"That last slash just now, it should have been swung like this."

A sudden flash of insight surfaced in Xu Lang's mind. He twisted his wrist, changing the angle of his swing.

This time, he used less force, but the swing was much faster!

As he continued to swing, realizations kept bubbling up in his heart!

The Transcendence to Sainthood talent was continuously exerting its power!

He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he opened his information panel, he was astonished to find the War God skill had been pushed to Level 3.

Mythical-ranked skills were the pinnacle of a civilization, and he was now striding forward atop that very peak!

"This feeling is incredible. So this is how top students feel when solving problems, no wonder they can keep learning!" Xu Lang sheathed his blade, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Then, he exited the simulation dream.

Cao Yaxuan and the others were back.

...

Xu Lang got out of bed. The first thing he saw was Cao Yaxuan and the girls entering, lugging large and small bags. The corner of his mouth twitched as he asked, "What about your backpacks?"

"Full!" Cao Yaxuan replied proudly.

"Nothing sold?" Xu Lang asked.

"These things might have hidden effects. Those people didn't dare gamble, and they couldn't afford them either," Cao Yaxuan said smugly.

Xu Lang grew interested and walked over to take a look.

Xu Xiaomeng whispered, "Um... there are a lot of items with unknown effects. Sister Yazhi thought they might be useful, so she picked them all up."

Commonly known as, scavenging junk.

"What kind of talk is that, what kind of talk! Things brought back from the Blood Mist World, can they be ordinary? There must be hidden effects we haven't discovered yet!" Cao Yaxuan handed the stuff to Xu Lang. "Xu Lang, take a look. I hope you understand the principle of recognizing talent."

[Nightmare Eye·Wilderness Hound's Claw: A bone corroded by the Blood Mist, its original shape unrecognizable.]

[Nightmare Eye·Toxic Mushroom: A toxic mushroom disguised as a normal mushroom. Eating it will let you see your great-grandma.]

[Nightmare Eye·Unremarkable Withered Branch: An utterly unremarkable withered branch, its shape eerily resembling a human hand.]

"Look at this one!" Cao Yaxuan pointed at the Wilderness Hound's Claw. "This is premium stuff even the dorm can't identify, and it has no level."

[Unknown Bone]

[Type: Bone Product]

[Description: An unknown bone product that has weathered the years.]

Xu Lang fell into deep thought.

Does this thing even need a level?

Cao Yaxuan then pointed at the unremarkable withered branch, her face full of profound wisdom.

"And this one!"

"A withered branch that looks this weird, with a description calling it 'unremarkable'? Its effects definitely can't be unremarkable!"

"Haha, I brought this back by accident too. I only realized it was stuck in my backpack when I got back. It gave me a fright. Not ordinary, definitely not ordinary!"

There were significant discrepancies between the information on these pieces of junk and what the Nightmare Eye revealed. As long as Xu Lang's brain wasn't fried, he would obviously trust the Nightmare Eye.

Whoosh~

The World-Ending Heterogeneous Flame materialized in his hand. "True gold fears no fire," Xu Lang said.

"No! We worked hard to bring these back!" Cao Yaxuan, realizing what Xu Lang intended to do, quickly spread her arms to shield the pile. Her little face was smudged with dirt, looking like she was about to cry.

At this moment, she felt her labor and achievements were met with immense disapproval.

"We explored some new areas. The value of items from these zones hasn't been verified by players yet, so there's a bit more miscellaneous stuff..." Xu Ruyan explained.

"Alright, alright. Anyway, I'm telling you, most of this stuff is useless," Xu Lang said helplessly.

Fine, they could keep some junk. It's not like there weren't plenty of empty rooms in the house.

"Lang Ge, look at this one. I think it might be a good item." Tong Qi took out a dagger, speaking softly. "For a crafted item like this to survive in the Blood Mist World, it should be somewhat special."

"Nothing special about it. The Blood Mist World is just a collection of annihilated civilizations..." Xu Lang's words cut off abruptly mid-sentence. His eyes widened slightly.

[Nightmare Eye·Dagger Whose Edge is Hidden by Rust: A top-quality dagger. Let a Blacksmith restore it, and it will shine anew.]

"Where did you find this?" Xu Lang asked.

"Just to the left of the Art Institute. There's a patch of ruins there," Tong Qi gestured.

"Any more?" Xu Lang asked.

"No. This dagger was buried in the dirt. Red Butterfly and I found it together," Tong Qi replied.

Since Tong Qi and Red Butterfly found it together, there was no doubt about it.

Definitely a good item!

"I'll take this to Wenwen to get the rust removed."

Xu Lang took the dagger and was about to go find Li Wenwen when Cao Yaxuan quickly called him back, asking warily, "You can just trade it. Why go personally?"

"I was planning to head into the Blood Mist anyway," Xu Lang said with a smile.

"Come with us next time," Cao Yaxuan said, clinging to Xu Lang's arm, her tone tinged with a plaintive complaint.

Xu Lang immediately felt a wave of warmth, jade-like softness, and a cool, fragrant scent wash over him. "You'd get bored pioneering with me," he said.

Tong Qi tugged at Cao Yaxuan's sleeve. "Lang Ge's progress is too fast. He'd just be waiting for us up ahead."

Cao Yaxuan sighed. "Fine, suit yourself."

Gu Ya bit her lip slightly, looking at Xu Lang. "Do you need my assistance? I can use the Sand Eye to scout the terrain."

"You all should just rest at home. I'll be back before midnight," Xu Lang replied.

He genuinely intended to go pioneering.

His Nightmare Essence was running low, and he didn't plan to use Simulation to blaze the trail anymore.

After all, so many people had gone pioneering without incident. It couldn't be that he'd run into a BOSS the moment he stepped out, right? What were the odds of such bad luck?

"Alright, be careful," Wang Yazhi instructed.

Xu Lang acknowledged and left.

...

Pioneering Camp.

Li Wenwen ran out of her tent, eagerly looking towards the direction of the Mad King Building.

Gradually, a figure came into view.

"Lang Ge!" Li Wenwen waved and called out.

The Soul-Herding Wolf trotted beside him as Xu Lang quickly approached, greeting her with a smile. "Wenwen."

Seeing Xu Lang arrive, the third-floor players looking after Li Wenwen immediately made way.

The surrounding players also quieted down upon seeing Xu Lang.

Xu Lang took out the dagger, getting straight to the point. "Wenwen, see if you can repair this."

"The quality seems pretty good," Li Wenwen said, immediately sensing the dagger's unusual nature. "Let me try."

Not every item brought to her could be repaired.

Her Sequence development was limited. Many items made of special materials were beyond her capability.

As Li Wenwen took the dagger, her fingers deliberately and subtly brushed against Xu Lang's palm, sneakily taking advantage of the contact.

Lang Ge has gotten even more handsome!

If before, Xu Lang was a dark, handsome guy with a blend of beauty and martial prowess, now he carried an added touch of masculine allure.

Now he could not only make people swoon but also stir... reproductive desires!

In the mere seven or eight steps it took to turn and walk back to the tent, Li Wenwen stole several glances at Xu Lang. Her heart pounded wildly, and a peculiar, fluttery feeling blossomed deep within her.