Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 164

Ye Junlin opened his eyes, and what greeted him was dense vegetation, thick shrubs, and soft, earthy ground beneath his feet. Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating little spots of light on the ground. The air here was incredibly fresh, filled with the sounds of chirping insects and singing birds.

From the description, he was set to play the role of an elderly old man struggling to survive in this treacherous deep mountain forest.

Ye Junlin twisted his stiff old body, trying to take a few steps, all too familiar with this rigid yet somewhat weak feeling.

The original body he had inherited when he crossed over was an aged body nearing its end, but it was still better than this playing body—at least now walking felt much easier.

“This experience feels pretty real; I almost thought I crossed over again,” Ye Junlin said, lifting his head and squinting at the big round sun overhead, feeling a surge of inspiration.

“By the way, now that I’m in this projected virtual world, I wonder if my system is still around?” Ye Junlin attempted to call out a few times to his system, but was met with silence.

It was clear that the system couldn’t interfere here.

“Well, it’s fine; I’m here to have fun anyway. If I can take a step, then it’s a step. Being alive is a win!”

Ye Junlin snapped off a branch and began walking through the mountains, contemplating what he should do next.

Out of curiosity in his previous life, he had watched survival shows and played a few wilderness survival games, so immersing himself in this experience felt quite novel.

“First, find food and a water source, make some tools, set up a tent, or find a suitable cave to bunk down for the night.”

Ye Junlin knew that talking was easy, but actually doing it was tough, especially with this old body that made working a bit of a hassle.

“Let’s find some fruit to stave off hunger; as for meat, I guess that’s off the table for now.” Ye Junlin was self-aware and squinted his cloudy eyes, searching the lush vegetation around him for any signs of fruit.

Just then, a white shadow suddenly darted out of the grass. Ye Junlin looked closely, his old face lighting up with joy—it was a fat, plump rabbit!

But Ye Junlin thought to himself that there was a problem now, as he probably couldn’t even run faster than the rabbit. He’d likely have to just watch it hop away.

And before he could even lament, that white rabbit straight-up charged into a nearby tree, not slowing down at all, and crashed to the ground below!

Bright red blood oozed from the rabbit’s head, emitting a faint smell of blood.

Ye Junlin: “???”

Just like that, it died?

Ye Junlin dragged his elderly body over to look at the little rabbit lying there motionless, seemingly in shock.

A little while later.

A vigorous flame sprang up from the piled branches, and the plucked rabbit was being roasted on a spit, quickly releasing a mouthwatering scent.

“If I could smear some sauce on it, it’d taste even better, but it’s the wilderness… where am I gonna find that?”

Looking at the gradually cooking rabbit meat in front of him, Ye Junlin shook his head. “Well, hey, having food is just fine; one must learn to be content.”

Roar!

As soon as he finished speaking, a bear’s roar echoed from not far away.

Startled, Ye Junlin jumped up and hurriedly looked for a nearby tree for cover, peeking out cautiously.

In his line of sight was a bear, about the height of an adult, being chased by a large swarm of bees, howling in distress and running in panic.

“Damn, that was a false alarm.”

Ye Junlin sighed in relief, just about to retract his gaze when he noticed what seemed to be a honeycomb lying on the ground where the bear had just passed.

“Hmm?”

A few minutes later.

Honey-coated tender rabbit meat, steaming and fragrant, appeared before Ye Junlin’s eyes.

He took a bite, and the meat was delicate and crispy, paired with the sweetness of the honey, it tasted incredibly delightful, leaving a lasting aftertaste.

After polishing off the rabbit meat, Ye Junlin felt unsatisfied and looked at the sky gradually darkening, worrying about what he’d eat for dinner.

Suddenly.

A harsh screech rang out from above.

Before Ye Junlin could react, a bird swooped down, flapping its wings, and crashed into a tree!

Watching the feathers scatter, seeing the bird’s grim fate, Ye Junlin turned his head toward the vast sky, opened his arms wide, and with a devout expression on his aged face, shouted, “Thank you, nature, for your generous gift!”

Just like that, after Ye Junlin had his fill, he lay in the simple tent he made, closed his eyes, and wore a very serene expression.

After all, being an elderly man with physical limitations, trudging through the deep mountains to find food was undoubtedly tiring…

For the next several days, whenever Ye Junlin felt hungry, all kinds of little animals came up with creative ways to bang into trees, fulfilling the old man’s cravings.

On the eighth day, with some free time on his hands, Ye Junlin decided to stretch his limbs and went to the nearby river with a sharpened stick to fish.

Thinking it would be a physically demanding task, as soon as he stepped onto a stone in the middle, holding the stick high and focusing on catching fish, he was instantly stunned by what he saw on the water’s surface.

A whole swarm of fish had gathered out of nowhere, splashing around and poking their cute little heads above the water, eagerly waiting for the old man to stab them!

He even spotted some crabs and shrimp trailing behind the fish, a variety of species all present.

“Too much, you guys are really too much!”

Ye Junlin supported his old back, emotionally shouting, “I came here to experience tough wilderness survival—not to enjoy it! You guys being so friendly is just gonna make me fall from grace!!”

Half an hour later.

A feast of seafood was laid out on a smooth, clean stone, steaming and fragrant. Ye Junlin sat cross-legged, leaning in to sniff, and sighed, “Oh man, that smells amazing~”

Days went by.

With unwavering spirit and master-level survival skills, Ye Junlin lived well in the mountains, enjoying the abundance of treasures from both land and sea. He had no worries about food and also spent his spare time refining tools, building livable facilities.

After a lot of hard work, Ye Junlin finally settled down to a life of abundance; his entire survival process was filled with struggles—a tear-jerker for those with a weak heart…

On the hundred and eightieth day.

In a relatively wind-sheltered, sunlit area of the mountains, there stood a spacious grass hut, neatly surrounded by various crops and arranged in order.

Creaking open the door, an old man with white hair stepped out, his face radiating health. He welcomed the bright sun, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and wore a warm smile.

“I’m starting to like this place; this feeling of returning to nature and simplicity is really nice!”

Seeing this scene, the neighboring Liu Huangshu stood there, dumbfounded; the shock in his heart was beyond words.

In his mind, an elderly man with a frail body surviving alone in the perilous wilderness was an incredibly tough challenge.

One misstep could lead to an untimely death.

Why did it seem like you had it so good—food and drink aplenty, living a peaceful life?

Are you seriously just living it up here?!!