15: Chapter 15 The Herb Garden Opens, Word Entries Fall from the Sky

[The No. 7 Medicinal Garden is located in a valley at the northernmost edge of the Outer Sect area, a remote and desolate place.]

[You followed the map for nearly half an hour before seeing a yard enclosed by a waist-high picket fence. A crooked wooden plaque hung on the fence, with the four large characters "No. 7 Medicinal Garden" written in ink, the handwriting already blurred and unclear.]

[Standing at the entrance of the medicinal garden, you looked at the bleak scene before you, and the corners of your mouth couldn't help but twitch.]

["Good heavens, this place is even more dilapidated than I imagined."]

[You pushed open the picket gate and walked in.]

[The yard wasn't large, about half a mu, and was divided into a dozen ridges of varying sizes. But the ridges were completely empty, without even a single weed in sight, only a patch of cracked, grayish-white barren soil.]

[An aura of decay lingered in the air, and the Spiritual Qi was thin to the extreme, even worse than that of your broken cave.]

[In the corner of the yard stood a small thatched hut that looked like it could be knocked over by a gust of wind at any moment.]

["Whatever you plant dies; it truly lives up to its reputation."]

[You crouched down and grabbed a handful of dirt.]

[The soil was dry and hard, completely devoid of nutrients. In Mortal terms, it was a standard "saline-alkali land." In such a place, let alone Spirit Medicine, even planting hardy weeds would depend on the heavens' whims.]

["However, for me, this is actually a good thing."]

[Instead of being disappointed, you were even more satisfied.]

[The worse the place, the less likely anyone would come to disturb you. This was practically a tailor-made paradise for you.]

[You walked into that rickety thatched hut.]

[Inside, there was nothing but a wooden board bed and a table with a missing leg.]

[You didn't mind it, gave it a simple cleaning, and then moved all your belongings over. From today on, this would be your new home.]

[After settling in, you immediately began the renovation work on the medicinal garden.]

[First was the soil issue.]

[You weren't in a hurry to buy spiritual soil to replace it, as that would be too conspicuous.]

[You went to the back mountain and spent two days digging up a large amount of humus soil, mixing it into the medicinal garden's soil bit by bit to improve its quality.]

[The process was dull and tedious, but you did it with great relish.]

[With the support of the Full of Energy trait, your efficiency working alone was comparable to three or five strong men.]

[Next was the water source.]

[You used the Water Condensing Technique to condense fresh water, watering the parched land over and over again to restore moisture to the soil.]

[By the time you finished all this, half a month had already passed.]

[Although the soil in the medicinal garden still couldn't be called fertile, it was at least no longer as lifeless as before.]

[Only then did you go to the Outer Sect Market to buy a batch of the cheapest and hardiest clear heart grass seeds.]

[You carefully sowed the seeds, and then, full of anticipation, performed your proficient-level Accelerated Growth Technique on the land.]

[Strands of pale green light merged into the soil, and you felt as if you could hear the joyful breathing of the seeds within the earth.]

[With everything ready, the next step was to wait.]

[Your daily life became incredibly regular.]

[During the day, you weeded, loosened the soil, and watered the medicinal garden like an ordinary old farmer.]

[At night, you sat cross-legged in the thatched hut, circulating the Qi Guiding Art to absorb the pitifully small amount of Spiritual Qi in the air.]

[With the support of Effort Will Be Rewarded, even in such a thin Spiritual Qi environment, your Cultivation Base continued to grow slowly but steadily at a pace imperceptible to the naked eye.]

[Time passed slowly, and soon, a year had gone by.]

[During this year, you pushed the "laying low" philosophy to its limit. Except for going to the Task Hall once a month to hand in missions and collect those ten meager Contribution Points, you almost never left the medicinal garden.]

[In the Outer Sect, few people still remembered that a person like you existed.]

[Your birthday arrived, and you finally welcomed the first opportunity to draw a trait in your simulated life.]

[You sat cross-legged in the thatched hut, rubbing your hands excitedly and praying silently.]

["Give me something useful! Please don't let it be something like Smacking Lips While Eating again! Even something related to farming would be fine!"]

[You took a deep breath and shouted in your heart: "Start the draw!"]

[An illusory roulette appeared before you and began to spin wildly.]

[Your heart was in your throat as you stared fixedly at the pointer.]

[The pointer swept past large areas of white, and finally, under your gaze, it slowly came to a stop.]

[It stopped at... the white area.]

["Sigh..."]

[You sighed; as expected, the fate of an unlucky person could not be changed.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained a Common Rank trait — Always Stepping in Dog Poop.]

[trait: Always Stepping in Dog Poop (White)]

[Effect: While walking, there is a 10% slight probability that you will step on something strange. Of course, occasionally it might trigger "dog shit luck," allowing you to discover some minor resources.]

[Looking at the description of this trait, you felt completely numb.]

["Always Stepping in Dog Poop? System, are you mocking me?"]

[You were caught between laughter and tears. What was this? Did you have to keep your head down and watch the road at all times while walking? Otherwise, you might "hit the jackpot" accidentally?]

["Forget it, white is white. At least it's not a purely negative trait, and it even has a 'dog shit luck' passive."]

[You comforted yourself this way and decided not to equip this trait for now. You didn't want strange things to mysteriously appear in your meticulously maintained medicinal garden.]

[Your life continued.]

[Nineteen years old: You continued your job as a Medicinal Garden Caretaker. The first batch of clear heart grass you planted survived tenaciously under your careful care. Although they grew sparsely and didn't look great, there was finally a harvest. You sold them, exchanged them for some Spirit Stones, and reinvested everything to buy new seeds.]

[Twenty years old: You welcomed the second draw. This time, as the pointer on the roulette passed the white area, it hesitated slightly.]

[A flash of green light flickered before your eyes!]

[Your heart skipped a beat! It's here!]

[Amidst your prayers, the pointer finally trembled and stopped on that rare green area!]

[Buzz—!]

[Emerald light illuminated the entire thatched hut, filled with the aura of life.]

[[Congratulations, you have obtained a Rare Rank trait — Spiritual Plant Affinity!]]

[trait: Spiritual Plant Affinity (Green)]

[Effect: You have a natural affinity for all plants, especially spiritual plants. You can vaguely perceive their "emotions" and know what they need. The survival rate and quality of the spiritual plants you cultivate will be significantly improved.]

["Hahaha! It's here! It's finally here!"]

[Looking at this green trait, you slapped your thigh in excitement.]

[This was practically a Divine-Grade farming trait tailor-made for you! With it, your farming career would officially hit the fast track! This was countless times stronger than that Little Expert at Farming!]

[You didn't hesitate to open the trait panel, preparing to perform a replacement.]

[Your current six traits are: Life Simulator (Prismatic), Five Elements Spiritual Root (Green), Effort Will Be Rewarded (Green), Good Memory (White), Full of Energy (White), and Affable and Amiable (White).]

[Every one of these six traits was useful, and you felt it was a pity to replace any of them.]

[After thinking for a long time, you finally set your sights on Affable and Amiable.]

["I stay in the medicinal garden every day now and don't see more than a few people a year. Such a strong disguise isn't very useful. It's more important to develop the economy first."]

[You decided to replace Affable and Amiable (White) with Spiritual Plant Affinity (Green).]

[[trait replacement successful!]]

[The moment the trait was equipped, you felt a miraculous change in your perception.]

[You closed your eyes, and the scene of the entire medicinal garden appeared in your mind in a brand-new way.]

[You could "hear" those clear heart grass seedlings that had just broken through the soil, joyfully absorbing water and nutrients.]

[You could "feel" that a seedling in the eastern corner seemed a bit "listless," and the soil it was in was lacking nutrients.]

[The ones on the west side were complaining that the sunlight was too intense and needed some shade.]

["Holy crap! Is it this magical?"]

[You opened your eyes, your face full of shock.]

[This wasn't just Spiritual Plant Affinity; this was practically a plant translator!]

[You were ecstatic and immediately made adjustments to the medicinal garden based on these "feedbacks."]

[You gave that "malnourished" seedling some "farmyard manure" you made yourself from fallen leaves and kitchen waste.]

[You used straw to build a simple shade to block the sunlight for those "sun-sensitive" seedlings.]

[With the support of Spiritual Plant Affinity, your medicinal garden management entered the era of "precision agriculture."]

[Your clear heart grass grew better day by day.]

[Twenty-one years old: You drew a white trait — Midnight Singing.]

[trait: Midnight Singing (White)]

[Effect: In the dead of night, there is a certain probability that you will unconsciously hum some out-of-tune songs.]

[Looking at this trait, you imagined yourself wailing like a ghost in the medicinal garden in the middle of the night, shuddered, and decisively threw it into the warehouse.]

[Twenty-five years old: You became a well-known "Farming Genius."]

[The clear heart grass you cultivated, whether in appearance or medicinal properties, far exceeded its peers. clear heart grass grown by other Medicinal Garden Caretakers sold for two Spirit Stones a plant. Yours could sell for five, and they were still in high demand.]

[By selling the grass, you saved up a large amount of Spirit Stones.]

[Your reputation gradually spread among some Pill Hall Disciples and Spiritual Farmers.]

[Everyone was curious; how did that desolate No. 7 Medicinal Garden turn from decay into magic once it reached your hands?]

[People began coming to your medicinal garden, wanting to find out the truth.]

[But all they saw was a diligent, ordinary-looking young man and a medicinal garden that, while growing well, wasn't Heaven-Defying.]

[Because you had already kept a trick up your sleeve.]

[Every time, you only took out a portion of the best-growing clear heart grass to sell, keeping most of it. Furthermore, you deliberately left a few areas in the medicinal garden with poor growth to serve as a disguise.]

[You knew well that the tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Making a fortune in silence was the kingly way.]