While some were busy slaughtering monsters and others were toiling on their professions, Shen Xingyan was soundly asleep in his professional space, recovering his mental strength.
Without the constant use of his profession's guiding skill, field maintenance prompts appeared very rarely. The eleven small skeletons were more than capable of handling such a situation.
Of course, Shen Xingyan didn't spend all his time sleeping. He would occasionally get up to check on the skeletons' progress and oversee their work. But ever since he had Wangcai convey the concept of "meticulous land cultivation" to the others, his role had become less hands-on.
Each time he interrupted his rest to check on the little skeletons, he was surprised to find that under Wangcai's training and supervision, they were working almost as well as he would. The only difference was their speed—his physical attributes were, after all, leagues beyond the skeletons' single-point stats.
However, perhaps it was precisely due to their slowness that they followed the principle of "detailed cultivation" more thoroughly. Their movements were becoming increasingly precise, and with their boundless stamina, they were already almost a match for Shen Xingyan.
This pleasant surprise caught Shen Xingyan off guard. What had started as an experiment had turned into a full-blown success—Wangcai and the others had mastered everything much faster than he had anticipated!
He had previously thought they had only grasped half the concept, believing it would take a long time to achieve full mastery. Now, it seemed his expectations had been far too conservative.
His gaze toward these cute skeletons grew warmer and more affectionate.
"The little skeletons were practically born for farming! So what if their stats are low? When fate closes a window, it always opens a door!" Shen Xingyan thought with a sense of satisfaction.
With his mental strength fully restored, he joined in on the work. After all, the more effort he put in, the higher his chances of breaking the harvest record. When the Star Core warned that his time was about to run out, Shen Xingyan quickly left his work, handed everything over to the skeletons, and once again reiterated his previous orders to Wangcai.
He then made his way to the edge of the field, opening the Star Core's shop and beginning a search for items that could improve physical attributes.
Now that he had some money, it was only natural to buy his sister something for her health. He wasn't worried that she would become suspicious—he could simply buy potions that could be mixed into food without her noticing.
With this in mind, Shen Xingyan quickly scanned the search results in the Star Core shop. He didn't even consider the expensive and powerful potions that directly increased body stats but had usage limitations. With his current funds, such purchases were simply out of the question.
His gaze dropped, and he quickly found what was considered the best potion for ordinary people at the base:
Item: Physique Activation Potion
Cost: 1 silver coin
Volume: 10 ml
Properties: Each milliliter of the potion increases the speed of physique growth for one hour (the effect is enhanced by physical training during the active period)
It was said that this potion could be created by alchemists who had reached level 50 using a special formula. It was especially effective for growing children like Shen Xingying.
"If only I could've taken this potion back then, my training wouldn't have been so hard!" Shen Xingyan thought as he read the description.
He was probably the only one who knew just how much effort it had taken to achieve his current stats after his awakening. And all that hardship, in the end, was caused by a lack of money.
Shen Xingyan looked at his still "warm" wallet and, gritting his teeth, bought five vials of the Physique Activation Potion.
Factoring in the cost of extraction to the real world, he spent 50 silver coins on just these potions—half of his fortune.
"Money is hard to earn, but so easy to spend!" Shen Xingyan thought with a hint of regret.
If other recently awakened professionals had heard him complain, they would probably have wanted to punch him. In just ten days, he could already afford to buy improving potions, while they were still struggling to survive.
However, Shen Xingyan didn't have time to look at any other items because his time was up, and the Star Core forcefully ejected him.
When his consciousness returned to the real world, his head was buzzing.
"Star Core, could you be a little gentler? That kick was way too strong!" he mumbled, holding his head.
This was his first time experiencing a forced exit, and Shen Xingyan wasn't used to it. When the slight pain in his head gradually faded, he got up and went to the kitchen. He made a meal for himself and ate until he was full, after which he felt his body and mind begin to relax.
After a little while, he felt his physical state was acceptable again. Without delay, he changed into his training clothes, opened the door, and went outside—for the first time in ten days.
Half past noon. The sun hung in the sky, a pale disk behind a gray haze. The air, in stark contrast to the world of the Star Core, carried the occasional unpleasant odor.
After spending so many days indoors, Shen Xingyan felt a brief moment of discomfort stepping outside, but he quickly adjusted. This was, after all, the place he had lived for over a decade. He set off toward the school.
By all accounts, he had now collected his first harvest of wheat and, in the eyes of others, had earned a bit of money. It was only logical to go out and spend some of it.
Shen Xingyan had been waiting for this very moment. The prolonged training he had been doing at home was effective for improving his constitution but had no impact on his strength and agility.
He had come out to visit the training hall next to the school to get a proper workout, aiming to improve his other two stats faster.
As for his spirit, he wasn't planning on working on it just yet. Although increasing this stat would make him more energetic and reduce his need for sleep, it wasn't a priority. Besides, with the growing number of little skeletons, he would have more and more free time. He could recover his mental strength simply by resting in the Star Core world, as he had today; there was no need to specifically train that ability.