Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 651 The Body of All Beings (Two chapters combined)

"This is it."

Xiao Ran led Huang Le and Dai Long to the door of an inconspicuous warehouse in the north of the city. The door was locked, but this was just wishful thinking.

Without Dai Long and Xiao Ran even lifting a finger, Huang Le simply stepped forward and fiddled with the lock for a few moments before opening it.

After opening the warehouse door, one could see that the huge warehouse was filled with a lot of messy and miscellaneous items.

These are all resources that Real Madrid has collected.

It contains a considerable amount of food, weapons, armor, and even cursed items.

There was simply too much stuff, and although Real Madrid and his team were only D-level beginners, they hadn't experienced the Maze City enough times, and their spatial abilities hadn't improved accordingly. So they simply couldn't fit it all in, and Real Madrid crammed it all in here.

Of course, the best and most valuable things are definitely in Real Madrid's possessions, but they probably can't be retrieved now. After all, being a bandit is a rare profession, and it's not easy to come across one.

"Ignore the food and such. Find something you can use. There should be another box over there with some runes inside. Look around and see if there's anything you can use."

Xiao Ran pointed to the left and said.

"Oh, good!"

Huang Le nodded and happily walked over there.

"You seem to know this place very well?" Dai Long stood aside and looked at Xiao Ran with a puzzled expression.

"You've forgotten, I'm a corpse stitcher. Secrets are meaningless in front of a corpse stitcher."

"So that's how it is." Dai Long suddenly realized, "Therefore, Real Madrid's falling out with the Spirit God Cult this time was not their own idea."

"I guess they were just unlucky."

While the two were talking, Huang Le had already found the box that Xiao Ran had mentioned.

“There are quite a few runes, look.”

Huang Le carried the box to the front, opened it, and inside were two neatly stacked layers of spell scrolls, and there were quite a few of them.

"So many professions... which one should I choose?"

Huang Le looked at Xiao Ran guiltily.

“You…” Xiao Ran’s lips twitched a few times, and she kicked Huang Le’s butt in exasperation: “I’ll help you choose. Also, you’d better memorize this beginner’s handbook.”

"Okay, okay, hahaha."

Although he was scolded by Xiao Ran, Huang Le's face was beaming with joy. It was only because of him that Xiao Ran would not have paid attention to such a silly newbie.

Xiao Ran rummaged through the box for a while, then turned to Huang Le: "You're still going to possess a spirit, right?"

"Ah."

Xiao Ran thought for a moment, then took out a scroll from the box and handed it to Huang Le: "Your combat power is too low. Even if I gave you other powerful professions now, you wouldn't be able to handle them in your current situation. You might as well just be a support."

"Support?" Huang Le's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously at Xiao Ran: "Support is a good job. You don't have to fight. Staying in the back and slowly working on things is perfect for you."

He took the scroll from Xiao Ran; this was another profession.

【apprentice】.

This profession follows the path of a folk master, which is a perfect match for the [Enchantment] forging profession.

The combination of these two will significantly improve Huang Le's ability to create cursed items.

As for whether he can break through to the professional level, Xiao Ran cannot guarantee it. However, if Huang Le can reach the level of a professional, he can teach him the art of sorcery. Combined with the path of the folk master, it can also unleash considerable power.

After these two professions were established, Xiao Ran indicated to Huang Le that he could choose a third profession that would save his life, and he would no longer interfere.

After looking around, Huang Le finally found a scroll in the box: "This one will do. It sounds pretty cool. How about 'The Puppet Master'?"

Huang Le chose a new profession. Xiao Ran didn't know much about this profession, but Dai Long happened to know something about it. Dai Long nodded: "Not bad. This is the puppeteer path. As long as the puppets are made fine enough, their combat power is guaranteed to a certain extent."

"Puppet Master!!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Le's eyes lit up. He instantly felt that this profession was tailor-made for him, and he couldn't help but think of the names of many teachers and seniors.

"Teacher Cang, Teacher Wu, Teacher Xiaoze..."

Huang Le was lost in thought when Xiao Ran patted him on the shoulder: "What are you thinking about? Your tail is practically wagging."

"Hahaha, no, no."

Huang Le grinned sheepishly and said, "This one will do. All three professions are a good match."

Seeing that Huang Le had made up his mind, Xiao Ran told him to start absorbing the runes to awaken his profession on the spot.

After Huang Le tore open the two scrolls and successfully became a 3E-level beginner, Xiao Ran took out some things for him. Xiao Ran didn't have any cursed items to give him for the time being.

However, Xiao Ran had quite a few medicines left, so she took them all out and gave them all to Huang Le.

[Black Enhancement Potion] Constitution +5.

[Enhancement Potion] Temporarily increases Comprehension Ability by 10
[Agility Potion] Agility +5
[All-Purpose Potion] All attributes +5 points

And the most precious [Potion No. 3] bottle.

The five bottles of potions landed in Huang Le's hands, which greatly surprised him. The improvement brought by these potions was a qualitative leap. For a novice like him, it was like going from a slingshot to a cannon.

In particular, the bottle of [Potion No. 3] caused Huang Le's face to turn pale with shock. The heaven-defying boost of 12 points to all attributes was something that even if Huang Le was slow to realize, he should know the value of this thing.

"Brother...I..."

Huang Le's voice choked up for a moment.

Xiao Ran patted Huang Le on the shoulder: "Call me brother, then stop with the pretense. If you want to thank me, strengthen your abilities and go back happily to settle your sister-in-law and niece. That's better than anything else."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely try my best."

Huang Le sniffed and assured Xiao Ran.

"I'll give this to you."

At this moment, Dai Long also came over, took out a rifle from his spatial storage, and handed it to Huang Le.

Huang Le's eyes lit up when he saw the gun. Although the effectiveness of firearms and firearms was limited in the Lost City, this thing was still lethal.

The rifle that Dai Long gave him was particularly different; it even had runes on it.

"This gun is called 'Heroic Blade,' a specially configured weapon for our company. It features fingerprint lock-on, and in single-shot mode, it can be enhanced with fire damage. In burst fire, it receives a Taoist magic boost. Combined with specially made bullets, it can inflict extremely high damage on D-rank evil spirits. As for D-rank beginners..."

At this point, Dai Long paused for a moment, but seeing the potions in Huang Le's arms, he still said, "A D-level beginner can't withstand more than a few bullets without a particularly strong cursed object to protect them. However, there are only three magazines, so you'd better use this thing when you need to save your life. Otherwise, it's better to hide in the back."

"Oh! Oh! Oh!"

Huang Le was so excited he couldn't speak. He touched the gun with great affection, thinking it was every man's dream.

Suddenly realizing something, Huang Le looked up at Dai Long and said somewhat embarrassedly, "This thing... must be very expensive, right?"

"Expensive! Extremely expensive!" Xiao Ran retorted irritably, "Even if you sold your shop, you probably couldn't buy a single part of this gun."

This gun is clearly more advanced than the ones Xiao Ran had seen before; it's definitely a high-end item from within the company, and the company probably doesn't even have many in stock.

Xiao Ran looked at Dai Long: "If you give this to him, how will you explain it to the company?"

"no problem."

Dai Long grinned. It was the first time Xiao Ran had ever seen him smile. To be honest, he looked quite handsome when he smiled. It seemed that after they all drank that bowl of soup together yesterday, their relationship had become much closer. At least the inexplicable distance between them had disappeared.

Dai Long even joked with Xiao Ran, saying, "If you feel bad about it, once you've got the Wonder Pavilion business up and running, just give the company five hundred Hercules masks first, and that will be fine."

"I'll approve 10,000 for you."

"Ten thousand!!"

"Nonsense, I'd approve 100,000, but only if I actually have it."

Xiao Ran spread her hands, looking completely helpless.

If he really had that much inventory, he would have given it to the company long ago. The stronger the company is, the more advantageous it is for him. But the problem is, Xiao Ran really can't produce that much inventory.

Even if you emptied all the shops in Fengdu City, you probably still wouldn't have that much stock.

The three of them rummaged through the warehouse for a while longer, and Huang Le happily acquired quite a few cursed items. Most of these cursed items were E-grade or F-grade, which was just right for him.

Seeing that they had almost finished rummaging through everything, Xiao Ran looked up at the door and said, "Come out, the rest is yours."

As Xiao Ran finished speaking, Omeprazole and the others came out.

"Hi Durian Boss, we don't mean anything by it, we just wanted to see if there's anything we can do to help."

Omeprazole walked up with a smile and said.

Xiao Ran glanced at the players from Arsenal and Barcelona who were in Real Madrid's team last time, and now they have been merged into Omeprazole's team.

If we disregard Xiao Ran and his team, Omeprazole's team is now considered a strong team.

"You've come at the right time. How about I discuss a business deal with you?"

Xiao Ran found a box and sat down.

"Yes, sir, please give your orders."

Omeprazole stood ramrod straight, not daring to be negligent in the slightest. He was a double-D level beginner, but a beginner of this level was like an ant in front of a professional like Xiao Ran. If Xiao Ran wanted to crush him, it would only be a matter of moving a finger.

"Two things. First, I can help you participate in the battle and gain your freedom as soon as possible, but you have to help me kill someone."

Omeprazole paused, then asked, "Who?" "Dodge!"

When Xiao Ran uttered that name, even Huang Le was somewhat surprised. He looked at Xiao Ran in astonishment, not understanding why she wanted to kill Dao Qi.

Xiao Ran glanced at the two from Barcelona: "You two should know the reason, right?"

"I know, it was Dodge who came to Real Madrid and told them that you wanted to save the Great Wall. That's why Real Madrid sent Manchester United to stop you and test your strength."

Upon hearing this reason, Huang Le couldn't help but curse under his breath: "What an idiot!"

Xiao Ran didn't kill Dodge because the guy wasn't qualified and not worth his time. It would be disgraceful to be branded as a killer of newbies.

Therefore, it would be best to leave this matter to Omeprazole and his team.

"Okay, we will definitely handle this matter to your satisfaction."

Omeprazole agreed without hesitation. He was just an E-level beginner; killing him would be a piece of cake for them.

"The second thing is that the cost of the resources in this warehouse should be attributed to Real Madrid. Now that he is dead, these things are unclaimed and belong to you. The food is fine, but if you can transport these weapons and equipment to Ruzhou and hand them over to Ruzhou City, I can arrange for you to settle down in Ruzhou. You can even work in the government offices in Ruzhou."

These weapons are useless to them, but they can be used by Brother Lu's soldiers, or at the very least by the warriors of Ruzhou City. In any case, they can strengthen the defense of Ruzhou.

But there were too many people, and Xiao Ran didn't have that much space, so she simply contracted out this miscellaneous task to Omeprazole and others, which was also a pretext for them to recruit them.

Otherwise, if these people join the forces of the King of Wu, the King of Fu, or other powerful figures, it won't be a good thing for them.

Upon hearing this, Omeprazole's eyes lit up.

This is a tremendous good thing for them.

"Thank you, sir. With your words, we will risk our lives to deliver these things to Ruzhou City."

Omeprazole and his team clenched their fists in excitement.

Most of them were actually sent by the company to scout ahead. The company does not yet have the capability to enter the Lost City on a large scale, let alone transport a large number of soldiers into Ruzhou to help Lu Cheng with defense.

Therefore, they could only infiltrate on a small scale. Omeprazole and his group were victims of this situation. If they could enter Ruzhou, they could bring their wives, children, family members and parents to live in Ruzhou in the future.

But this was only a unilateral promise from the company. Now that Xiao Ran had made a verbal promise, everyone felt much more at ease.

If they could work for the government in Ruzhou, it would mean they had one foot in the government's fold, and even after the city of Micheng was established, the company would treat them differently.

It's a good thing that will cause no harm whatsoever, no matter what.

“Then it’s settled.” Xiao Ran casually took out a letter that had been written beforehand and handed it to Omeprazole: “This is a token. When you have this token, you will be properly settled.”

After Omeprazole and the others received the token, Xiao Ran left with Huang Le and Dai Long, leaving the warehouse for them to handle.

A few days later, all was peaceful in the City of All Beings.

However, Xiao Ran was not idle. He timed it so that it was almost time to inject the second dose of [Potion No. 3].

He gave the extra No. 3 potion he had to Huang Le.

But this didn't affect him much, as he had the original sac of potion number 3 in his possession.

He gave the original solution to Wu Man early on, asking her to modify it. Although Wu Man was a chef, her excellent skills naturally did not disappoint Xiao Ran.

He not only diluted 12 bottles of [Potion No. 3], but also improved the adverse reactions of [Potion No. 3], making the drowsy effect that originally occurred after injection disappear and greatly reducing the probability of adverse reactions after a second injection.

Instead, I've been particularly gluttonous lately, and my hunger has increased several times over.

But this was no problem for a chef like Wu Man. He experimented with it himself and eventually made some special energy bars overnight.

"This one is strawberry flavored, this one is beef flavored, and this one is Oreo flavored. There are three flavors, and each one has enough calories for an elephant to go three days without eating. It's foolproof."

After handing over the prepared [Potion No. 3] and the energy bar he made to Xiao Ran, Wu Man took out a black fruit and handed it to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran held the energy bar in her hand and weighed it. It looked about the size of a regular cigarette box, and each one weighed about two pounds.

Xiao Ran tapped her fingers, making a clanging sound like metal. Well, this wasn't an energy bar; it was practically a lump of iron.

"Also, here's something else good for you!"

Wu Man took out another item from her spatial storage and handed it to Xiao Ran, saying, "You're in such a hurry for the No. 3 potion, it must be missing some of its properties, right? Here, take this."

Xiao Ran took a look and saw that it was a black fruit, dark in color, but shaped like a peculiar doll.

I took it and looked at it.

Grade C cursed item [Spirit Ginseng Fruit]: After consumption, you can choose one attribute and permanently increase it by 20 points.

"This is one of the rewards I received when I completed the labyrinth last time. I ate one myself, and I'm giving you the rest. It should be of some help to you."

"Have a heart."

Xiao Ran thanked Wu Man and asked him to take care of Jin Chanzi and the others during this time before turning around and plunging into the cellar.

Upon arriving at the cellar, Xiao Ran placed the three items Wu Man had given her on the table.

The energy bar was set aside for future use, while his gaze swept over the [Spirit Ginseng Fruit] and [Potion No. 3].

"After consuming the [Assorted Delicacies Stew], my physique has increased by 15 points. Now, with the added blessing of the [Spirit Ginseng Fruit], my physique has broken through the 100-point mark. In addition, with the second injection of [Potion No. 3], my mental strength can also break through the 200-point mark."

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran's eyes filled with anticipation.

Once my mental strength reaches 200 points, I can officially attempt to cultivate the third level of the Soul Cultivation Technique.

At that time, I fear I will be able to imitate all the arts of the world, just like the Plum Blossom Taoist.

"Hiss...whoosh..."

Xiao Ran took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, and after calming down, picked up the [Spirit Ginseng Fruit] and ate it in big mouthfuls.

The fruit tasted a bit sour and had a slightly rusty flavor; it wasn't very tasty.

But Xiao Ran still ate all the fruit.

"Notification! You have consumed the C-grade cursed item [Spirit Ginseng Fruit] and gained 20 attribute points. You can choose to enhance any one of your attributes."

"Add all of it to physical fitness."

After Xiao Ran made her choice, she quickly felt her body become as hot as if it were on fire.

"Congratulations! Your physique has broken through the Hundred Attributes barrier, and you have gained the power of the Dragon Spine!"

As the notification sound signaled a breakthrough, Xiao Ran's body temperature rose higher and higher. It felt as if a force, like a fountain, was rising from the tailbone along the thirteen vertebrae of the spine.

Wherever she went, Xiao Ran could hear a series of "click-click-click" sounds.

It felt as if a flame was burning up on her spine. This force grew stronger and stronger, causing Xiao Ran to unconsciously stretch out her arms and assume a waist-stretching posture. As the force continued to rise, her posture also changed.

If there were a master of internal martial arts here, they would surely be able to see that the posture Xiao Ran was unconsciously swaying at this moment was the "Opening Dragon Spine" movement from internal martial arts.

Opening the Dragon Spine, also known as passing the Dragon Gate, is a perilous hurdle that must be overcome in true internal martial arts.

If an ordinary person does something carelessly without understanding its importance, even a slight oversight could lead to bone misalignment or, in severe cases, complete paralysis, which is extremely dangerous.

Nowadays, almost no one would easily take that risk.

However, Xiao Ran unconsciously assumed the posture of fully opening the dragon's spine as the power surged from his spine, which was simply unbelievable.

Xiao Ran's body swayed constantly, and she felt that there seemed to be a connection between her joints, like a net that was constantly undulating.

As the crackling sounds gradually subsided, Xiao Ran squinted and exhaled a long breath.

Feeling refreshed, I suddenly stood up and immediately felt as if I had an inexhaustible source of strength in my back.

He clenched his fist and swung it, and immediately felt a force emanating from his lower back along with his body.

With a casual punch, he smashed a deep crater into the cellar wall.

"The power itself hasn't changed, but the way it's exerted has."

Looking at his fists, Xiao Ran had an idea and decided to practice his nameless boxing style in the cellar.

All that could be heard was the whooshing sound of fists coming from the cellar.

This set of boxing techniques is many times more powerful than before. Xiao Ran felt a tension in his back, like a live fish, maximizing the power in his body.

Immediately following, Xiao Ran's moves suddenly changed to the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands. The originally sharp and hard killing move, when used by Xiao Ran, now had a more relaxed and natural feel.

Its spine is as lively as a dragon's, and its back is as broad as a tiger's.

After opening the dragon spine, it's like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, giving the body superhuman strength. This is why masters of internal martial arts, without painstakingly training their muscles and bones, can unleash power that is difficult for ordinary people to withstand.

Once he finished his set of punches, Xiao Ran had never felt so relaxed.

"I didn't expect the effects to be so good after my physique score exceeded 100."

With his current strong physique, Xiao Ran's gaze toward the [Potion No. 3] on the table burned even brighter.

He stepped forward and injected the medicine into himself without hesitation.

As the medicine was injected into her body, a chill rushed into Xiao Ran's mind, followed by a "buzz!" sound in her brain, and her vision suddenly blurred.

"Warning! Your mental strength has exceeded 200, placing a tremendous burden on you and potentially triggering uncontrollable danger!!"

The piercing notification sound came, but Xiao Ran ignored it, clenching her fists tightly, feeling as if something was about to burst out from between her eyebrows.

Xiao Ran could even hear a hissing and rubbing sound coming from inside her skull, and felt a pain as if her head was being torn apart.

After an unknown amount of time, a gash suddenly appeared between Xiao Ran's brows. All the pressure seemed to find an outlet at that moment, converging on this opening. Soon after, a dark red bead of blood appeared on Xiao Ran's forehead...

(End of this chapter)