Chapter Fifty-One: Target—The Primeval Forest

9:20 a.m. the next morning.

Li Yunfei arrived at the Yudong County Armed Forces Department to report in, preparing to undergo the physical examination. By now, few people had yet to be examined; most had already come over the previous days. Those arriving today were either like Li Yunfei, who had not received the notice in the countryside, or had just returned from working elsewhere.

When the clock struck half past nine, only a little over forty people had come to register. They boarded two minibuses and headed to the People’s Hospital.

At this moment, Li Yunfei was as calm as an old dog, utterly untroubled by the prospect of the physical. For after returning home last night, he had specifically checked the system and discovered a hidden feature: any abilities obtained through the system could be voluntarily sealed by the host. In other words, his current constitution was as it had been before gaining the system—just an ordinary person. Furthermore, thanks to the system’s adjustment, his affinity for the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was almost zero, a true cultivation failure, not even eligible for the lowest grade of D-level aptitude.

Li Yunfei didn’t expect to hide this for long, for whether it was the ghost incident in Daping Village or last night’s affair at Xiuyuan Tower, both would soon expose him. What he needed now was time—to grow stronger as quickly as possible, to steal a march. As long as he passed this physical examination, he would immediately leave Yudong, temporarily avoiding Zixiao, after which things would be easier to handle.

The examination was far simpler than Li Yunfei had imagined: checking heart rate, an ultrasound, and mainly blood tests. He had no idea what specific method the hospital used, but after nearly an hour, the veterans received their results.

As expected yet still surprising to Li Yunfei, not a single person in this batch possessed cultivation aptitude.

According to Zhang Ziying, so far the entire county had only a little over fifty people with cultivation aptitude. Yudong County’s population exceeded 680,000, and though testing wasn’t finished yet, Liu Bin and the others estimated that even after all was done, the number would not surpass one hundred.

The state required all citizens of Great Xia aged five and above to participate in the physical examination. But after so much practice, a rough probability had emerged.

Among those aged over twenty-eight, people with cultivation aptitude were exceedingly rare, about one in a million. The age range with the highest proportion was between seven and fifteen years old, followed by sixteen to twenty-two, then twenty-three to twenty-seven. Those who had practiced martial arts or sports since childhood were relatively more likely.

People like Zhang Ziying were born prodigies; even at thirty or forty, they might still possess cultivation aptitude. After all, top-tier A-grade aptitude was a rarity—only a dozen or so among billions, truly one in a hundred million.

Their affinity for spiritual energy reached the maximum; even without any cultivation method, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would pour into their bodies on its own.

With every breath, while others inhaled mere air, they absorbed mostly spiritual energy. Their bodies had undergone countless refinements by spiritual energy even before they began to cultivate. Vast reserves of spiritual energy lay within them; once they started cultivating, their progress would be rapid and meteoric.

The veterans, upon receiving their results, were certainly disappointed, but none wallowed in self-pity. The leaders at the Armed Forces Department offered encouragement, urging them to focus on their duties and not lose heart. They also explained that as spiritual energy continued to recover, there was a chance that aptitudes might be improved.

Having all served at least two years in the military, none were so fragile. Cultivation aptitude was a matter of luck; if one had it, it was fortunate, if not, it was fate—not something to despair over, unlike losing something once possessed. It was like birth: some are born the sons of tycoons, some to poverty—who can argue with that?

Each returned to their original lives, and life, after all, must go on.

…

After leaving the hospital, Li Yunfei dialed Zhang Ziying’s number.

As soon as the call connected, Zhang Ziying asked impatiently, “How did it go? What grade?”

Li Yunfei replied, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I have no aptitude.”

A long silence followed. Li Yunfei comforted her, “Don’t worry about it. I just don’t have aptitude this year; maybe next year I’ll have it!”

Zhang Ziying sighed quietly. “It’s good you think that way. There’s always hope for the future. What’s your plan next?”

Li Yunfei joked, “No change of plans. I’ll take a road trip, travel across our beautiful country, and maybe stumble upon a stroke of destiny!”

This time Zhang Ziying didn’t try to persuade him otherwise. “That’s not a bad idea. Usually, the concentration of spiritual energy in famous mountains and great rivers is much higher than in cities. Spend more time in places rich in spiritual energy—you might dramatically change your constitution and perhaps next year will be different. But be careful, don’t venture into deep forests.”

Hearing the concern in her voice, Li Yunfei felt a warmth in his heart and replied gently, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself. Even if I’m not a cultivator, at least I used to be a reconnaissance soldier.”

“Mm. When will you leave?”

“No time like the present. I’ll make this a spontaneous journey. I’ll set off now.”

“Alright. Remember, try not to go where there’s no signal. At least… let me always be able to find you, know where you are and that you’re safe.”

“Okay.”

After the call ended, Zhang Ziying’s eyes reddened slightly.

She had acted calm during the conversation, but inside, she felt inexplicably sad.

She understood perfectly why Li Yunfei planned to leave immediately—was it because he didn’t know how to face her? Though no one had ever said it outright, the truth was clear: in the future, a distinct line would be drawn between cultivators and ordinary people.

Cultivators and ordinary people would become people of two worlds.

If Li Yunfei had known what Zhang Ziying was thinking, he would have been both amused and exasperated. She was simply overthinking it. The reason he wanted to go out was to find dungeons to grind, not because he didn’t know how to face her.

He still had a few months before the secrecy period ended, and going abroad was too troublesome. By then, he might not even need to leave the country, able to tackle ghost-type dungeons directly.

Though he couldn’t bring himself to harm protected animals, there were plenty of places in Great Xia plagued by wild boars, not just the mountains near his hometown.

Last night he had specifically researched the areas in Great Xia overrun by wild boars. The most severely affected was the Shennongjia Forest Reserve.

In recent years, wild boars in Shennongjia had multiplied explosively, their rapid breeding posing a grave threat to nearby mountain villages. Especially in Ezhou, many villages near the reserve had their crops devastated by wild boars, leaving almost nothing to harvest.

The government had organized culling efforts several times, but results were minimal. That was not only because the boar herds were enormous, but also because these boars seemed almost enlightened—exceptionally cunning.

They moved in large groups; whenever they appeared on the outskirts of the reserve, there were hundreds, sometimes thousands. At the first sign of human hunting, they would flee deep into the forest, only to emerge from another direction to ravage the fields.

Shennongjia spanned 3,250 square kilometers, far too vast to manage. Humans dared not venture deep into the forest, so the wild boar herds became an enduring menace.

Li Yunfei had no such concerns.

He could charge alone into the depths of the reserve, avoiding rare protected animals and slaughtering wild boar herds as he pleased.

Thus, he decided to head for the Shennongjia Forest Reserve, leveling up by hunting monsters and ridding the people of their scourge.