The gnawing emptiness in Luo Feng's stomach was a more insistent alarm than any digital clock from his past life. He sat on a damp log, the sparse moonlight filtering through the dense canopy doing little to pierce the gloom of the Forsaken Forest. A week had passed since his terrifying transmigration and the miraculous activation of the Supreme Cultivation System. His Qi Condensation Stage 1, while a nascent power, offered little comfort against the cold dread that seeped into his bones each night. He could feel the delicate tremor of spiritual energy beneath his skin, a faint warmth in his core, but it was hardly enough to ward off the chill or the growing hunger.
His meager supplies were long gone. The realization had struck him with brutal clarity: cultivation, in this world, was a luxury. A luxury he couldn't afford. The system, a phantom voice in his mind, had been dormant since his initial breakthrough, awaiting further investment. "To advance to Qi Condensation Stage 2, 1000 copper coins are required." The message echoed a relentless demand. A thousand copper coins. He had barely survived on a fraction of that in his last life, let alone finding such a sum in a world where every rustle in the leaves could mean death.
He needed money. Not just for cultivation, but for food, for safety, for a chance to move beyond this terrifying wilderness. His instincts, sharpened by a week of primal fear, told him he couldn't stay here. The deeper he ventured, the more dangerous it would become. He had to earn. But how?
"System," he thought, his voice a whisper, hoping for guidance. "Is there any other way to earn money quickly? Or any other features?"
Silence for a moment, then a new notification blinked in his mind's eye. "Additional System Feature Unlocked: Double Coin Harvest. Cost: 1000 copper coins. Effect: All future coin acquisitions are doubled for 24 hours. Can be stacked or reactivated upon expiry."
Luo Feng blinked. Double Coin Harvest? That was a game-changer. If he could earn 1000 coins, spend them on this feature, then every subsequent earning would be twice as much. It meant he would only need to exert half the effort for the same reward. The thought ignited a flicker of hope, a desperate spark in the vast darkness of his predicament.
He clutched the rough bark of the log, feeling the chill seep into his fingertips. He was a librarian, for heaven's sake. His skills involved cataloging books, not felling beasts or foraging for obscure herbs. Yet, the will to survive, to overcome, was a potent force. He had to try.
---
The next few weeks blurred into a grueling cycle of fear, exertion, and meager rewards. Luo Feng started small. He remembered seeing a few scattered "Verdant Leaves" near the edge of the forest during his frantic dash for safety. They were common, used in basic healing poultices, and fetched a single copper coin for a small bundle in any rudimentary market, according to the scraps of information he'd picked up from passing travelers' distant conversations. Armed with a crude, sharpened stick he’d found, he began his new, terrifying career as a gatherer.
He moved with painstaking caution, every snapped twig underfoot sounding like a gunshot in the silent forest. His Qi Condensation Stage 1 offered a slight edge – a heightened sense of awareness, a faint warmth that allowed him to endure the colder nights a little better. He learned to identify the rustle of a harmless Forest Hare from the slithering drag of a Whispering Serpent, and the tell-tale hum of a Stinger Beetle. His heart hammered in his chest with every shadow, every unfamiliar sound.
He scoured the forest floor, his eyes scanning for the tell-tale green glow of Verdant Leaves, or the rarer, more valuable "Sunpetal Flowers" that promised three copper coins a bloom. He had to be quick, precise, and constantly vigilant. Twice, he had narrowly avoided stepping on a coiled Whispering Serpent, its emerald scales blending perfectly with the undergrowth. Once, a pack of snarling Forest Hounds, their eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, had chased him for what felt like an eternity, his newly enhanced stamina barely saving him.
Each successful gathering expedition was a small triumph against overwhelming odds. He ate wild berries, some tasteless, some bitter, some barely palatable, always with the fear of poisoning. He drank from clear streams, his body aching, his hands calloused and scratched. The gentle soul of the librarian was slowly being eroded, replaced by a hardened, desperate survivor.
He kept a mental tally of his earnings. Five copper coins today, eight the next. A particularly fruitful patch of Sunpetal Flowers yielded fifteen. Each coin was a tiny victory, a step closer to his goal. He avoided any settlements, fearing the greedy eyes of more experienced cultivators who would undoubtedly prey on a weak, solitary newcomer. His only companion was the silence of the forest and the distant, ever-present growls of unseen predators.
Days bled into nights. The sun became his clock, the moon his guide. He learned to sleep light, his stick clutched in his hand, ready to spring awake at the slightest disturbance. He learned to differentiate the smell of damp earth from decaying flesh, the soft murmur of the wind from the subtle approach of a creature. His Qi, though weak, slowly strengthened with constant use, his awareness expanding beyond his immediate body.
Slowly, agonizingly, his mental count grew. 500 copper coins. 700. 900. Each coin felt heavier than the last, a tangible representation of his suffering and persistence.
---
One evening, as the last rays of sunlight painted the western sky in hues of deep orange and purple, Luo Feng crouched beside a small, bubbling spring. His hands, caked with dirt and a faint residue of crushed Verdant Leaves, trembled slightly. He had just added a handful of rare Moonpetal Mushrooms to his collection, pushing his internal tally to precisely 1000 copper coins.
He closed his eyes, a wave of profound exhaustion washing over him. He had done it. A thousand copper coins. It had taken weeks of relentless, dangerous work, pushing his body and mind to their limits. His clothes were torn, his body bruised, but his spirit, though weary, felt a surge of triumph.
"System," he thought, his mental voice clear and firm. "Activate Double Coin Harvest."
A familiar chime resonated in his mind. "1000 copper coins deducted. Double Coin Harvest activated. All future coin acquisitions will be doubled for 24 hours."
A warmth spread through his core, not of cultivation, but of anticipation. He had spent his hard-won fortune, not on a direct breakthrough, but on an investment. It was a gamble, a belief in the system's promise. He still needed another 1000 copper coins for Qi Condensation Stage 2, but now, the path was clearer, faster. The thought of achieving that goal in half the time filled him with renewed determination.
He stood up, stretching his aching limbs. The forest still loomed, vast and dangerous, but a faint light of opportunity now shone through the dense canopy. He had bought himself time, and more importantly, efficiency. The next thousand coins wouldn't be easy, but they would be earned with half the struggle. Luo Feng, the librarian, was ready to harvest. The path to power, paved with copper, beckoned before him.