Chapter 110: Leng Xiran

"The Immortal Palace is divided into two major departments: the Combat Department and the Logistics Department. All of you have been assigned to the Combat Department this time."

"The Combat Department is further divided into numerous squads based on professions and evolutionary levels. The Immortal Palace does not specifically assign fixed squads to everyone; naturally, if you have personal preferences, you are free to form your own groups."

"Overall, the Immortal Palace is quite liberal. Aside from the occasional mandatory mission—such as the large-scale operation to surround and kill the 'Greedy Wolf' last time—whether or not you accept missions is entirely up to you. The Immortal Palace will not force anyone. Of course... when the annual meeting comes around, whether you receive rewards, how much you get, and whether you can enjoy internal benefits during the year... that depends on your own efforts. This is fair, and even the core members at the deputy regiment level are no exception."

"So, whether to accept a mission and which one to take is entirely up to you."

"Alright, enough chatter. You will have plenty of time to get familiar with things later. Now, for the assignments. Go to your designated locations to meet your nominal team leaders..."

"Cheng Hai."

After Xu Qing finished speaking with a smile, she began calling names.

"Here."

A man responded immediately and stepped out of the crowd.

"Mad Blade, Group C, Team Twenty-three."

"Yes!"

The man walked to the side, filled with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

"Wu Tao."

"Here!"

"Mad Blade, Group C, Team Twenty-seven."

"Yes!"

"Zhou Yan... Mad Blade, Group C..."

Xu Qing began calling names one by one. She started with the Mad Blades, as they were the most numerous, with five recruits.

After the five Mad Blades, she continued.

"Su Zhang."

"Here!"

"Fist Fighter, Group C, Team Eleven."

After the Mad Blades came the Fist Fighters. Only three of them had successfully joined.

Next were the Heavy Blades.

"Zhang Yun, Heavy Blade, Group C, Team Nine."

There was only one Heavy Blade: Zhang Yun.

Zhang Yun responded and walked over to stand aside.

In the end, only Fang Mu and a girl named Zhang Wen remained.

The girl’s face was flushed; she was both excited and nervous. When Xu Qing called her name, she gave a little start and responded in a crisp voice.

Xu Qing looked at her and smiled. "It's rare to come across even one Gunfighter, let alone two in one day... Zhang Wen, Gunfighter, Group C, Team 2."

Zhang Wen’s eyes brightened, and she responded.

Then, she subconsciously glanced at Fang Mu behind her.

She clearly knew that Fang Mu’s performance had been far superior to hers. As practitioners of the same profession, it was inevitable that she would pay extra attention to him.

"Fang Mu."

Xu Qing spoke up.

Fang Mu let out a soft breath, responded, and looked at her.

A hint of a smile appeared in Xu Qing's eyes, and her expression seemed somewhat peculiar, leaving Fang Mu feeling confused.

Then he heard her say, "Fang Mu, Gunfighter... Group A, Team 1."

Group A?

Team 1?

Fang Mu was momentarily stunned, and so were the others.

Although Xu Qing hadn't explained the difference between the groups and teams, everyone present wasn't an idiot.

Everyone else was in Group C, with the best being in Team 2... but when it came to Fang Mu, he was placed directly in Group A, Team 1.

Even a fool could tell there was a difference!

However, thinking back to the terrifying marksmanship he had displayed earlier—sniping five targets in just over three seconds—they couldn't help but sigh.

The combat effectiveness of a Gunfighter was beyond doubt. He had struck the test machine with a terrifying force of over six thousand kilograms. The gap was already obvious.

Combined with that fearsome marksmanship...

It was clear that once this man reached the battlefield, he would be a long-range killing machine!

It seemed only natural that he would receive such treatment.

"Alright, the assignments are finished. Your information has been uploaded to the internal network of the Immortal Palace. Log in to the internal network with your ID numbers, and follow the instructions to meet your current team leaders. They will explain exactly what you need to do next."

Xu Qing ignored Fang Mu's bewildered expression and said with a smile.

"Additionally, I'll say it again... welcome to the Immortal Palace."

After saying this, Xu Qing turned and left. Her work was done.

"Congratulations!"

Zhang Yun was the first to walk over and say to Fang Mu with a smile.

"Damn, Group A... and Team 1? I've heard from my brother—he's also in the Immortal Palace—that for Group A, there seems to be only one squad per profession, and they are virtual squads attached to deputy regiment-level officers. Buddy, tell me the truth, do you have connections in the Immortal Palace?"

Wu Tao approached, looking surprised.

The people around them looked at Fang Mu with a mix of awe and envy.

Fang Mu finally regained his composure, his mind racing.

He had notified Qin Hongyu in advance that he was coming to the Immortal Palace today; she must have known. But he hadn't called her afterward. However, since the assignment had been made, it was very likely she knew he had passed the assessment.

Could it really be her arrangement?

For Lin Chuyin's sake?

Fang Mu pondered to himself, but outwardly he laughed. "You guys are overthinking it. If I had connections to get directly into Group A... let alone some virtual squad attached to a deputy regiment-level officer, would I even need to come here and take the assessment with you all?"

This comment left everyone stunned, and then Wu Tao laughed. "Haha, that’s true... But in any case, congratulations. We can consider ourselves of the same batch, right? We should look out for each other in the Immortal Palace... especially if we encounter a situation that requires high-intensity long-range attacks, you’ll have to cover us..."

The number of Gunfighters was too low, but their attack power was high, so every Gunfighter who grew up was highly sought after.

If you had a Gunfighter with god-like aim watching your back, you could fight with much more peace of mind.

Several people came over to build rapport. Having never experienced this, Fang Mu found it difficult to adapt to their enthusiasm, but after taking a deep breath, he warned himself.

His personality was too solitary, perhaps due to the environment he grew up in, which was why he had barely made any friends over the years.

If he were just a shut-in, content to stay in the rear and waste his life, such a personality wouldn't matter. It wouldn't bother anyone.

But since he had decided to walk the path of evolution and make a difference on the battlefield, he had to change.

And this was one of the things he wanted to learn by joining the Immortal Palace.

People always have to learn to make a few friends.

As the old saying goes, "People lift each other up." If you give people face, they will give you face when it counts.

Do you really think the world revolves around you?

If you do, you won't even know how you died.

Wasn't the "Greedy Wolf" a perfect example?

Was he not strong? He was at least stronger than Fang Mu.

But what was the result?

It was precisely because he was too solitary and made too many enemies. In the end... when the wall collapsed, everyone pushed it. He ended up in ruins.

If someone as powerful as the Greedy Wolf could end up like that, what about an individual?

At the very least, when you aren't that powerful yet... blending in is the best choice.

"This is the first lesson of joining the Immortal Palace," he thought, suppressing his discomfort and chatting with the others.

...

In fact, they didn't chat for long. They exchanged contact information and decided to report to their respective departments first, planning to get together afterward. As an eleven-member batch, they were to look out for each other.

After that, everyone checked their communicators, which had been updated with their reporting floors and room numbers.

Fang Mu checked his... it was on the 99th floor.

They headed to the elevators and went to their respective floors.

Fang Mu was the only one going to the 99th floor, so he took the elevator alone. Only after the doors closed did he let out a soft breath, rubbing his stiff face... and a bitter smile appeared.

Being too solitary and having no prior experience made him feel exhausted.

However, after careful thought, Fang Mu put on a smile again.

Actually, after the initial discomfort, the whole process hadn't been as difficult as he had imagined. The key was that everyone was quite complimentary of him.

As it turned out, he was just a regular guy who enjoyed being complimented.

"But these compliments are built on strength. Because my strength is recognized, people respect me. Otherwise, the result would probably be completely different."

Fang Mu thought to himself.

He had a clear understanding of this and didn't get carried away by their flattery.

He knew exactly why they were complimenting him...

Wasn't it because they hoped he could help them later?

But that was also normal.

As the saying goes, relationships based on emotion have their limits, while relationships based on interest last longer.

They were all adults; there was no point in pretending to talk about the luxury of friendship. Besides, they had just met; what kind of feelings could they have?

Interest was the most enduring foundation for a relationship.

In the eyes of others, what you can provide is always far more important than what they can provide you.

If you want pure, unadulterated friendship, you have to start from kindergarten.

And it has to be the kind where you never separated from kindergarten until you grew up...

Fang Mu understood this very clearly.

Finally, a soft "ding" interrupted his thoughts. He looked up; he had reached the 99th floor. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator.

Would Qin Hongyu be the one to greet him?

Fang Mu wondered.

He still thought his assignment was very suspicious. It was likely that Qin Hongyu had arranged it for the sake of Lin Chuyin.

Group A, Team 1... a virtual squad attached to a deputy regiment-level officer...

It seemed the Lin family had a very high status in the Immortal Palace. It might involve things beyond the battlefield...

Fang Mu speculated.

***

Soon, he reached the meeting room.

The door was closed. He exhaled and knocked.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Come in."

A somewhat lazy voice came from inside.

Fang Mu was slightly stunned. This voice...

It wasn't Qin Hongyu.

Was it her?

A look of surprise appeared on his face. After hesitating for a moment, he pushed the door open and walked in.

The room was wide and empty in the center, but along the sides were rows of shelves, displaying a dazzling array of firearms.

From pistols to rifles, submachine guns, heavy machine guns, and large-caliber sniper rifles... everything was there.

There was also plenty of ammunition.

A beautiful figure stood facing a massive floor-to-ceiling window. She was tall and slender, with long black hair draped casually over her shoulders. Just her silhouette was incredibly beautiful.

It was indeed Leng Xiran.

Fang Mu was dazed for a moment, then realized... Right, she was a Silver-tier Gunfighter and the only Gunfighter among the deputy regiment-level officers of the Immortal Palace. It would be strange if she wasn't involved in his assignment to the Gunfighter Group A, Team 1.

"Come over here."

While Fang Mu was still dazed, Leng Xiran had already spoken.

Fang Mu thought for a moment and walked over.

As he got close to her, he caught a faint, subtle fragrance—not overwhelming, but refreshing to the soul.

Body scent?

Or some kind of perfume?

Knowing nothing about perfume or women, Fang Mu couldn't tell.

"Can you see the target over there?"

Leng Xiran spoke suddenly, glancing at him sideways.

This woman seemed forever lazy. Even a casual glance from her gave a languid feeling.

But lazy didn't mean sloppy... this temperament was very unique.

Fang Mu snapped out of it, coughed dryly, and shifted his gaze to the front.

This woman was too beautiful, exuding a dangerous, mature charm from head to toe. Her legs were slender and long, and her fair skin seemed to reflect light.

Fang Mu was neither blind nor gay, so his heart naturally raced for a moment.

He could only use observing the distant target to mask his awkwardness.

After looking for a while, he revealed a look of surprise. He hesitated and asked, "The one about seven hundred meters away?"

They were on the 99th floor, over three hundred meters high. There weren't many buildings in the entire battlefield taller than the Immortal Palace building. Thus, looking out, there were no obstructions.

But about seven hundred meters away, Fang Mu saw a red dot that wasn't very noticeable. Even he had to look carefully for a while before confirming it.

"Hmm, are you confident you can hit it?"

Leng Xiran asked casually.

Fang Mu was stunned, thinking, *Is this the second test?*

He looked at it carefully again; the target was about the size of a baby’s fist. To most people, this was an unimaginable distance and target size.

But for him...

"It shouldn't be a problem."

Fang Mu thought for a moment and decided to be honest.

"Hmm, there are guns there. Try it."

Leng Xiran didn't seem surprised and nodded.

Fang Mu looked at her, then at the back, thought for a moment, let out a breath, and walked over.

He picked up a D-785 he was familiar with, pulled the bolt to check the condition, and after confirming it was fine, he loaded a bullet into the magazine...

Leng Xiran watched from the side with interest, her arms crossed.

Once everything was ready, Fang Mu walked to the window and opened it. A gust of wind rushed in, blowing his and Leng Xiran's hair.

It was winter, and the wind was bone-chilling. But for evolved beings like Fang Mu and Leng Xiran, this cold was nothing.

Standing at the window, Fang Mu’s gaze became sharp. He raised the heavy sniper rifle and aimed at the target.

About two seconds later...

*BANG!!!*

The gunshot roared, and the heavy sniper rifle only jumped slightly in Fang Mu’s hands. The powerful recoil was completely absorbed by his muscle strength.

Less than a second later...

Seven hundred meters away, a cloud of red mist suddenly burst open.

Precise hit!

Fang Mu revealed a smile, put down the gun, and looked at Leng Xiran.

Leng Xiran looked at the red mist in the distance and nodded slightly. "What about that one even further away?"

Even further?

Fang Mu was stunned and subconsciously looked further out.

But after looking for a long time, he couldn't find any target. He looked at her, confused. "Where?"

"Six kilometers away, on that mountain."

Fang Mu was dazed and subconsciously looked at a large mountain in the distance.

His brow was furrowed, but even with his eyesight, he didn't see any target...

This wasn't five or six kilometers in an open field, but six kilometers looking out from a city.

There were obstacles everywhere... even if they didn't block the view, they would subconsciously attract part of the observer's attention, making it harder to observe targets further away.

After hesitating, Fang Mu raised the sniper rifle and searched carefully.

A moment later, he was slightly stunned. In the scope, on a tree on the mountain six kilometers away, a small red ball was hanging.

That ball was about the same size as the one seven hundred meters away, about the size of a baby's fist.

It was tied with a string to a tree branch. There was clearly wind in the forest, causing the ball to sway and change its height and position as the branches moved.

Fang Mu’s brow furrowed tightly, and he didn't speak for a moment...

A super-long distance of six kilometers, hanging on a swaying branch, with such a small target...

Fang Mu bit his lip, then gritted his teeth. "Not very confident, but I can try."

That was what he finally said.

"Then try it."

Leng Xiran didn't say much, speaking in her lazy tone.

Fang Mu took a deep breath, raised the sniper, and aimed carefully.

This time, it wasn't a two-second job.

He waited for almost a full minute before gritting his teeth and pulling the trigger!

*BANG!!!*

The gunshot roared!

At a distance of six kilometers, the initial velocity of a D-785 bullet is about 1,200 meters per second, but it would gradually decay because the bullet consumes potential energy during flight.

That was why there was a difference between effective range and maximum range.

As potential energy is consumed, the speed also slows down.

So at six kilometers...

It would take at least five seconds in the air!

Fang Mu fired and stayed perfectly still, keeping his eyes locked on the small ball.

But after only three seconds, his expression suddenly changed.

He clearly saw the wind direction change.

And where he was aiming...

Was at a different position!

In other words...

This shot was bound to miss!

Sure enough, two seconds later, he saw a slight abnormal movement behind the tree branch, which flashed and disappeared.

He knew it was caused by the bullet hitting something.

Fang Mu’s expression became grim.

His luck was terrible; the wind direction had changed suddenly, otherwise, this shot would definitely have hit...

"You missed."

Leng Xiran, who was standing beside him, said suddenly.

Fang Mu’s expression stiffened. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth to speak, but finally closed it, saying nothing.

This made Leng Xiran, who had been observing him, flash a hint of surprise in her eyes... then she said, "I thought you would try to make an excuse."

Fang Mu had indeed wanted to make an excuse, but he finally shook his head. "A miss is a miss. No reason is a valid reason."

Leng Xiran looked at him, and for the first time, she smiled, nodding with approval. "Indeed, a miss is a miss. No reason is a valid reason. Because if that shot had been in real combat and you missed the designated target, the result would likely be the total annihilation of your melee companions. So... regardless of the reason, as a qualified Gunfighter, you should never use excuses to cover up your incompetence."

This was probably the longest sentence Leng Xiran had ever said since Fang Mu met her.

Although... it made him feel quite embarrassed.

"You are a bit different from what I imagined."

Leng Xiran looked at Fang Mu and added.

"Different how?"

Fang Mu was stunned.

Leng Xiran smiled lazily. "Lin Chuyin's 'cheap' brother, the entire Immortal Palace... or at least the top brass, has long heard of you."

Fang Mu’s face twitched. "That’s truly an honor..."

"Is it really an honor?"

Leng Xiran asked, her question carrying deep meaning.

Fang Mu’s expression stiffened, but he couldn't find words to respond.

*Right, is it really an honor?*

Lin Chuyin's brother...

What did that have to do with him, Fang Mu?

He pressed his lips together, not knowing what to say.

***

Leng Xiran looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Give me the gun."

Fang Mu was dazed. Before he could react, Leng Xiran had walked to his side and naturally taken the gun from his hands. Fang Mu subconsciously took a step back. Then, he saw Leng Xiran lift the heavy sniper rifle quite casually.

Before Fang Mu could observe carefully, in the next second...

*BANG!!!*

The gunshot roared!

Fang Mu was dumbfounded.

*This is impossible!*

She hadn't even aimed!

He turned his head immediately to look at the target area.

Five seconds later...

A puff of red mist floated out silently.

Fang Mu was stunned.

*How is this possible?*

Six kilometers away, a target the size of a baby’s fist, without even a second of aiming, just a lazy, simple shot... and she shattered it?

If she had used "Silver Eye," Fang Mu could have barely accepted it... after all, he had no concept of how powerful that super-vision ability was, which might not even appear in two-star or three-star battlefields.

But he had seen very clearly just now: she didn't use Silver Eye at all!

Then this?

Fang Mu was a bit confused.

He had always been very confident in his marksmanship. He felt that the only things he lacked compared to a truly terrifying Gunfighter were Gunfighting techniques and evolutionary levels. His marksmanship was definitely not an issue.

But what had just happened made him fall into self-doubt.

*Is the gap really this big?*

He stared blankly at the target in the distance.

He didn't doubt the authenticity of hitting the target. He believed that someone at the deputy regiment level of the Immortal Palace wouldn't stoop to such fakery.

Then...

*How did she do it?*

No aiming, no calculation, just fire and hit... at a distance of six kilometers, with the swaying wind and branches—as if they didn't exist at all?

Just as Fang Mu fell into deep self-doubt, Leng Xiran’s voice sounded in his ear.

"Want to learn?"

Fang Mu felt a jolt and snapped back to reality, looking at Leng Xiran in astonishment.

"Y-you, what did you say?"

Leng Xiran looked at him, a lazy smile on her beautiful face. "I asked, do you want to learn?"

"Y-you’re willing to teach me?"

Fang Mu’s eyes widened.

This technique was clearly extremely high-end. Anyone could tell it wasn't ordinary!

Leng Xiran was actually willing to teach him?

"I didn't plan on it. But... someone thinks highly of you and asked me to. I’m just doing a favor for someone else."

Leng Xiran looked helpless.

Fang Mu was stunned, and a name subconsciously surfaced in his mind...

*Lin Chuyin?*

Was it her who asked Leng Xiran...

Fang Mu began to drift off.

"Wait, don't get me wrong. The 'someone' I mentioned... well, it refers to our Regiment Commander. Don't think it was Lin Chuyin. Lin Chuyin couldn't command me."

Leng Xiran said suddenly.

Fang Mu was stunned, and then a look of bewilderment appeared in his eyes...

If it were Lin Chuyin, he would be surprised but could accept it.

But Qin Hongyu...

He couldn't understand it.

Qin Hongyu invited him to join the Immortal Palace, wasn't it for the sake of Lin Chuyin?

He had already joined, so that should have been enough, right? Why would she also arrange for Leng Xiran to teach him?

Anyone could see that this technique was absolutely high-end!

It was definitely not something just anyone had the chance to learn!

But... why?

Fang Mu was confused.

"Don't want to learn? Then forget it..."

Leng Xiran said suddenly.

"No, no, I want to learn! I want to learn!"

Fang Mu snapped out of it and shouted loudly.

Then, he saw Leng Xiran looking at him with a lazy smile.

Immediately, his face turned bright red.

This was probably the first time he had lost his composure in front of others.

"But I’ll say this first: this technique is easy to say but very difficult to execute. Whether you can actually learn it, and if you do, how much you can master... I make no guarantees."

Leng Xiran said casually.

"Yes, that’s only natural!"

Fang Mu pulled himself together and nodded quickly.

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Then I’ll be troubling you... Sister Xiran."

The title "Sister Xiran" made Leng Xiran raise her crescent-like eyebrows slightly, and then she nodded gently without saying much.

Fang Mu was only sixteen, and Leng Xiran was already twenty-two. Calling her "sister" was perfectly fine.

However, before this, whether it was Leng Xiran or Qin Hongyu, Fang Mu had deliberately avoided using titles and had never called anyone "sister."

Perhaps it was because of Lin Chuyin that he felt awkward.

But this time...

*Sure enough, you have to be humble when you're seeking to learn something.*

Fang Mu thought to himself, and then he was stunned again.

Wasn't this one of the things he wanted to learn when he came to the Immortal Palace?

Just then, a buzzing sound rang out. Fang Mu was startled and reached for his communicator, then heard Leng Xiran’s lazy voice.

"Hello?"

Fang Mu realized it was Leng Xiran’s communicator.

"Sister Xiran, where did you run off to? Come here quickly! I want my revenge!!"

Fang Mu vaguely heard a girl shouting.

He was dazed; the voice was very familiar.

It was the female Fist Fighter named Luo Yu.

*Revenge?*

*What revenge?*

Fang Mu subconsciously frowned.

Then, he heard Leng Xiran say in an elegant and lazy tone, "With your skills, you want revenge?"

"Ahhhhh! My hand was already formed! My luck is finally here!!" Luo Yu shrieked.

Fang Mu’s thoughtful expression froze...

*So, revenge means...*

*Playing Mahjong?*

His face twitched.

He knew about Mahjong, of course, but... he had never played it.

He looked at Leng Xiran with a strange expression, watching her elegantly tease Luo Yu, then thought of that casual yet stunning shot just now... *Who would have thought they had such a 'childish' hobby as playing Mahjong...*

"Alright, that’s it for today. Ten o'clock tomorrow morning, meet me in this room."

Leng Xiran hung up the communicator and said to Fang Mu.

Fang Mu nodded seriously. "Okay!"

"Hmm."

Leng Xiran nodded, suddenly stretched, and the clothes she wore were quite short. As she stretched, her sexy, slender waist was exposed. Fang Mu stared for a moment. Then, as if electrocuted, he quickly averted his gaze, his heart racing.

Leng Xiran noticed this little detail, glanced at her own waist, and suddenly smiled slightly.

"Alright, that's it."

Leng Xiran waved her hand and turned to leave.

Only after she walked out did Fang Mu let out a soft breath. He looked up at her silhouette, then looked out the window at the red mist that had just dissipated six kilometers away, a look of anticipation in his eyes...

*What kind of technique could allow someone to possess such marksmanship?*

He thought, full of anticipation.

Not long after, a buzzing sound rang out. Fang Mu was startled, realizing this time it was his own communicator.

When he checked, it was Zhang Yun, whom he had just added.

After answering, he learned that Zhang Yun and the others had finished reporting and were planning to go out for a meal.

Fang Mu responded a few times and hung up.

He walked to the door and suddenly paused.

*Right, I forgot to ask for Sister Xiran’s contact number...*

He thought to himself.

*Well, I’ll add it when I study tomorrow...*

He walked a few steps.

*Joining the Immortal Palace seems... not as difficult as I imagined...*

He let out a breath and a smile appeared on his face. Then, he quickened his pace and headed toward the elevator...