The message struck Bai Yi like a bolt of lightning, clearing away the clouds of doubt in his heart.
Everything connected, and Bai Yi understood why so many organizations and guilds were recruiting people everywhere.
Once a message is out, it inevitably leaks. It's likely that a significant number of players already know this information.
As for why no one mentioned it on the forum, Bai Yi wasn't sure. Perhaps not everyone has the spirit of sharing.
Rather than speaking out for fame, many might prefer to quietly make a fortune!
Similarly, Bai Yi understood why Wang Ziyi and her logistics team were so eager to recruit him.
His combat strength could provide them with protection!
Now, Bai Yi had nothing to worry about.
"Bai Yi: Let me clarify, my regular attributes aren't high. My combat strength comes from my weapons and talent. Think it over; I don't want us to part on bad terms."
There was a brief silence on the other end, and Bai Yi guessed she was discussing it with others.
"Wang Ziyi: It's fine. No matter what, strength is strength! Welcome to the team, Brother Gou..."
"Bai Yi: Wait, I have one more condition. I want to wait until the method of meeting is confirmed before joining, because I'm not sure if this information is true, and I don't like taking advantage of others."
"Wang Ziyi: Alright, it's a deal!"
This time, the reply was instant, as if she wasn't worried about Bai Yi's concerns at all.
"It seems she's very confident about this information..."
Bai Yi didn't chat further. After obtaining the syringe and giving Wang Ziyi some jerky, he put down his journal and began his training for the day.
"Hope the rain stops tomorrow!"
With the sound of rain outside, Bai Yi fell asleep peacefully.
...
[Weather: Heavy Rain
Location: Mistland
Time: Morning
Temperature: 10-15°C]
"Boom—"
Bai Yi was awakened by the sound of thunder and looked out the window.
Lightning tore through the sky, and rain poured down, accompanied by the howling wind, creating a cacophony on the roof and ground.
Nearby, tree bark was washed into deep brown twisted patterns, moss soaked with water lay limp in trembling green patches, and the granules on it kept wriggling incessantly!
The torrential rain not only failed to dispel the eerie mist but made it even thicker.
It enveloped the world, making it impossible to tell the time.
Seeing this scene, Bai Yi knew he couldn't go out today.
He got up, did a simple warm-up, ate a little, and began training. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
This morning, his attributes increased again.
[Bai Yi: Healthy]
[Age: 30]
[Strength: 4.4]
[Spirit: 9.1]
[Constitution: 4.4]
[Sanity: 100/100]
[Talent: Steel-Spine Will]
Adequate meat intake and training led to significant attribute growth for Bai Yi.
But last night, Bai Yi noticed that he couldn't see well in the dark, and large patches of dead skin appeared on his feet.
At first, Bai Yi feared he had contracted some strange disease. To his relief, the all-knowing forum provided the answer:
Vitamin deficiency!
The post also mentioned that animal organs could replenish vitamins.
This left Bai Yi dumbfounded, as he had already thrown all the organs into the Wishing Well.
With no other choice, Bai Yi exchanged two units of meat for a bottle of multivitamin tablets.
Now, Bai Yi had 105 units of meat left, all dried into jerky.
It's the sixth day, with two days left until the Novice Protection Period ends. Today, he couldn't go out, and who knows when the rain would stop.
This sense of urgency plunged Bai Yi into deep anxiety. He could only keep training, striving to strengthen himself quickly, rather than relying solely on his ten-minute talent.
The day slipped away with the sound of rain.
Bai Yi trained three times today, using the remaining time to eat meat and quickly recover his body.
Hard work paid off, and Bai Yi's strength and constitution successfully increased to 4.7.
Only his spirit remained at 9.1. The previous life-and-death crisis only increased it by 0.1, and it hadn't moved since.
The forum's analysis of spirit was all speculative. The prevailing view was that spirit could be enhanced by overcoming near-death, pain, loneliness, and other negative states.
This was intriguing because Bai Yi had no negative psychological emotions; his psyche was positive, living each day to the fullest.
He couldn't deliberately experience near-death, as a wrong move could turn near-death into real death, leaving him with nowhere to cry.
Moreover, Bai Yi felt this view was incorrect. He had used his talent so many times, and the accompanying pain had become almost routine, yet his spirit hadn't grown.
Thinking of this, Bai Yi shook his head: "I'll just have to take it one step at a time."
The rain continued, but it seemed to have lessened. The journal showed it was already night.
Having encountered no danger today, Bai Yi decided to put his previous idea into practice: activate his talent for training!
"Steel-Spine Will, activate!"
[Steel-Spine Will activated, Sanity -90, current Sanity 10/100, 2.5x boost acquired]
[Warning! Your Sanity is below 30, you are in Madness, you are experiencing mild Cognitive Distortion]
[Strength: 10/4.7] [Constitution: 10/4.7]
There was no time to waste, and Bai Yi immediately began high-intensity training.
Since the forum's highest update was only up to 8.5 for strength and constitution, Bai Yi doubled this as a baseline, exhausting each exercise before moving to the next.
[Steel-Spine Will effect ended, Sanity restored 100/100]
Ten minutes passed in a flash, and as the talent ended, Bai Yi collapsed to the ground, the lactic acid buildup in his muscles making him feel both ecstatic and miserable.
He tried to stand but found he couldn't control even a single finger.
Simultaneously, Bai Yi felt the food he ate earlier being rapidly digested and absorbed, replenishing his body.
His brain also signaled an impending sleep mode.
"Good thing I ate enough beforehand!"
This was Bai Yi's last thought before falling asleep.
...
[Weather: Clear
Location: Mistland
Time: Morning
Temperature: 15-18°C]
Bai Yi sat up from the bed. (After being awakened by the cold on the ground last night, Bai Yi dragged his barely mobile body onto the bed)
His body still felt slightly sore, but it no longer affected his normal activities.
Bai Yi nodded in satisfaction and opened his panel:
[Strength: 5.5] [Constitution: 5.5]
The terrifying effect surprised even Bai Yi; he hadn't expected the training to be so effective.
"I'll have to do this more often when I get the chance!"
With this in mind, Bai Yi began his warm-up routine.
Today was the last day of the Novice Protection Period, and the rain had finally stopped.
Bai Yi needed to gather as many supplies as possible in the remaining time; no one knew what dangers awaited them after the protection period ended.
[Shepherd's Mercy (Damaged), Durability: 5/5]
[Tang Saber, Durability: 100/100]
[Worn Stone Axe, Durability: 10/50]
Standing at the shelter's entrance, Bai Yi spun the gun in his left hand, gripped the saber in his right, with the journal tucked at his left waist and the stone axe at his right.
Fully armed, Bai Yi stepped out of the shelter.
"Heading out, hunting!"