Once again, Li Pingcan found himself force-fed his parents' public displays of affection.
Chewing on his steamed bun with a sour expression, he nevertheless felt an inexplicable peace settling in his heart. The fears and anxieties lurking in the darkness seemed to melt away like winter snow. Though the world held many unpleasant things, the mutual understanding and supportive love between family members could inspire courage and fearlessness to withstand life's turbulent undercurrents.
"I need to work hard too!"
He needed to seek immortal opportunities while grinding his skills. As Li Pingcan helped plant peach saplings and supervised workers, he continuously refreshed his skill proficiencies—primarily focusing on Oak Stick Technique and Water Manipulation. Primal Savagery was too conspicuous to demonstrate publicly.
After obtaining the Water Spirit, he discovered his Water Manipulation could even control natural water vapor, condensing it into dew. If he could manipulate water flow, could he control blood and drain an opponent's life with one strike? After experimentation, he found this impossible—while blood contained 85% water, its "impurities" prevented manipulation. Water Manipulation fundamentally controlled pure flowing water.
When skill grinding grew tedious, he switched to studying skill combinations. He examined his panel:
[LV9 Enchanted Stone [Augment][Transform]]
[LV9 Restoration [Pristine][Transform]]
[LV9 Earth Shaping [Reconstruct][Element]]
Five years of grinding had maxed their proficiencies, generating traits. Enchanted Stone's [Augment] allowed all three special attributes to simultaneously attach to stones—their toxins proved far more potent than the Purple-Gold Blood Centipede's sting. Restoration's trait could repair cracks, restoring objects to "pristine condition."Earth Shaping's max-level trait [Reconstruct] proved most surprisingly delightful. Combining it with Water Manipulation altered land properties, reconstructing them into [Swamp Creation]. He'd experimented wildly with other skills like Spore Growth and Restoration, but no special chemical reactions emerged—apparently [Reconstruct] had hidden conditions.
However, Earth Shaping + Water Manipulation + Ant Colony Swarm produced a squirming, maggot-filled swamp...
"If I had a fire elemental skill to combine with Earth Shaping's rocks, could I create something like 'Explosive Rock' magic?" Remaining unknown, but worth anticipating.
......
The thirty-acre peach orchard's black humus soil proved exceptionally fertile—no wonder it could grow flat peaches. For future needs, the Li family also planned to cultivate two acres of flat peaches as prestigious gifts.
On Peach Mountain:
"Meal time! Meat today!"
The aroma of fragrant rice and braised pork traveled far. The Li family not only paid wages promptly without delay but provided decent daily meals—small portions of red-braised pork with offal, stir-fried mushrooms, unlimited pickles, wheat steamed buns, and egg-mushroom soup.
Twelve years had transformed the once-fleeing Li family through diligent integration. From being disliked and excluded by villagers, they'd become reliable role models earning universal respect.
Workers swarmed eagerly, salivating as they lined up for food—no pushing allowed, as violators would go hungry.
Li Pingcan pointed at a clean, sweatless worker in hemp clothes: "No meal for you today. No wages either."
"Why?" The worker froze.
"You faked stomach pains while lazing on the east-side crooked peach tree."
While the Li family allowed legitimate leave, they wouldn't tolerate laziness. Baffled—he'd hidden carefully—the worker realized the young master's precise details meant he'd been spotted.
With a vicious expression, the hulking man loomed over Li Pingcan. "So what? Your father hired me! Punish me and I'll beat you!"
Children could be frightened into silence, he thought.
"Try it," Li Pingcan said coolly.
The worker hesitated—actual violence would bring consequences. Flushing, he tried softening his tone: "Your father and I are close! I even held you as a baby—you should call me 'Uncle'!"
Li Pingcan ignored him completely.
Pale-faced, the worker eventually slunk away to admit fault, working half a day unpaid to compensate. Naturally, such people were permanently blacklisted from Li Rongzhou's long-term employment.
This incident revealed the usually low-profile, tree-planting-loving youngest Li's formidable nature—unyielding to soft or hard tactics, with frighteningly sharp eyes that remembered every name, laziness incident, and its timing.
Yet none wished to leave—the Li family's prompt daily wages already surpassed countless landlords' treatment. Under Li Pingcan's watchful gaze, everyone behaved diligently as Peach Mountain expanded steadily.
......
"Thanks, Yuan."
Wiping sweat with Xie Yuan's handkerchief, Li Pingcan surveyed the hillside's swaying saplings with a "this empire I built" pride.
Old trees would gradually die after cutting, with new saplings planted between stumps. Recently, worker assistance meant fewer planting experience points, but he wouldn't delay family progress for personal grinding.
Panel text flashed:
[Your father Li Rongzhou planted a peach tree: Druid EXP +1]
[You planted a peach tree: Druid EXP +1]
[Accumulated 5000 EXP: Druid Level ↑LV5. New specialized branch skills unlocked.]
Finally leveled up!
Li Pingcan swelled with satisfaction—the grind's greatest joy was reward moments. Eagerly, he examined new skills:
[LV0 Shapeshift [Transform]]
[Assume forms of bird/fish/deer for 15 minutes. Recasting replaces current form. Other Druid skills remain usable while transformed.]
[LV0 Fire Control [Element]]
[Target 1 cubic foot of visible flame. Extinguish it or spread it 3 feet. Adjust brightness/dimness and color. Maximum 3 simultaneous flames with repeated casting.]
[LV0 Resistance Boost]
[Touching a willing creature/yourself grants supernatural resistance for 15 minutes.]
......