That shouldn't be...

The sight before Tang Zhixue made him hold his breath.

The original wooden house had vanished.

In its place stood a tree over twenty meters tall, with an unusually thick trunk.

A two-story treehouse blended perfectly into the middle of the great tree.

Built primarily from Spirit Clarity Wood, the house had a warm, creamy yellow-white hue and smooth, graceful lines.

Branches of the Clear Spirit Tree extended naturally into the treehouse walls, becoming part of the structure; several thick vines twined across the roof, sheltering the treehouse from wind and rain.

As he looked at the treehouse, amid his delight and surprise, Tang Zhixue had only one question on his mind: "How am I supposed to get up there?"

The entire treehouse seemed to be one with the great tree. The shelter's front door was set into the trunk more than two meters above the ground, but there was nothing by the entrance to climb.

And just then!

Rustle!

Thick vines wove together along the stout trunk, finally forming a staircase that led straight up to the shelter's entrance.

"Ask and you shall receive." Tang Zhixue couldn't help laughing. "Now that's a good shelter upgrade."

He climbed the vine stairs step by step. When he pushed open the door and entered, the sight left him rooted to the spot.

The interior was far larger than it looked from outside!

The first thing he saw on the ground floor was a spacious, bright hall that looked to be at least a hundred square meters.

Polished Spirit Clarity Wood flooring covered the ground, giving off a solid sound underfoot. On the left side of the hall was the newly expanded fireplace, three times its original size, with a warm fire already burning in its hearth.

On the right, a new row of built-in wooden shelves lined the wall, suitable for storing objects or books.

The trading chest stood beside them.

A large window had been set into the northern corner of the hall. Outside lay ground left rather uneven by impacts and the Silent White Fog shrouding the shelter.

The simple ritual altar Tang Zhixue had built sat directly beneath the window.

However, the lack of furnishings made the place look very empty.

After surveying the ground-floor layout from the entrance, Tang Zhixue opened the shelter's information panel.

[Shelter: Blazing Sun]

[Level: 3 (0/10000)]

[Function: Regional trading]

[Buildings: Martial Arts Space, Planting Cottage, Modern Toilet]

[Effects: Clear Spirit Evil-Repelling, Spirit Clarity Tranquility, Purification · Temporary]

"Spirit Clarity Tranquility?"

Compared with the level 2 shelter, this level 3 shelter had gained an effect called "Spirit Clarity Tranquility," which had clearly come from the Spirit Clarity Tree.

[Spirit Clarity Tranquility: Within the shelter's bounds, residents find it easier to concentrate and experience improved clarity of thought, receiving a small bonus to comprehension speed and memory when studying, reading, or researching. Occasionally, they will enter a peculiar state of "sudden inspiration," greatly enhancing their comprehension for a short time.]

Closing the panel, Tang Zhixue continued exploring the level 3 Blazing Sun Shelter with delight on his face.

A wooden door on the right side of the hall led to the Martial Arts Space, whose interior area had barely changed.

The left side connected to the Planting Cottage. Unlike the Martial Arts Space, the Planting Cottage had expanded to nearly a hundred square meters.

Not far from the Martial Arts Space was a wooden staircase leading upward.

He followed the stairs to the second floor, which was divided into three separate rooms.

A bedroom, a storeroom, and a forge.

"Wait, why is the storeroom on the second floor?!"

Tang Zhixue couldn't help complaining.

He could more or less put up with having the forge upstairs, but why was the room for miscellaneous items on the second floor?!

When he brought back miscellaneous items he found outside, he would have to go upstairs to put them away. Tang Zhixue found that very inconvenient.

He opened the three rooms upstairs one by one. They hadn't changed much, and neither had the toilet in the bedroom.

But what delighted Tang Zhixue most was the treehouse's lighting system.

Yes, a lighting system!

The moment he stepped into the hall, he had noticed a peculiar plant growing on the walls and ceiling. These plants weren't confined to the hall; they were everywhere throughout the wooden house.

They clung to the wooden walls like vines, with small, densely packed leaves. A transparent flower bud hung from the tip of each leaf.

The buds gave off a soft, bright fluorescence, illuminating the entire interior as brightly as daylight without being harsh on the eyes, with a gentle quality resembling moonlight.

[Item: Glowing Parasitic Vine]

[Grade: Second tier]

[Description: A special symbiotic plant that can only grow attached to spirit-wood buildings. It sustains itself by absorbing energy emanating from the building, while converting excess energy into a steady source of cold light to illuminate the building. The higher the grade of the host building, the greater the vines' lighting range and brightness.]

Tang Zhixue reached out and touched one of the flower buds. It felt warm and smooth, like jade.

After some testing, Tang Zhixue discovered that he could control these parasitic vines with spoken commands.

For instance, right now.

"Lights off."

As Tang Zhixue's words fell, the light in the bedroom instantly vanished, though the glowing vines in the corridor and elsewhere remained lit.

"Lights on!"

The light came on again, returning the bedroom to brightness.

"Heh, pretty nice."

Tang Zhixue returned to the ground floor with a broad smile.

After a busy morning, he still hadn't eaten lunch.

But while preparing lunch, he couldn't help complaining, "It's already been upgraded to a wooden house, so why couldn't it give me a kitchen?"

He was getting a little tired of eating nothing but grilled meat.

Complaints aside, he still had to eat lunch.

As he ate, Tang Zhixue planned his afternoon.

Before making his plans, however, he opened his personal information panel for reference.

[Name: Tang Zhixue]

[Grade: First tier]

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

[Crafts: Bow and Arrow Crafting · Uninitiated (0/1), Prey Processing · Proficient (60/200), Blazing Fire Sect Basic Forging · Beginner (15/100)]

[Skills: Blazing Tiger Fist · Master (59/1000), Linked Pearl Archery · Master (11/1000), Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra · Master (795/1000), Big Dipper Ghost-Slaying Incantation · Beginner (17/100)]

"Huh, that's not right!"

Tang Zhixue suddenly widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief. "My Blazing Tiger Fist proficiency has already reached master level, so why is Blazing Fire Sect Basic Forging still at beginner? And why does it only have 15 proficiency points?!"

"That shouldn't be..."

He carefully thought back over the forging he had done lately, and soon looked taken aback. "Could it be that improving my proficiency in Basic Forging requires actually forging an item?"