Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Returning to the Dream Realm
Returning to the classroom from the school medical office, Feng Qi seemed distracted.
The inexplicable increase in his bloodline strength value left him puzzled. He couldn't figure out the reason but speculated that it might have something to do with that bizarre dream.
"You're feeling unwell again?" Mo Fei, who was paying attention in class, noticed Feng Qi's distracted expression and turned to ask curiously.
"I'm fine. Maybe I just haven't recovered yet," Feng Qi replied. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he asked,
"The new school doctor at the medical office—do you know her? Why didn't I know about her?"
Faced with the question, Mo Fei looked a little embarrassed.
"She's my sister—not a biological one though. She used to be a medic in a domain combat team. But during a domain exploration mission, she was ambushed by a domain creature and her dantian qi sea was injured. That injury left her unable to store spiritual energy, so she retired. She couldn't stand being idle at home, so she applied to be the school doctor. She only just recently passed the school's review and officially started working."
"Your real sister?"
"Not a biological one!"
"Then it's not a big deal," Feng Qi said decisively, nodding as he gave Mo Fei an encouraging look.
"It is a big deal! Even though she's not my real sister, my mom treats her as a goddaughter. My mom specifically warned me that I'm not good enough for Youzi-jie and told me not to bother her goddaughter—or she'd break my legs!"
"Are you sure you're your mom's biological son?"
"Not sure. Maybe I came as a bonus when she recharged her phone plan."
After this brief exchange, Feng Qi and Mo Fei returned their attention to the lesson.
With the graduation exams looming, performance was crucial. A good score would open up countless opportunities—entering top-tier research institutes for cultivation techniques, becoming one of humanity's elite, joining a domain combat team as a warrior, or even pursuing a well-paid teaching position at a higher academy.
On the other hand, poor grades would severely limit one's options, most likely leading to the harsh realities of society's trials and tribulations.
The upcoming graduation exams were a turning point in life. Feng Qi didn't dare slack off and focused on using every remaining moment to study hard.
Sitting next to him, Mo Fei had different aspirations. He wasn't interested in pursuing cultivation techniques or becoming a domain warrior. Instead, the book in his hands was The History of Technological Weapons Development. Mo Fei dreamed of becoming a weapons engineer or a researcher in technological innovations.
Even though technology had limited effectiveness against domain creatures, humanity had never ceased advancing its technological capabilities. The convenience brought by technology also accelerated the progress of human civilization.
In the upcoming exams, aside from the mandatory history test, students would face specialized exams based on their chosen fields.
Feng Qi's top choice was the Galaxy Academy, an elite institution focused on "cultivation technique research." Graduating from there would grant him a chance to join the academy's prestigious Galaxy Research Institute, so most of the books he studied were directly related to theories of cultivation technique research.
Meanwhile, Mo Fei's ideal path was the Institute of Technological Research, so he focused on topics related to technology.
After the afternoon lessons ended, Feng Qi and Mo Fei bolted toward the cafeteria.
They raced against the clock because arriving late meant waiting in long lines, wasting precious time they could spend studying and reviewing instead.
Once inside, they quickly finished their meal and returned to their dormitory.
The dorm was a two-person room, shared between Feng Qi and Mo Fei. Despite being a boys' dorm, it was impeccably tidy, with everything in its proper place and the floors spotless.
This wasn't because they were particularly neat freaks.
Rather, the dorms were inspected regularly by staff who gave each room a score. Failing the inspections came with a host of unpleasant consequences, so Feng Qi and Mo Fei made a habit of cleaning up daily to avoid any trouble.
"Hey, crazy guy, make sure to focus on your review. If you're not feeling great today, just go to bed early," Mo Fei said, sitting down at his desk and glancing over at Feng Qi.
Feng Qi nodded in agreement, then walked over to his own desk, pulled out a book, and began reviewing.
Time passed quickly as Feng Qi immersed himself in his studies, absorbed in the ocean of knowledge, willingly sinking deeper, utterly lost.
A few hours later, sleepiness overcame him.
Shaking his head, he closed the book and walked over to his bed. Deciding to rest for a bit before continuing his studies, he lay down without even bothering to take off his clothes.
The clouds hung low, the ground covered in endless piles of withered bones.
When he opened his eyes, everything felt so familiar.
The rancid stench in the air was unmistakable, an overwhelming odor that assaulted his nostrils and refused to dissipate… ugh.
Well, here I am again!
Rising slowly from the pile of bones, Feng Qi looked around.
The world in this dream realm was vastly different from reality. A red-hued moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie glow that painted the landscape in shades of crimson and black.
Beneath this unsettling moonlight, the scenery took on an almost surreal, fantastical quality.
To the west, a dense fog blanketed the area, obscuring everything within. To the east, a horde of zombies stood silently, their twisted forms swaying in place. To the south flowed a dark river, its surface reflecting no light. To the north stretched a road covered in shattered bones, flanked by barren locust trees that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon.
As Feng Qi was surveying his surroundings, a low growl caught his attention.
Turning his head, he saw a familiar sight—the same zombie as before, slowly rising to its feet. Its mouth opened slightly as though it were about to roar… but then, just like before, it lost its balance and performed an unintended split, sitting awkwardly on the spot.
Feng Qi: …
Has everything in this dream been reset?
[At this moment, you're deeply puzzled, unable to understand why you've returned here. Determined to uncover the truth, you decide to eliminate this small fry first, then head east to wreak havoc, collect bloodline power, and strengthen both your bloodline value and prefix title!]
Feng Qi: …
"I don't want to!"
[No, you do!]
Feng Qi: …
Despite his reluctance, Feng Qi picked up a nearby leg bone. As the zombie crawled closer, he smashed the bone down on it without hesitation.
Once, twice, three times…
When the fleshy orb inside the zombie's skull was finally crushed, Feng Qi waited eagerly for the familiar reward to appear.
But this time, the anticipated crimson glow did not emerge from the zombie's body.
Similarly, his status on the attribute panel remained unchanged.
Weak Zombie: Feng Qi
Strength Level: Unranked
Prefix Title: Weak (Body strength reduced by 30%)
Bloodline: Human (Basic)
Bloodline Evolution Points: 1/1000
Prefix Title Milestone:
Weak (Upgradeable): Phase 1 (3%)
Prefix Title First Milestone: Killing zombies grants evolution points and increases evolution percentage.
After killing the zombie, Feng Qi was surprised to find that his bloodline evolution points still stood at 1/1000, with no change whatsoever.
This prompted two potential theories in his mind:
Bloodline evolution points cannot be repeatedly obtained by killing the same zombie.
Rewards in the dream operate on a milestone-like system. For instance, in his last dream, he gained 1 bloodline evolution point. To earn another point, he would need to surpass that milestone by killing at least two zombies this time. If he failed to break his previous record, no additional rewards would be granted, and his progress would remain saved as is.
Feng Qi didn't dwell too much on which theory was correct.
After all, the best way to find out was to put it to the test.
With the leg bone still in hand, Feng Qi strode purposefully toward the eastern area where more zombies were gathered.
This time, he was smarter. He avoided carelessly approaching areas with densely packed zombies.
From his last dream, Feng Qi had noticed a unique trait of these zombies—they lacked both vision and hearing. When he had thrown a bone to try and lure them, the zombies didn't react at all. They had been completely unresponsive to both the bone landing and the sound it made.
But as soon as he got close, they all turned toward him at once, as if cats catching the scent of fish, and launched a collective assault.
This led him to speculate that the zombies must have a specific detection range.
If a living being stepped into their range, the zombies would activate and attack anything within it.
To test his theory, Feng Qi advanced cautiously, taking small, deliberate steps as he tried to determine the zombies' detection range. He was determined to avoid repeating the disaster of being surrounded and beaten to death.