3: Chapter 3: A rare occurrence, the first in twenty-two years! The fairy was stunned: How could he be so fast?!

[You look at Su Qinghan and grin, revealing a set of teeth that look exceptionally white from years of eating vegetables.]

[You enthusiastically hold up a freshly picked head of Chinese cabbage and shout to her, "Senior Sister, would you like a cabbage? Just picked, very fresh!"]

In reality, Tang Xun slapped his thigh upon seeing this scene.

"Good lord! I'm calling it right now!"

This is exactly how a Fun-seeker should act!

Thinking back, his eighteen-year-old self had been ignored by Su Qinghan.

And now?

The thirty-five-year-old "self" had been an old farmer in the life simulator for over a decade; his mindset had long since undergone a world-shaking transformation.

What goddess? What Genius?

In the eyes of this vegetable farmer, she was nothing more than a potential customer who might need to buy some cabbage.

[Su Qinghan was stunned.]

[She clearly hadn't expected this ordinary-looking, even somewhat scruffy middle-aged Menial Worker to greet her in such a manner.]

[The several lackey Disciples beside her instantly bristled.]

"How bold! What kind of thing are you, to dare be so rude to Senior Sister Su!" a young man who looked like an Inner Sect Disciple shouted sternly. The sword at his waist was even drawn half an inch, Spiritual Qi surging; he was clearly genuinely enraged.

In his view, Tang Xun's behavior was nothing short of a profanation of Su Qinghan.

A lowly Menial Worker actually dared to use a mud-stained head of Chinese cabbage to "hit on" the unattainable Fairy in their hearts?

[You, however, seemed not to sense that Killing Intent at all, still holding up that Chinese cabbage with a simple and sincere smile on your face.]

["Senior Brother, don't be angry. I see this Senior Sister is full of Immortal Qi and seems above worldly affairs. But even in cultivation, one must balance work and rest. My cabbage is crisp, refreshing, hydrating, and very good for the skin."]

[As you spoke, you even used your sleeve to wipe the mud spots off the cabbage, putting on an air of "this is a real treasure."]

The surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Those lackey Disciples were dumbfounded; they had never seen such a... such a death-defying Menial Worker.

[Su Qinghan's brow furrowed imperceptibly.]

[She had already entered Foundation Establishment and was an Inner Sect Disciple. Returning to the Outer Sect this time was only to handle some old matters; she hadn't dealt with bottom-tier existences like Menial Workers in many years.]

[In her memory, whenever these Menial Workers saw her, every single one of them would be trembling with fear, bowing their heads low, not even daring to breathe loudly.]

[Someone like the man before her—grinning cheekily, daring to initiate a conversation, and even trying to sell her cabbage—was definitely the first.]

[She looked at your weather-beaten yet strangely serene face, then at the massive, lush green Chinese cabbage in your hand, and for a moment, she didn't know how to react.]

[Should she berate him?]

[Or simply ignore him and walk away?]

[Given her past personality, she would have chosen the latter.]

[But today, as if possessed, she spoke.]

["No need."]

[Her voice was still just as cold and clear, like the ice and snow atop a mountain Peak, devoid of any emotion.]

[After saying that, she stopped looking at you and turned to leave.]

[The several lackey Disciples glared at you fiercely before hurrying after her.]

["Consider yourself lucky, kid!"]

["If there's a next time, we'll make sure you regret it!"]

[You watched their receding backs, shrugged, and put the Chinese cabbage back into the basket, muttering, "Tsk, no taste. This cabbage of mine is buffed by the Little Expert at Farming trait; ordinary people couldn't eat it even if they wanted to."]

[You didn't take this chance encounter to heart at all, continuing to hum a little tune while watering your precious vegetable plot.]

[But what you didn't know was that Su Qinghan, after walking quite a distance, paused slightly.]

[She looked back at that figure in the sunset, which appeared exceptionally small yet content.]

[Why is this person different from the others?]

[The five years from age thirty-five to forty passed without a ripple.]

[Your vegetables grew better and better, to the point where even some Outer Sect Deacons would send people to buy from you. You became a minor celebrity in the Laborer Courtyard—the "Vegetable Madman" Tang Xun.]

[You used the money from selling vegetables to renovate your woodshed and bought yourself a comfortable set of bedding. Life was becoming more and more promising.]

[The annual trait draws were still a uniform white.]

[Age thirty-six: [Loves Humming While Walking].]

[Age thirty-seven: [Climbing Five Floors in One Breath is Effortless].]

[Age thirty-eight: [Storyteller (Beginner)].]

[Age thirty-nine: Affable and Amiable.]

[On your fortieth birthday, you cooked yourself two small dishes and warmed a pot of low-quality rice wine, preparing to welcome the twenty-second trait of your life simulation.]

["Come on, System, let the storm rage even harder!" you shouted grandly toward the Void Realm after taking a sip of wine.]

[The wheel emerged before your eyes, spinning wildly.]

[You no longer held much hope.]

[However, just as the pointer was about to sweep past the white area, it gave a sudden jolt!]

[A flash of green light flickered across the wheel!]

[Your wine cup fell to the ground with a "clang."]

[Your eyes widened like copper bells, staring fixedly at the slowing pointer.]

[Go! Go past it for me!]

In reality, Tang Xun also held his breath.

Is it coming?

Is it finally coming?

Twenty-two years! A full twenty-two years in the life simulation, twenty-two draws, and all were white!

This time, is his luck finally going to change?

[Under your gaze, the pointer carrying all your hopes trembled and landed precisely on the green area representing "Rare"!]

[Buzz—!]

[An emerald green light erupted from the wheel.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained the Rare-tier trait—Swift Steps!]

[Trait: Swift Footwork (Green)]

[Effect: Your legs become far more powerful than an ordinary person's. Your running and walking speeds are significantly increased; traveling three thousand miles in a day is no longer a dream.]

[You looked at this green trait and fell silent.]

[After a long time, you suddenly slapped your thigh and roared to the sky, "Hahaha! Green! It's green!"]

[You laughed until tears streamed down.]

[Twenty-two years! Do you know how I've spent these twenty-two years?]

[Without hesitation, you opened the trait panel.]

[Your currently equipped traits are: Life Simulator (Prismatic), Full of Energy (White), Little Expert at Farming (White).]

[You decided to replace Little Expert at Farming with Swift Steps.]

["Vegetables can wait. I'm going to start working out!"]

[Trait replacement successful!]

[Currently equipped traits (3/3): Life Simulator (Prismatic), Full of Energy (White), Swift Footwork (Green)]

[The moment the trait was equipped, you felt a warm current surge from your Dantian to your legs.]

[Your knees, somewhat stiff from years of labor, emitted "crack-crack" sounds as a sense of unprecedented lightness spread throughout your body.]

[You took a few tentative steps, then began a light jog.]

["Holy crap!"]

[You found that with just a light push, you shot forward several meters, nearly slamming your head into the wall.]

[This isn't just Swift Steps; this is practically a budget version of the Lingbo Microsteps!]

[Ecstatic, you ran out of the woodshed in the middle of the night and sprinted along the deserted paths of the Outer Sect.]

[The wind whistled in your ears, and the scenery retreated rapidly; you felt like a gust of wind.]

[You ran up the back mountain; the mountain path that used to take an hour now took you less than fifteen minutes.]

[Standing on the mountain Peak, facing the howling mountain wind and overlooking the scattered lights below, a surge of grand ambition rose in your chest.]

["Soon, it's coming soon!"]

["As long as I live long enough and draw enough traits, one day, I'll punch a hole through this sky!"]

[From that day on, your life plan changed.]

[By day, you were still that diligent vegetable farmer, Tang Xun.]

[By night, you became a "Night-Running Hero" who sprinted in circles around the Azure Cloud Sect's Outer Sect.]

[You began consciously training your physique, laying a solid foundation for a potential path of cultivation in the future.]

[The decade from age forty to fifty was the second Peak period of your physical fitness.]

[Your annual card draws were still duds, but you no longer cared.]

[A single green trait had given you infinite confidence and hope.]

[At age forty-five, while night running, you "encountered" Su Qinghan once again.]

[She seemed to be practicing her sword at the Moon-Viewing Platform on the mountain Peak. Under the moonlight, in her white robes and with her sword light like snow, she truly looked like a Fairy who might ride the wind and leave at any moment.]

[You were running too fast to stop and "whooshed" right past her.]

[A gust of wind whipped up, ruffling the tips of her hair.]

[You stopped only after running quite a distance, then turned back and waved awkwardly at her, "Senior Sister, what fine spirits you're in!"]

[After saying that, fearing she might cause trouble for you, you vanished in the blink of an eye.]

[Under the moonlight, Su Qinghan sheathed her sword and stood there, staring in the direction you vanished, falling into silence once more.]

[This Menial Worker... runs so fast.]