Within the dimensional realm, Xu Que remained unaware of all that Elder Ye and the others had orchestrated on his behalf.
If he knew, he would be deeply grateful.
Though he was powerful now, he understood well that his strength was largely built upon external equipment and borrowed force. In truth, he hadn't yet truly grown into his own potential.
Having witnessed the power of an S-rank, he knew that without such enhancements, he would be just an ordinary person.
As Xu Que moved from place to place, absorbing the ambient energy, thirteen stars had already converged within him.
Opening his eyes, he fixed his gaze upon the dense forest's center.
"The spiritual energy here is nearly exhausted. Now, it's time to harvest the boss."
In this space, Xu Que hadn't sensed any anchor points, which simplified his next steps considerably.
As he took a step forward, his body left an afterimage in the air.
"A 2000% boost… truly outrageous."
This overwhelming power was still something Xu Que hadn't fully adapted to.
After a few trials, he gradually mastered this speed and strength.
Just as he mused about testing his leaps and sprinting, goblin roars echoed from the woods. Eight green-skinned goblins dropped down from the trees.
He had slain goblins so swiftly before that he hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Now, these eight goblins presented the perfect opportunity to find his rhythm.
With a sharp whistle, an arrow streaked toward him.
Xu Que tilted his head, evading swiftly, and lunged toward the goblin archer.
His speed was overwhelming; before the archer could react, he was already in front of it.
With a single punch.
The goblin archer's head burst like a watermelon.
Xu Que raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had dispatched a B-rank creature with one punch.
"This feeling… exhilarating!"
With a smirk, he propelled himself, his legs enveloped in energy, and broke through the surrounding goblins with a single sprint.
Another punch followed, exploding the head of a goblin warrior, showering its comrade in blackish blood.
The remaining goblins, never having faced such a brutal predator, turned and fled without a second thought.
"Interesting. Goblins are certainly a species that bullies the weak and fears the strong."
Satisfied with his newfound strength, Xu Que tested a small jump.
Discovering he could now jump three meters high, he grinned and pushed off the ground with force.
With a rush of wind, his shadow trailed behind like an unfurled silhouette.
In less than four seconds, he had already caught up to the foremost goblin.
"This speed… truly unmatched!"
With precision, Xu Que brought down his primordial sword upon the goblin.
His rapid speed, flawless technique.
With a swift slash, the goblin was cleaved in two.
Before the five remaining goblins could even react, Xu Que executed a graceful sword technique, beheading each one in quick succession.
"This augmentation is nothing short of terrifying."
He sheathed his primordial sword, shifting its appearance back to an ordinary black blade.
In the heart of the forest, goblins in the encampment banged on wooden alarms.
It was their alert system—used only when they detected intruders.
Xu Que strode into the goblin camp, leaving a trail of goblin corpses behind him.
A larger goblin, with blue skin and a large blade, slowly emerged from its tent, gesturing threateningly at its neck.
A faint laugh escaped Xu Que, though his eyes were cold.
The goblin boss roared, and a dozen goblin warriors charged at Xu Que.
For these creatures, who fell to a single punch, Xu Que had no regard.
With a whistle, his black sword flew forward, and Xu Que dashed directly at the goblin boss.
The boss, seeing the intruder, raised its massive blade and struck at Xu Que.
But just as its blade descended, Xu Que was already behind it.
With a quick series of jabs, his black sword flew with eerie precision, piercing each goblin's head.
Finally, Xu Que landed a blow directly on the boss's skull.
The goblin boss managed to raise its blade just in time to block the strike.
Stumbling back, the goblin boss faltered as Xu Que summoned the black sword into his hand.
With a single, clean slash, the goblin boss was split in two.
Speed.
This entire battle could only be defined by that single word.
From Xu Que's first sword strike, dispatching twelve goblins, to his final blow on the goblin boss, the entire fight took a mere six seconds!
As the boss's aura faded, a notification sounded.
"Congratulations, Human Xu Que. You have successfully cleared B-rank 'Forest of the Lake C' and gained territorial rights. You have received sixteen spirit iron, twenty-three spirit crystals, and three spirit stones. Your daily income from this territory may be checked in the trading hall interface."
"Congratulations, Human Xu Que. After big data analysis, your advanced territory has been identified. The 'Forest of the Lake C' will now fold into 'The Gate of Hell'..."
Xu Que ignored the notification and gathered the three items dropped by the boss, then entered the tent.
Finding another pack there, Xu Que allowed himself a satisfied smile.
"These goblins are true brigands—any species crossing their lands is at their mercy."
He stored the pack in his inventory and noted its weight was less than his previous pack, dismissing it as just another trophy.
Just as Xu Que reappeared, a lieutenant rushed up to him.
"Congratulations, Mr. Xu Que, on successfully closing the spatial rift," the lieutenant said, handing over a file with a smile.
Xu Que nodded and accepted the document. "Thank you."
As he prepared to sign, the lieutenant pointed to a blank space on the form. "Mr. Xu, could you sign here as well?"
Xu Que paused. "Is this for your commanding officer?"
"Yes, he's eager to train a team that could reach your level," the lieutenant said with a sigh.
"Alright, I don't mind," Xu Que replied, swiftly summarizing the event in the blank space.
When the form was complete, the lieutenant saluted Xu Que with respect.
"Mr. Xu, will you be heading to the Xinqi Reservoir next?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" Xu Que inquired.
"Well, if possible…"
Before the lieutenant could finish, Xu Que interrupted, "I understand your meaning. But handling rifts above B-rank is not suitable for newcomers. Besides, let me be blunt—I ventured into goblin territory, and these humanoid beings are extremely territorial, with patrols that follow no predictable pattern."
Hearing this, the lieutenant nodded, embarrassed. "Apologies, we overlooked that."
"No problem. If you want to send people in for training, you're welcome to contact my company. I'm sure there's no issue with C-rank rifts or below," Xu Que offered with a smile.
"Thank you very much," the lieutenant saluted once more.
Xu Que understood the intentions of various military regions; after all, who wouldn't want a shortcut to cultivation?
But there was a catch—these arrangements would diminish his company's employees' capabilities.
Not to mention, each trip into a dimensional rift was carefully planned. Losing a slot to someone else meant one fewer spot for his team.
And, most importantly, Xu Que had already allocated the highest resource shares from his past life to the officials. If they continued to make unreasonable requests, it would truly be difficult for him.
So, using his company as a buffer, he encouraged them to negotiate directly.