After saying goodbye to the group and selling the enormous fish, Long Tian made his way calmly to the tavern where he had been staying for the past week. He climbed the wooden stairs to his room, locked the door behind him, and sat on the bed with a thoughtful expression.
With great care, he took out the demonic core he had hidden. As soon as he held it between his fingers, a system window appeared before his eyes:
[Mission Completed: Capture of the Demon Sawfish]
Reward: 2 Infernal Points, 5 Spiritual Points
The core was instantly absorbed by the system, disappearing in a faint glow. Long Tian felt a slight tremor run through his body, as if a strange energy was coursing inside him.
"So these kinds of cores can also feed the system," he muttered to himself, intrigued.
He immediately checked his stats and saw that his Infernal Points now totaled 4, including those he had earned earlier. His Spiritual Points had also increased, but for now, he decided to save them until he had a better idea of how to spend them.
After receiving the reward, Long Tian couldn't help but open the system's shop, curious about what he could purchase with his infernal points. Browsing through the options, he discovered that ki training manuals started at 100 infernal points a price far beyond his reach, as he only had four. His expectations dropped instantly.
However, further down he found something more accessible: basic martial arts manuals, available from just 10 infernal points. According to their descriptions, these manuals not only taught hand-to-hand combat techniques, but also helped strengthen the body, increase endurance, and pave the way toward physical cultivation. They weren't as powerful as the ki manuals, but they were a promising start.
"With only four points, I'm still far off," he muttered, though he couldn't hide a spark of excitement. So far, he had earned his points in the following way: one for killing the bandit, another from the demon sawfish, and two more for completing the system's mission.
Driven by curiosity, he accessed the system's status interface for the first time since acquiring this power. A luminous, transparent window appeared before his eyes:
---
[Status – Long Tian]
Name: Long Tian
Physical Age: 16 years
Soul Age: 25 years
Physical Level: 1
Spiritual Root: Fire Element
Available Spiritual Points: 17
Infernal Points: 4
---
A brief explanation informed him that spiritual points could be absorbed through a cultivation method or spent on certain special techniques whether defensive, offensive, or supportive. At the moment, he lacked a cultivation manual, so the points remained dormant.
What caught his attention the most was the mention of his fire spiritual root. According to the system, this meant his soul had a natural affinity with the fire element, which would influence his future growth by enhancing elemental attacks of that type and making it easier to learn fire-based techniques.
Long Tian reflected on his next steps, a sense of determination filling him as he looked at his status. Although his infernal points were few, his goal was clear: he needed to gather at least 10 infernal points as quickly as possible to buy a martial arts manual. This would allow him to improve his physical strength and perhaps take the first step toward true power. He knew that, for now, martial arts were the best available option for him as they would provide a solid foundation to face whatever came his way.
However, he wasn't satisfied with just that. There was something else that concerned him: knowledge. While his connection to the system granted him certain advantages, Long Tian couldn't help but feel that he lacked essential information about this new world he found himself in. He had heard rumors about places of wisdom, perhaps libraries or academies of ancient knowledge, that could offer him answers. He needed to understand more about the history, the races, and most of all, the dangers lurking beyond the city. Perhaps there, he would find answers to questions he didn't even know he had.
"What if I find something that helps me fully harness my fire spiritual root?" he thought as he lay back on the bed in the tavern, staring at the ceiling. The idea of learning more about it was tempting, and just thinking about it motivated him even more.
Finally, after a while of contemplation, Long Tian made the decision to search for a library or any source of information in the city. He knew the city was large, full of people and places to explore, and there was likely something that could help him. If he found a library or a center of wisdom, he could learn more about the world and maybe even about other techniques he wasn't aware of. This would give him an advantage in the long run, even if he couldn't use that knowledge right away.
Then, Long Tian thought about his next objective, which would be crucial over the course of the next month. He couldn't just wait for opportunities to fall from the sky; he had to take action if he wanted to progress.
"My first goal is clear," he murmured to himself while watching the night fall outside the tavern window. "I must complete new missions. The more I do, the more Infernal Points I'll earn. And with those points, I'll be able to get that martial arts manual I need so badly."
But there was something else that was bothering him, something he felt he couldn't ignore. There were a lot of unanswered questions about this world, and so far, he hadn't found any way to get accurate information.
"My second goal," he thought with determination, "is to find a library or some source of knowledge in the city. I know nothing about this place, other than that it's in the Azure continent. What else is hidden here? What secrets do I need to know to survive? There's so much to learn."