That night was the longest and most agonizing night Ye Chen had ever experienced.
Outside the shack, the "liveliness" of the Black Marsh unfolded as scheduled. Various indescribable roars, gnawing sounds, death cries, and the whimpers of miasma flowing, like the whispers of vengeful souls, intertwined into a chilling symphony of death.
The thick, fetid sweet smell almost solidified, constantly seeping in through the cracks. Ye Chen tightly gripped the Ascension Token, pressing it against his chest. The cold touch seemed to bring a strange sense of peace. He dared not fall asleep, maintaining a static posture from the Primary Basic Body Tempering Art, similar to "turtle breathing," to minimize the leakage of his vitality. Simultaneously, he visualized and deduced those basic movements repeatedly in his mind.
On the system panel, the proficiency of the Primary Basic Body Tempering Art, which was incomplete, continued to increase at an extremely slow but steady pace. Each minuscule increase, the warmth that fed back into his body, was like a spark of star fire in the darkness, supporting his will.
He could clearly feel the wound on his cheek, grazed by the whip, itching and closing; the burning pain within his body had also lessened considerably. The effect of "Heaven Rewards Diligence" was even more potent than he had anticipated.
When the first ray of gray-white daylight, carrying a damp and cold aura, struggled to penetrate the thick fog and the gaps in the shack, the various terrifying sounds outside gradually subsided.
Ye Chen exhaled a long breath of foul, fishy air and slowly moved his stiff body. Although still weak, he was much better off than his near-death state yesterday.
"I survived... the first night."
He struggled to stand up, walked to the shack's entrance, and cautiously peered outside.
What greeted his eyes was a world of deathly silence and desolation. Endless gray-black mud swamps stretched out, twisted dead trees resembling struggling specters, and dark green moss and unknown fungi covered everything. The air was filled with an everlasting stench of decay, and his vision was limited to a few dozen meters by the dense fog.
This was the Black Marsh, a forbidden zone for life.
In the distance, simple shacks, similar to his own, were scattered like tombs. Occasionally, he could see hunched figures with numb eyes, moving like walking corpses, carrying crude mining picks, trudging step by muddy step in a certain direction—that must be where the mine was.
The pressure of survival instantly overwhelmed the relief of having survived.
Zhao Hu's "reminder" from yesterday echoed in his ears: without ore, there was no food, and perhaps not even the right to live.
Ye Chen touched his rumbling stomach, a fierce hunger assailing him. The original owner had not had anything to eat or drink for a day before being thrown in here.
He had to take action.
Ye Chen did not immediately follow the crowd to the mine. In his current condition, engaging in strenuous mining labor would be tantamount to suicide. He needed to recover his strength and find food first.
His gaze fell upon the strangely shaped fungi and mosses around the shack. In his memory, most plants in the Black Marsh were highly poisonous, but not all of them.
"Identification... this can also be considered a 'skill,' right?" Ye Chen's heart stirred, and he squatted down, carefully observing a cluster of dull-colored, unremarkable gray small mushrooms.
He recalled the scattered fragments of the original owner's memories about surviving in the swamp, combined with some biological common sense from his previous life, carefully distinguishing the shape of its cap, the density of its gills, and the color and smell of its sap when broken.
Performed a detailed plant observation and identification, experience +1.
Skill: Herb Identification, incomplete, proficiency +1.
Current proficiency: 1/100, incomplete.
As expected!
Ye Chen's spirits lifted. The system's scope extended far beyond combat and cultivation; it encompassed all areas where one could "work hard"!
He immediately began to dedicate himself to this life-or-death "work" with greater enthusiasm and focus. He no longer limited himself to memories but began to use the system for verification.
He found a brightly colored red mushroom, which was obviously poisonous, and meticulously recorded all its characteristics.
Observed 'Crimson Blood Mushroom', highly toxic, Herb Identification proficiency +3.
He then found a "Lichen Grass," which he knew from memory to be non-toxic and edible, and also observed it meticulously.
Observed 'Lichen Grass', edible, Herb Identification proficiency +2.
Through this method of "verifying the unknown with the known," Ye Chen's mastery of the Herb Identification skill rapidly improved. At the same time, he also successfully found a few small clusters of edible Lichen Grass and a tuber called "Gray Mud Root" near the shack.
He couldn't bother to wash it and stuffed the Lichen Grass into his mouth. A strong earthy and astringent taste spread, but he still chewed it carefully, savoring the faint energy from the food.
Consumed edible plant, vitality slightly recovered.
Just as he was about to dig for more Gray Mud Root, his gaze inadvertently swept over the dark corner of the shack, where a white mushroom, no bigger than a fingernail, was growing pressed against a piece of rotten wood.
This mushroom was too inconspicuous; if his observation hadn't been so focused at that moment, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
He habitually observed it.
Observed unknown fungus, special structure, containing weak active spiritual power, Herb Identification proficiency +5.
"Unknown fungus? Containing spiritual power?" Ye Chen's heart stirred.
In this world, anything related to "spiritual power" was never ordinary. He carefully dug out the small mushroom along with a small piece of rotten wood and held it in his hand.
He could feel the Ascension Token, which had always been cold in his embrace, grow slightly warm.
"Is it because of this?" Ye Chen mused. He attempted to mobilize the faint, almost non-existent Qi and Blood power he had just recovered from cultivating the Primary Basic Body Tempering Art, and slowly injected it into the small mushroom.
A miracle happened!
The white mushroom plumped up and became lustrous at a speed visible to the naked eye. Its color changed from pale white to a warm milky white, and its surface even emitted a faint glow! At the same time, a fresh, vital aura emanated from it, dispelling some of the surrounding taint.
Successfully catalyzed 'Miasma Mushroom' (immature) with own Qi and Blood, causing mutation, obtained 'Spirit-Infused Mushroom' (Primary).
Herb Identification proficiency +10! Skill level increased: Novice 15/100.
Creatively applied ability, comprehension slightly increased.
"Spirit-Infused Mushroom..." Ye Chen looked at the obviously extraordinary small mushroom in his hand, his heart pounding. He realized that he seemed to have discovered another marvelous use of the system combined with the Ascension Token—transformation and catalysis!
Although the spiritual power contained in this Spirit-Infused Mushroom was weak, for him, who was at the end of his rope, it was no less than an immortal elixir!
Just as Ye Chen was about to consume the Spirit-Infused Mushroom to recover his energy, heavy footsteps approached from a distance.
He immediately and vigilantly hid the Spirit-Infused Mushroom in his embrace, gripped the sharp stone he used as a weapon, and looked at the approaching person.
It wasn't the overseer Zhao Hu, but an exceptionally tall young man. This young man appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, but he was a full head taller than Ye Chen, with arms thicker than Ye Chen's thighs. He wore tattered hemp clothes that seemed on the verge of bursting, and his face was honest, but his eyes held an unextinguished simplicity and concern.
He was also holding half of a dark, coarse grain biscuit-like object.
"Are... are you alright?" The young man walked to the shack, looking at Ye Chen, who had injuries on his face and was in a sorry state. He spoke in a deep voice, filled with concern, "I saw Zhao Hu bothering you yesterday."
Ye Chen searched the original owner's memories and quickly found a match—Wang Tiechui. Like him, Wang Tiechui was an "Abandoned Child" sent in to take the blame by some small family. It was said that he was disliked by his main family because of his enormous appetite. He had arrived half a month earlier than Ye Chen and, relying on his brute strength, could barely complete the mining tasks to survive.
In the original owner's vague memories, this Wang Tiechui was one of the few who hadn't bullied him and had even occasionally secretly shared some food with him.
"I'm fine, thank you." Ye Chen slightly relaxed his guard but did not completely let down his defenses. In this hellhole, kindness often came with a higher price.
Wang Tiechui scratched his head and handed over the half-biscuit in his hand. "Here, eat something. If you don't have strength, you can't mine ore, and you'll get beaten to death."
The biscuit was dark and hard, and still had mud on it, but at this moment, it seemed incredibly precious.
Ye Chen looked at the young man's clear, concerned eyes, and a string in his heart was touched. He took the biscuit and said softly, "Thank you."
"Heh heh, it's nothing." Wang Tiechui smiled honestly. "I'm strong, I can mine ore. You... you have delicate skin and tender flesh, you need to be careful. How about... you come with me to the mine later? I'll teach you how to dig."
Ye Chen looked at this simple young man and quickly weighed his options. Acting alone offered freedom, but the risk factor was too high. With Wang Tiechui, an "experienced hand," leading him, he could at least understand the mine situation faster and avoid some obvious risks.
"Okay, I'll trouble you then." Ye Chen nodded, keeping the kindness in his heart. He broke off a small piece of the coarse grain biscuit and handed the rest back to Wang Tiechui. "This is enough, you need energy too."
Wang Tiechui was stunned for a moment, seemingly surprised that Ye Chen would return it. He quickly waved his hands, "No, no, I've eaten enough!"
"Take it." Ye Chen's tone was firm, and he pushed the biscuit back into his hand. "In the future, there may be many times I need your help."
Wang Tiechui looked at Ye Chen's eyes, which, unlike the numbness of other abandoned children, instead shone with calmness and wisdom. He nodded as if he understood but didn't quite, and carefully put the biscuit away.
"Then... shall we go? The miasma has dispersed, it's time to work."
Ye Chen cast one last glance at his temporary "home" and quietly consumed the Spirit-Infused Mushroom in his embrace.
A gentle yet pure stream of warmth instantly spread, flowing into his limbs and bones. It not only greatly alleviated his hunger but also seemed to heal nearly half of his injuries! The effect far surpassed that of the Lichen Grass and the coarse grain biscuit.
Consumed 'Spirit-Infused Mushroom' (Primary), vitality moderately recovered, injuries slightly repaired, Primary Basic Body Tempering Art cultivation speed temporarily increased by 10%, lasting for one hour.
Feeling the strength surge back into his body, Ye Chen took a deep breath of the air filled with the scent of humus and said to Wang Tiechui:
"Let's go."
Two young men, one tall and simple-minded, the other seemingly weak but with an iron will, walked one after the other, treading through the viscous mud of the Black Marsh, towards the deep mine that had devoured countless lives.
Ye Chen knew that this was just his first step in this cruel world. The road ahead was still fraught with thorns, but with the System and the Ascension Token, with the belief in "Heaven Rewards Diligence," and... perhaps a trustworthy companion.
He was no longer lost.