Bonus chapters thanks to Green KiTea on Ko-fi. Thanks so much for your support! Enjoy!

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Nightfall was ten minutes away. Though the sky showed no sign of it yet, the system had long set the time; once darkness descended, zombies and monsters would become far more active.

Jian Xingyi had been sitting beneath the large tree for quite some time. He had to make a decision quickly.

Sisi’s words made sense, but…

Xinghe: 【Sorry, I decline】

Sisi: 【?】

Sisi: 【Not that I’m forcing you… But with only a week left before the system’s points reset, this is life-or-death. Whether you choose to oppose Blue Sky and White Clouds or cooperate with us, you’d better think this through~】

Jian Xingyi immediately blocked Sisi, just as Rongrong and Yiyi had blocked him before.

Then he saw Sisi send another friend request, with the note: 【??? Hope you don’t regret opposing us, but if you do, you’re always welcome back^^】

Jian Xingyi stood up, deciding to spend the night on Peace Mountain.

Hmph, he refused to believe it!

He was a farming player with maxed-out management skills. Could he really lose to some petty thief who stole his mango tree and flaunted it?

When it came to fighting, Jian Xingyi had zero confidence. But when it came to management? He absolutely refused to admit defeat. That skill was built with love and passion, grinding day and night. If he couldn’t win at this, he’d truly be a noob!

Jian Xingyi resolved to fight to the bitter end. With fierce determination, he headed up the mountain. Soon after, he received several private messages from guild members.

Baizhou: 【These guys are way out of line. They just spout nonsense. Need me and Heiye to clear things up for you?】

Lone Wolf: 【What’s going on? Want me to go on the channel and trash-talk them for you? Don’t worry, I’ve been through the Valley. I’ll make sure those guys regret being born.】

Chacha: 【Are you okay?】

Jian Xingyi replied to each one that it was fine, he could handle it himself.

Hunting resources were limited, and so was human stamina. Jian Xingyi guessed the sellers probably didn’t have maxed-out skills, since the meat they sold was only of edible grade. However, because it came from high-level beasts, its inherent rarity allowed it to be listed.

However, with high management levels, recipes could perfectly replicate the flavor of high-grade beast meat at a 1:1 ratio.

For instance, if Jian Xingyi obtained A-grade ingredients, he could synthesize A-grade finished food using a synthesizer.

Unfortunately, his fields currently only yield C and D-grade ingredients. The beast meat he’d acquired earlier had long been consumed by himself and the guild during feasts, leaving no time to process it into marketable goods.

But the other party had obtained A-grade beast meat yet produced only C-grade edible meat—something was off.

Evidently, they possessed the recipe but lacked the skill.

In that case, let the marketplace be the true test!

The only advantage Jian Xingyi could think of was… everything!

He just needed to outdo them in both quality and quantity. To achieve that, he had to secure better seeds and fields!

As night fell, Jian Xingyi headed toward the mountain peak.

Meanwhile, Lone Wolf ignored Jian Xingyi’s warnings and actually went to the regional channel to debate with the scholars. In the end, he successfully stirred up a baffling argument between both sides, even spilling over to the public channel. Chaos reigned.

The higher Jian Xingyi climbed, the more essence he found.

Perhaps because the higher he went, the fewer zombies and people there were, and the denser the plant growth became.

After walking all the way, he successfully gathered 5 points of essence that night, bringing his total to 11 points.

After a day of hard work, only 11 points? Jian Xingyi felt somewhat defeated.

Every second counted now. At this pace, how could he possibly make it in time?

But he was utterly exhausted. Upon reaching the riverbank, he dozed off under one of the trees.

The river had a relatively low chance of zombies appearing, making it comparatively safer. It was designated as a green zone by Grapevine Peak.

Jian Xingyi exchanged cheap basic items at the mall—a bell and a lighter.

He stuck branches into the ground around him, strung a line with a bell attached. This way, if any zombies or beasts approached while he slept, the bell would alert him.

The lighter was for making campfires. Fire-starting by friction would take forever. Though the lighter was a bit pricey, it was durable and convenient.

Thus, he made do through the night in the wilderness, dreaming even in his sleep of chasing after essence.

Unfortunately, the remaining 01 and 02 locations were completely baffling to everyone. The difficulty was too high, and he had no idea how to find them either—otherwise, he was certain those spots would be rich with essence.

But this time, luck wasn’t on his side like last time. When misfortune strikes, it really strikes.

In the middle of the night, the campfire died out, and torrential rain poured down from the sky.

When Jian Xingyi stirred groggily, he saw the rain intensifying, the stream growing ever more turbulent. Muddy water churned and crashed against the rocks, its roar mingling with the increasing downpour to create a terrifying symphony.

Jian Xingyi felt a chill run down her spine, dreading the possibility of a flood.

Rainy days caused mountain streams to converge, and when the water flowed too violently due to the downpour, it could turn into a flood, carrying mudslides downhill.

Jian Xingyi hurriedly gathered his gear and took off running.

He had already reached the mountainside. Descending now was impractical, so Jian Xingyi steeled himself and charged upward, seeking higher ground.

“Rumble—”

The mountain flood he dreaded most arrived with thunder and lightning.

Jian Xingyi watched as the nearby stream suddenly surged, churning muddy water with terrifying force. Before he could react, he was engulfed and swept away.

“…!”

No way… After getting stuck in the game, the first rain and natural disaster on Peace Mountain just had to hit him?

“Ugh…!”

Jian Xingyi struggled frantically. In the chaos, he acted on impulse, pulling out the rope and grappling hook he’d bought from the in-game store earlier and hurled them toward a large tree on the bank.

The hook successfully caught on the tree trunk. Jian Xingyi clung tightly to the rope, bobbing in the river as he endured the force of the current.

Jian Xingyi curled himself into a ball, desperately trying to pull himself ashore with the rope, but the current was too strong.

“Ugh!”

The current’s branches scraped his waist, and sharp stones cut his legs, but he had no time to tend to these injuries. He could only fight to stay afloat.

Just then, he heard a voice.

“Help…! Help me!”

Hm…?

Jian Xingyi doubted his ears until he spotted a man being swept downstream not far away.

The man also saw Jian Xingyi. He must have been swept down from upstream and was now drifting toward Jian Xingyi.

“Save me…!!” the man gasped hoarsely. “Please!”

Jian Xingyi was barely managing himself, but… he simply couldn’t stand by and watch someone drown. He tightly secured the rope around his waist and reached out his hand.

The man managed to grasp it.

“Please… don’t… let go…!”

Jian Xingyi had no time to respond. One hand clasped the man’s, the other gripped the rope. His palms were already bleeding from the man’s grip, and the rope dug bloody marks into his waist.

The man was also injured. Blood spread around them, only to be swiftly washed away by the current.

Jian Xingyi’s pain brought tears to his eyes, yet he couldn’t release his grip on the rope. Letting go would truly be the end.

Fortunately, the flood came as swiftly as it receded. Once it subsided, Jian Xingyi and the man struggled ashore.

Both collapsed, gasping for breath, feeling the relief of having survived a catastrophe.

The man looked even worse for wear than Jian Xingyi, covered in mud and wounds. He glanced at Jian Xingyi, took a few gasping breaths, and said, ” You… thank you… Thank you for saving me! I’m Haihai, from Blue Sky and White Clouds…”

Unfortunately, Jian Xingyi couldn’t hear a word the man was saying. He lay on the ground, drained of energy, his ears buzzing and his mind foggy.

…He was waiting for his soul to return.

What a scare!

As he calmed down, Jian Xingyi felt the pain from his wounds intensify. Most were superficial cuts, but the worst was on his waist—not only had the rope lacerated his skin, but a branch had also gouged a deep gash.

He gasped for breath, too preoccupied to tend to them.

But minutes later, Jian Xingyi suddenly leapt to his feet.

Not far away, the area once ravaged by the mountain flood had transformed into a vast expanse of waterlogged mud. Yet miraculously, these muddy pools had blossomed.

Flowers spread across the ground, blooming from the muddy patches all the way to their location. Jian Xingyi watched in astonishment as the earth beside him burst forth with translucent white flowers—strange in shape yet beautiful.

“Crystal flowers?” the man stared wide-eyed. “So they really exist…”

Legend held that crystal flowers bloomed on land freshly scarred by catastrophe—war or natural disaster. These white blossoms seemed to pay homage, yet also appeared to feed on death and fear, producing petals pure yet eerie.

But these flowers bloomed only briefly before vanishing.

Like a fleeting moment.

Jian Xingyi couldn’t care less about wars or natural disasters. His eyes lit up instantly.

These were freshly bloomed flowers. Logically speaking… they should contain quite a bit of essence value, right?!

Jian Xingyi perked up immediately, forcing himself to stand despite the pain throughout his body and activating his skill.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x7】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x3】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x6】

Holy crap!

Holy crap…!

Jian Xingyi nearly fell over, feeling like he’d reached the pinnacle of life once more.

Talk about a reversal of fortune!

What does it mean to survive a great calamity and find blessings later?

At this moment, even covered in wounds, he felt it was worth it!

These flowers appeared as if rewarding him for enduring!

He really was lucky after all, hehe!

But he’d heard about crystal flowers before. Worried he wouldn’t finish gathering them before they vanished, he moved extremely fast.

“What are you doing…?” From the man’s perspective, Jian Xingyi suddenly stood there with an odd expression, turning his head to look around, though there was clearly nothing there.

Jian Xingyi paid no attention.

His essence value was still rising.

From the initial 11, it climbed to 20, 30, 50…

95!

Then the sea of flowers vanished.

Jian Xingyi felt lightheaded.

What he hadn’t expected was…

【Collection Successful. Congratulations! Player has obtainedPurple-A Grade Seed!】

【Collection Successful. Obtained 【Spring Bamboo Shoots】 Seedlings x40】

Purple, A-grade?!

Could this be his… second A-grade seed?!

Jian Xingyi never imagined acquiring a new seed variety under these circumstances. He was dumbfounded.

【Variety: A-grade Spring Bamboo Shoots】

【Description: Reborn after calamity, sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain.】

【Source: crystal flower】

Oh my god…

After the flood, he was just 7 points away from upgrading two plots of land and had even gained a new recipe.

“Seriously, what the hell are you doing? Possessed? Infected? This is kinda creepy…”

The man leaned in close to Jian Xingyi.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x15】

Jian Xingyi: “?”

Huh?

What?

Before Jian Xingyi could deactivate the skill, the man suddenly leaned in close, causing the ability to activate on him instead.

Wait…

Humans… can be affected too?!

Right, right… Turn Stone into Gold—can harvest seeds and essence from any living creature.

People… aren’t they living creatures too?!