Minor Accomplishment

"Creee! Creee~"

On the willow trees by the path, summer cicadas cried themselves hoarse in unending waves.

It was irritating.

Beneath the blazing sun, Wang Chen searched the Spirit Fields, yet his mood remained excellent.

Clearing out Earth Rhinoceroses was actually exhausting and tedious work.

It required complete concentration, utmost care, ample experience, and even greater skill.

Search, lock on, kill...

Repeating it over and over was a tremendous test of one's Divine Soul, Mana, and willpower.

What kept Wang Chen in such a good working state, aside from the benefits gained from killing Earth Rhinoceroses,

was undoubtedly the increase in his skills and Human Virtue points!

Gengjin Finger · Experience +1

Gengjin Finger (Proficient): 198/200

198 points already!

Wang Chen clenched his fist hard, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

At the same time, he forcibly resisted the urge to fire off a Gengjin Finger for nothing just to make up that final point needed for advancement.

Mana was precious and could not be wasted.

He drew a deep breath, kept his focus, and continued searching for the Earth Rhinoceroses hidden in the Spirit Fields.

By now, Wang Chen was able to form a deeper and more detailed resonance with the Spirit Rice in the fields.

This resonance, which did not fall within the scope of any skill, allowed him to swiftly pinpoint his targets.

It let him complete his work efficiently.

Moreover, Wang Chen discovered that the longer his resonance with the Spirit Rice lasted, the sharper and clearer his perception became.

In this state, which could only be called mysterious, Wang Chen detected another Earth Rhinoceros.

This Earth Rhinoceros was unusual.

Rather than clinging to a Rice Stalk, it was hidden in the layer of mud beneath a stalk of Spirit Rice.

It lay there in silent dormancy.

This was the first time Wang Chen had discovered an Earth Rhinoceros inside the soil.

And this one gave him the faintest sense of danger.

A demonized Earth Rhinoceros!

Wang Chen's eyes immediately lit up.

Without hesitation, he raised his right hand and gathered ninety percent of his Mana into his Sword Finger.

Then he suddenly stabbed down at the ground five steps away!

Sharp Geng Metal Qi energy pierced into the mud in an instant, boring through the dormant demonized Earth Rhinoceros.

Gengjin Finger · Experience +1

Human Virtue +1

Divine Soul +1

Hmm?

The string of notifications left Wang Chen momentarily stunned.

The increase in Gengjin Finger skill points and Human Virtue points had been entirely expected.

But the increase of 1 point in Divine Soul was something he had never anticipated.

It was a complete and unexpected delight!

Even as he rejoiced, Wang Chen guessed that it was likely the result of repeatedly activating his Spiritual Sense, frequently resonating with Spirit Rice, and thereby tempering his Divine Soul.

Just like Physique, Divine Soul could clearly be improved through training!

His Divine Soul attribute had now reached 3+7 points.

In truth, Wang Chen had always found something strange.

Why was the Divine Soul attribute among his four fundamental attributes displayed so distinctly?

Was it because his soul had transmigrated?

Shaking his head, he did not dwell on the question.

Because something more important awaited him.

Add Points!

Licking his dry lips, Wang Chen summoned the Cultivation Panel.

His attention locked onto the Skill Bar, and he tapped the + sign after Gengjin Finger (Proficient): 199/200!

His Human Virtue points instantly decreased by 1.

Gengjin Finger (Minor Accomplishment): 0/300

Hahaha!

Wang Chen dearly wanted to burst into loud laughter.

This cheat-like improvement felt too damn good!

The higher the level of any spell, the harder it was to break through its bottleneck.

Although Gengjin Finger was an ordinary basic spell, one mastered by at least nine out of every ten spirit plant farmers,

among those ten, perhaps only two or three could raise it to the Proficient level—limited by Bone Root and comprehension!

Wang Chen had an Inferior Bone Root and Low Comprehension.

The label of "mediocre talent" was practically pasted to his forehead.

And in fact, mediocrities like him made up the majority of the Yunyang Sect outer sect disciples.

The small number of immortal cultivation seedlings blessed with excellent Bone Roots and outstanding comprehension

either died untimely deaths before reaching maturity,

or were recruited into the Inner Sect or by cultivation families.

Who would toil in the fields as a spirit plant farmer?

Moreover, old spirit plant farmers like Old Sun, in order to avoid damaging their meridians, did not dare use Gengjin Finger casually even if they had trained it to perfection.

If they used it so rarely, how could they improve it further?

Without the Cultivation Panel,

with Wang Chen's original talent and aptitude, Proficient-level Gengjin Finger would have been his limit.

Now, he had easily broken through into the Minor Accomplishment stage.

It was no different from altering fate against the heavens!

"Wang Chen? Little Brother Wang Chen!"

The call from behind brought Wang Chen back to his senses.

He turned and waved at the burly man standing on the field ridge. "Brother Tieniu, I'm fine."

This farmer named Wang Tieniu was a neighbor of Old Lu's family and cultivated twenty-seven mu of Spirit Fields.

He was also the second client Old Sun had brought to Wang Chen.

Wang Tieniu looked up at the scorching sun and called out, "It's too hot. Take a break and have some water first."

Wang Tieniu was quite honest and good-natured.

Though he worried about the insect infestation in his fields, he was too embarrassed to treat Wang Chen like a beast of burden.

He also greatly admired Wang Chen's pest-removal methods.

After thinking it over, Wang Chen agreed.

He truly needed to recover some strength and Mana.

After digging the demonized Earth Rhinoceros out of the mud, Wang Chen went to rest beneath the shade of a tree by the roadside.

He took out the Spirit Rice Balls he had made the night before from his Storage Bag.

Then he wolfed them down with Mountain Spring Water from his gourd.

The homemade rice balls were packed with ingredients: plenty of fragrant pan-fried Insect Meat and chopped Pickles within.

One bite filled his mouth with oil, an endless medley of salty, fragrant, fresh, and sweet flavors.

Since Wang Chen had wrapped the rice balls in broad thorn leaves, the rice grains carried a faint fragrance of grass and leaves as well.

They were ten times better than the free stuff Old Sun had given him!

Watching from the side, Wang Tieniu could not help swallowing.

"Brother Tieniu, have one too."

Wang Chen generously gave him a rice ball.

"Thanks."

Wang Tieniu beamed, his fondness for Wang Chen growing immensely.

He had known Wang Chen before.

But they had not interacted much.

In Wang Tieniu's impression, Wang Chen had merely been an ordinary youth with a pitiful background—honest and introverted.

But the Wang Chen before him now truly made him see him in a new light!

One Spirit Rice Ball rapidly closed the distance between them.

They soon became familiar with each other.

"Little Brother Wang..."

Wang Tieniu stuck out his tongue and rolled the rice grains stuck to his upper lip into his mouth. Smacking his lips, he said, "If anyone dares bully you in the future, just tell them my name!"

With a smile, Wang Chen handed him another rice ball. "All right."

The more friends, the better.

Wang Tieniu was tall, powerfully built, and had reached the sixth layer of Qi Condensation.

At his age, he had every hope of breaking through into high-level Qi Condensation.

Within a radius of ten li, Wang Tieniu was considered somebody.

Wang Chen knew that he was frank and generous, and deeply filial to his mother.

He was a true man worth befriending!

Faced with another rice ball from Wang Chen, Wang Tieniu, who had not yet eaten his fill, scratched his head in embarrassment.

But his right hand disobediently accepted it anyway.

Ding-a-ling~

At that moment, the crisp sound of a copper bell reached Wang Chen's ears.

Instinctively, he looked toward where the sound had come from.

At the fork in the path ahead, a traveling merchant carrying a pack basket appeared.