Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

After Leng San figured out the source of the spiritual energy, he sat down next to Chen Xi without hesitation. After all, the closer he was, the faster he could absorb the energy, and at the same time, he could prevent waste to the greatest extent.

Because the spiritual energy released by Chenxi was too weak, it was like a drop of ink falling into the ocean. In the blink of an eye, it would be diluted and disappear without a trace by the huge amount of seawater. The same was true for spiritual energy. When the surrounding area was filled with endless filth and turbidity, it would be neutralized very quickly.

At this moment, Leng San was almost sitting cross-legged right next to the morning sun, but the little girl ignored him, her gaze blank, as if she were completely absorbed in her own little world.

However, this is also good, as Leng San can concentrate on his cultivation without worrying about being disturbed by the other party, and everyone gets what they want.

Time passed second by second, and Leng San had entered a state of selfless cultivation. At this moment, he was like a miser, wishing he could take all the spiritual energy emanating from Chen Xi into his own storehouse (dantian), not letting a single coin go to waste.

At this moment, the little girl seemed to sense something was wrong. She slowly turned her head to look at Leng San, and her previously blank gaze gradually focused as she carefully examined him with a slightly puzzled look.

Leng San was originally very thin, but after being injected with the first-level gene enhancement drug, his body became much stronger, his back straight, and his originally thin face became fleshy, with a more defined outline, strong and sunny lines, and sword-like eyebrows that slanted into his temples, making him very heroic.

The girl scrutinized Leng San for a while, then her gaze returned to its blank state. She yawned and leaned against the container wall, falling asleep. Even while asleep, the girl continued to emanate spiritual energy.

At this point, Leng San had already determined that the little girl named Chenxi was a superhuman, and her superhuman ability was "purification"—purifying filth and releasing spiritual energy.

This is not surprising. The superpowers that superhumans evolve are all kinds of strange and wonderful. Some superhumans even have superpowers like farting or spraying ink, just like skunks and squid.

Dawn's superpower is useless to her personally; it has no offensive capabilities, cannot protect herself, and is even less effective than farting or spitting ink. Calling her a superpowered individual is an understatement; she is more of a contributor because others benefit from it.

However, it must be admitted that the significance of this purification ability is very important. If this ability can be amplified infinitely, or if there are a large number of people with this ability, perhaps the wasteland will one day return to the blue planet that was full of spiritual energy and vitality.

Thinking of this, Leng San couldn't help but think of the little girl's name—Chenxi, the first ray of light before dawn.

The long night will eventually pass, and the dawn will surely break!

The woman in black possessed incredibly powerful abilities, and since she named the little girl Chenxi (Dawn), she was likely aware of the girl's powers. It's unclear what their relationship was—mother and daughter? Sisters? Or perhaps friends?

Could the Church of Light's punishers be hunting down the woman in black and the little girl because of Dawn's purification skill? Hmm, that's very likely!

Before dawn, Leng San finished his cultivation. After a night of absorbing and refining, a thin layer of spiritual energy had finally accumulated in his dantian. However, the amount was pitifully small, and he didn't know when he would be able to break through to the first level of Qi Refining.

But it's better than nothing!

Leng San opened his eyes from his cultivation. Although he hadn't slept all night, he was full of energy. The little girl curled up in the corner was still sleeping peacefully. Even though her hair had been cut terribly by someone, looking like it had been chewed by a dog, her delicate little face was still so pleasing to the eye.

At this moment, the little girl suddenly woke up, opened her eyes, and met Leng San's gaze.

Leng San casually withdrew his gaze and asked, "Are you hungry?" He then took out a nutrient solution from his backpack and handed it to him.

Chenxi did not answer.

"Hmm, girls are easier to raise. She hasn't eaten anything since yesterday." Leng Sanxin drank the nutritional supplement himself without a care, then handed over a bottle of clean water, saying, "You should at least drink some water, right?"

This time, Chenxi hesitated for a moment, took the water bottle, and took a small sip. Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if she wasn't used to the taste.

"Doesn't it taste good? This is the best water in the camp. If it doesn't taste good, there's nothing we can do. This isn't the 'Green Zone,' so we don't have the kind of water you used to drink here." Leng San said seriously, but he was actually trying to find out about the little girl's background.

Leng San believes that only the Green Zone has the conditions to raise a person to such a refined state. Therefore, the little girl is probably a noble person from a Green Zone, where there is ultra-clean water and fresh fruits and vegetables, and people there generally live to be over fifty or sixty years old.

Chenxi ignored Leng San, remaining in that indifferent and withdrawn state, as if isolated from the outside world. Therefore, Leng San's probing was destined to be useless.

Leng San had no choice but to say, "Let's go, I'll take you to register, otherwise you can't stay here, the guards will kick you out."

This time, Chenxi seemed to have heard him and cooperated by following Leng San to the camp's identity registration office.

The appearance of this unbelievably beautiful little girl caused a sensation in the camp. People rushed over to watch, asking Leng San where he had kidnapped such a pretty girl. Some even asked him lewd questions such as whether he would sell her or whether she was comfortable to sleep with.

The little girl seemed to hate being watched. She had been calm, but suddenly became very uneasy, her little fists clenched and her whole body trembling.

To others, this behavior might appear as fear, but Leng San sensed a terrifying beast lurking within the girl, and was secretly astonished, instinctively grabbing her small hand.

Just as Leng San grabbed her hand, the little girl seemed less uneasy, and her emotions gradually calmed down, eventually returning to a blank and dazed state.

Leng San breathed a sigh of relief, pulled Chen Xi through the crowd, and walked to the registration desk.

The office worker in charge of registering identities was a plump woman. She was very skilled and professional, and she didn't ask any unnecessary questions. She quickly performed a full-body scan on Chenxi and recorded her face, iris, and fingerprint information.

"Alright, the alliance account is activated. What's her name?" the chubby woman asked.

In this wasteland world, names are not important at all. Everyone just chooses one randomly, as long as the fingerprints, facial features, and iris information match.

Leng San originally wanted to name the little girl Leng Si, but remembering what the woman in black had said yesterday, he said, "Let's call her Chenxi, Chen as in morning and Xi as in dawn."

The plump woman typed in Chenxi's name quickly and said calmly, "It's done. Chenxi's account as a scavenger is activated. Contribution points: 0; Level: Beginner Scavenger."

Leng San then had the fat woman transfer 200 contribution points from her account to Chenxi's account, and then spent another 90 contribution points to rent a 10-square-meter room.

Thus, his account was left with only a little over eight hundred contribution points. If it were the old Leng San, he would absolutely not have been willing to spend money like this, but Leng Shan wouldn't mistreat himself. In his previous life, he was at least a Golden Core expert; how could he remain frugal and stingy, lest other fellow cultivators laugh at him? Although there's unlikely to be any other fellow cultivators here!

After registering Chenxi's alliance identity, Leng San went to the supply station again and bought Chenxi several sets of boys' clothes and a cloak. He also replenished Chenxi's nutrient solution with 30 tubes and three grenades (these things are useful). It cost a total of 400 contribution points, mainly because the grenades were expensive, costing 100 contribution points each.

The most cost-effective item is the nutrient solution, which costs only 2 contribution points per tube. 30 tubes will cost 60 contribution points. It is precisely because this thing is cheap that it is favored by all scavengers. If one day [Wanhua Biotechnology Group] stops producing nutrient solutions, many scavengers will definitely starve to death.

After buying all these things, Leng San only had 430 contribution points left in his account. He couldn't help but sigh to himself that he worked himself to the bone to make money, but spent it like water flowing away.

"Chenxi, let's go!" Leng San turned to leave, but found the little girl still standing there, staring at the canned goods and Grade A clean water on the shelf.

Leng San shuddered. What a spendthrift woman! She still wants canned food and Grade A clean water. Doesn't she know how expensive that stuff is? I couldn't afford it even if I sold myself.

Leng San grabbed Chen Xi's hand, intending to forcibly drag the little girl away, but his head started to throb again, so he had to let go.

Chenxi walked to the shelf, reached out and took a can of yellow peaches, a can of luncheon meat, a can of beans, and two bottles of Grade A purified water, then put them down in front of the counter.

Old Xu at the supply station grinned from ear to ear and said, "A total of 400 contribution points."

Leng San was on the verge of tears, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to scan his iris and press his fingerprint to pay. With a beep, his account was left with only 30 contribution points, and he was back to square one.

Well, this little ancestor must be taken good care of. Contribution points are a small matter, but rebuilding the Golden Core is a big deal. If this little ancestor gets hungry or thirsty, my grand plan to rebuild the Golden Core will also be ruined.

Leng San made up his mind that he would have to work hard to earn contribution points in the future, otherwise he simply could not afford such expenses.

After leaving the supply station, the little girl hugged the canned food and water, and a hint of satisfaction seemed to appear on her indifferent little face.

The scavengers passing by were filled with shock and greed. It seemed that Leng San had really made a fortune, as he was willing to buy canned food and Grade A clean water.

The clean water sold at the camp is divided into three grades: A, B, and C. Grade C is the lowest quality, barely drinkable, but still costs 30 contribution points per bottle. It contains trace amounts of radioactive elements that are difficult to filter out, and long-term consumption will still affect lifespan, so scavengers generally do not live past the age of thirty-five.

Grade B clean water does completely filter out all radioactive elements, but it is very expensive, costing 60 contribution points per bottle, which is equivalent to two months' rent for Leng San. Therefore, most scavengers cannot afford it, and even if they could, they would not be willing to buy it.

As for Grade A purified water, it is more expensive, costing seventy contribution points per bottle, because it contains added minerals needed by the human body, making it equivalent to mineral water.