Although white cogongrass was an incredibly resilient weed.
Strangely, there was not much white cogongrass in this valley. Within the area covered by Willow Tree, there was only this one stalk.
A branch carrying the Enlightenment talent fell onto the white cogongrass.
In an instant.
A series of rustling sounds came from the white cogongrass, which stood over a meter tall and grew vigorously—the sounds of roots and stems growing, of plant fibers rubbing together.
Compared to other successfully awakened plants, white cogongrass possessed even greater vitality. The commotion caused by its mutation was also far more astonishing.
First, the delicate white fuzz growing atop the grass stalk vanished. Then, even the thick main stalk began to wither away at a visible rate.
A few minutes later.
The white cogongrass's stalk, over a meter long, completely disappeared.
Of the grass blades growing lushly around the stalk, most slowly faded and withered, as if an entire season had passed in an instant and autumn had arrived.
Yet several other leaves began growing rapidly.
It was as though the entire clump of cogongrass had concentrated all its vitality into those few leaves.
The leaves rapidly grew and swelled, while their edges became sharper.
In the end, they had clearly been nothing more than blades of grass on a weed.
Yet beneath the moonlight, they gleamed with the cold radiance of tempered steel.
There were only nine such leaves in total.
Every one of them looked incomparably sharp, like dark green blades.
White Cogongrass Status: Healthy Life Level: 1 Vitality: 0.47 Talent: Sharpness (Rare Quality): Leaves born from a mutation that concentrated immense vitality. They were as sharp as sword blades and could even unleash invisible Sword Qi, damaging distant enemies.
"Exaggerated!"
Another rare-grade talent.
Unfortunately, there was only this one stalk of white cogongrass near Willow Tree.
Otherwise.
If dozens or even hundreds of such white cogongrass plants grew beside the Willow Template, their leaves could whirl about like a waterfall of Sword Qi. No enemy would be able to approach Willow Tree.
But...
For now, such a scene could only remain a fantasy.
White cogongrass was an exceptionally vigorous weed. Under normal circumstances, if one stalk was found in a field, it would not be long before the entire field was covered in the same weed.
In his previous life, white cogongrass had severely harmed crops.
Once discovered, it would be immediately removed.
Yet this valley where Willow Tree stood had an environment well suited to white cogongrass, but only this lone stalk grew there.
Su Heng had every reason to suspect that this particular stalk of white cogongrass was special.
"Alright, that should be about enough."
After working through the entire night.
Su Heng was feeling somewhat exhausted as well.
The Life Enlightenment talent consumed Willow Tree's vitality.
But every time that vitality was depleted, the unbearable sense of weakness was fully transmitted into Su Heng's consciousness.
Red Moon had long since vanished. A crimson glow in the sky above the eastern forest illuminated the heavens.
It looked beautiful, possessing a grandeur that shook the heart.
Especially with Willow Tree's three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision without blind spots, it was an exceptionally novel experience for Su Heng.
"Chirp, chirp..."
The six peregrine falcons, each over half a meter long, had patrolled for the entire night. Now, they slowly descended onto Willow Tree's branches from above the valley.
They preened one another's feathers before beginning to rest.
In a corner of the valley, several butterflies fluttered among the Morning Glory flowers and wild peas. From time to time, tiny glittering specks drifted from their wings.
At the entrance to the valley stood two White Oak Trees as towering as giants.
Their dark green crowns gradually took on a layer of crimson.
Red Moon disappeared.
The sun rose as usual.
"Phew!"
In Qing City, inside an old commercial apartment in a remote suburb.
Su Heng threw back his blanket and sat up in bed.
Looking at the sunlight gradually brightening outside the window, Su Heng was momentarily dazed.
"This feeling is absolutely awful!"
Rubbing his messy hair, Su Heng took off his pajamas and could not help sighing.
Normally.
Being in the Dreamscape did not consume much energy. After waking up, he would at most feel a little discomfort. With Su Heng's current physical condition, which surpassed that of ordinary people, he would recover quickly.
But if he expended a great deal of energy while possessing a template, or if the template was injured.
Then that negative condition would also affect Su Heng, the template editor, to a certain extent.
Of course, the effect was not fatal, nor was it particularly severe.
But it still felt awful to Su Heng.
He had clearly gone to bed early yesterday, yet after waking up, he felt as though he had spent an entire night in an internet café.
A weak, exhausted feeling came from every organ in his body.
He had slept long enough and did not intend to go back for more sleep.
After changing clothes and making his bed.
Once he had washed up, Su Heng planned to grab something simple to eat downstairs. When he returned, he would study the characteristics of the various martial arts schools in Qing City.
At the snack shop downstairs.
Because it was a workday, the small shop was fairly crowded and nearly full.
The people eating there were all residents of the neighborhood.
Some of the older people were fairly familiar with Su Heng and greeted him with smiles.
Su Heng responded to each of them.
"Boss, two donkey meat flatbreads and one bowl of spicy pepper soup. Thanks."
Su Heng called toward the kitchen, then scanned the code to pay according to the prices on the menu.
The technological development of this world was also remarkable.
Because of Red Moon's appearance, most of the technology left behind by the Golden Age had gradually been lost over the past several centuries.
Moreover, different cities were separated by vast distances.
On top of that, all sorts of animals and plants had mutated in the wilderness beyond the cities, while mysterious restricted zones radiated outward and spread.
It was difficult for different cities to effectively exchange information.
As a result, each city presented an entirely different face.
Some cities had inherited most of the Golden Age's industrial and information infrastructure, making them relatively technologically advanced, such as the Wangjing City human settlement where Su Heng lived.
Other cities were more remotely located and had failed to preserve the Golden Age's technological foundations.
They suffered technological gaps and even civilizational regression.
Moon Country near Gamia was particularly unlucky. It had now regressed to an era of knives, spears, and clubs.
However, even cities that appeared so backward.
Might possess advanced weapons excavated from Golden Age ruins. No one could say for sure.
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