Chapter 33: Qi Gong Master

Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the novice mission! Checking the mission completion rate…

The next second.

Confronting a snake, hunting a hare, stealing food from a bear’s mouth…

Bi Fang stood in the midst of ever-changing light, watching various scenes flash by like a runaway projector.

Exhaustion, loneliness, fear, and joy all mixed together in a matter of seconds before erupting like a volcano. His body was filled with never-before-felt sensations; it was both overwhelmingly joyful and sorrowful. He stood there, dumbstruck like he could hear the whole world screaming in his ears.

Not until the scenes finished did the system’s electronic voice ring out again.

In that instant, Bi Fang’s mind cleared, and he looked up at the sun, silently smiling.

The fatigue of his journey suddenly dissipated, making him feel like he had crossed an ocean and finally found land.

Ding! Inspection completed.

Mainline missions 1 and 2, as well as the side mission “Stealing Food from a Bear’s Mouth”, have all been completed within a total of 4 days—an additional 40% bonus reward.

Seeing the final bonus, Bi Fang knew his efforts had not been in vain, and there was indeed a reward for completing the mission early!

One had to put in their full effort for better rewards!

Added to the previous novice mission reward upgrade, this harvest was bound to be exceptionally bountiful!

A bonus upgrade for the novice mission detected: Your final reward is: Skill Upgrade Ticket *1, Skill Jar *2, Enhancement Points *6, and Wilderness Points *1200

Ding! Novice mission complete, permanent system activation successful, store feature unlocked, skill tree feature unlocked.

Store?

Skill tree?

A series of system alerts left Bi Fang bemused as he opened the system panel and slid down.

Sole Binding: Bi Fang

Age: 24

Height: 183.1cm

Weight: 67KG

Power: 8

Physique: 8

Agility: 8

Spirit: 9

Status: Exhausted

Enhancement Points: 6

Wilderness Points: 1200

The original skill column disappeared, replaced by a fluorescent blue tree. All the previous solitary skills were now branches on the tree. The thickest one was purple and represented Advanced Yoga.

Bi Fang gently touched the tree with his thoughts, and information about the tree instantly flooded his mind. He closed his eyes to digest the information and then roughly understood the purpose of the skill tree.

Simply put, it made the connections between skills more intimate and better integrated.

Just like Wilderness Survival Skills, which include first aid and swimming knowledge, their coverage is undoubtedly not as wide as standalone first aid and swimming skills.

However, standalone skills do not have the specificity of Wilderness Survival Skills. For example, in emergency medical treatment, there is wound suturing. But in the wilderness, there might be no thread to use for suturing, making this skill less practical.

The purpose of the skill tree is to allow these skills to interact with each other, affect each other, increase their applicability, and even promote growth like a tree.

Moving down, there was a simple ten-tier cabinet and a roulette—this should be the so-called store. Its main functions were purchasing and lottery.

Bi Fang briefly examined the store. On each tier of the cabinet, there was an item: Ancestor Bird Assault Suit, Mammoth Mountain Boots, Barehanded Fitness (Green) lv3…

There were skill equipment available for purchase, consuming Wilderness Points. The store refreshed every five days.

Similarly, there was a lottery: 50 points for a single draw and 480 points for ten draws. It was unclear whether there were any guaranteed prizes for the ten draws.

However, this ten-draw price of 480…

A twitch in Bi Fang’s eye made him feel that something was off, like being fleeced by a game developer.

He shook his head, banishing the ridiculous thought, and looked at the system reward just received.

Enhancement Points directly enhanced the four attributes, making them the most intuitive and practical reward. A total of 6 points could almost bring Bi Fang’s physical fitness up a significant notch.

Of course, this enhancement was not limitless. The higher the level, the lower the cost-effectiveness ratio. Otherwise, one could become a superhero and it wouldn’t count as wilderness survival anymore.

If that were the case, Bi Fang could’ve defeated the previous black bear with a single punch.

But even so, Enhancement Points were valuable!

Bi Fang glanced at his “feeble” stats without adding points in a hurry. He was still standing outside. Who knew if adding points would cause any unexpected effects?

Likewise, it was better to examine the remaining rewards once they returned home.

With that thought, Bi Fang, who stood at a crossroads in the unfamiliar town, ultimately abandoned the idea of ​​taking up a dishwashing job for the day and decided to seek help from the police first.

When in trouble, turn to the police—that’s what everyone says.

…

Inside the hotel, Bi Fang took a good shower and poured himself a glass of water before reopening the system panel.

Although he had found a police officer, the train tickets to Xicheng had been sold out. He had no choice but to stay in the hotel for the night and set off the next day.

Before adding points, Bi Fang decided to advance his Wilderness Survival skills first. That was his main focus, so it had to be prioritized for upgrading.

The golden ticket transformed into golden powder.

In an instant, more comprehensive knowledge of outdoor wilderness, as well as more tracking knowledge, hunting experience, and trap-making skills, filled his mind.

A great value indeed!

After a while, Bi Fang, who had digested the information, secretly praised the huge difference between the blue and purple skills. He felt that if he had the purple wilderness survival skills before going to Qinling, he wouldn’t have been so embarrassed.

Bi Fang, who was mentally satisfied, glanced at the six enhancement points, full of anticipation.

Six points, a huge sum, but they couldn’t be added casually. They had to be targeted. Which one should he add?

Four basic attributes – strength, physique, agility, and spirit – seemed simple, but each one covered a broad aspect.

Strength was not just arm strength or push-ups, but a combination of muscle density, mitochondrial energy supply, and more.

Physique referred to stamina, body constitution, and physical strength. More points put into it could prolong one’s life.

Agility entailed limb explosiveness, dynamic vision, etc.

Spirit involved coordination, intuition, neural reflexes, and more.

These four basic attributes complemented and intertwined with each other, and each was indispensable.

After thinking for a while, Bi Fang finally added three points to physique, two to spirit, and one to agility.

Enhanced physique improved his survival ability, making him less prone to illness or weakness. Spirit and agility could play a critical role in moments of crisis. As for strength, it was not that it wasn’t important, but that it had lower cost-effectiveness.

No matter how strong he was, could he be as strong as a bear?

When facing wild beasts, being a warrior or a tank was not feasible. Instead, it was better to put his points into agility and become an assassin who could move around and hunt.

Moreover, strength was relatively easier to train compared to the other attributes, so it wasn’t worth using enhancement points directly.

After adding the points, Bi Fang didn’t feel like how it was described in novels – with explosive crackling sounds coming from his bones and then greatly increased power. Instead, he soon felt his eyelids getting heavy and his body becoming warm. Turning off the lights, he went to sleep.

He slept straight until the next morning!

When Bi Fang opened his eyes again, he felt as if he was looking at an entirely new world!

Each breath contained a refreshing and delightful feeling!

The blisters on his palms and the soreness in his shoulders had disappeared, and even his skin seemed a bit smoother.

As expected of the system!

Bi Fang swung his arms and felt lighter all over. The effect was truly remarkable!

Moreover, the fact that he didn’t have to train to improve made it even more addictive. There was nothing more relieving and satisfying than becoming stronger overnight!

Feeling physically and mentally relaxed, Bi Fang turned his attention to the remaining two skill jars.

The previous three jars had produced some great results, so what kind of surprises would these two bring?

With this thought, Bi Fang couldn’t help but feel eager.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the green skill – Field Army Lv5, and the blue skill – Pilates Lv3!

Pilates?

Bi Fang first saw the Field Army and wanted to feel joy, but then he saw Pilates and was slightly stunned.

This feeling seemed familiar…

He knew Pilates was a whole-body coordination exercise.

It aimed to train the deep-seated small muscle groups in the body, maintain and improve normal activity posture, focus on body control, and emphasize on cultivating qi.

But the problem was that it was somewhat similar to yoga…

Feeling a little troubled, Bi Fang didn’t believe that the skills drawn from the system were random. In which direction did the system want to cultivate and develop him?

A Qi Gong master?