2 days later
25th April, Year 42019 of the Elemental Era
Li Gang was standing by the riverside, looking darkly at his reflection.
'I always thought I knew myself very well, but it seems I am as normal as any human. Everyone in this world strives for survival, even though they know one day they will die. Even rank 9 Warriors fade away with time. My fear of death is hindering me. Now that I think about it, if I had been calm in that situation, I could have used Venomheart Mist. There was also that rank 4 Warrior… I expected him to use me as bait, but I still hesitated. What if I had been wrong? I've been wrong many times since traveling with Wang Xueyao. That moment of hesitation nearly cost me my life. I have to learn from this. You don't get lucky very often!'
After using the rank 4 Warrior as bait, Li Gang's mind went blank when he woke up. His expression was heavy. Even though he had expected that one day in this world he would have to kill someone, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon. At first, the trauma weighed heavily on him, but he forced himself to suppress his emotions.
We should always remember that the world does not pause to grieve with us. Those who cannot bury their trembling hearts are soon buried themselves.
'This is also good. In this way, I am one step closer to understanding myself! Every human in this world is sane and rational. The only way to understand how a sane person would behave is to understand how a sane person usually acts in a particular situation. So, if I know myself well, I can understand others much more easily!'
"What's most important is to recover from this injury! I feel a lot of pain in my shoulder bones, and there's also internal bleeding. The medicines I prepared might get me through this one, but if I get injured again, they might not be enough," Li Gang murmured as he assessed his condition.
After reaching rank 1 Warrior, everyone becomes able to vaguely sense what's happening within their body, just as a blindfolded person can sense objects by touch.
Li Gang wasted no time and immediately sat down to heal himself. He took out a pouch of Ironbone Tonic—a yellowish fluid capable of healing bone-related injuries up to rank 3 Warriors. Then he bound his external wounds with cloth and swallowed a few grade 2 Vitality Pills to heal his internal injuries. Vitality Pills increase recovery speed and can heal all sorts of injuries.
At the same time, he reflected on his advantages and disadvantages.
'I've already collected various Spiritual Plants for making different poisons, but I don't have enough space. I only managed to refine poisons that can seriously injure up to a rank 4 peak and mildly injure a rank 5 peak. I wanted to make the grade 5 Bloodmoon Poison, but I lack the materials. I've already obtained Bloodmoon Lilies, Lunar Seeds, and many supplements. What I need most now is the Bloodmoon Spider's Tongue to start refining. There are other supplementary materials needed too, but those can be replaced. I also possess Bloodthorn Vines, which are used to make Soulbane Poison, but I still need the Soul Devourer Orchid, Corpse Blossom, and some other supplements that can be replaced as needed.'
Li Gang possessed many materials for creating poisons, but none were complete. Now that Wang Xueyao wasn't with him, he didn't have enough storage to carry them all. He would have to discard some and keep only what he needed most.
Even though Li Gang needed Bloodmoon Poison the most, he resolutely discarded all its materials. First, it freed up a lot of space since those ingredients were abundant. Second, the Bloodmoon Spider was extremely rare, and it was unlikely he would find one in this small world. By contrast, making Soulbane Poison was far easier, since its materials were not required in bulk and occupied very little space in his rings.
There is a popular saying in this world. "A wise traveler does not chase every path, he chooses the road his feet can endure."
As he thought of this, he began constructing a boat. Traveling by river would be much easier, as it connected many regions. Over the last few years, he had already built boats several times with Wang Xueyao's help.
He searched for sturdy, straight branches and logs, stripping away excess foliage and bark. After preparing the logs, he lashed them together to create a frame. Next, he searched for suitable covering materials, like large leaves. Using vines and grass, he secured the covering tightly to the frame for stability. Finally, he made adjustments to ensure it was balanced.
When it was done, he tested it in the river. It had taken him six hours to complete everything.
'Although it's not as good as the ones Wang Xueyao made, it should hold. Now that I've learned to swim, it shouldn't be a problem even if it sinks. Though I hope it doesn't—my clothes would get wet. Even though I have a few spare sets, it's still a waste of time to wait for them to dry.'
Li Gang hadn't known how to swim in his last life, since he had been a loner. But as he and Wang Xueyao often traveled through rivers, he had learned. Though he wasn't as skilled as professional swimmers, it was enough to survive.
From his experience the previous year, he knew the river currents in this small world were fast, and boats couldn't last too long.
He began his journey, rowing the boat steadily. As the waters swirled beneath him, he started pondering the nature of elements.
'The elements in this world are indeed unique. They're probably not made of hydrogen and oxygen, but of Water Attribute itself. Otherwise, they would behave like normal water. The same goes for Wind. But if that's the case, why is my understanding of Wind so deep that I can exploit it in Secret Techniques? There has to be some similarity between the Wind of this world and the Wind of my old world. Yet there seems to be none—they don't follow the same properties at all!'
This curiosity had long hindered his cultivation, marking a bottleneck in mastering higher-level Secret Techniques. The main reason was Spiritual Essence. He knew nothing about this mysterious, intangible energy. Though he could sense its existence everywhere, he was limited to only sensing it.
Li Gang always believed he would find the answers once he reached rank 4 Warrior. After all, rank 4 Warriors possess a Heavenly Core, which allows them to explore Spiritual Essence as though it were part of their body. Perhaps then, he would comprehend what Spiritual Essence truly was—and finally solve the puzzle of why attributes in this world didn't follow the properties he had learned before.
Soon, he docked the boat on the riverbank. Without hesitation, he entered the deep forest.
'I really miss having a disguise technique. I should have asked Wang Xueyao for one!'
But he quickly suppressed the thought. 'No, there's no point dwelling on what I lack. It's a waste of time. Better to explore the area and find some Spirit Stones or Soul Stones! There might even be powdered Moonlight Ferns.'
Soul Stones were special materials, much like Spirit Stones, but they improved Soul Cultivation. Li Gang couldn't sense them and thus had no use for them personally, but they could be sold for valuable resources. They could also be swallowed to improve the soul, though crudely—often leaving side effects. Li Gang would never endanger his soul. His main reason for seeking Soul Stones was to refine Soulbane Poison, as they were one of the essential ingredients.
After leaving the river, he dismantled the boat and threw it into the current. He erased all traces of water from where he had dragged it ashore. Once satisfied that his presence was undetectable, he moved deeper into the forest. Soon, he found a vantage point and activated his Wind-Thunder Eagle Eye.
He immediately took out a blank paper to mark the positions of the beasts he spotted. People forget easily. A human mind tends to store information in different locations, and when those pathways aren't reinforced through use, the knowledge becomes inaccessible. The information still exists, but the way to reach it is forgotten.
Li Gang's case was even more complicated. He kept his mind active almost constantly, creating countless branches of thought. When searching for something, the exact memory he needed could be buried like a needle in a haystack. That was why he relied on backups to ensure nothing was lost.
But this came at a cost. Because he kept his mind active all the time, his memory was cluttered with useless fragments that needed time to flush out. For example, when he visited a market, he didn't just glance at people; he analyzed their clothing, noticed small dents in their garments, and even speculated why they existed. At first, he could only do this for a few people, but over time he could do it for many more.
The drawback was that such intense utilization required more rest. Li Gang slept far more than the average human. Once every ten days, he spent an entire day sleeping to recover. Rest was the best way to refresh the brain, allowing memories to be recalled more efficiently.