Chapter 1192: My Loyalty and Faith

Su Yue stared at Jin Guoqian, frowning slightly.

He hadn’t expected the Martial Artist infiltrating the Eight Races Sacred Land to be Jin Guoqian. After all, the guy was still just a student. His dad had mentioned that this mission was near-suicidal, if not an absolute death sentence.

A few seconds later, Su Yue suddenly chuckled inwardly in realization.

What did it matter if he was a student? A hefty reward always brought forth brave individuals.

Back then, Yuan Longhan had tried to lure him into taking the risk with the promise of a king’s title. If not for Bai Zhiyong’s appearance and his dad’s opposition, he might have been the reckless fool selected for the job right now. The empty titles bestowed by the Military Department were fatally attractive to the youth.

Furthermore, Jin Guoqian was a student of the Warring States Military Academy; he was far more obsessed with the Military Department’s medals than Su Yue was.

It was understandable.

“The Divine Land Military Department and the Research Institute are very strong, and I’ve already handed over the Star-Cleansing Ice Crystal. How else can I help?” Su Yue asked calmly.

Yuan Longhan had made it very clear back then. By forging the Star-Cleansing Ice Crystal into Ice Crystal Gloves and infiltrating the Eight Races Sacred Land, one could steal the secret to activating the Spiritual Spring. Su Yue’s mission was already over. He had no idea what else he could do to help.

“It’s about the Ice Crystal Gloves.

“The Military Department’s research facilities have run into a bottleneck. It seems there is a compatibility issue causing the Ice Crystal Gloves to reject me. If you could help with the research, it might weaken this rejection.

“Of course, I won’t hide it from you. If you participate in researching the gloves, you will have to pay a certain price.

“Besides some standard physical pain, you might not be able to come into contact with any Spiritual Qi fluctuations for a week or two. Consequently, this will delay your cultivation progress.

“I know you’re a genius, but I firmly believe your achievements come from day after day of arduous cultivation. No one can become truly powerful by relying purely on luck. I’m very sorry, but this request will indeed delay your training,” Jin Guoqian said apologetically.

“Did the Marshal send you?” Su Yue asked.

He didn’t know how to feel about it. It was very complicated.

“No. The Grand Marshal has been at the Dao Sect recently, researching some matters. He is occupied with countless pressing affairs; this project is entirely handled by a secret research lab within the Military Department.

“Let alone the Grand Marshal, not even the Major General in charge of this mission knows I came to find you. I am acting completely on my own.

“However, when the Marshal spoke with me, he granted me a special clearance: if I encountered any difficult problems regarding the Star-Cleansing Ice Crystal, I was allowed to consult you.

“This is an S-rank mission for the Divine Land. The security clearance is incredibly high, but nothing is kept secret from you.

“I haven’t broken any rules,” Jin Guoqian said with a solemn expression.

“Heh, the Military Department really thinks highly of me, a mere Wuda student!” Su Yue chuckled.

“Su Yue, you aren’t an officially enlisted Martial Artist of the Military Department, so there’s really no need for you to get involved in this mess. I understand how you feel. To others, two weeks might not be worth much, but you’re different.

“Therefore, I can make you a promise right now.

“If this mission succeeds, you can take a portion of the reward I receive. I can even apply to the Military Department to share my military merits with you. As for how much you want, it’s entirely up to you.

“I have no other choice. This mission is of immense significance. On a grand scale, you could say it concerns the fate of the Divine Land for the next decade. I’m not afraid to sacrifice myself, but I don’t want to die meaninglessly. That’s why I don’t want to leave any flaws behind.

“Of course, if I fail the mission, just consider it a failed investment. I can only apologize and make it up to you in my next life,” Jin Guoqian finished speaking, a look of guilt washing over his face.

To ordinary people, two weeks might just be a vacation. But Su Yue was not an ordinary person.

Time was invaluable. Every minute and every second during their youth was absolutely crucial to a Martial Artist. This was especially true for someone like Su Yue—a peak expert who could potentially reach the Seventh or even Eighth Rank before graduation.

Wasting two whole weeks of his time was actually an incredibly unreasonable request. The kicker was that this request was a completely unilateral proposition. The only thing Jin Guoqian could offer Su Yue was this single promise.

It was incredibly flimsy. But it was the absolute limit of what he could do.

Meanwhile, Su Yue looked surprised.

Was Jin Guoqian actually willing to share his military merits and reward with him? Furthermore, the implication behind letting him choose how much to take was that Jin Guoqian wouldn’t care even if Su Yue took it all.

How could he be so selfless?

“If you fail the mission, how do you plan to make it up to me in your next life?” Su Yue asked with a smile.

Jin Guoqian’s face turned ashen, and he remained silent. To be honest, he hadn’t thought about how to compensate Su Yue; after all, it was a matter for his next life.

Reincarnate as his dad and earn money for him to spend, perhaps? But Jin Guoqian didn’t dare say it out loud, fearing Su Yue would kill him.

“Jin Guoqian, I want to ask you a question,” Su Yue suddenly spoke again after thinking for a moment.

“Go ahead. I’ll answer whatever I can,” Jin Guoqian nodded solemnly, relieved to finally bypass the topic of his next life.

“You’re risking your life to go undercover, yet you’re willing to let me take the fruits of victory in the end. What exactly is your goal?” Su Yue asked.

“Huh?” Jin Guoqian was taken aback.

He had thought Su Yue was going to ask about the Star-Cleansing Ice Crystal and had already prepared a whole slew of answers in his head. But Su Yue’s question was somewhat… odd.

“Going undercover is a mission assigned to me by the Military Department,” Jin Guoqian said, standing perfectly straight without a hint of hesitation. “As a professional soldier, completing missions is my bounden duty. I haven’t really thought about a goal.”

“This mission is near-suicidal,” Su Yue added.