Heaven had finally recognized her virtues and bestowed its favor upon her.

The scorching sun blazed overhead, burning with relentless heat. Liang Zuan lounged sideways atop a crystal coffin, pulling out the stitches that had been sewn into his scars one by one. The wounds crisscrossed his body in countless lines—too many to count. Each time he drew out a thread, the flesh knit together swiftly, and the marks faded away, one after another.

His excessive absorption of energy had strengthened his body from the inside out, filling him with a sense of swelling, as if he might break through the fifth tier at any moment.

“Ahem, just now, you were helping me, weren’t you? Thank you, big brother…” Liu Yi’s almond-shaped eyes widened, her small mouth stumbling over the words as her gaze shifted, inch by inch, to his wounds.

The sunlight was merciless, streaming through withered branches and dappled across his form. Confronted with such uncanny healing power, she couldn’t help but stare in awe.

Then she watched, astonished, as he restored all the faded scars in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace or even a mark behind.

Her shock mingled with envy.

Damn, I’ve stumbled onto a secret!

But seeing that he harbored no ill will toward her, she felt a little more at ease.

If he’d intended to silence her, he’d have done it already—no need to wait until now. When she’d lost control earlier, she’d distinctly felt a force stabilizing her meridians, a force likely from him…

She’d actually pitied him, thinking he was an invalid!

Who would have guessed that he was the true powerhouse?

But then, both of them wielded wood abilities—why had her wood power in her past life only been able to stimulate plant growth, with neither devouring nor such formidable regenerative strength?

Liang Zuan nodded a brief thanks, then left without a backward glance.

He was somewhat curious about her body, but theirs was no more than a fleeting acquaintance; he had no intention of further entanglement in the future.

Only after watching the man depart toward the summit of Nine Peaks did Liu Yi finally look away. The breath she’d been holding loosed, and she felt utterly drained.

This was no place to linger, but abandoning supplies within arm’s reach (even if just junk) felt like slicing off a piece of her own flesh—and she didn’t have the strength to haul more anyway.

So tired…

She just wanted to sleep.

She tugged at the inexplicable white “silk” draping her body.

The scenes in her “dream” were hazy now; the strongest memory was hunger.

It felt as if she’d devoured countless things, yet her whole being seemed hollowed out.

She kicked at the piles of old, scattered clothes on the ground, picked up a half-functional phone, and swiped it open.

17:26:49

It was just past five in the afternoon, yet all signals had vanished.

The apocalypse drew another step closer…

When she next looked up, the supplies by her feet had vanished into thin air.

Where had they gone?

Of course—the jade token space!

The jade pendant that had once hung at her chest was gone, replaced over her heart by a red birthmark the size of a seal, its outline shaped like a heart.

She tried probing with her mind.

The original suitcase-sized space had expanded to twenty cubic meters!

Why had it grown?

She experimented by trying to retrieve items.

Sure enough, box after box appeared at her feet.

When she’d cleared the space, she discovered in one corner a small spring of clear water, barely the size of an egg; no wonder she hadn’t noticed it before.

A thought, and the next moment she entered the space.

The water was too scant to scoop, so she simply lay down, pursed her lips, and sipped.

This was the legendary spiritual spring of the space—rumored to grant beauty, longevity, and even cleanse the body’s marrow if drunk regularly.

She had to treasure it.

At last, when not even a drop could be sipped, she soaked a clean cloth in the water and pressed it to the wound at the back of her head.

Instantly, the pain vanished, replaced by a cool, soothing sensation.

Not only that, but as she focused, stretching out her hand, a slender green sprout, delicate as a bean shoot, slowly emerged at her fingertip.

Oh oh oh—the wood ability had awakened ahead of schedule!

If she could already produce bean sprouts, could vines be far behind?

If someday she could reach the strength of Liang Zuan, she would laugh herself awake in her dreams.

Buoyed by her rising spirits, she felt she could fight a hundred more rounds.

Mustered anew, she exited the space.

She fished out a plastic water bottle, tilting its mouth near the spring’s source.

Now she could collect the spring water without lying on the ground every time.

Then she gathered up the supplies dirtied by the thugs and stowed everything in the jade token space.

Unfortunately, the rotten fruit she’d set aside for seeds had decayed too far to be salvaged.

It pained her deeply.

How precious was food in the apocalypse! Not to mention so many seeds—even losing a single grain of old rice would sting her for ages.

She mourned briefly, then carried on.

As long as she reached the peak of Nine Mountains before the earthquake at one in the morning, there was still time to scavenge more supplies.

But the chaos around her meant there was little left to eat.

Even so, the scattered axes, hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches couldn’t be overlooked.

The funeral car by the roadside looked as though it had been crushed—fit only for scrap metal.

Time to find a new mode of transport.

Given the current situation, all major grain and vegetable markets were surely under government control, and supermarkets likely the same.

Apartment buildings were a lost cause; anything usable would have been taken to shelters by their owners.

And those hoodlums with criminal records, rejected by the shelters, would be the first to loot the residential blocks.

After weighing her options, she set her sights on office buildings.

Though there wasn’t much food inside, the sudden shutdowns meant some companies wouldn’t have managed to clear out everything in time.

If she could find a company that did livestream selling, there might even be a windfall.

While searching for a new ride, Liu Yi suddenly realized she could see even the tiniest roadside pebbles with perfect clarity.

As a habitual phone-gazer, she used to be unable to distinguish people or animals ten meters away.

Her gaze swept the street, and she spotted an electric scooter behind a security door.

She hefted an axe to try her luck.

Clang! A casual swing left the metal door half-shattered.

The key point was…she hadn’t used much force at all.

Perhaps it was the effect of the spring water—her eyesight was sharper, and she seemed stronger, too.

Oh, heavens, had fate finally smiled upon her?

She briskly rolled out the scooter, happily weaving in a flamboyant zigzag down the street.

Her eyes were keener than binoculars, and she quickly found a tidy, untouched office building.

Many company doors and windows were locked tight, but with the power out, nothing could stop her axe.

As dusk fell, she switched on a scavenged flashlight—only to discover, once again to her amazement, that she didn’t need it at all. Her night vision was even more potent than in daylight.

Especially when it came to the rats hiding in the nooks and crannies—she could spot them with a mere glance.

Even her sense of smell seemed heightened; she didn’t need to go floor by floor.

A few deep breaths, and she could roughly pinpoint where food was stored.

It wasn’t that she could smell through the packaging, but after filtering out the scent of paper and ink, any lingering plastic aroma usually meant food was hidden there.

Yet every advantage had its downside—the stench of rot assaulted her head like a swarm of bees.

After a spree of “zero-cost shopping,” she could now distinguish the scents of PET, PP, PE, ABS, PS, and PC plastics used in food packaging.

It was almost supernatural!

She was practically born for zero-cost scavenging…