"Congratulations, you have obtained a time acceleration formation through the 100-point draw."
Upon seeing the draw results, Antoine's eyes widened, astonished by the reward he had received. A feeling of euphoria washed over him, and he marveled at the infinite possibilities the system offered.
The ability to alter the flow of time was something he had never dared to imagine. Eager to discover the full range of this formation's capabilities, he asked the system to install it in his meditation cave near the mountain.
As he made his way there, the intense feelings that had swelled within him slowly subsided. Halfway there, Antoine sat on a rock by the roadside. With a sweeping view of the massive mountain range, he began to meditate without cultivating, focusing solely on his spirituality and control over his emotions. Antoine had just experienced a realization: his goal in isolation was to detach from all civilization to seek inner peace and elevate his spirituality to a higher level.
However, over the past week, he had repeatedly broken the vows he had made to himself before beginning his hermitage. Embarrassed by how easily he had lost control, he resolved to meditate as long as it took to regain the spiritual state he had achieved after a year of isolation.
Closing his eyes to block out his surroundings, he gradually disengaged from all sensory input. The longer he meditated, the deeper his concentration grew. Unconsciously, Qi began flowing toward him, entering his body through his pores. Antoine was experiencing an enlightenment.
One day later, Antoine was still seated on the same rock, motionless, almost blending in with an ultra-realistic statue. The Qi that had been flowing into him in abundance since the previous day was gradually slowing. Finally, Antoine stopped attracting Qi altogether. Nonetheless, he did not wake up, remaining in a state of enlightenment for another full hour.
Eventually, Antoine's senses began transmitting information to him once more. The birds' song and the warmth of the sun finally pulled him out of his previous state. Realizing a full day had passed, Antoine, introspective, felt a profound shift in his mindset. His mind was entirely under his control, devoid of intrusive thoughts, and he sensed a deep, qualitative transformation in his mentality. His thought process had also become much faster and more efficient.
He attempted to absorb some of the Qi present in the air and noticed that his absorption speed had significantly increased. However, this time, he remained serene despite a slight feeling of exhilaration.
After such an experience, he descended the mountain with a light step. Antoine spent the rest of the afternoon tending to the animals, maintaining his crops, all while keeping an eye on the boy's condition.
With a magnificent sunset behind him, Antoine, having completed all his tasks, finally made his way to the waterfall. Once in the cave, he activated the formation according to the system's instructions. It could slow time from 2 to 10 times, and he immediately chose to set it to a slowdown factor of 10.
Next, he sat cross-legged in his usual spot and began exploring the various options in the shop. He came across several intriguing items, such as alchemy equipment and various seeds for plants and trees with magical effects. He decided to buy one of each of these items.
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Qi Flowers
Flowers that grow in a Qi-rich environment. They absorb Qi from the air and purify it, enhancing its quality and quantity to a moderate degree.
Price: 10 points per batch
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Genesis Apple Tree
Bears apples annually. The number of apples depends on its age. They allow any living being to increase their intelligence, and animals to gain self-awareness similar to humans.
Price: 200 points per plant
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Basic Alchemy Set
Contains a low-quality pill furnace, a low-quality alchemical flame, a recipe for a low-quality Qi-enhancement pill, and 100 ingredient batches for the Qi-enhancement pill.
Price: 100 points
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Alchemy Basics Manuscript
A manuscript detailing everything a novice alchemist should know about the noble profession.
Price: 50 points
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Once he had purchased all these items, he stored them in his storage ring without touching them, focusing first on the manuscripts he had received as part of the beginner's pack reward.
After a certain time, Antoine closed the last manuscript. Now possessing a much deeper understanding of formations, agriculture, and animal husbandry, he closed his eyes, attempting to assimilate all this information durably and to contemplate the use and application of all the new knowledge he had been exposed to.
Although the manuscripts on agriculture and animal husbandry might seem trivial, they had little in common with what he previously knew. Agriculture was described as the art of cultivating various plants and foods with magical effects, such as instant healing, month-long sustenance, pill creation through alchemy, and even lifespan extension...
Animal husbandry, on the other hand, focused on how to evolve animals, teach them combat and various magical skills, as well as their sometimes unusual reproduction methods. For instance, for spiritual chickens, one had to give them an aphrodisiac plant, then cut one of the hen's claws and feed it to the rooster. Although natural reproduction was possible, beasts evolved through mana lost much of their reproductive instincts. For breeding, one therefore had to find various ways to provoke mating.