"Five days to achieve small success!"
Wang Ling was baffled. The system had estimated that by purely relying on his talent for Martial arts alone, he won't achieve small success anytime soon.
Although there were materials such as pills, and directive manuals giving secret tips to breaking through mastery levels for skills and techniques, Wang Ling couldn't afford any of these.
As an orphan whose parents had died during an invasion from a defiled world, he had nothing to his name. The only reason why he could attend school and eat a stable meal was thanks to one of his father's friends who had taken him in out of sheer sympathy.
Although he had taken Wang Ling in, he didn't help him progress in terms of Martial arts training, not providing him with the same resources he provided his own daughter who had better talent than Wang Ling. In this resource scarce world, one had to survive without expecting others to lend a helping hand.
Helping someone when oneself ought to focus on improving their own skills and techniques could lead to death within another world after all, one couldn't be certain who was friend of foe.
In this world Wang Ling had heard various tales of people who had killed others out of envy and greed, even though rules existed to stop such immoral acts, the same rules didn't have a strong pillar within other worlds. Anything could happen at anytime, helplessly believing in and abiding by the set rules would only act as a burden.
To Wang Ling, those who followed the rules were either naive and insecure people who desperately need a moral conduct to hold unto or outright green snakes under the green grass, pretending to follow the rules but breaking them to ensure their own survival or eliminate rivals and obstacles.
Wang Ling's benefactor, Sun Tao had already done enough by taking him in, with his own skills, decision making abilities and the system he was sure he would survive whatever was thrown at him.
As Wang Ling kept pondering over how he could achieve small success in skill as soon as possible, he heard a rapid knock on the door. He stood up and walked over to open it slightly, wanting to check who was at the door.
"Wang Ling, my mother has called you down to have dinner, hurry up downstairs."
Sun Qian said sounding impatient and frustrated. This was Sun Tao's daughter, the one he cherished and poured all his money into, the one who had better talent than Wang Ling and who had an higher survival rate.
It was clear from how she addressed him that she didn't like him one bit and she has no reason to hide it but, Wang Ling didn't care about things such as this. All he cared about was power and survival.
"I'll be down in a jiffy."
"Hmph. You better be."
With that short exchange of words, Sun Qian turned around swiftly and walked away with an air if superiority around her.
"She truly is a proud one isn't she"
Wang Ling muttered and locked the door sitting back on the bed. He was still worried about his skill level beung so low and progressing so slowly, deep within he felt like there was something holding him back, perhaps this was what was refered to as a bottleneck within those webnovels he had read so many years ago.
"System, how can I achieve small success before the awakening trial commences?"
Wang Ling inquired.
{Due to the fact that you posses tash talent for Martial arts, you are close to hitting your achievement limit. To this end your progress has become slow and sluggish and can only progress further with the given estimate.}
{To be able to progress further you need to either purchase a directive manual of a very high grade or fulfill your universal role.}
'A directive manual huh? I guess I really need one to progress further but how do I go about that?'
Wang Ling pondered. Although the system had a shop function, he had never explored it as he had never needed itand also because he didn't have the required currenecy.
Even now the situation was not any different, he still lacked the required currenecy to purchase the required manual. As for fulfilling his universal role, it was to risky to fulfill. He could get caught and death would be his punishment.
After steeling his heart about waiting till the awakening trial commenced, he went downstairs to have dinner, a common dish of Yangzhou beef noodles and a staple dish of sweet and sour pork.
In this resource scarce world meat was almost non-existent, to find meat one would have to buy it at a very high rate for a very small quantity. A truly scarce commodity in this dying world.
To find quality meat one had to venture into other worlds to find meat, although finding this meat was extremely dangerous, the meat was equally extremely rich in energy and Qi.
Truly a rich delicacy.
As Wang Ling ate at the dining table he subtly listened to Mr. Sun and Mrs. Sun's conversation on how to prepare the future. Obviously this was a conversation about how to help Sun Qian progress even further once she passed the trial. They didn't include Wang Ling in this plan and he didn't mind after all, once he passed the trial he would be able to gather resources and sell them to help himself.
Looking across the table, he saw Sun Qian drinking something from a vial. This vial contained a well known alchemical solution that could make the mind sharp, able to focus precisely and help advance proficiency in skills and techniques.
Wang Ling finished eating, thanked the Sun's for the meal, went to the kitchen to wash his dishes and then return to his room.
*Phew*
He sighed and collapsed onto the bed. Feeling energised from eating he quickly rose to his feet and entered an horse stance after which he began practicing the Heavenly Body Tempering Method and the Basic Cleaver technique, integrating them into each other to increase proficiency and make progress.
This way, Wang Ling practiced intensely into the night only resting when he was fully exhausted and then entering the stance to resume practice and raise proficiency.
**********
The next day came earlier than expected for Wang Ling and all those expected to partake in the trial.
Wang Ling sat down patiently in his seat as he and the rest of his classmates all numbering fifty in total sat down to listen to their instructors briefing.
"The awakening trial is not a matter to be taken lightly. Your actions, decisions and mental state among various other things can determine your life and death within the world you're transported to."
"Once you arrive there you need to understand that you have to make as many alliances as you can, relying on one another's strength and talents is the only way to pass the trial."
"No matter how high your spirit roots are graded and no matter how good the benefits your universal roles bring you, do not get complacent, do not get greedy."
"Focus solely on surviving and achieving the goal required to pass the trial, do not take unnecessary risk to achieve power or resources and materials."
Instructor Zhou's voice echoed within the room, reverberating deep within the hearts of the students present.
Even though all these instructions had been embedded in the hearts of the students present, it was necessary and mandatory to still shout it out to them. A few words might not change the hearts of most but some, would feel a stir deep within them.
Wang Ling who had experienced death and killed a lot of people didn't need to be told all these things, his heart had been steeled and he was quick to make decisions that would akd him the most.
He observed the students present, some of them were nervous, physically shivering and trembling. Some had a bored expression on their faces, these were obviously those who had the way paved out for them through their parents wealth or fame as famous awakened cultivators.
Some of them had determined looks, these were those who had made the decision to try their best to survive, pushed by family situations and other personal matters.
After about an hour of repeated briefing, the students were led out if the room to the large square that accommodated several other students from other classes. A large circular array could be seen at the center of the field, this was the transportation array responsible for taking them to other worlds for their trial.
The students were led to stand on the platform in batches, a blue pillar of light crashing into them from above before fading away with the students.
Once it was time for Wang Ling's batch to stand on the array, they were led towards it and made to stand. Wang Ling sighed and glared intently at the skills tab, he clenched his fists as he made vowed to survive albeit keeping a nonchalant expression in his face.
This was the true beginning of his journey in another world. Taking the awakening trial in a defiled world was his first step on the path to cultivation and gaining power.