After having these thoughts, which would have driven other professionals insane, Shen Xingyan opened the Star Source store and began to choose seeds for his next planting.
The selection of level two seeds was much wider compared to level one: corn, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, potatoes, eggplants, and other crops.
Their cost was about the same for the same growth duration, with the only difference being the time it took to grow—an important criterion that Shen Xingyan considered when choosing.
He carefully analyzed the economic efficiency of each type of seed, comparing them to his specific situation to determine which would give him the best value for money.
Other farmers didn't need to think so deeply—they could choose any seeds, since the final result didn't differ significantly for them. After all, their professional skill only increased growth speed, allowing them to harvest a little earlier!
After a comparison, Shen Xingyan immediately ruled out the crops with short cultivation cycles—lettuce, Chinese cabbage, and eggplants, which matured in two to three days. They weren't suitable for his professional skill and were unlikely to help him break a record, so they didn't fall within the scope of his interest.
In the end, Shen Xingyan was torn between two options: corn and potatoes.
Comparing them, both crops had the same cultivation time, but in terms of commercial value, potatoes were slightly inferior. Instinctively, Shen Xingyan was inclined to choose corn.
However, he remembered the height of his little skeletons. Mature corn stalks would be much taller than them, which would not only make work difficult but also lead to some plant care tasks being left undone, which, in turn, would lead to a "task stoppage," and the benefit would be questionable.
Weighing all the factors, Shen Xingyan no longer hesitated and chose potatoes as his next crop.
Ultimately, the little skeletons were his main workforce, and everything had to be built around their capabilities—only that way could he ensure optimal crop growth.
At first glance, it seemed that Shen Xingyan had given up on a higher profit, but in reality, he chose the option that was most suitable for his situation.
After examining the details, Shen Xingyan learned that the potato growth cycle was 20 days—twice as long as the 10-day cycle of level one wheat. However, the economic value and the professional experience gained were more than double.
Under normal conditions, the wheat yield was about 500 kg per mu, which gave 1000 copper coins and 50 professional experience points.
Under normal conditions, potatoes would yield 3000 kg per mu, bringing in 9000 copper coins and a whopping 600 professional experience points—by all metrics, it significantly surpassed level one seeds!
This was one of the key reasons why farmers strived to raise their professional level—with the same amount of effort, the results differed so greatly that it was impossible not to desire access to higher-level seeds.
Having chosen the crop, Shen Xingyan was about to mentally click the button to buy seeds for all five mu of land when he suddenly remembered the reward for breaking the Star Source world record and stopped.
"Maybe I should leave one mu for wheat? See if I can break my record again?" The thought came to his mind.
Having broken the wheat yield record twice, especially the second time with the help of his professional skill, he had gained confidence in the matter.
Moreover, the rewards from the Star Source were quite significant for him—the additional land alone had substantially increased his overall strength.
Without it, as a simple farmer, even with his powerful skills, he wouldn't have been able to reach his current level so quickly, almost catching up to combat professionals.
After a little deliberation on the pros and cons, Shen Xingyan decided to continue growing wheat!
In the worst-case scenario, he would just get less experience and yield from that plot—for him, this was perfectly acceptable now.
But if he broke the record again, the generosity of the reward would be incomparable to a small amount of experience and money!
Having made his decision, Shen Xingyan unhesitatingly chose potato seeds for four mu of land and wheat seeds for one mu. Thanks to the 30% discount on seeds, he quickly paid 1470 copper coins.
Now, for Shen Xingyan, who had become a "major landowner," such sums were no longer so significant, especially considering that these investments would ensure a better harvest in the future.
According to his plan, Shen Xingyan divided the five mu of land: on the central plot, where he had started, he once again planted wheat, and on the surrounding plots, he planted the new potato seeds.
To ensure the success of his experiment to break the wheat record, he specifically instructed Wangcai to prioritize the wheat over the potatoes: if the maintenance prompts appeared at the same time, they should tend to the wheat first, and the potatoes could wait.
After giving these orders, he didn't waste time and directed Wangcai and the other little skeletons to begin planting.
Planting five mu of land was no easy task. Even though Shen Xingyan now had 10 skeletons, they worked tirelessly, and the planting still took a considerable amount of time.
Additionally, after prioritizing the wheat planting, care prompts for the wheat field began to appear during the potato planting. Shen Xingyan had to allocate several skeletons to handle them, which somewhat reduced the planting efficiency.
Fortunately, Shen Xingyan's professional skill was still on cooldown, so the care prompts didn't appear as intensely, and the impact on the planting process remained within his control.
During the planting, the cooldown for Shen Xingyan's innate talent finished, and he immediately summoned an eleventh skeleton.
With the appearance of a new worker, the planting efficiency slightly increased, and in the end, the twelve workers, toiling for about two hours, completely finished planting the potatoes.
After all that bustling activity, Shen Xingyan finally stopped and, standing at the edge of the field, saw the land for the first time remaining so empty after planting. It felt unfamiliar.
Usually, right after planting, he would use his professional skill, making the plants grow rapidly, and he never saw the soil so clearly.
But now, to help the wheat break the record, he had used the skill in advance, and it was still on cooldown, so all that was left was to patiently wait.
At this time, the prompts above the wheat field appeared very slowly, and with their current efficiency, the little skeletons handled them with ease.