After some time, Shen Xingyan finally ceased his soaring ambitions.
After all, realizing his recent thoughts required not only a huge number of Talent Stones but also colossal sums of gold coins to transfer the improved innate skill into the real world. This sum was beyond the imagination of the current Shen Xingyan. Although he understood that as his level increased, the value of the crops he cultivated would grow, and his income would rapidly rise, this increase still seemed negligible compared to the required amount.
Despite this, Shen Xingyan firmly believed that this day would definitely come. He only needed to wait for it, and as his development accelerated, his steps toward that goal would become ever more confident.
Evaluating his current position and the path to his desired level, Shen Xingyan could only conclude: The task is arduous, and the road is long!
After mentally agreeing with this assessment, he cautiously set Wangcai back down on the ground. After his previous moment when he almost 'shook Wangcai to pieces,' he dared not get too carried away.
Examining Wangcai closely, Shen Xingyan noticed something unusual.
"Wangcai, have you grown? Can skeletons evolve too?" he involuntarily voiced his confusion, looking at Wangcai, who seemed sturdier than before.
Although he knew he wouldn't get any answer from Wangcai, Shen Xingyan still began gesturing, carefully comparing him with his previous appearance. Indeed, Wangcai looked different. Not only was he slightly taller, but he was also heavier, which Shen Xingyan had felt when lifting him. Upon closer inspection, the previously worn bones Wangcai had when first summoned seemed renewed, becoming much more robust and sturdy in appearance.
Stunned by a sudden realization, Shen Xingyan mentally activated Wangcai's status panel, and what he saw confirmed his suspicions:
Name: Small Skeleton (can be renamed)
Owner: Shen Xingyan
Race: Undead
Skills: None
Strength: 2 points
Dexterity: 2 points
Constitution: 2 points
Spirit: 2 points
Health: 20/20 points
Physical Attack: 2 points
Magic Attack: 2 points
Defense: 2 points
Speed: 2 points
Note: Can perform various combat actions as directed by the summoner.
"Incredible! All attributes actually increased to 2 points! This is simply marvelous!" Shen Xingyan was so happy he actually jumped.
He then checked the attributes of the other small skeletons and found that they, too, had the exact same values—all attributes equal to two, just like Wangcai.
This discovery thrilled Shen Xingyan immensely. He involuntarily looked up at the sky of the Star Source world and exclaimed with a smile: "Heaven is truly kind to me! It seems that when the Innate Talent is improved, the Star Source simultaneously upgrades the already summoned skeletons. What thoughtfulness from the Star Source world!"
The fact that Wangcai and the other skeletons could evolve along with the improvement of the Innate Talent solved one of Shen Xingyan's major concerns. If Wangcai and the others had maintained their one-point attributes, it wouldn't have been a huge problem from the current perspective. But one could imagine that in the future, as time passed, Shen Xingyan's summoning skill would likely improve again, and new skeletons would become stronger and stronger. In such a scenario, the role of Wangcai and his comrades would gradually be reduced to zero.
Ultimately, the first summoned skeletons would probably have been discarded as redundant. Shen Xingyan felt a sincere attachment to Wangcai and the other small skeletons who had accompanied him from the very beginning. How could he possibly discard them?
Now, with this result, this was undoubtedly excellent news for Shen Xingyan.
With a smile on his face, he lightly patted Wangcai on his straw-hatted skull, then sent the skeletons back to work on the field. He himself approached the wheat plot to collect the harvest that Wangcai and the other skeletons had already managed to cut down.
Separating the grain from the straw, Shen Xingyan checked the results of his harvest:
Item: Wheat (Excellent+)
Cost: 13 copper coins
Quantity: 2110
Property: Excellent ingredient for cooking.
"The quality of the wheat has increased again! It seems that meticulous care of the crops, while not yielding a noticeable increase in quantity, significantly affects the quality of the produce!" Shen Xingyan nodded with satisfaction.
Gazing at the price of 13 copper coins per kilogram of wheat, he felt excellent. After all, nothing warms the heart quite like real money.
"I didn't expect a quality increase of just one stage to raise the wheat's value by 3 copper coins—even more than the previous one-coin increase. I heard that the higher the quality, the more significant the price jump, and this confirms it!"
He then checked the attributes of the separated straw:
Item: Straw (Excellent+)
Value: 3 Copper Coins
Quantity: 1100
Property: Good base material.
Seeing that the straw's quality had also improved, Shen Xingyan nodded contentedly. Without hesitation, he sold all the wheat and straw, receiving a total of 30 silver coins and 730 copper coins.
His wallet was significantly replenished, reaching a total of 52 silver coins and 730 copper coins.
Opening his attribute panel, Shen Xingyan checked his professional skill experience. With the 211 EXP gained from the wheat harvest, he only reached 246/500, meaning he had only accumulated half of the experience needed for the next level up.
Closing the panel, Shen Xingyan looked at the field with the remaining wheat stubble and shook his head with a slight chuckle:
"Before, after every harvest, I'd receive extra land as a record-breaking reward, and the Star Source would plow it at the same time, so I didn't have to worry about plowing. Now, it seems that due to the high value of the Innate Talent Growth Stone, the Star Source opted out of the land reward, and I'll have to teach Wangcai and the others how to plow the land."
As he said this, Shen Xingyan recalled the former thoughtfulness of the Star Source world with nostalgia.
Opening the Star Source Store, he spent a few hundred copper coins to buy shovels. He then called over Wangcai and personally taught him the plowing technique, instructing him to enlist several skeletons to help.
Meanwhile, he began to act himself, plowing the land while contemplating what to plant on this one mǔ plot next.