As Han Qiwu continued chopping, he vaguely began to catch a feeling. In the past, as long as he hit the tree trunk enough times, the tree would eventually turn into usable wood.
But now, Han Qiwu wondered, could he do it better?
For example, could he swing the axe with less energy? Or chop the tree down in fewer hits? Or perhaps find a more optimal part of the tree to target?
As he experimented, Han Qiwu subconsciously started using the power-generating stance of the Strengthening Technique while chopping.
Once, twice, thrice—completely immersed in his moment of epiphany, Han Qiwu lost track of time.
At 11:59 PM on January 7th, Han Qiwu suddenly snapped out of it. Glancing at the time, his body instinctively jolted.
"What the heck? How did it get this late?! I do NOT want to go through another exhaustion penalty!" Han Qiwu quickly put away his axe and darted toward his bed in two or three big steps.
As soon as he lay down, he immediately shut his eyes.
The familiar darkness arrived right on schedule.
"Please, for the love of everything, no exhaustion penalties! I'm already running low on stamina. But seriously, what just happened to all that time? Who stole it from me?"
Before Han Qiwu could draw any conclusions, Zhou Gong knocked him unconscious with a metaphorical club.
...
In the city, Tang Qingying was still busy editing her thesis.
After typing the final period, she stopped working and stretched lazily. Her silhouette danced on the wall like a playful shadow.
Glancing at the fridge, Tang Qingying got up and smiled knowingly.
"Just the thought of having tuna sashimi for a late-night snack makes me happy!"
Even when eating, girls won't idle—and Tang Qingying was no exception. She snapped a picture of the sashimi and posted it to her social media moments.
In the nine images she posted, half showcased the late-night feast, while the other half documented the fish-slicing process. The final picture? None other than Han Qiwu.
Caption: "Nothing beats a late-night tuna sashimi platter made by a student!"
Tang Qingying's social media account was reserved for her closest friends from childhood. It had nothing to do with her work, and not a single student was added.
Moments are for friends to see—those unrelated to her life could stay out of it!
Not even a minute after posting, Tang Qingying received a message from her childhood friend Jing Yijia.
"Beep beep. Student alert. Am I witnessing an older-cow-eating-younger-grass situation here?"
"Oh, shove it! Go find your little wolf-boy toy!"
"No way. Wolves can't fish. By the way, that boy's pretty handsome. Did you Photoshop him?" Jing Yijia asked eagerly. Over the years, her biggest concern had always been Tang Qingying's love life. Despite the many suitors fawning over her since childhood, Tang Qingying had never shown any interest.
"Nope. I just find him easy on the eyes. As for whether he's considered handsome, I have no clue," Tang Qingying answered honestly.
"??? Unbothered beauty queen Tang Qingying strikes again? Don't pull an act like Brother Dong! So, whose rich heir is this? A single tuna like that would be worth tens of thousands, wouldn't it?" Jing Yijia, having studied in Little Japan, wasn't a tuna expert but had heard a thing or two about them.
"I don't think he's a rich heir. He caught it himself," Tang Qingying responded.
"What? He actually fished it up himself? And he's not a rich heir?" Jing Yijia was stunned. "A student who's willing to share something this extravagant? You've got to seize this chance! If you don't know what to do, just ask me—stop relying on online searches."
Tang Qingying nodded in heartfelt agreement. Online freeloading guides were utterly unreliable.
"Alright then, I have class tomorrow. I'll shower and head to bed now. And relax, we're just a teacher-student duo."
Jing Yijia: "…Teacher-student? That's exactly what makes me nervous. You should take it up a notch—no, better yet, several notches deeper."
Teacher-student romance? Just thinking about it was thrilling!
A restless Jing Yijia immediately dove headfirst into reading a few novels with similar themes to enjoy the rush.
...
February 7th Log
Income...740 gold (Yellow Croaker)
Income...240 gold (Atlantic Herring)
Income...360 gold (Sardine)
Income...170 gold (Ribbonfish)
Total Income: 1510 gold
Farming XP +342
Foraging XP +131
Fishing XP +684
Combat XP +0
Mining XP +0
Relationship Points Change: None
Current Gold: 2631 gold
Lifetime Income: 7454 gold
[Congratulations on collecting enough marine fish species]
[Congratulations on achieving your third milestone]
[Milestone: The One-Billionth Candidate for the King of the Sea]
[Milestone Buff: Marine fish sell price +3%; Chance of treasure chests appearing while fishing +3%]
[Milestone Reward: Beginner's Fish Encyclopedia Plus]
[Note: Yes, you read that right—you're the billionth candidate. Becoming the King of the Sea is no small feat!]
...
Cluck, cluck! The rooster greeted the morning with its usual fighting spirit.
Hearing the crowing made Han Qiwu grumpy. When could he hear his own rooster crow, huh?!
His rooster was the edible kind. Other people's roosters were the kind you'd need to compensate for if eaten.
Checking his log, Han Qiwu's eyes immediately landed on his newly obtained milestone.
The billionth candidate, huh? Not bad—no big deal.
What mattered was the milestone's buffs, which looked awesome.
The first one increased the selling price of marine fish by 3%, which would add up significantly over time.
The second one boosted the odds of treasure chest appearances—this was game-changing. Just yesterday, he spent eight hours fishing without uncovering a single chest!
Han Qiwu suspected the odds of treasure chest appearances might fluctuate over time and decided he needed to figure out the best timing to maximize his haul.
The museum and blacksmith's shop were both waiting for new contributions!
The milestone reward was also pretty practical—though he couldn't help but feel annoyed at the "Plus" label.
Why couldn't they just give him the intermediate version? Cheapskates!
Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers. It's free, so why complain?
Continuing down the log, Han Qiwu was thrilled to see that his farming XP had jumped more than 300 points!
It must be time to level up!
[Congratulations, your Farming skill has leveled up to Level 1]
[You have received one Farming Specialization point]
[Farming Specialization: Reduces stamina costs when using hoes and watering cans by 0.2; increases chances of growing high-quality crops]
[Event Trigger: Shennong is in a great mood today! You've earned the "Blueprint Critical Hit" bonus. Upon claiming, you will be unable to watch the "Shennong Recipes" channel for the next few days.]
Claim reward?
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!" Han Qiwu agreed without hesitation.
[You have learned how to craft Torches]
[You have learned how to craft Scarecrows]
[You have learned how to craft Basic Fertilizer]
[You have learned how to craft Basic Sprinklers]
Han Qiwu jumped out of bed in a flash.
If only he had shouted to claim more rewards!
People, after all, are inherently greedy.
"Grandpa Shennong, you're truly a paragon of old age and wisdom! Admirable, venerable, steadfast, and unparalleled!" Han Qiwu reflected, feeling a bit weird after the flurry of compliments. He decided he ought to make a statue or something to honor Shennong. Screaming at the television every day just felt undignified.
After all, it wouldn't seem proper to pile fruit offerings on the TV during the holidays.
Besides, the TV wasn't exactly great. Better not risk a short circuit.