Chapter 1: Potential Panel, Five Animal Frolics

Coo-coo-coo~~~

The call of an unknown bird echoed in the dim, dense forest. Visibility was only a dozen meters, and the twisted, pitch-black tree branches looked like air-dried claws.

A dilapidated tombstone stood beneath a large black locust tree, but the mound behind it looked like freshly turned soil, with a few weeds mixed into the dirt.

Rustle~ rustle~ A digging sound came from the mound.

Pfft! A thin, sallow-skinned arm suddenly thrust out from the mound. After some scrambling and struggling, a gaunt youth crawled out.

The grey hempen clothes on his body were washed to a faded color, and his face was stained with mud; calling him a beggar would be a compliment.

*Haaah—! * *Ugh~* Qin Jiang gasped for air. The fishy stench of the soil made him retch, his expression tense and tinged with confusion.

Where is this place? How did I get here? *Hiss~* A torrent of memories swept through his mind, becoming increasingly blurred as time moved forward.

He clutched his head and rolled off the mound, taking several minutes to regain his composure.

He sat up and scanned his surroundings, his body slightly limp as he leaned against the side of the tombstone. His expression was complex, filled with both relief and bewilderment.

Xia Kingdom, Yuan Prefecture, Ning'an County, Black Mountain City.

Talk about a streak of bad luck; even transmigrating happens in the final years of a dynasty. In this godforsaken place, just staying alive is a problem.

Those even unluckier end up like the original owner: going out to gather herbs, running into grave robbers, getting stabbed to death, and buried—with no one ever knowing.

He touched his chest; the spot where he had been stabbed in his memories was completely healed.

He pushed himself up with effort and picked up the bamboo basket beside the mound. Inside were some herbs meant to be traded for money at the medical hall.

The two grave robbers clearly hadn't cared for these meager items and had carelessly discarded them here.

He shouldered the basket and followed the route in his memories, intending to leave.

*Woo~* A faint wind rose, blowing through the leaves and making a rustling sound. Suddenly, white mist permeated the surrounding dark locust forest.

In just a few breaths, the mist completely obscured his vision; he could only vaguely see things within a five-meter radius.

An inexplicable pressure weighed on his heart, as if something was blocking his chest, making it hard to breathe.

He looked around; apart from the large locust tree and the tomb beside him, everything else was shrouded in white mist.

Suddenly, his gaze snapped toward a spot in the dense fog. Vaguely, he could see several humanoid black shadows standing in the mist.

The shadows were motionless, yet he could clearly feel them watching him.

This slightly chilling sensation was hard to describe, like the instinctive intuition of an animal encountering a natural predator.

He swallowed hard, and fine cold sweat emerged from the back of his neck, a chill sweeping over his entire body that left him afraid to move.

He couldn't determine what exactly these shadows opposite him were.

Suddenly, he recalled rumors from his memories. Old folks said that Daheishan was shrouded in dark clouds year-round, home not only to wild beasts but also to legendary spirits! Once, someone had seen a fox transform into human form, luring a young man deep into Daheishan, never to be seen again.

If the person who saw that scene hadn't been so indescribably ugly, they probably would have been lured away and gone missing too.

The mist flowed slowly in the breeze. Seconds ticked by, and the shadows opposite didn't seem to intend to do anything.

After a standoff of half a quarter-hour, the white mist gradually thinned, and those few black shadows vanished in the blink of an eye.

*Hoo~* He let out a sigh of relief; his hempen clothes were already soaked with sweat.

That state of constant vigilance was mentally exhausting.

He gently wiped the sweat from his forehead and the back of his neck; it felt as cold as well water in summer.

*Heh*, truly terrifying.

"In the final years of a dynasty, demons and monsters are bound to run rampant"—that saying really is true.

His body relaxed slightly, and he turned to leave.

But just as he turned, before he could even catch his breath, a monkey face covered in black hair was inches away, a bone-chilling cold rushing toward him.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and his upper body jerked backward.

His body trembled, and he stumbled, falling directly to the ground. The herbs in the bamboo basket spilled out, scattering on the ground.

Only then did he see clearly: it was a humanoid black-haired monkey! It looked gaunt, its entire body covered in black fur, its monkey face devoid of expression, its eyes two black, empty voids.

It stiffly bent down, tilted its head, and twisted it at a right angle, its empty eyes staring straight at Qin Jiang.

Damn it!

Qin Jiang's expression was tense. Was he going to die again just after being resurrected? No! Absolutely not! He slowly reached out to grip the sickle under the bamboo basket—it was used for cutting grass to clear paths, and the blade already had some rust.

After two seconds of silence, his eyes suddenly sharpened! Even if I die, I'm going to carve a piece of meat off you! He put strength into his right arm, intending to swing the sickle immediately.

But at that very instant, the surrounding mist completely dissipated. In the blink of an eye, the black-haired monkey vanished. His pupils constricted, and he hurriedly looked around, only to see the white mist, like clouds, sweeping over the black locust forest and surging toward the depths of Daheishan behind him.

Vaguely, he could see black shadows shifting shapes within the mist.

By the time the white mist disappeared from his sight, the sky had turned dim and gloomy again, exactly as it had been before the mist appeared.

What on earth is this thing?!

He looked at the spot where the black-haired monkey had just been standing; something that large should have left footprints.

But he saw nothing. He looked around; everything that had just happened seemed as if it had never occurred.

His heart tightened. He knew he had likely encountered a legendary spirit.

But fortunately, nothing happened. Was this considered good luck or bad?

He stood up and, seeing the herbs scattered on the ground, bent down to pick them up one by one.

Inadvertently, his finger touched the tombstone beside him. Instantly, a cold aura surged into his body.

【Potential points absorbing... 0.1, 0.2, 0.2, 0.1】

The sudden change made him pull his hand back as if electrocuted. He stared straight at the tombstone, but his focus remained three inches in front of his eyes.

What is this? In a vision only he could see, a transparent, box-like panel appeared before him.

【Current Martial Arts】

Five Animal Frolics (Not yet initiated) (8/30)

【Potential Points: 0.8】

Potential Panel?

An innate perception told him this was a Potential Panel.

Its usage was simple: it could add potential points to martial arts, either directly raising the martial arts realm or deducing and fusing them.

The first bracket after the martial art was the current cultivation realm.

In the second bracket, the number before the slash represented the current experience value, and the number after was the experience required for advancement.

And for potential points, each point could increase experience by one hundred.

As for this "Five Animal Frolics," it was taught to him by an old physician in Black Mountain City—the one who bought his herbs.

It had three layers in total and was said to strengthen the body and prolong life; practicing to the third layer would even produce so-called internal Qi.

But that old physician had taught many people, and he had never heard of anyone actually succeeding.

But perhaps he could try it now?

He tried adding half of his potential points to the Five Animal Frolics.

Instantly, his potential points dropped to 0.4.

At the same time, a prompt appeared on the panel:

【Five Animal Frolics (Not yet initiated) (8/30), Experience +40】

【Five Animal Frolics (Not yet initiated) advanced to Five Animal Frolics (First Layer)】

【Five Animal Frolics (First Layer) (18/60)】

It's real! Joy surged in his eyes, his heart pounding.

In this shitty chaotic world, one moment of carelessness could mean death! There was no guarantee of anything! Not to mention those spirits whose origins were unknown; he might even die inexplicably while staying in the city!

But now, there was finally a turning point! He just wanted to live—to live well.

He calmed his mood slightly and looked at his arms; they seemed to have become stronger, and even his field of vision had heightened.

A second puberty? Not bad. At least there was no sign of Qi and blood deficiency; the potential points seemed to have replenished everything needed for the upgrade.

He put away the sickle and cast a complex glance at the tombstone; the carvings on it were already blurred.

One could only tell from the intricate decorative patterns that the life of the tomb's owner must have been magnificent.

It was just unclear how it ended up like this, with only an old locust tree for company and the grave dug up by others.

Would he end up like this one day too?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====