Teng Lin carefully reached into his storage pouch, retrieving a small cloth bag filled with seeds. They were ordinary, almost mundane-looking, with faint specks of brown and green. Su Xianyu's sharp eyes narrowed as he noticed the bag's contents.
"Those are your 'urgent mission' items?" Su Xianyu asked, his tone a blend of curiosity and disbelief. "I thought you'd bring out some rare artifact or a treasure from a forbidden zone. But these… these are seeds any mortal could buy at a basic herb stall!"
Teng Lin chuckled nervously, scratching his head. "They may look simple, but they're important for my task."
Su Xianyu shook his head, muttering, "I've seen countless cultivators with strange missions, but this? This is new."
Unfazed by the comment, Teng Lin found a soft patch of soil and knelt, carefully pressing the first seed into the ground. As he covered it with earth, a faint sensation swept over him, almost like a whisper brushing against his consciousness.
Suddenly, a crisp ding echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations! First seed planted. Reward: free lottery spin. Planter points unlocked."
Teng Lin's eyes widened in astonishment. A lottery spin? Planter points? What's this about? He instinctively accessed the mysterious system within him, and a vivid image of a spinning wheel appeared in his mind. Brightly colored sections flashed with an enticing sheen.
He stared at it, mesmerized. Just as he was about to focus on the wheel, Su Xianyu's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Something wrong?" Su Xianyu asked, noting Teng Lin's sudden pause.
"Huh? Oh, no. Nothing." Teng Lin forced a casual smile and waved dismissively, his mind racing. The wheel was still spinning, and the system indicated it would take a few minutes to stop. Deciding to make the most of the time, he turned back to the task at hand.
"I'll just plant the rest of these seeds."
He picked up the second seed and placed it in the soil with deliberate care. As he patted the dirt, another ding sounded in his mind.
"Mortal level seed planted. +1 planter point."
Teng Lin's heart skipped a beat. Planter points… I've got one now. What do I even use them for? The system seemed to sense his unspoken question, sending him a message.
"Planter points are to be used in the Farmer Shop."
Farmer Shop? he thought, his curiosity piqued. But before he could ask more, the system added,
"The Farmer Shop will unlock after the lottery wheel completes its spin."
Fair enough, he thought, though the system's cryptic nature always left him wondering.
Continuing with his task, Teng Lin planted the remaining seeds one by one. Each time, the familiar ding sounded, and the points steadily accumulated. By the time he pressed the final seed into the earth, the tally was clear: nine planter points.
Satisfied, he stood up and brushed his hands against his robes, his mind already calculating the potential of these points. Just as he pondered their use, another system message interrupted him.
"Mission complete. Analyzing completion success…"
"Congratulations! 100% mortal level completion achieved. Reward: one spirit stone (low)."
Teng Lin blinked, startled, as a faint glimmer appeared in his palm. He looked down to find a smooth, crystalline stone radiating a faint blue light.
"A spirit stone?" he whispered aloud, tilting his head in confusion.
"Hmm?" Su Xianyu turned toward him. His eyes immediately landed on the stone. "Eh? Where did that come from?" He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem to have it on you just now."
Teng Lin felt a rush of panic but quickly masked it with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Ah, just something I had tucked away. Didn't think it would come in handy."
Su Xianyu let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "You're always full of surprises. That's why I find you so interesting."
The tension eased, and Teng Lin relaxed, though the spirit stone still intrigued him. He glanced at Su Xianyu. "Senior Su, do you know what this is?"
"Of course," Su Xianyu replied, his tone turning instructive. "That's a spirit stone—basic currency for cultivators. Though judging by its glow, it's a low-level one."
Seeing Teng Lin's curious expression, Su Xianyu elaborated. "The value of spirit stones is simple. Ten copper coins equal one silver, ten silver equal one gold, and one hundred gold equal a single low-level spirit stone like the one in your hand. From there, a hundred low-level spirit stones equal a medium-level one, and a hundred medium-level stones equal a high-level stone."
Teng Lin listened intently, his eyes sparkling with intrigue.
"Spirit stones like these form naturally in areas rich in spirit essence," Su Xianyu continued. "The higher the concentration, the better the stones produced. Most sects are founded near spirit stone mines. For instance, my former sect sat on a high-level spirit stone mine, one of its greatest advantages."
As Su Xianyu spoke, he noticed Teng Lin's gaze growing distant, almost dreamy. His words faltered. "What's wrong with you?"
Without thinking, Teng Lin blurted out, "I'm rich!"
Su Xianyu froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Rich? That's one low-level spirit stone, barely worth mentioning. Wait until you see a high-level one—then we can talk about being rich!"
But Teng Lin didn't mind. For him, this single spirit stone symbolized the start of something far greater.
Teng Lin stared at the small spirit stone in his hand, its faint blue glow softly illuminating his palm. He had never held so much wealth in his life. His family back home had always struggled, scraping by with little to spare. The thought of how a single spirit stone could change their lives overwhelmed him.
With this… I can finally provide for them. They won't have to worry anymore. Maybe… I'm not such a failure after all.
His thoughts were interrupted by a distant sound in his mind, faint at first but growing louder: a clicking noise. It was the wheel. The closer it got to stopping, the louder the clicks became, each one reverberating in his consciousness.
Click-click-click.
The noise grew to a crescendo, drowning out all else until it was the only thing he could hear. Suddenly, the wheel in his mind began to expand, larger and larger, until it filled the entirety of his mental vision, consuming the sky itself. Teng Lin couldn't look away.
Finally, the wheel came to a stop. His heart pounded as the pointer settled on a vibrant image of a tree with five-colored leaves and sprawling, majestic branches.
"Ding! Congratulations! Lottery wheel reward received: Five Elements Dao Fruit Tree."
Before he could process the message, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble.
"What now?" Su Xianyu muttered, narrowing his eyes at Teng Lin. "What is this kid up to this time?"
Teng Lin was about to reply when a sprout suddenly emerged from the soil just beyond the moat. It grew at an alarming rate, twisting and stretching upward, its leaves shimmering with five distinct colors: red, blue, yellow, green, and white. Both Teng Lin and Su Xianyu watched, awe-struck, as the sapling transformed into a full-fledged tree within moments.
But there was more. Su Xianyu's senses sharpened as he felt the tree's breath of life. It wasn't just growing—it was cultivating. Its aura surged, rapidly climbing to terrifying heights.
"This is not good," Su Xianyu muttered, his face pale. Without a second thought, he grabbed Teng Lin, throwing him over his shoulder.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Teng Lin protested, but Su Xianyu didn't answer. In an instant, they appeared outside the valley.
Su Xianyu sent his spirit sense back to observe the tree. His heart sank as he realized the aura of the tree had already surpassed his own. The tree was now his height, and its power continued to grow unchecked.
"No, we're still too close," he muttered, picking up speed as he fled even farther. They reached the outskirts of a nearby town in record time.
Teng Lin, dazed and confused, looked at Su Xianyu. "Senior Su, what's going on? Why are we running? You've seen strange things happen before."
Su Xianyu turned to him, his face serious. "Boy, what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" Teng Lin replied, flustered. "I was standing next to you the whole time!"
"Now's not the time for jokes," Su Xianyu snapped. "Do you realize what kind of monster just appeared in that valley? That tree could kill us with the mere wind from its branches!"
Teng Lin's jaw dropped. "What? A tree can be that strong?"
Su Xianyu nodded grimly. "Of course. Plants can cultivate the Dao just like humans and animals. Their only restriction is usually their lifespan—smaller plants rarely live long enough to gain spirituality. But that… that monster gained spirituality the moment it emerged. Its growth is absurd."
He paused, his mind racing. That tree… its aura is nearing the peak of Divine Transformation. It's on the verge of crossing into the Tribulation Stage.
As if on cue, dark clouds began to gather above the valley. Su Xianyu's face darkened. "This is going to cause a massive commotion. The sects in the area will know something is happening soon."
Just as the clouds seemed ready to unleash their judgment, they suddenly dispersed.
"What?" Su Xianyu murmured, dumbfounded.
The clouds gathered again, slightly darker this time, only to scatter once more. This cycle repeated several times, leaving Su Xianyu perplexed.
Suddenly, a crisp bell rang out, and the heavens seemed to tremble. The clouds swirled with purpose, their energy converging into a single point. Su Xianyu's breath caught as realization dawned.
"It's breaking through to Mahayana!" he exclaimed, pointing upward.
Teng Lin blinked in surprise. "Mahayana? Isn't that the last cultivation level?"
"It might be, or it might not," Su Xianyu said, his voice quieter now. "For those on the path, the end isn't always clear. Just because I see what appears to be the peak doesn't mean the road won't continue beyond it." He gestured toward the sky. "Still, you should watch. It's not every day you witness something like this."
In the nearby town, chaos erupted. Civilians pointed to the sky in fear and wonder.
"What's happening?" one asked. "Is this Heaven's Judgment?"
Another shook their head. "No, look how beautiful it is! This must be Heaven's Blessing!"
A third cautioned, "It's happening over the mountains. Should we check it out?"
"Don't be foolish!" someone replied. "This is clearly a cultivator's matter. Mortals like us have no place there."
In the city lord's mansion garden, two middle-aged men stood silently, their gazes fixed on the sky.
"Brother Li," said Tu Bai, his voice low, "do you recognize this sign?"
Li Haoran, the city lord, nodded gravely. "Of course, Brother Tu. It's the breakthrough of a great deity."
Tu Bai hesitated. "Should we go congratulate this senior?"
Li Haoran shook his head firmly. "How could we, two measly Golden Core practitioners, dare to show our faces before such a being? Our only option is to report this to the sect. You should go immediately."
Tu Bai frowned but eventually nodded. "Alright, I'll leave now. If anything happens, send the emergency signal."
Li Haoran waved him off. "Go. I'll manage things here."
Meanwhile, Chen Bo and Wei Jian, both standing on a rooftop, stared at the same sky.
"Look," Chen Bo said, pointing. "Even the white specks of spirit energy are drifting toward the valley. It has to be him."
Wei Jian frowned. "Who?"
Chen Bo smirked. "Teng Lin. This has to be his doing."
Wei Jian's face paled. "What? That? Are you serious?"
"I need to see him," Chen Bo said, already leaping down from the rooftop.
Wei Jian hesitated. "Wait, you're going toward that? Are you insane?"
"Maybe," Chen Bo replied, glancing at the sky. "But if Teng Lin's involved, it's worth the risk. He might need our help."
With a reluctant sigh, Wei Jian followed. As they approached the outskirts of the town, they noticed a commotion among the townsfolk marveling at the sky. Pressing on, they finally spotted two familiar figures: Teng Lin and Su Xianyu.