SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 160: Harvest of Will!

The golden sun of the Eastern Medicine Garden climbed high into the artificial sky, its warm light beating down on the vast competition field.

The eager energy from the start of the harvest had long since faded.

Now, a long, exhausting test of endurance had begun.

The Astralis Academy students, who had started the race with such explosive speed, were now paying the price for their sloppy technique.

Their unsealed power gave them great strength, but they used it like a blunt club, wasting energy with every jerky, inefficient pull.

Sweat poured down their faces, and their confident shouts had turned into tired grunts.

The huge lead they had built in the first hour was now shrinking. freēnovelkiss.com

They were learning a hard lesson, raw power means nothing without the stamina and technique to use it wisely.

They were strong, but the field was vast, and the day was long.

Some of them cast nervous glances at Daniel, their earlier looks of disdain had been replaced by uneasy frowns.

How was he moving so effortlessly while they struggled?

Daniel, however, was like a perfectly tuned machine.

He had found his rhythm, a deep, calm state of focus where his mind was clear and his body moved with effortless grace.

Plant the feet. Twist the core. Pull with the arms. Thump.

The cycle repeated, over and over again, a seamless dance of motion.

Each movement was precise, using the exact amount of force needed. He was a picture of perfect efficiency, his energy conserved, his pace unwavering.

The radishes seemed to leap from the earth into his hands, as if eager to be harvested by him alone.

Next to him, Old Man Hemlock worked with the same tireless rhythm.

A small, proud smile was hidden under his messy white beard.

He watched Daniel from the corner of his eye, and a glint of approval shone in his sharp gaze.

The boy had finally learned the most important lesson.

It wasn’t about being the strongest. It was about being the smartest with the strength you have.

The loud bell rang, signaling the midday break.

Most of the competitors, especially the proud Academy students, dropped their tools with relieved groans.

They stumbled towards the mess hall, their bodies aching, their earlier arrogance replaced by a weary frustration.

They looked across the field at the two distant figures, Daniel and Old Man Hemlock, who had not stopped.

They were still working, their movements unbroken, their pace as steady as the ticking of a clock.

A new, unsettling feeling started to grow in the students’ minds.

They had mocked Daniel for his weakness, but his endurance and focused will, was starting to look more powerful than their own brute strength.

Daniel and Hemlock worked right through the break.

They didn’t need to speak. They were locked in their own private competition, a silent duel between the master and his apprentice.

Daniel no longer cared about the other students. His only goal was to keep up with the old man beside him.

He pushed himself a little harder, his own rhythm finding a new, faster beat.

The month of intense training, the mysterious soap that healed and strengthened him, the simple but nourishing radish diet had all led to this moment.

He felt his body respond, muscles hardened by hardship moving with surprising power and endurance, despite his sealed state.

This was a new kind of strength, a truer kind, earned through sweat and will, not gifted by a magic talent.

As the afternoon sun began to dip towards the horizon, casting long shadows across the field, Daniel finally paused to take a breath.

He had been so lost in his work, so focused on his inner rhythm, that he had lost all track of time and his surroundings.

He looked at his own collection of wicker baskets. They were all overflowing.

He then looked over at Old Man Hemlock’s baskets. They were also overflowing. He was keeping pace. He was actually matching the legendary old farmer, radish for radish.

A surge of pure, honest satisfaction washed over him, a feeling more powerful than any level-up notification.

He then allowed his gaze to drift further down the field. His eyes widened in genuine surprise.

All the other competitors, the arrogant students and the seasoned farmers, were so far behind them.

Their rows of radishes were a messy, unfinished patchwork.

Many of them had given up entirely and were now slumped on the ground, defeated by exhaustion.

Their own baskets were barely half-full. They stared at the two distant figures, Daniel and Hemlock, who were still working with the tireless efficiency of harvesting robots.

A look of dawning horror spread across their faces.

They finally understood. The real competition had never been between them and the genius.

It had been between the genius and the old master, a battle of will and technique fought on a level they couldn’t even imagine.

They had been so focused on Daniel’s sealed power that they had completely missed the real source of his strength: his discipline.

When the final bell rang, its melodic sound resonating across the now-quiet field, Daniel placed his last radish into his final basket.

He straightened up, his back a single, solid ache, but his spirit was soaring.

He looked over at Old Man Hemlock. For the first time all day, the old man had stopped working.

He was looking back at Daniel, and a wide, genuine, toothless grin split his wrinkled face.

Daniel looked at their two massive piles of radishes. By his quick count, he had pulled just a handful more than his mentor.

He had won their silent duel!

The official outcome of the Grand Harvest Competition, the divine medicine prize that had once been his sole focus, suddenly felt unimportant.

In that moment, looking at the proud smile on the old man’s face, Daniel knew he had already achieved the only victory that truly mattered.

He had surpassed his mentor. He had surpassed the mockery of his peers.

Most importantly, he had surpassed the version of himself that had walked into this garden a month ago.

His cultivation journey, from a scorned newcomer to a skilled harvester had come to a satisfying and well-earned end.

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