Starry Sky Professional

In a different world.

Within a temporary camp.

Fang Xing switched on an intelligent computer he acquired from a second-hand market.

“Initiate data transfer!”

His fingers danced swiftly across the keyboard, bringing up scene after scene.

These included a plethora of video footage shot by drone models mimicking birds, as well as visuals and sounds recorded by beetle-like surveillance devices.

“Indeed, this is an ancient agrarian society... Their farming techniques are quite primitive.”

The majority of the surveillance footage showed farming activities.

Watching the raggedly dressed "farmers" toiling under the sun, sweat dripping down their brows, Fang Xing couldn't help but fall silent.

These “farmers,” after all, were at least martial artists of the first or second realm, with rare glimpses of those at the Pure Jade Realm!

Luckily, the Pure Jade Realm martial artists here were generally not very cautious, or perhaps they had never encountered surveillance equipment like this, so nothing was amiss.

Most of these martial artists toiled in silence, their expressions blank, lacking any vitality.

Only occasionally would they exchange a few words.

After collecting data over so many days, from lip-reading to sound analysis, the database was now complete.

Fang Xing's task was to let the AI finalize the compilation, and then learn this new language!

‘It’s a pity there’s no learning apparatus, but I don’t need much time to grasp this language...’

Being a top student from an exam-oriented education system, Fang Xing had ample confidence in this area.

The study of martial arts is essentially an evolution process; as one's realm progresses, so do their memory and cognitive abilities improve dramatically!

“Martial artists here can either farm, collect manure, or venture into the wilderness?”

Watching the second-hand computer analyze and organize the data, Fang Xing began examining the surveillance footage to understand the martial artist ecosystem in this world.

He had seen martial artists farming, transporting manure, and adventuring; most lived harsh lives, with only those in the Pure Jade Realm living slightly better.

“Besides them, there are individuals of even higher status…”

Fang Xing accessed a long-range surveillance feed, capturing a pudgy middle-aged man dressed in satin robes, resembling a local gentry. He was going door to door, collecting supplies: rice, minerals, herbs, and even the crystalline sand in his hand.

At the end, he loaded several carriages full, escorted by martial artists at the unrefined jade tier. Yet, in the presence of this middle-aged man, they were evidently subordinate, behaving with extreme politeness, if not outright reverence.

This gap wasn’t solely due to rank; more likely, it was about power.

There were rumors that this short, plump man could defeat multiple unrefined jade tier martial artists!

"Talismans..."

Fang Xing recalled the talisman used by the leader of the four-man adventure team, as well as the image of the protective golden barrier, forming judgments in his mind.

"The priority now is to learn the local language, change attire, and try to make contact…"

He looked at the computer screen, noting that the decryption progress of 'Otherworldly Language' was less than 10%.

"Still time, huh?"

At that moment, the initial drone sent back another image.

The footage showed a woman, her clothes tattered, body covered in bloodstains, desperately fleeing.

Judging by her direction, within minutes she would reach the temporary camp!

"Hmm? More spoils from that wild boar?"

Fang Xing frowned.

The nearby beast, a wild boar demon, was fearsome.

Except for that team leader who narrowly escaped with talismans, other herbal collectors encountered were invariably doomed, truly the bane of herbalists.

Even the remains of these collectors ended up in the belly of the boar demon, leaving no trace.

There was no doubt that this woman was also a herbalist, forced into reckless retreat by the boar demon.

"But why head towards me?"

Fang Xing felt a headache coming on.

"Judging by her stride and speed, she seems to be below the third tier, perhaps a second-tier martial artist… She doesn’t appear to have dangerous items, or else even one talisman would have prevented such a predicament against the boar."

He sighed, donning a protective suit covering even his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, then picked up an electric baton: "Better go check this out…"

......

With a whoosh, Xue Yuling swiftly moved, her form slipping through a thicket of brambles.

Tall and slender with porcelain skin, her long legs were once the envy of even the revered immortals.

Were it not for dire straits, she would never venture out alone to gather herbs.

"Damn it, I've been tricked!"

She cursed under her breath. "Qinglin Square has raised the purchase price for 'Red Dragon Grass,' making harvesting it even more perilous... Those above us don’t leave us any loophole to exploit."

Xue Yuling gritted her teeth, frustration boiling within her.

The competition in the market was fiercely intense, and it was rumored that even some female immortals, skilled in allure arts, had descended to snatch livelihoods.

Running a semi-legitimate business only barely kept starvation at bay.

Dreaming of buying spiritual rice or elixirs to boost her martial prowess was just that—a dream.

Thus, she had no choice but to come, and who could foresee encountering a boar demon seemingly on the brink of elevating its tier, leading to her team's complete decimation, leaving her in such a dire predicament?

‘Soon... just a little more distance, and I’ll reach the river. If I can jump into it, I might escape!’

Although the rivers in the wilderness were perilous, they could wash away her scent—right now, it was her sole escape route!

Suddenly!

She noticed the grass ahead shifting, and a silver humanoid creature leaped out!

"What on earth is that?"

Xue Yuling released a sharp cry, but her ruthless instincts, honed through struggles, left no room for hesitation. She flung her hand, sending three chilling glints like shooting stars crashing into Fang Xing's chest.

“Hidden weapons?”

Fang Xing was taken aback, then spotted the three darts drop to the ground, their edges glimmering with a blue hue, clearly coated with lethal poison.

Fortunately, he wore a nano-protective suit that held firm, even cushioning the force. He merely felt a slight pressure on his chest.

"You dare attempt to kill me first? In any world, this counts as self-defense on my part!"

Fang Xing roared as he swung down the electric baton.

"What kind of strange yelling is that?"

Xue Yuling couldn't understand Fang Xing's language at all, but that didn't stop her from deftly blocking the baton with an iron pen, her movements precise and masterful.

The pen tip quivered, targeting several vital points on Fang Xing's body, revealing an incredibly fierce counterattack ready to strike.

This technique, known as "Whirlwind Pen Arts," would be considered extraordinary even in the mortal martial arts world!

Clang!

Feeling the force from the iron pen, Xue Yuling relaxed slightly. "This strange man's strength is so weak..."

But in the next moment, she was horrified to see sparks of electricity dance across the black baton!

The terrifying current struck, sending her flying backwards, collapsing onto the ground in spasms.

"A blood-refined artifact? How do you have a blood-refined artifact?"

Xue Yuling looked at the human-like creature approaching, confirming that Fang Xing should also belong to the human race. She quickly pleaded, "Spare my life, my lord..."

With her delicate features, she truly invoked a sense of pitiable beauty.

"What are you saying? I don't understand a word of it!"

From the bits and pieces, Fang Xing could guess she was begging for her life, but he didn't care.

Unfortunately...

"The prettier the woman, the more trouble she is... so just die!"

Fang Xing thrust the baton forward.

Crackle!

A stream of silver-white electricity burst from the tip of the baton, accurately striking Xue Yuling right on the forehead.

"This brand falsely advertised it could knock out an elephant, yet she's still muttering... Better zap her a few more times, just in case."

Fang Xing prodded her with the baton, then donned rubber gloves to double-check she was truly dead before sifting through her belongings.

The woman was unaware that he had the drone's all-seeing eye, which naturally had already witnessed the beast abandoning the chase.

Fang Xing realized, with a touch of irony, that what the opponent believed to be her 'path to survival' was actually a road to death.

He wondered if the woman would be so furious she'd die again should she come back to life.

"Wait a minute... Is this my first time killing someone? Should I be feeling nauseous or something?"

Fang Xing, having a delayed sense of realization, took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Well..."

Perhaps the act of crossing into this unbelievable world, combined with inheriting the old memories of his past life's hardships, particularly those as a bio-warrior, left him unsurprised by his lack of panic and fear.

After several deep breaths, he found himself surprisingly calm, serene enough to start looting the body.

"Nice build..."

"The spoils of war... A pair of Judge's Pens, a coin pouch, three jade bottles... Hmm? There's even a book?"

Fang Xing picked up a book.

The book’s paper was of mediocre quality, bound with thread, the pages yellowed and marked by worm damage and dirt. On the cover were four foreign symbols, which Fang Xing did not recognize at all.

"Good stuff..."

He showed no signs of disregard: "This is excellent research data. Giving it to the AI for analysis could greatly expedite the decryption process!"

As for the coin pouch?

Inside, there were only three grains identical to what he had obtained before.

"Seems... they’re akin to some common currency? In that case, I have a total of seven pieces now?"

Fang Xing stroked his chin, casting another glance at the jade bottles.

Two of the bottles had their caps opened, and he didn't dare to recklessly smell them, let alone ingest anything. He planned to test them with a litmus paper and a small white mouse first.

The last bottle had a wax-sealed cap, appearing untouched and intact, never opened.

Engraved upon its body were three foreign symbols, still leaving him clueless.

‘What are the odds of an intact bottle being a trap filled with poison?’

‘If it is a trap, would the people of this world really consume spoils obtained directly from their enemies?’

(End of Chapter)