The Hollow was quiet.
Long Yan stood alone beneath its gray, dreamlike sky—neither night nor day. Ten neat plots glowed faintly with embedded Qi lines, scattered across an otherwise barren stretch of land. The rest of the world around him remained locked behind a wall of shifting mist, like a garden imprisoned in fog.
He knelt beside one of the unused plots and pressed his palm into the soil. A soft warmth pulsed in return—faint, expectant.
The ring responded.
[Spirit Hollow – Tier 1: Dryfield]
Farmable Area: 10 plots (7/10 planted)Infusion Source: Manual Qi Flow
Expansion Status: Locked
To Unlock Tier 2 – Verdant Rise:– Grow 5 unique spirit crops (4/5)– Infuse Hollow with Qi-rich material (0/1)– Open Ring Door: 2 (Locked)
Progress: 66%
Long Yan exhaled. "One more crop."
Of the six plots he'd already grown, four had yielded spirit-infused herbs or fruits—low-grade but real. The other two had been failures, the seeds withering before sprouting. But he was learning. Understanding the Hollow. Listening to the land.
He reached into his pouch and withdrew a small object wrapped in cloth: a hard seed, deep blue with golden lines etched across its surface. It was heavier than it looked.
He'd found it abandoned outside the academy's waste collection sector weeks ago, tossed out with broken gear and expired supplements. Forgotten. Unusable.
So they said.
He dug a small hole in the seventh plot, placed the seed inside, and covered it with soil. Then he laid his palm flat over the earth.
A pulse.
The interface flickered in front of his eyes.
[Unknown Seed Detected – Class: Inert]
Warning: No elemental response detected. Qi absorption minimal.
Growth Requirements:– Medium-tier Spirit Dew– Low-rank Beast Core– High-density elemental catalyst
He sat back on his heels, frowning.
That was more than he could give.
He looked at the vial resting in his pocket: spirit dew. A rare cultivation liquid, condensed from Qi-rich clouds, usually found only in Core World greenhouses or auction houses. It had been left at his door anonymously, along with a note.
He hadn't touched it yet.
He still wasn't sure if he could trust it—or himself.
One drop of that dew might activate the seed. Or it might be wasted entirely if the seed was already dead.
"I'll wait," he said aloud.
Instead, he stood and moved to the eighth plot. He took out a dried crimson pepper from a discarded training ration, broke it open, and planted the seeds inside. Ordinary food—mundane and overlooked. But the Hollow made no distinction.
He focused his Qi and fed it slowly into the soil.
The earth responded. A stem pushed up through the dirt. Leaves unfurled. A tiny red fruit formed and began to glow faintly.
[Spirit Crop Grown – Class 1: Flame Pepper]+1 to Spiritual Energy Recovery (Fire-root aligned)+1 Farm Stability
Unique Crop Count: 5/5
Then another notification:
[Requirement Met – Cultivation Variety Achieved]
Tier 2 Progress: 75%
Long Yan exhaled.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked across the field. Each successful crop now hummed faintly with Qi, their aura feeding the Hollow in small but measurable ways.
Still… the land beyond the mist remained sealed.
"I need something stronger," he muttered.
A beast core.
Even a low-rank one would do. But those weren't exactly lying around in trash heaps or practice gardens. Students from elite families had them. He didn't.
He clenched his fist.
Unless… he traded. Or fought. Or found a way to steal one from the system itself.
Suddenly, one of the withered plots shimmered. A dying vine sank into the earth, dissolving. A moment later, the soil beneath it pulsed with soft light, stronger than before.
[Plot Reabsorbed – Nutrient Recovery: +3%]Auto-Infusion Efficiency Improved
Farm Stability: 4/10
It wasn't just planting that mattered. Even failures fed the land. Even loss was part of cultivation.
Long Yan stood tall again, hands coated with soil, eyes fixed on the misty border.
The Hollow wanted more. And it would reward him for giving it.
He returned to the inert seed and stared at the black soil covering it. Still no reaction. Still waiting.
"Not today," he said softly. "But soon."
Outside the ring, in the real world, the academy followed its usual rhythm—training, lectures, and the quiet grind of low-tier cultivation. Long Yan returned to his dorm unnoticed, his clothes still faintly dusty with spiritual soil.
No one knew what had shifted within him. No one felt the quiet breath of growth that stirred in the hidden land beneath his soul.
Far across the academy, in the upper observatory, a girl in silver-trimmed robes stood by the window, silent and still. In her hand, a sealed scroll glowed faintly with ancestral markings.
She was searching.Not for power.Not for fame.
But for someone who bore a mark — a symbol long thought lost.
"He must be here," she whispered. "The heir wouldn't just vanish."
Her eyes swept the academy grounds, but her gaze didn't linger on Long Yan's window. Not yet.
The ring was hidden.His past forgotten.
But fate was already moving.