I Have Infinite Skill Points

"Winter vacation has already started..." After resting for a while, Jiang Xinyu suddenly said.

Everyone was momentarily stunned, but it only took a second for them to understand. This was a plan that had been made long ago, and had been promised by Jiang Xinyu during the summer vacation.

"There are fourteen days left until the New Year. We'll take a day off tomorrow to make preparations, and head to the Taoyuan District's intermediate trial field the day after tomorrow morning."

"Understood!"

"OK."

Wang Lan smiled without saying anything. Xie Sisi, who was leaning close to Jiang Xinyu, lowered her head slightly, a hint of disappointment crossing her face. Even if she wanted to go in, she didn't have the money.

She currently had only 500,000, and the intermediate trial field cost 100,000 a day, so ten days would be 1,000,000. She couldn't afford it.

"Sisi, why don't you come with us?" Jiang Xinyu's next words made Xie Sisi abruptly lift her head, her face showing astonishment. She seemed somewhat unable to believe it, touched with surprise.

"Sisi, I refused you last time because with your strength at that time, it would have been too dangerous to enter the trial field. But now, you've reached the professional level. As long as you stick with our team, we can still look after your safety."

"I understand, Wang Lan has explained it to me... it's just... how many days are you going in for?"

"Ten days."

"If it's ten days... my money won't be enough."

"PSSSH—" Xu Xiangwen made a disdainful sound. "You don't need to worry about money. Which one of us here lacks that? No worries, we'll cover it."

"That won't do..." Xie Sisi quickly shook her head. "That's a million, not a small sum. Even if you consider me a friend, it's not possible. I... can't accept it."

"No problem, Sisi. You told me you have five hundred thousand, right? You can put in your 500,000, and I'll front you the other half. Once we get Soul Beads inside, you can pay me back with those."

"This... alright then." Xie Sisi, though feeling like she was still taking advantage of Wang Lan, reluctantly agreed.

Now that it was settled they were going to the trial field, Xu Xiangwen and Gong Feiyu quickly left to go home and prepare. Wang Lan, however, felt there was nothing much to prepare; he just needed to bring Ghost Wail with him.

Just when he was planning to continue practicing with Jiang Xinyu and Xie Sisi to accumulate some skill points, Jiang Xinyu gave Wang Lan a look that said 'figure it out yourself' and, pulling Xie Sisi along, said they were going shopping.

Shopping? Is that helpful for improving strength?

The answer was obviously no.

Since it wasn't helpful, why bother? You guys go ahead; studying is what I love the most.

This time, not only was Jiang Xinyu at a loss for words with Wang Lan, but even Xie Sisi looked at him as if she had seen a ghost. How could such a creature still exist in this world after nearly twenty years?

「Two days later,」

Wang Lan drove himself to the entrance of the Taoyuan District's intermediate trial field. When Wang Lan arrived, Xu Xiangwen and Gong Feiyu had already booked a table at the barbecue restaurant by the entrance.

"Yo? Has our antique finally wised up today and decided to show off the family luxury car? Don't you prefer electric scooters and buses?"

Xu Xiangwen had long been drooling over the four luxury cars in Wang Lan's garage. However, Wang Lan guarded them closely and never even let Xu Xiangwen touch them, let alone lend one for a drive. These four cars were all custom models, with no identical ones on the entire Sky Blue Star. Moreover, even with Xu Xiangwen's shrewd eye, he couldn't discern which company produced these cars.

"Such big talk! Why don't you build me a subway or start a bus route here? If I don't drive, am I supposed to walk?" Wang Lan retorted.

"Has Xinyu not arrived yet?"

"She said she'd be here in twenty minutes, but..." Xu Xiangwen suddenly looked somewhat displeased.

"What's wrong?"

"When I called her, I heard Xincheng's voice, which means she hasn't set off yet. Twenty minutes... TSS!"

A distance of 42 kilometers could be covered in twenty minutes if one drove at 100 km/h. But considering the time to go downstairs, start the car, and then deal with traffic lights... that would be terrifying. No wonder Xu Xiangwen gasped; Jiang Xinyu was planning to race over here at 200 km/h!

While Wang Lan was chatting and teasing the two, a red sports car charged from a distance like a runaway stallion. An elegant drift parked the vehicle perfectly in a parking spot. The gull-wing doors opened, and Jiang Xinyu and Xie Sisi got out. It was evident from Sisi's slightly unsteady steps that she was a bit off-kilter. Wang Lan completely understood; it had been the same for him the last time.

"Good morning!" Jiang Xinyu greeted the three with a smile as she approached.

"Morning, my foot," Wang Lan immediately retorted. "You were speeding again, weren't you?"

"There are hardly any cars on this road; a speed limit is a completely superfluous design."

"I think giving you a driver's license was a completely superfluous design." Glancing at Xie Sisi, who was still blushing, he asked, "Didn't scare you, did she?"

"No... no."

"HEH..." Jiang Xinyu let out a cold laugh. "Are you mistaken about Sisi? Not only was she not frightened, but she also urged me to go faster. Her flushed face isn't from fear, but from excitement."

I believe that! Wang Lan thought. I'm even afraid of how excited Xie Sisi can get.

"The trial field opens at nine, and we have twenty minutes until then. Have you ordered?"

"Ordered long ago." Xu Xiangwen stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers.

The waiter promptly brought out the dishes: a plate of barbecued meat for each person, each piece as large as a slice of toast, charred on the outside and tender inside, the aroma tantalizing.

"It's settled. Feiyu and I will cover the fees for this trip. I'm being a fool, and so is he."

"You're the fool!" Gong Feiyu was so annoyed he almost wanted to spear the guy on the spot.

"I..." Xie Sisi lifted her head. "I brought money with me. Wasn't that what we agreed on last time?"

"That's so much trouble. Let's just pay directly. As for what was agreed upon last time, we'll settle that after we get out."

"But, I've brought the money." Saying this, Xie Sisi even held up the slightly cute canvas bag in her hand. It was quite large, perhaps a trendy style.

But the next instant, Wang Lan and the others all stopped what they were doing. "You didn't... bring five hundred thousand in cash, did you?"

"Ah! I don't have a bank card... and all the money I've earned is in cash."

"Lanzi, you've found your kin," Xu Xiangwen teased. "You're both like primitive people who've time-traveled to the present."

"What era is this, still carrying cash around? Anyway, the trial field has storage lockers. We'll put it in one then; it's not safe to leave it in the car."

"Oh!" Xie Sisi nodded obediently, so adorable that Jiang Xinyu, standing beside her, almost couldn't resist pinching her cheeks.

Twenty minutes slipped by quietly, and Wang Lan's group of five stood up and headed towards the intermediate trial field.

"Five people, ten days."

"Five million." A lean young man spoke indifferently. "Swipe your card or scan for payment?"

"Swipe the card."

"Huh? Brother Wang Lan!" Suddenly, the attendant noticed Wang Lan standing behind Gong Feiyu and called out.

Wang Lan looked up. The face was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall the name.

He recognized me, so it would be impolite not to respond, right?

"Oh— you're that... uh... that person..."

"'That person' my foot! If you don't know who I am, why pretend you do? I'm the unlucky guy who got an arm chopped off and went missing. You're the one who reattached it for me."

With those words, the lean man stood up and saluted Wang Lan. "Martial Arts Corps, Third Battalion, Second Lieutenant Gu Jia!"

Wang Lan hastily returned the salute. "Second Lieutenant Gu, I'll definitely remember you from now on. Given the circumstances back then, how could I have remembered everyone?"

"Understood. Are you with them?"

"Mm!"

"BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Deduction successful: two million!"

"..."

The five of them looked at Gu Jia, their faces full of question marks.

"Brother Wang Lan's entry to the intermediate trial field is free, and his friends get a fifty percent discount."

"This isn't against the rules, is it?" Wang Lan asked.

"Of course not. These are instructions from Corps headquarters. Brother Wang Lan, with your strength, I won't waste words. Be careful, and I wish you a bountiful harvest."

"Thank you!"

After changing into their combat suits, the squad of five regrouped.

"We haven't been to the intermediate trial field before, so we're unfamiliar with the terrain and the Exotic Beasts. Which Exotic Beast should we choose?" Gong Feiyu asked first.

"A few key points: they must be plentiful to ensure a good haul, adapted to close combat, and their habitat should have earth and water. Do we have any targets fitting that?" Wang Lan asked.

The need for abundance was self-explanatory; hunting a tribe with few Exotic Beasts would be a waste of time. Suitability for close combat was also crucial, as among the five of them, only Jiang Xinyu had long-range attack capabilities. Gong Feiyu's Earth Attribute abilities were mostly for control.

This wasn't the beginner trial field; Exotic Beasts here could appear at the Star Cloud Stage at any time. Jiang Xinyu's strength couldn't guarantee absolute suppression. Ordinary Exotic Beasts might mostly be insignificant creatures at the peak of the Starlight Stage, but there were also quite a few at the Star Shine Stage.

In short, the difficulty was more than double that of the beginner trial field.

"Got it! The Golden Mantis!" Xu Xiangwen exclaimed.

"The Golden Mantis, a Gold Attribute Exotic Beast, is located in the mining area and mainly feeds on ores. Because they consume ores year-round, their bodies undergo metallization. However, this fortification is not self-generated; instead, it's caused by Gold Attribute deposits leading to armor formation. Their joints and the gaps in the armor plating on their bellies are their weak points. The Golden Mantis's main forms of attack are its forelimbs, the Mantis Blades, and its terrifyingly powerful mandibles. Additionally, the Golden Mantis is incredibly fast and capable of short-range, low-altitude flight. Most Golden Mantises lack attribute-based attacks, but mutated ones can launch attacks of other attributes—any attribute is possible. Golden Mantises have high attack, high defense, and high agility. Most Star Martial Warriors are reluctant to provoke them."

"Seriously? I asked you to filter, and this is what you came up with?" Wang Lan said, looking at Xu Xiangwen with exasperation.

"Although the Golden Mantis seems strong, its flaws are also obvious," Gong Feiyu analyzed. "The very fact that it rarely has attribute attacks aligns well with our hunting criteria. Our squad has three specializing in physical combat arts, one with strong offensive power, one scout, and one for group control. I don't think we'll have any problems hunting Golden Mantises."

"Let's go with that then." Jiang Xinyu snapped her fingers, finalizing the target as soon as Gong Feiyu finished speaking.

The squad hurriedly made their way toward the Golden Mantis habitat, 18 kilometers from the trial field entrance. Even at full speed, it would take at least forty minutes to reach.

"Nervous?" Wang Lan asked Xie Sisi softly.

"No... not nervous. I feel like my condition has never been better."

"Stick close to me later. Absolutely do not stray more than three meters from the squad. This is the intermediate trial field, and it's our first time here," Jiang Xinyu added.