Chapter 9 – Level Up

It was only the first day, yet surprises kept coming one after another. Not only did he draw an extraordinary Talent, but he also hunted down a Mist Sprite, and now he had even obtained a Rule Treasure. Xiao Wuwang felt that his luck after Rebirth was simply off the charts!

After a moment of thought, he decided to compensate “Si Shui Liu Nian” a little.

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【The jade pendant is really nice. I got a great deal, so I’ll send you a cleaver as well. It’ll come in handy when we Pull Into Station later.】

Si Shui Liu Nian: 【No need! No need! The food you just gave me truly saved my life. I’m already endlessly grateful—how could I possibly take anything more from you?】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【Hear me out first. After Pulling Into Station, you’ll have an important task—chopping Wood and collecting Wood.】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【Wood is the Material needed to upgrade the train from level 0 to level 1. You’ll need 200 Units. To gather enough Wood as quickly as possible, you’ll first need to find an axe at the lumberyard.】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【There’s usually a Monster guarding the axe. This is the first test for all survivors in the Survival World. The Monster isn’t very strong, roughly on par with a village mutt. What’s being tested here is your courage.】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【But be careful—some Monsters are venomous, like scorpions, centipedes, or snakes. A single bite could be fatal. Having a cleaver in hand will give you more confidence to deal with them.】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【The axe is crucial. You must get it, then collect 200 Units of Wood as quickly as possible and return to upgrade the train. The top 100 to upgrade receive a Special Reward, which will provide significant help for your survival journey ahead.】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【Countless even harsher trials await you in the future!】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【Remember, nothing is more important than staying alive. I’m not one to take a loss. I’m giving you a weapon and sharing this information because it’s worth it!】

After sending the message, Xiao Wuwang mailed the cleaver over.

In another train car, a young woman with a weary face that couldn’t hide her delicate beauty was staring intently at the message Xiao Wuwang had sent her.

She was Meng Ruotong, the daughter of the Meng family, one of the three major families in Haishi. As she had mentioned, she had been kidnapped before being transported into the Survival World. Having gone without food for two days, she was now eating the food she had traded from Xiao Wuwang in small, elegant bites.

Now, reading the follow-up messages from Xiao Wuwang, she felt even more grateful toward him.

Finally, after replying with a “Thank you,” she sent Xiao Wuwang a friend request.

She had assumed he wouldn’t accept, but to her surprise, the moment she sent the request, he approved it!

Seeing the only Nickname in her friend list, a gleam of light instantly flashed in her eyes.

Xiao Wuwang was still browsing messages from others when he saw the friend request from Si Shui Liu Nian. Without a second thought, he accepted it.

Shortly after, he found two items of interest among the many Private Messages he had received.

One was a Rolex mechanical watch traded for a bag of pork floss bread and a bottle of Yibao.

His phone still had battery and could tell the time for now, but it would eventually run out of power. With a mechanical watch, he could keep track of time anytime.

The other was a Train Upgrade Shard traded for a bag of crackers, a bottle of milk, and a bottle of Yibao.

After the train reached level 1, future upgrades would require Train Upgrade Shards. Being able to trade for one now with some Common food items was a huge win for Xiao Wuwang.

The person who provided this Train Upgrade Shard was none other than “Would Wed the God of Wealth Even as a Concubine,” who had previously tried to freeload his resources.

After going around in circles, the item still ended up in his hands.

For someone who tried to freeload, he had no intention of offering any compensation.

With these two transactions completed, the System Voice sounded in his mind as promised.

[Ding!]

[Attention, all players: The train is about to pull into the station. This is your first stop after entering the Infinite Train Survival World. Are you excited?]

[Now, let me explain the rules for pulling into the station:]

[After the train pulls into the station, there will be a three-hour stay for all players to explore and collect resources;]

[Each person’s platform is independent, so there’s no need to worry about interference from other players;]

[This station’s danger rating: Low Risk. In the Survival World, danger can strike at any time. Cowards don’t deserve to live!]

[Finally, a friendly reminder: Make sure to return to the train before time runs out, or else—Erasure!]

[Now, please prepare yourselves and embrace your survival challenge!]

As the system notice ended, the train gave a slight shudder. The fog ahead gradually dispersed, and as his vision range widened, the oppressive mood lifted somewhat.

“Clatter, clatter…”

The train slowly came to a stop, finally halting before a dilapidated platform.

Xiao Wuwang, who had long been prepared, dashed off the train in a single stride.

He glanced at the signboard—it was still the “Maolin Station” from his previous life. His anxious heart immediately settled.

Instead of heading to the lumberyard to look for an axe, he made straight for the forest.

Now, every minute and second was incredibly precious, because his ambition wasn’t merely to become first in the server zone but to see if there was a chance to break the upgrade record!

If his guess was correct, breaking the upgrade record should also come with a special reward.

Two or three minutes later, Xiao Wuwang finally arrived before a dense forest.

Without a word, he directly took out the Light Steel Axe and swung it at a tall tree.

“Bang, bang…”

The axe blade collided with the tree trunk, producing a dull yet powerful sound as wood chips scattered everywhere.

Xiao Wuwang focused all his attention, each swing of the axe carrying full force, his rhythm tight and steady.

This Level 2 Light Steel Axe was lightweight and incredibly sharp, each strike leaving a deep notch in the tree trunk.

After who knows how many swings, the giant tree, which would take one person to wrap their arms around, came crashing down with a “crash”!

Xiao Wuwang channeled his mental force and directly stored the tree in his portable space. The tall tree was automatically converted into wood upon being stored.

A tree of that size gave Xiao Wuwang 8 units of wood at once.

An ordinary person, without a tool like the Light Steel Axe, would likely be unable to handle such large trees and would have to settle for smaller ones, making their efficiency far lower than Xiao Wuwang’s.

Xiao Wuwang checked the time—it had only taken two and a half minutes!

If he continued at this efficiency, he estimated he could collect 200 units of wood in about another hour, gathering enough materials for the train upgrade!

Of course, that was under ideal conditions. When working manually, fatigue points drop quickly. Once fatigue points fall below 60, the efficiency of chopping wood gradually decreases.

When it drops to a certain point, one must stop to rest and replenish food and water.

Xiao Wuwang checked his fatigue points—97.

After drinking the Crimson Flame Bear’s blood, his Fatigue Points were rapidly recovering. By the time he started chopping trees, they were already at full capacity, equivalent to consuming 3 points per tree. He estimated that his current Fatigue Points should be enough to collect 200 units of Wood in one go!

With a plan in mind, Xiao Wuwang picked up his axe again and strode toward the next tree.

One tree after another fell, then Converted into Wood stored in Xiao Wuwang’s Portable Space.

When Xiao Wuwang delivered over 200 units of Wood back to the train, the time was roughly as expected—one hour and ten minutes had passed.

Without hesitation, Xiao Wuwang immediately pulled up the train interface.

Sure enough, the upgrade button next to Level was now lit up.

Upgrade!

[Ding!]

[The train is upgrading. Required time: 5 minutes.]