A Better Choice: The Elder's Cave Abode Spirit Fields!

"Hahaha! Come, Junior Brother Li, please drain this cup!"

The elderly deacon raised his cup, clinked it against Li Ye's, and drank with a hearty laugh.

They drank two more cups in succession before reluctantly setting them down and turning to the dishes on the table.

Compared with Li Ye's modest dwelling, the old man's residence as a sect deacon was not only more spacious but also furnished with considerable comfort and luxury.

Hosting a banquet was a simple matter.

Still, all of these were merely worldly pleasures.

When a cultivator could no longer make progress and turned to pursuing such mortal enjoyments, obtaining them was as easy as turning over his hand.

Even Li Ye, impoverished as he was now, could easily enjoy a life of luxury beyond ordinary people's imagination if he were willing to seek out some mortal kingdom.

But in his eyes, all of it might not be worth as much as a few Spirit Stones!

As cups and toasts went back and forth, Li Ye and the elderly deacon chatted about everything under the sun, delighting in stories from around the sect. Host and guest were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

By the time the banquet was halfway through, the wine had begun to take hold, and both men's faces were flushed.

Only then did Li Ye take the initiative to ask,

"It's an honor to be invited by you, Senior Brother Luo. What did you wish to discuss with me?"

"Why so serious, Junior Brother Li? I merely wanted to make your acquaintance..."

The elderly deacon smiled and raised his cup again.

"I haven't congratulated you on recovering your cultivation yet. Come! Let me offer you another toast!"

Li Ye had heard rumors that the man was rather fond of drink. Though somewhat displeased at his evasiveness, he still raised his cup and drained it once more.

Smacking his lips, Old Man Luo suddenly said,

"Junior Brother, before we get down to business, I must first offer you an apology..."

"Oh?"

Li Ye raised an eyebrow and gave a noncommittal response.

Old Man Luo seemed to have expected that reaction and continued on his own.

"There's not much to me, but I do enjoy a few cups and often invite friends over for a gathering."

"At a few of those gatherings, I drank a little too much and let my tongue run loose. I told others about how you'd had a change of heart and become a spirit farmer, using it as conversation fodder..."

"I never imagined that Zeng Yue and Zhao Ming would go so far afterward and let things turn out like that... Sigh!"

"Speaking of it, I bear some responsibility for the damage to your reputation, Junior Brother... I'm truly ashamed, and I apologize to you in person today. Please forgive me!"

Though he called it an apology, the old man had washed his hands of most of the responsibility.

Between being drunk and the excessive behavior of the fat and thin pair, his own part had become an innocent mistake!

Li Ye sneered inwardly.

But he hadn't come looking for trouble today.

In fact, both he and the old man knew perfectly well that, if anyone cared to investigate, it would be easy to discover where the slander and ridicule had first begun.

But now that everything had turned around, if Li Ye didn't pursue the matter, it would simply be laid to rest.

The old man's willingness to bring it up and apologize was enough to show that he came with some goodwill and most likely intended to befriend him.

Perhaps he even had some good opportunity to tell him about.

He had to give the man a way down from the ledge!

After turning it over in his mind, Li Ye waved a hand.

"Hey! What are you saying, Senior Brother?"

"This was plainly the fault of Zeng and Zhao. What did it have to do with you? There's no need to mention it again!"

"Your generosity puts me to shame, Junior Brother..."

Seeing Li Ye respond so generously, Old Man Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the Devil Cultivator's attack, Cai Shiwei's awakening of his Spirit Body, his acceptance as a sect elder's disciple, and the series of events that followed,

the words Li Ye had spoken in the spirit fields, after being thrust into the teeth of the storm, had somehow been spread by someone.

At the time, his prudent course of self-preservation had successfully spared him from death. Even those who had previously scorned him for hiding in his shell had voiced their admiration.

Opinions of him had undergone a complete reversal.

And his words about spilling blood within five paces and letting jade and stone be shattered together had shown everyone that his fighting spirit remained and that he was not to be slighted. They recalled his mid-grade Blackwood Sword and his old reputation for ferocity among the low-rank disciples!

How could anyone casually provoke someone who knew when to advance and retreat, possessed considerable combat strength, and was willing to fight to the death?

With that Blackwood Sword in hand, even if his cultivation was only at Qi Refining Fourth Layer, even a Sixth Layer cultivator would have to weigh whether his own fighting skills could withstand the man staking his life.

Want to use him as a stepping stone to advancement?

First see if you'd live to enjoy it!

In a very short time, most of those who had been itching to make a move promptly settled down.

What left everyone even more dumbfounded was that, after recovering from his injuries, Cai Shiwei had actually gone to the sect's spirit fields of his own accord to meet Li Ye.

The two had chatted on the field ridge for a full cup of tea's time. Though their manner during the conversation was not intimate, the atmosphere was reasonably amicable.

The person directly involved bore Li Ye no ill will, held no grudge over what had happened, and had even taken the initiative to approach him.

How could anyone else use him as a stepping stone to advancement?

With that, no one entertained any designs on Li Ye anymore.

The low-rank disciples' attitude toward him had taken an almost complete turn. As if afraid he might hold them accountable for talking about him behind his back, they either avoided him or made a point of currying favor.

It was quite amusing.

It was under these circumstances that Old Man Luo, who had already wanted to befriend Li Ye, finally made up his mind and invited him to his residence for a few drinks.

Having tested Li Ye's attitude, Old Man Luo picked up a bite of food and said leisurely,

"Actually, I invited you here this time because I have a good opportunity I wanted to share with you."

"I'd like to hear more!" Li Ye's expression grew serious.

"Hehe, you've been working hard in the sect's spirit fields for some time now, Junior Brother. I hear you have quite a talent for the art of Spirit Plant cultivation and have tended the fields assigned to you rather well..."

"I imagine you're hoping to earn a place in the first-tier Spirit Plant garden at the harvest assessment?"

"Indeed!"

Li Ye nodded, his face showing a trace of anticipation.

The smile on Old Man Luo's face widened.

"In that case, do you know there's an even better place to go than the Spirit Plant garden?"

"Senior Brother, you don't mean... being sent to one of the market towns under the sect's jurisdiction, do you?"

Li Ye wore a peculiar expression.

In his view, the spirit fields at the market towns were larger, and though the Spiritual Qi was a little poorer, they were actually a good destination as well.

But ultimately, staying in the sect was safer and better for cultivation...

It was the better choice!

"Hey! What are you saying, Junior Brother? How could that be considered a good place to go?"

Old Man Luo leaned back at once and shook his head repeatedly.

"Those places may be fairly comfortable, but you'd have no authority whatsoever, and the Spirit Veins feeding the fields are far inferior. Compared with the sect's spirit fields, going there is practically exile!"

"If I actually recommended you for a post there, wouldn't I be doing you harm?"

"Then what do you mean, Senior Brother...?"

Old Man Luo stopped keeping him in suspense and said directly,

"In fact, compared with the sect's Spirit Plant garden, the spirit fields of the Foundation Establishment elders are the best places for spirit-farmer disciples!"

"The elders' cave abodes are all situated on second-tier Spirit Veins, even better than the spirit medicine garden!"

"If you can tend spirit medicines there, once you've adjusted, you can cultivate while resting after your daily work in the fields. The results would be who knows how much better than your usual arduous cultivation—you could advance a thousand miles in a day!"

"And if you do a good job and win an elder's favor, you might even receive some guidance or a reward... Wouldn't that be better than working in the spirit medicine garden?"

As he spoke, he sounded somewhat regretful. "If I weren't already an old bag of bones with no hope on the road ahead, unable to withstand the hard labor of tending Spirit Plants, even I would be tempted!"

"Such a good opportunity exists?!"

Li Ye couldn't help being delighted.

Given their cultivation and status, Zhang Liangfu and the others had no access to matters at this level, so naturally they had no way to share such information with Li Ye.

He had never imagined that low-rank disciples could have an opportunity like this.

All these years as a deacon of miscellaneous affairs had certainly not been wasted on the old man!

But immediately afterward, Li Ye frowned and said,

"Even if the Foundation Establishment elders truly need people to tend their spirit fields, wouldn't their own disciples do it for them? How could it ever be our turn?"

In his view, even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator had no disciples, a good opportunity like this would already have been filled through recommendations made as favors among them.

A grassroots disciple like him could never get a chance!

"You're mistaken, Junior Brother!"

Old Man Luo shook his head vigorously. "You should know that the sect's Foundation Establishment elders all have different temperaments. There are bound to be one or two reclusive ones who aren't good at socializing..."

"They rarely associate with the other elders, so naturally there are fewer favors to exchange... But don't the spirit fields at their cave abodes still need tending?"

"I see..."

"You've told me all this in such detail, Senior Brother. Could it be that you already know an elder well enough to recommend me?"

Li Ye asked expectantly.

"Exactly!"

Old Man Luo smiled faintly. "Listen, and I'll tell you all about it..."