“What’s going on?” Cen An broke free from Su Rui’s embrace the moment she landed. “Who’s in trouble?”

Wang Lie didn’t know what to say, so he simply pointed toward the house.

Cen An immediately ran inside. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he felt something prick him. He moved his foot away. “…Huh?”

The tiny thorns, resembling plump red dates, popped up one after another—not sharp at all, as if they were just playing a prank.

Cen An took a few steps back. Whether the little thorns took a liking to him or not, they seemed to appear specifically at his feet, making it feel like he was stepping on a floor of pebbles—both prickly and slippery.

Wang Lie suppressed a laugh. “He’s awakening his special ability. It’s not dangerous.”

“Awakening a special ability?” Cen An backed out of the swarm of little thorns to the doorway. “Who’s awakening it?”

Wang Lie pointed to the side. Old Man Yu was sitting on a large straw mat, grinning. “Young Boss Cen, my son is awakening his special ability. All thanks to your cold jade melon!”

Cen An froze again. “Cold jade melon?”

Wang Lie explained, “The person currently undergoing awakening is Yu Wenchao; he is twenty-seven years old. Normally, it becomes very difficult to awaken after the age of twenty-five, and there is virtually no chance of awakening after thirty. On top of that, the better one’s physical condition, the easier it is to awaken superpowers. Yu Wenchao has always been in poor health, so normally, it would be absolutely impossible for him to awaken. But just before his awakening this time, he had eaten a cold jade melon. Therefore, we speculate that the cold jade melon’s effect is to trigger the awakening of superpowers!”

Wang Lie’s voice was filled with excitement—the awakening of supernatural abilities is the dream of so many people! If the cold jade melon truly has this effect, then Yongning Village would be set for prosperity!

It wasn’t just him; the ability users behind him were also thrilled. Although they had already awakened their abilities, who didn’t have relatives or friends? How could one person’s awakening compare to everyone awakening together?

After listening, Cen An blinked once, then again, taking a moment to process it all. His first reaction was: “No wonder no one else has discovered the cold jade melon’s true power…”

That’s exactly right. Back then, they’d only recruited ability users, and of course ability users would find the cold jade melon useless. Everyone burst into laughter.

Cen An felt reassured and said thoughtfully, “In that case, we’ll need to adjust how the cold jade melons are distributed, and we’ll have to expand cultivation.” Liao Wanwan, standing nearby, nodded. “Team Leader Shi and Sister Qu have already gone back to discuss it; they were just about to send me to get you.”

Cen An hesitated slightly, glancing at the house where small mounds of earth were still rising. He was tempted to wait for the person inside to come out. After all, this was the first person to awaken because of the cold jade melon, so he was still a bit worried.

Wang Lie smiled. “Go ahead, Brother Cen. We’ll wait here.” 

“Exactly. We’re all experienced; nothing will go wrong.”

Cen An realized they were right—the ability users here were far more capable than he was—so he followed Liao Wanwan out.

No sooner had he left than Yu Wenchao burst out of the room. He didn’t know what had gotten into him, but his ability awakening had actually already finished.

Yu Wenchao was usually reserved, but now he was frantic, grabbing hold of the first person he saw and asking, “Did Boss Cen come? I think I just…”

Wang Lie patted him on the shoulder. “You should call him Brother Cen now! Brother Cen has already left; he’s got something to handle with the squad. So, is joining the Ability Squad okay with you? Is there any specific work you’d like to do? We can give you a tour first. Just so you know, we still have to follow orders, okay?” Yu Wenchao’s ability level wasn’t low; he’d awakened at Level 2.

Yu Wenchao hung his head in disappointment. “He’s already left…?” 

Was Little Boss Cen’s first visit to their home really over without even a sip of tea? He’d even stashed some Sparrow Tongue Buds at home—ones he’d gone up the mountain specifically to find.

Hearing Wang Lie’s question again, he replied, “Whatever… Wait, could you assign me to work with Boss Xiao Cen—no, Brother Cen? I’ll definitely give it my all!”

Wang Lie chuckled, and the group of ability users behind him burst into laughter as well.

Wang Jin wrapped an arm around him. “Kid, you’re getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you? Who wouldn’t want to work for Brother Cen? Newcomers have to get in line at the back.”

Yu Wenchao’s awakening of his ability seemed to have set a good precedent; suddenly, the number of people in the village awakening abilities surged. In just three short days, a staggering fifty people in the village had awakened their abilities all at once!

Among them, 15 were Level 1 or higher ability users, while 35 were considered subpar ability users.

In the past, if someone awakened as a subpar ability user, people would inevitably feel disappointed. But now… many felt that since they hadn’t been able to awaken at all before, being able to do so now was a windfall!

Not to mention, many members of today’s Ability Squads started out as subpar ability users themselves! In short, being able to awaken at all is a blessing!

These past few days, Shi Long and Qu Yue have been swamped with work. They have to train the new ability users and make arrangements for the low-tier ability users. Even when it comes to veterans mentoring the new recruits, there aren’t enough veterans to go around!

Shi Long was so furious that he slammed his fist on the table so hard it shook the room. “No matter what it takes, bring Liao Yongzhi back here! Is he the captain, or am I?”

So that very afternoon, Captain Liao returned, head hanging low. After getting a good scolding, he organized the new recruits—both girls and boys—and started their field training.

What? You thought becoming an ability user meant you’d live the high life? Hah, you’re dreaming! Now get to work!

As for the others, they weren’t idle either. Liao Wanwan and Yu Hong worked together to analyze the pattern: the cold jade melon didn’t trigger immediate awakening, but rather adjusted the body to a state suitable for awakening. Therefore, to awaken using the cold jade melon, one needed to consume it continuously for a period of time.

The farm used to have only one patch of sandy soil. Since the properties of the cold jade melon hadn’t been discovered yet, Cen An hadn’t expanded the area. But the cold jade melons hadn’t stopped growing on that original patch—after all, who wouldn’t want to eat watermelon in the middle of summer? That’s why he’d periodically pull out a batch of melons to give away for free.

Now, however, the sandy plot is set to expand.

Shi Long had specially allocated a plot of land in the village for the exclusive cultivation of cold jade melons. Cen An made a trip there, laid down six plots of sandy soil, bought cold jade melon seeds, and had the squad members help with the planting.

The exchange requirements for cold jade melons have also been announced. Unlike other vegetables, the uniqueness and importance of cold jade melons are in a league of their own, so they’re exchanged using a combination of points and crystal cores.

Speaking of crystal cores, over the past while, the villagers of Yongning Village have grown less fearful of mutant beasts. To put it in modern terms, the villagers have “demystified” these creatures.

There aren’t many types of low-level mutant beasts near Yongning Village, and Cen An’s recent lectures have expanded from plants to animals, mutant beasts, and various resources. After learning about the attack patterns and habits of these low-level mutant beasts, the villagers realized that they weren’t actually that hard to deal with.

Now, even teenagers in their teens can handle a sharp-toothed rat or a howling rabbit on their own. This means… crystal cores are actually in no short supply.

Upon learning that Cen An needed them, people even started tossing a couple of crystals into the yard of his little cabin from time to time… How should I put it? It’s probably like tossing bamboo shoots to a giant panda—it gives them a sense of spiritual fulfillment (just kidding).

In any case, the villagers didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable with the way cold jade melons were traded. Or perhaps it’s better put this way: everyone from another world knows what awakening special abilities means. Before, it was all up to fate, but now there’s a way to control it… Who’s going to be picky about the exchange method? Just being able to get them is good enough! We’re all sensible people here, okay?

As for the crystal cores obtained through the exchange, they were naturally all given to Cen An. Cen An has learned his lesson now; he doesn’t refuse them—he absolutely doesn’t refuse them. If they’re offered, he takes them. At worst, he’ll find something to give back later.

As for not having enough space at home… heh, if there’s no room, just pile them outside. It’s not like anyone’s going to steal them.

After three straight days of the courtyard gate nearly being buried under supplies, the farm system finally upgraded.

【Congratulations! Your farm has been upgraded to Level 4!】

【New seeds have been unlocked!】

【New land has been unlocked! Please go check it out!】

The Chief, who had been sitting on a bamboo mat cooling off, sat up with a start. “Finally!” He immediately opened the system page.

【Farm Name: Harvest Farm Level: 4

Experience: 325,000/500,000

Wealth: 53,024 Silver crystal cores, 181,607 crystal cores

Land Owned: 66 (Fertile Black Soil x60, Fertile Sandy Soil x6)

House Upgrade System: Unlocked Fish Pond: Unlockable for 1000 crystal cores Ranch System: Unlocked

Backpack: …】

Even though he was prepared, Cen An was still stunned by the amount of experience required for this upgrade. It only takes 50,000 to go from Level 3 to Level 4, but going from Level 4 to Level 5 suddenly requires 500,000.

If he had to do it on his own, it would take him forever.

However, his surprise lasted only a moment. Without a second thought, he immediately opened the long-awaited seed page.

【Star Diamond Wheat Seed Price: 1,000 crystal cores 

Variety: Food

Growing Requirements: Crystal Nucleus Powder Land, Soil Growth Time: 30 days 14 hours】

【Star Diamond Rice

Price: 1,000 crystal cores 

Variety: Grain

Growing Requirements: Crystal Nucleus Powder Land; Growth Time: 30 days, 14 hours】 Sure enough, it was rice and wheat!

Cen An’s first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief, but then he felt a little puzzled. Why had the words “Star Diamond” been added before the names of these two seeds? And what exactly was this “Crystal Nucleus Powder Land”?

Puzzled, he opened the land purchase interface.

Sure enough, after 【Fertile Black Soil】 and 【Fertile Sandy Soil】, another option appeared: 【Crystal Nucleus Powder Land】.

Purchase Price: 【2,000 Silver Crystal Cores】 Silver Crystal Cores?

Cen An remembered this: Mutant beasts below Level 3 drop White Crystal Cores, while those above Level 3 drop Silver Crystal Cores.

He had already saved up over 50,000 Silver Crystal Cores, but had never found a use for them and had even thought they were unusable in the system… Who would have thought they could be used to buy land?

And this 【Crystal Nucleus Powder Land】 was really not cheap—a single plot cost 2,000 Silver Crystal Cores. At best, the Silver Crystal Cores he had on hand would only be enough to buy 25 plots… Hmm, that should be enough to feed the villagers.

What piqued his curiosity was this: with such expensive seeds and such expensive land, what use would the rice and wheat grown from them actually serve? Well, they’d certainly be enough to stave off hunger…

Cen An couldn’t wait any longer; he stood up and headed outside.

First, he took a stroll around the farm behind the house, and everyone naturally greeted him one by one. Suddenly, a female voice—somewhat unfamiliar yet vaguely familiar—called out excitedly, “Young Master Cen!” 

Cen An turned back in confusion. “You are…?”

The woman shyly brushed the dust off her clothes. “I’m new here. I just awakened my special ability…”

Cen An immediately understood and smiled, his eyes crinkling. “Congratulations. Ah, I remember now—you’re Sun Xiaoshu’s mother, aren’t you?”

Sun Qiuhua nodded. “Yes…” She smiled. “Thank you for the cold jade melon. Also, you probably don’t know this, but you saved Xiao Shu’s life too—all thanks to those few heads of Chinese cabbage you gave us.”

She recounted what had happened earlier.

She hadn’t mentioned it before because even if she had, she couldn’t possibly repay such a life-saving debt that weighed heavier than a mountain. Now that both mother and son had awakened their abilities, they naturally wanted their benefactor to know that they hadn’t forgotten for a single moment.

Cen An shook his head. “You’re overestimating me. Xiao Shu survived because he has a mother who loves him as much as you do.”

Sun Qiu felt a bit embarrassed; her eyes welled up with tears, but she quickly composed herself and smiled. “I saw you were looking for something earlier. Do you need any help?”

“I’m looking for an open plot of land,” Cen An said sheepishly. He rarely came to the farm these days; with more and more ability users in the village, they had completely taken over the farm.

Back when he was sowing seeds, he still had to make the trip here. But now… if any type of seed was running low, a squad member would just let him know at home. He’d buy many packets, however many were needed, and take them right away—it was incredibly convenient.

Cen An himself had no idea that running errands to his house was actually a highly sought-after job.

As for where Brother Cen got all those different kinds of seeds… why ask? Is there not enough food or drink for you? Be careful not to ask too many questions—if Brother Cen gets angry and goes back to heaven (Cen An: ?), you’ll be starving from now on!

In short, under the “threats” of feudal superstition, everyone pretended not to notice the miraculous things Cen An was doing.

Back to the present: Cen An had just walked around the front of the farm but couldn’t find a single patch of open ground. Over sixty plots of black soil packed the flat land to the brim. It even made him wonder—had he really bought that much black soil before?

Upon hearing this, Sun Qiuhua actually laughed. “Come with me.”

She led Cen An through a series of twists and turns until they reached a secluded corner where there was actually an open space. “Will this work?”

“Perfect. You go ahead and take care of things; I’ll handle this myself.” Cen An watched her walk away, then immediately purchased a portion of 【Crystal Nucleus Powder Land】 and laid it down.

The ground instantly became crystal-clear, reflecting a dazzling radiance all around… Cen An’s lips twitched slightly. He looked down and finally understood what this 【Crystal Nucleus Powder Land】 was—it was simply crystal cores ground into powder!

No wonder it cost 2,000 crystal cores—with a production method like that, it’s bound to be expensive.

There was nothing to be done; this was the only type of soil available, so he had no choice but to buy wheat and rice seeds to plant.

Although they had the prefix “Star Diamond,” the seeds didn’t look particularly special. He planted the seeds. The growing period was a month, so he’d have to wait a while for them to sprout.

“Hmm…”

Mr. Cen thought for a moment, then pulled a bag of fertilizer out of his backpack.

Earlier, Su Rui had gone to catch some lambs and brought back a bag of fresh flowers for Cen An… he had no idea how he managed it, but the bag was packed with flowers, leaves, and even soil…The bag was absolutely packed. Cen An spent ages sorting through it and managed to get only a hundred or so flowers out of it, so he simply made a “Hundred Flower Ritual Tray”. After praying, he received this bag of super fertilizer.

The function of fertilizer in the game is quite simple: speed up, speed up, and speed up as much as possible. Low-grade fertilizer boosts for one day, medium-grade for seven days, and high-grade for fifteen days. Super Fertilizer is the highest grade and can boost for a whole month.

Well, how should he put it… the divine statue really does love the Hundred Flower Ritual Tray!

Cen An curiously cut open the fertilizer bag. Inside were tiny white granules—to be honest, they kind of looked like laundry detergent… But the moment they hit the 【Crystal Nucleus Powder Land】, the granules vanished.

What followed was a frenzy of growth—wheat and rice seedlings shooting up, unfurling leaves, and blooming. A month’s worth of growth was compressed into a span of just one minute. Cen An felt as if he were watching a time-lapse of the plant growth process—a fast-forward version, at that.

By the time he had processed what had happened, he was faced with a field of golden, mature crops.

When it comes to a bountiful harvest, the image of abundance etched into the genes of the Chinese people is inherently golden.

Looking at the plump wheat grains and the heads of grain hanging low, Young Boss Cen’s joy was plain to see on his face.

“Huh? Why are you so happy, Brother Cen?” Ji Lan asked curiously as she passed by, only to be stunned the next moment. “Where did all this wheat and rice come from? I thought this place was empty?”

Cen An smiled warmly. “You’re just in time. Could you go help call Team Leader Shi and Team Leader Liao over?” Ji Lan immediately understood what he meant, her eyes widening instantly. “Yes!”

Watching her run a few steps forward and nearly trip, Cen An shook his head in exasperation. For some reason, the squad members were becoming less and less reliable… He remembered how dependable they’d seemed when he first started doing business with them…

Surely it can’t be true that the leader’s character determines the character of his troops… the Chief thought with deep concern.

Since he had given the order, Team Leader Shi and the others arrived quickly. Even Team Leader Liao, who was never home, was dragged in, looking listless. Shi Long hurried forward. “Leader, what is it…”

Before he could finish, he saw the Xiao Mai field before him. Captain Shi’s eyes had never widened so much in his life. “What is this?!”

Cen An smiled. “It’s wheat and rice. The growing period is one month. I’ve accelerated their growth for now, but from now on, we’ll have to plant them according to the proper schedule.”

“One month, one month…” Shi Long probably didn’t even know what he was saying as he stumbled inside, careful not to trample the crops, barely stopping at the edge. “When did you get the seeds? Can they be planted soon? How much can you plant roughly?”

The rest of the Ability Squad, including Team Leader Liao, rushed over. “Talking about this sure wakes us right up! Crops, man! Fields upon fields of crops—enough to feed so many people at a glance!”

Team Leader Liao’s rough, calloused hands brushed against the heavy, drooping ears of grain. “With this, no one in the village will go hungry this year, right? Holy shit, Chief, I can’t thank you enough!”

Cen An: “……” He wasn’t really looking for that kind of gratitude.

Ignoring Captain Liao’s comment, he replied directly to Captain Shi, “We just got these seeds today, so we can plant them anytime. It’s just that—” he rubbed his nose, “—we’ll need quite a few crystal cores.”

“That’s no problem.” Qu Yue could make the decision herself. “I’ll transfer all the crystal cores the Ability Squad has right now over to you, Little Cen!”

Cen An waved his hands frantically, a grimace on his face. “No, no, no—I really can’t fit any more. I’ll just buy some from the Ability Squad…”

Besides, if the villagers saw him hauling crystal cores home, they’d just toss them into his yard again. Those things might look small, but if they hit you on the head, they actually hurt quite a bit… ahem.

Everyone knew exactly what he meant. They exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

Tian Yuan, who had somehow managed to join the Ability Squad, chuckled, “Our Brother Cen’s been having a rough time lately.”

Everyone recalled how he’d “complained” earlier about being startled by a “rain of crystal cores” pelting down in his yard at night… and they burst into even louder laughter. 

Cen An said, “I can’t do anything about the villagers, but surely I can handle you guys. Keep laughing, and don’t come over for dinner anymore.”

“Ha…”

“Cough, cough!”

Everyone immediately sat up straight.

Team Leader Shi also cleared his throat. “Chief, please come back with us. We need to discuss this matter further.” Since it was serious business, everyone stood up and started walking forward.

Once they were back at the base and seated, Cen An asked, “Now that we have grain, should we exchange points for it? Growing grain might require a lot of manpower.” After all, it’s a staple food; the more people eat, the more they’ll grow, and the more they grow, the more manpower they’ll need.

Shi Long didn’t answer; instead, he asked, “What are your thoughts, Chief?”

Cen An had actually given this some thought. “How about this: let’s divide the villagers into three groups—the planting group, the gathering group, and the miscellaneous tasks group. The planting group handles cultivation, the gathering group goes up the mountain to forage, and the miscellaneous tasks group takes care of other duties, like cleaning the village.”

He turned to look at Shi Long. “In the past, the labor for farming came from the Ability Squad. First, we felt that the Ability Squad members were more reliable and wouldn’t leak secrets. Second, we were worried about problems with the crops, so we specifically chose Wood-type ability users.”

“We’ve been conducting these experiments for quite some time now, and we’ve found that the probability of crop problems is very low.” 

He could spot them right away too… Withholding that thought, Cen An continued, “Moreover, over the past few days, the villagers have proven to be quite reliable. I believe we can entrust the planting work to ordinary people. Let’s assign ability users to other roles where they’re better suited.”

Shi Long nodded, flashing an encouraging smile and gesturing for him to continue.

Cen An said sheepishly, “Then there are the reward and punishment systems. Those who perform well will receive more, while those who perform poorly will be punished…Of course, it’s not like being thrown into a stone cell or beaten—just deductions from their points or something like that.”

Shi Long nodded with a smile. “Our leader is becoming more and more thoughtful.”

Tian Yuan chuckled, “It’s not that Brother Cen is thorough; it’s just that he’s always been in the habit of considering everyone. Some leaders might choose to abandon the weak, but Brother Cen never would.” 

Take the Miscellaneous Affairs Group, for instance—it was clearly set up for the elderly, the infirm, and those who couldn’t climb the mountain or do heavy labor.

It wasn’t just him—most people had picked up on that. That was why a group of ability users was willing to follow an ordinary person. Was it because of those magical vegetables and fruits? That was merely a quid pro quo. What truly made them willing to bow their heads was the young man himself. He possessed a rare charm that made you want to follow him willingly, watching as all his ideals came to fruition one by one.

After a moment of laughter, Shi Long spoke up.

“Besides these three teams, the leader will probably want another one—say, a livestock team?”

Cen An chuckled, “You’ve noticed.”

This time, Xiao Ji chimed in, “Brother Cen, Brother Cen, there are already three livestock sheds up north of the cabin. Even I noticed them—let alone Team Leader Shi.”

Amid the laughter, Team Leader Liao voiced his confusion: “Huh? What’s that about? So what if there are three livestock sheds? Does the Chief need people to build them? What’s a ‘livestock team’?”

Shi Long smiled as he kicked him off his stool. “Alright, you’re different from the rest. Don’t waste your time trying to figure things out.”