You really have a knack for judging people!

This was a true Golden Finger!

The Cultivation Panel's new function left Wang Chen overjoyed.

What did poor Spiritual Roots, low comprehension, and difficulty breaking through matter?

As long as he had "Human Virtue" points, he could directly break through and advance. It was simply too satisfying.

Moreover, Wang Chen believed that since "Human Virtue" could be used to Add Points to skills, then "Heavenly Merit" would most likely increase the points of the Four Basic Attributes!

Though he still did not know what means could be used to obtain "Heavenly Merit."

But with the panel in hand, the future was promising!

Wang Chen happily picked up the Earth Rhinoceros's corpse from the ground.

Only then did he notice a thumb-thick hole in the head of this enormous Earth Rhinoceros.

Dark green fluid gushed out of it, giving off an earthy stench.

Clearly, Wang Chen's strike had hit its vital point.

Yet even the Proficient-level Gengjin Finger had failed to pierce all the way through it.

By comparison, the Beginner Level Gengjin Finger from before had been able to slice an Earth Rhinoceros in half.

Clearly, this fellow's defense far surpassed that of its ordinary kind.

BOSS!

Wang Chen estimated that this Earth Rhinoceros was at least an Elite Monster, which was why it had given him 1 point of Human Virtue.

As for ordinary mobs, no matter how many he killed, he would gain no points.

Then if he went out to hunt Demonic Beasts...

Stop!

Wang Chen immediately suppressed the dangerous thought that had just surfaced in his mind.

He was merely a small cultivator at the third layer of Qi Condensation, with only one Combat Skill: Gengjin Finger.

Hunt Demonic Beasts?

He would not even know how he died!

Obtaining Human Virtue points by hunting Demonic Beasts was absolutely feasible.

The prerequisite was that he mastered more combat and defensive spells, and that his cultivation rose to at least the fourth or fifth layer before he could barely manage it.

He absolutely could not get carried away.

Wang Chen silently reminded himself as he shouldered his hoe and headed home.

For dinner, he decided to splurge once more.

He scooped a jin and a half of Spirit Grain from the Rice Jar, placed it into the cleaned Stone Mortar, then used the Stone Pestle to pound the rice.

The full set of rice-pounding tools, including the Stone Mortar and Stone Pestle, had been left behind by the previous owner of the cottage.

But the original owner had only used them a handful of times.

Wang Chen had already made up his mind.

He did not plan to eat husked Grain Rice ever again.

If life had to be nine-to-nine-six and lying flat was not an option, then he had to learn to find joy amid hardship!

Of course, it was also the Cultivation Panel that had given Wang Chen greater confidence.

As he vigorously pounded the rice, Wang Chen considered going into Yunyang City tomorrow to buy two chicks.

He would raise them in the little courtyard on Rice Bran.

Then he would have eggs to eat.

That way, none of the Rice Bran produced by pounding the rice would go to waste.

Perfect!

After pounding the Spirit Grain, Wang Chen spent quite some effort separating out all the Spirit Rice.

A jin and a half of Spirit Grain yielded about one jin and two liang of White Corn.

The White Corn grains were plump, crystalline, and lustrous, carrying a faint fragrance. It was Low-grade Spirit Rice.

But to Wang Chen, it was already a rare delicacy.

He lit the stove and started cooking. After putting the Spirit Rice and water into the pot, Wang Chen began dealing with the spoils from the afternoon.

The two ordinary Earth Rhinoceroses were easy enough to handle.

The BOSS Earth Rhinoceros, however, had an almost intact body and an exceptionally tough shell.

So he had to use the force of Gengjin Finger to cut it open and pull out the strips of prime meat inside.

This two-finger-wide strip of Insect Meat weighed three times as much as that from an ordinary Earth Rhinoceros, and it was full of springy toughness.

Wang Chen cut slits into the meat strip and marinated it together with four other chunks of minced meat.

Then he put it in the pot to steam.

"Squeak, squeak!"

Wang Chen turned his head to look.

He laughed.

That White Fur Mouse from noon had come again, squatting on the ground and clasping its paws toward him in greeting.

"Xiao Bai."

Wang Chen earnestly told the little fellow, "Look, my family isn't well-off either. I have to calculate every mouthful of food by weight, and I even have to pound my own rice. Both my hands are about to blister."

He spread open his hands. "Xiao Bai, you're already a mature Spirit Mouse. You need to learn to solve your own food and clothing problems. I believe you can do it. Keep it up, you've got this!"

Xiao Bai was the name Wang Chen had just given the White Fur Mouse.

"Squeak, squeak!"

Perhaps the White Fur Mouse had been shamed by his words.

It squeaked at Wang Chen twice more, then darted into the woodpile.

Wang Chen let out a long breath.

The rice was soon cooked.

Just as Wang Chen placed a heaping bowl of rice and a small bowl of Soy Sauce Steamed Meat on the table—

Ready to feast to his heart's content—

He suddenly sensed something strange.

Looking down, he saw Xiao Bai again.

And behind the White Fur Mouse followed a Brocade Mouse!

The Brocade Mouse was smaller than the White Fur Mouse, with fur interwoven in gold, white, and gray, and a tuft of red bristles growing on its forehead.

It was quite good-looking.

Wang Chen stared dumbfounded. "Xiao Bai, this is going too far!"

It was one thing to come mooch a meal yourself.

You actually brought your husband along to mooch too!

Were you trying to make a single man suffer?

Wang Chen could tell their sexes for certain—Xiao Bai had no testicles.

"Squeak, squeak!"

Xiao Bai turned and squeaked twice at the Brocade Mouse.

The latter darted a few steps forward to Wang Chen's feet and opened its mouth, spitting out an object.

Hm?

Wang Chen froze for a moment.

What the Brocade Mouse had spat out was a one-inch-long piece of jade, about as thick as a thumb. It gleamed softly, spiritual energy contained within.

It was unmistakably a Lower Spirit Stone!

Spirit Stones were the common currency of the immortal world, mainly divided into Lower Spirit Stones, Medium Spirit Stones, High Spirit Stones, and Extreme Spirit Stones.

Spirit Stones had considerable purchasing power.

The Spirit Grain Wang Chen grew could be sold to the Immortal Grain Merchants in Yunyang City.

Their purchase price was fifty jin for one Lower Spirit Stone.

In fact, the firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, and other daily necessities he normally bought were all paid for with Shattered Spirit.

Shattered Spirit was made from scraps produced by cutting Spirit Stones. One hundred pieces of Shattered Spirit were equivalent to one Lower Spirit Stone.

Wang Chen had farmed Spirit Fields in the Yunyang Sect outer sect for five years.

After working himself to the bone and living frugally,

The seven Lower Spirit Stones and thirty-nine pieces of Shattered Spirit in his Storage Bag were all the savings he possessed!

Now the Xiao Bai Couple had used one Lower Spirit Stone—the equivalent of fifty jin of Spirit Grain—to mooch a meal...

They really had a knack for judging people!

Wang Chen snatched up the Spirit Stone from the ground and stuffed it into his Storage Bag with the speed of a thief ringing a bell while trying to cover his ears.

"Come, come!"

He patted the table with a beaming smile and warmly called out, "Come up and eat!"

The two mice actually understood.

They climbed up the table leg onto the tabletop, then squatted to Wang Chen's left and right.

Waiting for dinner.

Whoever paid was the boss!

Wang Chen rubbed his hands together.

He used a small knife to cut that strip of BOSS Earth Rhinoceros prime meat into two portions.

He stuffed them separately into two hand-pressed rice balls.

He placed them on two small dishes, then drizzled them with soy sauce meat juices.

Finally, he set them before the Xiao Bai Couple.

The fist-sized Rice Balls had distinct grains, with a piece of cooked pink Insect Meat peeking out from the top, paired with fresh, sweet soy sauce.

They were steaming hot and fragrant.

Wang Chen's skills, cultivated in the Great Gourmet Empire, were displayed to their fullest!

Drool from both the White Fur Mouse and Brocade Mouse dripped onto the table.

Eat, eat!

Wang Chen watched them wolf down their food with a cheerful smile.

He did not feel the slightest heartache over the BOSS meat he had given up.

As the saying went, if you could not bear to part with your wife, you could not catch a hooligan.

If every time they...

No, even if they only brought a Spirit Stone every few days to mooch a meal, Wang Chen would be making a killing.

What Brocade Mouse? It was plainly a Fortune-Bringing Mouse!

Seeing them eat so happily, Wang Chen poured the remaining minced meat and meat juices from the small bowl over his rice.

Then he began eating in great mouthfuls as well.

Delicious!

The second update is here. Friends with recommendation votes, please spare a few. Thanks!