“Congratulations, one of your skills has reached Advanced, and you can unlock a second skill. Would you like to proceed?”
As these words abruptly appeared before Wang Hao’s eyes, his mind instantly went blank.
He widened his eyes, staring intently at the string of characters, as if trying to see the endless mysteries hidden within those simple words.
At this moment, time seemed to freeze. Wang Hao’s thoughts raced like a wild horse.
This feeling was so similar to the games he used to be obsessed with!
When upgrade conditions were met, new skill slots could be unlocked, granting more powerful abilities.
So, would there be a third, fourth, or even more skills waiting for him to unlock next?
Thinking of this, an uncontrollable excitement surged within Wang Hao.
The future was full of infinite possibilities, perhaps even more unexpected surprises awaited his exploration.
His heart, which had become almost stagnant after being suppressed by society, suddenly burst with vitality.
When his thoughts returned to reality, Wang Hao did not immediately choose to unlock a new skill; this place was clearly not suitable for such an important decision.
Wang Hao took a deep breath, trying to calm his restless heart.
He silently watched the few remaining ingredients on the stall, musing to himself, “That’s enough for today.”
So, he turned to his sister and called out, “Time to pack up!”
Although Wang Lan was puzzled why her brother wanted to pack up early when they hadn't sold everything, she didn't argue. She knew her brother had his reasons for doing things.
The two then tacitly began to pack up the stall.
Before long, everything was neatly organized in the cart. Wang Hao gripped the handlebar, taking firm and steady steps, and set off for home with his sister.
Along the way, Wang Hao felt as if he had returned to that age of strong self-confidence in the world, an age also filled with unprecedented power.
The sunlight spilled over them, casting long shadows, as if witnessing this ordinary yet extraordinary journey home.
After returning home, Wang Hao quickly organized his tools and placed them properly.
Then, meeting his sister's puzzled gaze, he walked into the house, feeling slightly nervous yet full of anticipation.
Once he stood still inside the house, Wang Hao took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and silently chanted in his mind: “Activate!”
Accompanying this soft whisper, as if a certain mechanism had been triggered, a strange scene unfolded—a brand new image suddenly appeared before his eyes.
In the center of this image, a scratch-off lottery-like picture was displayed.
Upon closer inspection, a rather peculiar pattern could be seen in the very center of the image, unique and strange in shape, making one think of a skill icon in a game.
This peculiar pattern caught Wang Hao’s attention. He always felt that the icon appearing in this image must not be simple, but he couldn't think of any special meaning for a while, so he could only set it aside for now.
At this moment, something even more astonishing happened.
The coating beneath the scratch-off picture seemed to be gently pinched by an invisible giant hand, then slowly, bit by bit, it was scratched away from left to right.
The entire process appeared exceptionally bizarre and mysterious. Wang Hao widened his eyes, staring intently at this scene, his heart filled with curiosity and doubt:
What kind of skill would be revealed? This unknown outcome made his heart pound, eager to know the answer.
When the last bit of coating was completely scratched away, Wang Hao's gaze was fixed on what lay before him—the clear new skill name: Erh-hu! Immediately following, a system prompt appeared:
“Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked Erh-hu Primary Skill. Current proficiency: Erh-hu Primary 0/100.”
“Erh-hu? This is interesting. Previously, his Cooking Skill encompassed all aspects of Cooking, but now he only got an Erh-hu Skill. Could it be that the cheat’s skills also have a distinction between major and minor skills? And he just had bad luck and got a minor skill?”
Wang Hao couldn't help but ponder to himself.
Looking at this unexpected skill, which didn't seem very profitable, Wang Hao felt that the outcome wasn't great, but he didn't feel too much disappointment. After all, it was an unexpected bonus, and he felt content.
Following this was a surge of novelty and curiosity.
After all, he now possessed the practical Cooking Skill, which could solve his basic needs and provide a certain earning capacity.
While the Erh-hu Skill might not bring direct economic benefits like Cooking, its value in terms of thought, emotion, and art far surpassed what Cooking could offer.
For Wang Hao, mastering a musical instrument not only cultivated his temperament and expressed his inner feelings, but more importantly, it contained cultural connotations and artistic charm, an area he had never explored.
Not only that, if others wanted to learn Erh-hu well, they had to invest a lot of time and effort into diligent study and repeated practice to truly grasp its mysteries;
However, for him, it was not so difficult—he only needed to continuously grind skill proficiency, a simple operation.
When it came time to upgrade, those precious experiences and profound insights that others had painstakingly pursued for a long time would automatically come to him, and he could easily absorb them. It was truly a case of achieving more with less effort and making a huge profit!
Looking at it this way, he really took advantage of everything!
As Wang Hao was immersed in his thoughts, the words “Erh-hu” quickly merged into his glabella.
In an instant, a completely unfamiliar wave of knowledge surged forth, directly entering his mind.
Wang Hao frowned slightly, but the discomfort vanished in a flash.
In its place, a series of music theory knowledge and Erh-hu playing techniques emerged in his mind.
All this new information was completely absorbed and understood by Wang Hao in a short time. This wonderful feeling of going from nothing to something was completely different from the indoctrination he received when his Cooking Skill upgraded previously.
The former was more like adding to an existing foundation, while the latter was like cultivating a brand new world out of chaos, allowing Wang Hao, a complete novice, to now have the ability to play.
It was a pity he didn't have an Erh-hu in hand right now, otherwise Wang Hao would surely play a piece; nothing else, just the new skill made his hands itch.
Wang Hao lay quietly on the large bed, his thoughts surging like a tide. He closed his eyes and began to silently sort through the skill knowledge that had been instilled today.
First, he organized the newly acquired Erh-hu Skill: how to correctly hold the Erh-hu, bowing techniques, string-pressing methods, and complex music theory knowledge. The exploration of this new field excited him.
However, what attracted Wang Hao's attention even more was the Advanced Cooking Skill, which had become even more profound after the upgrade.
The precautions for food preparation and unique Cooking techniques were as dazzling and overwhelming as the stars twinkling in the night sky.
Every detail contained endless wisdom and creativity, waiting for him to dig and discover.
From ingredient selection to knife work, and then to seasoning combinations, every step was full of knowledge;
And the characteristics and requirements of different dishes varied greatly, requiring careful comprehension and skillful application to cook up mouth-watering delicacies.
At this moment, these valuable experiences were continuously being sorted, summarized, and deeply impressed upon Wang Hao, which made him, who already had a unique affection for Cooking, even more engrossed in it.