Surviving in the chaos of war begins in the wilderness.

Three days later, in the afternoon, when Zhou Ye returned from the bamboo forest, he was happily carrying four plump bamboo rats.

In the past few days, those traps have been catching three or four bamboo rats every day. Perhaps there are no natural predators in the bamboo forest, and the bamboo rats are not afraid of people at all, nor are they wary of them, so the success rate of the traps is quite high.

That's why Zhou Ye planned to increase the number of traps. This would make hunting much easier; it would simply involve harvesting once a day and changing the location of the traps.

Who knew a bamboo forest could be such a lucky place? If a round, plump national treasure suddenly popped out, wouldn't that be even more... hilarious?

Holding a sharp dagger, he slaughtered the bamboo rats one by one, gutted them, and carefully peeled off their skin.

At first, being a novice, I would always tear the skin in several places when peeling a bamboo rat. But now I'm much more skilled, and at least I don't cut myself anymore.

I'll put these pelts away safe; tonight I'm going to have spicy stir-fried bamboo rat meat. Bamboo rats are so cute, it's sure to taste delicious!

Now, Zhou Ye felt his body had finally recovered. He had replenished his nutrients, and even his hunger wasn't as intense anymore. Unlike before, when he was skin and bones, fat and muscle were beginning to accumulate under his skin. Even his height had begun to increase dramatically.

Therefore, my diet gradually became more regular. Unlike before, I no longer ate and drank excessively. My daily ration was 1.5 jin of staple food, half a jin of meat, and half a jin of vegetables and fruits. Occasionally, I would treat myself to a full-meat feast.

To my delight, the main frame of the bamboo house had also been completed. The entire bamboo house was now elevated, with bamboo flooring laid out. A hearth had even been dug in the center. However, there were gaps between the bamboo poles, meaning it wouldn't keep out rain and would let in drafts. In the original owner's memories, the winters here were quite cold. Therefore, further improvements were necessary.

After finishing all that, Zhou Ye immediately immersed himself in cultivation. Because now was another crucial moment in his cultivation journey.

More than an hour later, Zhou Ye sheathed his sword. His expression became strange—Basic Slashing (Unskilled): Proficient (0/100)

Bad news: There will be no more free attribute points as a reward after this upgrade. But that makes sense. If free attribute points are so worthless and can be obtained so easily, it would be better to just give out a Martial Venerable System, then everyone would be invincible and could mow down enemies without restraint.

Good news: After all, the basic slashing attack has been upgraded to mastery. And with the upgrade, a large number of insights and understandings about slashing mastery have emerged in my mind, and I have mastered various slashing techniques.

These valuable insights and understandings can greatly enhance one's strength.

To be honest, the previous "beginner" level was like a toddler just learning to read reciting and tracing characters; while the current "expert" level demonstrates a deeper understanding of simple texts. The difference in effect is like night and day.

In other words, only when one reaches the mastery stage can one be considered to have truly mastered martial arts. Before that, it's merely the learning stage.

However, on the other hand, don't forget that this is the foundation!

It refers to the fundamental skills of slashing and chopping. You can chop with a knife, an axe, or even a sword. There are even slashing techniques using a one-handed short sword or a two-handed greatsword…

This made Zhou Ye suddenly realize. So that's how it is!

Just like basic throwing, you can throw a knife, a javelin, or a stone. These are all considered basic skills. Even if you're skilled at throwing meteorites, that still counts.

Basic thrusting techniques can be used not only with spears, but also with swords, daggers, and other weapons. Therefore, this is a large category, and there is no separate basic spear technique.

That being said, in swordsmanship, basic slashing and basic thrusting are both fundamental skills and need to be combined together.

As for basic hammering, that falls under the category of heavy weapons. It might also include heavy hammers, heavy clubs, and so on. There isn't a separate basic club technique.

Of course, advanced martial arts techniques involve much more than just these basics; they also include power generation techniques, combination routines, and so on. They are definitely much more advanced than these fundamental skills.

Unless you're a genius who can turn the impossible into the possible. Geniuses, after all, can slay dragons with a pitchfork. They can disregard all the rules of the world.

Anyway, Zhou Ye knew his own limitations and was certain he wasn't that kind of freak.

After understanding, Zhou Ye became thoughtful.

The point-farming phase is over. At least in the short term, I won't be able to farm points anymore. I need to focus on improving my strength.

If you're going to focus on your main skill, it will definitely be basic slashing, and you need to improve it to a higher level in one go.

As for supplementary training, one is basic movement techniques, and the other is... basic throwing!

With basic movement techniques combined with high agility, one can achieve even greater speed and flexibility.

As for my weaknesses, they are strength and health, which cannot be resolved in the short term. Melee combat is definitely out of the question, so I can only choose ranged attacks.

As for basic ranged archery? There aren't that many arrows, you know? Actually, you can only choose basic throwing.

Basically, attack from a distance. If the attack is ineffective, turn around and run without hesitation.

The next day, Zhou Ye carried a shoulder pole to the riverbank and dug out a lot of clay with a shovel...

On the third day, Zhou Ye applied clay to the roof, then laid down bundles of straw and tied them tightly. After they dried, the thatched roof was finished...

On the fourth day, Zhou Ye mixed clay, river sand, gravel, and long strips of black grass together to make a kind of grass-reinforced concrete. He then clamped it with wooden boards and laid it onto the outer wall. After drying, it formed a clay exterior wall…

On the fifth day, the straw-reinforced concrete was laid in the hearth inside the house. There were also some other miscellaneous tasks, such as making bed frames…

On the sixth day, we returned to the old camp. We brought back a bed frame, a table, and two chairs. This will save some time for the carpentry work and a considerable amount of nails. After all, we'll be building the main house later…

Inside the bamboo house, Zhou Ye lay contentedly on the bed. It seemed like about a month had passed since he transmigrated, and he finally had a safe new home.

To be honest, Zhou Ye was already so excited he wanted to dance. How about a little dance to liven things up?

So you can't dance? Then... how about some calisthenics?

Anyway, there's no one else here, so no matter how abstract I am, no one will know.

It's decided! It'll be radio calisthenics! Zhou Ye enthusiastically performed a section of "The Motherland Is Calling."

Suddenly, however, the panel appeared—Basic Boxing Techniques (Unskilled): Not Yet a Beginner (0/10)

Staring blankly at the panel, Zhou Ye remained silent for a long time. After a while, he finally couldn't help but swear.

Damn it! What the hell is the motherland calling?! I'd love to answer the call, but Motherland, you should at least acknowledge me!

However, to be fair, the radio calisthenics was indeed a collective creation of an expert group. Tell me! Isn't this a martial art? A health-preserving martial art? Ahem.

But I don't need it at all, bro. Because there's no reward anymore!