It has been two weeks since he came to this world.
Luo Chen stuck to his schedule, and just as he expected, he ate the last of his food this morning.
It was a very productive two weeks. Not only did he progress quite well in his body cultivation, but he also succeeded in opening his first major meridian.
His current physical capabilities were beyond mortal, finally entering the superhuman territory. He couldn't exactly estimate how strong he is, but he knew he was still vulnerable to blades and arrows.
Still, with his improved reflexes, senses, and speed, he was confident no one in this village was his opponent, even with a weapon.
However, after opening the first major meridian, he didn't see any other noticeable increase in his capabilities from his spirit cultivation.
The next step after the first major meridian was to open the 300 minor meridians connected to it. It was both time-consuming and unrewarding.
Unlike the power boost that comes with the opening of the major meridians, the minor meridians barely contribute anything.
However, he was still willing to go through the opening of the minor meridians so that his future limit would be higher.
As even if there were no significant immediate benefits, the future benefits for this were immense.
For body cultivation, it was steady but dull. Doing the same thing for six hours every day for the past two weeks, it was bound to get tedious.
Spirit cultivation took effort and focus, so it was fine, but body cultivation really tested his nerves. But he endured, and will continue to do so.
Such a small price for so much power was already something to be grateful for.
The most fun part of his days, he had to say, was reading.
The treasure trove of knowledge, combined with his enhanced mental acuity, gave birth to an endless desire for knowledge within him.
He read through anything that he thought could be useful, mostly focusing on common knowledge for cultivators, like survival tips in the wild or how to concentrate better during cultivation, as well as medicine.
It was interesting, to say the least, that common yet essential knowledge would be included in the Dao Library.
When he checked what other topics were there, he was not surprised to find that most of the knowledge was actual cultivation related. Like countless variations of techniques, how to use spirit energy in different ways, and other miscellaneous knowledge of the world.
Unfortunately, there was no personal information. He didn't know how many cultivators there were exactly, what their levels were, or where they resided. There were no records of any of their deeds, secrets, or thoughts either.
He couldn't grasp what exactly the criteria were for something to be included in the Dao Library, but he hoped he would understand better as his cultivation progressed.
For now, there was nothing he could do about it anyway, and he was more than grateful for all the benefits this treasure brings, even though he didn't know where it came from or why it was within his soul.
Not wanting to think about that, he made his way to the door.
Going out right now was both a necessity for survival and a change of pace in his monotonous daily life.
This was his first time going out of this house, but he already had plenty of related memories, so he didn't stand on ceremony.
He already had a plan in mind, as he had given it plenty of thought in the last two weeks. There weren't that many options anyway.
Given his current needs and his physical abilities, there was a suitable job for him. He chose hunting, which was also the most prominent job in the village.
Both the meat and the various parts like the fur of the hunted animals would sell for quite a bit, and many hunters earned more in a few days than he did helping out in the farms for weeks.
Of course, not everyone had the ability to hunt. Tracking and trap setting were essential for a hunter. Traps were obviously for capturing the prey, and tracking was also very important, as plenty of people would get lost in the mountains from time to time.
Their knowledge and experience were closely guarded secrets, only taught to their closest kin. Therefore, hunter families in the village were quite influential.
Luo Chen had no need for that, as he could find his way around relying on his sharpened senses and hunt the animals with his incredible strength.
He read about monsters in the library, beasts that grow with the help of spirit energy and become a threat to even cultivators, but they wouldn't be found near this poor village with scarce spirit energy.
As he opened the door, he wasn't surprised to find a deserted alley, just like in the memories. He lived on the outskirts of the village, with dilapidated houses spread apart across the barren land with no regard for aesthetics.
Even among the poor villagers, the people who lived around here were only the poorest.
Not minding and even enjoying the silence, he walked out of the village and into the small mountains nearby.
This unnamed mountain range was a source of income for both the hunters and the foragers, its resources enough to feed hundreds of villagers.
As he was climbing the mountains, he could clearly feel that the air here was fresher, rich with spirit energy. Well, richer compared to the village anyway. The lack of the stench that was always present within the village also helped.
Committing to memory the path he walked through, he began looking for prey. Feeling the wind and the various smells it brought, and listening carefully, it didn't take him long to succeed in his first hunt.
Throwing the small rocks he picked up, he easily killed a few birds he didn't know the name of.
Since it was still early, he went deeper, looking for bigger prey.
After wandering for a couple of hours, he found it. Or rather, they found him.
A pack of wolves, three of them in sight, and one of them he can feel hiding behind him. They were surrounding him.
Not wanting to take the risk of close combat from the start, he threw the rocks in his hands and hit two of the three in front of him. One of them was hit on the torso, the other on its hind leg.
The swoosh of his throws and the whimpering of the wolves exhilarated him, but even more fun was his way. Since he was out of rocks, and wanting to try his new strength, he clenched his fists but didn't make an immediate movement.
He waited and waited, not taking his eye off the one wolf still with the fighting spirit in front of him. After several movements, it made its move.
Not only did the wolf in front lung at him, but he could also feel the wind from behind, meaning they coordinated their attacks both front and back.
He took a step forward and another half a step diagonally, dodging both of them. Then, immediately turning sideways, he caught the wolf he had been eyeing mid-air, delivering a solid punch to its head.
Then he turned back and leaped at the last wolf standing, also punching its head, killing it immediately. After finishing off the two others that were already injured, he let out a breath and relaxed.
His first serious fight, ever. And it was exhilarating. Maybe not as much as gaining the power itself, but using the said power was also a good way to relieve the stress of the two weeks of solitude and bland porridge.
Now the issue was, how to bring them back. Since he was a proper pauper, he didn't even have any suitable bags or ropes for the wolves.
So, he hauled the two wolves that he killed with his punch, thinking their fur would be more intact and valuable, and left the other two.
Since both finding and hunting them weren't that hard, he didn't feel much leaving his prey there.
His mind was already back at the village, thinking of quickly selling these and shutting himself in again.
His still thin body, containing immense power, didn't even tire carrying almost 200 kilos of carcasses all the way back.
After an hour, with an almost jogging pace, he was back at his house.
He wanted the birds for himself, essential for his mental and physical health.
He could store them in a cold room and eat them within the next few days. That way, even without a fridge, they wouldn't go bad.
There was also plenty of knowledge related to cooking in the Dao Library, so he should be able to handle it just fine.
Their blood was already drained on the way here with the cuts he made on their necks with the rocks.
Then, with the two wolves, he made his way into the market.
One wolf carcass in each arm, he was already attracting gazes. The closer to the center of the village where the market was, the more people you could see.
Since it was a small village, he was already somewhat famous for his height. Plenty of people knew him, if not by name then by face.
The previous Luo Chen was also quite diligent in his work, so many people wanted to hire him.