Time passed slowly, and the crops in the field looked more and more lush and mature. If other farmers saw how well they were growing, their eyes would probably fill with envy.
In the field, if not for the sounds occasionally made by the working little skeletons, the space seemed as though it could remain that quiet forever.
In such an environment, Shen Xingyan slept unusually sweetly. His physical fatigue seemed to dissipate faster, and his mental strength recovered rapidly. When Shen Xingyan felt that his spiritual energy was fully restored, his sleepiness automatically disappeared, and he naturally woke up.
Upon waking, he immediately saw a group of little skeletons surrounding him and forming a defensive perimeter.
He seemed to have gotten used to this sight and wasn't scared at all. Wiping his sleepy eyes, he smiled with relief.
Before, when he slept here, Wangcai and the other skeletons often did this, as if following the instinct of summoned creatures—when there were no commands to follow, they would gather around him. He never ordered the skeletons to move away, because the feeling of being protected while sleeping, even if the protectors were undead, created a sense of warmth and comfort.
Shen Xingyan sat up and first checked the state of the field. He immediately noticed the pleasant emptiness above the field—no field care prompts were visible, which was a welcome sight. Every farmer, seeing such a scene, would feel the same way Shen Xingyan did right now.
Looking down, he saw that the plants looked very lively and sturdy. After inspecting everything, Shen Xingyan smiled with satisfaction.
"Wangcai, excellent work! You truly are my best assistant!" Shen Xingyan said, standing up and stroking the skull of Wangcai, who was wearing his straw hat.
The fact that Wangcai and the other skeletons were able to keep the field in such excellent condition didn't surprise Shen Xingyan at all. After all, the little skeletons had already proven their abilities in practice more than once. He was simply feeling genuine joy.
Then Shen Xingyan stretched his body and felt that both his body and mind were in excellent condition. He thought that if he returned to the real world in this state, he would only need a little food to fill his stomach, and he could go straight to the training hall.
Shen Xingyan considered his routine of "resting in the virtual world, training in reality" to be a rarity among all professionals.
When he was enjoying this pleasant feeling, a countdown timer for exiting the Star Source world began to flash before his eyes, reminding him that the time to leave was approaching again.
"Happy times are always too short. It's time to say goodbye again. Wangcai, as I said before, manage this field well, understood?" Shen Xingyan said, as if talking to a child.
Then, as if he remembered something, he quickly walked over to the wooden plank he had bought earlier and took out some fertilizer from his inventory, piling it up there. Only after that did he clap his hands and once again explain to Wangcai how to use the fertilizer, not worrying that Wangcai wouldn't understand and mess things up.
After today's episode with the excessive worry, Shen Xingyan realized how important Wangcai was to him, and even if a mistake happened, it wouldn't be such a big deal. Besides, Wangcai's previous actions had seemed extremely reliable to him, which was an important factor in his confidence.
Seeing that all the tasks in the cultivation space were completed, Shen Xingyan said his goodbyes to Wangcai and the others, and then proactively exited the Star Source world. After his previous experience, he didn't want to feel the sensation of being thrown out of this world again.
In the cultivation space, Wangcai, watching his master disappear, didn't look around for Shen Xingyan like the other little skeletons did. He only froze for a moment, then slowly returned to the spot where Shen Xingyan had just been sleeping. Imitating his master, he slowly sat down and stared with his empty eye sockets at the sky above the field.
The other little skeletons, seeing Wangcai's actions, also stopped looking around and slowly came over, lining up behind him. They, too, looked at the sky above the field, as if an enemy they were about to fight was there.
When Shen Xingyan's consciousness returned to the real world, the first thing he felt was hunger. This sensation was all too familiar to him, and without hesitation, he got out of bed and rushed to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
While Shen Xingyan was eating, he suddenly remembered something he had overlooked: he had been so busy with field duties in the cultivation space that he had forgotten to take his sister to school!
Realizing this, Shen Xingyan became worried and scolded himself for his inattention. After all, yesterday's incident was still fresh in his memory. Although the "Bodhi Leaf" trophy he had received yesterday indicated that the giant rat's appearance was likely a one-off case, he couldn't let his guard down!
Shen Xingyan slapped his forehead: "I was really too tired and just forgot about it!"
This situation, as well as the various unsettling thoughts in the Star Source world, made him wonder if this was a side effect of using his "Awareness" skill.
He had no time to ponder this now. He quickly shoved some food into his mouth, grabbed two buns, and, still eating, rushed toward the school.
Passing by the spot where he had fought the giant rat yesterday, he could still vaguely make out some traces, but after almost an entire day, they had largely disappeared. The marks he had intentionally left earlier had also almost completely vanished.
Thinking that they had safely survived last night and the probability of risk had already dropped to a low enough level, he decided that even if someone came looking, they would have no way to connect it to them.
After this thought, Shen Xingyan felt a significant sense of relief.
Continuing to run, he couldn't help but think: "It seems the facts prove that weakness is the original sin, no matter where you are!"
In the Star Source world, if not for his little skeletons, who were efficient enough, he not only wouldn't have been able to handle the unexpected situations, but even the reward from the Star Source could have become a disaster, causing "task stagnation."
In the real world, it was even more obvious. Even if you were lucky enough to accidentally get a priceless item, if you didn't have the corresponding strength to protect it, the result was easily predictable.
For luck to smile upon you, you must have the strength to accept that luck.