After exchanging a few pleasantries with his neighbor, Lin Li returned home.
Once home, he went to the kitchen first. He took the groceries he'd just bought at the market from the Mysterious Small Island and put them in the refrigerator.
Lin Li wasn't much of a cook and rarely made his own meals, but seeing the refrigerator stocked full of ingredients brought him a great sense of satisfaction. From now on, whenever he wanted to cook, he wouldn't have to resort to making egg and shredded pork noodles like he did a few days ago just because he was out of supplies. He felt very content.
It was still a while before lunch. Lin Li went to the living room and had just turned on the TV when he suddenly remembered he needed to water the white radishes he'd planted on the cleared land on the Mysterious Small Island.
With a thought, a faint golden Spiritual Light flashed around his body, and he disappeared from the sofa.
「...」
"No way! This... How did they sprout so quickly?!!!"
Arriving on the Mysterious Small Island, Lin Li had been preparing to water the white radish seeds he'd planted. He was astonished to discover that after just over a day, the seeds had already taken root and sprouted.
"This is so unscientific! How can freshly planted seeds take root and sprout into seedlings in just over a day?" Lin Li muttered to himself, then scratched his head.
'Ugh, the existence of this Mysterious Small Island isn't scientific to begin with. I'm clearing land and planting vegetables on this island, so I can't really explain this situation with science.
'Whatever, I'll just go with it! At this rate of growth, the radishes should be ready to harvest in about a week. I'll see how these fast-growing radishes taste then.'
Compared to the little fruit grown by the Magical Little Tree in the center of the island, vegetables taking root and sprouting quickly seemed much less difficult to accept.
It only took him a few seconds to go from astonishment to calmly accepting the situation.
SPLASH.
Lin Li picked up a bucket, went to the edge of the island to fill it with water, and then began watering the radish seedlings in the field.
"Watering with a bucket is a bit inconvenient! I should buy a watering can tomorrow," Lin Li grumbled, looking at the freshly watered field.
He then went back to the edge of the island, filled another bucket, and carried it toward the center of the island.
SPLASH...
After watering the Magical Little Tree, Lin Li set the bucket down on the grass and looked at the unremarkable tree before him.
With a thought, a piece of information immediately appeared in his mind.
'Seven percent.'
'Only seven percent! I'll head out after lunch. I've really got to push myself these next few days and get this progress to one hundred percent as soon as possible.'
After watering his radishes and the Magical Little Tree, Lin Li prepared to leave the Mysterious Small Island and return to the real world.
But just as he was about to leave the Mysterious Small Island, a flash of green caught his eye. If one didn't look closely, this tiny green speck, not much bigger than a grain of rice, would be hard to spot.
Lin Li quickly took a step forward, leaning in close to a branch of the Magical Little Tree.
"This is...???"
After observing it carefully, the puzzled look on Lin Li's face gave way to a loud laugh, his expression filled with joyful surprise.
"Hahaha... It's growing a fruit! The Magical Little Tree is growing another fruit! It seems my earlier guess was right... That percentage in my mind must be the progress for the Magical Little Tree growing a new fruit."
Lin Li's eyes shone as he stared at the tiny green fruit on the Magical Little Tree, barely bigger than a grain of rice, his heart pounding with excitement.
To be honest, although Lin Li had always fantasized about eating dozens or even hundreds of the Magical Little Tree's fruits and becoming a powerful Cultivator...
...it was, after all, just a fantasy. It was entirely possible that the Magical Little Tree would only ever grow that one fruit and no more.
But now, the appearance of this new green fruit on the Magical Little Tree proved that his fantasy could actually become a reality.
'Mutant Beasts... Mutant Beasts... I need more Mutant Beast flesh, fresh within the hour.'
Looking at the small, delicate green fruit before him, Lin Li's fighting spirit surged. He wished he could teleport to the wilderness outside the city right now and hunt Mutant Beast after Mutant Beast for the Magical Little Tree.
'Calm down. Don't get excited.'
WHOOSH...
Lin Li closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, trying hard to calm his racing emotions.
Three minutes later, having composed himself, Lin Li slowly opened his eyes.
Although a look of ecstasy returned to his face upon seeing the small, delicate green fruit, his heart, which had been pounding from excitement, was no longer racing as wildly as before.
He raised his right hand and extended his pinky, wanting to gently touch the tiny, delicate green fruit.
SMACK.
His left hand suddenly shot up and slapped his right one.
'Control yourself. As the saying goes, a little impatience can spoil a great plan. Anyway, the green fruit has already appeared, and I'm the only one who can enter this Mysterious Small Island. There's no need to be hasty.
'If my curiosity gets the better of me and I touch it, causing some uncontrollable change to the fruit, the loss would far outweigh any gain.'
After scolding himself internally, Lin Li gave up the idea of touching the green fruit on the Magical Little Tree.
He gazed at the green fruit with a fond expression, like an old man looking at his precious grandchild.
'Oh! The color of this fruit is different from the last one. If it's still this color when it's fully grown and ripe, does that mean I'll awaken a different Superpower if I eat it? If that's the case, wouldn't I become a rare Dual Superpower Awakened? Wow, a Dual Superpower Awakened... just thinking about it sounds so cool... Cultivators who've awakened a Superpower are already rare, but those with a Dual Superpower are rarer than a phoenix's feather. I remember reading a news report that the Superpower Administration Bureau gives preferential treatment and priority admission to Cultivators with a Dual Superpower when recruiting Investigators. If I really do awaken a Dual Superpower, maybe I could consider interviewing at the Superpower Administration Bureau to become an Investigator. Being an Investigator is an iron rice bowl—not only are the benefits and salary excellent, but the social status is also very high. I saw an article online once about the benefits of being an Investigator. One of the points was that if you become an Investigator and go on blind dates, your success rate with the ladies goes through the roof once they find out your profession. However, an Investigator's job is not only hard work but also very dangerous. And I'm pretty lazy by nature... so that job probably isn't a good fit for me!'
「...」