The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Mud, carrying broken logs and boulders, poured down from the mountaintop with a deafening roar.

Qi Ji stood on the high cliff on the other side, his antlers covered in cold mud and water, and watched helplessly as the clumsy black bear and the little squirrel clutching the pine cone on its back were instantly swallowed up by the brownish-yellow torrent, without even being able to let out a final howl.

"well"

With a sigh, Qi Ji unconsciously pawed at the hard rock beneath his feet, his ears drooping limply.

There was no heart-wrenching sorrow, only a heavy, complex emotion that felt stuck in my chest.

It was awe of the power of nature, a sigh for the fragility of life, and a touch of relief that one was not one of them.

Qi Ji stood there for a long time, until the aftershocks of the mudslide gradually subsided and only the sound of rain remained in the valley. Only then did he slowly turn around and leave the land that had buried two passersby, without looking back.

For the next week, Qi Ji wandered alone in the increasingly dangerous mountains and forests.

The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping; the continuous downpour was like countless whips, lashing the already overburdened mountain range day and night.

Three days ago, another large-scale collapse occurred on the other side of the mountain, with half of the mountain collapsing down. The mud and water mist that rose up blocked out the sky and took a full half hour to dissipate.

The prolonged soaking has made the mud and rocks on the mountain incredibly soft. The once solid mountain path is now so soft that you might sink if you step on it. Cracks and loose boulders are everywhere, and every step you take is fraught with danger.

The animals in the mountains and forests sensed the impending catastrophe and instinctively began a great migration.

Groups of wild boars dragged their young along the ridgeline, running frantically towards the outside of the mountains.

The birds that used to scatter now gather into dark, dense clouds, flying tirelessly towards the distance day and night.

Even the snakes and insects that usually hide underground climbed to the highest tree branches, flicking their tongues and watching the constantly trembling earth warily.

On this day, Qi Ji went to the place he had been spending the most time in recently.

All that could be seen was a muddy, murky expanse of ground. The massive, smooth-surfaced granite rock, sheltered from the wind and rain, had sunk completely underground following a minor collapse the previous night.

That was his favorite bed during this period. On countless rainy nights, he huddled under the boulder, sheltering from the gales and mudslides.

Qi Ji stood by the mud, silent for a moment. He looked up and saw that the leaden sky was still terribly gloomy. Large raindrops pelted his face and antlers, icy cold.

"Damn you, God! I really want to kick you a few times. Is this how you should rain? Are you out of your mind? Are you hormonally imbalanced? You owe me my bed!"

Qi Ji cursed a few times. Although he couldn't speak human language and could only vent his anger in his mind, he had reached his limit due to the frustration he had been feeling for a while.

Now he knew all too well that he could no longer stay in this mountain range, which he had lived in ever since he was born into this world.

"It's time to leave."

Qi Ji thought to himself, and made his decision.

However, before leaving, he planned to take one last look at Qinghe Town at the foot of the mountain.

"Okay, let's go now."

Qi Ji made a quick decision and immediately changed direction, heading towards Qinghe Town.

But after walking less than two miles, Qi Ji's nose suddenly twitched.

"Huh? What's this?!"

A very special scent drifted into his nostrils along with the breeze. The scent was sweet with a hint of rich herbal fragrance, and there was an indescribable feeling that made every cell in his body yearn for joy.

Qi Ji stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with surprise. He knew all too well what this smell meant.

"This is the aroma of a precious medicine!"

Qi Ji was surprised, delighted, and also puzzled.

He was very familiar with this location; he had passed by it at least a dozen times during this period. He had never smelled the medicine, let alone any unusual smell.

But what's with this smell now?

Qi Ji had no time to delve into the reasons. This kind of god-given opportunity was fleeting, so Qi Ji immediately changed direction, lowered his body, and quickly chased after the direction from which the scent was coming.

The source of the smell was a huge ancient pine tree that had been snapped in half by a mudslide.

Qi Ji circled the broken tree trunk and finally saw the flower in a crack inside the trunk.

It was a small flower, no bigger than a fist, with four layers of petals, in gold, blue, green and yellow from the inside out. Layer upon layer, it looked just like a blooming peony, emitting a faint glow and that fragrance that haunted his dreams.

"I see."

Qi Ji instantly understood that this precious herb must have been parasitizing inside the ancient pine tree, wrapped in thick bark, so that its scent could not escape at all.

It wasn't until a mudslide a few days ago knocked down the tree and cracked its trunk that its fragrance finally wafted into the air.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qi Ji raised his hard forelegs and stomped hard on the crack in the tree trunk. With a "crack," the rotten wood shattered.

He leaned over, snatched the four-colored peony flower into his mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

Soon, a warm current, far more surging than ever before, flowed from his throat into his limbs, so comfortable that he almost groaned.

[Spirit Points +42]

"This is amazing! This precious herb is incredibly powerful; it's better than any of the ones I've tried before."

Qi Ji happily flicked its tail and lightly stomped its hooves on the ground twice. It never expected to have such an unexpected gain before leaving, which was definitely a good omen.

Now his Spirit Points have increased by 42 in one go. Including those he had been accumulating, he now has 123 Spirit Points, which is enough for him to start strengthening his physique.

Without hesitation, Qi Ji immediately chanted in his mind, "System, strengthen my physique."

The next second, the familiar tingling sensation spread throughout my body again, my bones made a slight crackling sound, my limbs became stronger, my snow-white fur shimmered with a faint glow, and even my five senses became more acute.

What made Qi Ji even happier was that he was lucky enough to gain another small skill during this physical enhancement.

As Qi Ji received the skill information from his brain, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"This skill is pretty effective."

The skill gained from this physical enhancement is called [Spirit Foot].

The effect was almost exactly the same as the chakra absorption in the Naruto anime that Qi Ji watched in his previous life.

Simply put, his hooves can release an invisible yet real energy that can firmly adhere to any solid or liquid surface, whether it is a vertical wall, a smooth rock, an inverted ceiling, or a flowing water surface, he can run and move as if on flat ground.

"This skill is absolutely perfect for this moment."

Qi Ji's heart pounded. He subconsciously turned his head and looked at a tall tree with a straight trunk that was more than ten meters high.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and tentatively raised one of his front hooves, gently stepping onto the rough bark, while instinctively activating the [Spirit Foot] skill.

A gentle yet steady suction instantly came from the center of his hoof, firmly sticking it to the tree trunk.

"It's done."

Qi Ji was overjoyed. He steadied himself, slowly raised his other front hoof, and stepped on it as well.

Immediately afterwards, his two hind hooves left the ground one after the other, and his entire body actually pressed completely against the vertical tree trunk, standing firmly without falling...