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After working non-stop for half the day, Wei Yuan finally got everything sorted out.
He then fetched a few buckets of water and gave himself a thorough wash from head to toe. After that, he plopped down on the steps in front of the Earth Temple.
"Ugh, I'm beat…"
Leaning back against the door, he let the golden sunlight warm him up. It felt amazing—his whole body was toasty and relaxed.
After resting for a while, he touched his forehead, and a die appeared in his palm.
Yesterday's "God of Wealth" ability had a 24-hour duration.
Now that it was a new day, he figured he could roll for a new power. Suppressing his excitement,
Wei Yuan gently tossed the die.
It spun rapidly for a few seconds, then gradually slowed down and stopped.
The face showing upward had a strange eye symbol on it.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in Wei Yuan's mind.
You've rolled "Erlang Shen's True Eye" – You've gained the ability: Immobilize.
Ability Activated: Immobilize. Usage: One-time only. Duration: 5 seconds.
Snapping him out of his daydream, the voice continued, "Immobilize, huh… but only one use?"
Wei Yuan couldn't help but wonder—Erlang Shen? Wasn't that the guy from Journey to the West with the third eye?
So this "Immobilize" must be some kind of freezing spell from the myth?
Sounded powerful, but... only 5 seconds? Come on, what kind of real man only lasts 5 seconds?
Anyway, now wasn't the time to test it out. After all, there was no one else around in this area. Wei Yuan returned the die to his forehead, where it turned into a strange symbol again.
That day, he just chilled and let the time pass without doing much.
The next morning, on Day 3, Wei Yuan got up early, cooked breakfast, and washed up. Once he wrapped all that up—he eagerly whipped out the die again.
With excitement bubbling up inside him, he tossed it to the ground. It spun and spun… then slowly stopped.
The face pointing up now showed a chubby, jolly old man.
You've rolled "Fortune God" – Bonus granted: Lucky Star (you can choose the Fortune God's bonus or an ability from a previous successful roll).
He had successfully rolled two abilities previously:
"God of Wealth" and "Immobilize".
After thinking it over for a second, Wei Yuan decided to go with the God of Wealth again. He had enough supplies to last ten days or even half a month. Plus, there were plenty of vegetable fields nearby—he could probably get by for a whole month.
But Wei Yuan knew he couldn't just sit around and live off his stockpile. For long-term survival, it made sense to keep gathering resources.
So, guided by an intuitive feeling that often accompanied the Fortune God's influence, he decided to explore the nearby mountains.
A subtle prompting in his mind directed him: 300 meters ahead, under a rock, there's a lingzhi mushroom—top-quality medicinal herb.
Following this inner nudge, Wei Yuan trekked along the mountain slope, a worn-out bamboo basket on his back and a machete in his hand.
Chopping his way through the overgrowth, he looked absolutely thrilled—like a spring breeze on his face—as he walked along, picking up treasures one after another.
Near the stream on the back side of the mountain, there's a berry with faint spiritual energy—has minor healing effects. Another mental whisper guided him.
At the cliff edge near the mountaintop, there's a 200-year-old ginseng root. The subtle guidance persisted.
By noon, his basket was already filled with rare herbs and valuable plants.
Wei Yuan surveyed the area.
Based on the intuitive prompts he'd been receiving, he had pretty much cleared this entire section of valuable flora.
He figured there were still wild animals in the mountains.
Sure, this inner sense could potentially help detect them… but catching live creatures wasn't exactly easy.
Luckily, he hadn't run into any large predators yet. That could've been seriously dangerous if he was alone.
With those thoughts in mind, the sky gradually started to darken. Wei Yuan felt he'd had a great haul and was getting ready to head back. Just then—
A distinct mental ping resonated: About 150 meters ahead, there's a cave. Inside is a large chunk of gold.
Wei Yuan froze for a moment, then his heart leapt with joy.
A big chunk of gold?! Jackpot! He quickly made his way forward, swinging his machete to clear the path. He hacked through a thick patch of tall grass—and then he saw it.
A pitch-black cave entrance, deep and bottomless, looming right in front of him.
Without thinking too much, he stepped inside.
But suddenly—he stopped dead in his tracks. From within the cave came a low, rumbling sound… like thunderous breathing.
He cautiously peeked inside.
With the last bit of daylight, he saw a massive shadow lying inside.
"Holy sh*t… it's a tiger."
Wei Yuan's whole body tensed up—he was so shocked he nearly peed himself.
It was a tiger's den. Good thing he hadn't just blindly walked straight in.
If it had been awake, he probably wouldn't have made it out today.
Yeah—opportunity always comes with risk.
"....."