Chapter 46 Offense

"Saber Courier"
"Attribute Bonuses: Vigor +5, Spirit +2, Agility +5"
"Sharpness (White Trait): When wielding a saber, deals +1 damage."
"Bloodthirsty (Blue Trait): When using saber-type keepsakes, there is a 15% chance to inflict 3 points of bleed damage per second on the enemy. This bleed damage can stack with other bleed effects."
/
"Wandering Courier"
"Attribute Bonuses: Vigor +3, Spirit +3, Agility +6"
"Mind's Eye (White Trait): Increases the judgment window for perfect dodges by 2 frames."
"Viper's Kiss (Blue Trait): Attacks following a perfect dodge ignore 50% of the target's defense."
/
"Woodland Courier"
"Attribute Bonuses: Vigor +4, Spirit +4, Agility +4"
"Woodland Kin (Blue Trait): While you are within the Dream Realm Woodlands, your comprehension temporarily increases by 50."
"Dream Realm Boon (Golden Trait): Grants you an additional choice when claiming rewards from Dream Realm Woodland chests."

After an afternoon of idle progression and practical combat training, 'Jiang Shi's' basic footwork had risen to level 7. Combined with level 5 basic fist techniques and level 8 basic saber techniques, the accumulated experience finally reached level 10, triggering the class advancement.

Yan Qing had originally assumed the three available classes would simply be derivatives of saber techniques, fist techniques, and footwork. He never expected an entirely unexpected class to appear: the Woodland Courier.

He guessed that this class was bound to trigger as long as a player had entered the Dream Realm Woodlands and completed their class advancement within the three-day active event window. The advantages and disadvantages of the Woodland Courier were glaringly obvious; it was a class built entirely to serve the Dream Realm Woodlands dungeon. Once the event concluded, the class would become completely obsolete. Since the Dream Realm Woodlands seemed to be an annual event—if every class advancement was equivalent to visiting a different buffet, advancing Jiang Shi to a Woodland Courier meant she could only stuff herself for the next two days, after which she would have to starve all the way until level 20.

With such an extreme and disadvantageous class, the rewards were naturally profoundly generous.

Comprehension +50. Although numerically this simply meant a 50% increase in experience gain, the two actually functioned differently during gameplay because "The Courier" possessed a hidden mechanic.

Comprehending techniques and creating one's own techniques.

These two functions sounded high-end, but in reality, aside from hardcore progression pioneers, most ordinary players would never touch them. It wasn't that ordinary players were locked out of such high-end features; rather, ordinary players had a much better option.

Directly purchasing advanced techniques.

If you can just buy them, why bother comprehending them yourself?

Only at the very launch of a new version, when top-tier players pioneering the new content encountered fresh material without any technique drops, would the game system—based on the player's comprehension, frequently used keepsakes, and preferred combat styles—allow them to directly comprehend a technique set perfectly tailored to them. Comprehension directly influenced the probability of successful insight.

Though called "comprehending techniques," it was essentially a pity system for bad luck—when others got drops on their first dungeon run while you failed to get a single drop after ten, the system took pity on you and handed you a reward.

As the version progressed, top players would accumulate numerous technique manuals they had no use for, naturally flooding them into the market. Players in the second and third tiers who caught up later wouldn't need to painstakingly comprehend techniques like the pioneers; they could simply purchase them straight from the market.

Yet in this world, things had changed.

Technique manuals had become strategic resources, kept strictly within faction internals and never circulated externally. Consequently, Yan Qing encountered an unexpected predicament: his alt characters were hitting leveling bottlenecks.

Leveling bottlenecks did exist in the game, but they only occurred after the fourth class advancement. Yet his highest-level alt, 'Ye Si,' had already hit a bottleneck—he had only comprehended a single advanced saber technique. Without a second advanced technique, he lacked the accumulated experience required to advance to level 20.

As long as he lacked a second advanced technique, "Ye Si" would remain permanently stuck at level 18.

As for when he might comprehend a second advanced technique... he was a hardcore gamer who had started with 0 comprehension!

Therefore, the Woodland Courier's trait of granting "+50 comprehension inside the Dream Realm Woodlands" held unimaginable significance in this world. As long as Jiang Shi could comprehend two or three advanced techniques within the next two days, she was guaranteed to break through the level 20 threshold in the future, surpassing Ye Si to become his strongest alt!

Breaking through the level 20 threshold...

The more Yan Qing thought about it, the more absurd it felt. A milestone that took anywhere from a minute to half an hour to cross in the game had actually transformed into a formidable barrier requiring careful planning in this reality.

Yet the greatest value of the Woodland Courier undeniably lay in its golden trait, "Dream Realm Boon," which allowed the player an extra choice during the reward settlement of the Dream Realm Woodlands. Even though Yan Qing knew nothing about the rewards of the Dream Realm Woodlands settlement, this single trait alone was enough to tell him that the rewards for this limited-time annual dungeon must be quite substantial.

The Woodland Courier would never secure a spot in any meta build, but in this world—at this specific juncture where Yan Qing had no alts above level 20—it was unquestionably the optimal choice.

"Congratulations to the player for advancing to 'Woodland Courier'."
"You have gained Vigor +4, Spirit +4, Agility +4!"
"You have unlocked Spirit Power. Current Spirit Power: 0/20"

At that moment, both Jiang Shi and Qian Gongyu were resting after their spar. The imposing aura of Jiang Shi's class advancement was so conspicuous that Qian Gongyu, standing right beside her, naturally noticed it immediately.

"You advanced?"
"Mm."
"Does that mean we don't have to spar anymore?" There was a mixture of flattery and wishful thinking in Qian Gongyu's smile, like a puppy tired out from being walked. "Since you've already advanced—"
"Advancement means we need to push ourselves even further. Sparring is always more effective than solo training. Now that I've advanced, we can start using keepsakes for actual combat spars. Eldest Miss, don't you want to improve?"
"...I do."

Outside, a commotion suddenly arose. Many people had gathered at the camp entrance, seemingly welcoming the arrival of an important figure.

Over a dozen carriages belonging to prominent clans had already arrived at the camp that afternoon. Some had originally planned to come but were delayed on the road, while others had rushed over frantically upon receiving the news—the two types were easily distinguishable. The former were mostly weak aristocratic youths heavy with the scent of cosmetics, while the latter were invariably middle-aged men with weapons at their sides.

People had constantly tried to approach Jiang Shi and Qian Gongyu for conversation, but immediately after leaving the Dream Realm Woodlands, Jie Yuanshao and Shang Xinlei had reorganized the camp's carriage layout. Flanking left and right, their two double-decker luxury carriages sandwiched the Qian family's inconspicuous noble carriage in the middle, guarded by numerous sentries patrolling the perimeter.

Faced with such an obvious display of protection, naturally no one dared to bypass the two major clans to approach the Qian family. Thanks to this, the Qian family had enjoyed a peaceful afternoon.

However, monopolizing exclusivity could not last forever.

A servant was seen walking toward their direction. Although guards from both the Jie and Shang families stepped up to block the way, after a brief exchange, they stepped aside to let the servant approach the Qian family carriage.

"Family Head Qian Gongyu, Guard Jiang Shi, tonight's banquet is about to begin. The various great clans sincerely invite you both to grace us with your presence."
"Thank you, but we already have plans," Qian Gongyu quickly said. "Tonight we are dining with the Shang family's Fourth Miss."
"We will be attending."

Everyone turned their heads to see Shang Xinlei stepping out of her carriage. Despite accepting the invitation, there was not a trace of a smile on Shang Xinlei's face as she waved her hand as if shooing away a fly. "Go back and tell Qun Yushu that we will all be in attendance."

Once the servant had departed, Qian Gongyu asked belatedly, "Qun Yushu? Could it be..."
"A smiling-faced cripple, an eyesore who ruins one's appetite," Shang Xinlei said irritably. "Unfortunately, he happens to be the face of the Qun family's current generation; we can't afford to give him no face."
"And it's not just Qun Yushu; the Elder of the Chen family, Chen Linchuan, has also arrived, along with various other miscellaneous prominent clans... Even the Jie family and I cannot keep them locked outside indefinitely."
"The Qun family and the Chen family!"

Completely lacking self-awareness that she herself belonged to the category of 'miscellaneous,' Qian Gongyu exclaimed excitedly, "Four of the Seven Great Noble Families have actually gathered in this camp!"
"The Seven Great Noble Families?"
"The Three Purple-Ribbon Clans and the Four Crimson-Gate Surnames. The Qun family is one of the Purple-Ribbon lineages, possessing a heritage as long-standing as the Jie family; the Chen family is a Crimson-Gate clan just like the Shang family, guarding the borderlands at the Guangling Military Garrison for generations." As she spoke, Qian Gongyu finally seemed to realize something, her legs turning to jelly and her voice trembling: "Those are crimson-and-purple aristocratic titans who could crush the Qian family with a flick of their pinky fingers..."
"Xinlei, can we please not go to the banquet?!" Qian Gongyu pleaded stammeringly, "People of our status don't belong in that kind of setting..."
"Xiao Yu, you're so brave," Shang Xinlei clapped her hands. "To accept an invitation and then deliberately stand them up right in front of so many prominent clans, delivering a severe humiliation to the key figures of two major lineages—even I wouldn't dare pull a stunt like that."
"Ah? Th-th-then what do we do?" Panicking like an ant on a hot pan, Qian Gongyu tightly hugged Shang Xinlei's arm like a koala. "Xinlei, save me!"
"Relax, relax," Shang Xinlei stroked Qian Gongyu's head. "With me here, they won't swallow you whole. And don't forget, Jie Yuanshao and Jie Zilong are on our side too. While the Qun and Chen families must be given face, the Shang and Jie families aren't pushovers either. Hurry back and change your clothes, and we'll head over together."

Qian Gongyu nodded repeatedly, turned toward Jiang Shi—who was still practicing her saber techniques in the open space—and shouted, "Jiang Shi, stop training! It's time to change clothes!"

Jiang Shi halted her swings and slowly turned around.

The sun was about to set, and two-thirds of the sky had already turned a deep night-blue, encroaching upon the remaining third of fiery red.

Jiang Shi stood right at the boundary between light and darkness, only half her face illuminated by the setting sun.

Beautiful, and cold.

Even after fighting side by side and sharing life-and-death hardships with her, Qian Gongyu and Shang Xinlei could not detect a shred of warmth in this person's eyes.

"I'm not going. I have rations; I don't need to attend the banquet."

Qian Gongyu opened her mouth and stammered, "B-but the people who invited us are from the Qun and Chen families. They are aristocratic nobility, people we can't afford to offend. Even Xinlei..."

Under Jiang Shi's gaze, Qian Gongyu's voice grew fainter and fainter until it was barely audible.

"I'm not stopping you from going. I just aren't going."
"I know you can't afford to offend them, and Shang Xinlei can't afford to offend them either."
"But what makes you think..."

Night completely swallowed the last remnants of twilight, plunging the world into dusk as campfires ignited all around. Jiang Shi was bathed in the gathering night, her eyes gleaming as brightly as a leopard's in the deep jungle. The plain iron straight-saber she gripped in her hand emitted a biting, razor-sharp chill.

Clearly, she was merely a courier who had just completed her first class advancement; clearly, they themselves were the experts of higher standing, but for some reason... Shang Xinlei did not even dare to look her in the eye.

"I wouldn't dare offend them?"