Chapter 9: Zhuzi’s Profession

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Pain shot through Zhuzi's shoulder as the Long-Necked Human-Face Beast bit down hard. One hand gripped the creature's long neck tightly, but its bite force, said to rival two Siberian tigers, made him feel like his shoulder would be ripped clean off.

At that moment, a familiar voice reached him.

"Zhuzi, don't be afraid, I'm here!"

After over ten years of friendship, Zhuzi instantly recognized the voice as Jiang Kai's.

"Hold its head down!" Jiang Kai roared.

Zhuzi obeyed without hesitation. Then, with a sickening thud and a spray of blood, sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

Jiang Kai had gripped the steel-like sting of the Poison-Spiked Boar with both hands and driven it with all his strength into the grotesque face of the Human-Face Beast. The timing of the ambush was perfect, and the steel sting pierced straight through the beast's face, lodging deep into its throat.

The Heavenly Profession System chimed in with a female voice:

[Kill confirmed. Earned 2 experience points. 98 points remaining to level up.]

[Item acquired: Corpse of the Long-Necked Human-Face Beast (can be dissected)]

The beast's massive corpse transformed into a card on the ground. The card depicted the beast in its death throes.

"Kai?" Zhuzi turned around, his face lit with excitement as he saw Jiang Kai.

But Jiang Kai had no time to celebrate. Snatching the card from the ground, he barked, "We need to leave, now!"

—

The two retreated to a cluster of rocks by the river.

The trial zone offered no truly safe zone, and their conditions weren't ideal for traveling far. The area allowed Zhuzi to clean his wounds and provided clear sightlines for spotting potential threats. For now, it was the best place to rest.

Zhuzi's injuries were severe, with deep gashes all over his body, blood seeping from every wound.

Jiang Kai thought to himself, 'If I were this badly hurt, I'd already be dead.'

He helped Zhuzi clean his wounds as best he could, but beyond that, Zhuzi would have to rely on his own resilience.

Despite his condition, Zhuzi appeared unusually cheerful after reuniting with Jiang Kai.

"Kai, I've been looking everywhere for you." he exclaimed, paying little attention to his injuries. "Guess what? I've changed professions!"

Jiang Kai frowned. "I noticed. If you hadn't, you'd already be dead. But where did you even get the materials for a class change?"

Zhuzi grinned sheepishly. "You won't believe it. Remember that guy we saw in the back alley, the one being chased?"

Jiang Kai thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, he ended up hiding near my place. I saved him, and in return, he gave me a set of class change materials."

"You're kidding me," Jiang Kai said, astonished. "Who was that guy?"

The back-alley incident clearly involved something beyond the grasp of regular folks like them. Jiang Kai could only hope Zhuzi wasn't getting himself entangled in trouble.

"He said he wasn't a bad person. Anyway, he promised to leave as soon as possible," Zhuzi explained.

Jiang Kai nodded but thought to himself that he should visit Zhuzi's house to make sure everything was fine.

Still, he had to admit, anyone who offered valuable class change materials in return for help seemed at least somewhat honorable.

"What kind of materials did he give you?"

Zhuzi ignored his injuries, beaming. "A Warrior's Path kit."

"A Warrior's Path?" Jiang Kai was stunned.

The Warrior's Path profession was considered the strongest in Huaxia. Years ago, a single kit had sold for an astronomical 51 million alliance credits. It wasn't just a profession—it was the country's ace in the hole against other nations' top professions.

If Zhuzi had sold the kit, his family could've instantly become wealthy elites.

Noticing Jiang Kai's expression, Zhuzi shook his head regretfully. "I wanted to sell it, too, but the guy gave me one condition: I had to complete the Newcomer Trial. If I failed this year, I'd have to retry next year after buying the qualification myself."

"He said I must grow stronger."

Jiang Kai frowned. This condition seemed odd, but at least it didn't appear harmful to Zhuzi.

"What about you?" Zhuzi asked. "Did your incomplete materials work?"

Jiang Kai recounted his experience briefly. "I got lucky and managed to succeed. As long as I survive the trial, I can finally start making money."

"A Gambler, huh… A new profession." Zhuzi looked intrigued.

New professions always carried a lot of uncertainty, especially in terms of development.

"I don't care about that," Jiang Kai replied. "I'm here to make money. Right now, surviving the trial is the only thing that matters."

"Man, this trial is brutal," he added. "It's no wonder the pass rate is so low."

Both had narrowly escaped death on their first day. Zhuzi, despite being in Huaxia's strongest profession, had nearly died on his first night in the trial.

Zhuzi glanced at Jiang Kai's makeshift weapon. "That steel sting you used—where'd you get it? I want one."

Jiang Kai rolled his eyes. "You want one? It's the sting from a Poison-Spiked Boar. How did I get it? By playing piñata with my own butt, that's how."

Unwilling to dwell on the embarrassing details, Jiang Kai quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, why did killing that Human-Face Beast only give me 2 experience points? I need 100 to level up. This profession system is absurd."

Zhuzi nodded. "You think that's bad? Huaxia has millions of players, but it's taken 50 years to claim just 100,000 square kilometers of territory. Of course it's hard."

The two old friends, having reunited under harrowing circumstances, felt their spirits lift slightly. More importantly, both had successfully changed professions—Zhuzi into Huaxia's strongest Warrior class.

They compared stats for fun.

Zhuzi's attributes were: Strength 8, Constitution 8, Agility 5, Spirit 5.

His class talent, Warrior's Bloodline, provided bonus stats when leveling up or changing classes. After his first promotion, he'd gained 2 bonus points in Strength and Constitution, and 1 point each in Agility and Spirit.

Additionally, when entering a "Potential Activation" state during combat, his attacks gained a True Force effect, which included knockback, armor penetration, intimidation, and qi-based damage.

Seeing Zhuzi's class talent, Jiang Kai finally understood why Warrior's Path kits sold for such exorbitant prices.

Meanwhile, Zhuzi was equally shocked by Jiang Kai's stats.

"Holy crap! How is your Agility and Spirit at 12? And your Constitution matches mine. What kind of monster are you?"

Jiang Kai shrugged. "I've got the stats, but no combat skills."

"I've got combat skills!" Zhuzi said excitedly. "I think if we stick together, we can actually pass the trial."

Jiang Kai smirked. "The instructor warned us that teaming up is dangerous. You just don't want to be alone, do you?"

Zhuzi chuckled nervously. "Hehe, maybe a little. That Human-Face Beast looked like a freaking ghost—I was scared out of my mind."

Jiang Kai sighed. His friend's terror earlier was obvious, but it might've also been what triggered his Potential Activation state.

Given their complementary strengths and their bond, Jiang Kai didn't hesitate to agree to team up.

Suddenly, a weak voice came from behind a nearby boulder.

"Um… if you're teaming up, can I join you?" [T/N: I am getting scary vibes. She can be a two-faced bit*h like Rachel from Tower of God]

Startled, Jiang Kai turned to see a young woman standing there.

She had long hair, a slender figure, and a delicate face marred by exhaustion, fear, and bloodstains. Her upper clothing was gone, and she used one arm to shield her chest, though it barely sufficed.

Her pale skin was smeared with mud and blood, and she trembled as she looked at Jiang Kai and Zhuzi with a mix of terror and desperation.

"I… I almost got eliminated," she stammered. "If I stay alone, I won't make it out of here…"

Seeing their hesitation, she tried again. "I could help… with your wounds," she added, pointing hesitantly at Jiang Kai's butt.

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