Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Xiao Ziyun had left the room after handing out some final pieces of advice, her calm demeanor masking the subtle worry she felt for her son.

Xiao Zhi watched her leave, her footsteps fading into the quiet of the house.

Once the room was silent, he sat back on the bed, stretching his arms before pulling up the system interface.

"Time to see what this thing is really capable of," he muttered under his breath.

The familiar, minimalist screen appeared before his eyes. Xiao Zhi's grin widened as he navigated through the menus. "Good thing I spent most of my free time as an introvert—either hanging out with Rina, which rarely happens or binge-reading online novellas," he mused.

His heart ached when he recalls her smile but he shooked his head and focused on the task at hand.

"Too bad I don't see this new world as some giant VR simulation. Would've been easier to remain detach if I did."

After a few taps and swipes, he brought up the detailed information on Spirit Tomatoes:

[Spirit Tomatoes]

Grade: Very Low

Cost: 15 Gold Credits [GC]

Sell: 7 Gold Credits [GC]

[Properties: Increases vitality and minor spiritual energy recovery when consumed. Highly sought after in the market.]

[Spirit Tomato Seeds]

Grade: Very Low

Cost: 1 Gold Credit [GC]

Sell: Free :)

[Properties: with proper care can it bear fruit.]

Xiao Zhi leaned back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "So, the system sells seeds for 1 gold credit each? That's not bad at all," he thought.

A quick glance at his inventory revealed the following:

Inventory:

GC: 0

Spirit Tomato Seeds: 20 units

Spirit Tomatoes: 78 units

He did some quick calculations in his head. "If I sell all 78 Spirit Tomatoes at 7 gold credits each, that's… 546 gold credits." His grin widened. "And with that, I can buy 546 seeds. And those 546 seeds grow up and I sell them at 7 a piece and—" sigh he slapped him cheek hard himself "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

With a swipe, he sold all the Spirit Tomatoes. They vanished from his own room in an instant, replaced by a bunch of empty baskets and a notification:

[Transaction Complete: 78 Spirit Tomatoes sold for 546 GC.]

The gold credits reflected on his screen, and without hesitation, Xiao Zhi purchased 60 additional seeds. He grabbed the pouch of seeds and rushed to the backyard.

Working quickly, he planted every seed, his movements almost mechanical as he visualized his growing fortune.

Thirty minutes later, the system chimed again: [Your crop is ripe for harvest!]

Xiao Zhi repeated the process, planting 80 seeds after each harvest, his pace increasing with every cycle.

By the time six hours had passed, Xiao Zhi collapsed onto the bed, sweat dripping down his face. He pulled up his inventory to check the results of his relentless farming:

Inventory:

GC: 6,326

Spirit Tomatoes Seeds: 0 unit

Spirit Tomatoes: 0 unit

Xiao Zhi's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he stared at the total. "Over six thousand gold credits in six hours," he whispered, almost in disbelief. "If I keep this up... I'll be very rich."

He let out a triumphant laugh, the sound echoing in his room as the weight of his success sank in.

After two more hours of continuous planting, Xiao Zhi collapsed onto the bed, tired and weary. Sleep claimed him almost instantly.

................mmm........mmm...........mmm.....

The next day, he woke up to the sound of a rooster's call. The small house he was staying in was more like a hostel—a teacher's quarters, to be exact. It wasn't luxurious, but it was sufficient for his needs.

After washing up, Xiao Zhi dressed himself in his best suit. Today wasn't just another day of teaching; he was supposed to visit his aunt afterward. He couldn't afford to look shabby and embarrass his mother.

Standing before the mirror, he adjusted his collar and paused to take a good look at himself. This time, he wasn't surprised. He looked and saw Ace.

"How come I didn't bother checking what I looked like yesterday?" he mused with a small laugh.

His new body, his new life—he was now living with the face he once believed was inadequate for his crush. At one point in his old life, he had blamed himself for being unattractive. But now, as he looked closer, he thought differently.

"Even if others believe I'm ugly, my eyes tell me I'm handsome," he said with a self-assured smirk. "What's a bit of narcissism if it's going to keep me going?"

With a bright and cheerful smile, Xiao Zhi made his way to school.

It had already been a week since the original body had taken a class, and he , he didn't even know how to teach anyone, honestly.

Before coming to this world, he himself had been a student. And now? Now, he was expected to teach kids his age—or even older!

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Life truly had a way of surprising him.

Honglin Academy was considered one of the worst academies in the eastern region. Situated in a remote area, its reputation was far from stellar.

Yet, for the people of this small, backward town, the academy represented opportunity.

To them, it was a blessing that such an institution had opened in their area, no matter its shortcomings.

Rumors swirled about the academy's mysterious sponsor—a supposedly generous benefactor whose true identity remained a mystery even now.

Xiao Zhi arrived at the academy gate, his eyes falling on the large banner overhead. The words "Honglin Academy" were emblazoned in gold and black, a grand display for an otherwise modest establishment.

Although Xiao Zhi was only at the peak of the Warrior grade, he was still stronger than most of the other teachers at the academy.

That fact, however, wasn't as impressive as it sounded—real cultivators never considered Warrior-grade individuals as true equals.

His thoughts drifted to Xie Ninger, his crush. She was a Minor Silver-grade cultivator, and the chasm between their levels was immense.

It wasn't just a gap in cultivation; it felt like an entire world separating them.

Shaking off the thought, Xiao Zhi entered his classroom.

To his surprise, it was empty except for two small children sitting quietly and staring up at him.

From the memories he had inherited, Xiao Zhi knew he wasn't a bad teacher. His calm demeanor had earned him the respect and attention of many students. So why was the room so empty?

Confusion settled over him as he stood by the doorway, his gaze shifting between the two children.

"What happened to the others?" he thought.

Something was clearly amiss.