Novice Gift Pack and the Road to Escape

The dark little house was deathly silent.

Lin Xiao leaned against the door, his chest heaving violently. The air seemed to still carry the stench of blood and earth from the desolate mountains and wild woods. When he closed his eyes, Wang Hu's unfocused pupils before death and the warm liquid that had splattered everywhere surfaced in his mind like a brand, churning his stomach.

But he forcibly suppressed it.

He knew that from the moment he had smashed Wang Hu's skull with that stone, the university student Lin Xiao who had obeyed Earth's laws and morals had already died.

What survived was an orphan in another world, his hands stained with blood for the sake of survival.

After an unknown amount of time, his uncontrollable trembling finally gradually subsided. He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the darkness and locking tightly onto the only icon on his retina that gave off a faint glow.

[Novice Gift Pack].

This was his only support, and his only hope of defying fate.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stretched out a hand still stained with dried blood and pressed down hard in his mind.

"Buzz—"

A faint hum rang out in his mind. The gift pack icon turned into a dazzling point of light, and the phantoms of four items appeared on his panel.

[Congratulations, you have obtained basic cultivation method: Qi Gathering Art x 1]

[Congratulations, you have obtained recovery item: Inferior Healing Potion x 1]

[Congratulations, you have obtained novice weapon: Rusty Dagger x 1]

[Congratulations, you have obtained starting funds: Silver Coin x 10]

The string of system notifications cleared Lin Xiao's muddled mind. He inspected these "gifts" from the system one by one.

Qi Gathering Art: The most basic breathing method and the most widespread beginner cultivation art. It could guide the sparse spiritual qi between heaven and earth into the body, temper the flesh, and step through the gates of cultivation.

[Learn/Abandon]

Inferior Healing Potion: A crude potion refined by a lowly apothecary. Its smell was pungent and its taste terrible, but it could effectively treat minor external injuries and restore a small amount of stamina.

[Use/Discard]

Rusty Dagger: A self-defense weapon discarded in a corner. Its blade had several chips, but it could barely still be used.

[Equip/Discard]

The ten Silver Coins lay quietly in a corner of the virtual inventory, giving off an unadorned gleam. In this world, one Silver Coin was enough to cover half a month's expenses for a poor family. To him, this money was undoubtedly a vast sum.

There were no earth-shaking secret arts, nor were there divine weapons that could slice through iron like mud. Everything seemed so basic, so... fitting for his status as a "novice."

But to Lin Xiao at this moment, it was help delivered in the snow.

He first looked at the Healing Potion that gave off a murky green glow. His desperate battle with Wang Hu had left him covered in injuries. In particular, the arms he had used to shield his head were now bruised purple and blue, burning with pain.

He chose "Use."

In an instant, a physical glass bottle containing an unknown liquid appeared in his hand. When he pulled out the wooden stopper, an indescribably pungent smell, as though rotten grass and mud had been mixed together, assaulted his face and nearly made him vomit again.

He forced down his nausea and drank the potion in one gulp.

As the liquid passed through his throat, it felt as though he had swallowed a clump of scorching sand, leaving a burning sensation behind. But soon, a warm current rose from his stomach and rapidly spread through his limbs and bones. The pain and swelling in his arms visibly receded, while the exhaustion in his body was swept away.

"Truly amazing..." Lin Xiao moved his arms. Apart from a few remaining bruises, they no longer hindered his movements.

The recovery of his body gave him immense confidence. He turned his gaze toward the Qi Gathering Art.

"Learn!"

He silently said in his heart.

In an instant, a massive torrent of information flooded into his mind. The circulation routes of the Qi Gathering Art, its breathing methods, its secrets for sensing spiritual qi... all of it was instantly mastered by him as if it were an inborn instinct.

[System Notification: Successfully learned cultivation method Qi Gathering Art. Current proficiency: 0/100.]

Lin Xiao's heart burned with excitement. He immediately sat cross-legged, followed the method in his mind, closed his eyes, and began his first attempt at cultivation.

He emptied his mind and adjusted his breathing. With every inhalation and exhalation, it gradually became deep and rhythmic.

According to the cultivation art, spiritual qi existed everywhere between heaven and earth. It was the primal energy that formed all things in the world, as well as the source of a cultivator's strength. The first step of cultivation was "sensing qi"—perceiving the spiritual qi drifting through heaven and earth.

For Lin Xiao, whose aptitude was "Mortal-Grade Inferior," this should have been a step as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Many people with the same aptitude might never sense the existence of spiritual qi in their entire lives.

Yet when he calmed his mind and concentrated his mental power to the utmost, his "game panel" quietly changed.

At the edge of his vision, specks of colored light the size of rice grains began to appear—things invisible to the naked eye. Some gave off a gentle white glow, some were a lively green, and others were a heavy earth-yellow... They drifted aimlessly through the air, faint yet undeniably real.

"So this is... spiritual qi?" A surge of wild joy rose in Lin Xiao's heart.

It was this "game panel"! Not only could it turn the world into data, it could even allow him to "see" the existence of spiritual qi! It was practically a cheat tailor-made for him!

Suppressing his excitement, he began trying to guide those specks of light. Carefully following the route of the Qi Gathering Art, he used his mental power to "lure" the nearest white speck.

His first attempt failed. The light speck drifted away from his mental power. His second attempt failed as well. The speck seemed frightened and dodged aside.

Lin Xiao was not discouraged. He recalled the first time he had played a fishing game. It required patience, but even more, skill.

He tried again and again. The drain on his mental power was enormous, and sweat once more beaded on his forehead. Just as he felt he could no longer hold on, a white speck finally seemed to grow curious about him and lightly touched his mental power.

It worked!

Lin Xiao's heart jolted. He hurriedly guided this hard-won first thread of spiritual qi along the meridians in his arm, slowly letting it flow into his body.

The instant the spiritual qi entered his body, an indescribable sense of comfort spread through him. It was like a drought-parched riverbed receiving its first drop of sweet rain. Though faint, it brimmed with vigorous life.

He did not dare slacken. With his full attention focused, he guided that thread of spiritual qi through his body, completing one full circulation along the route established by the Qi Gathering Art.

When that thread of spiritual qi finally flowed into his dantian and vanished, Lin Xiao's body suddenly shuddered.

[System Notification: Completed one circulation of Qi Gathering Art. Proficiency +1.]

[System Notification: Successfully drew qi into the body. Realm breakthrough!]

[Current Realm: Body Refinement First Level (1/100)]

[Strength +2, Agility +1, Spirit +2]

The string of notifications was like heavenly music.

Lin Xiao abruptly opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam flashed past them. He could clearly feel that his body had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

His body, originally somewhat weak from hunger and exhaustion, was now filled with explosive power. His five senses had also become sharper than ever. He could even hear the soft rustling of rats running through the alley outside.

He immediately brought up his attribute panel.

[Name: Lin Xiao]

[Realm: Body Refinement First Level (1/100)]

[Level: 1 (0/20)]

[Strength: 7 (The mortal limit is 10)]

[Agility: 7 (The mortal limit is 10)]

[Spirit: 9 (The mortal limit is 10)]

[Talent: Unawakened]

[Cultivation Method: Qi Gathering Art (Proficiency 1/100)]

[Skill: None]

Strength 7, Agility 7, and his Spirit had even reached an astonishing 9!

This had already surpassed the realm of ordinary people in every aspect. If he faced Wang Hu again now, even without the system's weak-point prompts, he was confident he could defeat him in a direct fight!

This was the power of cultivation!

Immense joy and accomplishment washed over him, nearly sweeping away the fear and gloom brought by killing someone.

He clenched his fists, feeling the power surging within him, his eyes shining with a light unlike anything before.

"Wang Hu, thank you... for using your life to pave this road for me." He murmured softly, his voice cold and calm.

He knew that he had completely transformed.

Before dawn the next day, Lin Xiao woke up.

He had not awoken naturally, but had been startled awake by a series of loud knocks on the door.

"Open up! Routine inspection by the City Guard!" A rough male voice came from outside.

Lin Xiao's heart instantly leaped into his throat. The City Guard? So early? Had Wang Hu and the others' corpses been discovered?

With a jolt, he sprang from the bed, his hand instinctively gripping the Rusty Dagger beside his pillow.

He forced himself to calm down. No, it could not be that fast. The bodies were out in the barren mountains. Even if someone had found them, it would take time to report it. This was most likely just a coincidence.

He took a deep breath, hid the dagger behind his back, and walked over to pull open the bolt.

Two city guards in leather armor, sabers hanging at their waists, stood outside with impatient expressions. One of them frowned upon seeing Lin Xiao. "What are you dawdling for? Hiding a woman in there?"

The other pushed directly into the room and gave it a cursory glance. Seeing that, aside from a broken wooden bed and a table missing a leg, the room had four bare walls, he curled his lip. "Damn it, another pauper."

"Honored officers, what brings you here so early?" Lin Xiao asked, pretending to be calm.

The guard who had entered first waved his hand impatiently. "Steward Liu's household in the western part of the city was robbed last night. Some things were stolen, and we were ordered to search house by house. Fine, there's nothing worth stealing here anyway. Get lost."

After saying that, the two men cursed under their breaths as they headed to the next house.

After Lin Xiao shut the door, his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

Although it had only been a false alarm, it had sounded a warning bell for him.

The corpses of Wang Hu and the other two were a huge hidden danger. Perhaps no one would care if one or two orphans died in the slums, but Wang Hu was different. Yesterday, he had tested as having "Mortal-Grade Superior" aptitude! Though he was not yet a true cultivator, he already had one foot in the cultivation world. Some of the city's smaller factions might have noticed him.

Once his disappearance drew an investigation, Lin Xiao would very likely be implicated.

He had to deal with the corpses as soon as possible, then leave Qingyang City!

Once that thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

He did not dare delay any longer. While the sky was still dim, he quietly slipped out of his house and rushed toward the desolate mountains beyond the city.

After becoming a Body Refinement First Level cultivator, his stamina and speed far surpassed what they had been yesterday. A journey that had originally taken nearly an hour took him less than twenty minutes.

The bloody battlefield from last night remained unchanged. Wang Hu's corpse lay face-down on the ground, already stiff, while dark red bloodstains had blackened the earth. The other follower below the steep slope had also lost his breath. Only the last man still clung to a final breath, lying amid the rubble and letting out faint groans. He clearly would not survive much longer.

Lin Xiao felt no pity whatsoever. He knew that mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward oneself.

He picked up the stone he had used to kill Wang Hu, walked expressionlessly down the slope, and ended that man's final suffering.

[Successfully killed a mortal]

[Experience gained: 1 point]

The cold system notification rang out again. Killing an ordinary person gave only 1 point of experience. Lin Xiao felt no ripples in his heart.

Dealing with three corpses was still an extremely thorny matter for him. Without any tools, he could only use his hands and the dagger. Finding a depression nearby where the soil was loose, he began digging frantically.

The dagger dug into the earth while his hands clawed at it. Soil, gravel, and blood mixed together, covering his entire body.

It took him the entire morning to barely dig a shallow pit large enough to hold three people. He dragged the three corpses inside, hastily covered them with dirt, then laid a thick layer of fallen leaves and dead branches over the top as camouflage.

After finishing everything, he was so exhausted that he was nearly collapsing.

He leaned against a tree and looked at the crude grave he had made with his own hands. There was no fear in his heart, only a numb chill.

He knew he had to leave as soon as possible.

Qingyang City was too small. It could no longer contain him. According to the original owner's memories and what he had learned over the past three months, the true centers of the Skywind Kingdom were those prosperous major cities with cultivation academies. Only by going there would he have the chance to study systematically and come into contact with a broader world.

Moreover, if his "game panel" was to level up, it needed more "experience points." And experience points came from battle and slaughter.

If he stayed here, he would be exposed sooner or later. Leaving was his only path to survival.

Once he made up his mind, Lin Xiao did not return to the city. Instead, he took a detour to the city market.

Using one Silver Coin, he bought a crude map of the kingdom from a traveling merchant. Then, with two more Silver Coins, he bought some dried meat that could be stored for a long time and some fresh water. He carefully hid the remaining money close to his body.

Everything was ready.

At dusk, Lin Xiao stood for the last time on the hillside overlooking Qingyang City.

Specks of lamplight had already lit up within the city, while cooking smoke curled upward, making everything look peaceful. Yet only he knew what kind of cruelty and coldness hid beneath that peace.

There was nothing here for him to miss.

He turned around and looked at the nearest major city marked on the map—Cloud Creek City.

The journey was long, and the road ahead unknown.

But there was no confusion in his eyes, only unwavering determination to press forward.

He gripped the Rusty Dagger, stepped forward, and resolutely walked into the boundless night.