My stats are higher than yours!!

The school's logistics department is an old-fashioned building with a sense of history. Its gray walls are decorated with withered vines, making it stand out from other buildings. I heard that the logistics department has not received any funding for improvement for many years, but the specific reasons are unknown.

'I don't care about this or that, as long as you can provide me with training equipment, it's fine.'

Bai Shuodong thought to himself.

The logistics building has three floors. The first floor houses ordinary soldiers that do not meet the standards of the spirit world, and everyone has a free quota to use them. The second floor houses spirit world weapons of relatively lower quality, including training equipment and real weapons for combat.

As for the third floor...

This level is quite special; it's not usually open to the public, and many people speculate that it contains the finest treasures.

"stop."

A voice suddenly rang out.

Bai Shuodong subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound and saw an old rattan chair not far from the front gate of the logistics department, with a thin old man lying on it.

Although the man was old, his eyes were incredibly clear and bright, making him look like a mischievous old man.

Bai Shuodong suddenly remembered the advice Lao Bi had given him before.

"Be careful of the old man guarding the gate."

Compared to the admonition, what Bai Shuodong couldn't understand even more was the head teacher's complicated expression at the time. If the old man was just a simple bad guy, his expression wouldn't have been so complicated. There must have been something really outrageous hidden inside.

"What's your name? What do you do?"

The old man asked.

"Bai Shuodong, fetch the training equipment."

Bai Shuodong replied.

"Oh?"

The old man suddenly became interested, looked him over carefully, and said, "You're Bai Shuodong, the one who defeated that little monster head-on? Tsk tsk tsk, you really can't judge a book by its cover."

"Just a lucky break."

"Tch, a lucky break? Do you think I'm stupid?"

The old man, his face full of disdain, continued, counting on his fingers, "Xia Yanxin, that little monster, has an absurdly strong foundation. Her combat skills are at a league of their own, her willpower is at a league of their own, and her basic control resistance is much stronger than that of a normal person. She even mastered that ability. How could she possibly be defeated by luck?"

"Most people would be unable to control her, outmatched in skill, or even if they tried to outmaneuver her, their combat instincts would catch them. They would have absolutely no chance of winning. If they did win, it would definitely not be by chance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he jumped off the chair with incredible agility, a stark contrast to his outwardly aged appearance.

The old man put one hand on Bai Shuodong's shoulder and said with a smile, "Child, you must have suffered a lot to get to where you are today."

"Your basic attributes are so low, but your actual combat strength is very strong. This means that your daily life is not good. At least you don't have many people to take care of you, or your family doesn't have much money. The fact that a poor guy can still beat Xia Yanxin means that you have mastered some kind of powerful comprehension skill, or even mastered the use of spiritual energy."

"To achieve this level of success without any resources, you must have exceptional talent and have likely put in far more effort than the average person."

"Thanks for your hard work."

"Ah."

Bai Shuodong nodded slightly, feeling a warmth in his heart. He thought to himself that the old man was not a bad person and did not seem like a bad person.

“I know your life isn’t easy, and it’s hard for you to improve your skills, so you have to show your talent through gambling to fight for better benefits for yourself, even if it’s risky, even if you might get seriously injured. You have a really good character.”

The old man continued speaking, then took out a pill from his storage space and said with a grin, "Come, come, I have a Bright Limit Pill here. You will definitely improve a lot after you use it."

"?"

Bai Shuodong took the pill and examined it.

【Mingji Dan (Different)】

Level: first level

Quality: Average

Type: Consumables

Effect: After consuming this pill, the comprehension speed during cultivation will increase by 500%, and the difficulty of breaking through bottlenecks will decrease slightly. The effect lasts for 20 minutes.

Side effect: After consuming this pill, you will experience diarrhea for a week.

Brief introduction: This elixir, refined using special methods, possesses an extremely strong effect of enhancing comprehension, but due to the special ingredients and methods used, it also has side effects that are difficult to eliminate.

Note: This side effect cannot be relieved by conventional drugs or treatments. Because the side effect cannot be relieved, the quality of the pills drops significantly.

"Haha, old man, I appreciate your kindness, but you should keep the pill for yourself. I won't bother you any longer!" Bai Shuodong said with a smile as he pushed the pill back.

Just kidding!

Let whoever wants to eat this pill take it!

"Sigh! You have to understand, only by enduring hardship can one rise above others. That Xia Yanxin fellow has received a lot of pills from me. If you don't take them, you'll never be able to make up for the gap." The old man continued to coax him.

“Sorry, I prefer to lie flat, so a slight difference isn’t unacceptable,” Bai Shuodong said.

He's Xia Yanxin's deskmate, how could he not know if this guy has diarrhea? If Xia Yanxin really ate the Mingji Pill, Bai Shuodong would probably have noticed the abnormality long ago.

This old man is just trying to fool people!

I don't believe him for a second! That old geezer is wicked!

"Oh, you silly child, why are you being so formal?"

The old man sighed deeply, then put the Bright Extreme Pill away, and then took out a mask from his storage space.

The mask was made of bronze, with narrow, upturned eyes, dark red rust spots on the cheekbones resembling blush, and an exaggerated smile etched at the corners of the mouth, making it look extremely extraordinary.

"Take a look at this one."

The old man continued with a grin.

【Laughing Mask】

Level: first level

Quality: Silver

Type: Jewelry

Effect: While wearing this item, base stamina recovery speed is increased by 100%, and base health recovery speed is increased by 100%. During the Laughter phase, 1% of maximum health is restored per second.

Side effects: Once the device is attached to the face, it will be permanently locked and cannot be removed. The wearer will continuously and uncontrollably burst into loud laughter, and their sanity and willpower attributes will continuously decrease during the wearing period.

Description: A bizarre mask with the ability to catalyze the body's self-healing and accelerate physical recovery. Inside resides a wisp of obsessive laughter that affects the user, causing them to laugh uncontrollably.

"This...this piece of jewelry..."

Bai Shuodong's eyes widened slightly. This was the rarest accessory among all equipment types. Although the side effects were terrible, its strength was truly impressive.

"So, are you tempted? If you're willing to take it on the spot, I'll give it to you for free!" the old man said with a grin.

This equipment is indeed very powerful and can tempt a considerable number of people, but the problem is that the side effects are also outrageous. Most people will beg him to take it back after using it for a while.

Theoretically, the mask cannot be removed, but it is only a Level 1 mask, and its strength is only that of a Level 1 mask. As long as one has enough strength, the mask can be forcibly removed without harming the user.

"Well... thank you!"

Bai Shuodong put on the Maniacal Laughter Mask and let out a heartfelt laugh.

"Hahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

Chapter Seventeen: The strong humiliate the weak!

"Oh, you actually put it on! You're something else! Let's see how many days you can keep this up, hahaha~"

The old man smiled happily.

He usually enjoys tinkering with these little things. The equipment and pills he makes have effects far exceeding those of the same level, but they also have some side effects that cannot be easily erased. He often uses them to trick students.

For example, the Mingji Pill increases the speed of comprehension during cultivation and does not limit the specific type. Its actual strength is quite high, but the side effects are terrible.

"Let me confirm one more time, are you really going to give this to me?" Bai Shuodong asked.

"Hey, it's just a little toy. The old man wouldn't go back on his word over something like this."

The old man waved his hand dismissively.

"Thank you."

Bai Shuodong's words were full of laughter, because when he came into contact with the mask just now, he heard an extremely pleasant spiritual prompt.

[Hint: The Laughing Mask can be converted into a permanent skill. Do you want to convert it?]

This thing can convert skills into permanent ones!

permanent!

Oh my gosh!

I need to find a secluded spot quickly; I'm about to start dismantling my equipment! Hehehehe!

Just kidding, what's the side effect of not being able to remove equipment? As long as it belongs to me, I can add a dismantling mark and dismantle it directly! If the equipment is gone, why would I need to remove it?

"Cough cough!"

Bai Shuodong suppressed a laugh and said, "Grandpa, I need to go inside to get my training equipment, so I won't stay outside with you."

"go Go."

The old man waved his hand with a smile, sat back down in his recliner, and looked at him with a grin.

He thought to himself, "This kid must be relying on some special means to think he can take off that mask and reuse it multiple times."

The problem is that this Mask of Laughter is far more complicated than it appears on the surface. Although it's currently at the Silver level, it's far more troublesome than that. He'll have to come back sheepishly and beg me to take off the mask eventually.

Try not to laugh.

...

Afterwards, Bai Shuodong entered the logistics department, swiped his card inside, and went directly to the second floor.

There were many things on the second floor, including all kinds of spiritual equipment. As Bai Shuodong wandered among these items, he couldn't help but feel a little hesitant.

What should I get?

Training with wooden swords?

I already have a foundation in swordsmanship, so continuing to practice swordsmanship is the easiest way to reach level 4, and I can also get more resources through that, which may be the best choice.

but...

I chose swordsmanship before because I hadn't awakened my talent and didn't have the Lion's Eye.

After awakening my talent and gaining the ability to lock onto targets with the Lion's Eye, swordsmanship is no longer my best suited skill. Is it too late to change direction? If I give up now, wouldn't all my previous efforts have been wasted?

"..."

Bai Shuodong remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he burst into wild laughter, muttering to himself, "What a joke! If these sunk costs can hold me back, how will I become a strong person in the future? How will I continue to make the right choices? What should be given up must be given up! If I can't let go now, I'll lose even more later!"

He then looked around the weapons rack, eventually taking three training spears and two sets of close-combat training bandages. He strode out with a boastful, arrogant laugh on his face.

Damn Laughing Mask!

How could you have hurt me like this!

I am a normal person, and it is impossible for me to laugh hysterically under normal circumstances. It has nothing to do with me.

"Tsk, you've taken quite a lot. Be careful not to go too far."

The old man gave instructions from behind.

"no problem."

Bai Shuodong replied.

As long as he improves quickly enough, the head of the teaching department won't say anything.

His main focus for improvement is on melee and long-range weapon specializations.

As the saying goes, "an inch longer, an inch stronger." For someone as strong and accurate as him, but lacking in agility, the most suitable weapon is a gun, and the heavier the gun, the better.

In direct confrontations, the heavy spear is extremely powerful, making it ideal for Bai Shuodong to maximize the power advantage brought by the [Slow Burst] skill.

...