"This is..."
Familiar scenes emerged in his consciousness. "This is the development panel from the game!"
Wang Mu's heart pounded.
In the game, players could consume action points to let their characters automatically engage in Cultivation or Travel. Cultivation involved practicing Cultivation Techniques, Martial Arts, skills, labor, and so on. Traveling meant visiting different locations, triggering various event plots, making choices, and engaging in battles, among other things.
1 action point. In the game, you get four action points per month. Cultivation consumes 1 point, and Traveling consumes 2 points.
Wang Mu returned to the wooden house. He took off the beggar's rags he was wearing and put on the plain cloth clothes Aunt Hong had given him.
The downpour had served as a makeshift bath. Now, having changed into fresh clothes, Wang Mu felt invigorated and began to ponder the panel.
It seems to be the Cultivation System from the game.
With this, I'm familiar.
Only 1 action point. Does that mean I can only use it for Cultivation?
But right now, forget Martial Arts or Cultivation Techniques, I don't even know any skills... What can I cultivate?
The dash signifies that I can't take action.
I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what I can do in the village?
With a hint of anticipation, Wang Mu fell into a deep sleep.
「The next day.」
The sky didn't seem much better. Far away, atop the towering Yunxiao Mountain, thunderclouds like splashed ink stained the sky, imprisoning this corner of the world.
Fortunately, the rain had lessened.
Wang Mu found Sister Hong and, fully exerting his own initiative, expressed his desire to do some work.
However, even fishing and slaughtering chickens carried risks.
"Little Wang, you're frail. You need to build up your strength first. How about this: go with Uncle Tie Niu to the Purple Forest behind the village and chop some firewood."
Chop firewood?That doesn't seem very dangerous.
Wang Mu nodded and followed a two-meter-tall man out of the village once more, arriving at the Purple Wood Forest behind it.
The burly man was called Tie Niu. His muscles weren't excessively developed, but he looked strong—not in the vein of a bodybuilder, but rather his muscles appeared smooth and well-defined. He wore only a coarse cloth garment tied with a black sash at his waist and carried two short axes, each half a meter long, slung across his back.
It was impossible to tell what material the short axes were made from. Their edges held a faint, cold gleam, and their bodies were etched with peculiar patterns. The wooden handles bore the deep imprints of a five-fingered grip, suggesting years of use; the grooves within these imprints had developed a dark, smooth patina.
"Our village hasn't had any outsiders join for many years," Tie Niu said cheerfully. His face was bearded, his skin bronze, and a strip of cloth was tied around his head like a band. His expression seemed a bit simple, but his voice was loud and resonant. "Little Wang, since you've come to our village, if you need any help, just say the word."
Wang Mu wanted to ask about the state of this world. However...
"The outside world?" Tie Niu waved his hand. "We don't know anything about that... We only know there's Gu Yun Mountain over there. Beyond the mountain is a Cultivation Sect full of Immortals who can fly through the sky and tunnel through the earth."
"Other than that, we've never been outside. Occasionally, some travelers rest in our village. Or, every few years, when the Immortal Sect opens its gates to accept disciples, some travelers pass through. They say the outside world is very dangerous. Some places, they claim, will devour a man whole, not even spitting out his bones, and they especially prey on able-bodied young men."
"What places are so formidable?" Wang Mu was taken aback.
Tie Niu's expression turned grave as he lowered his voice, "Those travelers speak of a place called Goulan. Truly bizarre."
Wang Mu fell silent. This feels a bit strange.
Anle Village is practically cut off from the rest of the world!
I wonder how much the world map has expanded in the thousand years that have passed?
"Alright, we've reached the Purple Wood Forest," Uncle Tie Niu said, drawing the two axes from his back. "Little Wang, Sister Hong told me about your situation. You're not very strong. Why don't you give it a try first? These Purple Shuo Trees are quite hard; they might be difficult for you to chop."
"The good thing is, it doesn't require much skill. With perseverance, you should be able to cut down one tree in half a month. That would be considered a success."
"Now, watch me first."
Tie Niu drew one axe, and in the next instant, his entire demeanor changed, especially the moment he gripped the axe. A faint, almost imperceptible current of air seemed to flow from him.
Wang Mu's eyes widened.
The Purple Shuo Tree actually looked a bit like a maple. Its trunk wasn't very thick, and it didn't appear particularly sturdy. However, after all he had experienced yesterday, Wang Mu knew this tree was likely not as simple as it seemed.
This was especially true the moment Uncle Tie Niu's axe descended.
The current of air swept past like a fierce gale, nearly knocking Wang Mu off his feet.
?
Is this the kind of aura for chopping a tree? Cold sweat beaded on Wang Mu's forehead. It feels more like he's splitting a mountain...
And when the axe struck the Purple Shuo Tree...
BOOM!
The ground trembled violently.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK...
The Purple Shuo Tree merely showed a notch, neither too large nor too small.
Tie Niu, however, paid it no mind. The axe in his hand became a blur, furiously striking the same notch. In just a few breaths, the notch widened, and the entire tree cracked and fell with a resounding crash.
"Whew..." Tie Niu let out a breath, looking at the felled Purple Shuo Tree with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. "I wonder when I'll be able to split one with a single blow, like Great-Grandfather did."
Wang Mu was speechless.
As expected of an Immortal World!
The average combat strength here is so high...
The sheer power and oppressive aura Tie Niu had displayed, the whistling axe, the explosive gust of wind, and the flying wood splinters—Wang Mu suspected that axe could probably split a mountain.
"Little Mu, your turn to try." Tie Niu handed the other axe to Wang Mu. "It might be very uncomfortable at first, but persistence is key. You'll get used to it."