Volume One: First Arrival Chapter 29: Advancement

Wei Siyuan walked in from outside, looking somewhat anxious, and said, "Da Man is missing!"

The group’s nostalgic mood was interrupted, and they all turned their attention to Wei.

Xu Jingya asked with some confusion, "Who is Da Man?" She had the profiles of all the transmigrators in her mind and was certain there was no one by that name.

Wei Siyuan explained, "Da Man is the bull. I’m in the habit of naming the animals I look after." Before the transmigration, Wei had been a zookeeper.

Meng Xingchen remarked, "It must have been scared off by the goblin attack earlier. I saw the goblins roasting a bull in their camp; it seems they have a habit of hunting them."

Wei Siyuan’s face turned pale. "It couldn't be the one being roasted, could it?"

Meng Xingchen shook his head. "No, when I arrived, the bull was already half-cooked; the timing doesn't match."

Wei Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s a relief."

Meng Xingchen, however, was rather troubled. He had planned to use the bull to transport iron ore from the kobold nest tomorrow. Now that it had run off, he couldn't possibly rely on human labor to haul the ore, could he? Goblins were truly detestable!

If all else failed, he would have to make the kobolds deliver the iron ore to Li Village. Meng Xingchen looked at Ye Feng; he would just have to let his subjects suffer a little.

Pushing aside these cluttered thoughts, Meng Xingchen looked at the transcriptions of Basic Meditation and Basic Battle Qi in his hands.

As Xu Jingya had described, Basic Meditation required combining a specific breathing technique with the visualization of a small sprout in one’s mind, constantly absorbing sunlight and dew from nature to grow.

Basic Battle Qi, on the other hand, was a set of physical exercises that had to be performed while maintaining a specific breathing pattern.

They both seemed simple enough.

Meng Xingchen tried Basic Meditation first. After carefully reading it twice and memorizing the image of the sprout and the breathing rhythm, he adjusted his breath, syncing it to the meditation’s cadence. He visualized a sprout in his mind, drawing energy from nature and striving to grow.

Having been accustomed to cultivating internal energy, Meng Xingchen slipped into a meditative state with ease. With each breath, thin strands of energy entered his body, nourishing the sprout in his mind. The sprout turned a deeper shade of green and grew slightly.

"Ding! Host has learned Basic Meditation. Details can be viewed in the attribute panel."

Meng Xingchen summoned the panel and saw "Basic Meditation" added to his skill list.

The skill effects were relatively simple: it granted 100 Mana points, +1 to the Spirit attribute, and a recovery effect that accelerated the restoration of mental strength and mana while in a meditative state.

The mana and recovery effects were optional for Meng Xingchen, but the +1 to Spirit was equivalent to leveling up, which was quite good.

Setting the meditation transcription aside, Meng Xingchen carefully studied the Basic Battle Qi manual. After memorizing all the movements and the corresponding breathing rhythms, he stood up and began to practice.

With his current physique and agility, the movements posed no difficulty. After completing the full set of Basic Battle Qi exercises three times, the system prompt sounded again: "Ding! Host has learned Basic Battle Qi. Details can be viewed in the attribute panel."

Summoning the panel again, he saw that besides 100 Battle Qi points, the skill had two effects: first, +1 to Physique and Agility; second, "Enhance," which allowed him to imbue his limbs or weapons with Battle Qi to increase attack power.

***

Not bad, three attribute points acquired with ease. Now that the biological energy required for leveling up was increasing, every single point was precious.

Nodding to the group watching him, Meng Xingchen said, "It works. Mastering Basic Meditation grants one point of Spirit, 100 Mana, and accelerates the recovery of mental strength and mana.

"Mastering Basic Battle Qi grants one point of Physique and one of Agility, plus 100 Battle Qi, which can be used to enhance physical or weapon attacks."

Everyone was thrilled. Ye Feng asked, "Boss Meng, you’ve already learned both skills?"

Meng Xingchen nodded. "It’s quite easy to get started. Since we can learn through these transcriptions, I will transcribe the Basic Internal Energy manual as well so everyone can learn according to their own capacity.

"If possible, I suggest everyone learn all three skills. Even if you don't spend the effort to increase proficiency later, just reaching the entry level will grant you attribute points.

"Basic Internal Energy grants +1 to all attributes upon entry, along with an enhancement ability similar to Basic Battle Qi, and an 'Internal Energy Burst' that increases Physique and Agility by three points during the burst."

"Awesome, Boss Meng!" Ye Feng gave a thumbs up and shouted.

The next morning, Meng Xingchen woke up on the roof of Li Daniu’s house and began cultivating his internal energy.

Although he wouldn't feel fatigued even after a whole night of cultivating Innate True Qi, and would wake up feeling refreshed, going without sleep for long periods still felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

So, whenever conditions allowed, Meng Xingchen maintained his habit of sleeping at night, though he could now easily enter a deep sleep, needing only three or four hours a day.

As a ray of sunlight hit his face, Meng Xingchen naturally exited his cultivation state and saw that everyone else was already up and busy with their own tasks.

He drifted lightly down into the courtyard and began practicing Basic Battle Qi. He didn't intend to spend too much time on Basic Meditation and Basic Battle Qi, but since it only required 500 proficiency points to progress from entry to mastery, it was relatively easy.

Judging from his experience with Basic Internal Energy, raising meditation and battle qi to mastery should grant another point each to Spirit, Physique, and Agility, which was quite cost-effective for Meng Xingchen, whose leveling was becoming increasingly difficult.

After completing ten sets of the Basic Battle Qi exercises, Meng Xingchen stopped.

Just then, Tongtong walked into the courtyard carrying a ceramic bowl larger than her face. "Brother Meng, time for breakfast."

Patting her head, Meng Xingchen took the bowl and noticed today’s breakfast was quite different from the usual.

It was no longer the potato stew from the previous two days, but a porridge made of grains similar to sorghum. However, it was much more refined than the porridge the villagers cooked, containing minced meat and some green vegetable leaves, making it smell quite appetizing.

Meng Xingchen asked curiously, "Where did this porridge come from?"

Tongtong replied, "The chef uncle made it! It’s delicious! Try it, Brother Meng."

A professional chef now? Meng Xingchen remembered there was a professional chef among the transmigrators who had also awakened a cooking talent.

He took a bite; it was truly the work of a professional. The sorghum-like grains had been processed in some way, losing that coarse texture that usually irritated the throat. An ordinary bowl of porridge had been cooked to a fragrant, smooth consistency.

While Meng Xingchen ate, Tongtong kept circling him, her expression clearly saying, "I’m so amazing, hurry up and praise me."

Knowing the little girl must have something to tell him, Meng Xingchen deliberately focused on his meal, then placed the bowl in her hands. "Trouble you to take the bowl back for me, Tongtong."

The little girl took the bowl, looking like she wanted to say something but held back, eventually responding weakly. She hung her head and prepared to leave.

Only then did Meng Xingchen suppress a smile and ask, "Tongtong, is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Seeing the expression on his face, she knew he was teasing her. She wrinkled her nose and huffed, "Hmph, I won't tell you now."

But she couldn't hold it in and added triumphantly, "I’ve learned Basic Meditation! Even Mom hasn't learned it yet!"

Hearing this, Meng Xingchen happily rubbed her head. Basic Meditation accelerated the recovery of mental strength; once Tongtong mastered it, the production speed of her crossbow bolts would increase.

Tongtong squinted, nudging his hand with her head, then unhappily smoothed out her messy hair. "I can also use mana to trigger my abilities!"

This was an unexpected surprise! If mana could be used to fuel abilities, the endurance of all ability users, not just Tongtong, would be greatly improved.

Last night, Tongtong had killed nearly ten goblins by herself. This was only because she had spent the day using her ability to craft metal components for the crossbows, leaving her with little mental strength left when the battle started. Otherwise, she could have taken down even more.

At that moment, Wei Siyuan brought more good news, running into the courtyard. "Da Man is back, and it brought two more bulls with it!"

Today was full of surprises. With three bulls, the speed of clearing farmland and transporting ore would greatly increase.

Meng Xingchen and Wei Siyuan went to the edge of the farmland in front of the village, and sure enough, three bulls were there, leisurely eating grass.

Seeing Li Changfeng and Xu Jingya there, Meng Xingchen asked, "How is the progress on the three basic skills?"

Xu Jingya replied, "Some have learned Basic Meditation and Basic Battle Qi, but no one has managed to enter Basic Internal Energy yet."

This was within Meng Xingchen’s expectations. Basic Internal Energy was indeed difficult; without the help of his Insight ability, he wasn't sure if he could have learned it himself.

Ye Feng added, "Basic Internal Energy is too hard. That maze of meridians and acupoints makes it feel impossible to start. Boss Meng, how did you learn it?"

"I have my ability to assist me," Meng Xingchen replied. He continued, "Since the bulls are back, we’ll stick to the plan and go transport the iron ore today. To guard against another goblin raid, I can't leave. Captain Li, will you lead a team?"

Li Changfeng had already mastered Basic Meditation and Basic Battle Qi, and with the biological energy gained last night, both his Spirit and Physique had broken through ten points; the injury to his left hand was completely healed.

With him leading the team, plus the greatly strengthened Ye Feng and Xiao Yun, they could handle even a few wind wolves or a kobold hunting party.

With goblins potentially attacking at any time and the goblin leader possessing Tier 2 strength, it was a reasonable arrangement for Meng Xingchen to stay and hold the village while Li Changfeng led the transport team.