[Level 3 Mutated Chestnut Tree Seed: Edible. Can increase an ability user’s level.]
Heavens! It was actually a special food that could increase ability levels!
Cheng Feng looked again at the chestnut tree’s description and finally noticed the key detail: the fruit couldn’t be eaten, but the seed could!
So did that mean the seeds of every mutated plant were special ingredients that could boost abilities?
When he got back, he planned to ask Xiao Hong and the others if they had any seeds. He would definitely be willing to trade for them!
Since this was something so valuable, Cheng Feng didn’t want the chestnut tree to lose out. He immediately offered a high price—twenty mutated vegetables.
That was all the stock he had left in his space!
“Good neighbor, if you have more seeds in the future, we can keep trading.”
The chestnut tree nodded in agreement.
Holding the seed, Cheng Feng returned home, full of excitement.
Along the way, he asked other plants, but none of them had seeds.
It seemed that mutated plants only produced seeds after reaching level three. If he wanted to use these special ingredients to upgrade his abilities, he would have to go deeper into the mountains. The deeper he went, the stronger the plants—this chestnut tree was proof.
In the forest, the outer areas had fewer and smaller plants. After the apocalypse, only those that survived fierce competition in the inner forest became truly powerful. That was why he never went outward.
In his previous life, no one dared to enter the forest easily, let alone go deep inside—for this exact reason.
Choosing to go into the deep mountains this time was truly one of his smartest decisions.
Back home, he immediately peeled the chestnut. It looked no different from before the apocalypse. When he ate it, it tasted sweet and crisp—nothing special in flavor.
But soon, he felt the difference.
His abilities began to rise rapidly. His mind became clearer.
After a few minutes, the effect ended. He checked himself—both his affinity ability and plant-information ability had improved. They were now at level 1.5.
After becoming an ability user, you naturally understood how to measure your level. He could clearly sense it.
This meant that one seed from a level-three mutated plant could directly raise a single ability from level one to level two!
That was incredibly powerful. No wonder such items had always been priceless in his previous life.
Because he had two abilities, he didn’t break through to level two in one go. But that wasn’t a loss—dual abilities would be stronger in the long run. He just needed to stay cautious early on.
He couldn’t help imagining—if every level-three or higher plant in the forest traded one seed with him, how strong would he become?
With that in mind, he realized he needed to take trading with mutated plants more seriously.
First, he needed to expand his planting scale. Otherwise, what would he trade with?
Second, he needed more types of vegetables so his “customers” could choose what they liked.
He acted immediately. He would copy the model he used with Xiao Hong and start with the four plants along the stream path. He couldn’t rush—he needed to build a good reputation step by step.
The mutated pear tree and the others eagerly agreed. They had long envied Xiao Hong. If Cheng Feng hadn’t said earlier that he couldn’t handle planting too much, they would have asked already.
They didn’t care why he suddenly could handle more—they just wanted their share.
After planting the seeds, Cheng Feng didn’t need to do anything else. But this time, planting took longer, and by the time he got home, his face was frozen stiff.
Not expanding too quickly had been another wise decision.
Five days later, it was harvest time again. After giving out shares, he headed back into the mountains, continuing to trade as before.
The compost made from dead plant matter worked very well. He needed to keep collecting it to grow better vegetables and trade for special ingredients.
When he reached the chestnut tree again, it only offered twenty jin of dead material—no seeds.
Cheng Feng reminded it, “Good neighbor, aren’t you trading seeds this time?”
The tree shook its branches.
“You don’t have any right now?”
The tree nodded.
So producing seeds also took time. After agreeing to trade next time, Cheng Feng went deeper into the mountains.
This time, he traded 60 mutated vegetables for three seeds!
Back home, he immediately ate one. Both of his abilities finally broke through—he became a level-two dual-ability user!
And it had been less than a month since the apocalypse began.
Looking at the remaining two seeds, his eyes burned with excitement. Without hesitation, he ate them both.
That’s when something went wrong.
His abilities surged too quickly. Pain spread through his entire body, making him tremble uncontrollably.
He collapsed onto the sofa, groaning, tears streaming from his eyes.
Enduring the pain, he scolded himself in his mind: That was reckless and immature!
Fortunately, it didn’t last long. After about ten minutes, the pain faded.
But he would never forget it.
Next time, he wouldn’t act so rashly. There was no harm in taking it slow.
He checked again—both abilities were now at level 2.2. One seed had only increased his level by 0.2.
He knew higher levels were harder to reach, but this was still surprising. These were special items!
Still, compared to most people outside who had no way to level up at all, he calmed down.
Zombie crystal cores usually didn’t appear until about six months later, and plants outside the forest wouldn’t grow as fast as those inside.
He was still far ahead.
As long as he kept trading, reaching level three was only a matter of time.
Feeling happy, Cheng Feng decided to reward himself. Recently, he had been eating pre-made food because of his training schedule. Today, he would cook again.
He took out two pounds of duck wings and two pounds of prawns, along with celery, onions, and potatoes. He planned to make a dry pot dish—duck and shrimp together, served with rice.
His cooking was excellent—just as good as a restaurant.
Even though he had gotten a bit drunk last time, the wine tasted great, so he poured himself another glass.
He ate until the pot was completely empty.
Sigh… his appetite had grown again.