The Ten Years Ceremony casts a long shadow over Ren's life, as he, a boy of humble means, receives the 0.01% chance of failure: a gray spore, the weakest beast imaginable. This ignominious fate, symbolized by luminescent mushrooms sprouting from his scalp, shatters his parents' dreams and leaves Ren a target for relentless mockery from privileged peers like Ron Blackfire and Jin Strahlfang. His despair is profound, fueled by the immense sacrifices his parents made—selling their home and meager possessions for an egg that yields only a curse. Refusing to accept a predetermined life of servitude and ridicule, Ren, armed with only a worn storybook and a desperate hope, embarks on a suicidal journey into the mana-void forest. His initial encounters are brutal, as he narrowly escapes Moon Toads and Night Excavators, his spore's unexpected mimicry offering a fleeting, accidental reprieve. The true turning point arrives when a Bronze-rank Mirror Mantis corners him in an ancient tunnel, driving him into a hidden cave where dormant, ancestral spores guard a delicate, glowing plant. Consumed by the plant, Ren's altered genes—a legacy from his mother's prior encounter with half of the same ancient medicine—ignite a dormant power. He awakens to an overwhelming torrent of universal beast knowledge, suddenly capable of perceiving the intricate cultivation paths, weaknesses, and true potentials of all creatures, a cheat trigger born from the depths of his despair and an ancient, forgotten recipe. This newfound omniscience transforms his "useless" spore into the ultimate analytical tool, promising a path to power he never dreamed possible. But the expedition is far from over, and the dangers of the deep forest still loom, forcing Ren to immediately apply his new understanding to survive his perilous return.

Returning from his perilous forest journey, Ren, now armed with universal beast knowledge, faces the daunting Imperial Academy of Cultivation and Evolution. His initial goal is clear: utilize his newfound understanding to help his parents, whose own Iron-rank plants are prematurely matured and limited. He convinces them to undertake a thousand-day ritual, a "true plant maturation" method that defies conventional wisdom but promises Silver 1 power, a testament to his knowledge. At the academy, his luminescent mushrooms continue to draw mockery, especially from Jin Strahlfang and his cronies, but also the intrigued gaze of Luna Starweaver and the sadistic mentorship of Professor Lin. Ren's audacity to correct Professor Wei's "established facts" during a cultivation theory class leads to a high-stakes bet: Ren must prove his method can evolve Taro's "unpromising" Digger Beetle, a creature universally believed to be capped at Bronze 1, into a Silver 3 Living Tunnel. If he succeeds, he gains full academic support; if he fails, he loses everything. This audacious wager sets the stage for Ren's public demonstration of his cheat, forcing him to balance brutal physical training with Lin, strategic mining with his roommates, and the meticulous, secret cultivation of Taro's beetle. The initial, intense mana absorption of Taro's first crystal—a deliberate "overcharge" guided by Ren's precise knowledge—initially causes mana poisoning symptoms, terrifying Liu and Min, but ultimately proves successful, showcasing the immediate efficacy of Ren's unconventional methods. The first step of his grand plan is a success, but 99 more days of cultivation, and the looming bet, still stand between him and vindication.

With Taro's Digger Beetle cultivation underway, Ren's focus shifts to acquiring the vast resources needed for both his own evolution and the expensive sealing materials for Taro's beast. The Academy's merit system, which doubles student-gathered materials, becomes his primary target. Ren, along with Taro and Min, embarks on strategic mining expeditions into the increasingly depleted practice caves, their efforts outperforming even experienced students thanks to Ren's unique ability to "see" mana patterns and identify rich veins. Their success, however, attracts the attention of bullies like Jin, who attempts to sabotage them with rockfalls, further solidifying the trio's bond. Ren's ingenuity shines as he uses his knowledge to outsmart Jin's group, luring them into a trap and distracting a guard to access deeper, richer veins. During a solo venture into the unexplored depths, Ren encounters a fused deep worm, narrowly escaping a Deep Assassin by using a Shadow Stalker tentacle and a magical thread, acquiring a mysterious hydra egg in the process. This daring excursion, though yielding valuable Bronze-rank crystals and deep earth, also exposes him to severe mana poisoning, which he manages to mitigate with Lin's recovery pills and his own meditative circulation. Meanwhile, Professor Zhao, impressed by Ren's expedition findings, grants him a 100,000 credit special support, hinting at a deeper intrigue within the academy. This windfall allows Ren to purchase a Silver-rank proto-core and other vital materials, propelling his own spore's cultivation forward. However, his secret cultivation of the spore—an intense, painful process involving a Shadow Stalker tentacle—is nearly exposed when Luna Starweaver, her curiosity piqued, confronts him, hinting at her own hidden abilities and a deeper connection to the academy's secrets.

The academy organizes an outdoor expedition, a "safe" gathering class in the Iron Ring forest, but Ren's knowledge of the local ecosystem (Shadow Stalkers, Bark Stalkers, Weavers) allows him to gather an unprecedented haul of valuable skins and proto-cores, far surpassing his peers. His cunning even allows him to subtly sabotage Jin's group, luring Weavers to their location, a minor face-slap moment. The expedition takes a drastic turn when Professor Zhao, leading the students, is ambushed by Abyssals from the rival city of Yino. These corrupted beings, led by Adrian Ravencroft, aim to steal the hydra egg Ren previously acquired, revealing its immense significance. Zhao, a legendary "Hunter of Yano," engages in a brutal battle, showcasing his Mist Owl's abilities, while Ren devises a desperate plan to protect the students by digging a trench and using his Shadow Stalker skins to create a camouflaged shelter. He also uses his knowledge to manipulate the frenzied Shadow Stalkers, turning them against the Abyssals. The battle escalates with a terrifying fusion of Abyssals, forcing Zhao to reveal his ultimate technique, an illusion that tricks Adrian into a fatal mistake. In the chaotic aftermath, Ren prioritizes extracting valuable materials from the fallen Shadow Stalker male and the abyssal aberration, further cementing his reputation for unconventional resourcefulness. The expedition, intended as a routine gathering, transforms into a high-stakes battle revealing the hidden conflict between Yano and Yino, and the perilous value of the hydra egg. Ren, now an adult, returns to the academy with an even greater haul of materials and a deeper understanding of the world's hidden dangers, but the stolen hydra egg weighs heavily on his mind, a reminder of a powerful enemy and a lost opportunity. His pursuit of the egg leads him back to the mines, where he finally confronts an 8-headed Diamond hydra guarding its clutch, successfully stealing an egg, only to be forced to return it after a harrowing escape, his body pushed to its limits by extreme temperatures and mana poisoning. His subsequent discovery of a small, unique mana vein at 350 meters provides a new direction for his cultivation, leading him to a desperate plan to access it.