12: Chapter 12 Initial Mission

Lin Muchen sat up from his bed and rolled his wrists.

The feeling of being at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining Stage was truly different; he felt brimming with strength.

"System, what should I do today?" he asked in his mind.

[Suggestion: Proceed to the Outer Sect Mission Hall and accept a Sect mission.]

[Outer Sect Disciples are required to complete at least one mission per month to obtain contribution points and Spirit Stones.]

[Additionally, extra resources may be obtained during the mission, which can be exchanged for points.]

"Alright, to the Mission Hall it is."

Lin Muchen tidied up and pushed open the door to head out.

The Affairs Hall was not far from Zayiyi; it took only fifteen minutes to arrive.

There were many people in the hall, all Outer Sect Disciples, crowding in front of a wooden board.

Yellow papers were pasted onto the wooden board, listing various missions.

"Collect ten Tinder Flowers: 5 contribution points, 2 Spirit Stones."

"Clean the eastern Beast Pens: 3 contribution points, 1 Spirit Stone."

"Escort a merchant caravan to Qingshi Town: 15 contribution points, 5 Spirit Stones."

Lin Muchen squeezed his way in to take a look.

[Scanning mission list...]

[Recommended Mission: Collect ten stalks of Condensation Dew Grass.]

[Location: Back Mountain gathering area.]

[contribution points: 8.]

[Spirit Stones: 3.]

[Difficulty Assessment: Low.]

[Suitable for the Host's current state.]

"This is the one." Lin Muchen reached out and peeled off the yellow paper.

A nearby Disciple glanced at him. "A newcomer? This mission isn't easy; Condensation Dew Grass grows on damp rock faces and is hard to find."

Lin Muchen nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. I'll give it a try."

He took the yellow paper to the counter to register.

The Disciple in charge of registration was a chubby middle-aged man who glanced at the yellow paper and then at Lin Muchen.

"A new face. What's your name?"

"Lin Muchen."

"Alright, recorded." The chubby Disciple made a mark in his ledger. "The mission deadline is three days. Bring them back once you've collected enough; overdue missions will result in a deduction of contribution points."

"Understood."

Lin Muchen tucked away the voucher and turned to leave the Affairs Hall.

He knew the Back Mountain gathering area; he had been to the Green Mist Forest during the assessment, and the Condensation Dew Grass was located deeper within that forest.

As he walked toward the Back Mountain, he asked the System in his mind.

"System, what is Condensation Dew Grass used for?"

[Condensation Dew Grass, a Rank 1 Spiritual Plant.]

[Characteristics: Prefers shade and moisture; commonly grows on light-shielded rock faces. The leaf tips condense dew-like spiritual liquid.]

[Usage: Can be used to refine low-grade Heart-Clearing Pills, or consumed directly for a slight soul-soothing effect.]

[Origin Star Analysis: Current ecological completion is 9%. Soil humidity and lighting conditions are suitable for attempted cultivation.]

"It can be cultivated?" Lin Muchen's interest was piqued.

[Yes.]

[A sample must first be obtained. Once the System analyzes its full growth characteristics, the corresponding Spiritual Plant seeds can be unlocked for exchange.]

[Estimated Exchange Price: 50 points per pack (ten seeds).]

"Then I must do this mission well."

Lin Muchen quickened his pace.

He entered the Back Mountain, passed through the Green Mist Forest, and as he went deeper, the mist gradually thinned, but the humidity grew heavier.

Rock faces began to appear more frequently.

[You have entered a common growth area for Condensation Dew Grass.]

[Suggestion: Follow the Stream upward and look for shaded, damp rock surfaces.]

Lin Muchen followed a small Stream upward.

After walking for about half a mile, he indeed saw several stalks of slender grass on a shaded rock face.

The leaves were emerald green, with white spots like water droplets hanging from the tips.

"Found it."

He carefully climbed up, pulled the grass out by the roots, and placed them into the cloth bag he had brought.

One stalk, two stalks, three stalks...

They were scattered across the rock face, and there weren't enough to make ten stalks.

Lin Muchen continued searching ahead.

[Ding—]

[Abnormal energy fluctuations detected on the Origin Star.]

[Mineral reaction detected.]

[Location: Northern Hilly Region of the Origin Star, approximately three zhang underground.]

[Preliminary Judgment: Small iron Ore Vein.]

Lin Muchen was taken aback.

"An iron Ore Vein? It grew on its own on the Origin Star?"

[Correct.]

[Once the Origin Star's ecological completion exceeded 10%, geological activity became active, naturally generating basic mineral resources.]

[Current Iron Ore Vein Reserve Estimate: Approximately five hundred jin.]

[The Iron-Tooth Ant Colony has sensed the presence of minerals and has begun to spontaneously gather in that area.]

Lin Muchen's consciousness sank into his Dantian to take a look.

In the northern part of the Origin Star, a group of Iron-toothed Ants was lining up and burrowing under a small earthen mound.

Worker Ants were using their sharp teeth to gnaw at black stones in the soil, then carrying them out one by one and piling them nearby.

There was already a small pile.

"Are they... mining?" Lin Muchen was a bit dazed.

[Instinctive behavior of Iron-toothed Ants.]

[Their teeth and shells contain iron, giving them a natural affinity for iron Ore.]

[Currently, this is disorganized gathering with low efficiency.]

[Suggestion: The Host can provide guidance to establish a standardized gathering point.]

"How do I guide them?"

[By consuming 10 points, you can inject a 'Centralized Mining' directive into the Iron-Tooth Ant Colony.]

[Effect: The ant colony will collaborate through a division of labor, systematically mining the iron Ore and establishing a temporary storage point.]

"Exchange!"

[Exchange successful.]

[points Consumed: 10.]

[Current Remaining points: 150.]

[Directive has been issued.]

On the Origin Star, the group of Iron-toothed Ants suddenly paused.

Then, they quickly rearranged themselves.

Dozens of Worker Ants continued to dig deeper, expanding the mine pit.

Another few dozen began transporting the Ore, piling it in a chosen flat area.

There were also over a dozen patrolling around the Ore pile.

Suddenly, everything became orderly.

"Good heavens, they've set up an assembly line?" Lin Muchen was amused.

He exited his internal vision and continued to look for Condensation Dew Grass.

After climbing two more rock faces, he finally gathered ten stalks.

His cloth bag was full.

[Mission objective achieved.]

[Would you like to return and hand it in immediately?]

"Wait," Lin Muchen said. "System, didn't you want to analyze the sample? Analyze it and see if I can exchange for seeds."

[Scanning Condensation Dew Grass sample...]

[Scanning complete.]

[Full growth cycle data, Spiritual Qi requirement maps, and environmental preference parameters have been recorded.]

[Spiritual Plant exchange items have been unlocked.]

[Condensation Dew Grass Seeds: 50 points per pack (ten seeds).]

[Would you like to exchange?]

Lin Muchen thought for a moment.

"Exchange one pack."

[Exchange successful.]

[points Consumed: 50.]

[Current Remaining points: 100.]

[The Condensation Dew Grass seeds have been stored in the System space.]

"Deploy them to the Origin Star and plant them in a suitable location."

[Selecting deployment area...]

[The damp depression by the Stream on the southeastern side of the Origin Star matches the growth conditions for Condensation Dew Grass.]

[Seeds have been deployed.]

[Estimated Germination Time: Three days of Origin Star time (one and a half days of real-world time).]

Lin Muchen nodded and turned to head back.

On the way back, he occasionally checked the Origin Star internally.

At the iron mine, the ant colony was working with great enthusiasm, and the Ore pile was growing at a visible rate.

There was no movement yet where the Condensation Dew Grass seeds had been planted.

[Origin Star Ecological Data Update:]

[New Mineral Resource: Iron Ore.]

[New Spiritual Plant Species: Condensation Dew Grass (Planting in progress).]

[ecological completion +2%.]

[Current ecological completion: 11%.]

[Iron-Tooth Ant Colony Mining Efficiency: Approximately five jin of Ore per hour.]

[It is estimated that the first round of five hundred jin of Ore mining will be completed within twenty-four hours.]

"That's quite efficient." Lin Muchen was very satisfied.

Returning to the Affairs Hall, he handed the cloth bag to the chubby Disciple.

The chubby Disciple opened it to inspect the contents and nodded.

"Ten stalks, in good condition. Mission complete."

He made another mark in his ledger, then pulled out a small cloth bag from under the counter and pushed it over.

"Eight contribution points have been recorded under your name. Here are three Low-Grade Spirit Stones; keep them safe."

Lin Muchen took the bag.

[Mission Reward Settlement:]

[Obtained contribution points: 8.]

[Obtained Low-Grade Spirit Stones: 3.]

[Would you like to exchange the Spirit Stones for points?]

"Exchange two and keep one," Lin Muchen said.

[Exchange successful.]

[Obtained points: 10 (5 points per stone).]

[Current Remaining points: 110.]

[Remaining Low-Grade Spirit Stones: 1.]

The chubby Disciple glanced at him. "Newcomer, you completed the mission quite efficiently. Come back often; there are plenty of missions."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Lin Muchen walked out of the Affairs Hall, calculating in his mind.

He currently had 110 points, and adding the one Spirit Stone he kept would make 115 points.

But the Spirit Stone might be useful later, so he wouldn't exchange it for now.

"System, can I directly use the iron Ore mined from the Origin Star?"

[Yes.]

[However, 'Material Extraction' must be performed by consuming points.]

[Extraction Ratio: 10 points per hundred jin of Ore (from Origin Star to reality).]

[The extracted Ore can be forged by yourself or exchanged for points (at a lower ratio).]

[Suggestion: For now, simply store it within the Origin Star and extract it when you have sufficient reserves or an urgent need.]

"Alright, store it for now."

Lin Muchen walked toward his residence.

"Once the Condensation Dew Grass is grown, what kind of feedback can it provide?"

[Spiritual Plant Feedback Mechanism:]

[1. Mature Spiritual Plants can periodically produce 'Spiritual Plant Essence,' which the Host can absorb directly to accelerate cultivation.]

[2. The Spiritual Plants themselves emit Spiritual Qi, raising the overall Spiritual Qi concentration of the Origin Star.]

[3. If they reach a certain scale, they can attract specific insects or small beasts, further enriching the ecology.]

[Specific feedback data will need to be calculated after the Condensation Dew Grass reaches maturity.]

Lin Muchen now had a good idea of how things worked.

He definitely needed to plant more Spiritual Plants.

Back in his room, he closed the door and sank his consciousness into his Dantian.

On the Origin Star, the iron mining site had already begun to take shape.

There was a pit half a person deep, with dark, black Ore piled beside it like a small hill.

The Iron-Tooth Ant Colony was still busy at work.

In the Condensation Dew Grass planting area, the soil was moist, but there was no movement yet.

The Wild Rabbits were hopping around in the distance, occasionally glancing over here with curiosity.

The entire planet was full of vitality, with a slight touch of industrial flavor added to it.

"System, I have enough points now. Should I exchange for something else?" Lin Muchen asked.

[Suggestion: Postpone large-scale exchanges for now.]

[Current Priorities:]

[1. Observe the growth of the Condensation Dew Grass to confirm the feasibility of Spiritual Plant cultivation.]

[2. Accumulate iron Ore reserves to prepare for subsequent resource utilization.]

[3. Stabilize the current ecology and wait for the next round of natural evolution.]

[points can be saved for emergencies or used when new needs arise.]

"That makes sense." Lin Muchen exited his internal vision.

He sat on his bed and began to Cultivate.

As the Basic Breathing Technique began to circulate, Spiritual Qi surged in.

Inside his Dantian, the Origin Star glowed faintly, and the power of the feedback flowed through his entire body.

After two hours of cultivation, he gained 30 points.

His total points were now 140.

Including the unexchanged Spirit Stone, it was equivalent to 145 points.

"System, let's make a plan," Lin Muchen said while cultivating. "Moving forward, I intend to focus on two things."

[Please proceed.]

"First, Spiritual Plant cultivation. Condensation Dew Grass is just the beginning; in the future, I want to get more Spiritual Plant seeds and establish a Spiritual Plant garden on the Origin Star."

"Second, resource development. We have iron Ore now, and there will surely be other minerals in the future. Let the Iron-Tooth Ant Colony keep searching and digging to establish a complete extraction and storage System."

"I'll spend my points around these two goals. What do you think?"

[The plan is reasonable.]

[Additional Suggestion: You can try to accept more gathering-type Sect missions to obtain different Spiritual Plant samples and accelerate the unlocking of the Spiritual Plant Compendium.]

[Regarding resource development, once iron Ore mining is stable, you can direct the ant colony to scout surrounding areas for new Ore Veins.]

"Let's do exactly that."

Lin Muchen ended his cultivation and lay down on his bed.

Outside the window, the sky had already turned dark.

He closed his eyes, thinking about that small mine pit on the Origin Star and that patch of Spiritual Plant land that hadn't sprouted yet.

A Spiritual Plant garden.

A mining System.

This was only the beginning.

The road ahead was still very long.

Before sleepiness overcame him, he asked one last question.

"System, at this rate, when will the first Stream appear on the Origin Star?"

[Based on the current ecological completion and water accumulation...]

[Estimated: When ecological completion reaches 15%, the first Surface Runoff will naturally form.]

[Time: Approximately seven to ten days of real-world time.]

"Soon..."