Chapter 2: Cave Sweet Cave (and System Shenanigans)
Kai leaned against the cool, damp rock wall of the small cave he'd found, sucking in ragged breaths. Outside, the frustrated snorts and stomps of the Razorback Boar echoed, gradually fading as the beast gave up its futile chase. Adrenaline still buzzed in Kai's veins, mixed with the potent thrum of Qi from the condensation pill.
"Holy…" he breathed, staring at his hands. They weren't shaking. He felt… *alive*. Stronger. Faster. And undeniably, ridiculously, *lucky*.
**<< Ding! >>**
**Objective Complete: Survive the Whispering Woods (Initial Phase).**
**Reward: 100 System Points.**
**Unlocking: System Shop (Basic Tier).**
The familiar blue screen shimmered into existence. The main status screen updated:
**Host: Kai**
**Cultivation: Mortal -> Qi Gathering Stage (Early)**
**Meridian Status: Severely Compromised (Duct-Taped & Functional - Leakage Reduced by 85%)**
**Techniques: Heavenly Step (Beginner)**
**System Points (SP): 100**
**New Feature: [Shop]**
"Duct-Taped & Functional?" Kai muttered, a disbelieving laugh escaping him. "You really have a way with words, System."
He focused on the **[Shop]** option. The screen shifted, presenting a dizzying array of icons and names, most frustratingly greyed out with astronomical SP costs blinking beside them.
* **Divine Dragon Form (Ultimate Tier):** 1,000,000,000 SP *[Locked]*
* **Nirvana Phoenix Rebirth Pill:** 500,000,000 SP *[Locked]*
* **Technique: Universe-Sundering Fist (Master):** 250,000,000 SP *[Locked]*
"Okay, maybe start smaller," Kai sighed, scrolling down past the impossible fantasies. He found the 'Basic Tier' filter. Here, things were marginally more affordable, though still eye-watering.
* **Minor Qi Condensation Pill:** 50 SP
* **Basic Meridian Salve (Temporary Stabilizer):** 75 SP
* **Technique: Flickering Palm Strike (Beginner):** 150 SP *[Locked - Requires Foundation Establishment]*
* **Technique: Iron Skin (Beginner):** 120 SP
Kai winced. He only had 100 SP. The Condensation Pill was tempting – that surge of power had been incredible – but it was temporary fuel. The Meridian Salve sounded useful for his still-precarious condition, but… his eyes lingered on **Iron Skin (Beginner)**. He'd just dodged a boar. What happened when he couldn't dodge? When Lin Feng or some other arrogant prick decided fists were better than tusks?
"Survival first," he reasoned aloud. "Speed kept me alive today. But a bit of toughness wouldn't hurt." He hesitated. "System, can I afford Iron Skin?"
**<< Host possesses 100 SP. Iron Skin (Beginner) costs 120 SP. Insufficient Funds. >>**
"Ugh. Figures." Kai slumped. Then he remembered. "Hey, what about that boar? I led it on a merry chase! That has to be worth something extra? Evasion bonus?"
**<< Processing... >>**
**<< Host successfully utilized Heavenly Step to evade a Tier-1 Spirit Beast for 15 minutes. >>**
**<< Calculating Bonus... >>**
**<< Ding! Bonus Awarded: 20 SP! >>**
**<< Total SP: 120 >>**
Kai pumped his fist. "Yes! Okay, System, purchase Iron Skin Technique. Beginner Tier."
**<< Confirmed. Deducting 120 SP. >>**
**<< Total SP: 0 >>**
**<< Downloading Technique: Iron Skin (Beginner)... >>**
Just like with Heavenly Step, knowledge flooded Kai's mind. It wasn't about hardening muscles like rock, but about circulating Qi in a specific, intricate pattern just beneath the skin, reinforcing it, making it dense and resilient. It felt like learning a complex, internal dance. And just like before, the knowledge settled in as if he'd practiced it for months. He *understood* it.
**<< Technique Integration Complete: Iron Skin (Beginner) >>**
**<< Passive Effect: Slight increase to physical resilience. >>**
**<< Active Effect: Channel Qi to significantly harden skin and minor muscle layers for short duration (Cost: Moderate Qi). Effectiveness scales with Cultivation Stage and Technique Proficiency. >>**
"Active effect, huh?" Kai flexed his arm, concentrating. He pushed a small stream of the Qi humming in his dantian through the newly learned pathways. A faint, warm tingling spread across his forearm. He rapped his knuckles against the cave wall. Instead of the sharp sting he expected, there was a dull *thud*. He hit harder. Still just a muffled impact, the skin barely reddening. A grin spread across his face. "Okay, that's pretty cool. Not dying is surprisingly expensive though."
He needed more SP. And more Qi. He looked at the remaining two Minor Qi Condensation Pills in his ragged pocket. Tempting, but he decided to save them. He needed to learn to gather Qi the normal way too, duct-taped meridians or not. Plus, the System Shop clearly demanded SP.
His stomach growled loudly, reminding him of more immediate needs. Food. Water. Shelter was good, but temporary.
As if on cue, the System pinged.
**<< New Objective: Establish Temporary Base. >>**
**<< Sub-Objectives: >>**
**<< 1. Secure Reliable Water Source (0/1). Reward: 20 SP >>**
**<< 2. Establish Basic Food Supply (0/1). Reward: 30 SP >>**
**<< 3. Fortify Shelter (0/1). Reward: 25 SP >>**
**<< Overall Reward: Unlock 'Basic Survival Pack' in Shop. >>**
"Fortify the shelter?" Kai looked around the shallow cave. It was barely more than a rocky overhang. "Gonna need some materials." He spotted the long, wicked tusk the Razorback Boar had snapped off against a tree during its frustrated rampage. It lay gleaming dully near the cave entrance. An idea sparked.
Using a sharp rock and the newfound strength from his Qi-enhanced body (even without active techniques, the passive boost was noticeable), Kai spent the next hour painstakingly grinding one end of the tusk against the cave floor. Slowly, laboriously, he shaped a crude but wickedly sharp point. **Basic Perception Boost?** he wondered, noticing details in the tusk's grain he wouldn't have before. Maybe another subtle System perk.
He held up his makeshift Boar Tusk Dagger. It was heavy, unbalanced, and ugly. But it was a weapon. His first real one. "Not bad for duct-taped trash," he murmured, a fierce determination settling in his eyes. The Verdant Cloud Sect thought they'd thrown away garbage. They had no idea what kind of absolute bullshit they'd unleashed.
He spent the fading light of the day gathering sturdy vines and fallen branches, using his dagger and enhanced strength to drag them back to the cave mouth. He started weaving a crude barrier, something to slow down anything bigger than a rabbit. It was rough work, but each vine secured, each branch placed, felt like a small victory. He wasn't just surviving hour-to-hour anymore; he was building. Planning.
As darkness truly fell, painting the Whispering Woods in deep blues and blacks, Kai sat just inside his partially barricaded cave, chewing on some vaguely nutty-tasting roots he'd risked digging up. He felt the faint hum of Qi circulating through his patched meridians, the knowledge of two techniques resting comfortably in his mind, and the hard weight of the boar tusk dagger in his hand.
**<< System Points Gained: 5 (Resourcefulness Bonus - Improvised Weapon) >>**
**<< Total SP: 5 >>**
Kai chuckled softly. "Every little bit counts, huh?" He looked out at the moonlit woods, no longer just a death sentence, but a challenge. A proving ground. Lin Feng's sneering face flashed in his memory. The shame, the betrayal. It still burned, but now it was fuel.
"Just you wait," Kai whispered to the darkness, a promise to himself and the sarcastic blue screen in his head. "This discarded trash is coming back. And it's gonna be absolutely bullshit."
**<< New Long-Term Quest Generated: Path of the Bullshit Cultivator. Step 1: Reach Foundation Establishment Stage. >>**
**<< Reward: Variable. Mostly more Bullshit. And SP. Definitely SP. >>**
Kai grinned, the moonlight catching the glint in his eyes. Bring it on.
**Meanwhile, deeper in the woods...**
A figure clad in the dark green robes of the Verdant Cloud Sect's outer disciple patrol moved silently through the trees. He paused, frowning at the disturbed earth, the snapped branches, the deep gouges on a tree trunk. Signs of a Razorback Boar in a frenzy. Unusual, but not unheard of. His gaze swept the area, lingering near a cluster of rocks where the undergrowth seemed recently trampled. He saw no body, no blood trail. Just… chaos. Shrugging, he marked the location on a crude map and moved on. Some poor soul dumped out here wouldn't last the night anyway. Probably already digested. He had orders to look for rare herbs, not corpses. Lin Feng would be pleased to hear the forest was doing its job.