The wind was still howling, and the stones were trembling. I pressed myself behind a massive boulder, fingers digging into cracks in the rock, knees pinned to the ground, my whole body clinging tight. Ever since that voice had sounded, I hadn't dared relax. My body was still shaking, not from cold, but because I knew what was coming next.
The first question was about to arrive.
I silently counted my breaths, drawing each inhale and exhale out as long as possible. I couldn't panic. The more it was like this, the more clearly I had to think. The system had said it would be released shortly, which meant it wouldn't take long. I had to be ready.
A tear split open in the gray sky overhead. Black smoke rose from fissures in the ground, and the wind hurled gravel against my back, burning with pain. But I didn't move. This wasn't the time to worry about pain.
My mind began reviewing those mythological stories. Pangu opens the heavens, Nuwa creates humanity, Fuxi draws the trigrams... I had heard them as a child and learned a little about them in school later on. Though I didn't remember everything, the key details should be right. Especially Pangu—nearly every Chinese person knew that he split open chaos and held up heaven and earth.
But would the system ask surface-level knowledge, or something deeper?
I didn't dare gamble.
The instant that thought crossed my mind, the cold voice sounded again:
"First question released: After Pangu opened heaven and earth, what did his body transform into? Answer within ten breaths."
Ten breaths.
My heartbeat suddenly quickened. This wasn't an exam. This was my life. There would be a reward for a correct answer, but what about a wrong one? I didn't know what the punishment would be, but it definitely wouldn't be mild. In a place like this, even the slightest loss could be fatal.
I closed my eyes and forced down every distracting thought. The wind, the pain, the suffocating pressure—I pushed them all aside. Now, I could only think of the answer.
After Pangu fell, his body became all things. His head became mountains, his eyes became the sun and moon, his blood became rivers, his breath became wind and clouds, his voice became thunder, his sinews became the patterns of the earth, his hair became plants and trees, his bones became mineral deposits, and his sweat became rain and dew...
There were many versions of this tale, but the core was the same—his body became the world itself.
The question asked what his body became, not what any one part became, but the whole. So I couldn't just give fragmented answers like "his eyes became the sun." I had to summarize it comprehensively.
I quickly organized my words.
His body became mountains, rivers, and earth; his eyes became the sun and moon; his blood flowed into rivers, lakes, and seas; his breath transformed into wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning.
That answer covered the major parts and matched the most common version of the legend. As for other details, such as his bones and body hair, those were probably supplementary. If the system wanted greater detail, it should have specified so.
Only three breaths remained.
I opened my mouth and spoke the answer in my mind. "His body became mountains, rivers, and earth; his eyes became the sun and moon; his blood flowed into rivers, lakes, and seas; his breath transformed into wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning."
The moment my words fell, everything around me suddenly went quiet for an instant.
The wind was still blowing, but I could no longer feel the pressure. It was as if the entire wilderness were waiting for a result.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"Ding! Correct answer!"
The voice sounded again, still mechanical in tone, yet when I heard it, it felt as though a wave of heat had slammed into my chest.
I had survived.
Not merely survived—I had truly taken my first step toward surviving in this world.
"Reward issued: One Basic Cultivation Resource Pack (containing ten spirit stones, three Beginner Qi Gathering Pills, and one protective talisman)."
Before I could react, warmth spread across my palm, and several objects appeared out of thin air.
I lowered my head to look.
Five crystalline stones lay in my palm. They were transparent throughout, with faint light flowing inside them. They had to be spirit stones. Beside them were three small dark-red pills, smooth and odorless. Finally, there was a yellow talisman paper covered in incomprehensible lines, slightly warm in my hand.
They were real.
Not an illusion.
I could touch them, feel their weight, and smell the faint bitterness of the pills.
I quickly tucked the items into my clothes. There was a small pocket on the inside of my jacket, and I put the spirit stones and pills inside it, then pressed the talisman against my chest. I moved slowly, afraid of dropping or damaging anything.
Only after finishing did I slowly let out a breath.
So this was the system's reward.
It wasn't empty promises, nor was it a carrot on a stick. As long as I answered correctly, I could receive tangible things. I couldn't use them yet, but I knew what they meant—the beginning of cultivation, the possibility of becoming stronger.
I looked up at the sky.
That gray sky remained unchanged. The cracks were still spreading, and the wind hadn't stopped. But the way I looked at it was different now.
Just moments ago, I had thought I could only wait to die, lying on the ground by instinct and begging for a chance to live. Now I knew I wasn't helpless. As long as questions came, I could seize opportunities.
Pangu opens the heavens... The first question had actually been about the origin of this world.
Interesting.
Maybe the system's questions followed an order. First, creation of the world, then the major events that followed? Like Nuwa mending the sky, Gonggong crashing into the mountain, or the Three Pure Ones attaining sainthood?
I didn't know what I would encounter next, but one thing was clear—I had to remember more myths, as many as possible. Behind every story might lie a chance to save my life.
I leaned against the boulder. The wound on my arm was still bleeding, my clothes were soaked through, and I was a complete mess. Yet my heart had settled.
It wasn't the relief of having survived by luck, but the certainty that I had the ability to keep going.
The wind grew fiercer, and a fist-sized rock crashed down nearby, spraying dust. I raised a hand to block it but didn't dodge. This little injury was nothing.
I began recalling what other legends existed from the primordial age. Chaos first divided, clear qi rose while turbid qi sank, and Pangu wielded his axe to split open the primordial void. He was the first living being, as well as the true foundation of this world.
After his death, he transformed into all things, and only then did everything that followed come to be.
Without him, there would be no heaven and earth, nor would there be any so-called primordial world.
So rather than testing my knowledge, this question had shown me where I was. This was a world formed from Pangu's death, and all its rules began with him.
Then would the next question concern the changes after heaven and earth took shape?
For example, after the clear qi rose, who was the first to attain sainthood?
Or on which mountain did the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo appear?
I wasn't sure, but I knew I had to prepare.
The things in my clothes felt heavy. Spirit stones could be used to absorb spiritual qi, pills could aid cultivation, and the protective talisman might save my life in a crisis. Though I still didn't know how to use them, there would always be a way.
What mattered was that the system recognized answers, not strength.
Even if I was just an ordinary person now, as long as my mind was quick enough and my memory accurate enough, I could keep earning resources. Once I accumulated enough, I would naturally gain a foothold.
I wasn't in a hurry.
And I couldn't afford to be.
This place was too dangerous. Any careless movement could get me swept away by turbulent currents. What I needed to do now was wait—wait for the second question.
As long as the questions didn't stop, I would have opportunities.
I adjusted my posture, spreading my legs to brace against the ground while keeping my back against the boulder. The wind blew my hair into my face, covering one eye, but I didn't brush it aside. If my vision was blurred, I could use the other eye. It wouldn't affect my thinking.
Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the cracked earth. In the distance, a fissure was slowly closing, only to split open again moments later and release black mist.
I stared at that crack and suddenly thought of a question.
If Pangu's body had become the world, then where had his consciousness gone?
No one had ever said.
Maybe... it was still somewhere?
Just as I was thinking that, my mind suddenly jolted.
"The second question will be released in twelve double-hours. Host, please prepare."
After the voice faded, there was no further response.
I sat where I was, lightly tapping my knee with my fingers.
Twelve double-hours—one day.
It wasn't especially long, but it wasn't short either. It was enough time for me to recover my strength and organize my thoughts, but accidents could also happen.
But I was no longer afraid.
I looked down at my chest. The talisman was pressed there, carrying a faint warmth.
Then I lifted my face and gazed at that shattered sky.
What would the next question be?
Wind-driven sand and stones struck my face, and I narrowed my eyes.
Come on.