This initial demonstration by Hei Dao was not a true assessment.
It was merely a small display of an instructor’s capabilities, a practical illustration meant to convey the existence of the extraordinary.
But,
An Jianyou stepped forward, reciting the words her mentor had instructed. "The extraordinary does indeed exist, but my mentor said that all bestowal of the extraordinary comes with a price."
"You will gradually understand this through your future training. Only those who can bear the responsibility and the mission can become one of us, embarking on this uncommon path."
These were the words her mentor had told her to say, and she also felt them to be true.
As she spoke, she felt a sense of understanding and excitement.
Especially when she saw the expressions of shock, excitement, and eagerness on the faces of the candidates before her. She observed it all, a small pleasure blossoming in her heart.
As a 'senior' member of the organization, personally revealing the truth of the world to these novices and watching their worldviews shatter as they exclaimed in awe, An Jianyou found it to be… truly wonderful.
Was this the joy of a veteran?
No, no, this was just the beginning. These novices were still far from qualified to comprehend the true nature of the world. Once they passed the assessment and were granted entry into the base, they would truly have their worldviews shattered.
Thinking of this, An Jianyou’s anticipation grew.
She turned to look at her best friend, Ning Ying, who also appeared somewhat dazed. She nudged Ning Ying’s chubby cheeks.
"Ying, you should train with them too. My mentor said that if you can pass the assessment, you can also be bestowed with the seed of the extraordinary."
Train, train, train!
Ning Ying's neck rotated like a stiff puppet's, the instructor's words echoing in her mind like a demonic chant.
Training, she didn’t want to train!
Instructor Hei Dao was too… terrifying!
I don’t want to, sob, sob, sob!
…
"You all seem quite spirited."
Fang You retracted his gaze.
Before him, two seeds, no bigger than a thumbnail and hovering slightly above the ground, awaited.
—Seeds of Skill!
Expert-level or higher skills could be imprinted and charged onto these seeds, transforming them into seeds of a specific skill, from which skill fruits could be harvested.
Fang You had initially intended to imprint the skills Blade Slash and Palm Lightning, as these were their only expert-level skills.
However, after much consideration, he deemed it inadvisable.
Blade Slash and Palm Lightning were both offensive skills. While their applications might differ slightly, their fundamental purpose was largely the same. If there were enough Seeds of Skill, possessing multiple skills would offer more choices, which would indeed be beneficial.
But there weren't.
There were only two Seeds of Skill. Each one had to be used judiciously.
After days of deliberation, Fang You chose two skills—Blade Slash and Eerie Tracking!
On the left side,
He carefully observed the Seed of Skill, which emanated a faint red glow, signifying the Blade Slash skill. Brother Hei Dao had already completed the charging and imprinting over the past few days.
On the right side, the Seed of Skill remained blank.
It required an expert-level skill for imprinting.
Fang You brought up Brother Hei Dao’s status panel.
[Hei Dao]
[Physique: 14.4]
[Spirit: 4.0→4.1→4.4] (Spirit value in the previous 65 chapters was miscalculated and has been corrected.)
[Mystery: 12.3]
[Life Energy: 10.4+5]
[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Proficient: 34.6%), Blade Slash (Expert: 7.9%), Eerie Tracking (Expert: 2.3%)]
Among these, Hei Dao’s Eerie Tracking had broken through to the expert level that morning.
Enhancing Hei Dao was also a result of his careful consideration.
Since Hei Dao was appointed as the instructor, the future techniques for using Blade Slash and Eerie Tracking would be taught to the newcomers by him.
The more proficient Hei Dao became, the greater his contribution to the torch-passing would be.
However, Hei Dao was currently occupied with training the recruits. Fang You decided, using the 'Savior's Authority,' to temporarily borrow the expert-level Eerie Tracking.
*Buzz—*
Streams of information flooded in, accompanied by subtle, indescribable changes.
Fang You experienced it.
It was different from previous uses. Before, whether borrowing 'Blade Slash' or 'Eerie Manipulation,' it was for skills he didn't possess. Now, the borrowed 'Eerie Tracking' was a skill he not only knew but was also proficient in.
This perception was entirely different.
It was akin to a junior high student suddenly gaining the knowledge of high school and then looking back at their junior high textbooks.
Simple, too simple, I know all these problems!
Fang You brought up his own panel, and indeed, the proficiency of Eerie Tracking had surged.
It was a new application of his authority’s function.
Fang You closed and opened his eyes, activating Eerie Tracking.
Unfortunately, within the base, there wasn't the slightest trace of miasma, making it impossible to showcase the specialized capabilities of expert-level Eerie Tracking.
He thought for a moment and then left the room.
Standing by the window of the building outside, he gazed outwards.
Faint wisps of miasma drifted, and in the far distance, he could discern faint gray beams of light, one, two, three of them.
Hmm, and was that a small Eerie that had just spawned?
Within his field of vision,
In a dark corner several dozen meters away, the gray mist suddenly thickened slightly, and a small Eerie, about the size of a calf, appeared. Its faint silhouette, head, and hooves were all clearly visible to Fang You.
Proficient level allowed him to constantly detect invisible Eeries.
Expert level enabled him to essentially see the Eerie’s form, no longer just a gray shadow enveloped in miasma.
It was roughly akin to the ultimate, youthful version of An Jianyou's Clairvoyant Eye.
Fang You raised his hand, and a small arc of lightning shot out, annihilating the newly spawned small Eerie dozens of meters away.
He then walked back into the base.
The silver-white grand door slowly closed, then vanished as if rippling like gentle water.
In an instant, it was just a door, just a wall, with no trace of the base entrance visible. To ordinary people, there was nothing there at all.
…
Fang You returned to the lounge and, using Eerie Tracking, gazed intently, continuing to gaze at the Seed of Skill before him.
After a moment,
*Ding! Imprinting 3%!*
*Ding! Imprinting 6%!*
*Ding! Imprinting 9%!*
It took him over half an hour to fully imprint the skill Eerie Tracking. Upon checking his inventory, it now showed:
[Seed of Skill (Blade Slash)]
[Seed of Skill (Eerie Tracking)]
[Description: Plant this seed and cultivate it with Eerie Crystals to rapidly grow and bear a skill fruit. This planting requires the consumption of 20 Eerie Crystals.]
[Ding!]
[Notification: The current environment does not meet the planting conditions. Please bring the Seed of Skill to a soil environment.]
[Notification: A plantation can increase the success rate of fruiting and reduce the Eerie Crystal consumption for cultivation.]
New clues!
Unfortunately, he could only guess that such a plantation would likely not be available until the fourth level. Currently, he could only establish a training room and a lounge.
Other areas were inaccessible due to insufficient clearance.
The next level of authority required owning 10 Apostles.
However, there was a soil environment within the base, in the entertainment area on the second floor, which featured a sizable garden.
It had water, trees, and a pavilion.
An Jianyou came to knock on the door at this moment. "Mentor, there’s a mage named Ming Deng outside who wants to stay with us. He seems to have some connection with the Investigation Bureau."
Hmm.
That wasn't important. He would check on it later after he was done with his current tasks.
As for the Investigation Bureau, this area was not something that could be hidden, nor did it need to be. He was even hoping that one day the Investigation Bureau would gift him the surrounding land.
As long as the Torchlight base remained unexposed, which it wouldn't be, as non-Apostles couldn't even see the entrance.
Seizing An Jianyou as labor, Fang You instructed her to take the two seeds to the garden outside.
The young woman happily took them and ran off.
Fang You, meanwhile, picked up his phone.
He was unsure of the planting requirements for Seeds of Skill in the real world, but in the Savior Game, it was just a matter of tapping a few buttons.
[Ding!]
[Notification: The current environment meets the requirements. Do you wish to plant the 'Seed of Skill (Blade Slash)'?]
Yes!
Eerie Crystals -20!
In the distance,
On the second floor garden area of the base, An Jianyou was gently placing the two Seeds of Skill on a patch of open ground, several meters apart.
She didn't know what this was for, but her mentor's instructions must have a reason, so she followed them.
As soon as she placed them down and stepped back a few paces, An Jianyou was astonished to see the seeds, which had been hovering slightly above the ground, suddenly burrow into the soil.
Then, before her eyes, tender sprouts broke through the earth and visibly grew taller at an astonishing rate.
In just a few moments,
One, no, two, three or four-meter-tall saplings appeared before her, seemingly out of nowhere.
And on them hung strange fruits.
An Jianyou stood beneath the trees, gazing upwards, her mouth agape, unable to close it.