Chapter 69: Score and Rest Point

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Score and Rest Point

Li Heng wasn’t sure what had caused the state he’d just been in, nor did he understand its significance.

And his usually omnipotent system didn’t show any notifications this time, leaving Li Heng even more clueless about what had happened.

He only felt as if he had just severed something, but he hadn’t come to any grand realization. In fact, if he didn’t actively think about it, it was as if nothing had happened at all.

’Oh well! I’ll stop thinking about it and worry about it later. It probably wasn’t a bad thing. But as for a place to shelter from the rain... I don’t need to rush to find one now.’

Earlier, while his eyes were closed and he had no idea what he was doing, Li Heng had stood in the rain and gotten soaked for a while. During that time, his school uniform had become completely drenched.

Since he was already soaked, he decided to just wander slowly through the forest. When the rain was about to stop, or when he felt enough time had passed, he would start a fire and dry his clothes.

The rain had started as a downpour, but after ten-odd minutes, it gradually lightened. During this time, Li Heng encountered his first soul beast since entering the secret realm.

Black Nest Bee: Healthy

Level: 10

Classification: Tier One Low-Grade Soul Beast

Strength: 5

Agility: 5

Spirit: 10

Soul Energy: 10

Soul Energy Skills: Stinger

Although it was a "bee," its size was absurdly large. At the very least, Li Heng had never seen a bee the size of a full-grown orange tabby cat.

Furthermore, because of the rain, the Black Nest Bee’s wings were wet, making its flight seem somewhat clumsy. Upon noticing Li Heng’s appearance, it immediately shot out its stinger.

It was as the Black Nest Bee attacked that Li Heng discovered something special about this type of soul beast.

What was special was that as soon as it used its Soul Energy Skill, "Stinger," it would plummet from the sky and fall to the ground, on the verge of death.

’Hurt yourself before you hurt the enemy?’

’A one-time-use soul skill, or the Seven Injuries Fist?’

After using the skill, its status changed from "Healthy" to "Severely Injured."

Li Heng’s three main stats completely crushed the Black Nest Bee’s, so dodging the black stinger that shot toward him was incredibly easy. The moment he dodged, he activated his Wolf Walk Technique and Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword and moved in for the finishing blow.

’Hmm? Is this... a score card?’

After he landed the finishing blow, a ball of white light floated out. At first, Li Heng thought it was some kind of drop, but when he took it, he found it was a round, wooden card about the size of a beer bottle cap.

The number "10" was written on it.

Name: Wood Chip

Category: Soul Energy Items

Value: Common

Function: For writing and engraving.

Although it was a Soul Energy Item, this time the system didn’t display the option to upgrade it by consuming soul energy points.

Not that Li Heng would waste his precious soul energy points on upgrading an exam score card anyway. After all, it’s not like the score on it would increase.

He hadn’t been in the secret realm for long, but he had already scored his first points. And it hadn’t been difficult—it had actually been quite easy.

So, after placing the score card into his Space Stone, Li Heng set off again, continuing deeper into the forest.

However, after that one Black Nest Bee, Li Heng didn’t encounter any other soul beasts along the way. He did, however, find two common-grade Soul Energy Herbs, both of which he put into his Space Stone.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Li Heng finally reached the foot of the high mountain he had seen earlier.

The mountain wasn’t very steep, and the vegetation was fairly lush. At a glance, it just looked like an ordinary mountain, but Li Heng felt a flicker of joy.

In his one o’clock direction, about 50 meters away, a part of the mountainside was indented, and this hollowed-out section was level with the ground.

As long as the wind and rain weren’t blowing directly into it, this could serve as a decent temporary resting spot.

Although he was happy, Li Heng didn’t rush over. A "shelter" like this might be "inhabited" by some wild animals or soul beasts, so he decided to observe it first before doing anything else.

He scanned his surroundings and, after confirming the area was relatively safe, slowly walked over.

However, as Li Heng slowly approached the indented mountainside, he discovered that it was indeed already occupied by other creatures.

And there were quite a few of them!

Rock Wall Snake: Healthy

Level: 10

Classification: Tier One Low-Grade Soul Beast

Strength: 9

Agility: 7

Spirit: 4

Soul Energy: 10

Soul Energy Skills: Rock Adhesion

He saw five of them. Without hesitating, Li Heng, whose Empty Cicada Longsword was already at the ready, immediately activated his Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword and Wolf Walk Technique and charged forward.

Although at his current level of strength, Li Heng could have killed these five Rock Wall Snakes using only basic Swordsmanship.

But Li Heng had never seen this type of soul beast before and had no idea what its Soul Energy Skill was like, so to be on the safe side...

Li Heng didn’t consider any other option. He immediately unleashed his strongest move!

It was just like with the Black Nest Bee he had encountered earlier. Even though the bee was already severely injured and on the ground, he couldn’t afford to be reckless. ’What if the Black Nest Bee was poisonous?’

’What if it could still get a final sting in before it died?’

Therefore, when Li Heng entered the secret realm, he had already made up his mind: whenever he encountered a soul beast he could crush, whether it was a single one or a group, he would immediately use his strongest combo of the Wolf Walk Technique and Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword to guarantee his own safety!

If he encountered too many soul beasts, or a soul beast he wasn’t 100% confident he could defeat, Li Heng planned to "temporarily avoid a direct confrontation."

’This isn’t being a coward; it’s just ensuring stable growth. The exam period is still long, so I just need to take my time.’

And so, under Li Heng’s combo attack, the five Rock Wall Snakes didn’t even get a clear look at what had shot out in front of them before they were gone in an instant.

’Huh? This thing... it didn’t give any points?’

The Rock Wall Snakes looked pretty tough and even appeared in a group, yet the five of them together didn’t yield a single point.

Li Heng felt a little bummed. Even a soul beast like the Black Nest Bee, which practiced the "Seven Injuries Fist," was worth ten points. He hadn’t expected that the Rock Wall Snakes, which seemed much tougher, would actually be worth less than a Black Nest Bee?!

Li Heng just grumbled about it for a moment before dropping the subject.

After killing the five Rock Wall Snakes, Li Heng immediately used his Empty Cicada Longsword to flick the snake carcasses far away. Then, he carefully inspected the area once more.

After confirming three times that there were no other creatures, Li Heng finally stepped inside. He then took the dry branches and grass from his Space Stone and tossed them onto the ground.

’I should go find some more. I doubt anything is dry right now, but this little bit of firewood isn’t enough to last the night. And I still don’t know what the nights are like in this secret realm...’

Having found a relatively good resting spot, Li Heng felt a bit more at ease. However, considering how much firewood he would need, he decided to go look for more wood.

This was also the first time he would be spending the night outside a settlement, and he didn’t have any teammates. Li Heng knew he needed to be extra careful.