Under the targeted investigation by the state, Xiao could no longer conceal the fact that he had repeatedly produced items out of thin air, and he was eventually forced to reveal the existence of his small world.
Of course, this was only semi-forced. Sometimes, the clever way to deal with danger is to "knock the mountain and shake the tiger" openly. The more you hide extraordinary abilities, the easier it is to fall into a trap. By exposing the secret, everyone could see clearly, and unnecessary suspicion and danger were dispelled.
Thus, Xiao first proved to the outside world that he had a unique world, simultaneously declaring that flat peaches could only grow in his small world and nowhere else.
After countless failed attempts by the upper levels to replicate the crop, everyone had to accept reality. Without Xiao's land, flat peaches simply could not survive.
Xiao's tactic of boldly revealing secrets turned out to be extremely effective. Those who had tried to coerce him became his most solid supporters once they realized how unwise it was to oppose him.
The power of the small world was too strange; once suppressed, Xiao could retreat into his small world and stop producing flat peaches entirely. The loss would be enormous. Even just imagining the small world's potential was like a sharp knife hanging over everyone's head, preventing them from offending him.
Moreover, Xiao had always been a decent person. Even with immense power, he never bullied others or caused trouble. Before gaining his abilities, he often helped the poor, and when called upon by the state, he put on his uniform, shouldered his gun, and went to the front lines.
Even after becoming a war hero, he never sought power, choosing instead to retire to a peaceful life in the mountains and forests.
His only flaw was his lechery — he liked to indulge in the company of beautiful women and live in luxury. But what crime was that?
First, he didn't steal; he earned all his money by selling grain at low prices. What was wrong with exchanging life-saving food for some money?
Second, the women lived with him voluntarily. While it might raise eyebrows, it was hardly an unforgivable sin.
It was precisely Xiao's impeccable life attitude that, after revealing his small world and negotiating on equal terms, the positions of both parties immediately shifted to extreme friendliness. Even his lustful tendencies became an "advantage."
In fact, quite a few women in the Xiao family compound came with specific orders: their purpose was to steal Xiao's bloodline. Of course, this was a price Xiao had to pay. Who wouldn't want extraordinary power? And since it wasn't a legendary cultivation method, it was the power of blood.
Moreover, who told people that the life-extending crop Xiao brought was a peach? The legend of the flat peach had long circulated in Chinese mythology, leading many to believe Xiao's power came from his blood.
People speculated he might be a descendant of the legendary land god of the flat peach garden, capable of growing flat peaches.
Why no one suggested he was a blood descendant of Yaochi Golden Mother? Ha! As a legendary great god, let alone him, even if he were of Yaochi's bloodline, no one in this era would dare recognize it.
Closer to home, since people suspected Xiao's abilities came from his blood, they assumed his children might inherit the power. Could they then control Xiao's abilities through marriage?
As a result, Xiao's back house hosted more than a dozen beauties from various families, and he received dowries that could not be spent in a lifetime.
It was precisely for this reason that Xiao controlled his fertility and dared not have an heir. After all, the Small World came from the golden finger provided by a fragment of Da Luo. He was not descended from some divine blood, and his descendants were even less likely to inherit the Small World.
But he could not reveal this. If people discovered the truth, they might abandon him.
Instead of creating conflict later, it was better to delay any heirs, slowly build strength, and avoid suspicion.
To prevent the superiors from suspecting anything, he had to ensure it wasn't only his wives who couldn't conceive — all women had to be infertile. Otherwise, if some could have children while others couldn't, it would be disastrous rather than a blessing.
Xiao never underestimated ordinary people, or the power of a state. The might of such a behemoth was beyond ordinary imagination. According to his plan, Xiao would never let his wives get pregnant before he was strong enough.
As for now——
"It's not impossible if we really want to have a baby!"
Xiao thought about the seed growing vigorously in the small world. It was a new ability he had developed over the past few days.
"Really? Really?"
Qin Huairu suddenly raised her head, surprised and hopeful.
"Yeah, but we still need to wait a little while!"
Xiao took out a handful of raspberries, known for nourishing yin and strengthening the kidneys, and threw them into the boiling water. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "That concept crop is about to mature. Once it succeeds, having children won't be a burden at all — it will actually become the biggest boost to my strength."
…
Over the past year, Xiao had not only been enjoying life. Although he spent most of his time in the courtyard world, nostalgic for his lovely wife and concubines, it didn't mean he had been idle.
After all, if he continued to fight without preparation, knowing the dangers of the Daluo Arena, he would be courting death. Xiao did not consider himself invincible.
You see, invincibility is a DEBUFF. Anyone who claims to be invincible is usually the first to die.
So, every time he released the sage mode and emptied his mind, Xiao would retreat into the small world to develop his abilities.
Because the small world had accelerated time, two weeks in the outside world equaled several months inside.
During that time, Xiao tried all the conceptual crops and compiled a detailed table to understand himself more intuitively.
He used his body value before awakening as the baseline, rating it as 1. All his attributes were converted into seeds — level 1 seeds.
Later, Xiao discovered that there was a consumption limit for conceptual crops of the same level. Repeatedly consuming crops of the same level caused the growth value to decay exponentially.
Reality isn't a game. In games, you can grow stronger simply by endlessly stacking values, without worrying about quality.
But true growth is a pyramid. It might seem like you're just placing a single new brick at the top.
In reality, to place that brick, you first need to build a solid foundation underneath. Without it, the bricks on the top can't stay in place. Even if you manage to force them down, the upper bricks will quickly collapse.