Astonishing Accelerated Growth

After exchanging a few pleasantries with his neighbor, Lin Li returned home.

Once inside, he first went to the kitchen, took out the ingredients he had bought at the market from the Mysterious Small Island, and stored them in the fridge.

Although Lin Li wasn't much of a cook and rarely stepped into the kitchen, seeing the fridge packed with ingredients filled him with satisfaction. Now, whenever he wanted to cook something, he wouldn't have to settle for Egg and Shredded Pork Noodles like he had a few days ago, simply because there was nothing else to use.

There was still some time before lunch. As he walked into the living room and turned on the TV, Lin Li suddenly remembered that the Radish Seeds he had planted earlier on the Mysterious Small Island needed watering.

With a thought, a flash of Pale Gold Spiritual Light enveloped him, and he vanished from the sofa.

"No way! How... how did it sprout so fast?!!!"

Arriving on the Mysterious Small Island, ready to water the Radish Seeds he had planted, Lin Li was astonished to find that, in just over a day, the seeds had already taken root and sprouted.

"That's totally unscientific! There's no way seeds just planted could sprout and grow seedlings in just over a day!" Lin Li muttered to himself, then scratched his head.

"Well, the existence of this Mysterious Small Island itself is unscientific. Me clearing land and planting here—this kind of thing happening can't really be explained by science either.

Forget it, let it be! At this growth rate, the radishes in the ground should be ready to harvest in about a week. When that happens, I'll see how these fast-growing radishes taste."

Compared to the little fruits growing on the Miracle Small Tree at the center of the island, the vegetables sprouting and shooting up seedlings so quickly didn't seem all that hard to accept.

From initial shock to calm acceptance, it only took a few seconds.

"Splash."

Lin Li picked up a bucket, went to the edge of the island to fill it with water, and began watering the radish seedlings in the field.

"Using a bucket to water is kind of inconvenient. I'll buy a watering can tomorrow," Lin Li grumbled as he looked over the watered field.

Then, he went back to the island's edge to fill another bucket and carried it toward the center of the island.

"Splash..."

After watering the Miracle Small Tree on the island, Lin Li set the bucket down on the grass and stared at the unremarkable-looking tree.

With a thought, a piece of information immediately surfaced in his mind.

"Seven percent."

"Only seven percent, huh. I'll head out after lunch. Over the next few days, I'll have to step it up and push the progress to one hundred percent as soon as possible."

After watering his radishes and the Miracle Small Tree, Lin Li prepared to leave the Mysterious Small Island and return to the real world.

But just as he was about to leave, a hint of green caught his eye. If he hadn't looked closely, that patch of green, barely larger than a grain of rice, would have gone unnoticed.

Lin Li quickly stepped forward and leaned his head close to the branches of the Miracle Small Tree.

"Is this...???"

After a careful look, Lin Li, who had been puzzled, suddenly burst into laughter, his face brimming with surprise.

"Hahaha... it's bearing fruit! This Miracle Small Tree has grown another fruit... Looks like my earlier guess was right. That percentage in my mind is the progress of the Miracle Small Tree growing its little fruits."

Lin Li's eyes gleamed as he stared at the tiny green fruit on the Miracle Small Tree, barely bigger than a grain of rice, his heart racing with excitement.

Truth be told, Lin Li had always fantasized about eating dozens or even hundreds of those little fruits from the Miracle Small Tree and becoming a powerful Cultivator.

But that was just a fantasy. There was always the possibility that the tree would only grow one fruit and stop—it wasn't out of the question.

Now, with a green little fruit appearing on the Miracle Small Tree, it proved that Lin Li's fantasy might actually come true.

"Beasts, beasts. I need more beast flesh, fresh within an hour."

Staring at the delicate little green fruit before him, Lin Li's battle spirit surged. He wished he could appear right now in the wilderness on the outskirts, hunting down beast after beast for the Miracle Small Tree.

"Calm down. Don't get too excited."

"Hoo..."

Lin Li closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, forcing his surging emotions to settle.

Three minutes later, with his emotions under control, Lin Li slowly opened his eyes.

Though a look of ecstasy still spread across his face when he saw the tiny green fruit, his heartbeat, which had been racing from excitement, was no longer pounding as wildly as before.

He raised his right hand, extending his pinky, wanting to gently touch the delicate little green fruit.

"Slap."

His left hand suddenly shot up and smacked his right hand.

"Hold it. There's a saying: a small lack of patience can ruin a great plan. Anyway, this green fruit has already grown, and only I can enter this Mysterious Small Island. There's no need to rush.

If I touch the green fruit out of curiosity and cause some uncontrollable change, it'd be a loss not worth taking."

After giving himself a mental scolding, Lin Li stopped thinking about touching the fruit on the Miracle Small Tree.

He gazed at the green fruit with a look of fondness, like an old man doting on his precious little treasure.

"Oh! The color of this fruit is different from before. If it stays this color when it's fully grown, does that mean if I eat it, I'll awaken a different ability?

If that's the case, then I'd become a rare dual-ability awakener.

Ah, a dual-ability awakener—just thinking about it sounds awesome... Awakened Cultivators are already rare, and those with dual abilities are even rarer than phoenix feathers or unicorn horns.

I remember reading a news article saying that the Ability Management Bureau, when recruiting investigators, gives priority to Cultivators who have awakened dual abilities."

If I really do awaken a dual ability by then, maybe I could consider applying for an interview at the Ability Management Bureau to become an investigator.

Being an investigator is a stable job—not only are the benefits and perks excellent, but the social status of the profession is also very high.

I once saw an article online about the advantages of becoming an investigator.

One point it mentioned was that if you become an investigator, when you go on blind dates later, if the woman knows your job is an investigator, the success rate would be sky-high.

Still, an investigator's work is not only tough but also very dangerous, and I'm pretty lazy by nature—this job really isn't for me!