Attributes

Deep into the night, the moonlight flowed like water.

Beyond the Hidden Valley lay a secluded Forest Path. After walking along it for a while and pushing aside the bushes, the scene before him suddenly opened up: a broad, level field where crops of every kind thrived.

The produce in the Hidden Valley had already astonished Steward Lin and Yu Qiuleng during the day. But if they saw this place, their eyes would surely pop right out of their heads.

The Jade Crystal Rice hung heavy on its stalks. The grains, once tiny, had grown round and plump as pearls, gleaming in the moonlight.

There were also the heavily laden Jade Fruit Trees, Green-headed Gastrodia whose medicinal potency grew with the depth of its color, its leaves already turned a blackish purple, and Fire Dragon Trees, Blue Star Grass... Even the more ordinary medicinal ingredients and food crops seemed to have undergone mutations here, growing at a frightening rate.

Of course, if anyone discovered this place, there was no telling what mischief they might have in mind.

Only a legendary blessed land could possess such an astonishing ability to spur all things to grow!

And even the entire Gui Ling Sect had only a small plot of such a Treasure Land.

If Fang Yuan heard that thought, however, he would have scoffed. He knew better than anyone that although this field was quite fertile, it was still a long way from the legendary blessed land where Immortal Seeds could be grown.

"Master..."

At that moment, he stood before a Wordless Stone Tablet, his face carrying a trace of sorrow.

Fang Yuan had been an orphan, taken in by Heart-Questioning Hermit. The two had depended on each other for survival, and his master had been an extraordinary man, not only skilled in planting and Medical Skill, but also incredibly broad-minded.

Before he died, his master had left instructions: Fang Yuan was to burn his bones to ash and scatter them across the mountains. If he wanted to mourn him, he need only erect a blank stone tablet.

After saying this, Heart-Questioning Hermit had closed his eyes and passed away. Fang Yuan had naturally followed his wishes, though in secret he had guessed that perhaps his master had made too many enemies in the past and feared they would seek revenge after his death. So he had simply ground his own bones to dust first; with a wordless tablet, outsiders would have no recourse.

"Today, I planted camellias, the kind you liked best... The Nine-Purple Grain in the fields has started to sprout, too..."

Fang Yuan rambled on to the stone tablet. "Oh... and Steward Lin came to break off the engagement. He brought quite a lot of good things, including the spiritual seeds of Crimson Jade Rice you kept talking about, Master. I'm going to plant them tonight!"

After finishing his prayer, Fang Yuan went to a patch of open ground he had cleared for the purpose.

The moon had climbed to the middle of the sky, hanging high overhead. Its clear light spilled down, and visibility was fairly good.

By the moonlight, he swung his hoe, carefully digging holes before scattering the blazing-red seeds.

"This Crimson Jade Rice has to be planted during the Yin Hour. It needs Rootless Water; the spring water in the Hidden Valley will do in a pinch. After planting, the soil has to be loosened once every three hours, and it also needs 'Fire-Returning Liquid'..."

Thanks to Heart-Questioning Hermit's influence, Fang Yuan had long since memorized everything about planting spiritual seeds, but he lacked practical experience.

He worked with meticulous care, sweat gradually dripping down and seeping into the soil.

Spiritual seeds were far more delicate than ordinary plants, and all the more laborious to grow.

By the time Fang Yuan had tended the last spiritual seed, the horizon in the distance had already begun to pale.

"Phew!"

"I finally finished planting them..."

Fang Yuan wiped away his sweat and let out a long breath. "These are spiritual seeds. They should be enough to improve my abilities again, right?"

He had always kept a secret buried in his heart.

Ever since childhood, he had often entered a dream. The world inside was strange and fantastical, yet incredibly real. Being there felt just like experiencing another life firsthand.

So although he lived in seclusion in the mountains and rarely went out, his words and actions were unusually mature. Having lived two lives, his mind was also exceptionally sharp.

And he had a small perk, or perhaps a gift.

At Fang Yuan's thought, a screen visible only to him appeared before his eyes:

"Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1

Qi: 1

Spirit: 1

Age: 18

Cultivation: None

Skills: None

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level One], Planting Skill [Level Two]"

This thing, resembling the stats screen of a game in his dreams, was Fang Yuan's greatest secret.

And it had a special function.

When he focused his gaze on his specialties, more information appeared:

"Medical Skill [Level One]—You can treat simple injuries, including minor external wounds. Medicinal herbs can provide an additional healing effect."

"Planting Skill [Level Two]—You are a skilled planter. Any ordinary crop in your hands can grow to the limit of its species!"

This Planting Skill was naturally the reason for the thriving plants throughout the mountains and valleys.

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit should be physical attributes, while skills and cultivation should be my active or offensive abilities. Specialties, on the other hand, are passive and supportive..."

After years of exploring, Fang Yuan had gained a better understanding of his stats screen.

"My Physical Quality is already on par with an ordinary adult, and I have my specialties..."

He had long since realized that his specialties had something like an Experience Points limit. With enough practice, proficiency rose, and the specialty's level changed as well.

Take Medical Skill, for example. Even though Heart-Questioning Hermit had been a miracle-working physician and had taught him with great care, Fang Yuan had too few people to practice on. He couldn't exactly use his master as a test subject, could he? So his proficiency had never improved; it had remained at [Level One] from beginning to end. Even so, Heart-Questioning Hermit had praised him, saying he had learned thirty percent of his master's skill.

Planting Skill was different. After Heart-Questioning Hermit died, Fang Yuan no longer had any reservations and could finally give it his all. He had raised it to Level Two, and the results were extraordinary.

By Fang Yuan's own estimation, even Heart-Questioning Hermit couldn't match him in this field anymore.

Unfortunately, after reaching Level Two, Planting Skill seemed to have hit a bottleneck. No matter how much he planted, it wouldn't improve any further. After trying many times, Fang Yuan had set his sights on spiritual seeds and Immortal Seeds, which Heart-Questioning Hermit had once mentioned as being above ordinary crops.

Unfortunately, such things were incredibly rare. Even Steward Lin could only get his hands on them after his daughter joined the Gui Ling Sect, and had sent them over as compensation.

"Red Jade Rice... Even though it's the lowest grade of spiritual seed, I'm afraid only the Martial Ancestor and the direct descendants in the entire Gui Ling Sect can enjoy it, right?"

Fang Yuan let out a soft breath.

Steward Lin had sent it as compensation, not because he expected Fang Yuan to achieve anything with it.

And that was exactly the truth. If not for his specialty, Fang Yuan wouldn't have bothered trying to grow spiritual seeds.

But as long as they helped him break through his current bottleneck, that was enough!

Now it was time to see the results!

Fang Yuan stared intently at the soil where he had planted the Crimson Jade Rice seeds.

As the sun rose and the first wisp of purple qi fell, a crystalline white light visible only to him suddenly emerged from the earth. Wisps of it gathered in the stats panel before him.

The Level Two marker beside Planting Skill blurred, then flickered and changed to Level Three!

Level Three Planting Skill!

Fang Yuan rubbed his eyes to make sure he hadn't seen wrong. At last, a smile spread across his lips, growing wider and wider. "Hahaha... Hahaha... I've struck it rich!!!"

He was so ecstatic because the description of his Planting Skill had completely changed:

"Planting Skill [Level Three]—You are an undisputed expert in the world of planting. Your hands possess an astonishing power, and the crops you plant have a very small chance of undergoing an Excellent Trait Mutation!"

Whether the chance was small or not didn't matter to Fang Yuan. What mattered was that this proved his specialties and abilities could definitely improve with practice!

Once this theory was confirmed, it meant he finally had a trump card to establish himself in this world!

After all, simply improving his Planting Skill had brought about such an incredible effect. What would happen if he improved some other ability, or even a Cultivation Technique?

"Excellent Trait Mutation?"

Once he had calmed down, Fang Yuan immediately began to investigate this ability of his.

"Ordinary plants in my hands have already grown to the limits of their species. Could the next mutation mean... breaking through those limits and turning from ordinary plants into Spiritual Objects?"

He rubbed his chin, growing more apprehensive by the moment. If his guess was right, then he absolutely couldn't let this ability become known to outsiders.

Otherwise, the powerful factions would surely seize him and use him as a laboratory white mouse—or make him their gardener for the rest of his life.

"Now that I've confirmed all this, should I go find a Cultivation Technique or something...?"

Once he had calmed down, Fang Yuan faced his breakfast, feeling a little troubled.

The valley was well-stocked. Even the meal he casually prepared for himself looked incredibly appetizing.

The main dish was a fish he had just caught in the stream and roasted, its outside crisp and its inside tender, without a trace of fishy odor. It melted in his mouth, with a wonderfully smooth texture.

The drink was spring water, clear and sweet, refreshing to the heart and soul.

Besides that, there was nutritious Polygonatum, along with a bright-red bunch of berries that looked especially enticing.

He popped a roasted piece of Polygonatum into his mouth, then took a huge bite of the fish. "Mmm... Delicious! Delicious! I hear the Gui Ling Sect is the greatest sect within a hundred li. I wonder what it's like, and how powerful the Martial Ancestor is. Come to think of it... I don't even know what this world looks like! What a pity... Master didn't leave me any Martial Arts manuals. Wasn't he a hidden master? How could he have no Divine Skill Manual to pass down? That makes no sense!"

After eighteen years of living in seclusion in the valley, Fang Yuan's heart had begun to stir. He wanted to see the world outside.

"But for now, I should fully explore my abilities before anything else... The outside world is exciting, and it's bound to be dangerous, too. With my puny body, I'd better keep quietly leveling up first!"

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, Fang Yuan returned to the house, contentedly lay down, and soon drifted off to sleep.