Blackwood Forest surrounded Blackwood City from all sides, making it the sole reason for its name. It was filled with Magical Beasts powerful enough to demolish the whole city in a matter of hours.
But they mostly lived in the depths of the forest, and the periphery was still relatively safe so Yun Feng had decided to use it as his training ground.
Of course, he chose an area rarely visited by others, as he wanted a silent environment to practice.
As he stood amidst the trees with black bark, he went to sit at the base of one. Resting his back against the trunk, he closed his eyes, as if taking a break from all the work.
In reality, he was checking out his system.
'System, you can speak, right?' he asked.
[Yes, I can communicate to some extent as I am your assistant.]
'Where do you come from? Like, what's the origin of this system?'
[I have no clues, Host.]
Yun Feng wasn't disappointed, as he had already expected that. Even though he was afraid of a system suddenly appearing, he decided to use it.
He was already at the bottom anyway.
Touching the locket hanging around his neck, Yun Feng made his decision even firmer. The locket had been given to him by his late mother before she died in the wilds when he was just a kid.
He didn't even get to see her body. And when he asked his father about her, the man never told him anything. To this day, Yun Feng had no clue about his mysterious mother or her background.
As someone who had read hundreds of Xianxia novels, how could he not recognize this trope?
He was sure his mother had belonged to some powerful clan and had her reasons for coming here to live with his father. The fact that nobody ever saw her body made his beliefs even stronger — he was certain she was still alive.
Maybe she had gone back to her clan, or someone had come to take her back. Things like that happened all the time, after all.
Whatever the reason, he wanted to find out.
She was the only person who had truly loved Yun Feng in this life, so he wanted to find her. That was his goal but his strength didn't support it.
Now, though, things were different. He had a system that could make him stronger, and he was determined to use it to its fullest and find her.
The other reason he accepted the system was simple — he knew what life at the bottom felt like. After suffering for more than a decade, he didn't want it anymore. He'd use the system, even if it was suspicious.
He took a deep breath and muttered, "Send all the information about it."
[Understood!]
In the next second, a bone-shattering pain assaulted his head, making him groan as knowledge he had never known forced its way into his mind.
'Aghh! It wouldn't be this painful if it was just physical...'
After a few seconds, the pain faded, and he sat still, calming his pounding heart.
Then, he muttered, "Status."
---
> [Limitless System]
Name: Yun Feng
Cultivation: Body Refining Realm – 6th Stage (99%)
Talent: Null [+]
Affinity: Null
Main EXP: 1
(Skills)
– Mountain Shaking Fist, Level 2 (68%)
– Longevity Posture, Level 2 (34%)
– Twin Serpent Sprint, Level 1 (81%)
– Basic Knife Skill, Level 2 (11%)
---
Looking through the status, he quickly recalled the information he had just received from the system.
The Limitless System was different from the ones he usually read about in novels. It didn't help him rush through cultivation realms. It didn't even give him EXP for killing others.
No, this system was all about grinding.
The first thing the system gave him was boundless potential — meaning, as long as he kept grinding, nothing could stop his progress.
He could grind EXP for skills and master them, just like in games. Repeated usage of a skill was the most basic way to gain EXP, and the results would be permanent, even bringing new understanding of the skill.
'This happened when I was deboning. It gave me the Basic Knife Skill and rewarded EXP for using it. The more EXP I gained, the better I got.'
He could even go beyond a skill's limit by evolving it once it reached max level. That would unlock an advanced version of the skill.
But evolution required Main EXP, which was the core currency of the system. He could use it to boost skill EXP, advance his cultivation base, or even increase his Talent.
And how did he gain Main EXP?
Grinding, of course.
Every time he leveled up a skill, he would gain Main EXP, which could be used for multiple purposes.
Yun Feng had worked hard in the restaurant and managed to level up the Basic Knife Skill once, which gave him 1 Main EXP.
'I can finally get rid of these damaged Spiritual Roots...'
Talent had always been the main obstacle in his growth. Now, Yun Feng was thrilled at the chance to finally fix that. To finally cultivate like everyone else.
He didn't hesitate. He tapped the plus sign beside his Null Talent and watched it change.
> [Talent: Grade 1]
Grade 1 was the lowest possible talent in the world, but it was still far better than nothing. It meant he had a proper Spiritual Root — even if it was low-tier.
Instantly, he felt warmth spread through his body as his Spiritual Root began to heal, opening the proper pathways he needed to advance in cultivation.
After a full minute of euphoria, Yun Feng opened his eyes with a smile on his face. He clenched his fists and muttered, "Finally…"
He looked back at the skill panel and noted his other three skills, aside from Basic Knife Skill. Since he couldn't practice that one until he returned to the restaurant, he decided to focus on the others.
Mountain Shaking Fist was an offensive punching technique.
Twin Serpent Sprint was a footwork skill.
Longevity Posture was a body tempering technique that used one's Blood Essence.
Everything had Essence and humans were no exception. The Body Refining Realm mainly involved using one's own Blood Essence to temper the body.
'All three of these were given to everyone in the clan. I never got anything else…'
As a failure, he hadn't deserved anything higher.
Yun Feng shook his head and stood up, thinking about his goals for the near future.
'In four months, there will be an entrance exam for the Celestial Sword Pavilion. I need to reach at least the early stages of the Awakening Realm. It'll be hard… but not impossible.'
It wasn't about chasing after Yue Liangxue... that wasn't why he was choosing the Celestial Sword Pavilion. He was going because it was the best teaching institute in the Jade Province. He had no better option.
If he wanted to become the best, he had to use everything available to him. And to use the system's full potential, he needed to grind in a smarter way.
The Celestial Sword Pavilion could offer him both cultivation resources and a variety of skills. It was the best place to grow stronger.
'Not to mention, it's also a subsidiary of the Celestial Sword Sect — the base of the hierarchy. I can use it if things go well.'
He smiled and looked at the trees around him. For the first time in a long while, he was excited to train.
"Time to grind!"