Endless Ascension

Chapter 2: Tips for upgrading

Life was dull and monotonous, devoid of any spark, like a stagnant pond.

Crossing over to this world should have been a joyous occasion for Qin Ze, yet he couldn't muster a single smile.

Stepping out of his pigsty-like room, Qin Ze ventured into the backyard of the Lotus Pavilion Restaurant, preparing to sweep the courtyard. He understood the principle of being submissive under someone else's roof.

Despite Zhang Dafu's potbellied appearance, he was a formidable fifth-rank martial artist. Dealing with Qin Ze was as easy as crushing an ant.

Granted, Qin Ze, as an illegitimate son of the Qin family, still commanded a certain level of respect from Zhang Dafu. The latter dared not harm him physically, resorting mostly to verbal abuse and occasional light punches and kicks.

Moreover, Qin Ze's exile from the Qin family was at the behest of the clan's Elder Qin Xiangtian. By the standards of the Qin family, Qin Ze, at the age of fifteen, was not yet due for expulsion; the rule was to send those who failed to reach the fifth rank of martial arts by the age of eighteen into commerce.

Yet, for reasons unknown, Elder Qin Xiangtian abruptly issued an order, sending Qin Ze to work as a lowly servant in the Lotus Pavilion Restaurant, where his days were consumed with tasks like washing vegetables, feeding pigs, sweeping, and wiping tables.

Qin Ze couldn't fathom why Elder Qin Xiangtian had treated him so harshly. He hadn't done anything to betray the family.

Could it be that he had secretly watched Elder Qin's wife bathing in the past?

As he swept the ground, Qin Ze's mind raced, determined not to spend the rest of his life in such destitution. He knew he had to settle some scores.

It was early morning, and the restaurant hadn't opened yet, lending the place a serene, though somewhat desolate, air. Yet, it was the busiest time for the servants.

Wiping tables, mopping floors, washing vegetables, slaughtering chickens, ducks, and fish—a myriad of chores awaited Qin Ze and Meng Lei.

Meng Lei, tall and burly, was clumsy with most tasks, leaving Qin Ze to shoulder most of the workload, except for the physically demanding ones.

"Qin Ze, go slaughter those Flame Chickens," Zhang Dafu ordered, pointing to the bamboo cages.

"Master, let me do it. Flame Chickens are low-level beasts, and the young master's body hasn't fully recovered yet. I'm afraid..." Meng Lei rushed forward, abandoning his chores.

"This doesn't concern you. Get back to your work," Zhang Dafu snapped at Meng Lei, thinking to himself, "Crossing the Elder is a death sentence. If I let you off easy, I'll be the one in trouble."

Everyone in Qinghe City knew why Qin Ze had been exiled early—he had offended Elder Qin Xiangtian. Many, including Zhang Dafu, shunned Qin Ze.

Therefore, Qin Ze was often deliberately given difficult tasks, like slaughtering Flame Chickens, which were naturally assigned to him.

The Flame Chicken, though a low-level beast, posed a certain threat. If one were caught by its claws, the pain would be excruciating, though not fatal, but the physical suffering was inevitable.

Qin Ze was well aware of the danger posed by the Flame Chickens. His body ached all over, and he barely had the strength to hold a broom, let alone slaughter a Flame Chicken. It was a humiliation for him to be tasked with such a job.

Yet, he had no choice but to do it.

For atop the head of each Flame Chicken in the cage was a blood groove, which Qin Ze first mistook for a blur in his vision. As he approached, the blood groove remained visible, and the chickens stared at him with fear, clucking incessantly.

Moreover, as Zhang Dafu instructed him to kill the chickens, a voice system suddenly popped up in his mind:

"Assist Zhang Dafu in slaughtering Flame Chickens. Experience Points +50, Qi Power +20, Survival Value +1."

"What the hell? Am I playing an online game?" Qin Ze was deeply shocked, thinking he might be hallucinating. Just as he hesitated, the system voice repeated: "Please make a decision within 10 seconds. Failure to do so will result in rejection of the task and subsequent punishment."

"Accept," Qin Ze immediately responded mentally upon hearing the word 'punishment'.

Without the system's prompt, Qin Ze could imagine the punishment—a beating from Zhang Dafu that his frail body couldn't endure.

He grabbed a cleaver in his right hand and reached for the chickens with his left.

Strangely, the Flame Chickens frantically dodged in the cage, as if they were extremely afraid of Qin Ze, unlike their usual aggressive behavior.

"Sorry, guys," Qin Ze muttered with a hint of reluctance.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck," the chickens cried out in fear.

Qin Ze grabbed one of the chickens out of the cage and, without hesitation, swung the cleaver, cleanly severing its head. Blood sprayed onto him as the chicken's head hit the ground.

Immediately, the system voice chimed in: "Mission completed. Rewards: Experience Points +50, Qi Power +30, Survival Value +1."

"Congratulations, Player Qin Ze, you have leveled up. Current Level: 2. Attribute Point +1 (Freely Allocatable)."

"Do you wish to view your attributes?"

"Yes."

"Player: Qin Ze"

"Level: 2"

"Health Points: 100"

"Qi Power: 40"

"Survival Value: 101"

"Free Attribute Points: 1"

"Martial Techniques: None"

"Finishing Move: None"

"...Wow, fate has been kind to me, granting me an upgrade system. I'm set for success, ha-ha..."

Qin Ze was almost beside himself with excitement, quickly grabbing another Flame Chicken from the cage and chopping its head off in an instant. The system promptly announced, "Killed Flame Chicken. Experience Points gained: 25, Qi Power gained: 15, Survival Value gained: 0."

"Why is the experience half of what it was before?" Qin Ze wondered silently, but the system remained mute.

He grabbed yet another Flame Chicken from the cage and dispatched it with a swift strike, only to find that the experience and Qi Power rewards were again half of the mission rewards.

Yet, even these halved rewards were enough to fuel Qin Ze's excitement.

Zhang Dafu, watching from the side, was stunned. Seeing Qin Ze effortlessly slaughter three Flame Chickens in succession was astonishing. Killing a single Flame Chicken was no mean feat, requiring even skilled butchers to exercise caution, yet Qin Ze had taken down three without a scratch, and the chickens hadn't even attacked him.

Moreover, as Qin Ze killed the second chicken, his strength seemed to surge, as if he had broken through to the second level of martial cultivation. What was going on with this useless person today? Did he get a beating that somehow fused his Dan Tian?

"Young Master, you can actually kill Flame Chickens! You're amazing!"

Meng Lei gazed at Qin Ze with adoration, disbelief etched on his face.

"Is killing a chicken really such a big deal?"

"You couldn't even hold a knife before, let alone slay a Flame Chicken."

"Was I really that weak?" Qin Ze couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock. Couldn't even hold a knife? This guy was a coward in his past life, wasn't he?

Zhang Dafu was in a foul mood. He had come to see Qin Ze make a fool of himself, but never expected him to effortlessly take down three Flame Chickens and look so thrilled about it. This made him extremely upset, yet he couldn't find a way to vent his frustration, leaving him seething inside.

"Boss, tell me what else you need me to kill, and I'll take care of it."

"That pig in the sty looks pretty good. Shall I slaughter it for you?"

"Don't stare at me like that. I'm just trying to help."

"Hey, hey, don't leave yet."

Qin Ze was frustrated. He had killed all the Flame Chickens in the cages, and the only thing left to kill in the yard was the old sow in the pigsty. As he gazed at the sow, a lecherous smile spread across his face...