Chapter 5: One Small Step
"I want to scout the woods."
Liu Xiang approached Li Tianjia and whispered.
Li Tianjia initially looked surprised. He searched Liu Xiang's eyes for confirmation of his seriousness—and soon found his answer.
"Should we go together?"
"No. I'll be safer alone."
This wasn't bravado. The team needed their combat unit's protection, and this mission was more about reconnaissance.
"Go. We'll have to enter eventually—you're just paving the way. But be careful. Retreat at any sign of danger."
Li Tianjia said no more. He understood their survival crisis. The woods would eventually become their only path forward.
Liu Xiang gave a slight nod and turned toward the forest.
Li Tianjia watched his figure until it disappeared among the trees.
———
As shadows merged with his silhouette, Liu Xiang stepped into the woods.
Light grew fragmented. The crowd's noise faded behind him.
Moving cautiously along a chosen path, he encountered giant trees too wide for dozens to embrace, spear-like shrubs jutting from the earth, and countless strange flowers and vines.
Liu Xiang progressed unhurriedly, pausing to examine certain plants.
Before leaving, he'd consulted Jiang Lina—a girl in their group with low-level plant knowledge—about edible and toxic flora.
Now, he verified each discovery. He'd learned that when you physically encounter a creature whose basic information you've memorized, the system automatically displays its complete data.
This combination—knowledge + physical observation = system confirmation—felt like the ultimate equation: theory + practice = truth. Far more reliable than book learning alone.
Having a system was convenient. Though everyone possessed one, its benefits were undeniable.
Liu Xiang stepped over a massive root—one meter thick—that protruded from the ground. He couldn't even locate its parent tree. How enormous must it be?
Kneeling, he examined where root met soil. In a damp, dark crevice grew small grasses bearing five white, round fruits at their tips.
"Finally found you—shade grass."
[Category: Organic Plant]
[Source: Origin]
[Name: Shade Grass]
[Characteristics: Grows in dark, damp soil—near roots, rock crevices, or light-deprived areas. Its fruits, called "grove berries," are round, white, and semi-transparent. When ground into powder, they rapidly stop bleeding.]
Liu Xiang plucked all five berries. Cupping them in his palms, he crushed them vigorously. When he reopened his hands, only white powder remained.
He plucked a large leaf, folded it into a triangular pouch, poured in the powder, and sealed it—creating a makeshift medicinal pack.
Not bad.
But why did this feel like finding money? That giddy thrill of discovering rare loot in games—was he losing it?
After a brief moment of self-amusement, he tucked the leaf pouch into his quiver and pressed deeper.
———
A lizard-like reptile nimbly scaled a branch, its body rhythmically pulsing blue and white light. Hearing Liu Xiang's approach, the palm-sized creature spread wing-like flaps on its back and fluttered away.
Moments later, Liu Xiang emerged from the shrubs.
Forest animals were highly alert. So far, he'd seen no large creatures—just insects and small fauna matching his basic animal knowledge. Perhaps the woods' edge, combined with the distant human clamor, had driven bigger game deeper.
He notched an arrow and carved a mark into a tree trunk—his trailblazing method.
After roughly two hours of exploration, he'd found nearly all plants Jiang Lina had highlighted. Those unidentified by his system were either harmless or worthless. As for aggressive flora like "wood tears," he'd encountered none—likely because such species were rare.
Makes sense, he thought. What plant would evolve to attack animals it couldn't kill or escape from? Such traits would doom a species to extinction.
His waist now sported a makeshift "belt"—sturdy bark strips tied together, supporting two palm-sized baskets woven from vines. Crude but functional.
The system had brought them here stark naked—not even a trash bag provided. Along the way, he'd gathered more grove berries and other useful plants:
Bay leaves (reduced bruising)
Ringtail flowers (countered certain toxins)
Nodding incense (emitted odors that repelled animals)
All needed storage. Drawing on vague memories and trial-and-error, he'd engineered this primitive carrying solution.
At his pace, he estimated traveling only five kilometers. Glancing back, Liu Xiang confirmed his path.
He lacked superhuman stamina or survival expertise. His progress had been slow—dominated by plant and animal study.
Ahead, the terrain began sloping upward.
Was he finally approaching mountains?
The moment his foot touched the incline, a system message flashed:
[Discovered Primary Hazard Zone: Outer Perimeter of Falling Star's Eye]
[Primary Exploration Reward: +1 Free Physique Attribute Point]
[Galactic Order Notification: First Intelligent Lifeform to Enter This Region]
[Galactic Order Origin Merit Points +10]
[Galactic Order Merit Points +1000]
[Permission Unlocked: Galactic Order Merit Exchange]
[Alert: Spiritual Core Unchanged—Permission Currently Inaccessible]
Liu Xiang: "..."
He stared dumbly at his feet, remembering Armstrong's first words on the moon: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind..."
The implications here were massive.
First, had he just left the "newbie zone"? So this area ahead was truly dangerous? That made sense - they needed to protect the weak newcomers who were all starting with baseline "5" stats.
Second, exploring unknown areas granted rewards, and directly gave attribute points. This meant you could strengthen your Origin body through simple point allocation. Which tracked - if the Origin could replicate entire bodies, modifying them would be trivial.
Third, he was apparently the first Galactic Order lifeform to enter this area. But considering they'd transported beings from millions of planets, numbering in at least trillions...how was he the pioneer? Unless the Galactic Order had deliberately scattered arrivals extremely far apart.
Finally, there was the merit point system. The Origin clearly held higher authority than the Galactic Order, since Galactic Order needed to obtain the Origin's merits. Yet they'd rewarded him with 100 times their own merit points for being first. The political implications here were...concerning.
Just what was the Origin, really?
As for the Galactic Order merit exchange being currently inaccessible due to his "unchanged spiritual core"? Liu Xiang decided not to dwell on it. No one was going to explain it to him anyway.
This realization made him want to complain.
Other transmigration protagonists got systems that coddled them like parents, bending over backwards to explain everything and hand out cheat abilities.
His system? More like an automated text alert service from customer support.
Well, at least that [Free Attribute Points: 1] in his status screen was something concrete he could actually use.
Liu Xiang thought about which attribute to put add the Free Attribute Point.
He barely hesitated for 2 seconds before deciding.
With a thought, Liu Xiang's agility attribute changed from 5 to 6.
Simultaneously, he felt subtle changes in his body—his legs, shoulders, and wrists gained slightly more strength.
Just as he'd guessed, agility directly affected ranged attacks and speed.
This helped him deduce the other attributes:
Resilience represented stamina—essentially HP and defense
Strength governed raw power—impacting melee attacks and carrying capacity
Burst was explosive force—affecting both ranged and melee combat
Finally graduating from "weakling" status, Liu Xiang didn't immediately advance deeper into Falling Star's Eye. He knew real danger was just beginning.
His earlier exploration had been like a kindergarten child wandering from classroom to hallway. Now, that child stood at the school gates.
Without preparation, he'd be courting disaster.
Liu Xiang turned sideways, gripping his bow with his left hand while his right drew an arrow from the quiver. Nocking, drawing, and releasing flowed into one seamless motion.
Perfect "Three-Level, Five-Contact" stance—the "Ninety-Nine Returns to One" form.
He aimed at a tree trunk thirty meters away.
Adjusted his breathing. Focused.
Eyes sharpened.
Release!
Whoosh!
The arrow shrieked through the air—
Thunk!
Liu Xiang's lips twitched.
A miss. And not even close.
Since the bow was system-provided, he needed time to adjust. Moreover, while the Origin replicated his Earthly body, muscle memory hadn't carried over.
Undeterred, he began again. What wasn't innate could be trained. In this distraction-free environment, he'd reclaim his former archery skills.
"Whoosh—thunk!"
"Whoosh—thunk!"
"Whoosh—thunk!"
Draw. Release. Draw. Release.
When his quiver emptied, he collected arrows from the tree and ground to restart.
Shoot! Shoot! Keep shooting!
He refused to believe he couldn't achieve mastery—hadn't he been called City College's Hou Yi? [T/N: A Legendary archer who shot down nine suns]
Hungry? He chewed ground plums.
Thirsty? Drank dew.
When fingers stiffened and shoulders weakened, he applied bay leaves to soothe aching muscles.
Once, in an online game, he'd earned the title "Guardian of Spider Cave"—camping a spawn point for three straight days without sleep to power-level.
As he put it: "Only by enduring solitude and hardship can you make others worship you."
Nock. Draw. Aim. Release.
Nock. Draw. Aim. Release.
Muscle memory formed through repetition—how much depended on desired proficiency.
Applying his last bay leaf to trembling wrists, Liu Xiang surveyed the arrow-riddled tree.
After three hours of intense training, he'd only regained 30% of his former skill—just 3 out of 20 arrows hit dead center. Others landed closer but remained mediocre.
And this was on stationary targets. Moving ones?
Continue!
No more self-talk—just action.
The bay leaves worked quickly, easing soreness. Flexing refreshed wrists, he resumed.
Gathering arrows, he faced his target.
His draw smoothed. As he pulled back, he mentally shouted: "Scorching Sun Arrow!" [T/N: An ability from the game Honor of Kings]
Whoosh!
Thunk!
The "ultimate skill" struck true—
Liu Xiang froze.
Not because it magically became a game ability, but because the system displayed:
[Reached Archery Proficiency: Beginner]
[Reward: Choose 1 Primary Body Technique]
Primary Precision (Passive): Slightly increases ranged accuracy
Primary Sharpness (Passive): Slightly increases ranged damage
Primary Charging (Active): Consumes stamina to boost single ranged attack
The system delivered! Persistence paid off.
Instant choice: Primary Precision. Accuracy trumped damage—missing made power irrelevant.
[Acquired: Primary Precision]
[First Body Technique Obtained]
[Primary Growth Reward: +1 Free Physique Attribute Point]
Double rewards!
Notably, this was a "Growth Reward"—different from the earlier "Exploration Reward." The Origin's reward system had layers.
Without hesitation, he allocated the point to agility. As a former weakling, specializing in his sole combat skill was logical.
His updated stats:
[Category] Organic Intelligent Lifeform
[Origin] Galactic Order
[Species] Human
[Gender] Male
[Titles] None
[Height] 1.76m (Planetary Measurement)
[Physique]
Resilience: 5
Strength: 5
Agility: 7
Burst: 5
[Spirit Energy] None
[Faith] None
[Elemental Affinity] None
[Proficiencies] [Archery: Beginner]
[Body Techniques] [Primary Precision (Passive): Slightly increases ranged accuracy]
[Spirit Techniques] None
The agility boost and precision skill showed immediate results.
After several rounds:
Previously: 3/20 hits [T/N: 15% accuracy]
Now: 5/20 hits [T/N: 25% accuracy]
A 10% absolute increase—with other arrows landing closer. On Earth, such improvement would require extensive practice. And this was just a primary skill! What might intermediate or advanced tiers offer?
With this motivation, Liu Xiang decided to venture into Falling Star's Eye. For greater rewards and faster growth, he'd never remain a greenhouse flower.
Applying final bay leaves to sore wrists, he stepped into the hazardous zone.