People have the instinct of ’Lord Ye’s love for dragons,’ where everyone hypes ’little brain tiger’ online, but when a real big tiger stands beside you, you’ll likely be too scared to move.
Zhang Chen was the same; before he saw the monster, he always envied the day a Fox Spirit would come to drain him dry. But when a Fox Spirit truly appeared in reality, everything changed; you find that all that’s left in your heart is fear.
Looking at his Golden Finger, Zhang Chen nervously swallowed, his eyes fixed on the interface:
[Name: Zhang Chen]
[Skill: A somewhat mysterious Golden Light (0/50)]
[Points: 140]
"Upgrade!"
Zhang Chen looked at the Golden Finger, a touch of anticipation in his eyes, and the next moment his points instantly vanished as the entire Golden Finger Interface refreshed once more:
[Name: Zhang Chen]
[Skill (Tier 1): Exorcising Golden Light (0/500)]
[Points: 90]
Zhang Chen felt a warmth in his Dantian, and in the next moment, boundless Golden Light burst within his Spiritual World, seemingly filling his entire inner world with that brilliant, extreme Golden Light.
The Golden Light was overwhelming like a scorching sun, capable of sweeping away all evil, exorcising all disasters; where the Golden Light passed, inauspiciousness retreated.
"And then?" Zhang Chen’s vision gradually returned to brightness, staring blankly at his own body, as if nothing had changed except for the breath in his Dantian, which became more dense and substantial, his breathing more extended.
That’s all!
"And that’s it?" Zhang Chen stood dazed in the room, momentarily confused, not knowing the purpose of the Exorcising Golden Light. It seemed he had gained a skill, yet it seemed useless.
He felt as if every pore in his body had Golden Light flowing through it, illuminating his body; Zhang Chen closed his eyes, and in a trance, he seemed to see his own internal organs and the beating heart. But soon, a mist of black fog emerged from within his body, obscuring his organs and countless meridians, leaving only a wisp of golden light flickering in his Dantian, dispelling the fog nearby.
"What’s this?" Zhang Chen opened his eyes, a touch of uncertainty on his face. He felt he did see a large area of mist inside his body; it wasn’t an illusion.
"What’s the use of this Exorcising Golden Light?" Thoughts flickered in Zhang Chen’s mind, then his eyes fell on the ’Tier 1’ behind the Golden Finger: "My Exorcising Golden Light is currently a Tier 1 skill, requiring 500 points for the next tier upgrade. As long as I have enough points to pile up, can I upgrade infinitely? Maybe upgrade the Exorcising Golden Light by ten thousand tiers first."
The mist within his body was unclear to Zhang Chen, unsure why this change occurred, but he had a hunch that if the Golden Light could disperse the mist and illuminate his entire body, he would inevitably undergo incredible changes.
"But wanting to upgrade to the next level needs 500 points, and that’s not a small amount." Looking at the Exorcising Golden Light of unknown use, Zhang Chen felt hesitant, pondering whether he should focus on collecting experience points and then find a reliable skill to spend on, rather than on the Exorcising Golden Light of unknown purpose. But thinking of the threat of the Fox Spirit and waiting so long to gain a skill, he decided not to wait. As a Tier 1 skill, the Exorcising Golden Light must be useful, even if it hasn’t been developed yet.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Chen picked up the basket, Beast Trap, and ropes from the ground, heading into the mountains with heavy thoughts, as today’s three meals were still unresolved.
Actually, when Zhang Chen first awakened his Golden Finger, he tried to evolve his trap-making ability, wood-chopping ability, and others into skills, but he was thinking too much, as no skill prompts appeared.
In his previous life, Zhang Chen was an ardent fan of survival shows, having learned countless methods of making traps. In this world rich with resources, Zhang Chen never lacked meat for meals. If it wasn’t for the neighboring Fox Spirit’s repression, he would have reached a moderately prosperous living by now. Mainly because Zhang Chen’s trap-making skills surpassed this world by far, so his traps almost never failed.
Today’s mountain prey was still abundant. Zhang Chen caught two pheasants and, most importantly, a wild rabbit, the Fox Spirit’s favorite.
"Once I deal with that Fox Spirit, I might try making gunpowder to blow up some large animals. By then, I, too, could sing like a free emancipated serf!" In high spirits, Zhang Chen roasted the pheasants right in the mountains, ate until his belly was full, and after a brief hesitation, decided to skin and roast the rabbit as well, carefully hiding it within his coat for dinner later, all while holding a pheasant as he headed home.
He knew the pheasant wouldn’t last, as that damned Fox Spirit wouldn’t leave it for him, so he didn’t bother plucking it.
"Just hope this Fox Spirit has some decency and leaves me the rabbit! More importantly, that the rabbit isn’t discovered by the Fox Spirit!" Zhang Chen muttered to himself, wrapping the rabbit carefully with plantain leaves and sealing it in mud to mask the scent, then painstakingly dried the clay with flames.
"Perfectly done!" Zhang Chen inspected his work, feeling assured the rabbit was sealed well with even the scent contained, confident that the Fox Spirit would definitely not smell it, and tucked the rabbit into his garment.