Train Survival: Can I get a treasure chest by touching my goddess?

Shen Wen stood on the open ground outside the camp, while Bai Chen held the scarlet broadsword in his hand, the tip of the blade pointing diagonally at the ground, dissecting the moves one by one as if teaching a student.

"Your Bloodshed Slash is applied at the wrong point."

As Bai Chen spoke, a flash of light appeared on his blade, and a dark red line of blood exploded from the blade, slicing along the ground and leaving a deep diagonal mark on the target ten meters away.

"The blade should move in a straight line, and the power should come from the waist and hips at the same time. Don't just use your arms to swing it."

Shen Wen nodded, drew his sword, and took a deep breath.

Bloodstained Slash.

A dark red burst of blood-red light erupted from the blade, thicker than the previous one, but its trajectory was crooked, cutting a slit from top to bottom in the target.

"Not bad, but not steady enough." Bai Chen sheathed his sword, walked over, and patted Shen Wen's side with the back of his blade.

"Your waist was too stiff when you drew your sword. The Bloodstained Slash isn't a hard strike; it's about using leverage. Before the sword strikes, your waist should rotate first, bringing the power from your upper body into the movement."

Shen Wen tried three times, and on the fourth time, the bloodline finally stabilized.

The blood-red light from the shattered blade slid across the ground, leaving a straight horizontal mark in the center of the target, deep enough to expose the bone.

Bai Chen nodded and continued, "When I was sparring with you just now..."

You haven't used your bone-crushing and throat-severing abilities enough.

"Bronze-level abilities may not be able to cause significant damage to Silver-level abilities, but over time, small advantages can accumulate into a large advantage."

"Moreover, some abilities can be combined with other abilities, which you didn't think of during the battle."

Shen Wen was stunned for a moment.

He indeed rarely used bone-crushing or throat-severing techniques.

It's not that I don't want to use it.

Every time a fight breaks out, all I can think about are the God of Slaughter Domain, Blood Blade, and Blood-Dripping Slash, and I completely forget everything else.

Sure enough, once you get used to a wheelchair, you tend to drool.

That's normal, though.

With his current stats, you'd be laughing even if you used him.

After all, you can't expect someone who's only been here a few days to be thinking about how to operate when there are already data points.

He's not a motorcycle king.

Bai Chen understood from his expression and shook his head: "The way you fight would get you punished in the Bai family by making you fetch water and chop wood."

"It's not about having a lot of skills, but about having the best. But you're not even that; you only know a few tricks."

Shen Wen humbly accepted the offer.

Bai Chen then spent another half hour instructing him, breaking down and explaining the practical applications of bone-crushing and throat-severing techniques.

"Your physical condition and skill level were just too high before. You could kill anyone with a single strike, so you didn't need to think about these things at all."

Bai Chen sheathed his sword, his tone tinged with helplessness, "Now when you encounter someone of the same level, or even stronger than you, you're completely lost. You need to correct this flaw."

Shen Wen touched his nose.

Bai Chen is right.

He used to be a wheelchair-wielding character, whose stats crushed everything; if he couldn't win, he would just unleash damage.

Bai Chen, a veteran powerhouse, had fought for decades and seen all sorts of monsters and demons; he saw right through him.

"Lord Bai, it's almost time. We should head back."

Bai Chen nodded.

He now knows that Shen Wen and the others come every day, so there's really no difference between staying here and not staying here.

Bai Shuiyao emerged from the tent, holding a skewer of roasted earthworm meat in her hand, with sauce still on the corner of her mouth.

Bai Chen looked at his daughter, hesitant to speak.

Bai Shuiyao chewed on the meat and said indistinctly, "Dad, I'm going back now. I'll come see you again next time."

Bai Chen opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed back the words "Why don't you stay for the night?"

"Okay." He nodded. "Be careful on the road."

Bai Shuiyao responded and turned to walk towards the anchor gate with light steps, without looking back.

Shen Wen glanced at Bai Chen.

The taciturn old general stood there, gripping his scarlet broadsword, watching his daughter's retreating figure. His lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Sure enough, it's only a daughter who can truly touch a father's heart.

"Lord Bai, next time I'll let her stay a little longer."

Bai Chen withdrew his gaze, shook his head and smiled: "No need."

"It's her good fortune to be with you."

Shen Wen did not respond.

He walked to the anchor gate and glanced back.

Bai Chen was still standing there.

Shen Wen stepped through the portal of light, with Bai Shuiyao following behind.

The light gate closed behind me, and in front of me was the familiar train carriage.

Shen Wen took two steps outside, then suddenly stopped.

He thought of a problem.

When they were on the platform, the circle the train drew for them was just that small area. Once they stepped out of that circle, there was a hazy fog, and they couldn't see or touch anything.

It felt like being trapped in a glass dome.

But this time is different.

When the anchor gate opened, he glanced into the distance.

It's not a fog.

It was a real wilderness, with gray-brown land stretching to the horizon, and in the distance, beacon towers of other defensive lines, their smoke rising in the twilight.

There are no restrictions.

Shen Wen narrowed his eyes.

The train does not restrict the range of motion of the anchor gate.

What does this mean?

This means that any platform they anchor at can truly become their "backyard".

Stay as long as you want, go wherever you want.

Unlike platform missions, where you're rushed by time or bound by a map.

"What's wrong?" Bai Shuiyao stood behind him, still holding the half-eaten skewer of roasted earthworm meat in her hand.

"It's nothing."

Shen Wen shook his head, saying they would discuss that later. He would also look into the situation of the Great Qin Empire when he had some free time.

For now, let's focus on the train.

When Shen Wen and Bai Shuiyao returned to the train, the carriage was already bustling with activity.

Su Qingxuan leaned against the storage box, holding a cup of hot water in her hand, her expression normal.

Su Mu stood in front of the worktable, taking out the spoils he had brought back from the upgrade platform one by one.

Jiang Youchu squatted on the ground, holding Lydia in her arms, burying her face in Lydia's neck and rubbing against her, muttering something.

Lydia's face turned red from being squeezed so tightly, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders. She stood there helplessly, whispering, "It's okay, it's okay."

Shen Wen glanced at it and got a sense of what was going on.

"Have you passed all of them?"

Su Qingxuan nodded, her tone calm: "Xiao Mu and I went to the same advancement platform. You Chu and Li Di were together."

Shen Wen raised an eyebrow: "It can be like this? It seems there aren't as many upgrade platforms as I thought."

Since there were others on the same train, it meant that the number of Black Iron Peak cultivators advancing each time wasn't as many as he had thought.

That means there aren't as many trains as you might think.

Su Qingxuan gestured with her chin towards Jiang Youchu, "On my side, Su Mu got first place, while on Jiang Youchu's side, she got first place."

Jiang Youchu lifted her head from Lydia's neck, her baby face full of guilt, and coughed lightly: "I didn't think that much at the time..."

She looked at Lydia, her tone apologetic: "Lydia, I..."

Lydia quickly waved her hand, her face still flushed, and said in a soft voice, "It's okay, Sister Youchu, I'm already very happy to have advanced."

Jiang Youchu's eyes reddened, and she rushed forward to hug her again: "I like you so much!"

Lydia was knocked back a step by the lunge, regained her balance, and reached out to pat Jiang Youchu on the back.

Su Mu stood in front of the worktable, not looking up, and said, "It's not a bad thing that she got first place. Her second talent is more useful than mine."

Previously, Su Qingxuan and the others knew that the second talent was often related to the first talent, just like Shen Wen's Goddess Treasure Chest and Phoenix Perching on the Wutong Tree.

Her ability to predict good or bad fortune is more of a supplementary skill.

Su Mu's first talent is already geared towards combat, and if his second talent is also combat-related, it will further increase Su Mu's combat power.

Shen Wen looked at her: "What is your second talent?"

Su Mu put down what he was holding, turned around, and shared the control panel.

[Martial Arts Prodigy: As proficiency in their abilities increases, they can automatically upgrade their skills. When using ability books, they can directly attempt to learn the abilities within without consuming any resources.]

The carriage was silent for a moment.

Jiang Youchu lifted her head from Lydia's shoulder, her eyes widening: "Self-advancement? Learning directly without using ability books?"

Su Mu nodded.

Shen Wen's lips twitched.

This ability is nothing short of heaven-defying.

Others spend money to buy skill books, but she can learn them just by looking at them. Others are stuck at the Bronze level and can't advance, but she breaks through on her own as she practices.

"Although Youchu isn't very bright, this time it turned out to be a lucky accident. Although her second talent isn't combat-related, it's very useful to us."

Jiang Youchu stood up from the ground, patted her knees, and shared the panel.

[True Insight: View detailed target data, including attributes, talents, abilities, and weaknesses. Data can be shared with teammates. Can discover hidden items or clues.]

Shen Wen nodded and said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Are there any restrictions?

Jiang Youchu scratched her head: "The mental attribute cannot exceed twice mine."

Shen Wen nodded: "From now on, you should prioritize building up your spirit. As long as we can see through the opponent, we'll always have the upper hand."

Lydia stood to the side and whispered, "Sister Youchu, you're so capable."

Jiang Youchu chuckled and explained about the free attribute points: "I put all 100 points into Spirit."

"My constitution is such that I'll always find a place to rest, no rush."

Bai Shuiyao stood in the corner of the carriage, still holding the half-eaten roasted earthworm meat in her hand, chewing as she listened, her expression unchanged.

Su Qingxuan leaned against the storage box and briefly described the situation of the upgrade platform in a calm tone.

She and Su Mu entered the same platform, and the process was similar to Shen Wen's time.

The first round is solo monster hunting, the second round is a free-for-all, and the third round is ranking.

"We're also holding an auction," Su Qingxuan said. "I've acquired ten bronze items, plus over thirty pieces of black iron from the people I killed. We have equipment, blueprints, and materials."

Jiang Youchu lifted her head from Lydia's shoulder and added, counting on her fingers, "I have eleven bronze pieces and more than forty iron pieces here."

Shen Wen raised an eyebrow: "Why do you have so many?"

Jiang Youchu stuck out her tongue, her voice lowering: "I've almost wiped out the Aurora Society... and there are still some who don't know their own mortality..."

She glanced at Shen Wen furtively, her voice tinged with unease: "Did I get into trouble?"

The carriage was silent for a moment.

Someone in the regional channel mentioned before that the Aurora Club is not actually a monolithic entity.

Those who were clamoring to hunt down Shen Wen and his group were mainly from Isabella's faction; the others did not express their opinions.

Huo Mengjiao also mentioned that the Aurora Club's higher-ups had an ambiguous attitude toward the matter, seemingly unwilling to offend a potential star for the sake of a dead man.

Shen Wen said expressionlessly, "So what if I killed him?"

Jiang Youchu immediately straightened her back.

Shen Wen didn't continue the topic, his gaze sweeping over the pile of spoils on the ground: "Put these away for now, we'll organize them later."

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