A pale, hazy moonlight filtered down. Under the moon, Li Xiang resembled an Exiled Immortal, every movement imbued with an ethereal, otherworldly grace.
System: "Congratulations, Host, on becoming a Tier One Transcendent. You have been awarded 100 Achievement Points."
At the same time, Li Xiang felt a Spiritual stirring and sharply realized he had unexpectedly gained a Superpower.
'A Night Vision Technique.' Li Xiang was quite happy. Through his eyes, the surrounding nightscape grew sharp and clear.
The Night Vision Superpower would be a massive advantage in the "Eternal Night" environment.
In his past life, he hadn't developed his first Superpower, the Lightweight Technique, until he became a Tier Three Extraordinary. This time, he'd gained one while still at Tier One Extraordinary—and it was the relatively rare Night Vision Technique at that.
Although humanity's technology could produce night vision devices, when the disaster struck and the Apocalypse began, countless cities and industrial centers were reduced to rubble, making high-tech resources incredibly scarce. Correspondingly, electricity was also in extremely short supply.
Night vision goggles required batteries or other power sources, which gave them their own limitations in the perilous age of the Eternal Night.
In the endless darkness, even a single flashlight was exceedingly precious.
In his past life, Li Xiang had always wanted the Night Vision Superpower. He had been incredibly envious of those who possessed it, but he never managed to acquire it before he died. He never imagined that in this life, his very first Superpower would be Night Vision.
'Could this be related to my obsession from my past life?'
Li Xiang didn't stop his movements, continuing to consolidate his Realm.
The next morning, around nine-thirty, a veteran technician from the telecom company came to install the broadband. Li Xiang took out a cigarette and offered it to him.
The technician lit it and took a drag, his eyes immediately brightening. He had never smoked such a smooth cigarette from another province.
Li Xiang didn't actually smoke himself, but he always kept a pack in his pocket to hand out when the occasion called for it.
The technician worked at a leisurely pace, and Li Xiang wasn't in a hurry. Life in the countryside was like that; everything moved to a slower rhythm. Once the broadband was installed, Li Xiang hooked up the wireless router he'd brought back from the city. He had just bought it last year, and it would have been a shame to throw it away. It was much better to bring it back and reuse it.
He didn't have a job now, so every bit he could save counted.
He placed the router in his room and went outside to test the signal. Possibly because there were fewer obstructions in the countryside, the signal was still quite strong two or three hundred meters away. It even reached the mountain behind his house.
That was pretty convenient. Now he wouldn't have to worry about using up his mobile data when working near the house.
As the technician was leaving, Li Xiang handed him two more cigarettes. The man was delighted and told Li Xiang to contact him anytime if he had any issues.
Lately, his grandmother had been visiting the neighbors. They all said that since Li Xiang's return, she seemed like a completely different person, looking years younger. Not only was her vitality back, but her walk seemed to have grown spryer as well.
His grandmother was, of course, overjoyed.
If possible, she even hoped to hold a great-grandchild one day. Her recent visits were actually to ask the village women to keep an eye out for any suitable relatives or age-appropriate girls they could introduce to Li Xiang.
Their family was poor, but what if they found a good family who wouldn't ask for a bride price?
Her grandson was a fine, handsome man, a college graduate, highly educated, and strong. Surely it couldn't be impossible for him to find a wife, right?
Of course, his grandmother was also aware of their family's circumstances. She was just trying her luck, hoping for the best. If he really couldn't find someone, they would have to leave it to fate. But she had to at least try. It just meant swallowing her pride and asking people for favors.
She rarely asked anyone for help, but when it came to the matter of her grandson's marriage, her pride was a small price to pay.
In truth, Li Xiang had little interest in finding a wife. For one, the Apocalypse was coming in ten years—arguably the greatest upheaval since the dawn of humanity. For another, practicing his Breathing Technique and Body Techniques every night drained all his energy, naturally dampening his desires in *that* department.
Anyone who works out knows that lifting weights every day causes hormonal changes in the body, which in turn leads to a decreased libido.
Lu Junyi was a perfect example. He spent all day practicing with his weapons to build his strength, causing his libido to drop. He ended up neglecting his beautiful wife, which allowed the steward Li Gu to move in on her, and ultimately forced Lu Junyi to join the outlaws of Liang Mountain.
Of course, as long as one didn't become obsessed with Cultivation and maintained a proper balance, the training would not only *not* impair that particular function, but would actually enhance it!
Li Xiang had only just stepped into the Extraordinary realm and was completely captivated by the feeling, so he trained a great deal. Once he grew accustomed to it, he would naturally fall into a rhythm of training for a few days and resting for a few.
Even with his formidable stamina, it still took Li Xiang a full three days to finish clearing out the backyard.
Before, even when his father was alive, the backyard had only been about ten meters across. It later became so overgrown with weeds that it shrank by about half. But now, after Li Xiang's efforts, the backyard had been expanded into a large, flat clearing one hundred meters long and fifty to sixty meters wide.
It was large enough for a big flower garden, or he could even set aside half of it for a vegetable patch.
'Only about ten more meters to the mountainside. I might as well clear a little further.' Li Xiang wiped the sweat from his brow and kept working.
In any case, there weren't any other houses for five or six hundred meters around, so no one was going to fight him for the land.
That would have been absolutely impossible back when he was a child!
'Huh? Why is there water here? It's almost carved out a little channel.' Li Xiang discovered something unusual as he cleared the area near the mountainside. He remembered there hadn't been a water source on this part of the mountain before.
He followed the meandering "little stream" back to its origin and soon found the source. To his surprise, it was seeping out from a fissure in the rock face.
'Could there be a spring here?' Li Xiang thought, touching the spot where the water flowed. He was quite sure of it.
'This spring wasn't here before. Could it have been caused by tectonic movement?'
After all, Sichuan Province was a major hub for natural disasters, especially earthquakes, which occurred with extremely high frequency.
In the past year alone, Sichuan Province had experienced numerous earthquakes.
His parents had died in the great disaster of '08.
Li Xiang fell silent at the thought.
He hadn't gone to pay respects to his parents since returning home, but that didn't mean he didn't miss them.
Sometimes, it was enough to keep their memory in his heart. Besides, even if he went to their grave, it was only a cenotaph.
During the disaster all those years ago, many people went missing, their bodies never recovered. His parents were among them.
At the time, his parents had been with a construction crew, building a tunnel. They were just ordinary laborers, of course.
For as long as Li Xiang could remember, his parents had been migrant construction workers. Sometimes they worked within the county, sometimes in other regions, and they had even gone to other provinces. They went wherever there were opportunities and money to be made. It just goes to show how unpredictable life can be.
The good news was that while small tremors were common in the county where Li Xiang lived, a major earthquake had never occurred there.
The largest seemed to have been a magnitude 3.1 earthquake with a focal depth of 10 kilometers, which had virtually no impact on the residents' lives.
Li Xiang went back to the house, grabbed an Iron Pickaxe, and returned to the spring. He chiseled at the rock a few times, and just as he'd thought, the opening widened. Clear, cold mountain spring water began to gurgle out.
He cupped a handful of the water and examined it closely. It was clean, with no impurities. He took a small sip. A faint, incredibly pleasant sweetness with an endless aftertaste filled his mouth. The expensive natural mineral water sold in stores couldn't even begin to compare.
Li Xiang immediately had a new plan!