Chapter 5: The Portable Space and the Small World

But Yu Yan didn’t mind at all—truly!
An ordinary man is not guilty, but he who harbors jade invites his own doom.
Once a plant spirit is absorbed and refined, it leaves a mark at the center of the plant spirit enhancer’s brow.
This mark cannot be concealed. If one tries to cover it with ornaments or cloth, not only does it hinder the absorption and refinement of spiritual energy from heaven and earth to nourish its master, but it also prevents plant spirit enhancers from fully unleashing the might of their spirit skills.
Wearing the mark of a twelfth-grade, heaven-level plant spirit on her forehead every day, even if the refined spirit can no longer be stolen by others, was not exactly a pleasant situation for someone like Yu Yan, who was accustomed to hiding her true strength.
This “Imitation” skill was simply everything she could have wished for!
The fifth-grade, mystic-level Fire Shadow Illusion Lotus was perfect for her disguise.
It was neither so weak that people would look down on her and any random cat or dog would dare trample on her and her daughter, nor so conspicuous that she’d become a target for envy and hatred. The only plant spirit skill of the Illusion Lotus closely resembled her “Illusion” skill.
“Illusion” was the deadliest move in the “Lake Light and Water Colors” instance!
She never expected her plant spirit to grant her such a powerful skill.
Although the spirit she had just refined was still weak and its “Illusion” skill was rather mediocre—much like the lackluster, preliminary version in the instance’s benefit period—she believed that as the plant spirit grew stronger over time, one day her “Illusion” would become a truly formidable weapon.
The other two skills were even more astonishing, as they were extremely rare passive abilities.
“Vitality”—in short, endless regeneration!
It operated automatically, twenty-four hours a day, greatly increasing her plant spirit’s efficiency in absorbing and refining spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
This improvement was all-encompassing.
It would not only speed up the growth of the plant spirit and its master but also enhance Yu Yan’s endurance in battle. In other words, she would have a built-in, double, or even greater, top-tier cheat during combat.
Other plant spirit enhancers of the same grade might need a day to recover their spiritual energy after depleting it,
but Yu Yan would need only half a day—or even less!
She estimated that, even now, the “Vitality” skill alone could double her growth and spiritual recovery speed.
“Grass. A kind of plant.”
Yu Yan, who never cursed, blurted out a rare expletive.
She couldn’t help it—nothing less could express the shock in her heart!
Finally, there was “Creation.” This skill… how to put it? It was like having her own portable pocket world. The only problem was that this world was truly tiny. When Yu Yan’s consciousness entered her plant spirit, she couldn’t help but curl her lip at the so-called “pocket world.”
A space barely three square meters in area—less useful than a random spatial lotus root from her backpack.
Those at least gave her ten square meters of portable space!
Still, this little world could grow. Not only that, but she could plant crops and raise things inside. Yu Yan wasn’t sure how it worked—perhaps the plant spirit acted as a bridge between spiritual energy and the miniature world?
Whatever the principle, what the plant spirit conveyed was that apart from the denser spiritual energy, the world inside was no different from the outside world.
But this little world belonged solely to Yu Yan.
She ran to the balcony and dumped all the soil from her flowerpots into the small world.
Then she poured in plenty of water, turning the three-square-meter world into a makeshift pond. Next, she opened the refrigerator, and the lowest layer of the chiller was divided into two separate compartments, both brimming with water.
One held two live bass, the other enough freshwater shrimp for two generous platters.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
Yun Duo’er circled Yu Yan with curiosity.
“Nothing much, Duo Duo. Eat this, then go sit on the sofa.”
As Yu Yan sent the fish and shrimp into her pocket world, she handed Yun Duo’er a piece of spatial lotus root.
She’d wanted to give her more, enough for at least several dozen square meters of personal space. But since Yun Duo’er was only twelve, she might not withstand the sudden surge of energy, so Yu Yan decided to start with just one piece.
“Oh!”
Yun Duo’er’s eyes widened.
How magical! The fish and shrimp disappeared the moment they touched Mom’s hand!
So she hadn’t imagined it—Mom really had made the soil from the balcony’s flowerpots vanish too.
Nodding obediently, Yun Duo’er popped the lotus root into her mouth. “Mom, what is this? It’s sweet and pretty tasty.”
Her fair, rosy cheeks bulged with the lotus root, and her big, watery eyes sparkled.

Yu Yan was nearly overwhelmed by her daughter’s cuteness and pulled Yun Duo’er onto the sofa. “It’s spatial lotus root. After you eat it, try to sense and find a small space of about ten square meters. Then you can carry your favorite snacks and toys with you wherever you go.”
“I understand, Mom!”
Yun Duo’er’s eyes shone as she shouted, “You must have eaten this lotus root too. That’s how you made the flowerpot soil and the fish and shrimp from the fridge disappear. They didn’t really vanish—they just went into your space, right?”
Yu Yan was momentarily stunned before she realized that Yun Duo’er had mistaken her plant spirit’s little world for an ordinary personal space.
But on second thought, that explanation would do just fine.
Yu Yan smiled. “Duo Duo, you’re so clever.”
Yun Duo’er was about to say more, but the lotus root was already sliding down her throat and a surge of spiritual energy rushed through her. She instinctively crossed her legs and closed her eyes. The process lasted over half an hour, and Yun Duo’er still hadn’t opened her eyes.
Naturally, Yu Yan wouldn’t waste this time. She tossed a few more pieces of spatial lotus root into her mouth and began refining her own space.
A three-square-meter world was clearly not enough to store all her supplies. Even just the food she’d stockpiled at home wouldn’t fit. Clearly, she needed another portable space.
An hour later, after refining more than a dozen pieces of spatial lotus root, Yu Yan was thoroughly satisfied. Perhaps because her plant spirit was the Illusion Lotus, she refined lotus roots at a remarkable speed. According to those lucky enough to obtain spatial lotus root in her previous life, refining just a dozen square meters took them over half an hour.
But Yu Yan? It took her only an hour to reach nearly two hundred square meters.
Yun Duo’er was no longer on the sofa, but Yu Yan wasn’t concerned.
Most likely, having just refined her portable space, the girl was off experimenting with her newfound ability!
A child who had never experienced the brutality of the instance world could still possess her innocence and charm—but for how long could she protect that innocence? As Yu Yan listened to the startled exclamations from her daughter’s room, a tinge of melancholy swept through her heart.
The instance world’s novice adaptation period lasted only three days.
Though not as precious as the six-hour benefit period, these three days were not to be wasted.
Yu Yan pushed aside her unnecessary thoughts and hurried to clear out all the food and survival supplies at home. Once the adaptation period ended, the “Bloodthirsty Vine” instance at the elevator would expand, and everything in her home would be lost without a trace!