As a social butterfly, Lin Zihan’s social media didn’t just include students from her own year—she even had connections with students from other cohorts.
When a post suddenly appeared showing nothing but a photo of sprouted rice seeds, it immediately caught the attention of agriculture students from other years.
[I heard you went to Qianjin Farm for a lab class today. Is this your experiment material?]
“Experiment material?” A mysterious smile appeared on Lin Zihan’s face. Humming lightly, she replied:
[Not at all. These are rice seeds my friend just successfully germinated. They grew so well that I posted them to keep a record.]
The commenter was a third-year agriculture student. After reading the message, they zoomed in on the photo for a closer look.
[They’re really good! All ten seeds sprouted—this germination rate… your friend is amazing!]
She had already revealed enough. Even though more people commented afterward, Lin Zihan didn’t reply again.
Before long, the photo was reposted into Class 1’s group chat.
[Posted by Lin Zihan. Apparently these are the rice seeds Jiang Luokui successfully germinated.]
[Who? Did you say Jiang Luokui?]
[No way!!! Not even one of mine sprouted—how could hers look this good? It must be a stock image!]
Even as they insisted it was a stock photo, their hands moved quickly to save the image and run reverse image searches.
The result: it wasn’t a stock photo.
The group chat fell silent.
Those who had previously mocked Jiang Luokui now sat quietly in their dorms, questioning their lives.
After a long pause, class monitor Li Jueming finally sent a message:
[Focus less on others and more on yourselves. She went to check on her rice seeds right after class, while our class… I’m in the lab building right now, and fewer than ten people have come to check the incubators.]
[Even though we’re in Class 1, haven’t we seen Class 2 overtake others before? Everyone—hard work pays off.]
Inside the lab, Su Liang scoffed. “Why bother telling them all this? If they don’t work hard and get surpassed, they deserve it.”
Li Jueming adjusted his glasses. “I am the class monitor, after all.”
In truth, he simply didn’t want to hear people speaking ill of Jiang Luokui anymore. After all, she was technically one of them—it was only natural to defend her.
Nearby, Du Li studied the photo carefully again and again. After confirming there was nothing wrong with it, she suddenly felt immense pressure.
Her calm voice carried a hint of confusion. “Even with exceptional performance… can a D-rank ability really achieve this?”
“As far as I know,” Li Jueming said thoughtfully, his lips forming two words, “it can’t.”
When he was ten, his uncle Li Xianhua had applied for an ability-awakening agent. Ever since, Li Jueming had followed him during every break, learning how to use abilities.
Even if all his accumulated knowledge were applied to Jiang Luokui, it still wouldn’t be enough for a D-rank ability to produce such results.
It defied common sense.
Li Jueming couldn’t help but wonder what Jiang Luokui had learned over the years she spent outside with her great-uncle.
Meanwhile, the person everyone was talking about—Jiang Luokui—was busy digging soil.
She placed the dug-up soil into a planting trough she had bought earlier, sprinkled quicklime to disinfect it, mixed in some compound fertilizer, and then added water until it just covered the surface.
“Done! Tomorrow I’ll balance it with the Five Elements technique, and I can plant the rice.”
She patted Bubu’s head. “You stay here and watch things. I’m heading back.”
Bubu nuzzled her fingertip and nodded obediently.
Stretching her body, Jiang Luokui recorded the condition of the field before leaving the experimental plot.
Lin Zihan’s messages kept coming—but this time, she wasn’t messaging privately. She was posting in their dorm group chat.
Why keep the fun to yourself?
At 3 p.m., Bai Xiang and Lan Ya—who were training outside the base—were surprisingly online and joined the discussion.
Overflowing with enthusiasm, Lin Zihan vividly recounted everything from the lab class. Eventually, the topic returned to the photo she had posted.
[Lin Zihan: Someone from the other class secretly sent me screenshots—Li Jueming even spoke up for Luokui. I’ll give him credit for that!]
The silent “public opinion battle” ended quietly, crushed by Lin Zihan’s photo evidence.
Jiang Luokui smiled, sent her praise, and checked in on her two combat-major roommates who were practically in exile.
[Are you getting used to the wilderness? Are you coming back today?]
The combat training must have been intense— even shy Bai Xiang had turned into a chatterbox.
[Bai: Waaah we can’t come back! We have to stay outside for three days before we’re allowed back!]
[Bai: We don’t even have food—they say it’s endurance training. I miss the buns from the first-floor cafeteria…]
[Lin Zihan: That’s rough… but I found out today only a few freshmen were selected to train with upperclassmen. You two are impressive—hiding your strength!]
Jiang Luokui and Lin Zihan had ended up in a mixed dorm with combat students because their overall rankings were near the bottom.
But Bai Xiang and Lan Ya were the opposite.
Combat majors tended to be aggressive by nature, so they were intentionally split up.
Lan Ya ranked first in combat overall, while Bai Xiang ranked tenth.
Still… Jiang Luokui smiled. If it came down purely to combat ability, it was hard to say which of the two was stronger. Their selection wasn’t surprising.
At Qianjin Farm, Luo Fen and Li Xianhua got into separate off-road vehicles to return to the base.
Wang Meng, having discovered more of Jiang Luokui’s secrets, radiated excitement.
With her eyes closed, Luo Fen asked, “You seemed very interested in that scallion oil today. What’s going on?”
Wang Meng grinned. “I’m not telling.”
“I don’t need you to. It’s related to that oil, isn’t it? You know the person who made it?”
“Sharp as ever,” Wang Meng admitted cheerfully. “Most likely made by a junior of mine. Want to give an evaluation?”
“She’s a promising talent,” Luo Fen said with satisfaction. “The oil is excellent too. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming—since you won’t tell me who she is, at least help me buy some?”
“Of course! How many do you need?”
After thinking carefully, Luo Fen said, “About thirty bottles.”
Wang Meng immediately hugged her arm excitedly. “My dear aunt, I love how generous you are!”
Later, she messaged Jiang Luokui:
[Wang Meng: Lunch didn’t go well today, right? To make it up to you—I’m here to bring you money.]
Jiang Luokui blinked in surprise.
Another order?
Thirty bottles!
She suddenly felt her production capacity might not be enough—but there was no way she would give up such a big deal.
Fortunately, the deadline was before Mid-Autumn Festival—three full weeks away.
Plenty of time.
That night, Jiang Luokui was in such a good mood that she even ordered an extra meat dish for dinner.
After finishing her lab report, she went to bed early.
She needed to be well-rested.
Tomorrow morning… might be a battle.