Hidden Dead Ends

Walking along the flower path, Li Chengyi soon found himself on a small wooden bridge. Standing by the railing, he looked down at a few lotus flowers floating on the small lake, feeling a strong urge to jump down and touch them.

He had touched lotus flowers before, but the species varied, and each could have different flower languages. Who knew what variety of lotus floated in this lake?

With the huge number of cultivated hybrids these days, even a single species might have hundreds of variants—something impossible for a slacker botany student like him to keep track of.

Following the winding path, another flower soon caught his eye.

It was a patch of purplish-red blooms blossoming high on a tree, about three meters tall. From afar, they looked like a wave of foam or the delicate lace of a woman’s skirt.@@novelbin@@

These blooming trees had been planted on patches of circular soil in the stone-paved clearing just past the bridge.

Li Chengyi approached and glanced at the plaque on the trunk: *Crape Myrtle*.

“Just as I thought, crape myrtle…” He looked at the clusters of purple-red flowers blooming on the tree, glanced around to ensure no one was watching, then jumped up, reaching out to touch the nearest bloom.

‘Crape Myrtle: Lagerstroemia indica, a small tree in the Lythraceae family, known for its long flowering period and often called the “hundred-day red.” The tree is long-lived, generally lasting over a hundred years, with hard, rot-resistant wood often used in furniture and construction. The bark, leaves, and flowers serve as potent laxatives, and the roots and bark can treat blood-related issues.’

‘Flower Language: Power of Speech (During activation, your words will gain a powerful persuasive effect on others. If the target cannot refute you, they will be compelled to remain peaceful with you for a time. Duration depends on the target’s physical strength. If the target successfully rebuts you, the flower language effect will fail.)’

‘Flower Language: Good Fortune (Passive ability that slightly increases your luck).’

“A shame… if I were more talkative, this would be a great ability…” Li Chengyi felt a little regret.

This was only the second flower with dual abilities he had encountered, the first being the Iron Tree.

Leaving the crape myrtle behind, he strolled in the direction with the most flowers.

Whenever he saw vibrant colors in the distance, he headed there.

Soon, he noticed several round, purplish-red flowers growing among the weeds, drawing his attention.

Li Chengyi stepped closer, setting a foot into the weeds to reach the flowers.

He stretched out his hand and gently touched one.

‘Round-leaved Morning Glory: Ipomoea purpurea, also known as Purple Morning Glory. The seeds contain toxins and can be used to create hallucinogens. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and accidental ingestion can cause vomiting and diarrhea. An annual vine with a blooming period from May to October.’

‘Flower Language: Illusion (Can temporarily turn a creature or object intangible. Duration depends on the user’s mental strength).’

‘Flower Scale Armor Collection Rate: 1%, Evolvable up to three times. Would you like to choose this as your second flower deity?’

Intangibility?

This ability had potential.

Li Chengyi’s interest was piqued. What caught his attention was that the flower language allowed objects to become intangible, opening up countless possibilities.

‘For example, in a critical moment, I could make an enemy’s attack pass through me. If this intangibility lets objects phase through, it could have even more uses.’

He straightened up, glancing around. He was standing at a fork in the path, with a wooden sign to the right reading, *Cherry Blossom Garden*.

The sign to the left read, *Rose Garden*.

Roses?

Li Chengyi had touched some roses back in May, but it was now well into July, and perhaps there would be some new varieties blooming.

Roses had long blooming periods, often lasting several months.

His interest piqued, he headed toward the Rose Garden.

As for cherry blossoms, he’d tested a few varieties and found their flower languages unremarkable, so he didn’t plan to waste time there.

Following the small path in the direction indicated, he occasionally saw groups of young girls and boys dressed in cosplay-like outfits, striking exaggerated poses for photos.

Passing a small peacock sanctuary and a ten-meter-long yellow wooden bridge, he soon arrived at a fenced square garden set between a large lawn and a wooded area.

A wooden sign by the entrance read, *Rose Garden*.

Even before entering, Li Chengyi could see a steady stream of people moving in and out.

Through the fence, he saw a riot of colors—red, yellow, pink, blue, purple, white—various roses competing in a dazzling display, filling the entire garden.

Feeling a surge of excitement, he quickly moved forward, following a middle-aged couple arm-in-arm into the garden.

As soon as he stepped inside and pushed through the plastic curtain at the entrance, a rich blend of floral scents hit him.

The mixture of fragrances was laced with a hint of sweetness that, after a while, became almost cloying.

Inside, the garden had a concentric circular layout, with rows upon rows of circular flowerbeds filled with roses.

Pathways ran between the flowerbeds, leaving space for visitors to walk.

Around thirty people were crowded inside, taking endless photos of the roses.

Li Chengyi followed suit, taking out his phone, switching to camera mode, and pretending to take pictures when he was actually preparing to touch the flowers.

He had touched many roses before; most of their flower languages related to love or friendship, which didn’t interest him.

But this garden contained some newly blooming varieties he had never seen before.

Moving down the pathway, his gaze slowly scanned from left to right. Adopting a “better safe than sorry” mindset, he began methodically touching each flower, one by one.

The first was a large red rose with a yellow center.

‘Single Petal Rose: Rosa genus, flowering period from April to September, fruiting from June to November, an upright shrub typically one to two meters tall.’

‘Flower Language: Courage (Grants a temporary, significant boost in courage, and can be applied to a group).’

This was undoubtedly a useful ability for team scenarios, but for Li Chengyi, it wasn’t particularly relevant.

He moved his fingers forward to try another one.

This time, he touched a large, pale-yellow rose.

‘Large Fragrant Rose: Usually grows at higher altitudes, with minimal soil requirements, preferring sunny, well-ventilated environments. An evergreen or semi-evergreen climbing shrub, blooming from June to September, with medicinal properties for blood circulation and swelling reduction.’

‘Flower Language: Vitality (Activating this ability restores half of one’s physical and mental stamina. Can be used once per day on a single individual).’

Li Chengyi ignored the other Flower Scale Armor prompts.

He paused for a moment.

Vitality was quite a practical ability, solid and useful. And with the abundance of roses, gathering enough for the Flower Scale Armor shouldn’t be too difficult.

But there were likely other useful flower languages he hadn’t seen yet.

‘I’ll keep looking and decide after seeing everything.’

He didn’t feel the same urgency as last time.

Back then, the situation had been dire—he had to act quickly or risk being pulled into a dead-end zone. Quick selection was the only option.

But now, things were different.

He continued moving forward, touching the types of roses he had tested before, such as mini roses, pomegranate roses, and yellow Peace roses.

He made it halfway around the Rose Garden, and most of the abilities he encountered were related to love or friendship, causing him to frown slightly.

Suddenly, his phone chimed with a text message.

Pausing his search, Li Chengyi took out his phone, exited camera mode, and checked his messages.

‘How’s your break? If you’re free, come by the office. I’ve found someone for you, regarding the Feiyi profession.’ — Xindra.

Feiyi?! 

Li Chengyi’s heart skipped a beat. After learning about the Feiyi profession from Song Ran, he had looked up a lot of information on his own.

But most of the data required him to take a mental aptitude test, which he hadn’t yet done due to the high entry barriers.

He had been planning to visit a mental aptitude testing center soon.

He hadn’t expected his boss to find an opportunity for him so quickly.

“Nice…!” For the first time, Li Chengyi felt the value of having a reliable boss.

He quickly typed a reply.

‘Alright, I’ll be there soon!’

‘Okay.’ — Xindra.

Just as he was about to put away his phone, he noticed a few unread messages.

Some were from his mentor Chen Shan, his friend Chen Xudong, and Lin Sang. The rest were spam.

He decided to ignore them for now, pocketed his phone, and took one last look at the roses around him.

‘I need to head to the office soon, but I’ll quickly check a few more flowers before I leave!’

With that thought in mind, Li Chengyi’s hands moved swiftly, brushing over various flowers.

He focused intently, processing the incoming information rapidly.

Most times, new information was interrupted halfway by another stream, but this process made him much faster than before.

Suddenly, he froze, his mind registering a variety he hadn’t encountered before.

It was a cluster of pure white roses, almost resembling white peonies, their petals densely packed together. Though described as white, they had a faint pink hue at the center. Compared to traditional roses, these flowers had more petals and a fuller structure.

‘Pure White Flor

ibunda Rose: Also known as Clustered Rose, often mistaken for a true rose but with subtle differences. Prefers sunlight, warm and humid environments, and fertile soil. Blooms from May to November, with fruiting from September to November.’

‘Flower Language: Dawn of Despair (When you’re in a hopeless situation, activate this flower language to gain a glimmer of hope, guiding you out of despair).’

Dawn of Despair…

The moment he saw this flower language, Li Chengyi felt a surge of interest.

Back in Gleis Parking Lot, he had been close to despair multiple times. If he hadn’t gambled his life each time, he might have ended up as nothing more than waste for the Big Face Monster.

If he’d had this ability then, perhaps…

Thoughts whirled in his mind, and Li Chengyi stood there, lost in contemplation.

‘Right now, I have a few options: gladiolus, pure white floribunda rose, Spring Erigeron, and round-leaved morning glory.’ Each one offered a practical, useful ability.

But which one to choose? He still wasn’t sure.

With no immediate danger looming, he could afford to take his time to make the best decision.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Chengyi decided not to make a choice just yet and turned to leave the botanical garden.

He planned to head to the office and meet with the Feiyi consultant his boss had arranged. If he could begin down the Feiyi path, it might change everything.

Flower Scale Armor had already been mistaken for a fully modified cyborg—a testament to its strength, inertia resistance, shock absorption, and ability to enhance physical capabilities and speed. And yet, the Flower Scale Armor was only comparable to a modified human.

This clearly meant that a fully modified human’s strength could not be inferior to that of an evolved Flower Scale Armor.

‘If modified humans are that powerful, then the Feiyi profession, which stands on equal footing and is designed to counter them, must be incredibly strong too.’

Li Chengyi’s heart was filled with anticipation.