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Chapter 37: Life Lineage
Chapter 37: Life Lineage
"Teacher Finn, I saw you feeding the daylilies?"
Pushing open the door to the botanist's room, Linsey, now sixteen years old, stepped inside.
He first untied the rain hat on his head and carefully shook off the rainwater outside before leaning it against the door.
"Actually, I can handle this kind of task."
"It's pouring outside, and it's not convenient for you to go out either."
Finn simply smiled and shook his head.
"It's fine, child."
"Although I'm getting on in years, I can still feed the chickens. But I'll need your help to check if the daylilies laid any eggs yesterday."
"I'll go check right away." Linsey said, rushing out of the house at an incredible speed to inspect the chicken coop and then returning indoors.
The entire process took only three seconds.
By the time he placed two eggs in front of Finn, only a few raindrops had fallen on his shoulders.
"The daylilies did well today; there are two eggs."
Finn nodded, his eyes sparkling with appreciation for Linsey's exceptional speed.
"Your agile figure suggests that you've completed the first stage of cultivating your Life Essence, right?"
Linsey nodded, "Yes, and now it's time for the second step."
After three years of maintaining a healthy routine, Linsey had successfully completed the initial cultivation of his Life Essence, which was now clearly visible within him.
He now possessed a more robust physique than the average person, along with an enhanced ability for self-healing.
Minor swellings caused by bumps and bruises would subside within a quarter of an hour, and cuts from sharp pages would heal completely within a day.
These were the abilities that all possessors of Life Essence gained after their first advancement.
However, what Linsey discovered through the Attribute Panel differed from the common knowledge that Awakened individuals held.
Upon advancing, the words 'Life Essence' transformed into 'Life Lineage', and a symbol resembling the Kabbalah's Tree of Life appeared; the initial awakening stage evolved into the 'Life Seed' stage.
In this world, people generally viewed the cultivation of Essence as a means to expand their energy bar, prioritizing the cultivation of skills and the abilities derived from them as the most crucial aspect of an Awakened individual's journey.
But the Attribute Panel didn't lie.
Linsey had an intuition based on the textual changes in the panel—a hunch that cultivating Essence might have a deeper purpose.
At that moment, Finn, sitting by the fireplace, showed concern for Linsey's condition.
"As far as I know..."
"The second stage of cultivating Life Essence seems to be more complicated."
Linsey felt a bit embarrassed about the topic but quickly responded, "During the second stage, Life Essence requires me to constantly satisfy my physical desires. So, I've been eating and sleeping whenever I feel like it, which has caused some trouble for my grandmother."
Finn offered a word of advice, "Satisfying physical desires is natural, but remember, we are rational humans. Don't let your desires lead you astray."
Linsey quickly waved his hands, "No, no, that won't happen."
Finn trusted Linsey and didn't say more. Instead, he beckoned, "Let's begin our lesson."
Linsey quickly came forward to support him.
The two of them walked into the study and started their lesson for the day.
First, Finn tested Linsey's knowledge.
Linsey answered with well-structured responses, and Finn could hardly find any flaws.
After three years of learning from Finn, Linsey's Botany skill had progressed from 'Beginner' to 'Mastery'.
His fundamental knowledge in this field was comprehensive, and he could apply it flexibly.
Even when encountering an unfamiliar plant in the wild, he could deduce its approximate age, some of its habits, and potential uses.
Most of the abilities Linsey had learned from other teachers had also reached the 'Mastery' level.
Every day, and almost every moment, Linsey's experience in Common Tongue grew in tiny increments. It had become the only skill among all of Linsey's abilities to surpass the Proficiency level and advance to the Mastery level.
Mastery-level Common Tongue skill.
This skill allowed Linsey to understand all the written forms of the language and even comprehend the various dialects that evolved from it.
"Well done, Linsey."
"With the knowledge you possess now, awakening the skills of the Life School should be a breeze."
After the lesson, Finn's face lit up with a satisfied smile.
But he also sighed, expressing his disappointment that Linsey still hadn't chosen to join a school.
Linsey replied with a helpless tone:
"Teacher, I still have a long way to go."
Linsey's attitude seemed humble, but the real reason was that his Life Essence had already merged with the skills of a game player, making it impossible for him to awaken other abilities.
Another type of willpower essence.
Currently, Linsey hadn't experienced any emotional turmoil, so he hadn't grown in that aspect.
Moreover, according to Red Moon, he wasn't planning to be distracted by other matters and was focusing solely on cultivating Life Essence, which was the current priority.
Finn neither agreed nor disagreed with Linsey's response.
He waved his hand and stood up from his chair, and Linsey quickly supported him as they walked together to the wooden house's greenhouse.
Here, several species of plants had just sprouted from the soil.
As usual, Finn recited the status of each plant, while Linsey stood by with a notebook, jotting down information like 'healthy growth,' 'seed hybridization failure,' 'yellowing false leaves,' and 'thin roots, prone to toppling.'
Linsey, following Finn's teachings, also knew that these crops were new cold-resistant varieties.
Thinking of his teacher's methods, Linsey couldn't help but ask:
"Teacher, can't you control the life of plants, making them quickly go through their life cycle, bloom, and bear fruit?"
Linsey's underlying message was:
Why don't you use this method to make plants reproduce quickly instead of letting them grow slowly?
Finn slowly shook his head:
"Child, pay attention to the process."
"If you only seek the result, you might take shortcuts and stray from the right path."
"That hurried method is just a temporary solution. Excessive extraction and manipulation of life might cause them to lose the vibrant life they could have otherwise displayed."
Then, Finn gave another example:
"Once in Volcanic City, there was a Life Scholar named Gustin who used this rushed method to cultivate specific plants in just one year. But the result was that the best species he cultivated, when grown normally, developed an internal virus two days later and quickly perished."
"The plants we cultivate will eventually be used by the common folk for farming. We can't approach this task from the perspective of an Awakened."
After completing the routine check on the plants, Finn and Linsey returned to the front hall.
It was now noon, and the rain outside gradually stopped. Today's lesson ended here.
Of course, Finn wanted to continue teaching Linsey after lunch.
However, Linsey's energy couldn't support a full day of work.
At this moment, Linsey took the initiative:
"Teacher, can I stay here this afternoon and read some books?"
Finn nodded in agreement and added:
"Also, when you return tonight, please tell Lady Red Moon that I need to discuss the essence of merchants with her."
Linsey naturally understood.
Then, Finn sat down to rest, and Linsey took the freshly collected eggs from the table and began preparing lunch for both of them."
Now, Linsey's attribute panel also displayed the Cooking skill.
He was no longer the terrible character who turned even baking pies into dark cuisine.
Instead, he could make delicious soups from simple ingredients like eggs in front of the fireplace!
After enjoying their lunch, Finn lay down on the bed to rest.
Linsey walked into the study alone and continued what he had been doing for the past three years.
Preparing for the Black Mountain!
(End of Chapter)
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