Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The camp suddenly fell silent.

There was only the sound of the wind and people's heavy breathing.

Six burrowing beast corpses lay on the ground, their black blood pooling in small puddles that slowly seeped into the sand.

Ian walked over, pulled the iron sword from the corpse of the last burrowing beast, and shook the blood off the blade.

Then he turned around and looked at the crowd.

Everyone was looking at him.

His eyes held the relief of surviving a disaster, the shock of disbelief, and... a kind of inexplicable awe.

This young man, all by himself, killed six corrupted burrowing beasts.

And it looks like... he hasn't even used his full strength yet.

Chen Daoba pushed away his confidant who was helping him, walked over, and looked very unpleasant.

He glanced at the corpse on the ground, then at Ian, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately he didn't.

Ian ignored him, walked over to Li Yao, and patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Well done."

Li Yao blushed, lowered his head, and whispered, "I just... hit it."

"One time is enough," Ian said.

He looked up at the short guard splattered with corrupted blood.

The man was still standing there, his face ashen, his eyes unfocused, and his body trembling slightly.

No one around noticed anything was wrong; they assumed he had been frightened.

Ian's eyes were deep and unfathomable, but he remained silent.

At this point, the panel automatically unfolds.

Name: Li Xing (Ian)

Age: 21

[Realm Level: Late Awakening (77%)]

[Bloodline: Star Drawer (Slight Awakening)]

[Status: Minor injury (left shoulder fracture healing, excessive Star Power energy depletion)]

【Skill:

Starlight Perception (Bloodline Skill) - Proficient (78%)

Star Step (Bloodline Skill) - Beginner (49%)

Basic Swordsmanship (Rune Art) - Proficiency (83%)

The threshold rose by 3 percentage points.

Skill proficiency has also improved significantly.

In particular, the [Basic Swordsmanship] is not far from being "mastered".

Ian put away the panel and looked at Scarface Chen.

"Clean up the bodies, check the wounded, and then set up camp in a different location."

His tone was calm, but carried an undeniable air of authority.

"The stench of blood here is too strong; it will soon attract other monsters."

Chen Daoba's expression shifted, but he finally gritted his teeth and waved his hand.

"Do as he says!"

The guards began to move, but their movements were somewhat stiff, and their eyes kept glancing at Ian.

Everyone saw what happened just now.

This young man named Li Xing is far superior to Chen Daoba.

Moreover, he seemed to know better than anyone how to survive in this godforsaken place.

Chen Daoba sensed this subtle change.

He stared at Ian's retreating figure, his eyes so dark they seemed to drip with water.

His hand slowly tightened its grip on the knife hilt.

As dawn broke, the gray clouds pressed down even lower, like a dirty rag covering our heads.

The campsite has been moved to a leeward slope about 200 meters away.

People huddled behind makeshift shelters, their faces etched with exhaustion and lingering fear.

Four people died and more than a dozen were injured last night.

The smell of blood still seemed to linger in my nose, refusing to dissipate.

Ian leaned against a rock, closed his eyes, and slowly began meditating on the "Star-Guiding Chapter".

The Starfall Core in his chest radiated a warm heat, repairing the fatigue from excessive consumption.

Li Yao squatted down next to him, carefully whittling the tip of a wooden stick with a knife.

"Brother, do you think... those monsters will come back?"

"Yes." Ian continued meditating without opening his eyes.

"As long as we are in this wilderness, they will keep coming."

Li Yao's hand trembled, and the blade almost cut his finger.

"So...can we make it to Blue Hole Mountain alive?"

Ian opened his eyes and looked at the boy.

"As long as I'm here, I can definitely do it."

Li Yao nodded vigorously, gripping the wooden stick in his hand tightly. He could feel his brother's strong confidence.

The camp gradually quieted down. Before dawn, everyone finished cleaning up the battlefield and rested on the spot, but dared not sleep any longer.

In the middle of the night, a commotion suddenly broke out on the other side of the camp.

"Let me go! I'm fine!"

It was the voice of the short guard, hoarse and with an unnatural sharpness.

Ian stood up and walked over.

The surrounding crowd was startled and formed a small circle, with the short man in the center.

He was pinned to the ground, with two guards holding his arms down tightly.

On his face, where the rotten blood had splattered yesterday, the skin had turned bluish-black, and the surface was covered with fine, spiderweb-like black spots.

The dark spots are still spreading slowly.

His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils were somewhat dilated, and he was shouting incoherently.

"I'm not crazy... I'm not crazy... Let me go..."

Chen Daoba stood in front of him, his face ashen, a knife in his hand.

"Li Si was infected by corrupted blood."

Someone nearby whispered, their voice filled with fear.

"Look at those black spots...it's hopeless."

"Boss Chen is about to make his move..."

Scarface Chen raised his knife, the blade gleaming coldly in the dim red light of the day.

"Brother, I'm sorry."

His voice was deep, "You've been corrupted; you'll become a monster sooner or later. For everyone's sake, you must die."

Li Si struggled frantically: "I'm not crazy! Chen Scarface, I've followed you for three years, and this is how you treat me?!"

Chen Daoba's eyes turned cold, and he was about to bring down the knife.

"etc."

Ian's voice rang out.

The crowd parted, and he walked into the circle.

Chen Daoba paused, turned to look at him, his eyes unfriendly: "What do you mean?"

"He's not completely deformed yet," Ian began to "kindly" persuade him.

"He hasn't directly come into contact with the source of corruption, and he hasn't fully mutated yet. Isn't it too hasty to kill him now?"

"In a hurry?" Scarface Chen sneered. "Are you waiting for him to kill us all?"

"I told you, he's not completely deformed yet."

Ian walked up to Li Si and squatted down.

Li Si raised his head, and Ian's face was reflected in his unfocused pupils.

"Help...help me..." his voice trembled.

Ian didn't speak, but reached out and placed his hand on Li Si's chest.

A faint silver light appeared in the palm of his hand.

He drew upon a trace of the pure energy from the core of the meteorite to condense "Purifying Starlight".

It's very faint, but it does seem to be effective.

The silver light seeped into his skin, and the spread of the black spots on Li Si's body seemed to slow down.

The bluish-black color on his face had faded a little.

"Look," Ian looked up at Scarface Chen, "there's still hope."

Chen Daoba's face turned even uglier.

He stared at Ian's hand on Li Si's chest, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.

The surrounding crowd quieted down, watching this scene with rapid breathing.

Ian was able to resist the blood infection of the Corrupted Beasts using those mysterious silver specks.

In a world ravaged by catastrophe, this is a gift more precious than anything else.

Ian ignored his conflict with Scarface Chen and instead reached out to heal his trusted aide.

And Chen Daoba... just now he actually tried to kill his own people.

A subtle emotion spread through the crowd.

The guards exchanged a complicated look.

Li Si had been with them for three years. Although they weren't particularly close, they were brothers who had fought side by side and risked their lives together.

Scarface Chen killed without hesitation, without even trying...

chilling.

Chen Daoba sensed this change.

He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

"Li Xing, I know you have an extraordinary background, but purifying the pollution is no small matter. If we don't handle it properly and it turns into a monster and attacks us, who will be responsible?"

"I'm just making a suggestion; whether you listen to it or not is your business."

Ian stood up, looked at Scarface Chen, his eyes calm.

"Shouldn't you say something about the perimeter security arrangements tonight, and the chaotic response during the attack?"

The vein on Chen Daoba's forehead throbbed.

"Li Xing, don't forget, I'm the leader of this team!"

"leader?"

Ian suddenly laughed, but it was a cold laugh.

"Where is your 'leader' in command? Four people are dead and more than a dozen are injured. Is this how you lead everyone?"

Chen Daoba's face instantly turned red.

"you……"

"What about me?"

Ian took a step forward, revealing the soul pressure of a first-level ultimate wizard.

Although the world rules are different and most of his power is restricted, it still makes Chen Daoba feel breathless.

"Scarface Chen, I trusted your extensive experience in the wilderness before, but it seems I was wrong."

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"This wilderness is fraught with danger, with corrupted beasts, aberrations, fallen ones... and corrupted fissures lurking somewhere unknown."

"We're going to Blue Cave Mountain, a journey of over a hundred miles. How many of us could possibly make it there alive, relying solely on that 'abandon whoever's useless' approach?"

The crowd was deathly silent.

No one spoke, but many people's eyes flickered and they lowered their heads.

They had long been aware of Chen Daoba's style of doing things.

He would try to win over anyone who was useful or capable.

He would despise or even abandon anything that was useless or injured.

The boy who was sent to explore the cave yesterday would have died long ago if Ian hadn't shown up.

If Ian hadn't stopped him, Li Si would be dead today.

Who will be the next one?

Chen Daoba's hand, gripping the knife, was trembling.

He stared at Ian with eyes that looked like he was about to draw his sword and kill him.

"Li Xing, you...you're inciting others!"

I'm stating the facts.

Ian remained unyielding. "If you think I'm inciting, then fine."

He raised his hand and pointed outside the camp.

"Now, let them vote for themselves. Those who want to stay with you can continue to stay with you, and those who want to come with me can stay."

The air in the camp seemed to freeze; even the wind stopped blowing.

Chen Daoba's hand holding the knife trembled slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged like earthworms, extending all the way to his neck.

He stared intently at Ian, his gaze seeming to want to tear him to pieces.

"Good, very good..."

His voice was forced out through clenched teeth, carrying an uncontrollable stench of blood.

"Li Xing, this is my team. I'm the one who took them in. You dare to go against me?"

Ian didn't even lift his eyelids, but just stared back at him coldly, his eyes calm, like a bottomless pool of cold water.

"Take them in?"

He suddenly curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint yet cold smile.

"Scarface Chen, you call that taking in someone? Sending a fifteen-year-old to explore the Corrupted Beast's lair, you call that taking in someone?"

Before he finished speaking, Ian had already taken a step forward, as if stepping on everyone's hearts.

The surrounding crowd held their breath.

Even the guards who were still with Chen Daoba turned pale, their hands on the hilts of their swords, but none of them dared to actually draw their swords.

They had clearly seen the few sword strikes Ian used to kill the corrupted burrowing beast.

That wasn't luck; it was genuine, chilling strength.

"you……"

Chen Daoba's eyes turned completely red, and the scars on his face twisted like a centipede crawling.

He really wanted to cleave Ian in two and tear him to pieces.

But the almost tangible pressure emanating from Ian made all the muscles in his body stiffen.