101 Half a Day, One Hundred Thousand Steps!

Before bed, Chen Jue read for a while and pondered over the innate Qi he had perceived during the day. He sensed that countless mysteries still lay hidden in this world.

Having only recently begun his cultivation, he was already encountering a series of extraordinary events—so subtle and profound that he didn’t know which of his acquaintances he could confide in or discuss them with.

“Walking alone is fast; walking together is far.”

“It’s a pity there isn’t another awakened individual with a similar panel to discuss the Dao with,” Chen Jue thought to himself, unable to help but feel a tinge of loneliness. Eventually, he slipped into bed and drifted off to sleep.

…

Early the next morning, Chen Jue woke before six o’clock. After washing up, he practiced the newly learned “Wall-Running Technique” from the night before and quickly descended the mountain, heading toward a nearby town.

Perhaps it was the buff from the “Lu Zu Enlightenment” he had received, coupled with his increased intelligence attribute and his near-mastery of martial arts, that his control over his body had reached new heights. Practicing this lightness skill felt as natural as a fish swimming in water.

By the time he arrived at the winding mountain path leading into the town, his proficiency in the Wall-Running Technique had risen to 82 out of 100, and he estimated that a single more trip might level it up to Level 1.

He ate a bowl of local specialty soybean porridge for breakfast but found it insufficient, so he bought two rice cakes to try as well.

Compared to the light flavors of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, the local cuisine was heavier, with many special sauces added. Chen Jue, however, welcomed the variety.

Having spent over six years drifting after graduation, Chen Jue had gained some worldly experience and was naturally a foodie. Back when he was working, he would often have late-night snacks while watching culinary shows, and he had long wished to taste delicacies from all over the country.

…

Having solved his breakfast, Chen Jue leisurely practiced his lightness skill as he made his way back to Wazhai.

Along the way, his Wall-Running Technique leveled up, causing only a slight siphoning effect as his body digested the food faster.

Once back in his earthen-walled house, he changed out of his casual sportswear and put on newly bought camouflage clothing and hiking boots. He packed essential items into his backpack and set out to climb the small hill behind Wazhai.

It was just past seven o’clock, and most tourists who had come to live or visit the town were probably still asleep. The sun in the east was slowly rising, like a golden ball of fire hanging on the horizon.

Chen Jue gazed for a moment, feeling that the sunrise from the southwest view appeared more magnificent than the one he had seen by the sea.

He looked back toward the vast expanse of mountains and dense forests, deciding to venture deeper into exploration today.

Since he had grasped the basics of the Wall-Running Technique, Chen Jue felt that walking briskly along these seldom-trodden mountain paths was nearly as effortless as walking on flat ground.

…

Crossing over the low hills of Wazhai, he strode northwest in a straight line, leaping over obstacles, stepping on grass, climbing over mountains, and entering forests. As long as the streams weren’t too wide, Chen Jue hopped across the protruding stones to cross them.

Along the way, he passed several villages even more dilapidated than Wazhai. Lacking paved roads, these villages had been completely abandoned.

The earthen and wooden houses were overgrown with weeds. Chen Jue didn’t explore them but continued briskly into the more pristine deep mountain forests.

While practicing the Wall-Running Technique, it was nearly noon when he finally stopped beside a mountain stream.

Checking his phone, he found no signal. Opening the offline map he had downloaded earlier, he realized he was tens of kilometers away from Wazhai.

Though the map showed only a short straight line, the route involved crossing mountains, ups and downs, and passing through unmarked forests. In truth, Chen Jue had walked nearly fifty kilometers that morning, amounting to over 100,000 steps—a number that would undoubtedly top any national step-count leaderboard.

What does 100,000 steps mean?

The longest human long-distance run is the marathon, which spans 42.195 kilometers and typically takes three to four hours to complete. The world record is just over two hours, equating to about 40,000 steps.

Moreover, modern marathons are run on flat terrain, unlike Chen Jue, who traversed mountains and forests. The difficulty levels are incomparable.

If not for his extraordinary stamina and the cultivation of his lightness skill, which made walking through rugged mountains feel like treading on flat ground, he wouldn’t have covered such a distance.

At his current location, he found himself in a pristine forest with no signs of human activity. Sitting on a large sunlit rock by the stream, Chen Jue opened a bottle of functional drink and ate some compressed biscuits to regain strength.

He had bought the compressed biscuits at a local outdoor gear store catering to tourists. They were highly caloric and fortified not only with sugar, fats, whole milk powder, and soy protein but also with compound minerals, vitamins, and taurine—essential for outdoor enthusiasts.

Though the taste was not pleasant, and unlike the usual hot meals preferred by locals, these dry biscuits quickly filled him up, albeit without the usual comfort of a proper meal.

“Wall-Running Technique has already reached Level 2—so fast! Much quicker than when I first learned Tai Chi,” Chen Jue remarked, glancing at his attribute panel.

[Wall-Running Technique Lv2 (121/500)]

Apart from the Child’s Skill and Tai Chi stance, this was the fastest skill he had ever cultivated.

In addition, during his journey, he gained 0.07 free attribute points, with agility rising by 0.02.

Besides encountering abandoned villages, Chen Jue frequently saw and heard forest birds and small animals.

Birds often flew overhead, chirping incessantly. Although Chen Jue lacked ornithological knowledge, he could clearly admire the feathers but could not identify their species.

While moving through the forest, he occasionally spotted squirrels and flying squirrels leaping on branches, as well as the shadows of snakes and insects crawling in the grass.

…

Having previously trained in the pitch-black depths of the ocean floor, Chen Jue felt no fear in this pristine, tranquil natural environment.

On the contrary, immersed in such nature, his heart was calm; a single breath of unpolluted fresh air felt like a balm to his lungs and nasal passages.

He had not forgotten his original goal of seeking medicinal herbs in the mountains.

Yet, on this trek, while he found many common herbs, he did not come across any precious ones like Notoginseng or Lingzhi mushrooms.

Perhaps he had not ventured deep enough or had overlooked them inadvertently.

After all, Chen Jue had only recently studied the characteristics and habits of these herbs through books and had no firsthand experience in gathering them.

…

After a brief rest of over twenty minutes eating his ration, Chen Jue resumed his journey.

He planned to continue in this straight direction for another hour before turning back to Wazhai.

He worried that if he delayed returning, darkness would fall, making it difficult to find his way and risking getting lost.

Crossing the stream, he arrived at the base of a sheer cliff. Looking up, he saw it rose straight up for at least two hundred meters.

In the shady crevices with soil near the top, a few pink flowers bloomed. Squinting, he identified them as a plant called Rock Cabbage.

This herb bloomed for a long season and served both as an ornamental plant and a medicinal herb.

“It looks about a hundred meters tall. Should I try climbing up to pick some?” Chen Jue thought.

Setting down his backpack, he took a confident stride, activated his Wall-Running Technique, and propelled himself upward as if the steep rock face were steps beneath his feet.

Unlike others who ran along rooftops or walls, Chen Jue directly ran up the sheer cliff!

From afar, it looked like he made a running start and then, with rapid footwork, leapt straight up the rock face, reaching nearly the height of a three-story building balcony.