I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

As evening fell the following day, the golden rays of the setting sun bathed Panlong Mountain, outlining a golden silhouette for the rolling hills.

The tranquil scene that once graced the forest clearing where Luo Fei stood is no longer there.

With that stream as the axis, the area within a radius of nearly 100 meters was a complete mess.

Several large trees, requiring two people to encircle them, leaned in a twisted posture, their trunks covered with deep fist marks and finger holes, or broken in half, with fresh wood shavings exposed to the air.

The ground looked as if it had been repeatedly plowed by a group of frenzied giant wild boars, covered with potholes of all sizes and crisscrossing gullies.

The huge rock was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and in the center was a clearly visible, slightly concave mark resembling a back—the result of Luo Fei trying to "lightly lean" against it with his back.

A small section of the downstream stream was blocked by collapsed mud and gravel, forming a muddy puddle.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth, the aroma of plant sap, and the faint fragrance of broken wood.

Luo Fei stood in the center of the open space, looking at his "masterpiece" of more than a day, his lips twitching slightly.

His sportswear was so worn that its original color was no longer visible; it was covered in mud, grass sap, and wood chips, and had several cuts from tree branches. He looked no better than a homeless person.

His face was streaked with ash and sweat, and his hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat, making him look quite disheveled.

He seemed to be in good spirits, though his brow was furrowed, revealing obvious distress and helplessness.

"Phew..." He let out a long breath.

He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and then slowly clenched them.

There has been progress.

At least he can walk relatively steadily now, and as long as he concentrates, he can avoid making holes in the ground.

While still needing to be careful when eating and drinking, they no longer crush the biscuits into powder.

but.

If your attention wanders even slightly, or your emotions fluctuate, or you need to perform a slightly more complex action...

The power will be like a wild horse that has broken free of its reins, instantly spiraling out of control.

For example, just now, he wanted to try to "lightly" jump onto a three-meter-high rock.

With a light leap, he soared up a branch seven or eight meters high, snapping a branch as thick as an arm in half, and then fell flat on his back.

For example, he might want to practice jogging.

I remembered to control myself at the start, and after running for more than ten meters, my body seemed to get used to the rhythm, and my speed began to rise unconsciously.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already shot off like a human cannonball, leaving a trail of dust in the forest, until another unlucky tree used its trunk to bring him to an abrupt stop.

There was also stone-throwing practice.

His original intention was to practice controlling the force of his throw, so that the stone could accurately hit a specific branch on a tree thirty meters away.

As a result, the moment the stone was thrown, he knew he was in trouble. With a loud "whoosh—boom!!" the stone, like a cannonball, pierced through the entire trunk of the tree where the target branch was located. Its momentum continued, breaking several more branches behind it before disappearing into the depths of the distant forest, leaving only a mournful shriek in the air.

"This isn't controlling power at all..." Luo Fei muttered to himself, his voice ringing out clearly in the silent forest, "This is fucking demolishing the mountain!"

He finally understood that the "10,000 combat power" given by the system was like giving him a heavy sniper rifle with unlimited bullets and immense power.

But now, he doesn't even know where the basic safety is, how to cock the gun, or how to aim...

They will only instinctively pull the trigger, and when they do, they pull it with all their might.

The result is this disaster scene before our eyes.

"You have to be highly focused, like walking a tightrope." Luo Fei rubbed his temples, feeling mentally exhausted.

This kind of situation, where every second requires extreme micro-management, is more grueling than simple physical exertion.

He knew that this would require a lot of consistent practice, and possibly some specialized techniques or guidance.

It's definitely not something you can master by just randomly testing things in the mountains for a day or two.

"Gurgle..."

My stomach is protesting.

The biscuits and drinking water in my backpack have run out.

He glanced at the sky; the sun was setting rapidly, and the light in the woods was beginning to dim.

"I have to go back," Luo Fei decided.

He looked around at the forest he had ravaged and felt a strange sense of guilt.

"I'm sorry." He cupped his hands in a gesture of apology to the air.

Then I started packing my things.

The backpack was much lighter now, but he still carefully put it on and gently adjusted the straps—afraid of breaking them by pulling too hard.

He began to walk out of the mountain in the direction he had come from.

This time, he walked very slowly, each step landing softly.

I was afraid of stepping on something and breaking it.

Focus your attention highly on the ground, your footing, and the shift of your body's center of gravity.

This made his walking posture look a bit strange, even a little stiff, but the effect was remarkable.

Aside from leaving slightly deeper footprints than normal in the extremely soft soil, they did not cause any further damage.

As he walked through the dense bushes, he had to distract himself by parting the branches.

A tough vine, as thick as a thumb, blocked the way.

He habitually reached out to push it aside.

"Snapped!"

A crisp breaking sound.

The vine snapped with a sharp sound, the break clean, as if cut by a razor blade.

Luo Fei's hand froze in mid-air, and he sighed helplessly.

"If your attention gets distracted, something bad will happen."

He shook his head and continued forward, even more cautiously.

As the altitude decreases, the trees become sparser, and human traces begin to appear.

First, they found discarded mineral water bottles, and then a path that had been faintly trodden out by people.

Finally, as the sun completely sank behind the mountain ridge, leaving only a sky full of magnificent sunset clouds, he emerged from the dense forest and returned to the vicinity of the bumpy dirt road.

The cell phone signal is back.

Although it's only two squares, it's enough.

Luo Fei breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against a relatively clean large rock to rest.

The evening breeze, carrying the warmth of the foot of the mountain, blew away some of the sweat and dust from his body.

He first took out a change of clothes from his backpack, changed out of his clothes which were almost tattered, threw them into his backpack, and then carefully changed into his new clothes.

Then I took out my phone. The screen was a little dusty, but it was perfectly fine.

Simply open the ride-hailing app, locate your location, and select the address to return to your rental apartment.

Realizing that he hadn't actively triggered any choices yet, he spoke to the system in his mind.

"System, trigger today's options."

[A divine choice has been triggered today.]

Two options appear:

[Option A: Achieve Culinary Mastery (covering mainstream home-style dishes from the eight major Chinese cuisines; mastery of cooking techniques, knife skills, and seasoning reaches the level of a top-tier chef; knowledge is directly absorbed into the brain, but requires self-practice to become proficient)]

Option B: Obtain a wilderness survival expert knowledge package (containing practical knowledge such as wilderness navigation, water acquisition and purification, shelter construction, identification of edible plants and animals, and basic wound care, directly implanted into your brain)

Luo Fei was stunned.

Today's option... seems a bit more practical than yesterday's?

At least it's not just a choice between two modes of transportation anymore.

A master chef? Sounds great! You can save a lot of money cooking for yourself and eat better food.

Wilderness survival skills? I just came back from wreaking havoc in the wilderness and probably don't want to go back into the mountains anytime soon, but it's better to be prepared.

He thought about it carefully.

Being a skilled cook can improve one's quality of life.

Wilderness survival knowledge increases the ability to survive in extreme environments.

For him, who urgently needs to acquire power but will most likely still live in the city, being proficient in cooking seems to be closer to his daily needs.

Moreover, mastering top-notch culinary skills can be considered a skill that can make a living or at least save money.

"Let's choose A," Luo Fei decided. "At least we can cook instant noodles in a fancy way."

[Select Confirm.]

[Reward: "Master of Culinary Skills"]

hum-

A cool, massive flow of information instantly flooded his mind!

Countless pieces of knowledge, experience, and even feel and intuition about food preparation, knife skills, heat control, seasoning, and plating surged forth like a tide and quickly merged with his existing memories.

It was as if he had experienced thousands of times of tossing, chopping, and seasoning in an instant.

The key to steaming sea bass by controlling the heat, the secret to caramelizing sugar for braised pork, the perfect combination of eight flavors in Mapo Tofu—numbing, spicy, hot, fragrant, crispy, tender, fresh, and vibrant—and even something as simple as how to steam a perfect bowl of steamed eggs…

He knew every detail perfectly.

The information transmission process was very quick, lasting only a few seconds.

Luo Fei shook his head; there was a slight throbbing pain, but it quickly disappeared.

"This feeling... is so wonderful." Luo Fei blinked and suddenly felt that if he had a pot in his hand, he could immediately prepare a Manchu Han Imperial Feast for this mountain forest.

The knowledge is there, but the specific operation, especially the control of force, remains a challenge.

He certainly didn't want to split the cutting board and stove in two with a single stroke of his knife.

"Beep beep!"

Just then, his phone notification sound interrupted his thoughts.

A ride-hailing service has accepted my order. It's a white sedan, three kilometers away, and is expected to arrive in eight minutes.

As the sunset faded, a few early stars began to twinkle.

A mountain breeze blew by, carrying a chill.

A white ride-hailing car with its headlights on bumped along the end of the dirt road and soon stopped in front of him.

Luo Fei carefully opened the car door and sat in the back seat with the gentlest movements he could manage.

The driver confirmed the information.

The car started and drove away from the foot of the mountain.

Luo Fei leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and his mind wandered between images of trees collapsing and the cooking processes of various dishes.

The ride-hailing car took him into the flow of traffic returning to Jiangcheng and disappeared into the deepening night.

We stopped at the entrance of a familiar old residential area.

Luo Fei got out of the car carefully, closing the door almost silently.

The driver gave him a strange look, shook his head, and drove away.