Days, then weeks, melted into the fertile cycle of the spiritual node. The air around Li Tian's farm, once merely crisp with the scent of damp earth, now hummed with a subtle, invigorating energy, a silent symphony perceived by his awakened senses.
The transformation wasn't just in the soil; it was in the very atmosphere, a vibrant thrum that permeated everything, nurturing the nascent life within the spiritual plots and, more importantly, within his newly gathered companions.
Xiaoli, Kael, Lira, and Jax had settled into a rhythm dictated by the demands of cultivation and Li Tian's pragmatic tutelage.
There was no formal "faction" yet, just a small, tightly knit group bound by shared purpose and an unspoken understanding of the extraordinary world Li Tian had drawn them into.
Li Tian had given each of them a small patch of soil, along with a handful of Verdant Sprouts—Grade 0 spiritual plants, hardy and resilient, requiring only basic spiritual infusion to thrive. His rationale was simple: they needed to understand the foundational process, to feel the spiritual energy flow, before attempting anything more complex.
Kael, with his methodical Earth affinity, approached his Verdant Sprouts with the precision of an engineer. He meticulously tilled the soil, measuring water, and observing every minute change. His sprouts were always the neatest, the most uniform, growing with a steady, unyielding resolve.
Lira, guided by her intuitive Wind affinity, spoke to her plants in soft whispers, convinced that the air currents carried unseen nutrients. Her sprouts, though sometimes a little erratic in their initial growth, often boasted a surprising vibrancy, as if buoyed by an invisible breeze.
Jax, predictably, treated his sprouts like a challenge. He'd try to force-feed them spiritual energy, often with bursts of raw enthusiasm that made the delicate leaves tremble. Li Tian had to constantly remind him to temper his Lightning affinity, to seek a gentle touch rather than a forceful surge.
But it was Xiaoli, with her blossoming dual Fire/Ice affinity, who surprised them all. At first, she was hesitant, her touch too timid, fearing she might scorch or freeze the tender seedlings.
But as Li Tian guided her, teaching her to balance the two opposing energies, a delicate control emerged. She'd warm the soil with a whisper of fire, then cool the air around the leaves with a breath of ice, creating a microclimate that seemed to accelerate growth.
Her Verdant Sprouts, planted near a small, sun-drenched wall, grew with an almost artistic flourish, their leaves a vibrant, almost iridescent green.
One crisp morning, Li Tian stood watching Xiaoli. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, a bead of sweat tracing a path down her temple as she coaxed spiritual energy into her plot.
Suddenly, a faint, ethereal glow emanated from one of her plants. A bud, previously tightly furled, swelled and then, with a soft, almost inaudible pop, unfurled into a delicate, five-petaled flower, its hues shifting between fiery orange and icy blue.
It was a Spirit-Blossom, the first bloom of a Grade 0 spiritual plant.
A collective gasp went through the small group. Jax let out a whoop. "Look at that! Xiaoli, you did it!"
Xiaoli stared, her mouth slightly agape, a mixture of shock and triumph on her face. Her eyes, bright with newfound wonder, met Li Tian's. His own face held a rare, unburdened smile.
[SYSTEM: OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: FIRST GRADE 0 SPIRITUAL PLANT BLOOMED. REWARD: MINOR SPIRITUAL ENERGY INFUSION.]
A gentle warmth suffused Li Tian's core.
The System, for once, felt less like an overlord and more like a diligent assistant.
"That's incredible, Xiaoli!" Lira exclaimed, rushing over, her artist's eye already captivated by the shifting colors of the Spirit-Blossom.
"It's like a tiny, living aurora!"
Kael merely grunted, but his eyes held a glint of respect. "Efficient growth. Good work, baker girl."
Xiaoli blushed, pleased by the praise, especially from Li Tian. She reached out a hesitant finger, touching the delicate petals. "It's… beautiful." A wave of pure joy radiated from her, almost palpable.
Later that evening, as they sat around the crackling hearth, the air thick with the aroma of Grandma Mei Lin's surprisingly delicious spiritual Sun-Wheat bread, the companions shared their experiences.
"My roots are singing," Kael mused, tracing patterns on the wooden table. "The earth feels… more alive. I can almost hear the minerals shifting."
"And the wind!" Lira chimed in, her eyes distant, as if seeing beyond the farmhouse walls. "It carries so many scents now. The whispers of the Moonpetal Lotus in the back field are like ancient poems."
Jax, however, was restless. "It's too slow, Li Tian Ge. My Verdant Sprouts are growing, but it's like watching paint dry! Can't we just… zap them with some lightning?"
Li Tian chuckled, shaking Li Tian's head. "Patience, Jax. Cultivation isn't about brute force. It's about harmony. Understanding the flow. You'll learn. And when you do, your lightning will be precise, not destructive."
He looked at Xiaoli, who was still gazing at her Spirit-Blossom, carefully placed in a small jar of water.
"It still feels… strange," Xiaoli confessed, her voice soft, "having this power. But also… exciting."
Her eyes met Li Tian's, and for a moment, the world outside the farmhouse faded. The unspoken warmth, the connection, hung tangible in the air.
Suddenly, Grandma Mei Lin cleared her throat, a delicate, yet pointed sound that broke the spell. Xiaoli instantly turned a shade redder, pouting slightly as she pretended to focus intently on the flower.
"Excitement is a good fuel, child," Grandma Mei Lin said, her voice smooth. "But so is vigilance. The world changes, yes, but not all changes are for the better. There are those who do not appreciate new gardens blooming without their permission."
Her gaze, sharp and knowing, flickered towards Li Tian.
Li Tian nodded, his earlier amusement fading. Grandma Mei Lin was right. The Iron Covenant hadn't forgotten them. They were simply methodical.
"Prometheus," he mentally prompted, "what do you have on long-range movements? Anything unusual?"
A moment of shimmering stillness in his mind, then a voice, distinct and familiar, echoed. It wasn't the System; it was Prometheus, the entity that existed within the System, its personality growing sharper, more… human.
"Ah, Host," Prometheus's voice resonated directly in Li Tian's mind, a tone that managed to be both sophisticated and slightly exasperated. "It seems our old friends from the Iron Covenant are finally getting off their well-lubricated behinds. My long-range scans indicate significant movement in Sector 7G. Think of it as a low-grade headache before the full-blown migraine."
Li Tian's brow furrowed. "Give me the specifics. Threat level."
"Right then, let's get down to brass tacks," Prometheus replied. "Current threat is C+, escalating to B-. They've increased patrol frequency by seventy-five percent in their forward staging areas.What we're seeing is not a full-scale invasion, but a 'Reconnaissance-in-Force.' They're sending in a strong probe, Host. Their objective is to test your defenses, gather intelligence, and if possible, eliminate the 'anomaly' – which would be you, by the way. Don't expect your usual spiritual attacks to land with full force on whatever they're sending. This isn't going to be a simple skirmish."
Li Tian's jaw tightened. "Imminent probe." Just as he suspected. They wouldn't send a full army for a "backwater district" initially, but a surgical strike, designed to test his strength and eliminate the perceived "anomaly." The clarity of Prometheus's explanation, stripped of jargon, was surprisingly helpful.
[ OPTION AVAILABLE]
[SHARE BENEFITS WITH COMPANIONS?]
[ YES/NO]
A new prompt. Li Tian had barely registered it when Prometheus chimed in, "Ah, finally! This is a good one, Host. Sharing some basic System benefits with your nascent team. Think of it as granting them a miniature personal assistant. They'll get their own simplified interface, real-time stats, and even a basic internal comms channel. Much more efficient than shouting across the battlefield, wouldn't you say?"
There was a hint of eagerness in its voice.
Li Tian considered. This was a significant step. It meant a deeper integration, more reliance on the System, but it also meant better coordination, faster response times, and a stronger bond with his companions. Trust was key, and he trusted these few.
"Yes," Li Tian affirmed. "Share the benefits. Streamlined, essential. No big words."
[ INTERFACE CUSTOMIZATION PROTOCOL INITIATED]
[VISUALS OPTIMIZED FOR COMPANION ACCESS]
[PERSONALIZED PANELS DEPLOYED]
The shift was instantaneous. The holographic panels that now appeared before Li Tian's eyes, visible only to him, were no longer the stark, angular designs of old. They were cleaner, simpler, almost translucent, melting into his vision like an organic part of his perception. Text was larger, fonts less clinical. It was less like a screen and more like a thought made visible. The colors, instead of harsh blue, were now muted, earthy tones that blended with the natural world around him, with essential information highlighted in soft, glowing accents.
It was understated, yet incredibly efficient. This was much better.
"That's more like it," Prometheus approved. "Much easier on the eyes. And your companions should now have their own, simpler versions of this interface, tailored to their individual needs. Go on, try to ping them. Just think their name."
"We need to prepare," Li Tian announced, his voice cutting through the companionable silence. "The Iron Covenant is moving. Not a full invasion, but a probe. They'll be testing us. Looking for weaknesses."
Kael immediately straightened. "Defenses? What kind? We don't have heavy weaponry."
"We have something better," Li Tian said, a calculating glint in his eyes. "This land. And our abilities."
Over the next two days, Li Tian, with the eager assistance of his companions, transformed the perimeter of his farm and the immediate approaches to the village into a deceptive labyrinth. He wasn't relying on brute force; he was relying on subtlety, on the land itself.
"Kael," Li Tian directed, his finger tracing a line on a rudimentary map of the terrain. "Use your Earth affinity here. Create shallow, camouflaged depressions, just deep enough to unbalance a mech's treads. And here, near the old riverbed, reinforce the banks. Make the ground unstable, ready to give way." Kael worked with grim efficiency, his hands seemingly coaxing the earth to do his bidding, the soil shifting almost imperceptibly at his touch.
"Lira," Li Tian continued, gesturing towards the thick pockets of fog that often rolled in from the marshlands at dawn. "You can manipulate the wind. Use it. Draw the fog in, especially at night. Make it dense, disorienting. And if they send drones, use the air currents to subtly nudge them off course, or into Kael's traps." Lira, her eyes bright with understanding, nodded, already visualizing the swirling mists.
"Jax," Li Tian said, turning to the restless young man. "Your speed is our biggest asset for rapid response. But your lightning… it needs to be precise. We'll set up some conductive materials—old metal scraps, discarded wires—leading to these key points. You'll be our shock trooper, hitting them hard when they least expect it." Jax grinned, eager for action, already mentally practicing his lightning strikes.
And Xiaoli. Her dual affinity was invaluable. "Xiaoli," Li Tian explained, "your fire can heat certain areas, making mech sensors malfunction. Your ice can coat metal, making it slick and treacherous. Use both. Create environmental hazards. We need to turn their technology against them."
Xiaoli, her determination hardening, began experimenting, a small wisp of frost forming on a discarded bolt, then a faint shimmer of heat radiating from a stone.
Li Tian, meanwhile, worked tirelessly on the spiritual core of the defenses.
He channeled his own spiritual energy, drawing from the spiritual node beneath the farm, to infuse specific rocks and ancient trees along the perimeter.
These weren't traps in the conventional sense, but subtle spiritual alarms, resonance points that would hum warnings directly into his mind if breached.
He also planted strategically some newly matured Obsidian Thorns, a Grade 1 spiritual plant he'd cultivated in secret, near choke points. Their razor-sharp, spiritually infused barbs would be a nasty surprise for any unarmored soldier.
"This is our home," Li Tian muttered to himself, his hand resting on the weathered bark of an ancient oak, now subtly pulsating with his energy. "They will learn what it means to trespass."
As the third day dawned, a thick, unnatural fog rolled in, precisely as Lira had coaxed it. It clung to the ground, obscuring vision beyond a few meters. The village was quiet, the usual market bustle hushed by the eerie atmosphere. Grandma Mei Lin, ever vigilant, stood on the porch, her gaze piercing the mist.
"They are coming," she said, her voice a low murmur, confirming what Prometheus had already told Li Tian.
Minutes later, a faint, rhythmic thudding began in the distance, growing steadily louder. The heavy cadence of marching metal, muffled by the fog, but unmistakable. The Iron Covenant.
Li Tian felt a cold knot of resolve tighten in his stomach. This wasn't just about his farm anymore. It was about his home, his people, his nascent companions. He glanced at his companions, their faces grim, but ready. He needed them to be more than just individuals; they needed to be a unit.
"Prometheus," Li Tian thought, "combat readout. Share it."
"Right away, Host. Consider it done," Prometheus responded, sounding almost eager.
As Li Tian mentally issued the command, a translucent, green-tinged panel flickered into existence for each companion, hovering just in their peripheral vision. They blinked, their eyes widening in a mixture of confusion and profound surprise.
"What in the…" Jax began, reaching out a hand as if to touch the glowing numbers floating before him. "My… my health? Is this… real?"
Xiaoli gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes darting between Li Tian and the panel showing her own stats. "This… this is the System? Like yours, Li Tian Ge?"
Kael, ever the pragmatic one, stared intently at his own display, a slow understanding dawning in his eyes. "Real-time vitals. Tactical display. Remarkable."
Lira, meanwhile, simply let out a small, reverent "Oh," her gaze fixed on her own numerical representation, as if seeing a part of herself externalized for the first time.
[ -TEAM STATUS-
LI TIAN
HP: 100% |Morale: High | Level: 5 (Neo-Cultivator)
MEI LIN
HP: 100% | Morale: Steadfast | Level: ? (Earth-Metal Weaver)
XIAOLI
HP: 98% | Morale: Determined | Level: 2 (Elemental Weaver)
KAEL
HP: 100% | Morale: Steady | Level: 1 (Geomancer)
LIRA
HP: 97% | Morale: Focused | Level: 1 (Air-Whisperer)
JAX
HP: 95% | Morale: Eager | Level: 1 (Thunder-Striker)]
---
"What you see," Li Tian explained, his voice calm, cutting through their astonished murmurs, "is our current state. Our health, our will to fight, and our growing strength. It's the System's way of showing us our capabilities. I can share vital information with you, in real-time, so we can act as one. You can even send short messages to each other now, just by thinking it. We are in this together. This is our first real test. Trust the traps. Trust each other."
As he spoke, Prometheus added, a private thought only for Li Tian: "Just a side note, Host, Xiaoli's readings are particularly strong. That 'Determined' morale is heavily influenced by her emotional connection to you. Her feelings are still registering as 'unwavering devotion with a side of protective fury.' Quite endearing. And Grandma Mei Lin's 'Steadfast' morale is… absolute. Her spiritual signature indicates a rare 'Earth-Metal' deviation. Extremely resilient, with profound defensive capabilities. She's far more than just a wise guide. She's a true bulwark."
Li Tian felt a faint blush touch his ears, ignoring the mental nudge and Grandma's own knowing glance.
Now was not the time for sentimental analysis or to dwell on Grandma's hidden powers, which she clearly intended to reveal at her own pace.
Suddenly, a massive shape, indistinct through the swirling mist, emerged from the fog. It wasn't a standard mech. It was too broad, too low to the ground, moving with a silent, menacing fluidity. Its shell was a dull, predatory black, absorbing what little light existed. No visible weapons, no obvious cockpit. Just a colossal, bipedal monstrosity, its every step vibrating through the earth.
[HIGH THREAT DETECTED]
[SPECIMEN 47]
[ THREAT LEVEL: A- ]
"Host," Prometheus's voice sharpened, losing its casual tone, "this is an A- level threat. A top-tier Anti-Cultivator Purge Unit. Its primary function is spiritual energy suppression and eradication.
Its shell is heavily armored against spiritual attacks. Adaptive combat protocols are active. Do not expect your usual spiritual attacks to land with full force. This thing is designed to kill cultivators. Get ready for a dance with the devil."
The ground trembled. The air grew cold, not with Lira's wind, but with a palpable sense of dread.
Specimen 47 paused at the very edge of Li Tian's meticulously prepared perimeter, its head, if it had one, seemed to tilt slightly, a single, dull red light pulsing in its otherwise featureless 'face', as if sniffing the air, sensing the spiritual energy humming beneath the earth.
Then, with a terrifying, silent surge, it lunged forward, straight into the fog-shrouded defenses. Li Tian saw the ground ripple where Kael had laid his traps, but Specimen 47 seemed to glide over them, its weight distributed in an impossible way, barely registering the minor shifts.
Then, with a chilling mechanical roar, a segment of its black shell rippled, and from within, a series of gleaming, segmented cables lashed out, tearing through the mist like venomous serpents. They shot directly for the nearest spiritual energy signatures – the Obsidian Thorns Li Tian had planted, aiming to neutralize them.
"Incoming!" Jax's voice, startlingly clear, echoed in Li Tian's mind, a direct message through the newly established System link.
Before Li Tian or any of his companions could react, Grandma Mei Lin, who had been silently watching, moved. It was a fluid, impossibly fast motion for someone who had, until recently, been frail.
Her hands, gnarled but now infused with a formidable energy, slammed onto the earthen ground. The earth around her vibrated with a deep, resonant hum, and from the very soil, a network of metallic, shimmering veins erupted.
They pulsed with a dull, coppery glow, instantly interweaving, hardening into a dense, impossibly resilient wall of Earth-Metal, rising from the ground itself.
The gleaming cables from Specimen 47 struck this newly formed barrier with the force of battering rams, but instead of tearing through, they recoiled with a screech of tortured metal, sparks showering the damp fog.
Grandma Mei Lin, her face impassive, a faint, metallic sheen briefly glimmering in her eyes, had just revealed a power Li Tian hadn't even suspected. This was no mere probe; it was a targeted purge.
The Iron Covenant had sent something designed to crack even the strongest defenses, and the hunt had begun, with it, the terrifying unveiling of hidden powers.