Chapter 5: Fortune's Land​​

"The most basic skillset is still too weak, a bit lacking in versatility. I need to acquire more skills."

Casually obliterating the jackals with Light and Dark, Wang Shikong approached the corpses. As he absorbed the essence, he pondered.

[Ding! You have gained +1 Level! Spirit +5! Physique +2!]

Once again easily dispatching eight Level 4 jackals, Wang Shikong finally reached Level 1.

The level-up and increased spirit significantly boosted his damage.

"Cross-level drop rates are still abysmally low. Killing so many jackals only yielded 20 Essence Coins. Time to seek out some Fortune's Lands," Wang Shikong murmured, examining his meager haul.

Drop rates on the Endless Continent were notoriously unforgiving. Many reached Level 10 without acquiring a single decent weapon. Yet, special places existed, places known as 'Great Fortunes.'

Here, sheer luck could defy logic. Jumping off a cliff might just land you a peerless cultivation manual.

Of course, fortune often walked hand-in-hand with peril.

"Finding the Lost Mine could rapidly accumulate my early resources."

Wang Shikong remembered this place clearly. For ordinary folks, it was a vast treasure trove, a true Fortune's Land.

Changing direction, he propelled his wheelchair towards the Lost Mines, guided by memory.

Ignoring the monsters along the path, an hour later Wang Shikong arrived before a colossal, thirty-kilometer-distant mining pit ruin.

"Guess sitting gets me there faster than any sprinter."

Self-deprecatingly, he entered the ruins and began searching for that specific shaft.

"Chitter! Chitter!" Ten minutes of fruitless searching yielded not the Lost Shaft, but two ore-rats grabbing his attention.

"Ore-rats?" Wang Shikong's eyes narrowed, focusing on their location.

Two cat-sized ore-rats glared fiercely from nearby.

​​Ore-Rat (Common): Level 3​​

​​HP: 350/350​​

​​Physique: 22​​

​​Mana: 10​​

​​Skill: Haste.​​

Swoosh!

Wang Shikong snapped open his fan, surged forward, and unleashed a massive fireball – a fusion of Yimu Wood and Lihuo Fire – at one rat.

The rat leaped aside, but a sudden gust shifted the fireball's trajectory and amplified its flames simultaneously.

Ka-BOOM!

Flames engulfed one rat. The other shimmered with green light – activating Haste, boosting its speed by fifty percent – and charged Wang Shikong.

Unfazed, Wang Shikong met it with coalesced Light and Dark. The elements collided and detonated, obliterating the attacker.

The first rat, burned and witnessing its companion's instant demise, scrambled away in primal terror.

Wang Shikong didn't pursue immediately. Watching its escape path, he followed discreetly.

After thirty meters, the rat vanished into a narrow rock fissure. His eyes lit up.

"Light and Dark."

Boom!

With focused will, fused Light and Dark energy blasted the fissure.

An explosion echoed, revealing a pitch-black, deep entrance.

"That's it. No wonder it took half a month for anyone to find it," he murmured, pleased. He approached the uneven ground of the shaft entrance, littered with loose stones. His high-end wheelchair handled it well – bumpy, but manageable.

A flicked fireball ignited a coal-oil lamp on the wall. Light flooded the dark mine.

The entrance was narrow, but inside opened into a surprisingly wide space, almost three meters across. Within a dozen meters, a standing figure emerged from the gloom.

​​Zombie Miner: Level 5​​

​​HP: 1000/1000​​

​​Physique: 35​​

​​Mana: 15​​

​​Skills:​​

​​1. Bloodsiphon: Attacks drain 20% of damage as HP.​​

​​2. Leap.​​

​​Weapon: Guard Longblade (Blacksteel): Damage +50, Durability (100/100)​​

"This is the prey."

Wang Shikong smiled, locking eyes on the zombie miner gripping a blacksteel longblade.

His gaze lingered on the weapon. For early-stage physical cultivators, it was exceptional.

Level-ups typically increased damage output by about 20 points. This +50 damage was equivalent to nearly three levels.

In his past life, it took over half a month after the connection between Endless Continent and Earth for a lucky soul to find this place. Clearing all the zombie miners yielded piles of blacksteel weapons.

Just one sold for nearly 10,000 Essence Coins – instant wealth. Back then, Earth's wealthy paid exorbitant exchange rates, sometimes up to 100:1 for Essence Coins. That meant one weapon could fetch a million credits.

Here, you could loot weapons and equipment simply by slaying monsters holding them. Even magic-twisted chickens could have their claws severed for decoration. The one rule: don't eat the corrupted creatures, or Earth's economy would collapse.

Furthermore, slain monsters whose gear was taken wouldn't respawn with it if corrupted again later. Only the first kill offered the best loot.

"These zombies wielding blacksteel blades are strong. One hit could finish me. Can't let him get close."

Wang Shikong assessed the cramped tunnel. A mage's effective range was tied to their spirit power; accuracy remained optimal within roughly (Spirit Power in meters). Superior spell control allowed for precise long-distance sniping, but mastery was key.

He stopped twenty meters from the dormant zombie, careful not to wake it. Fanning the stuffy air lightly...

Humm...

Spells coalesced before him: Wu Earth, Geng Metal, Gui Water, Yimu Wood, Lihuo Fire.

Five Elements Fusion Art.

Wind fanned the flames. A fireball, two and a half meters wide, filled the tunnel, hurtling towards the miner.

Roused, the zombie moved sluggishly. Dodging was impossible.

WHAM!

​​"-800!"​​

A devastating damage number flared.

"Eight hundred? Not bad," Wang Shikong approved. At Level 1, this damage was downright monstrous.

Grrr! The wounded zombie roared, propelled itself forward with Leap.

Calmly, Wang Shikong sent opposing orbs of Light and Dark colliding mid-air in front of him. Their violent fusion detonated, consuming the undead miner.

Effortless. Graceful.

His fan deflected the dust cloud. Gliding forward, he reached the corpse.

"Well? A spell tome?" Spotting a black-bound book, his eyes brightened. Tendrils of Yimu Wood snaked out, retrieving both the book and the zombie's longblade.

[Summon Skeleton]

​​Summon Skeleton:​​ Consumes Spirit Power to conjure a Skeleton Soldier possessing the caster's level.

Satisfied, Wang Shikong recalled learning this very tome in his past life. He hadn't used it much, only achieving Greater Mastery.

[Learning Spell Template: Summon Skeleton.]

"Ubiquitous dark elements, I..."

Wang Shikong chanted, weaving ambient darkness into form. Four seconds later, a skeleton, 1.6 meters tall and wielding a rusty longblade, stood before him.

[Mastery of Summon Skeleton has reached the Perfected level!]

"Perfected?" The System prompt surprised him. Was it due to his exceptional elemental affinity?

​​Skeleton: Level 1​​

​​HP: 250/250​​

​​Physique: 12​​

​​Mana: 1​​

The stats were pathetic, costing him 0.5 Spirit Power. Yet, this skill was incredibly valuable early on – rare and expensive.

"Summon Skeleton!"

A second skeleton materialized. At his command, one took each side of the wheelchair.

Lifting the chair effortlessly, they bore him forward.

Wang Shikong nodded. Much smoother, better view.