A month passed by, Lin Fang's eyes slowly opened and a powerful aura radiated from his body.
Name: Lin Fang
Realm: Tenth Level of Qi Refining
Spiritual Roots: The Elemental Dao(Ancient)
Special Physique: Dao Body
Luck: Maximum Fortune
Cultivation Manuals: Qi-Gathering Art
Skills: Stone Palm Secret Art (Low-Grade)
"Finally… I've reached the perfect level of Qi-Refining. It's time to leave this place," Lin Fang muttered, the corners of his mouth twitching in a mix of pride and frustration.
For the past month, he had thrown himself entirely into cultivation.
Day and night, he remained seated in the cultivating position, focusing all his energy on improving. The only breaks he allowed himself were for hunting beasts, exploring the forest, or taking care of certain inevitable bodily needs.
He would have happily continued the routine for another month or longer, but fate had other plans.
The cultivation manual he possessed, while reliable, was limited. It could only take him to the peak of Qi-Refining, and no further.
"Who writes a manual and stops right at the good part?" Lin Fang muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he gathered his belongings.
'I thought my luck would improve,' Lin Fang mused as he stepped out of the broken temple, the sunlight landing on his face. 'Maybe I'd stumble upon a better manual from one of those glowing chests. But no, these monsters are too weak to drop anything useful.' he sighed.
If he wanted to keep practising and break into the Foundation-Building Realm, he'd need a more advanced cultivation manual. And unfortunately, manuals didn't grow on trees.
Lin Fang had tried other methods, of course. The trading section of the system seemed promising at first glance, but it turned out to be filled with ridiculous items: barbecue recipes, stylish yet impractical clothing, and other miscellaneous junk.
"Seriously, who needs a barbecue guide when they're trying to ascend to immortality?" he muttered, rolling his eyes.
The only viable solution was clear.
"The only way I can get my hands on a proper cultivation manual is through the natives," Lin Fang concluded aloud, his tone decisive.
While he had spent most of his time cultivating, Lin Fang wasn't completely disconnected from the player community. The Chat Channel was an endless stream of chatter—half nonsense, half useful tidbits. At the same time, most players complained about their struggles or bragged about their minor achievements, a few provided insights worth noting in Lin Fang's eyes.
One player's story, in particular, had caught Lin Fang's attention.
This player, having reached the first layer of Qi-Refining, decided to venture out of his temple and explore. Against all odds, he survived.
His encounters with monsters of the first and second layers of Qi-Refining were manageable.
He avoided fights whenever possible and only engaged when food was necessary.
After days of cautious travel, the player stumbled upon a native town. He was careful not to reveal its name—likely to keep others from swarming his discovery—but he shared an intriguing development.
The player managed to join a sect run by the natives. Despite being only at the first layer of Qi-Refining, he was accepted. The reason? His sixth-grade water spiritual root.
Of course, once you join the native forces, you will not only just be given skills, cultivation manuals and a salary for free. You will have to sign a contract and start working for them.
Lin Fang still hasn't decided whether he will enter such a sect or find stores in the town or city and buy one from there.
As long as he had enough spirit stones, skills and weapons shouldn't be a problem.
"I will decide once I get there." Lin Fang muttered, before choosing a random direction and running.
Unfortunately unlike those cool novels he used to read, he was unable to fly…at least not yet. So he could only run, with his current realm in cultivation.
Lin Fang's speed was pretty quick, he was crossing more than twenty meters per second and his speed wasn't slowing down.
If he went back to earth now and participated in a race he would dominate with ease. And that wasn't only with just racing, be it powerlifting, MMA or any sort of sports. Lin Fan was positive that he would dominate without breaking a sweat.
After running for hours, Lin Fang finally slowed his pace, pausing just long enough to catch his breath. He made sure his breaks were short—just enough to keep himself from collapsing but not so long that he'd risk losing daylight.
His goal was clear, to reach the nearby native town before the sunset.
Along the way, he encountered several monsters lurking around.
Dispatching them quickly, Lin Fang collected the spirit stones they dropped, tucking them into his pouch. As for the other items—kebab and who knew what else—they were left behind.
"No point hauling junk," he muttered. "I'm not a moving storage bag, and these won't help me get to town any faster."
Lin Fang remained focused as he pressed onward.
He was beginning to calculate how much farther he could go before needing to stop for the night when a sudden, piercing scream shattered the stillness around him.
"Ahhh!!!"
The sound, sharp and bone-chilling, sent a jolt through him. Lin Fang froze mid-stride, his heart pounding. It sounded like a woman in distress, and it was coming from somewhere ahead.
"A native!" he exclaimed, his voice carrying a mix of surprise and excitement.
'If I save her, I might make a great first impression, he thought, his lips curving into a grin. She'll be so grateful that she'll lead me back to her town, where I'll finally get my hands on that cultivation manual. Maybe even an extra reward.'
'Two birds, one stone.'
Lin Fang was obviously daydreaming, and everything he thought about was nothing but assumptions built on assumptions.
'It's probably some weak monster,' he thought. 'I'll swoop in, take it down in one hit, and boom—instant hero.'
"This is it," Lin Fang muttered under his breath, as he got closer to the area where the voice sounded from earlier.
His imagination ran wild.
'Maybe she's a sect disciple in disguise, testing me to see if I'm worthy. Or a princess from some hidden cultivation lineage.'