Chapter Twenty-Three: The Training Grounds

Chen Qi agreed without much hesitation. The manager across from him quickly drafted a contract. Chen Qi read it carefully: the other party would lend him 5,000 universal points, which he was to repay within the progress of two worlds. If he failed, the space would randomly sell his equipment to cover the debt.

Looking closely at his obligations, there was only one vague clause:

"Chen Qi must give the Wanfa Merchant Guild priority when selling any skill scrolls he acquires that he does not need."

Finding nothing suspicious, Chen Qi signed the contract readily. It became effective under the notarization of the Sprout Space.

Seeing the 5,000 universal points credited to his account, Chen Qi kept a calm facade, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

"By the way, do you have any equipment for sale that increases Constitution, below blue quality?" he asked, sensing the pleasant cooperation.

The manager patted his belly and replied, "I do, in fact! Someone left it behind a while ago. Let me find it for you."

With that, the manager departed hurriedly. Soon he returned and handed Chen Qi the attributes of a piece of equipment.

[Survivor's Belief]
Origin: Beginner's Exclusive World (Cecile Wasteland)
Type: Green
Category: Gauntlets
Durability: 41/41
Equipment Requirements: None
Effect 1: Constitution +2, Strength +1
Effect 2: Dodge Rate +3%
Rating: 79
Description: Granted to those struggling for survival in the boundless wilderness. This equipment requires nothing, except perhaps an unwavering belief in never giving up?
Price: 1,080 universal points

...

"Well, what do you think? Are you interested?" The manager sipped his now cold tea, speaking slowly.

"I doubt I can afford it," Chen Qi replied, knowing that equipment which directly increased attributes was priced higher than others of the same quality—in fact, such items were rare and costly.

Still sipping his tea, the manager said, "Heh, this was left by my best friend. He used it for a long time, so I won't make a profit from you. Take it for 3,500 universal points!"

Chen Qi completed the transaction without a word. Putting on the new gauntlets, he said to the manager, "Boss, you seem like an honest man. I'll be sure to visit again. There's no need to see me out."

With that, he turned to leave. After a few steps, he heard the manager's amused voice behind him.

"Young man, have you acquired any rewards better than that skill scroll?"

Chen Qi paused, then answered, "To obtain a purple-quality skill scroll is fortune enough—what better rewards could there be?"

The manager stood and departed as well, and before he left, Chen Qi heard his final words.

"It's just as well. Some things should not be revealed. There are plenty who will stop at nothing for advancement in the trials. Make sure to spend some time at the training grounds!"

Chen Qi strode onward, but his mind was in turmoil.

"What does that mean? Did that fat manager notice something? What was he implying?"

Though young, Chen Qi had read enough novels to understand the wisdom of not flaunting wealth, which was why he hadn't shown the manager his Soul Divine Repository.

Yet the manager's words echoed in his mind, sounding an alarm.

Seeing no further clues, Chen Qi stopped thinking about it. With 2,346 universal points left in his pack, he opened his storage space.

[Use skill scroll: Focused Burst? Yes/No]
[This use requires 2,000 universal points and 1 basic skill point]

Suppressing his pain, Chen Qi chose to use it.

The skill scroll vanished in a flash of purple light. A sharp ache filled his head, and his vision blurred.

He seemed to see countless shadows layered over the world, then everything spun.

After a long moment, the pain and dizziness faded. In his skill bar, a new entry appeared.

[Focused Burst lv.1]
Effect: Consumes 20 mana, increases neural firing speed by 300% for 2 seconds.
Note: Base cooldown is 5 minutes. Forcing use during cooldown will greatly increase the cooldown and cause injury (within one world, only one forced use is allowed during cooldown)!

...

Chen Qi tried the upgrade option, finding it would also require 2,000 universal points and 1 basic skill point.

"So expensive—I'll never be able to level this up. And why does learning a skill hurt so much?" he joked to himself, then recalled the manager's last advice.

The manager had told him to spend time at the training ground, but Chen Qi had no idea where it was.

"That Brewster! I won’t forget you," Chen Qi cursed a certain someone's name again, then began asking passing contract holders.

After receiving three disdainful looks and two curt dismissals, he finally found the location of the training ground from a blond man in blue mage robes.

Chen Qi walked toward the training ground, muttering,

"Mages really are more civilized—not like some others."

Soon, he arrived at the so-called training ground. It wasn't large, just an elliptical portal flickering endlessly.

Watching other contract holders step inside, Chen Qi moved forward.

[Welcome, Chosen, to the Trial Ground. Please select the skill or technique you wish to improve.]

He chose Basic Blade Technique, his primary means of attack for the future.

A prompt followed.

[Please select mode]
[Practice Mode / Combat Mode]

Intent on building a foundation, Chen Qi chose "Practice Mode."

[This practice requires 100 universal points]

Chen Qi had no energy left to curse Sprout Space.

The space blurred, and he found himself in a forest, holding a wooden blade.

"Smack!" A fruit struck his head. Chen Qi quickly realized he needed to cut or knock away the fruit with his wooden blade.

After an initial awkward period, he grew more skilled. He chopped, flicked, dodged and slashed, and soon not a single fruit hit him.

"Easy—ow!"

Before he could get cocky, a branch as thick as two fingers struck his arm.

He began to make mistakes in succession.

Chen Qi soon noticed: knocking away fruits was easy, branches too, but when both fell at once, with varying speed and rhythm, he became clumsy and overwhelmed.

...

"Smack."

When Chen Qi finally knocked away a fruit aimed at his head, his arm ached terribly and he exited the trial.

As things progressed, the fruits and branches fell faster, and eventually even leaves drifted unpredictably—beyond his current skill level to handle.

Resting for a while to recover, Chen Qi, arm still sore, decided to train [Basic Footwork].

After paying another 100 universal points, this time he was transported to a circular arena.

"What will it be this time?" he wondered, and quickly learned the answer.

A magic circle appeared overhead, and several fireballs shot toward him...