Silver Rank Mei'er.

As the midday sun filtered through the windows, warmth filled the small house. Ace sat at the table with Liu Mei and her mother, Liu Hong, the air around them surprisingly light.

Ace broke the comfortable silence. "Stay for lunch," he said.

"It's rare to have company, and I'd rather not eat alone."

Liu Mei beamed, nodding eagerly, while Liu Hong hesitated for a moment before offering a grateful smile. "Okay, teacher."

Ace made his way to the kitchen, expecting to find the leftovers of the massive spirit cabbages he had provided. Instead, the shelves were empty. He blinked.

"Hold on—those cabbages were huge! You only needed one, where's the other right? Damn cultivator scammers," he muttered.

Shaking his head at the injustice, he accessed the system, withdrawing fresh spirit apples, eggs, and cabbages.

He re-planted new spirit cabbage seeds before rolling up his sleeves to cook. But before he could start, Liu Hong stepped into the kitchen.

"Let me handle it," she said with a small smile. "You've done enough."

Ace hesitated for a moment before nodding in gratitude. It had been a long time since someone had cooked for him.

In his past life, his mother had always prepared his meals.

Even with a hundred years' worth of knowledge flooding his mind, knowing how to cook and actually cooking were two different things.

As Liu Hong moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, the warmth of the moment settled over him.

For a brief moment, he allowed himself to reminisce about his mother back on Earth. Was she doing well? Did she think of him?

Before his thoughts could spiral, a cheerful voice snapped him back to reality.

"Teacher! Look! I think I'm in Silver Rank!"

Ace turned to see Liu Mei bouncing excitedly at the doorway, her face alight with joy.

"It's Master, Mei'er," he corrected, a teasing smirk playing at his lips. "Now, let me see."

As he walked over to inspect her progress,

his mind buzzed as the system notifications flooded in.

[Congratulations! Your first disciple is now a silver rank.]

You have received a spirit bot.

You have received 200,000 exp.

The reward list was impressive—his very first farm helper bot and a huge chunk of experience.

"A spirit bot, huh?" He muttered, intrigued. Though it couldn't leave the system yet, the implication that it might someday made him curious.

Then came the experience boost.

[You've leveled up by 5 levels!]

Rewards:

Beast Taming Feed Supply Unlocked

10,000 Gold Credits Received

+10 Plot of Lands Added

+2 Tree-Grow Plots Added

Ace exhaled slowly, taking it all in. He checked his current profile.

Host Profile:

Level: 10

Talent: Common Talent

Rank: Peak Warrior

Assets:

Plot of Lands: 19

Tree-Grow Plots: 4

Gold Credits: 13,162

Farm Animals:

1 Spirit Chicken

Ace closed the system interface, looking back at Liu Mei, who was still grinning from ear to ear, clearly proud of her breakthrough.

"Well done, Mei'er," he said, ruffling her hair. "You might just become my most promising disciple at this rate."

Liu Mei puffed up with pride and then asked in confusion, "But Master, am I not your only disciple?"

"Go help your mom."

Watching her leave ace opened the system menu and navigated to his newly acquired reward—the Spirit Bot.

Its description was short and straightforward:

[Spirit Bot: A sentient farm helper that follows user commands. Can farm within the system space.]

"Not bad," Ace mused. Having an assistant to automate farming tasks would free up a lot of his time.

Without hesitation, he moved on to his next investment.

[10,000 Gold Credits Spent - 1 Spirit Cow Purchased]

A spirit cow would be a valuable addition, providing milk with potential cultivation benefits.

[2,000 Gold Credits Spent -2 Spirit Apple Seeds Purchased]

Planted in the two newly unlocked tree-growing plots, these apples would further boost his farm's output.

[500 Gold Credits Spent - 10 Spirit Cabbage Seeds Purchased]

Planted across his ten newly unlocked plots, the spirit cabbages would soon be ready for harvest.

With only 562 Gold Credits remaining, Ace allocated them to the Spirit Bot.

"Take care of the farm," he commanded. "Stockpile the harvest and replant automatically."

The Spirit Bot gave a slight nod before vanishing into the system space, beginning its work.

With the farm now running on its own, Ace turned his attention to his next goal—Beast Taming Feed Supply.

He tapped on the option, only to be met with a lock icon.

[Locked: Requires 50,000 Gold Credits to Unlock.]

Ace looked surprised but reassured himself—it wouldn't be long.

He had a long way to go, but one thing was certain—his farm was slowly evolving into something far greater than just a small cultivation experiment.

Lunch was a warm and lively affair. Liu Hong prepared a simple yet flavorful meal using the fresh spirit cabbage, eggs, and apples that Ace had taken out earlier.

The aroma filled the small house, making Ace realize just how long it had been since he had a proper home-cooked meal.

As they ate, Liu Mei happily recounted her excitement about advancing to Silver Rank, her bright eyes sparkling with joy.

Liu Hong, on the other hand, remained reserved but occasionally glanced at Ace with a mix of gratitude and lingering wariness.

After they finished eating, Liu Hong stood up and patted Liu Mei's head.

"I should be heading back. Mei'er, you'll stay here and assist your master," she said, her tone filled with both pride and reluctance.

Ace, however, frowned. "Assist?" He looked at the small girl, who stared back at him with big, eager eyes.

"Master, I'll do my best!" Liu Mei declared, standing straight as if she had just received an important mission.

Ace sighed. "Mei'er, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but there's nothing for you to do right now."

Liu Mei's expression faltered. "But… I'm your disciple now. Shouldn't I stay and help?"

Ace shook his head. "There's nothing for you to do here at the moment. Besides—" He paused, rubbing his temples. "never mind. I don't need anything here, go go."

Liu Mei pouted but eventually relented. "Okay… But Master, promise to teach me properly!"

Ace smirked. "I don't take in disciples just to waste their time."

Satisfied with that, Liu Mei finally left with her mother.

—--

Early in the morning, Ace heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

When he stepped outside, he found Shan Yifeng and Liu Mei standing together.

Yifeng greeted him first. "Morning, teacher."

Right after, Liu Mei beamed and said, "Good morning, Master!"

"Why are you calling him master?" shan yifeng asked in confusion

Liu Mei huffed, standing tall. "I call him Master because he is my Master."

Yifeng raised an eyebrow. "Then I can call him that too."

Liu Mei shook her head. "No, you're only his student, not his disciple."

Yifeng frowned. "What's the difference?"

"There's a lot," Liu Mei said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms. "But I won't say it."

Yifeng's eyebrow twitched. "Hey, since when did you get this good at talking back?"

Liu Mei smirked. "Hah! So you thought I was dumb too?"

Ace coughed lightly to suppress a chuckle.

Shan Yifeng clicked his tongue. "So you get to call him Master just because you're his disciple?"

He turned to Ace, eyes determined. "Teacher! Make me your disciple too!"