it’ll just mean a lot fewer wrong turns and a much faster pace. “

Kadeng wiped his brow in relief, relaxing.That’s more like it. The Fogfolk aren’t invincible…he thought. But the very next line nearly made him stumble.

“No need to worry, though, ” Boboli puffed out his chest. “I’m here this time, so I can save everyone from that hassle. As long as you follow my plan, you’ll be able to learn it directly when you get out, too. And that includes you, you bad guy. “

Kadeng shrank his head back.

“Wh—what? Is that true? ” Qiao Bing, who had been so disappointed a moment ago, lit up with surprise. “What other tricks do you guys have up your sleeves? “

Yang Zicang watched the two, who were both shocked and delighted, a glimmer of contemplation in his eyes.

Boboli had come prepared, bringing new secret techniques with him.

He looked down at theHoly Flame Subduing Artin his hands, and then at the few remaining books on the blanket.

With these new secret techniques, not only could these two help with the “power-leveling, ” but he himself could also create new techniques. He no longer had to worry that the abilities he’d already learned couldn’t be further cultivated and turned into spell tomes.

Although it was arduous and tedious, it was still a way to acquire some new manuals. Last time it was Moli, now it was Boboli… but the delight he felt had already faded.

“Big brother, ” Boboli called out to the contemplative Yang Zicang. The boy forced a smile and said:

“You’re thinking that this time, it’s only us left to repeat the studying, right? “

“You… don’t tell me you have some other plan… Wait, you haven’t already succeeded in the frequency ascension, have you? “

The boy nodded solemnly.

“Yes. I’m a model of the same type as you now. “

Joy lit up Yang Zicang’s face.

The two beside him watched as the boy stood up. He unbuttoned his double-breasted uniform, revealing the shirt he wore underneath, and then they clearly saw a silver-white halo, like a ring, materialize. A single point inside it rapidly expanded into a small, spinning square.

Yang Zicang sensed something from the emotions radiating off Boboli and quickly subdued his expression of joy.

“You… “

“Speaking of which, this must be Moli’s final gift to me.” A thin, jagged line within the halo shot up to the tip of Boboli’s finger.

Moli’s final gift…!

As the boy’s words trailed off, a face instantly flashed through Yang Zicang’s mind. That person he had known for only a few days, the one who, right before his eyes, had relied on sheer willpower to shatter two shackles in quick succession, transforming from a line into a quadrilateral—even if the price, in the end, was the complete collapse of his entire model.

“Qin Meng was truly stirred…” His fist clenched involuntarily. “Did you achieve that on your own?!“

He had bent over backward to avoid steering the conversation toward Moli’s final moments; the process was all too clear, an ordeal Boboli had surely witnessed.

But now he realized: the boy’s spirit had been so deeply shaken… that it had actually triggered him to raise the frequency of his model!

This was an achievement countless people searched far and wide for means—relying on frequency-raising devices—just to attain.

“Boboli, I… I couldn’t do it, couldn’t protect…“

“It’s alright, big brother!“

The boy cut him off mid-sentence.

“Isn’t this kind of thing happening in this world all the time? I didn’t bring it up because I was worried you might worry. Well, gentlemen.” Boboli turned with a smile. “Since you already know brother’s name, you surely understand what’s at stake here, right?“

A chill crept into the hearts of Qiao Bing and Kading.

So it had finally come. The brat whose mouth hadn’t even sprouted half a fuzz.

“I have a request, you two, ” the boy said, picking up five different books. “I need your help to cultivate these secret manuals. Well, this first session is going to take you an extremely long time—a hundred years, perhaps two hundred. Regardless, in the end, they will all condense into a thin contract. “

Qiao Bing stared at him. “What the hell do you mean by that? “

A laser-like line shot out and projected onto him.

｛Bobboli has used “Power-Leveling Covenant ” on me.｝

｛Power-Leveling Covenant: I may jointly research a skill assigned by the primary party with fellow selectees. Upon the arrival of the “Stipulated Time Limit, ” or “All Team Members’ Lives Reach Zero, ” or “Designated Power-Leveling Witness Certification, ” the covenant will strip the skills and experience gained by the secondary party and transfer them to the witness designated by the primary party…｝

A cascade of information flashed through Qiao Bing and Card Stool’s minds. The two were stunned for a long time before Qiao Bing suddenly leaped to his feet and shouted:

“Good grief! What kind of goddamn ability is this?! You can just take away the martial skills we learn?! Huh, are you a capitalist? Pfft, a slave driver?! “

“By the holy ancestors! This is just… just like… ” Card Stool’s fingers trembled as he pointed at the boy before abruptly realizing his rudeness and snatching his hand back.

“Like what? ” Yang Zicang asked, his face tensing.

“N-Nothing, nothing. “

In the next moment, that same laser-like line projected onto Yang Zicang himself, vanishing in a flash.

A jolt of surprise struck Yang Zicang, quickly followed by a wave of delight.

｛Boppoli wants to make an active investment in me.｝

｛Boppoli has invested 5000N Full Authority Chronos in me.｝

“Brother Yang, the upper limit on the number of allies my position unlocks is… you know my situation, it can’t exceed ten thousand years, so my current position is just ‘Thousand-rank,’ which perfectly matches the four of us. I’m only telling you this. “

“I understand. By the way, is the ability of this new contract to concentrate the skills we each learn into one collective contract, or can we even share the experience gained from learning the same technique with each other? “

“It’s partial synergy! If we study a secret manual or some other life skill together, although we won’t be able to directly master the skills that other alliance members have already grasped, like using a finished level-boosting contract book, we will at least gain a lot of experiential insights—just like having someone guide us hand in hand. “

“I see. In that case, if you can raise your position further, then… my god, even as it is now, you’d be able to master new skills quickly going back to the city. “

This evolved model ability is an incredibly powerful time-saver.

Qiao Bing and Ka Deng’s faces were shifting between light and shadow. These few secret manuals seemed like sparkling gold bars, captivating their attention. Yet, on the other hand, the existence of the ‘Leveling Contract’ kept stirring up unease in their hearts.

The thought that the martial arts they had painstakingly practiced could be taken away from them at any moment—even though they hadn’t obtained them yet—made them feel like they were walking on rootless duckweed, ready to sink back into the water at any time.

“Bo… Brother Polly. ” Ka Deng spoke as if standing before a bank counter but could only look on helplessly, “Are you really asking us to learn these martial skills? “

“That’s right. ” Boboli said with a smile, spreading his palm to show five fingers. “Five secret manuals. If you guys study them together, on average, a complete ‘Substitute Training Covenant’ book might be born in about forty years. And I’ll lay it all out flat: if you perform well, in the last round of study, I’ll designate my eldest brother as a witness. Even if you return to reality, due to the influence of our model’s abilities, you won’t lose any experience. “

Hearing this, Qiao Bing was startled, then his face turned bitter as he said, “I know what you’re plotting, kid. “

“So, with this opportunity laid right in front of you, will you take it? ” Boboli said, holding the five secret manuals in his hand like he was showing his cards. “As long as you don’t expose my eldest brother’s information, I’ll ask him to never actively take back that last ‘Substitute Training Covenant’ book! “

“This… ” Qiao Bing’s face changed colors several times. Letting this kid continuously strip away the skills he’d mastered himself… This guy was even more of a bloodsucker than his former boss! Damn it… These books were so tempting; they clearly contained five different elemental energies!

As for Ka Deng, he had no room left to bargain. Let alone the possibility of being killed if he refused, even just the lifespan required to repeatedly learn these skills would have him dying of old age after the first round alone.

These Fogfolk… in this damned mysterious world, would they at least lend him some of that lifespan they could trade as chips?

……

The entire four-person team was split into two alliances.

Cardeng has obtained can-be-devince granted direct guarantee-from-brand no-write-up-exceeding-but-refuser-quiry standard invested contracts-featured big firm-mana-earnest-m. Each sum declass grant us several major term gains thus long-last-to-doom level-of growth you-did-stand-act-abs-def with hold.

Until this moment is only that have Yangji, able-see ready research-on so-called “Gold-Blizzard-Level intmre-data“. Inform-set pro not ability quick pick can tell top beyond knowledge due as us level range lower about does with-1-kind understand … main me know want only terms large… Bobolis unable even purpose apply. People-know-even says after long, huge crowd pausing return discover power of all seekers have search history being come-with immense impact there day for dream-run-com yet proper using cannot explain done no work-more simply this! … Two seek go help through go-accuracy matters left break start planning place like best form to one understand!

And Yang Zicang was also unaware that in reality, the two people who knew the role of the “Ancient Gold ” inside and out were both deceiving him for different reasons.

One was retaliating purely out of spite, while the other had read about past experiences, knew that someone had already promised to tell “Brother Yang, ” and chose to play dumb in front of others.

Time passed day by day like this.

Every day at dawn, you could see Qiao Bing and this native training their punches at the top of the hills, which greatly pleased Boboli, the client.

Yang Zicang, on his part, chose a “Metal Element ” secret technique he was lacking and began cultivating quietly.

Faint energy channels within him, emanating a sharp and firm aura, subtly flickered — a phenomenon that never occurred when he learned secret techniques before. This was perhaps the benefit of completing the five elements and enhancing his mental strength.

The secret manual of “Azure Dragon Regret, Sundering Mountains ” rested open on his crossed legs.

As he absorbed the first half of the mental technique, the youth’s aura gradually steadied, and faint traces of gold energy rose from the airborne stillness near the ground.

WHOOSH~

One noon, after several days with his eyes closed, Yang Zicang finally exhaled. A few figures approaching from a distance saw him open his eyes and strode over on their long, bony legs.

{My esteemed Liege of the Undying King. }

Yang Zicang’s brow relaxed.

“You’re here, Captain. How are those soldiers coming along with their training?“

{I know that even with your vast, endless time, you wouldn’t waste it on beings like us who can barely hold onto our humanity. So to hasten the search for Lord Wu Zheng, I’ve taught them only simple language and the direction they need to search. }

“That works as well. Actually, I was thinking of trying to see if you could build a new civilization—even if it’s just… a bony one.“

The skeletal captain lowered his hand from where it had been clasped before his chest, staring straight at the Undying King seated cross-legged on the ground, and at the enormous skeletal monster covered in dirt and debris that crawled prostrate behind him. He said:

{Your Majesty, I have not tasted water nor felt the flavor of bread in a very long, long time. A civilization that passes only suffering and cannot satisfy even the most basic desires… we do not want such a thing. }