The exchange point is another currency system on the Water Source Planet, apart from the Water Source Coin, with an exchange rate of 1000:1.
To buy planetary-level materials or apprentice-level rare resources, one needs Water Source Coins.
A Water Source Coin can be exchanged for 1000 exchange points, but 1000 exchange points may not necessarily get you one Water Source Coin.
At least for Wang Cheng, he had only seen Water Source Coins online—he didn't have a single one himself, and he even doubted whether his family owned any.
Just like on Earth, countries typically use their own currencies, while gold and other precious metals are used internationally.
After tidying up, Wang Hao took Leng Yan and Wang Cheng deeper into the wilderness.
Wang Cheng saw all kinds of wild beasts and monsters, and with the images he remembered from online, he finally developed a more accurate sense of their types and strength.
After all, seeing photos and videos online is nothing compared to experiencing them firsthand.
Wang Hao calmly watched his son slice off the head of a Sharp-Furred Pigger Beast with one strike, then skillfully harvest its materials and pack them up.
He couldn't help but feel gratified—within just half a day, his child had slaughtered dozens of low-tier apprentice-level monsters.
After storing the materials, Wang Cheng said to his parents, "Mom, Dad, I don't want to go any further in. The deeper we go, the more likely we'll encounter mid-tier apprentice-level monsters, and that's too much for me."
Wang Hao wasn't surprised and nodded slightly: "That's right. Like I said before, a beast tide is likely coming soon—maybe within ten days or half a month."
"If we keep hanging around here with you, it's not the best use of time. Though the wilderness is more dangerous now, the outer areas are still relatively safe. Even here, there are many mid-tier apprentice-level monsters. It's much safer than going deeper. You and your mom go ahead—I want to wander this area more, hunt some monsters, and practice the 2nd and 3rd levels of the 'Martial Artist's Basic 256 Moves.' I'll return to the fortress tonight."
Leng Yan hesitated, but Wang Hao readily agreed and said to his wife:
"It's fine, dear. Ah Cheng's strength isn't weak now, and his combat suit offers solid protection. As long as he doesn't encounter a level-six apprentice monster, they won't be able to break through his defense. If we keep following him, he won't get the full experience of training in the wild. Let's head out ahead and let him feel the wilderness for himself."
Hearing her husband, Leng Yan didn't object further. Before leaving, she reminded her son:
"Ah Cheng, since you want to experience the wild on your own, your dad and I won't hold you back. But don't go too deep. If you encounter a mid-tier apprentice monster, it could be deadly for you. Promise Mom you won't go further in, okay?"
Wang Cheng didn't argue and nodded quickly: "Don't worry, Mom. I'm not that stupid—I won't seek death."
Though still a bit worried, Leng Yan left with Wang Hao.
Once his parents were gone, Wang Cheng let out a sigh of relief.
If they had stayed, he wouldn't have dared reveal his psychic abilities, and his training in the wilderness wouldn't have been nearly as effective.
More importantly, after killing so many monsters, a faint sense of yearning had begun to arise from within his Core.
But with his parents around, he didn't dare expose anything. He had to give up the monster corpses and couldn't explore the secrets within his Core.
Now that they were gone, he quickly ran back to the site of one of his kills, taking off his watch and stuffing it in his backpack—just in case it had hidden features.
He soon reached the body of the most recently slain monster. Not much time had passed, and though it still reeked of blood, it hadn't yet attracted scavengers.
Confirming that no one was around and no aerial drones were nearby, and noting the corpse wasn't large, he focused his mind and stored the calf-sized monster corpse into the spatial Core.
His consciousness entered the inner space, where the monster corpse was lying on the ground. That vague sensation became clearer—it was coming from a mysterious gray energy.
He quickly tossed the monster corpse into the gray energy.
The gray energy, seemingly harmless to Wang Cheng, instantly dried the corpse out as if it had been drained of all moisture, reducing it to ash.
Then, a strange energy emerged from the gray mass, penetrated the Core, passed through his consciousness, and acted upon his body.
It felt just like the moment of a breakthrough—his cells hungrily absorbed the energy.
Even his mental power began to slowly grow under its nourishment.
Feeling these changes, Wang Cheng was ecstatic: "If I can keep growing like this, doesn't that mean my future is limitless? Becoming a Realm Lord won't just be a dream!"
Excited, he didn't overthink it. The gray energy in the Core expelled a nearly transparent energy wave that acted upon his soul.
Just as he prepared to head toward another corpse, a mysterious sensation welled up within him. Instinctively, he activated the second-level body technique.
His speed surged like an arrow, surprising him enough to stop.
Feeling inspired, Wang Cheng began practicing levels two and three of the 'Martial Artist's Basic 256 Moves' right there.
Time passed. When he stopped, he realized his understanding of the second and third levels had greatly deepened—his overall strength had doubled.
"Was I in a state of enlightenment just now? That's incredible!"
At first, Wang Cheng hadn't been satisfied with his golden finger ability, thinking it was just a spatial Core. But now he realized the true advantage was the mysterious gray energy.
It not only helped him form a Core but acted like a rare treasure, ensuring he didn't need to worry about resources to boost his physical capabilities. As for monster bodies, the wilderness was full of them—they were his fuel for growth.
After storing a dozen or so monster corpses, he found a few had already been eaten by scavengers.
Helplessly, he left the area and headed for a thicket he remembered.
(End of Chapter)