The joy from his increased Cultivation didn’t last long. Yang Qi was forced to exit his meditative state.

The reason was simple.

The glow from the five Low-grade Spirit Stones had completely faded. Faint cracks had even appeared on their surfaces, the energy they contained now utterly depleted.

Feeling the Magical Power in his Dantian, which was now considerably stronger and more condensed, and sensing the almost imperceptible yet tangible improvement in his Cultivation, Yang Qi wasn’t too discouraged.

’They’re just Low-grade Spirit Stones, after all. To get this kind of result is already pretty good.’

’And this was just with the most basic Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array. If I could set up a more advanced Array in the future, or use mid-grade or high-grade Spirit Stones, my cultivation speed would...’

He shook his head, pushing the thought aside for now.

After a night of cultivation, his mind felt even clearer and more refreshed.

At the crack of dawn the next day, Yang Qi got up and went to the backyard to pack away the "Demon Extermination Array" equipment that had been running all night.

He brought the various items inside, took stock of his gains, and saw his total contribution points had once again reached 812.

’Another eight-pull!’

The first three draws were all regular restocks: a [Strengthening Pill], [Low-Grade Spirit Rice (10 jin)], and a [Qi Condensing Pill].

’As expected.’

The fourth draw—

[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Low-grade Spirit Stone (Earth Attribute)]

’A Spirit Stone!’

Yang Qi felt a jolt of excitement.

’Cultivating with the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array is undoubtedly faster and more convenient.’

’That’s why Spirit Stones were what he wanted most right now.’

’Draw again!’

[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Low-grade Spirit Stone (Wood Attribute)]

’Not bad, not bad at all.’

’Keep going!’

[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Low-grade Spirit Stone (Fire Attribute)]

’Again!’

...

The last two draws also yielded Spirit Stones.

Although he received duplicates—another Wood Attribute and an Earth Attribute stone—Yang Qi’s face was filled with delight.

This not only meant he would soon be able to reassemble the full set of Five Elements Spirit Stones for his Array, but it also confirmed his earlier suspicion.

’The system’s prize pool seemed to adjust or shift its focus to some degree based on his current needs.’

’Looks like completing my set of Five Elements Spirit Stones will be much faster than I thought.’

In high spirits, Yang Qi quickly tidied up and prepared cat food and dog food for Xiaojiu and Bai Wan.

Then he headed out to the warehouse, pushing a small cart to begin his daily feeding rounds.

Gray Wolf, lynx, raccoon... Interacting with these animals always helped to calm his mind.

After finishing the feeding and putting his tools away, Yang Qi strolled toward the cafeteria.

It was breakfast time, and the cafeteria was bustling with noise.

Yang Qi grabbed a bowl of soy milk, two steamed buns, and an egg. Just as he sat down at a table by the window, three figures in security uniforms approached with their trays. The one in the lead was his acquaintance, Chen Ze.

"Brother Qi, morning!"

Chen Ze plopped down, glanced around, and leaned in close to Yang Qi, his voice low and filled with gossipy excitement. "I heard you brought in another few million in donations for the zoo, Brother Qi. That’s amazing!"

The two younger guards beside him, Xiaoli and Xiaowang, nodded eagerly, munching on their buns while perking up their ears to listen in.

Yang Qi took a bite of his bun and said evasively, "I didn’t bring it in. It was a donation from someone to show their gratitude."

"That’s still a credit to your abilities, Brother Qi!"

Chen Ze chuckled. "Doesn’t matter how it happened, the credit is all yours. Our Zoo didn’t get a designated donation this big all of last year, or so far this year either."

Although such designated donations were for the animals, having this money meant the original food budget could be reallocated for other things, like purchasing new equipment.

"You have no idea, Brother Qi."

Xiaoli leaned in, looked around, and whispered, "Those guys, Liu Fei and Ma Jun, have been badmouthing you behind your back again these past couple of days."

Xiaowang chimed in, "Saying stuff like ’nothing to be proud of,’ ’he’s bound to have an accident one of these days,’ and ’the higher you climb, the harder you fall.’ They’re just sour grapes!"

"Those guys are just jealous."

Chen Ze curled his lip in disdain. "They see you earning merits and bringing in donations, Brother Qi, and they’re green with envy. They don’t have any skills themselves, so all they can do is wag their tongues behind your back. It’s just impotent rage."

Yang Qi took a sip of soy milk, his expression calm. "Brother Chen is right. They don’t like me, but they can’t do anything about it, so let them talk. Ignoring them is the best response."

Wherever there are people, there’s conflict. The small world of the Zoo was no exception. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

From the day Yang Qi started working at the Zoo, there had been people who didn’t like him.

It was just that all they could do was be unhappy. By now, they only dared to mutter behind his back, never confronting Yang Qi to his face.

’And what did that prove?’

’It proved that they knew it themselves: all they had was impotent rage!’

"You’re the bigger man, Brother Qi."

"Here, Brother Qi, let me peel that egg for you..."

"Get outta here. I’m not so old I can’t even peel my own egg."

"Haha..."

Amid the laughter, a lighthearted breakfast came to an end.

...

Over the next few days, the morning lottery draws didn’t disappoint. He acquired Water and Metal Attribute Spirit Stones one after another. Although the process wasn’t entirely smooth sailing—he still drew some regular items occasionally—he ultimately managed to collect a full set of Five Elements Spirit Stones once more.

Setting up the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array to cultivate again, Yang Qi felt a sense of security as he perceived the faint, yet steady and continuous, increase in his Cultivation.

The sun was shining brightly that morning.

Yang Qi, carrying his cleaning tools, opened the small staff access door to the raccoon enclosure and went inside.

Inside the enclosure, the father and mother raccoon saw Yang Qi and voluntarily moved to one side.

The two half-grown raccoons were minding their own business and weren’t scared when they saw him come in.

He had been feeding them for so long that the whole family was familiar with him.

Yang Qi offered a quiet greeting and began to clean, his movements gentle so as not to startle the raccoons.

Behind him, the small iron door, which he hadn’t closed completely upon entering, was blown by a gust of wind, creating a small gap.

One of the half-grown raccoons, the braver and more clever of the two, had been clinging to a perch watching Yang Qi. Suddenly, its little nose twitched, and its beady black eyes darted toward the gap in the door.

It glanced at Yang Qi’s back, then back at the gap. With a sudden WHOOSH, it slid down from the perch and silently waddled on its short legs toward the iron door.

Reaching the door, it glanced back warily at Yang Qi one more time. Seeing that he wasn’t paying attention, it reached out a furry little paw, tentatively hooked the edge of the door, and gave it a slight push.

The door, which was already ajar, swung open even wider—enough for the raccoon to squeeze through.

This scene caught the attention of the other half-grown raccoon, which had been playing with a ball.

It immediately dropped the ball and, without a moment’s hesitation, bolted for the open doorway.

Outside the enclosure, two young female tourists who were visiting the Zoo together happened to be passing by.

One of them, a girl with her hair in a bun, happened to glance over and see what was happening. Her eyes widened instantly, and she let out a short gasp.

"Hey, mister, your little bears are escaping!"