“Purchase six gourd vines, costing thirty points.”

“Purchase a bookshelf, twenty points. Purchase a desk, ten points.”

Immediately, on the nearby open ground, a statue of a celestial maiden rose up, with a fountain gushing from the bottle in her hand. In the blink of an eye, six lush gourd vines climbed all over a patch of land, making the whole space feel much more lively.

In a spot in the room designated as the study, a bookshelf and a set of desk and chair also appeared.

Sitting down, he saw that his coursework had already appeared on the bookshelf, each book representing a subject. Sean Foster selected the volume for fourth-level mathematics, opened it, and began to read. He could also do calculations on it, and the results could be saved as homework sheets.

Having gained several extra hours each day, of course he couldn’t waste them. He’d take on tasks later; for now, the most important thing was to study, to keep learning, until he reached the highest level he could attain at present.

Calm and focused, he turned page after page, as time flew by.

Chapter 5: Soul Journey (Part 1)

In the real world, the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared.

After six hours of study and another half hour of deep sleep, Sean Foster woke up within the allotted time.

It was only five in the morning; the first rays of true sunlight had yet to appear. Sean Foster got up to shower, changed into new clothes, and felt refreshed and invigorated. Although the nutrient solution was good, he couldn’t become addicted to it—if it affected the body’s normal metabolism, that would not be a good thing.

Sean Foster began to reflect on himself. Since arriving in this world two months ago, he seemed to have been busy with work all the time, as if some invisible pressure was urging him forward.

In fact, according to the pace of this world, he could have lived a comfortable and leisurely life, since humanity had already moved beyond the era of high-paced labor.

Sean Foster was not a foolish person. After examining his own mindset, he turned his thoughts back to Ruby Young.

This world is full of hidden talents. When humanity is collectively freed from the most arduous labor and such tasks are handed over to semi-intelligent machines, only then can human wisdom and potential truly be developed.

Geniuses who were once constrained by family finances, social environment, and rigid systems would now emerge unstoppably.

Sean Foster understood that his current advantage was that some of his original knowledge from Earth was still applicable here. This allowed him to quickly leap to the third or even fourth level, pulling ahead of ordinary classmates, but he could only barely catch up to the top students. As for true geniuses, he was still far behind.

No matter how hard he tried, he would at best be a good student, but brilliance and glory were out of reach.

Fortunately, he had Ruby Young. The greatest special trait of Ruby Young was that after absorbing enough power, it could partially alter reality, similar to a wish spell. Therefore, in this world, if he could further improve his physique and enhance his attributes—or rather, his aptitude—that would be his greatest weapon for climbing onto the stage.

In the room as the darkness slowly faded, Sean Foster was deep in thought.

At 5:30 a.m., music sounded. Sean Foster quickly got up. This was an era suited for laziness, yet many people worked even harder. After getting up and washing, he began his morning exercise routine, then hurried to the balcony.

On the balcony, Sean Foster was taken aback to find someone already there—it was Thomas Miller. Thomas Miller sat upright, meditating in deep concentration. It seemed he had barely slept, spending the whole night cultivating.

Hearing a sound, he slightly opened his eyes, then closed them again.

No wonder Thomas Miller’s internal energy was nearly double his own—diligence is a powerful tool!

Sean Foster shook his head and returned to the living room to cook century egg and lean pork congee.

For the congee, he used one piece of lean pork (pork shank), two century eggs—all already prepared—and cut a piece of ginger.

First, he took a bowl of pearl rice, washed it clean, and mixed it with two tablespoons of oil, one and a half teaspoons of salt, and a little water, letting it marinate for half an hour.

Next, he washed the meat, cut it into slices about half the size of his palm and one centimeter thick. With practiced hands, he sliced the meat, then blanched it in boiling water for several seconds to remove the odor, and rinsed it with cold water to seal in the juices.

At this point, he filled the soup pot with water—enough to be deep—and brought it to a boil. While waiting, he cut up one century egg. By the time he finished, the water was nearly boiling.

First, he added the meat and ginger slices. When the water boiled again, he added the marinated rice and the chopped century egg. The first century egg was chopped and cooked together with the rice, so it would melt and blend into the flavor of the congee. After cooking for twenty minutes, he turned the heat down to low.

After washing his hands and leaving the kitchen, Sean Foster sat quietly on the spacious balcony, calming his mind and regulating his breath, waiting for the sunrise.

Time passed... Suddenly, on the eastern horizon, a thin line shot up, gleaming with golden light, appearing between heaven and earth. After a few breaths, the sun rose, dazzling and bright, illuminating the sea of clouds, with purple clouds filling the sky!

The true essence that Sean Foster had prepared responded to this, and with his eyes closed in meditation, he felt a flash of clarity in his mind—a resonance of true essence. As he breathed in the purple energy of the sunrise, Ruby Young also began to gently spin within his body.