Twenty Thousand Experience, the [Absorption] Trait!

"The Blood Li Rice is now fully ripe. If the elder has no time to come out of seclusion, please preside over the harvest, fellow cultivator!"

Li Ye held a sickle and looked solemnly at Boy Xiangyang.

"If I can finish this before I leave for the battlefield, I won't have failed the trust the elder placed in me!"

In just one day, Li Ye had received feedback from all the Blood Li Rice plants.

All that remained was the final harvest. Once he had completed the entire process, from planting the Spirit Plants with his own hands and tending them to maturity to harvesting their fruit-their journey from life to death—he would meet the conditions for triggering an insight from the panel.

If he waited for Elder Ji to come out of seclusion, he would have long since been transferred to the battlefield. Wouldn't that cost him a chance to solidify a Spiritual Essence trait?

Boy Xiangyang was a little moved when he heard this. He thought to himself that Li Ye truly had an uncommon passion for matters of the fields, which was rare indeed.

He glanced at the sickle in Li Ye's hand, and his young face grew a little solemn.

"In that case... let me go and ask for instructions."

With that, he immediately ran back to the palace. Before long, he came running back in excitement, a Storage Bag in his hand.

"The elder has no intention of coming out of seclusion and has ordered me to preside over the Spirit Rice harvest in his stead..."

"Also, the elder ordered me to pass this on to you. It contains some things the elder has bestowed upon you. He also told you to take the token inside and visit the Foundation Establishment elder at the post you're assigned to once you reach the front lines. He may be able to make things easier for you!"

Li Ye reached out and took the Storage Bag, gratitude showing on his face.

"What have I, Li Ye, done to deserve such care from the elder..."

Boy Xiangyang smiled.

"The elder said you tended that mu of Blazing Sun Flowers with great care. They're about to bloom now, and every single one is still alive, with none having withered. That deserves a reward!"

"If you can return, the spirit fields here will still be yours to tend!"

"I'm deeply grateful for the elder's kindness... Please convey my thanks to him, fellow cultivator."

Li Ye spoke earnestly.

Boy Xiangyang nodded.

"I'll be sure to pass it on... Time is short. Why don't we start harvesting right away?"

His face showed how eager he was to get started.

It was his first time presiding over something like this, too!

"Then I'll trouble you to preside over and witness it, fellow cultivator."

Li Ye nodded, returned to the field, and went straight to work harvesting.

As swathes of rice fell, the Spiritual Essence properties of the Blood Li Rice began to be absorbed.

Li Ye once again dimly experienced the entire life of a rice seedling, from birth to death.

[...]

[You harvested a first-tier Spirit Plant, [Blood Li Rice]. Understanding deepened, solidified Spiritual Essence +0.1%...]

[You harvested...]

The Spiritual Essence accumulated bit by bit on the panel, rapidly approaching completion.

[You harvested a first-tier Spirit Plant, [Blood Li Rice]. Understanding deepened, solidified Spiritual Essence +0.1%...]

[[Blood Li Spiritual Essence] 100% solidified. Converting to the corresponding trait...]

[Your skill [Planting] has received the level-one [Absorption] trait enhancement!]

[[Absorption]: Spirit Plants planted and tended by your own hands have a certain chance of breaking free of the constraints of their original habits and gaining the ability to absorb nutrients from a wider variety of substances.]

Ever since he began body cultivation, the many tasks in the spirit fields had become much easier for Li Ye.

By the time he noticed that the Blood Li Spiritual Essence on the panel had completely solidified and converted into a new enhancement trait, he had already harvested two mu without stopping.

"Absorption, huh..."

He paused for a short rest, and as he read its description, something stirred in his heart.

This ability had probably been converted from the Blood Li Rice's ability to absorb blood directly as nourishment for growth.

As far as practicality went, it might save him some planting costs.

Li Ye reckoned the variety of fertilizers in his spirit fields would probably grow considerably in the future.

"I just wonder whether Spirit Plants will mutate if they really do absorb nutrients different from what they're accustomed to over a long period..."

He thought to himself.

Seen this way, if used well, the ability seemed capable of allowing him to attempt targeted cultivation of certain Spirit Plants and grow varieties better suited to his own needs.

Before he actually obtained an enhancement trait that could guide Spirit Plant mutations, this was another path he could take.

"But I don't even have a damn spirit field of my own where I can plant whatever I want. Seems a bit early to be thinking about this!"

With a sigh, Li Ye simply finished harvesting all the remaining spirit fields.

He removed the husks, bagged the grains of Spirit Rice, and weighed them. The four mu of spirit fields had yielded nearly twenty-four hundred jin in total.

That averaged out to more than five hundred and ninety jin per mu, well above the upper limit of a normal yield.

Boy Xiangyang, who presided over the weighing, stared wide-eyed. When he looked at Li Ye again, there was a touch more admiration in his gaze!

Li Ye was also a little surprised. He could only guess that this was most likely the effect of the [Vitality] trait.

Although it was not directly related to increasing yield, stronger vitality in the Spirit Plants would, after all, increase the harvest to some extent.

"Fortunately, I haven't failed the task!"

Li Ye put away the heaps of rice and straw, then cupped his fists at the boy and took out the formation token to hand it over.

Since he was leaving, he had to return the item that opened the formation here.

Boy Xiangyang accepted the token, his eyes slightly red.

"Senior Brother Li, you must take care of yourself when you go off to fight!"

The Flying Feather Sect was bearing down on them with great force, and the situation in Huan Kingdom was chaotic and unpredictable.

Even Elder Ji, formidable as he was in both body and spell cultivation, had returned gravely wounded. In Boy Xiangyang's eyes, someone like Li Ye, who spent all day focused on tending spirit fields, would probably struggle to stay alive on the battlefield.

He even saw Li Ye's insistence on finishing the Spirit Rice harvest as an attempt to leave behind fewer regrets before going off to die.

"Thank you, Junior Brother. I'll be careful and do my best to stay alive and come back in one piece."

Li Ye spoke as if joking, then bid him farewell and went straight back to his residence.

He opened the panel.

[Name: Li Ye]

[Spirit Root: Low-Grade Earth-Wood Spirit Root]

[Remaining lifespan: 72 years (3 years lost due to overdrawing vital Qi)]

[Skills: Planting, first-tier upper grade (714/3000); Pills, first-tier middle grade (233/5000); Artifact Refining, not yet initiated (12/2000); Talismans, first-tier upper grade (123/4000); Gu Technique, first-tier lower grade (141/2500)]

[Plant Spiritual Essence: Jade Sprout Spiritual Essence*122, Blood Li Spiritual Essence*2000, Blazing Sun Spirit Essence*5]

[Spiritual Essence traits: Vitality level one, Absorption level one]

[Experience: 21437]

The experience and Spiritual Essence feedback from four mu of Blood Li Rice amounted to a tremendous harvest.

Looking at the numbers for twenty thousand experience points and two thousand strands of Blood Li Spiritual Essence, Li Ye's breathing grew heavy for a moment.

That was probably enough to push his Elephant Armor Force all the way to complete mastery!

"But the situation is unclear right now. I'd better spend it sparingly and save at least half to deal with whatever comes..."

He thought silently.

With Blazing Sun Spirit Essence enhancing his talismans, first-tier talismans could possess second-tier power, so there was no hurry to improve that skill now.

Besides, given Li Ye's current cultivation, he probably couldn't withstand the backlash of power if he failed to draw a talisman, so he could set it aside for now.

But he could improve his planting, pill refining, and Gu Technique.

As for the first two, once he went to the front lines, he might be able to open a relatively safe path with the token Elder Ji had given him.

Moreover, he needed higher-quality Qi and Blood Pills to break through his body cultivation realm. If his skill improved further, his success rate at forming pills would naturally rise as well.

Improving his Gu Technique would carry over to his methods of refining and using Gu, naturally strengthening Li Ye's overall combat power as well... At first-tier lower grade, he had only just entered the path, and that was somewhat lacking!

His thoughts in order, Li Ye made a decision.

Panel, level me up!