Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 3 Cloud Mountain

Li Xia carefully examined the treasure chest that had appeared in her palm. It looked about the same size as a mobile phone box, and it fit perfectly in one hand.

The material appears to be some kind of wood, with clear grain, a smooth surface, and brass covering the four corners and edges.

The facade is carved with exquisite patterns, and upon closer inspection, they are actually silhouettes of oneself fighting with a demon.

It felt like a highlight moment?

However, compared to the statue, the most dazzling feature is the green gemstone inlaid on the lid.

The emerald, about the size of a pigeon egg, is teardrop-shaped, with tiny green specks of light emanating from it, making it quite magnificent.

[Instructions for opening the treasure chest for the first time]

Treasure chests differ in tier and quality.

[The quality is divided into several tiers, including Common (white), Good (green), Rare (blue), Epic (purple), and ???.]

[Quality is categorized into: Inferior, Common, Exquisite, and Luxurious]

The probability of encountering high-quality treasure chests varies depending on the tier; please explore the specific rules yourself.

[Treasure chests are the physical manifestations of loot collected in the Hall of Fame. Some enemies may carry storage items such as spatial artifacts or dimensional concealment devices.]

Apostles can obtain loot by opening treasure chests; any unclaimed loot will be recycled by the Hall.

【Special Notice!!!】

The treasure chest contains 'equipment,' special items imbued with resources by the temple, which can be taken out of the world.

Most items obtained from dungeons can only be used within that world and cannot be taken out of the world.

[For more information, please visit the hall.]

Li Xia turned off the notification, the meaning of which is easy to understand.

After you kill the enemy, the hall will dispose of the corpse for you, stripping away anything useful, including those who had spatial items.

Then they put it in a treasure chest for you to draw from; those who don't get it are taken away by the temple as payment for disposing of the corpse.

The reward for completing the mission might just be dropped by enemies that the apostle killed in the past.

Right!
The temple and its working-class apostles!

However, this also saves a lot of time, since many spatial devices are said to be impossible to open once the owner dies.

Then there are animal and plant monsters, who might not even know which part of their corpse is the most valuable, or how to deal with it.

Now that the hall handles it directly, what's wrong with charging a small handling fee?
After trying to calm himself down for a while, Li Xia weighed the treasure chest in his hand and decided to open it directly.

Even though my luck stat is 0, I won't open any boxes because I'm worried I won't get anything good.

That would be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Even if you only get the basic reward, it's better than having a backpack full of boxes that die!

open!

With a 'click,' the clasp on the treasure chest popped open automatically, and accompanied by black smoke, faint streaks of light jumped out of the chest. Then, the chest slowly faded away and disappeared.

Several objects encased in small spheres floated in front of Li Xia.

[You have obtained 10 Meiji Dragon Dollars, 2 Plum Rice Balls, 1 Pure Demon Blood, and 200 Hall Points]

how to say
Meiji dragon dollars are somewhat similar to silver dollars, except that one side features a flying dragon, hence the name "dragon dollar".

The other side is written with the words "Trade Silver" in Chinese characters. Perhaps because it is not too old, it looks quite new.

[Meiji Dragon Dollar: The current world currency of the trial, which can be taken out of the trial]

[Valuables & Currency]

[Comment: A type of silver coin; perhaps in some parts of the world, someone would be willing to pay a high price to collect it.]

Fiddled with the silver coin in his hand, Li Xia examined the two items behind it, but unexpectedly, there was a pleasant surprise inside.
【Plum Rice Ball (Hall of Fame Enhancement)】

[Quality: Green]

[Type: Recovery Items]

[Effect: Contains a small amount of life force; consuming it will slowly restore 20% of your health (can also heal some injuries)]

[Comment: Rice balls are only good for filling your stomach, but they can restore health in the trial world, which makes perfect sense, right?]

[Note: Percentage recovery items are variable values ​​and will fluctuate based on factors such as rank and physical condition.]

"Great stuff!" Li Xia couldn't help but smile as he looked at the two rice balls, which were about the size of baseballs. The Hall of Fame was different from the infinite flow novels he'd read before; it had the concept of an injury bar.

For example, if an arm is severed and not perfectly reattached or regenerated, even if the health bar is fully restored, there is still a situation where the limb is missing.

In other words, injuries that cannot be fully healed by self-healing alone will be displayed on the health bar as an injury bar.

These recovery items that can heal injuries are quite useful.

Li Xia checked his health points; the health bar, which had been slowly decreasing due to bleeding from his wounds, had stopped decreasing.

The 200% boost to self-healing power was quite effective. After hesitating for a moment, I picked up a rice ball and took small bites.

No one knows what we'll encounter next, so staying in top condition is the right thing to do.

The soft, sticky rice balls have a delicate aroma of rice and a slightly sweet taste.

Li Xia looked at the last prop.

Pure Demon Blood

[Bloodline-related items]

Rating: D

[Effect: After use, there is a 60% chance to transform into a 'ghost', greatly enhancing self-healing ability and physical fitness. However, the user will be afraid of sunlight and will be vulnerable to items containing 'yang attribute' and will be countered by certain skills.]

[Evaluation: A bloodline common in first-tier worlds, composed of a weak mixture of curse power, mysticism, and the dark side. It extends its lifespan by devouring its own kind to circumvent the limits of cell division. Without major flaws, it might reach C-rank.]

[Note: 'Blue Spider Lily' and ??? can be evolved into perfect demon blood through mystical manipulation, overcoming its flaws.]

Bloodline-related items?

Li Xia stored the ghost blood in his personal space; he had absolutely no intention of becoming a ghost.

Furthermore, the hall practically made it clear that this thing has limited potential and little room for development. And there's another item to overcome its flaws...???
I could try selling it after completing the trial; I wonder if any idiots would buy it.

These are the items you can get from the treasure chest, but there's also a map.

The map is rough, with a small red circle in the center, which should be my location.

There are several prominent landmarks around the map.

"Kuntoriyama Saagiri Mountain."

Look at the sun symbol below the three small characters of Yunqushan on the map and the water flow symbol below Shawushan.

Li Xia nodded thoughtfully; this should be the location of the five breathing styles.

Sun Breathing is at Mt. Kumoori, Water Breathing is at Mt. Sagiri, Fire Breathing and Rock Breathing are near the Butterfly Mansion, and Thunder Breathing is at Mt. Momo.

This map should be the basic reward for completing the mission.

Which breathing style should I choose?

Li Xia stared at the map, lost in thought.

In terms of distance, the closest is Mount Kumotori, where the Breath of the Sun is located. However, since there is no scale marked on the map, it is unclear exactly how far away it is.

Next is Mount Sagiri, where you breathe water, and the furthest is Mount Momoyama.

Although the task was not explicitly stated, there must be prerequisites for learning these breathing techniques.

Perhaps distance also represents a prerequisite?

Li Xia hesitated for a while, then finally poked a spot on the map hard with her finger, making up her mind.

Mount Kumotake!
Breath of the Sun!

The reason for choosing Sun Breathing is simple: it is the strongest and the original breathing technique.

And most importantly, Kumotakeyama is the closest!
Li Xia checked his health bar; after eating the plum rice ball, his health had recovered to over 50%.

Although my body still aches slightly, like the second day after over-exercising, it no longer affects my mobility.

Pick up the axe and tuck it into your waistband; this thing is much more useful for beginners than any sword or knife.

Standing at the doorway, the sky was already faintly turning white, and soon the dawn would dispel the darkness.

Li Xia strained his eyes to look into the distance, and it seemed that wisps of smoke were already rising from the farmhouses a few hundred meters away. Farmers always get up early like this, no matter which country they are in.

Let's go! To Mount Kumotake!

(End of this chapter)