Gu Tianle was completely unaware of the prying eyes in the distance.
He was utterly lost in the joy of his unexpected windfall.
Thirty-something sweet potatoes!
Each one brimming with pure Life Energy!
These weren't just ordinary food—they were cultivation resources!
Among the pile, one small sweet potato stood out.
Its deep purple hue exuded an air of extraordinary destiny.
"This little guy feels special. I have to keep it and plant it next time to see if it brings any pleasant surprises."
With that, he stored it in his System Storage, then eagerly pulled up the storage interface to check its contents.
The [Newbie Gift Pack] was represented by a plain wooden box icon.
Open it!
[1. Basic Water Purification Filter × 1 (Filters most contaminants and low-level demon toxins; Capacity: 100 liters)]
[2. Shoddy Iron Axe × 1 (Logging Efficiency +10%)]
[3. Random Seed Packet × 1]
[4. Small Life Essence Crystal × 1]
"Got an axe, the filter will solve my water problem, and I'll open the seeds later."
He picked up the emerald-green Small Life Essence Crystal first.
It was the size of a fingernail, translucent, and he could feel a gentle energy hum just holding it.
[Absorb now?]
"Absorb!"
The crystal melted into a warm current—purer and gentler than that from the sweet potato—and surged into his body.
He felt the total amount of Life Essence in his body surge by a third in an instant! His mental state also perked up considerably.
"Great stuff! Sister System is so generous!"
Next, he pulled up the System Mall interface.
A translucent screen popped up, with clear categories, but most of the icons were grayed out.
[Ordinary Wheat Seeds: 10 Energy Points/bag][Simple Wooden Fence: 50 Energy Points]
[Tinder Grass Seeds: 1 Energy Point/seed]
His current total Energy Points were 20—he was practically broke.
"I need to save these Energy Points. No shopping for now—better focus on the quest and build a house first!"
Gu Tianle thought it over again. When times were tough, every penny counted—he had to pinch every Energy Point.
His cultivation revolution was just getting started. As a man with nothing, he had to work hard to get rich—and that meant acting now.
He immediately hefted his new axe and headed for the dead forest at the edge of his farm.
Thanks to his boosted strength, even dead trees as thick as a bowl could be chopped down in just a few swings.
He lopped off the branches and dragged the logs back to the clearing.
Without nails, he made mortise and tenon joints from sharpened hardwood, then bound and reinforced them with soaked animal hide ropes. His movements were clumsy, but his strength made up for everything.
For example, when a tenon wouldn't fit, a single punch drove it firmly into place—snug as a glove.
After slaving away for most of the day, a lopsided but sturdy little wooden cabin—more than enough to keep out the wind and rain—finally stood complete.
He then covered the roof with giant sweet potato leaves, weighing them down with wooden planks and stones. Finally, he sharpened the leftover logs and stuck them in a ragged circle around the cabin—his version of a fence.
[Ding! Ramshackle Wooden Cabin constructed!]
[Quest Completed! Reward: Simple Wooden Bed × 1 (includes Palm Mat), Energy Points +20.]
[Preliminary Defense Construction Complete! Reward: Simple Wooden Fence × 1 (automatically upgraded to replace the original fence).]
A flash of light. Inside the cabin, a wooden plank bed with a palm mat appeared. Outside, the ragged circle of sharpened logs transformed into a neat, closely spaced wooden fence of uniform height—much more reliable-looking.
"Sister System really looks out for me!"
Gu Tianle was bursting with a sense of accomplishment.
He lay on his bed, staring up at the simple but entirely his own roof, and grinned like an idiot for ages. He lay there for who knew how long, then suddenly sat up, rubbing his hands together in excitement.
"Sister System, open the seed packet for me!"
[Random Seed Packet opened! Obtained: Thorny Spinach Seeds × 10, Glowshroom Spores × 5, Magic Bean Tubers × 3.]
"Thorny Spinach? Glowshrooms? Magic Beans? Sounds useful!"
He was just planning to till a new vegetable patch tomorrow when he heard a faint rustling sound from outside the fence in the distance.
It didn't sound like demons. It sounded more like... people?
Gu Tianle grabbed his hoe, crept quietly to the door, and peered through the crack.
Sure enough, three figures stood outside the fence. They were all dressed in tattered gray-brown leather armor, travel-worn, with expressions of nervousness and fear on their faces.
The leader was none other than the scout team leader from earlier that day.
At their feet were two bulging burlap sacks.
Gu Tianle frowned. He didn't know who they were, but they didn't seem hostile, so he pushed open the wooden door.
The three figures stiffened noticeably when they saw him, stepping back half a pace.
"What do you want?" Gu Tianle asked in confusion, not daring to let go of his hoe.
The team leader swallowed hard, forcing a smile more grim than a frown, and adopted an extremely deferential tone:
"G-Great One. We are scouts from the Limestone Outpost. Earlier today... we passed by and witnessed your... divine might."
He chose his words with extreme caution.
"Our outpost... means you no harm! The demon hordes earlier had nothing to do with us! To express our... respect, and... our apologies."
He gestured to the burlap sacks on the ground.
"These are some coarse salt, tinder, and clean cloth. It's a humble offering—please... accept it."
Gu Tianle was stunned.
Divine might?
Bringing gifts?
What's going on?
Are they afraid of me?
But then it clicked.
No doubt his automatic demon-dicing trick and his rapid sweet potato growing spree had scared these locals half to death, making them think he was some terrifying powerful being.
This misunderstanding had gotten way out of hand.
But... if they were offering free stuff out of good will (even if misplaced), turning it down would be rude!
His expression softened, and he nodded.
"Leave the things there. I have no interest in troubling you—just don't disturb my farming."
"Yes! Yes! We won't disturb you, we promise!"
The team leader looked like he'd just been granted a reprieve. He quickly pushed the sacks to the fence gate.
"Also..."
The team leader hesitated, then plucked up his courage and said,
"Great One, this wilderness... is dangerous. Besides demons, there are occasional wandering half-ghoul tribes, or... even more bizarre Sweepers passing through. You... should be careful."
Gu Tianle's heart skipped a beat.
Sweepers?
The one the system warned about?
"What are Sweepers?"
The team leader, seeing that the "Demon Lord" didn't even know this common knowledge, became even more convinced that he was an ancient relic just released from some primeval seal.
He hurried to explain: "They're wandering monsters with no fixed form—like a blob of moving slime.
They devour all abnormal Life Energy. Beings as... well, as powerful as you are likely to attract them."
Gu Tianle nodded. "I see."
The team leader didn't dare say another word. He bowed deeply to Gu Tianle with extreme reverence, then led his men into the darkness and disappeared.
Gu Tianle watched them go, then glanced at the two burlap sacks on the ground. Salt! Tinder!
Cloth! These were all desperately needed supplies!
"This misunderstanding... might not be such a bad thing?"
He happily dragged the sacks into the cabin.
Sitting on his bed, chewing on dried sweet potato, he made his plans: Tomorrow, till a new vegetable patch and plant the Thorny Spinach and Magic Beans.
He had to hurry. That Sweeper would be here soon.
He looked out the window. The wilderness, shrouded in night, seemed to be crawling with prying eyes.
Farther away, behind a low earthen slope, a silver-haired girl lowered her monocular, her blue eyes filled with confusion.
She had been sent to investigate the suspected Demon Lord incident.
But what she saw was... a young man who built a house, farmed sweet potatoes, and even received gifts from the local outpost?
"Lady Su Wan, what do we do now?"
a subordinate whispered behind her.
Su Wan fell silent for a long moment.
"Get closer. I need to... take a closer look."