At that moment, Shen Xingyan's heart was filled with a fighting spirit. He quickly put away his Star Map and, taking advantage of the remaining duration of his Awareness skill, focused on solidifying the Dragon and Elephant Fist technique.
Shen Xingyan practiced continuously until the Awareness skill's duration expired. When the comprehension bonus from the skill disappeared, Shen Xingyan's comprehension returned to 8 points, the little figure in his mind instantly vanished, and his thought speed returned to normal.
Shen Xingyan exhaled deeply, calming his emotions, and wiped the sweat from his face. The Dragon and Elephant Fist technique, even at the initial stage, required a significant expenditure of energy. Although he was just practicing and not putting his full strength into the strikes, he still felt his stamina noticeably decrease during the training.
After assessing his body's condition, Shen Xingyan took out his Star Map and checked his progress in mastering the technique. To his delight, he found that his progress had reached 23%. If he used the Awareness skill again tomorrow, it was quite possible he could raise the mastery level of the Dragon and Elephant Fist to a new stage.
Shen Xingyan nodded in satisfaction, pleased with the result. In just one hour, he had gone from a first-time introduction to the technique to achieving 23% progress past the initial stage—this was a significant accomplishment. If he told someone about it, they probably wouldn't believe him.
After resting for a bit, Shen Xingyan went to the kitchen to eat and restore his energy. When his depleted stamina had partially recovered, he didn't sit idle; he immediately began his physical training exercises.
Compared to combat techniques that temporarily increased attributes in battle, he preferred the body-strengthening exercises they had been taught at school. While improving physical attributes was more difficult and required long-term daily effort, the results were permanent, which gave him a more reliable feeling.
Shen Xingyan thought that when his combat techniques reached a certain level, it would be worth trying to apply the Awareness skill to these exercises—perhaps it would have some special effect.
The monotonous body-strengthening exercises were a familiar routine for Shen Xingyan. After more than ten years of training, he had not only gotten used to them but also considered this time very productive.
After several hours of training, as it approached noon, Shen Xingyan finally stopped.
Resting on the bed, he mentally transferred through the Star Map to his cultivation space in the Star Source world. First, like a true farmer, he inspected his crops, which looked more and more lush under the care of Wangcai and the other skeletons, and nodded in satisfaction.
Then, through his mental link with the skeletons, he praised his "employees," noting their diligence and urging them not to slow down. He paid special attention to strengthening Wangcai's authority as captain of the team.
After giving all his instructions, he handed control of the field over to Wangcai and left his cultivation space, heading for the small village where he first appeared upon entering the Star Source world.
"Please, don't just walk past! We have materials from all kinds of monsters; even if you don't buy, at least take a look!"
"Equipment clearance, huge sale! Name your price!"
"Fresh rabbit meat, just hunted! Take it home and cook it—it's delicious no matter how you prepare it!"
As soon as Shen Xingyan stepped onto the bustling street, he heard the beckoning shouts of merchants coming from all directions.
Since the purchase prices at the Star Source shop were much lower than the selling prices, many found it unprofitable to sell goods to the shop and preferred to trade on their own, avoiding middlemen. This is how a new profession came to be: Merchant. However, this profession was not gained through the Awakening; it arose spontaneously, on the initiative of the people themselves. It was not recognized by the Star Source world and gave no bonuses.
Looking at the lively scene before him, Shen Xingyan was surprised once more. Shaking his head slightly, he began to stroll through the market. His main goal was to acquire meat to extract it into the real world and slightly expand the diet for himself and his sister while also getting extra nutrients. Ordinary food, while able to satisfy hunger and restore energy, had a short-lived effect and couldn't compare to monster meat, which was rich in energy.
Shen Xingyan approached the stall where they were shouting to buy rabbit meat. On the counter, in addition to the rabbit, were chicken and squirrel meat—all from low-level monsters.
"Hello, what are you interested in? My goods are of excellent quality; the meat is the freshest. If you buy a lot, I'll give you a discount," the merchant said, noticing Shen Xingyan had stopped at his stall and immediately greeting him warmly.
He clearly didn't look down on Shen Xingyan because of his farmer's clothes, as he was selling low-level goods and his main customers were precisely these types of people.
"How much is the rabbit meat?" Shen Xingyan asked, inspecting the goods and noticing that all the meat was of average quality, which allowed him to roughly estimate the expected price.
"Very cheap, only 130 copper coins a piece—20 coins cheaper than the Star Source shop! You won't lose out and you won't be cheated. So, how many pieces will you take?" The merchant enthusiastically looked at Shen Xingyan, eloquently praising his goods.
Shen Xingyan mentally calculated and decided the price was indeed favorable. This meat dropped with a certain probability when killing monster rabbits. One piece weighed about a kilogram, which would be enough for him and his sister for a whole day. Besides, there could be no cheating in the Star Source world—the attributes of any item could be seen immediately.
Although he thought so, Shen Xingyan didn't rush to buy. He decided to first go outside the village—after all, in the ten-plus days since his Awakening, he hadn't once left the safe zone. He was curious to see how his Level 5 attributes, combined with his newly mastered fist technique, would fare against wild monsters. Besides, if he was lucky enough to get a few pieces of meat on his own, that would be even better.
Shen Xingyan nodded to the merchant and said, "I'm still looking," after which he left.
"Don't leave! I'll give you another 10 copper coins discount, 120 coins a piece, how about that? Hey, don't leave!" the merchant's insistent calls echoed behind him.
But Shen Xingyan still left the bustling street and headed outside the village.
[You have left the safe zone. Please pay attention to your surroundings!]
As soon as Shen Xingyan stepped out of the village, he received a warning from the Star Source and began to look carefully around.