After leaving the Awakening site at Third High School, Lin Zhiran did not return to his cheap, thirty-square-meter rental apartment.
Instead, he walked straight towards the edge of Jiangnan City—the Lower District.
In this world of high martial arts, the city was divided into Safe Zones and Buffer Zones. The city center, protected by high walls and the military, was prosperous like heaven. The Lower District, however, bordered the wilderness. Its sewer system was complex, and small mutated beasts often crawled in through the drainage pipes.
It was a slum, but also a hunting ground where countless low-level martial artists risked their lives for money.
Lin Zhiran tightened his grip on the standard-issue iron spear in his hand. The spear was two meters long, with a shaft made of cheap alloy steel tubing, and the tip was worn and blunt. In school, this kind of spear was free training equipment; no one cared even if it broke.
But in Lin Zhiran's hands right now, it was heavier than anything else.
"System, open status panel." He recited silently in his mind.
A semi-transparent screen, visible only to him, appeared:
[Name: Lin Zhiran] [Realm: None (Vitality: 0.7)] [Talent: SSS-Rank · Heart of the Spear God (Camouflaged)] [Strength: 7 (Limit for normal humans is 10)] [Agility: 8] [Constitution: 7] [Spirit: 15 (Far exceeds normal humans)] [Free Attribute Points: 0] [Current Mission: Achieve First Kill.]
Looking at these dismal stats, Lin Zhiran pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery.
A Vitality of 0.7 meant he was weaker than an average adult male. In this era where martial artists could exert thousands of pounds of force, he was like an ant that could be crushed effortlessly.
"But..."
Lin Zhiran's fingers gently stroked the rough spear shaft, his eyes gradually becoming sharp. "Even an ant can bite an elephant to death if it has fangs."
Half an hour later, he stood before a massive drainage outlet.
The air here reeked of a nauseating rot; it was dark and damp. The walls were covered in slimy moss, and rustling sounds of some creature crawling came from the depths.
This was his hunting ground.
Lin Zhiran took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs with the turbid air to suppress his body's instinctive fear. Without hesitation, he crouched and slipped into the darkness.
Splash. Splash.
The stagnant water covered the soles of his shoes, making faint sounds.
Lin Zhiran walked very slowly, taking every step with extreme caution. Although he possessed an SSS-Rank talent, his body was currently too fragile. If a mutated beast ambushed him and bit his throat, not even a god could save him.
Suddenly.
"Squeak—!"
From an abandoned pipe opening to his front-left, a black shadow darted out!
It was fast!
It was a Giant Mutated Rat, the size of a house cat. Its eyes glowed with scarlet light, and shreds of unidentified meat hung from its sharp incisors. It clearly saw the scrawny Lin Zhiran as a dinner delivered to its doorstep.
Giant Mutated Rat, a Level 0 Beast. Although it wasn't ranked, it was still lethal to ordinary people.
A foul wind hit his face.
If it were the old Lin Zhiran, he would have likely retreated in panic or even turned to run.
But now...
The moment the giant rat lunged, Lin Zhiran's pupils constricted sharply.
In his eyes, the originally swift movements of the giant rat seemed to have been pressed into slow motion. He could even see every bristling hair on the rat and the massive opening exposed in its lunging trajectory.
That was... the heart!
Without passing through conscious thought, Lin Zhiran's body reacted faster than his mind.
Raise hand. Thrust spear.
The movement was simple to the extreme, without any fancy flourishes.
But this simple thrust seemed to have been tempered a thousand times, its angle terrifyingly tricky!
Pu!
A dull sound of flesh being penetrated echoed.
The rusty spear tip pierced the giant rat's soft abdomen with incomparable precision, instantly puncturing its heart, exiting through its back, and nailing it firmly to the moss-covered wall!
Blood flowed down the spear shaft, staining Lin Zhiran's hand red.
The giant rat twitched a few times, the red light in its eyes fading rapidly until it stopped moving completely.
One hit, one kill!
Lin Zhiran was stunned. He looked at his hand, which remained as steady as a rock, and a wave of indescribable shock surged in his heart.
It was too easy.
It felt as if the spear had become an extension of his arm. He didn't need to think about how to apply force or calculate angles; with just a thought, the spear tip would appear exactly where it needed to be.
Was this the SSS-Rank Heart of the Spear God?
Spear mastery entering the realm of the divine, completely natural.
[Ding! Killed Level 0 Beast: Giant Mutated Rat.] [Obtained Free Attribute Points: 0.1] [Newbie Mission Completed! Rewards distributing...] [Reward Obtained: Free Attribute Points +5!]
The System's notification sound was like music from heaven.
"Five attribute points?" Lin Zhiran's breathing quickened slightly.
His current Strength and Agility were only 7 and 8. Adding these 5 points would be equivalent to increasing his physical fitness by half that of an adult!
"Put it all into Agility!"
Lin Zhiran didn't hesitate.
Although his spear technique was god-tier, his body was too slow. If he encountered a faster beast, even if his eyes saw it, it would be a dead end if his hands couldn't keep up. In the world of martial arts, speed defines the winner, especially for the spear.
[Points added successfully! Current Agility: 13!]
Boom!
A warm current instantly flooded his entire body. Lin Zhiran felt his originally heavy body become incredibly light. His limbs seemed filled with explosive power. The iron spear in his hand also felt weightless, no longer dragging him down.
"So this is what getting stronger feels like..." Lin Zhiran clenched his fist, ambition flashing in his eyes.
Killing a rat gave 0.1, so what about killing something stronger?
There were definitely more than just rats in this sewer.
He pulled out the iron spear, shook off the blood, and continued deeper. This time, his steps were much lighter. The fear in his eyes was gone, replaced by the calm and greed of a hunter.
For the next hour, Lin Zhiran transformed into the Grim Reaper of the sewers.
Three more Giant Mutated Rats fell under his spear. Without exception, all were instantly killed with one strike.
And as the slaughter continued, he found his understanding of the "Spear" deepening rapidly. At first, he needed to stare at the target, but now, often just hearing the wind was enough for him to instinctively thrust his spear.
[Attribute Points +0.3]
"Too slow." Lin Zhiran frowned.
Level 0 beasts gave too little experience, and these rats didn't have valuable materials to sell. He urgently needed money to buy medicine for his sister.
Just as he was about to explore deeper, a sudden change occurred!
"Roar..."
A low, hoarse growl came from the pipes above his head.
The hair on Lin Zhiran's body stood on end instantly!
This aura... was far stronger than a giant rat!
He looked up abruptly and saw a jet-black, leopard-shaped creature over a meter long crouching on the rusty pipe rack above. It had streamlined muscles, claws as sharp as daggers, and a pair of green eyes staring dead at Lin Zhiran, full of mockery and cruelty.
"Shadow Cat!"
Lin Zhiran's pupils shrank.
This was a Tier 1 Early Stage Beast!
Although only Tier 1, Shadow Cats were known for their speed and unpredictability. Even formal Prospective Warriors with a Vitality of 1.5 would have a headache facing one. Its claws could easily tear open sheet metal, and its speed was ghost-like.
Run!
This was Lin Zhiran's first thought. Although his Vitality had improved, he wasn't yet at the point where he could tank a Tier 1 beast.
But a second later, he rejected the idea.
He couldn't outrun it. Exposing his back to a Shadow Cat, known for speed, meant certain death.
He had to fight!
"Hiss—!"
The Shadow Cat seemed to lose patience. Letting out a piercing shriek, its hind legs kicked off the pipe, turning into a black blur as it lunged straight for Lin Zhiran's face!
Fast!
Too fast!
Even with 5 points added to Agility, Lin Zhiran felt his vision blur. The foul wind was already on his face; he could even smell the nauseating stench from the Shadow Cat's mouth.
If it were an ordinary person, their throat would have been shredded by now.
But in the moment of life and death, the SSS-Rank Talent [Heart of the Spear God] erupted again!
The originally blurry afterimage was instantly deconstructed in Lin Zhiran's eyes. Countless red lines wove together in his vision—the Shadow Cat's movement trajectory, muscle exertion points, and... the only flaw!
Its speed was indeed fast, but its abdominal defense was empty!
Because it underestimated the enemy, it chose a direct pounce, leaving its center wide open!
If I dodge, I die. If I block, the iron spear will be knocked away by its impact, and I still die.
The only way to live is... to counterattack!
Trading life for life!
The fear in Lin Zhiran's eyes completely vanished, replaced by absolute coldness and madness. Instead of retreating, he advanced, gritting his teeth firmly. Both hands gripped the tail of the spear shaft, pouring all his strength into this one strike.
Talent Skill Triggered—Absolute Armor Break!
"Die... for me!!!"
He roared internally.
Just as the Shadow Cat's claws were about to touch the skin of his neck, the iron spear in Lin Zhiran's hand struck like a venomous snake leaving its hole, carrying a shrill wind sound, striking later but arriving first!
Puchi!
That was the sound of a sharp blade cutting into butter.
There was no resistance.
Even though the Shadow Cat's hide was as tough as cowhide, enough to deflect ordinary bullets, in front of [Absolute Armor Break], it was as fragile as a piece of paper.
The rusty iron spear instantly pierced the Shadow Cat's soft abdomen. Immediately after, terrifying penetrating power erupted, and the spear tip pierced directly through its spine!
The immense inertia sent the Shadow Cat's body flying backward. Lin Zhiran was also knocked back several meters by the impact, slamming heavily against the wall.
Bang!
The Shadow Cat was nailed firmly in mid-air, its four limbs scratching frantically at the spear shaft, emitting miserable screams. But with its spine severed, it had lost the ability to move.
A few seconds later, the screams stopped.
Tier 1 Beast, Shadow Cat, dead!
Lin Zhiran gasped for air, his chest heaving violently. There was a thin line of blood on his neck, left by the Shadow Cat's claw. Just a few millimeters more, and it would have taken his life.
But he survived.
Not only did he survive, but he also defeated the strong as the weak, instantly killing a Tier 1 Beast above his level!
This was an opponent that even many martial artists with a Vitality of 2.0 wouldn't dare say they could beat steadily!
[Ding! Killed Tier 1 Early Stage Beast: Shadow Cat!] [Cross-tier kill, rewards doubled!] [Obtained Free Attribute Points: 5.0 x 2 = 10 Points!] [Obtained Potential Points: 1 (Can be used to upgrade Martial Arts Skills)]
10 points!
Lin Zhiran's eyes instantly turned red.
Killing one cat was worth killing a hundred rats!
This was true leveling! This was the violent aesthetic of the System!
Ignoring his wound, he immediately pulled up the panel, looking at the glittering "10 Free Attribute Points," a surge of heroism rising in his heart.
"5 points to Strength, 5 points to Agility!"
Balanced development was the true path. Although he pursued extreme speed, without enough strength to support it, he wouldn't be able to pull the spear out after stabbing it in.
[Points added successfully!]
[Current Stats:] [Strength: 12 (Has broken the limit of normal humans!)] [Agility: 18 (Approaching Prospective Warrior level!)]
Rumble!
The enhancement this time was ten times more violent than before. Lin Zhiran could clearly hear the sound of bones popping inside his body. It was muscle fibers tearing and rebuilding, bones becoming denser.
On his originally thin arms, streamlined muscles faintly bulged. These weren't stiff bodybuilder muscles, but muscles full of explosive power, like a cheetah's.
He casually pulled out the iron spear nailed to the wall.
The iron spear, which originally felt like it had some weight, now felt as light as a straw.
Lin Zhiran casually shook the spear, creating a flower pattern.
Hum!
The air actually emitted a low vibrating sound.
"This is power..." Lin Zhiran clenched his fist, feeling the surging Vitality in his body. Just one trip into the sewer, less than an hour, and his strength had more than doubled!
At this speed, the College Entrance Exam?
Even that so-called A-Rank genius Zhao Tai would be nothing but a joke in front of him!
Lin Zhiran walked to the Shadow Cat's corpse, pulled out a dagger, and skillfully began to dissect it.
The Shadow Cat's fur was intact, worth at least 3000 Alliance Dollars. The Shadow Cat's eyeballs were materials for making potions, worth 1000 Alliance Dollars. And the Shadow Cat's claws...
"The income from this trip is worth half a year of my parents' wages."
Lin Zhiran carefully put the materials into his backpack, a genuine smile appearing on his face for the first time since coming to this world.
But this was not enough.
His gaze cast towards the deeper darkness of the sewer. There, more prey and more attribute points were waiting for him.
"The slaughter has only just begun."
The teenager carried the blood-stained spear, his figure disappearing into the darkness again. This time, his back was no longer frail, but radiated a heart-palpitating aura of ferocity.