The morning sunlight, like a stone skimming across a calm lake, leaped continuously through the lush forest, creating countless ripples that spread through every gap.
When one of those beams of sunlight penetrated a crack in the rock.
Wang Wu awoke.
He hadn't slept well last night, after all, he had transformed into a little bear cub only a few months old.
When he first arrived yesterday, he hadn't even had the chance to get acquainted with the enormous bear mother beside him, like a small mountain. In the next moment, he witnessed a water-blue sword light sever its neck.
There was no time for sorrow, only fear remained. Panicked and directionless, he fled deep into the grass and hid in a crevice for a day and night.
And now, he was too hungry to bear it any longer; if this continued, he would starve to death.
So, he had to go out to find food.
Actually, Wang Wu had assessed his surroundings. He didn't know what that water-blue sword light was all about, but he was certain this wasn't a nature reserve — perhaps it was the kind of Cultivation Realm where one could fly through the air and escape into the earth.
This was the source of his fear.
Outside, everything appeared quite peaceful. As the sunlight shone into the forest, unknown birds sang melodiously from the treetops, dewdrops glistened on the flora, rolling back and forth, little insects darted through the veils of sunlight, and a sizable wild bee zipped past.
Rustling sounds came from the grass, and further away, there were calls that sounded like those of monkeys. A new day had begun.
Wang Wu painstakingly squeezed his body out from the narrow rock crevice. He couldn't fathom how he had managed it — was he actually a cat? A panda? A giant panda?
Peh, of course not.
Using his shadow and other reference points, Wang Wu evaluated his size — just slightly larger than a Chihuahua, oh, that thing they call Little Teddy.
But size didn't matter; what was important was having claws and teeth — ferocity.
This was crucial indeed. If all he could do was drink milk, then he would be in real trouble.
The warm sunlight bathed his body, a stream of heat quickly flowing through him. Wang Wu couldn't resist basking a little longer. In just a moment, he noticed under the sunlight's embrace, the fur on his body began to emit a golden halo, as if capturing and absorbing the sunlight.
This influx of heat also grew inside him, momentarily easing his hunger to the point he couldn't feel it anymore.
However, this condition lasted only a few minutes. As the angle of sunlight shifted, even trying to chase the sun didn't replicate the effect.
Just then, a few lines of information appeared before Wang Wu, along with a simple attribute bar that resembled a game he was playing in his previous life...
"Due to your Bloodline Talent Level 1 Spirit Essence, you have successfully absorbed and converted 5 points of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi."
"Because you cannot maintain a stationary state for more than three seconds, your Bloodline Talent Level 1 Concealment has automatically deactivated. To re-enter Concealment, please remain still for at least three seconds."
"Due to your Bloodline Talent Danger Perception at Level 1, passive perception detection radius is 20 meters, and heavily influenced by terrain, unable to detect anything."
"Warning: You need to eat. Your Satiety has dropped to 1 point, affecting the normal activation of your Bloodline Talent Level 1 Self-Healing."
——
Status: Ancient Giant Bear Cub (has awakened four Bloodline Talents)
Life: 100
Physical Strength: 100
Power: 5
Agility: 2
Defense: 5
Bloodline Talent: Concealment Level 1
Bloodline Talent: Self-Healing Level 1
Bloodline Talent: Spirit Essence Level 1
Bloodline Talent: Danger Perception Level 1
Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi: 5/200
Satiety: 1/300
Growth: 1%
Bloodline Evolution Level: 10%
——
"So— the flow of heat I just got from sunbathing was actually Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi?"
Wang Wu was quite astonished, starting out with four Bloodline Talents and absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi so directly and brutally — is this really kind? But considering his body is that of an Ancient Giant Bear cub, well, ignoring the word 'cub', just the prefix 'Ancient' says it all.
But, this is the Cultivation Realm. Thinking of that water-blue sword light, Wang Wu's bubbling ambition was immediately extinguished, safety level -100!
What use is being an Ancient Great Demon if you end up under the sword?
So, one must lay low and be meek to survive longer.
"Growl growl growl!"
His stomach rumbled.
Wang Wu hesitated slightly, considering whether Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi could temporarily alleviate hunger. Surprisingly, it did work; a stream of heat immediately flowed through his body, erasing his hunger. However, his Satiety didn't change a bit.
"You consumed one point of Spiritual Qi. Your body will maintain its peak state for the next twelve hours."
"Not too bad, albeit a bit extravagant."
Wang Wu thought that is was the only option. With his small body, food wasn't easy to find. If he didn't optimize his physical state, how could he find food?
Well, in reality, there wasn't much to find. For the time being, he could only eat grass, including some small insects.
Wang Wu cautiously stayed close to the rock crevice, retreating at the first sign of movement.
Though the cliff lay within the forest, the nearby trees were sparse, allowing wild grass to flourish under the abundant sunlight.
Wang Wu quickly experimented with several types of grass and, based on past-life experience, locked onto a kind that hugged the ground, not very large but with a decent root system. Crunchy and juicy, it felt somewhat like eating a radish, though the taste was barely tolerable. After just a few stalks, the bitterness numbed his tongue.
Nonetheless, it did increase Satiety, albeit not by much.
Finally, Wang Wu truly found something good. Hidden in the grass, he discovered a white mushroom, snowy white with dark golden spots, resembling a straw mushroom.
Hesitating for just a second, he ate it without delay. Surprisingly delicious, it added five points to his Satiety.
He also found some lichen-like moss — definitely edible — and gathered a heap, consuming it with soil and leaves, managing to add another five points to his Satiety.
All in all, after much busyness, approaching noon, Wang Wu increased his Satiety by 25 points, not quite close to half full. Throughout, he remained on edge, retreating to the rock crevice at the slightest disturbance.
Fortunately, he hadn't encountered any danger thus far. The massive tree canopies obscured most of the sky, rocks provided hiding places, and the wild grass ensured he wouldn't starve.
He was quite satisfied with the security of this starting point.