Ch 184: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Elder Xu laughed when he heard about the reward. “To be honest, I do have an idea. Giving her money—well, not real-world currency, but system-based dimensional currency—would be incredibly beneficial to her. For others, though, it doesn’t mean as much. Right now, it can really only be used to buy special-effect medicine. But deciding who gets that medicine and who doesn’t is still an unresolved issue, which makes it difficult to manage.

As for saving up to buy storage space, that will probably require another upgrade and several more dimensional travels before it becomes feasible. But what if we encounter greater dangers in the next few missions? I believe it’s better to enhance Yunxuan’s personal strength first. Only by making her stronger can she move forward without fear.

So I think we should give her some rewards—let her use the dimensional currency to improve herself. Consider it a strategic investment, one that will ultimately benefit all of us. Look at what happened this time: she spent all her own dimensional currency to boost her intelligence, which allowed her to learn qinggong and so much more in the martial arts dimension. Because of that, we ended up receiving a much higher settlement in dimensional currency.

Essentially, that portion of the dimensional currency was entirely earned because she improved her intelligence. And in the end, we still divided it up with her, giving her only thirty percent. We actually got the better deal.”

The commander took a sip of tea and chuckled. “You old fox, Xu. You’re making it sound like I’m shortchanging the girl. Alright, we’ll go with your plan.”

Elder Xu poured the commander another cup of tea and grinned. “I make sense, so of course you should listen to me. Right now, we have 256,000 dimensional currency in our account. How much should we allocate to her, and for what?”

The commander thought for a moment. “Intelligence. How much does it cost?”

Elder Xu flipped to the page listing the prices and pointed it out. “She’s already raised her intelligence significantly—it’s at 158 now. To increase it to 170 costs 50,000. Raising it to 180 costs 150,000. If she wants to reach 200, that’s a full one million. It’s cheaper to improve weaknesses, but the more exceptional an attribute already is, the more expensive it becomes to enhance.”

The commander nodded as he looked over the price list. “That makes sense. It should be expensive; otherwise, it would be too easy to turn someone into a superhuman. Let’s go with intelligence—give her 150,000 and raise it to 180!”

Elder Xu slapped his thigh. “Commander, you’re wise! That’s exactly what I was thinking. Nothing matters more than a sharp mind. Just like Zhuge Liang—his intelligence was unparalleled, and that’s why he never got into trouble. When you have a strong enough mind, you can adapt to any situation and survive in different dimensions.”

The commander nodded in agreement. “Right. 180 should be a major threshold. Beyond that, raising it further to 200 would cost a million, which isn’t something we can do immediately. But I believe that in most situations, 180 intelligence should be more than enough.”

Historically, the world’s most renowned scientists have had IQs around 180. These were the people who could invent things never seen before and uncover new principles and formulas. But Shen Yunxuan didn’t need to do that—her job was to think on her feet, come up with creative solutions, and adapt to any challenge. An intelligence of 180 was more than sufficient.

If Shen Yunxuan weren’t smart and brave enough, then in other dimensions, she would be too restrained to act effectively. That would also limit those assigned to protect her, ultimately reducing what they could bring back. Even if they saved up for storage space, they might not have enough valuable items to transport, making the extra space useless.

Weighing the pros and cons, prioritizing Shen Yunxuan’s development in the short term was the most critical choice. Besides, so far, the government had only provided personnel, and even then, they hadn’t been pushed to their limits. Compared to past military operations, this was far less effort-intensive. The dimensional currency and items they had acquired were essentially free.

So what was the harm in using those resources to enhance Shen Yunxuan? It was a completely justified investment!

The commander and Elder Xu were both forward-thinking. They weren’t fixated on small-scale gains, so they had no hesitation in spending where necessary. The commander even joked, “When I retire, I want to tag along on one of these dimensional trips. I want to see what these different worlds are like. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll turn them all into our backyard, securing an endless supply of resources. Then, what’s stopping us from becoming the strongest?”

Indeed, if handled properly, with the right safeguards in place, these other dimensions could essentially become tributary states. They could trade with them repeatedly, gaining an endless supply of high-quality resources. How could they not become stronger?

Because Shen Yunxuan was bringing an unimaginably bright future to the country, the government had no reservations about rewarding her. Without hesitation, they allocated 150,000 dimensional currency to her.

When Shen Yunxuan heard the news, she was completely stunned. Was this really happening?

She gladly accepted the reward and immediately used it to boost her intelligence. “System, system! Increase my intelligence—make me smarter!”

System: “Host, the intelligence boost has been successfully applied. Your intelligence is now at 180, placing you among the top 0.0000001% of people worldwide. Congratulations!”

The first thing Shen Yunxuan noticed was that she could now visualize a memory palace! Every piece of information she had ever encountered, even things she thought she had forgotten, had returned to her. She could recall even a single phrase she had only heard once, with perfect clarity.

Her memory now resembled a vast palace filled with countless rooms, cabinets, and drawers where she could neatly categorize and store information. She could retrieve any memory at will without it interfering with her thoughts. She had complete control over it—every piece of knowledge in her mind was now fully at her disposal.

What thrilled her the most was that the countless memories from the “book of memories” no longer needed to be stored separately. They had fully merged with her own memories! It felt as though she had already lived through multiple worlds, experienced countless lifetimes, and undergone all the joys, sorrows, and struggles of different dimensions. It was as if she had truly been there, and every memory was as real as if she had personally experienced it.

And so, all the knowledge from “Best Actress Shen Yunxuan,” “Beloved Consort Shen Yunxuan,” “Cultivator Shen Yunxuan,” and every other persona she had studied fully integrated into her memory, truly becoming a part of her. She now directly remembered the cultivation techniques of “Cultivator Shen Yunxuan,” the gestures for drawing talismans, and the methods for setting up formations. She also recalled the acting techniques of “Best Actress Shen Yunxuan.”

It felt as if these were all skills she had once mastered but had become rusty over time. Now, she just needed to practice them a bit to regain her proficiency. She no longer had to struggle through learning from scratch. This was an incredible surprise—one that only she was aware of, not even the system.

Shen Yunxuan felt a deep sense of gratitude toward the nation and actively proposed expanding the armed forces division by recruiting more elite soldiers, with her personally leading them in martial arts training.

Her physical fitness was already exceptional, and her comprehension and creativity were equally strong. As a result, her progress in qinggong was the fastest. Now, none of the twenty special forces soldiers could outrun her—even though they had undergone years of rigorous training. And yet, she had only been practicing for a few days. This proved just how powerful martial arts could be.

While dimensional travel might not require a large number of soldiers, those trained in these skills could be reassigned to other government sectors or deployed to the front lines in foreign operations. Shen Yunxuan’s proposal essentially meant that she was willing to help the nation cultivate top-tier martial artists.

When the Special Affairs Bureau sent invitations to major military districts, only the highest-ranking leaders knew the full details. The rest were merely informed that they needed to select the best candidates.

Among the top-performing soldiers, a small number learned from their superiors that they were being recruited into the Special Affairs Bureau. Rumors quickly spread among them.

“What’s going on? Two months ago, they already selected twenty elite special forces soldiers, and now they’re selecting more? No one knows where those guys went or what they’re doing. Could something have happened to them?”

“They’re picking only the absolute best—it must be for an extremely difficult mission. If they’re selecting more so soon, maybe the others didn’t make it. But we didn’t become elite soldiers to live in comfort. The harder the mission, the more we should step up. What’s there to be afraid of?”

“It’s not the mission I’m scared of… I’m afraid of ghosts! You all know I fear nothing—my head can be cut off, my blood can flow, but ghosts? No way. And this Special Affairs Bureau… just listen to the name. It sounds like they deal with supernatural stuff.”

“Quit listening to ghost stories. There’s no such thing as ghosts! Special Affairs probably means classified missions. It doesn’t fit into any other department, so they made a separate institution for it. If they weren’t recruiting from our elite forces, we wouldn’t even know it existed.”

“When you put it that way, it makes sense. We should trust science, right? I’ve been in the army for ten years and never seen a ghost. That proves they don’t exist. Fine, I’ll go all out. If I get selected, I’ll see for myself what kind of top-secret mission this is.”

“Get in line. Stop with the ‘I’ll go’ nonsense. If you want in, prepare properly. I heard the selection process this time is extremely strict, and we’re not allowed to tell even our families about it. Think carefully before deciding. Don’t back out after getting selected—that would embarrass our entire unit.”

Similar conversations played out across different military districts. No one could guess what the mission entailed, but most assumed it was an extremely high-risk, classified operation—possibly even a suicide mission. Still, not a single soldier hesitated. All of them volunteered for extra training, determined to give their best in the selection process.

Three days later, after undergoing rigorous screening—including assessments of physical fitness, undercover skills, knowledge, adaptability, family background, and psychological disposition—thirty of the best special forces soldiers were chosen. They then underwent intensive political training before being sent to the Special Affairs Bureau.

The soldiers who weren’t selected were puzzled. “Why does even a minor shortcoming disqualify us? Even having a hot temper isn’t allowed? Isn’t this selection process way too strict?”

Even those who made the cut were confused. Why was their pre-mission training focused entirely on political awareness? The main takeaway seemed to be: Love your country, stay loyal, resist temptation, and never defect.

They were bewildered. What kind of mission was this? What kind of temptations would they face that could even make soldiers like them consider betraying their country? Could it be that the first batch of twenty soldiers had defected, sold out their comrades, and gotten everyone killed?

When they finally arrived at the Special Affairs Bureau from all across the country, they learned that their personnel files had already been transferred exclusively to the bureau’s control. Everything about this was highly unusual and difficult to decipher.

The thirty soldiers entered the Special Affairs Bureau building, immediately noticing how different it was from any other facility. Security was even tighter than in a military district. The guards and entry screening were at top-secret security levels. The windows were made of bulletproof glass, and the walls were built from special materials that were waterproof, fireproof, and exceptionally durable. The guards at the entrance were armed, and with just one glance, the soldiers could tell these guards were at least as skilled as themselves.

What the hell kind of place is this? The thirty soldiers were full of questions.

Xu Wen’an and Xu Wenyu were in charge of welcoming them. The meeting was held directly in the physical training hall on the first floor.

“We’ve already reviewed your backgrounds and selection results in detail,” Xu Wen’an addressed them. “You are all fully qualified to meet the needs of our bureau’s armed division. Welcome to the Special Affairs Bureau.

“I’m sure you’re all very curious about what exactly we do here. So now, let me give you a brief introduction to the types of situations you might encounter.”

Xu Wenyu projected the edited compilation of different dimensions onto a large screen and turned off the lights, making it feel like an immersive movie experience.

The first scene showed the streets of an interstellar dimension, with flying cars filling the sky, highly intelligent ground-cleaning robots, and objects materializing out of thin air.

The thirty soldiers exchanged looks, all thinking they must have misheard. What did they say they were about to see? Situations the bureau might encounter? What kind of situation? Cars flying in the sky?

Then came the apocalyptic dimension, showing staggering, mutilated zombies lunging at humans. This immediately made the soldiers sit up straighter, their expressions turning serious. Now this seemed like a real mission. They assumed that some foreign laboratory had leaked a virus, actually creating zombies in the real world, but the public hadn’t been informed yet. Perhaps they had been selected to eliminate the threat before it got out of control.

As they intently studied the zombies, analyzing their weaknesses and movement patterns, the screen suddenly switched to a world of giants. A pterosaur flew across the scene, leaving everyone stunned and speechless. Was that a pterosaur? Then, they saw three-meter-tall giants speaking in an unknown language and living in tribal settlements. Someone was about to ask a question when suddenly, Elder Xu and Elder Chen appeared on the screen.

They recognized these two senior leaders! What were they doing in a video like this?

Then they saw Xu Wen’an, Xu Wenyu, and their fellow soldiers, Zheng Song and Liu Heng, alongside a young woman they didn’t know. What was going on? Was this some kind of promotional video? Or… were these actual supernatural creatures in the world?

The Special Affairs Bureau—did its name imply handling things that normal people wouldn’t believe? Was all of this real? And those enormous trees, the giant fruits the size of watermelons—what were those? Where in the world could this be? An uncharted island?

Before they could process their shock, the footage changed again—this time to a martial arts world. A man wielding a saber and another wielding a sword were engaged in a fierce battle, blood covering their bodies. Then, Elder Xu and the others appeared in the footage again, this time accompanied by the twenty special forces soldiers they had been wondering about! And they were all wearing ancient Chinese clothing and wigs.

The next scenes showed their attack on the demonic cult. The soldiers saw mist bombs, machine guns, and sniper ambushes taking down targets with a single shot. They watched every detail closely—these were real bullets, real one-shot kills. It looked like a documentary, not some special effects film.

But if this was real, how could a martial arts world like this exist? If it did, how could the entire human race not have discovered it?

After giving them some time to rest, Shen Yunxuan notified everyone to change into training gear and gather in the first-floor physical training hall. This was the first official meeting between the newly arrived thirty soldiers and the legendary girl they were assigned to protect—Shen Yunxuan.

The thirty soldiers had many thoughts running through their minds, especially after learning that Shen Yunxuan held a military rank. It wasn’t dissatisfaction, but their thoughts were in chaos. They couldn’t quite comprehend what kind of situation this was.

Shen Yunxuan understood that this reaction was normal. Not wanting to waste time, she walked directly into the middle of the group and said, “Let’s have a fight. Who wants to spar with me? Standard combat training.”

Among the soldiers, there were both men and women, but when they stood in formation, their military posture made Shen Yunxuan seem especially small and slender in contrast. Spar with her? The thirty new arrivals exchanged glances, but no one stepped forward.

Shen Yunxuan smiled. “Alright, let’s change the rules. Whoever catches me gets to be the team leader. Everyone can join in!”

With that, she took off running.

The soldiers looked at each other for a brief moment before immediately springing into action. The challenge wasn’t about hurting anyone—just catching her. And the prize was a leadership position? Of course, they had to compete!

The twenty soldiers who had arrived earlier stood to the side, watching the show. Meanwhile, the thirty newcomers went from treating it as a relaxed exercise to going all out in shock, yet they still couldn’t even touch the hem of Shen Yunxuan’s clothing. She darted around the training hall, leaving afterimages in her wake. It was as if she were teleporting among them. Just when someone thought they had her within reach, she would vanish before they could extend their hand.

The thirty soldiers stood dumbfounded in place, turning in circles to search for her. But all they could see were fleeting shadows—no matter how they reached out, they couldn’t grab her. Their eyes widened.

“How is this even possible?”

Shen Yunxuan returned to the stage without the slightest trace of exhaustion. Her breath was steady, her face unflushed, as if she hadn’t just performed the impossible.

She smiled and announced, “Starting today, I will teach you all this qinggong. Since you arrived late, you’ll have to work extra hard to catch up. On the first of next month, we have a mission. If your lightness skill isn’t up to standard, you’ll have to stay behind for extra training—you won’t be allowed to go.”

The soldiers returned to their positions, their expressions filled with excitement.

Qinggong! This was real qinggong! And they were about to learn it!

Something so unbelievable had just become reality. After witnessing firsthand that not a single one of them could catch Shen Yunxuan, not a single person had any doubts left. They all stared at her with unwavering focus, eyes burning with passion—the passion of those who admired strength, the fire of excitement.

They had made the right choice coming here!

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆