Little Clear Lake was the lake where Hong Ming had been when he rowed the boat.
That wasn't the point. The point was...
"An unparalleled secret manual?"
Hong Ming froze for a moment. He couldn't recall any mention of such a thing.
But he made a bold guess. Could it be a manual that surpassed even the highest-grade martial arts?
"If so, this opportunity is no small matter!"
After a brief moment of distraction, Hong Ming's eyes flickered.
He admitted he was tempted!
But he didn't rush into anything. Instead, he stared at the panel, deep in thought. "Does it only work on the night of the full moon?"
Unsure, Hong Ming didn't dwell on it.
There was still a long time until the next full moon. Before then, his first task was to find the so-called Cold Pool.
He committed all the details to memory, then returned to the matter at hand and considered how to allocate his fortune.
After careful thought, he finally decided to raise his Word Master level first.
He wanted to see what would change after leveling up, and whether it would grant him any new permissions.
Once he'd made up his mind, Hong Ming focused on the panel.
His fortune poured away like a rushing tide, then settled in the blink of an eye. The panel changed:
``` [Word Master: Hong Ming]
[Level: Level 3 (100 fortune points to level up)]
[Fortune: 22 points (55%)]
[Martial Arts: Coiling Dragon Stake (Great Accomplishment 2/2000) Frost Sky Fist (Minor Accomplishment 194/1000) Piercing Willow Archery (Minor Accomplishment 411/1000)]
[Traits: Photographic Memory (Level 2 · Gold), Unrivaled Archery (Level 2 · Green), Breathing and Exhalation (Level 2 · White), Fist Arts Expert (Level 1 · White), Lower-Upper Bone Structure, Water Breathing, Water Proficiency, Medicine Exhaustion, Cure-All, Clam Harvesting