Seeing Lansha and Mengmeng diverting water, Lin Feng first checked the crops.
These plants didn't require daily watering, but irrigation would become time-consuming as planting areas expanded. Managing dozens of acres typically required dedicated laborers. For a thousand-acre plantation, harvesting and maintenance would demand massive manpower.
Lin Feng currently had no plans to hire workers from Earth—partly due to limited funds, but mostly because he believed elemental spirits would eventually handle these tasks. A Water Elemental Spirit could manage irrigation more efficiently than human workers, with precise control over each plant's hydration needs.
Satisfied with the crops' progress, Lin Feng resumed farming. Soon, Lansha and Mengmeng joined him after finishing their water diversion tasks. The day passed in busy labor.
By noon, Mengmeng used her healing skill to ease his fatigue. By afternoon, she'd even learned to massage his shoulders. She expanded the treehouse, adding an outdoor platform with a woven-branch lounge chair where Lin Feng rested while she kneaded his muscles.
As dusk fell, Lin Feng returned to the Life Tree. The lake's water level had dropped significantly, and the summoning progress bar hit 100%.
"Water Elemental Spirit successfully conjured."
A glowing orb descended from the Life Tree into Lin Feng's palm. The light faded, revealing a shimmering sphere of water that neither wet his hand nor dissolved.
The Water Elemental Spirit quickly morphed into a gentle, beautiful girl with soft brown hair and a flowing white dress—her form shaped by Lin Feng's preferences.
In this world, professional irrigation specialists existed, complete with certifications and tiered skill levels. Top-tier workers even possessed relevant supernatural abilities, but their fees were astronomical. Yet even the highest-paid experts couldn't rival a Water Elemental Spirit's capabilities.
"The cloudberries are thriving."
After just five days, the cloudberry bushes (known as "Pao" in rural areas from Lin Feng's previous life) already stood over a meter tall. Though classified as Grade D seeds, each berry contained modest life energy. Still, their nostalgic sweetness and rarity would fetch decent prices. Harvest was estimated in 5-6 days.
The strawberries, boosted by daily Growth Value from the system, grew at similar speeds. Tiny white berries already dotted the plants. Potatoes showed steady growth, while cabbages had reached "baby vegetable" size.
Lin Feng's total cultivated area now spanned roughly 30 acres—equivalent to three soccer fields. Planting six acres daily was remarkably efficient. In his original world, a farmer might manage half an acre per day, though Earth's tougher soil couldn't compare to the floating island's fertile ground.
Higher-grade seeds (E-class and above) required meticulous care despite their value. Reaching 30 acres in five days was only possible with Lansha and Mengmeng's assistance.
The newly formed girl landed gracefully and placed her hands over her chest, bowing deeply to Lin Feng like Lansha had. Yet her demeanor contrasted sharply with the thunder spirit's brisk efficiency. As a Water Elemental Spirit, her movements flowed with serene elegance, exuding the poise of a refined noblewoman.
Lin Feng named her **Bailing**—a fittingly ethereal name for this gentle spirit with luminous, liquid eyes.
"Master!"
Like the others, Bailing quickly adopted the title.
Water Elemental Spirit: Bailing
Level:
Skill: Hydrokinesis
Her panel remained sparse. Upgrading her required combining the Life Tree's Energy Points with water-based energy, reducing the total needed compared to pure Energy Point consumption.
"During thunderstorms, both Lansha and Bailing could absorb massive energy," Lin Feng mused.
Most floating island owners dreaded rain—it flooded their lands and eroded soil. But Lin Feng secretly hoped for another storm, ideally one with lightning.
With Bailing summoned, he now had three elemental spirits. The Life Tree's Energy Points totaled 350 after recent expenditures (300 for summoning spirits, 100 allocated to Mengmeng). By tomorrow, it would reach 500, allowing him to either upgrade Mengmeng or summon another spirit.
Experimenting, Lin Feng tried conjuring other elements:
- Light Elemental Spirit: Required prolonged sunlight exposure (10+ days).
- Earth Elemental Spirit: Needed 7 days of soil energy absorption.
- Wind Elemental Spirit: Demanded 20+ days of gathering atmospheric currents.
Without immediate energy sources like thunderstorms or floods, these spirits would take time. He prioritized the Earth Elemental Spirit but discovered the Life Tree couldn't summon two simultaneously until reaching Level 4 in four days.
After initiating the Earth Spirit's summoning, Lin Feng turned his attention to Mengmeng, who hovered nearby with her usual affectionate curiosity.
Mengmeng, Lansha, and Bailing huddled together, whispering. Lin Feng soon realized Mengmeng and Lansha were attempting to teach Bailing speech—a comical sight given their own limited vocabulary.
The trio made an amusing group: Mengmeng resembled a petite doll, while Lansha and Bailing appeared as elegant young women. Lin Feng reclined on his lounge chair, listening to their chatter while browsing forums.
Night fell peacefully. Bailing provided warm bathwater through hydrokinesis—a luxurious upgrade from manual heating.
At dawn, Lin Feng awoke to find all three spirits already working. Lansha and Mengmeng tilled fields, while Bailing manipulated water streams to defy gravity, irrigating elevated plots effortlessly. The lake's water level steadily rose thanks to Bailing condensing morning dew from the Life Tree's leaves—a self-sustaining water cycle established.
Four days passed in productive harmony. Lin Feng spent 500 Energy Points to upgrade Mengmeng to Level 2. Her healing range expanded, though her childlike appearance remained unchanged.
On the tenth day in the Floating Island World, two milestones arrived:
1. The Life Tree reached Level 4, gaining enhanced capabilities.
2. The first batch of cloudberries and strawberries ripened simultaneously.
"Your Life Tree has reached Level 4. You have obtained new plant seeds: 100kg of Mist Tree Seeds."
Description: When fully grown, Mist Trees absorb energy to generate fog with potent disorientation effects. At sufficient density, Dawn Mist Sirens will manifest within the fog.
Note: Plant these trees around your island's perimeter to form a defensive forest. Warning: Mist Trees have average durability and remain vulnerable to fire/attacks. Supplemental defensive structures are recommended.
Upon the Life Tree's upgrade, Lin Feng received this system notification along with the new seeds.
"Are these supposed to be upgrade rewards? System, did you withhold my previous two level-up bonuses?" he grumbled.
When his Life Tree initially jumped to Level 3 from the starter pack's 1,000 Growth Points, no seeds were awarded. The system—a mechanical entity without an interactive AI—remained silent.
The 100kg sack contained thousands of chestnut-sized seeds. Planting them all would create a perimeter forest of Mist Trees around his floating island.
"According to the description, these trees will spawn Dawn Mist Sirens... Are they similar to elemental spirits?" Lin Feng wondered.
Unlike his loyal Lansha (Thunder) and Bailing (Water), these fog-born entities might possess independent combat capabilities—a crucial defense ahead of the impending monster wave after the novice protection period.
Most new island owners struggled during this first assault. Hiring mercenaries was costly and unreliable, as few would risk guarding underprepared islands. With Lansha's lightning and Bailing's hydrokinesis as his main forces, the Mist Forest could tip the scales.
"Priority: plant these immediately."
If the trees matured in time, the Dawn Mist Sirens might negate the need for expensive hires altogether.
Life Tree Status:
Level: 4 (5,000/20,000)
Growth Value**: 0 (500/day)
Energy Points: 350 (200/day)
After reaching Level 4, the Life Tree's daily Growth Value doubled, and Energy Points increased from 150 to 200. These gains depended on multiple factors: the tree's level, the island's elevation in the Floating World, and the farm's overall "star rating"—a system evaluation based on crop quality, defenses, and income.
Lin Feng spent 100 Energy Points to begin conjuring a Wind Elemental Spirit, the longest summoning process at one month. By prioritizing it now, he'd free up slots for shorter-term summons later, like the Earth Elemental Spirit (3 days remaining) and Light Elemental Spirit (2 weeks).
Next, he gathered his three spirits to delegate tasks. Over the past four days, their efficiency had tripled his planting area to **100+ acres**, exhausting his initial 20kg of seeds. Now, it was harvest time—and the new Mist Tree seeds needed sowing.
"Lansha, help me harvest," Lin Feng said.
The thunder spirit nodded crisply. "Understood, Master." Her voice was cool and precise, befitting her poised demeanor.
To Mengmeng and Bailing, he assigned planting: "Scatter the Mist Tree seeds along the perimeter. Space them evenly—not too dense, not too sparse."
"Okay, Master!" Mengmeng chirped, while Bailing dipped her head gracefully. The water spirit's gentle beauty reminded Lin Feng of the elegant women from his homeland's river towns.
Harvesting was Lin Feng's task. Using his storage space, he could instantly collect crops on contact. Lansha's lightning speed complemented his efforts—she zipped through fields, gathering produce into neat piles.
The Mist Tree seeds required minimal preparation: bury them shallowly, no tilling needed. But spacing was critical. Mengmeng skipped between plots, dropping seeds with childlike enthusiasm, while Bailing followed, smoothing the soil with water-precise control.
Harvesting became effortless with Lin Feng's storage space—any crop he touched vanished instantly into it. Lansha assisted by gathering stragglers, acting as his backup. For now, maximizing storage efficiency was key with limited manpower.
First, Lin Feng guided Bailing and Mengmeng to the island's edge to demonstrate planting the Mist Trees. Though future expansion was possible, the priority was establishing a perimeter forest. The trees wouldn't hug the edge directly; a 30-meter buffer zone would later host defensive walls.
Post-novice protection, monsters could only attack from the island's edges, making walls crucial. Lin Feng planned to wait for the Earth Elemental Spirit's arrival—if it couldn't construct walls, he'd sell crops to hire builders. Temporary crews were expensive but necessary. Wealthy heirs often commissioned such teams on day one, but Lin Feng hoped elemental spirits could offset costs.
The first monster wave would be manageable, especially with Dawn Mist Sirens. Upgraded defenses could wait until ascending to higher layers.
Bailing and Mengmeng proved ideal planters. Bailing irrigated as she worked, while Mengmeng sensed optimal seed placements. Though she could accelerate growth, energy constraints limited this ability.
Once trained, the two spirits scattered seeds along the perimeter. Meanwhile, Lin Feng and Lansha began harvesting—swift, systematic, and silent.
"So good!"
Lin Feng popped a handful of cloudberries into his mouth, relishing the nostalgic flavor from his childhood—yet infinitely better. Beyond their nostalgic value, the berries burst with sweetness and contained trace amounts of life energy. Sustained consumption left the body invigorated and revitalized.
These weren't ordinary cloudberries. Through generations of selective breeding by floating island farmers, these Grade D seeds now produced fruits selling for thousands per pound—a hot commodity in this parallel Earth.
With over 30 billion people (five times Earth's original population), demand for life-extending crops skyrocketed. Though 99% of new island owners failed annually, survivors like Lin Feng could tap into an insatiable market.
As he snacked, Lin Feng noticed Lansha standing quietly nearby. Her poised demeanor radiated an ethereal grace.
"Want some?" he offered.
Lansha shook her head. As a Thunder Elemental Spirit, she thrived on lightning energy—scarce since the last storm eight days prior. Historical patterns suggested another rainfall soon, crucial for newcomers lacking water infrastructure.
Curious about the berries' potency, Lin Feng pulled out a portable analyzer—standard equipment for island owners. The device crushed a sample, cross-referencing its life energy signature against botanical databases.
Result: Grade C Cloudberries (Premium Quality)
"Grade C? But I planted Grade D seeds!"
Realization struck—the system had optimized the crops. While standard farming might yield gradual improvements, his cheat system accelerated evolution. If replanted, these C-grade berries could theoretically produce B-grade fruits, potentially disrupting corporate monopolies on elite seeds.
"Game changer," Lin Feng murmured, tucking away his excitement. Harvesting came first.