The Frostblade Order's exam grounds were chaos. Thousands of young cultivators battled illusionary demons, their swords clashing in showers of sparks. Leon yawned, crouching in a corner of the trial field.
"System," he muttered, poking the dirt with a rusty trowel. "Check-In here."
*"Ding! Trial Grounds Check-In successful. Reward: [World Tree Sapling] (Note: Perfect for growing potatoes)."*
A glowing seed materialized in his palm. Shrugging, Leon buried it and sprinkled water from his gourd—the same one he'd used to collect mining tunnel sludge for a decade.
"Idiot," sneered a blue-robed youth nearby. Erik Frostwind, the Northern Duke's heir, swung his frost-enchanted sword. "This is a combat trial, not a peasant's garden!"
Leon ignored him. The sapling erupted from the earth, its branches heavy with... *rainbow potatoes*.
"Pathetic." Erik slashed at the tree. "I'll show you real—"
*Clang!*
His ancestral sword snapped against a potato. The crowd froze as the potato rolled away, emitting soft divine light.
*"Ding! Combat achieved via farming. Unlocking hidden title: [Agriculture Overlord]."*
Erik's face turned purple. "Cheater! That's no ordinary—"
"Careful." Leon tossed him a potato. "They're explosive when ripe."
*Boom!*
The potato detonated in a shower of golden sparks, leaving Erik's eyebrows smoking. Before he could retaliate, the ground trembled.
"**Ancient spirit beast!**" someone screamed.
A colossal three-headed serpent emerged from the trial realm's core—its scales dripping venom that melted stone. Cultivators fled as the beast fixated on Leon's glowing tree.
"Finally," Leon grinned, pulling out his mining pickaxe. "A proper pest control job."
The pickaxe hummed with celestial energy. With a casual swing, Leon embedded it into the serpent's central skull.
*"Ding! Mining skill applied to monster slaying. Reward: [Serpent's Fury] mining boost (Ore yield +300%)."*
As the beast collapsed, its eyes locked on Leon's neck pendant. *"You... smell of the Dragon's Vault..."* it hissed before dissolving.
The Frostblade elders stared slack-jawed. Saintess Elara stepped forward, her voice trembling. "That pickaxe... Is that the **Dragonbane Halberd** lost during the Godfall War?!"
Leon blinked. "This old thing? I used it to dig latrines in the mines."
Before the saintess could faint, the System flashed a red alert:
*"Warning! Celestial Vault Layer 3 unlocked. Contaminants detected: [Primordial Dragon's Breath]. Suggested action: Buy [Dragon Taming for Dummies] handbook (50% off!)."