The page of [Si] in the Classic of Mountains and Seas began to emit a golden light as a spark of spirituality was added to it.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the epic skill: Rage of the Si]
Before Jiang Ming could fully register the message, a wave of excruciating pain sent him crashing to the ground, his body writhing uncontrollably.
It felt as if thousands of ants were crawling through his body, gnawing at his lungs, bones, and flesh. The agony was unbearable.
Ten minutes passed before Jiang Ming finally opened his eyes, his face pale and drenched in sweat. He blinked slowly, exhausted, then turned his attention back to the glowing page of [Si].
Now fully illuminated, it radiated golden light. In the lower-left corner, a new prompt appeared:
[Rage of the Si Lv.1 (0/50)]
It seemed this skill could still be upgraded. He tapped to view its details.
[Rage of the Si]
Level: Apprentice
Quality: Epic
1. Iron Bones: When activated, increases Strength by 0.5, Agility by 0.5, and Constitution by 0.5.
2. Si Shadow Rift: Releases a powerful rift that inflicts physical damage on all enemies in a straight line ahead.
"Very strong," Jiang Ming murmured, exhaling in relief.
The previous notification had indicated that epic-quality skills were meant to correspond with the user's epic-quality natal card. This confirmed it. The Iron Bones effect was terrifying—boosting stats by 50 percent of his current values was no joke.
And this was only level 1. He could only imagine how devastating it would become after leveling up.
Not to mention the second ability, Si Shadow Rift. That one definitely needed testing.
Jiang Ming glanced at his current status panel.
[Name]: Jiang Ming[Level]: Apprentice Lv.3 (0/100)[Strength]: 1.07[Constitution]: 1.15[Agility]: 1.26[Spirit]: 3.90[Spiritual Power]: 23/23[Destiny Card]: Classic of Mountains and Seas[Card Slots]: (empty) (empty) (empty)[Backpack]: [Fang (Common)], [Dual Snake Skin (Rare)]
His stats had now surpassed the limits of an ordinary human. If he activated Rage of the Si, his attributes would reach monstrous levels.
Spiritual Power, meanwhile, seemed to correlate with skill usage. It was the only attribute still shrouded in some mystery.
Standing up, Jiang Ming took a moment to adjust to his new physical state. He strapped two wooden spikes to his back and sent a message to Fan Huai, informing him that he was en route.
The dungeon might be filled with threats, but its natural scenery was breathtaking. Mountains, rivers, streams—everywhere he looked, nature flourished.
Even though he was used to the three major rivers of Sanjiang City, the "river" in front of him left him momentarily stunned.
After trekking for half an hour, he arrived at the boundary between Areas 123 and 122. But there was a problem—the path ahead was blocked by a wide river, roughly ten meters across.
Jiang Ming walked along the bank for a while, hoping to find another route, but came up empty.
"How about trying out the new skill?" he muttered.
Without hesitation, Jiang Ming activated Rage of the Si in his mind.
There was no discomfort this time. On the contrary, he felt a surge of energy coursing through him, as if his body had become weightless.
His skin took on a faint reddish tint, but nothing alarming.
His stats soared.
[Strength]: 1.07 → 1.57[Constitution]: 1.15 → 1.65[Agility]: 1.26 → 1.76
His spiritual power, however, began to tick down.
[Spiritual Power: 22/23]
Testing the waters, Jiang Ming tried a preliminary jump. The distance felt just within reach. He backed up about ten meters, took a deep breath, and sprinted toward the riverbank.
As he reached the edge, he jumped with all his strength.
But just then, his foot slipped into a shallow hole on the damp bank. Still, momentum carried him into the air.
It seemed he would barely make it to the opposite shore.
Suddenly, a chilling sense of danger stabbed into his gut. A splash came from below.
A grotesque, two-meter-long fish burst from the water with its jaws wide open, lunging at him mid-air.
There was no time to pull the wooden spike from his back. Acting on instinct, Jiang Ming thrust his hand toward the beast and triggered Si Shadow Rift.
Three points of spiritual power vanished instantly.
A black energy beam exploded from his palm, blowing off half the fish's head. Its lifeless body crashed into the river with a heavy splash.
Landing hard on the opposite bank, Jiang Ming rolled, pulled out a spike, and staggered backward, keeping his eyes on the water.
Then, a prompt flashed.
[Congratulations, you have killed He Feiyu and gained 20 experience points.]
Jiang Ming exhaled. The journey had been too peaceful, and it had dulled his edge. Thankfully, Si Shadow Rift proved powerful enough to one-shot the ambusher.
Staring at the river warily, he retreated a full hundred meters before turning and continuing his journey to Fan Huai.
A few minutes later, he arrived at a secluded valley.
Here, the vegetation was denser than the area where Jiang Ming first appeared in the dungeon. Sunlight barely pierced through the lush canopy above.
He already had experience fighting in such terrain. This time, he used wooden spikes to push aside the thick grass as he advanced cautiously.
The grass back there had been two meters tall and still managed to conceal a two-headed snake.
Here, the grass reached three meters high. Naturally, he expected worse.
But he didn't expect his fears to be answered so literally.
Just as he moved forward about a hundred meters, a rustling sound came from up ahead.
Without hesitation, Jiang Ming turned and ran.
The sound was louder and heavier than the two-headed snake from before. It had to be something far more dangerous.
Unfortunately, the tall grass severely hampered his speed. He had barely made it ten meters when a massive shadow fell over him.
In a flash, he activated Rage of the Si. His speed surged dramatically.
He had used up five points of spiritual power during the river incident. After resting, he had recovered a bit, leaving him with sixteen points—enough to escape.
But just then, a strange, sweet aroma drifted into his nostrils.
Jiang Ming ran a few more steps, then leapt and spotted a fruit tree to his left. The scent came from its ripe, dangling fruits.
Gritting his teeth, he changed direction and sprinted toward the tree.
The sudden turn allowed the pursuing beast to gain ground, but Jiang Ming didn't care.
Fortune favored the bold, and in this game, dying only cost experience points.
With a quick glance over his shoulder, he pointed his hand behind him and unleashed another Si Shadow Rift. The shot consumed three more points of spiritual power.
The towering grass behind him exploded, shredded by the energy blast. A huge black snake head took the brunt of the impact.
A furious roar echoed in response.
Jiang Ming didn't wait. He lunged at the tree, snatched the nearest fruit, rolled across the ground, and bolted forward again.
Another deafening roar followed behind him, hoarse and furious.
He swore this was the fastest he had ever run—even faster than when Coach Qin Guangjin made him sprint at the school sports meet.
After half a minute of full-speed running, Jiang Ming finally exited the dense grassland. Only then did he dare glance back.
A massive two-headed snake loomed in the distance.
It was far larger than the previous one—its body easily twice as thick, and each head was the size of three Jiang Mings.
Both heads glared at him with cold, murderous eyes.
Without a word, Jiang Ming turned and continued running.
Only after the creature faded from sight did Raging Si finally deactivate.
His spiritual power was completely drained.
Collapsing onto the ground, Jiang Ming let out a wild laugh.
He opened his hand.
A bright red fruit rested in his palm.
[Experience Fruit]
Note:
He Feiyu is a mythical creature in Chinese mythology, specifically a type of "Flying Fish" or "Feiyu". It's often depicted with a dragon head, a carp-like body, four claws (like a dragon), wings, and a fish-like tail. The Feiyu is a variant of the "python" or "mang" pattern, but its fish tail distinguishes it.