Shen Xingyan stood by the well, looking around. Seeing that all the fields had been sown, he felt a rush of satisfaction—the feeling that comes when you know effort is guaranteed to bring results.
The Farmer profession differed from combat specialties, with their monster-slaying thrill reminiscent of opening a surprise box, and from other auxiliary professions, where everything depended on the chance of success. This profession was filled with calmness and measured regularity. His attitude toward it had gone from initial rejection through gradual acceptance to his present enjoyment of the process. This happened not only due to the benefits of his innate talent but also because the quiet, measured rhythm of farming provided an incredible serenity, contrasting sharply with the constant sense of instability in the real world.
Shen Xingyan bought fertilizer again from the Star Source Store and placed it on the pre-prepared wooden boards. Since he was cultivating Level 3 crops this time, Shen Xingyan was cautious that the Star Source assessment criteria might have changed, so he acquired extra supplies. He wanted to avoid a situation where the number of maintenance tasks increased but he ran out of fertilizer.
Observing the fields, Shen Xingyan noticed that the frequency of Star Source prompts for Level 3 crops was significantly higher than for potatoes. Where one or two small skeletons had easily managed one mǔ of land before, it now required two or three skeletons. However, thanks to their improved attributes, the small skeletons were still coping without much effort, and their manpower was being fully utilized.
Seeing this, Shen Xingyan felt slightly reassured. Noticing that it was already past midnight, he remembered the recently unlocked cultivation function and could not suppress his impatience.
Delegating all duties to Wangcai and his team, he quickly walked to the edge of the field, adopted a comfortable sleeping posture, and eagerly began the new experience. Opening his attribute panel and finding the cultivation function, Shen Xingyan mentally activated the "Rest Function." Options for the session's duration appeared before his eyes.
Shen Xingyan knew that once he selected the cultivation time, it would be impossible to interrupt the process. His body would be unable to perform active movements until the specified time elapsed.
Selecting the duration, he officially began his first cultivation session. As the process started, Shen Xingyan instinctively felt his body relax. The sensation was so pleasant that he didn't want to move, but only to lie in silence and peace.
However, just as he was about to completely immerse himself in this state, a strange phenomenon suddenly arose around him, forcing him to wide open his eyes.
He saw tiny transparent particles appear in the surrounding space, which began to rapidly converge on him and penetrate his body. In that moment, he felt like he had become the center of a vortex, constantly drawing in these particles that seemed to arise from nowhere.
Faced with a phenomenon that was never mentioned in the reference guides, Shen Xingyan was initially surprised, but then, as if realizing something, an expression of sudden understanding appeared on his face. He quietly exclaimed:
"It seems this phenomenon is caused by the tenfold cultivation speed from the reward. Such a huge difference makes the usually barely noticeable 'Primal Energy particles' so obvious. No wonder this wasn't mentioned in the materials—this kind of cultivation speed is extremely rare!"
Shen Xingyan watched with delight as the multitude of cute little particles smoothly merged with his body, gradually strengthening his Primal Energy. This sight completely captivated him, bringing a genuine smile to his face. Simultaneously, he felt the wonderful circulation rhythm of the 'Rest Function' in his body and the rapid recovery of his mental energy. All of this combined to create a feeling of extraordinary lightness.
In this state, his eyes closed unnoticed, and he peacefully drifted off to sleep.
As Shen Xingyan slept, the essence of the "Rest Function" seemed to manifest fully. The transparent particles around him began to penetrate his body at an even greater speed.
What Shen Xingyan did not know was that after he fell asleep, tiny particles emitting a faint green glow began to appear over all eight mǔ of his fields. Driven by the "Rest Function," they gradually penetrated his body. These particles began to influence his consciousness, and through the link between his consciousness and the real world—his physical body—which, as if receiving some kind of nourishment, began to undergo barely noticeable changes.
Shen Xingyan remained in this cultivation state for six hours. When he finally exited meditation, all the anomalies he had previously observed had completely vanished.
He now felt an extraordinary freshness of body and spirit, as if six hours of cultivation had provided a better effect than eight hours of normal sleep. Shen Xingyan lightly stretched his body, yawned, and felt a surge of vitality, as though he had been reborn.
Opening his attribute panel and seeing that his Primal Energy had not yet increased, he was not disappointed. After all, even at a tenfold cultivation speed, he had only trained for 60 hours, which was still a little more than half the time required to increase his Primal Energy by 0.1 points.
In addition, he was very satisfied with his first cultivation experience!
Getting up, Shen Xingyan went to check the condition of the plantings. After more than six hours of natural growth, the short-cycle crops had already acquired a distinct form. The Tomatoes, which ripened in just one day, stood out especially—they were almost fully grown, had begun to flower, and were preparing to fruit.
He then inspected the strawberry plot with particular attention but saw only bare soil without the slightest sign of plant growth.
Seeing this, Shen Xingyan did not worry—he knew that the result would be quite noticeable after he applied his professional skill later tonight.
After checking the condition of all the crops and the work of the little skeletons, and confirming that everything was in order, Shen Xingyan prepared to return to the real world.
At that moment, a series of global announcements sounded in his ears:
[Professional "Farmer-So-What" has broken the current Lettuce yield record of 108 kg per mǔ, achieving a result of 115 kg. Reward: One pair of excellent cloth shoes. Global Announcement!]
Hearing this notification, Shen Xingyan instinctively looked down at his own bare feet, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.