I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

Lu Zhao moved with the lightness of a cat, his [Turtle Breathing Technique] activated to its fullest extent, almost blending into the night. Following the unusual disturbance in his spiritual perception, he crept over silently.

Passing through a dozen large trees, behind a thicket of bushes, he saw his target—not the beast or enemy he had expected, but three jackals the size of mongrel dogs, with filthy fur and eyes gleaming with greedy green light.

[Hungry Jackal, Level: 2]

Health Points: 100%/100%

[Status: Hungry, Greedy]

These hungry jackals were clearly attracted by the campfire and the presence of people, but they were afraid of the campfire and the large number of people, so they dared not charge directly. Instead, they lingered on the edge, trying to find an opportunity to be alone or to find some leftover food.

Lu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief; they were just ordinary wild beasts, not evil creatures. But they couldn't be left unattended, as these starving jackals posed a significant threat to the elderly, women, and children in the camp.

As he pondered whether to drive them away or kill them, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Could we... "tame" or "deter" them, like in the game?

His divine attribute is now as high as 2.5, and he has also made a preliminary progress in the [Refining God Technique]. Perhaps he can try to influence these low-intelligence beasts with his mental power?

Without hesitation, Lu Zhao did not launch an attack immediately. Instead, he concentrated his mind and activated the [Refining Spirit Technique], sending a mental message containing warning and expulsion, like an invisible ripple, towards the three hungry jackals.

At first, the hungry jackals merely scratched the ground restlessly, showing no reaction to this invisible force. Lu Zhao was not discouraged. He continued to increase the output of his mental energy and sharpened his will, adding a trace of righteous energy (though very weak) cultivated through the [Refining Spirit Technique] that had a slight restraining effect on evil things.

This time, it worked!

The three hungry jackals stopped moving at the same time, pricked up their ears, and growled uneasily. They seemed to sense something that instilled their instinctive fear in them. Their green eyes scanned the darkness with suspicion, and they began to move backward.

efficient!

Lu Zhao's heart stirred, and he pressed his advantage. He slowly emerged from the shadows, but did not immediately approach. Instead, he stood a dozen steps away from the hungry jackals, calmly watching them while firmly locking his intimidating mental energy onto them.

In the simplistic perception of the hungry jackals, this suddenly appearing human exuded a dangerous aura that chilled them to the bone, far more terrifying than anyone else in the camp!

"Woo..." The lead jackal let out a fearful howl, tucked its tail between its legs, and turned to flee without hesitation. The other two immediately followed, and the three jackals darted into the depths of the dense forest in a panic and disappeared.

[Successfully deterring lower-level wild beasts (hungry jackals) provided a new understanding of the use of mental power.]

[Refining Spirit Technique (Beginner) Experience +10.]

[Unable to comprehend the relevant skills, this method has a weak effect on intelligent beings.]

Although I didn't learn the "Intimidate" or "Beast Taming" skills, my experience in [Divine Refinement Technique] increased by 10 points! And it confirmed the effective influence of mental power on low-intelligence creatures!

This greatly encouraged Lu Zhao. It meant that in addition to direct combat, he had another means of dealing with danger, although for now it seemed to only be able to deal with wild beasts.

He returned to the camp entrance and continued his watch. Nothing unusual occurred during the rest of the night.

The next morning, as the other refugees awoke and began their busy day, Lu Zhao told Master Zhao and several core young men about his encounter with the jackals the previous night and how he had scared them away with his "aura." Of course, he omitted the details of his spiritual power, only saying that he had practiced some rudimentary martial arts and that a fierce look in his eyes was enough to frighten wild beasts.

Upon hearing this, everyone admired and relied on Lu Zhao even more. Master Zhao stroked his beard and said, "Young friend Lu is truly a lucky general for our 'Wang Anju'! With you here, we feel much more at ease."

Construction of the camp continued. In addition to reinforcing the huts, Master Zhao began organizing people to cultivate small plots of land in the valley, trying to plant some drought-resistant crop seeds collected along the way. Although a harvest was far off, at least it was hope.

Lu Zhao wasn't idle either. He took the initiative to explore the surrounding environment and hunt. With his extraordinary senses and skills, he quickly figured out the situation within several miles of the valley, where there might be wild fruits and where the paths where wild animals frequently appeared.

In terms of hunting, his main targets were small animals such as hares and pheasants, and he could occasionally set traps to catch medium-sized prey such as roe deer. Each successful hunt not only provided valuable meat for the camp, but also made him more and more proficient in using a machete. His proficiency in "basic knife skills" steadily improved, although there was still no sign of it becoming a skill.

When processing his prey, he tried to skin and debone more meticulously, hoping to master the skills of "gathering" or "dissection," but unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. It seems that mastering life skills does indeed require more specialized knowledge or a specific opportunity.

Over the course of several days, "Wang Anju" gradually took shape as a village. The refugees regained their color, and the children began to laugh again. Lu Zhao spent his days hunting and exploring, and his nights relentlessly practicing the [Refining Spirit Technique] and [Turtle Breathing Technique].

His experience with the [Refining Spirit Technique] steadily increased, reaching Lv1 (65/100). He felt his mental energy becoming more refined, his perception range expanding to nearly fifty feet, and his recovery speed after continuous consumption also increased.

[Turtle Breathing Technique] has also been upgraded to Lv2 (0/200), with a significant improvement in effect. Stamina recovery speed is faster, tolerance to hunger and cold is stronger, and it can even reduce one's own presence to a certain extent, making it easier to stealth and hide.

That night, Lu Zhao was cultivating at the edge of the camp as usual. As he spread his spiritual energy, he suddenly sensed a familiar, unsettling, and chilling aura slowly drifting from the direction of the valley entrance!

It wasn't the scent of a wild beast, but rather... something similar to the Soul-Eating Phantom, but much weaker and more diffuse?

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the valley entrance, his gaze sharpening.

Could it be that those ghostly things have tracked us here?