Seeds

After putting on his pants and sitting on the edge of the bed to collect himself, Tang Zhixue finally checked the reward he had received.

One glance was enough to make him raise his eyebrows. "I never thought I'd get this reward. Honestly, it's a bit of a surprise."

[Guarding the Year · Temporary: You can suspend your own time for one breath (pausing yourself for one breath, during which you cannot take any damage or move). Usable once per day. This reward disappears after seven days.]

Tang Zhixue was not at all surprised that the reward would only last seven days. What surprised him was that he had actually received [Guarding the Year].

This was the reward he wanted most. With it, he had a daily safeguard.

"Heh, just in time for some exploring later."

Crunch!

Tang Zhixue casually picked up a White Melon and ate as he pushed open the door.

But just as he opened it, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly opened the Shelter panel.

[Shelter: Blazing Sun]

[Level: 1 (3/100)]

[Function: Regional trading]

[Building: Martial Arts Space]

[Effects: Door God Protection · First Tier, Purification · Temporary]

"Three more points of energy," Tang Zhixue mused. "Looks like that Year Wraith last night probably provided two points."

"Huh?" Only then did he realize something. "Where's my Guarding the Year effect? Why isn't it on the Shelter panel?"

Tang Zhixue carefully read through the entire Shelter panel several times, but he found no trace of [Guarding the Year].

"Could it be..."

After thinking for a moment, he opened his personal panel.

[Name: Tang Zhixue]

[Tier: First Tier]

[Talents: Vitality Absorption, Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent]

[Skills: Fierce Tiger Fist · Beginner (34/100), Linked Pearl Archery · Beginner (1/100), Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra · Proficient (1/200), Guarding the Year · Temporary]

"So that's where it is!"

Tang Zhixue sighed in relief. He had been worried that a glitch had swallowed up his reward.

Unlike the other skills in the skill list, Guarding the Year had no proficiency value. This was the first time Tang Zhixue had seen a skill like this.

Closing the panel, Tang Zhixue stepped outside.

"Hmm, this fog is pretty thick."

Looking at the dense white fog outside the house, Tang Zhixue rubbed his slightly swollen eyes.

He had not slept well last night, and his eyes felt a little uncomfortable.

"Wait, why is it so quiet? And is that a rotten smell?!"

Tang Zhixue quietly backed into the Shelter, set the White Melon he had taken a bite of on the table, and gripped the Iron Axe he had received last night.

Standing at the doorway and looking out at the white fog, Tang Zhixue wore a grave expression. "This must be the white fog disaster mentioned yesterday, right?"

[Silent White Fog: Wherever it spreads, not only sound but even the transmission of energy is suppressed. Staying within the white fog for too long will slow your thoughts, until, enveloped in the fog, you fall into an eternal, silent slumber, together with your consciousness and heartbeat.]

I'll grow the plants first.

Wine-Making Grass, Jade Flower, three White Melon Vines, as well as the Purple Cloud Grass, Bigmouth Flower seed, and Tranquility Flower seed he had obtained yesterday.

Since the first two could not be used directly as food, Tang Zhixue had not spent any Plant Vitality nourishing them after mutating them yesterday.

"First I'll grow some White Melons, then plant the Purple Cloud Grass, Bigmouth Flower, and Tranquility Flower. Finally, I'll mature the Jade Flower."

The White Melons were for food, while planting the Purple Cloud Grass was naturally for obtaining seeds so that he could have more Purple Cloud Grass.

The Bigmouth Flower and Tranquility Flower were for finding out their effects, while the last one, the Jade Flower, concerned a conjecture about the Shelter.

[Mutated Plant: Jade Flower]

[Tier: First Tier]

[Description: A plant mutated from an ordinary weed. After blooming, it can gather the surrounding energy of heaven and earth, condensing a special Energy Crystal at the center of its flower.]

Were the Energy Crystals condensed by the Jade Flower the energy the Shelter needed?

This was a conjecture Tang Zhixue wanted to confirm.

Only the Wine-Making Grass, which he had mutated early on, remained something Tang Zhixue had no idea how to handle. For now, he could only leave it to grow freely.

The woods shrouded in white fog were utterly silent, without the slightest sound.

After planting the Purple Cloud Grass and the two seeds right beside the other plants, Tang Zhixue slowly approached the nearest tree with the Iron Axe in hand.

Whether it was due to the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra or not, there was no white fog within four or five meters of the Shelter.

At a glance, it looked as though the trees at the edge were keeping the white fog out.

Keeping a wary eye on the white fog, Tang Zhixue took small steps toward the trees at the edge.

"Phew."

Soon, Tang Zhixue drew a mass of Plant Vitality from a tree.

Tang Zhixue continuously nourished the White Melons, Purple Cloud Grass, and the other plants with Plant Vitality, leaving none out.

This time, however, after producing a large number of White Melons, the White Melon Vines withered and died.

"Can they only be forced to grow a few times?"

Tang Zhixue frowned at the dead White Melon Vines. "Looks like I'll also have to find a way to grow some fruit trees while exploring today."

Unlike these herbaceous plants, trees theoretically had no upper limit to their lifespan. In other words, Tang Zhixue could keep forcing fruit trees to produce food.

Nourished by Plant Vitality, the Purple Cloud Grass quickly took root and grew larger, until it produced a yellow flower.

Tang Zhixue looked delightedly at the blooming Purple Cloud Grass. Soon, he would be able to grow large quantities of Purple Cloud Grass to sell to others.

"Huh, wait!"

A question suddenly occurred to him. "Is this Purple Cloud Grass self-pollinating or cross-pollinating?"

If it was self-pollinating, he could easily handle it now, but if it required cross-pollination, that would be troublesome.

The former could be accomplished with just one Purple Cloud Grass plant, while the latter required more Purple Cloud Grass.

"Whatever. Let's hope it's self-pollinating."

Shaking his head, Tang Zhixue stepped forward and reached out to touch the little yellow flower.

At his touch, pollen immediately scattered in all directions, landing everywhere.

There was no helping it. He was a complete novice and could only achieve his goal through whatever clumsy method he could think of.

Perhaps Tang Zhixue's prayers had worked. The manually pollinated flower quickly withered, and then a tiny fruit quietly appeared, growing rapidly under the nourishment of Plant Vitality.

Tang Zhixue was delighted. "It really worked!"

Soon, the Purple Cloud Grass fruit rapidly swelled before Tang Zhixue's eyes.

Pop!

With a sharp pop, a dozen or so dark brown Purple Cloud Grass seeds shot out of the fruit.

"Tsk, I didn't expect Purple Cloud Grass fruit to explode when ripe to spread its seeds."

Muttering under his breath, Tang Zhixue picked up all the scattered seeds and examined them one by one.

"Too bad. No mutated seeds."

After checking the information on the last seed, Tang Zhixue sighed.