Soon, the two of them arrived outside Pisces High School and parked their vehicles.
"Senior, how did you find that necklace back then?" Wang Xiaoyi walked beside Lin Qianyi and asked curiously.
"Secret."
A trace of nostalgia flashed in Lin Qianyi's eyes.
Solving Wang Xiaoyi's matter had been thanks to a few special plants he had grown in childhood that bore unique traits.
Back then, he used acorus calamus and a small cactus.
Acorus calamus was said to open the nine orifices, enhancing clarity of senses. Lin Qianyi had gambled and obtained a "Smell Enhancement" trait from it.
After consumption, it directly enhanced his sense of smell.
Using that, Lin Qianyi found clues, the lost item, and even evidence.
The cactus had a "Deter" trait.
When crushed, it could instill fear in ordinary people to a certain extent.
Those two plants were among the last remnants of Lin Qianyi's past glory.
Obtaining special traits from plants had always been rare. Moreover, ever since he turned six, his planting space had been monopolized by marrow-cleansing grass.
But now that his planting space had upgraded and returned, the opportunities to create miracles would only increase.
"See you at noon, Senior."
"See you at noon."
After waving goodbye to Wang Xiaoyi and escorting her to the teaching building, Lin Qianyi headed to the school library on his own.
There wasn't a dedicated librarian at the time, so he simply scanned his student ID to borrow books. He also had privileges to use the library's computers.
Lately, he had been coming here daily to search for information.
Although there were still over thirty days before reporting to university, doing some research in advance wouldn't hurt.
After scanning in, Lin Qianyi went straight to the computers.
Once it booted up, he accessed the school's internal database.
"Plant Evolution Guidance... Yep, and constructing the Dao Pattern system..."
Dao Patterns.
They were the most fundamental academic system in the Land of Taiyi.
It's unclear which evolver first proposed the theory. Legend has it that long ago, an evolver from the Land of Taiyi deciphered the natural world and discovered Dao Patterns.
Dao Patterns are essentially the rules and principles by which the world operates — once analyzed, they manifest as physical matter, information, or energy forms.
In a way, everything in the world is composed of Dao Patterns.
The core of an evolver's progression lies in mastering Dao Patterns.
By assembling different Dao Patterns, they construct their own personal evolution systems — mimicking the structure of the world itself. As complexity grows, they can eventually form a pattern system so intricate it mirrors an entire world, known as a World Pattern (Jie Wen).
Once achieved, the evolver attains the power of a world and can be called a World Lord.
On the computer, Lin Qianyi found several Dao Pattern models. These were for reference only and lacked complete data, so they couldn't be used directly.
The most common Dao Patterns here were related to the Five Elements and Yin-Yang.
Countless derivative patterns emerged from these foundations.
The Federation had a complex classification system for Dao Patterns.
Ultimately, all patterns fell under three categories: Matter, Energy, and Information.
This didn't mean that Dao Patterns were strictly limited to one of these, but rather that people understood and applied them through these perspectives.
A single category alone couldn't form a functional Dao Pattern.
Information dictates how matter and energy operate; energy drives matter based on the given information; and matter carries both energy and information.
The three are interdependent and inseparable.
Categorizing them simply highlights which aspect the Dao Pattern influences most directly.
Energy-type patterns often focus on energy conversion or absorption.
Matter-type patterns deal with storage, reinforcement, and fortification.
Information-type patterns are more about perception, guidance, and control.
A complete evolver system requires all three.
Typically, evolvers focus on one core aspect and gradually expand into other areas.
Mastering Dao Patterns isn't particularly difficult. Normally, a device called a Dao Instrument can directly implant Dao Pattern information into a person's consciousness.
Before reaching a certain level of sensory perception, ordinary people can't perceive Dao Patterns on their own.
Hence, they rely on external tools.
Once they acquire Dao Pattern information, they repeatedly visualize it, condensing it within their mind using their life energy and spirit.
This process has two stages: the Dao Seed and the Mature Dao Pattern.
In the Dao Seed phase, the pattern takes basic form and grants the evolver partial related abilities.
A fully matured Dao Pattern grants the complete power tied to that pattern.
The process is physically taxing.
Ordinary people exposed too early to Dao Patterns may suffer stunted growth, deformities, short lifespans, or even fatal illnesses.
So, Dao Pattern knowledge and instruments have always been tightly regulated by the Federation — civilians don't even have access.
Lin Qianyi's body condition now met the required standard — he far exceeded the benchmark interference value of 70.
But formal exposure to Dao Patterns still had to wait until college.
This place lacked the necessary equipment.
Lin Qianyi pursed his lips. Over a month remained before he could attend university, and the wait felt like a waste of time.
His next mission was in two months.
Lin Qianyi didn't want to waste time in school.
If he could get access to more advanced knowledge earlier, it would definitely help with his next field trial.
He planned to ask his homeroom teacher about it during the break.
His teacher, Fang Jun, wasn't exactly well-connected but had some status in his youth. When Lin Qianyi helped Wang Xiaoyi before, Fang Jun had offered a bit of silent support and let him act freely.
Honestly, Lin Qianyi usually hated trouble. He had seen too much, become numb, and lost his passion for most things.
But at that time... well...
He saw the utterly aggrieved expression on Wang Xiaoyi's face.
And for some reason, it stirred something in him emotionally. He acted on impulse.
Maybe he enjoyed the feeling of being young again.
Fortunately, the issue was resolved perfectly.
If Wang Xiaoyi had actually jumped, he would've been upset for days.
After finishing his research, Lin Qianyi switched to an AI software program.
He asked a simple question: if he were to travel to an unknown place full of dangers for an uncertain duration, with only one cubic meter of space in his vehicle, what supplies should he bring?
The school's Pisces AI gave a reliable answer.
A portable tent, knife and tool kit, cooking gear and food, clothes, water and filter, first aid kit, communication device, signal flares, portable power...
There were quite a few items Lin Qianyi hadn't even considered.
Of course, many others seemed unnecessary to him.
He sorted them into space-efficient categories and judged what was feasible.
Overall, he felt the space was still too small. If possible, he even wanted to pack a car inside.
After trimming down the list, Lin Qianyi finalized a few core items:
1. Multifunctional Folding Sword
– It had helped him immensely on the island. Without it, he wouldn't have passed the mission easily.
2. Folding Electric Skateboard
– His chosen mode of transport. Compact, long battery life (100+ km), perfect for scenarios without vehicles.
3. Portable Full-Body Bulletproof COS Black God Armor
– A 3D-printed cosplay item costing under 5,000 credits. Weighing 15 kg, it provided comprehensive protection against standard firearms and allowed for mobility.
4. Custom High-Power Slingshot
– With an effective range of 200 meters, it could shatter bones within 100 meters and maim if hitting vital spots like the eyes.
– Although he couldn't buy specialty lethal ammunition, Lin Qianyi believed he could make some himself.
– He recalled that when he grew chili peppers in his original planting space, he once got an "Explosion" trait — they turned into explosive poppers capable of deforming metal basins.
– His Sea God Grass once had a Corrosion Enhancement trait too. Coat that with mud, shoot it into someone's face? Definitely magical damage.
5. Magic Eye Drone
– Used primarily for mapping. Also capable of sending signals and connecting to wireless networks — assuming compatibility.
– Even just as a basic radio transmitter, it could be a lifesaver in emergencies.
These five were Lin Qianyi's high-value picks.
He skipped details on the rest — tent, tools, spices, first aid, signal flares, solar chargers, etc.
Lin Qianyi also considered returning to the Wandering Island trial world to look for better weapons — like firearms.
But now wasn't the right time for that.
Once he officially entered university and gained access to Dao Patterns, then he might make a trip back.
After placing his online orders, Lin Qianyi started watching a movie to kill time.
He understood the importance of mental breaks.
In a past life, he had once been too obsessed with success — grinding like crazy for six months.
In the end, he didn't get the results he wanted and developed psychological issues instead.
So now, no matter how important the task, he always balanced work and rest.
The movie was long — about an ordinary man inheriting a powerful legacy, getting dragged into major events, beaten up, showing off, growing stronger, and finally gaining both strength and love...
Lin Qianyi could tell the plot from just the opening scenes — the classic Deep Space Federation narrative:
As long as you don't give up, stay brave and optimistic, anyone can reach the top!
Well, it might convince kids.
But a jaded guy like Lin Qianyi didn't buy it.
Still, he enjoyed the cool scenes and demonstrations of Dao Pattern powers.
After all, a lot of those weren't CGI — many were real footage.
He watched the whole thing at 3.5x speed. Just in time for class to end.
Lin Qianyi pulled out his phone and called his homeroom teacher.
"Boss, I want to go to college early!"