Chapter 2

"Rumble!"

Yang Zhen was about to leave to look for other creatures, but when he turned around and saw the few small fish on the ground, his stomach betrayed him with a growl.

Man is iron, food is steel; one cannot go without a meal. Only when one is full can they have the strength to do things.

After convincing himself, Yang Zhen began to worry about what to eat. Should I eat them raw? Looking at the few small fish on the ground, Yang Zhen stuck out his tongue and licked one. Damn! It was so disgusting, both fishy and slimy, and there was a strange feeling. Eating them raw would be a form of torture.

"Maybe I should look for some wild fruit to satisfy my hunger." Yang Zhen thought. However, perhaps because he had turned into a cat, whenever he saw the few small fish, he couldn't help but salivate, desperately wanting to eat them. This thought made Yang Zhen very afraid. Would I feel the same way about mice in the future?

Namo Amitabha Tofu!

Absolutely not.

With no other options, Yang Zhen could only open the mall system again and flip to the pet section to see if he could find anything useful.

On the first page of the pet section, besides the 'Superior Pet Egg,' there were some gift packs. These things were the most deceptive, and whether in his previous life or this one, Yang Zhen had no intention of buying them.

On the second page, there were some pet skill advancement stones and double experience pills for pets. Hmm... although these items were good, they were not needed for the moment. It wouldn't be too late to buy them once he could start practicing.

Flipping to the next page, there were pet skill books.

"I wonder if I can learn skills now. If I hadn't been transported here, I would have already bought countless high-level skills for my godly pet." Seeing the pet skills, Yang Zhen's eyes lit up, but he was also a bit worried. Using skills requires 'mana,' and he wasn't sure if he still had 'mana' in his current state.

I'll take the risk. Being overly cautious will never lead to great achievements. With a determined heart, Yang Zhen found a high-level skill, 'Nanming Fire Spell,' and bought it.

Nanming Fire Spell: High-level pet skill, a fire control technique, Level 0, can summon ordinary flames, 500 gold coins.

Yang Zhen had once looked up information about pet skill levels online. Pet skills are divided into ten levels. If the 'Nanming Fire Spell' were to reach Level 5, it could summon the Three Pure Fires. If it reached Level 10, it could summon the Sun True Fire. According to in-game data, the Sun True Fire can increase spell damage by 1200%, which is incredibly powerful.

Of course, from the game's beta test to when Yang Zhen started playing, no one had ever heard of anyone upgrading a pet skill to Level 10. The skill advancement stones in the mall could only upgrade to Level 5. To reach higher levels, one had to defeat bosses. The already low drop rate, combined with the item binding system, meant that very few people could accumulate enough skill advancement stones, and it would likely take years.

After all, the number of skill advancement stones required to upgrade skills doubles each level. Level 0 to Level 1 requires one stone, Level 1 to Level 2 requires two, Level 2 to Level 3 requires four, Level 3 to Level 4 requires eight, and so on. Level 9 to Level 10 requires 512 skill advancement stones, which is beyond the reach of most people.

After purchasing, a new window appeared in the mall: "Do you want to learn the 'Nanming Fire Spell'?"

Since he had bought it, of course, he wanted to learn it.

After confirming, yellow flame-shaped lights suddenly appeared around Yang Zhen. Countless golden lights flickered with dazzling brilliance, extremely beautiful and mysterious, giving a sense of unreality.

The golden lights rotated around Yang Zhen for a moment before entering his body in an orderly manner, one after another, transforming into a mysterious force that flowed into his body. Then, countless mysterious symbols appeared in the air, each imprinting on Yang Zhen's body and slowly entering his body.

After a moment, the light disappeared, and Yang Zhen was left in a daze, still savoring the incredible experience.

In the game, Yang Zhen had grown tired of watching the skill learning animations, as they were just special effects, and he had seen many better ones. But this time, the 'special effects' were right next to him, giving a real feeling. When the light and symbols entered his body, the soul-soothing comfort was something Yang Zhen couldn't forget. He wished he could learn the skill again and experience that feeling once more.

Fortunately, Yang Zhen still had some sense and promptly suppressed this thought.

After learning the skill, Yang Zhen suddenly gained a clear understanding. The 'Nanming Fire Spell' was clearly imprinted on his soul, as if it could be used effortlessly.

With a thought, Yang Zhen clearly felt an energy circulating within his body. Then, a flame shot out of his mouth, directly scorching the rock opposite him, turning it black.

After spitting out the flame, Yang Zhen clearly felt that a part of his energy had been depleted.

With a comparison, Yang Zhen felt that this energy was about one-tenth of his total energy, meaning that the current Yang Zhen could use the 'Nanming Fire Spell' nine more times.

That makes sense. Even a Level 0 character has 'mana,' but in this world, 'mana' should be called 'spiritual energy.' It seems the most important thing now is to find a way to practice.

However, before that, he needed to confirm whether he was indeed in the world of Journey to the West.

Yang Zhen was already very satisfied with the damage the 'Nanming Fire Spell' could cause. After all, a Level 0 'Nanming Fire Spell' could only use ordinary flames, but if it reached Level 5, it could summon the Three Pure Fires, which even Sun Wukong feared.

Haha!

Thinking of it, he decided to act. Upgrading the skill to Level 5 required 31 skill advancement stones, or 310 gold coins. For Yang Zhen, who had recharged 5000 RMB, this was still affordable. However, after buying the pet egg and skill book, his 50,000 gold coins were now down to 48,190. He needed to be frugal, as he couldn't recharge in this world until he found a way to do so.

Using his claws, he simply processed the small fish and placed them on the rock in a row. Yang Zhen carefully controlled the flames, preparing his first grand meal as a cat.

Since the 'Nanming Fire Spell' was judged by the system to be learned, Yang Zhen used it with great ease. Even a technical task like roasting fish was effortless, and he didn't have to worry about burning the fish.

However, what made Yang Zhen depressed was that after upgrading the 'Nanming Fire Spell' to Level 5, using it consumed half of his spiritual energy. This meant that Yang Zhen would run out of spiritual energy after using the 'Nanming Fire Spell' twice.

Am I destined to be a quick shooter?

No!

To avoid becoming a quick shooter, Yang Zhen was even more eager to find a way to practice.