As they waited, the heavens and earth suddenly changed color. What had been a fine day beneath clear skies turned into a scene of black clouds pressing down upon the city in an instant. Thunder roared and lightning flashed as a wild wind wailed, sweeping up endless dust.
"It's here!"
Yang Chen gathered his thoughts and stared intently at the sudden change.
From his perspective, the changing heavens, thunder, and lightning lasted only a moment before heavenly lightning sparked earthly fire. A hundred thousand mu of spirit fields burst into blazing flames, while smoke and dust howled through the sky with the wind, like the end of the world.
"The power of man can actually reach such heights!"
Shock filled Yang Chen's eyes. A hundred thousand mu of spirit fields covered dozens of square kilometers. Even if he merely walked across them, it would take him quite some time. Yet at this moment, they had all ignited at once.
He knew very well that all of this stemmed from the giant face high in the sky.
The strength of a true disciple Martial Uncle had revealed merely the tip of the iceberg at this moment, yet it left Yang Chen with a profound impression: every true disciple possessed the great power to reshape heaven and earth.
What the other party had done was in accordance with sect rules. After the spirit rice was harvested, the soil's fertility decreased, and rice roots remained behind. To ensure abundant fertility for the next planting, the fields had to be burned after every harvest. This was no ordinary flame, but the renowned Void Heaven Spirit Fire.
The Void Heaven Spirit Fire possessed endless wondrous uses. When used to assist in pill refinement, it could improve the quality of finished pills. When used in weapon forging, it could enhance a weapon's toughness. All because it possessed an innate advantage in removing impurities.
It was also wonderfully effective at fertilizing soil. It could break down the leftover matter beneath the spirit fields and enhance the soil's fertility. It was said that only those whose cultivation had reached the true disciple realm had a chance to master such flames.
The raging fire burned for a full half-hour. Then the heavens changed once more, and a torrential downpour fell without warning.
Countless streams of rainwater burrowed into the spirit fields, yet not a drop overflowed from them.
This scene shook every servant. An unprecedented longing showed in everyone's eyes.
"Activate!"
Suddenly, the voice of the Spirit Planter Guardian rang out from the high heavens again. As the words fell, a massive formation covered the entire spirit field region. Clouds and mist rose up, cutting off all sight.
"For the next half month, I can stay here in peace."
Back in the residential area, Yang Chen returned to his dwelling. The scene he had witnessed two hours ago had left an indelible mark on his heart. Already full of drive, he now devoted even greater attention to cultivation.
There were still two days before the second month ended. He did not expect to make the Rankings Board this month, but starting next month, he intended to fight for a place.
When he returned, he had taken a look. The top three on the Rankings Board still stood far ahead of the rest, and their positions had not changed. However, the first-ranked disciple had already broken through to the Qi Martial Eighth Level, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Furthermore, from rank ninety-two upward, the lowest cultivation level on the Rankings Board was already the Qi Martial Fifth Level. Yang Chen estimated that the remaining eight were likely not far from reaching the Qi Martial Fifth Level either.
He was currently at the Qi Martial Fourth Level, still some distance away from those on the Rankings Board. He was not very confident about making the rankings this month.
To that end, he spent all the spirit crystals on him, purchasing four sticks of Spirit Calming Incense and five Muscle Relaxing and Vitality Pills. His goal was to increase his cultivation speed and enter the rankings as soon as possible.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Steward Lin Chuan came again. He first encouraged everyone, praising them for fulfilling their duties faithfully and living up to the sect's cultivation.
He then especially commended those whose names were on the Rankings Board, particularly Huang Tianyu. Saying that Huang Tianyu had brought honor to Area 8, he distributed the original rewards and then paid out of his own pocket to give him twenty spirit crystals.
Afterward, he encouraged all the new disciples to take Huang Tianyu as their example, strive to charge onto the Rankings Board, and raise Area 8's standing.
Yang Chen stood amid the crowd, watching Huang Tianyu receive his rewards with envy written all over his face.
After Lin Chuan left, Wang Kui and the other overseers summarized the month's tasks. They sternly criticized some disciples who had failed to complete their assignments, then announced Steward Han's decision to expel one of them from the sect.
That disciple wept as though his heart had been torn apart before the other servants carried him away.
The disciples who had completed their tasks were all right, but several who had failed to complete their tasks twice in total turned pale with fright.
Finally, next month's resources were distributed, and the disciples took their supplies and dispersed.
"Old Yang, how do you think those bastards got onto the Rankings Board?"
Zhu Xi walked alongside Yang Chen, pouring out his grievances. "I ask myself, I've cultivated diligently without relaxing for even a moment, so how has the gap only gotten bigger and bigger?"
Yang Chen quietly offered him a few words of comfort, telling him to have the resolve to come from behind and seize the lead.
After the two parted ways, Yang Chen took another look at the Rankings Board. At present, only six people on the board were still at the Qi Martial Fourth Level.
Back at his dwelling, he lit a stick of Spirit Calming Incense and threw himself into cultivation wholeheartedly.
Time flew by. Six days later, Yang Chen's body suddenly shuddered, and the aura around him surged by a small margin. He immediately summoned the panel:
[Realm: Qi Martial Fourth Level, Punching Force: 4503 kilograms]
"Qi Martial Fourth Level!"
Yang Chen was quite satisfied with his cultivation breakthrough, but he had no reason to feel complacent. On the Rankings Board, only one person remained at the Qi Martial Fourth Level.
The requirements for entering the rankings were rising ever higher. Though Yang Chen had just broken through, he was still far from making the board. However, he sensed that those already on the board were gradually beginning to falter, their rate of progress no longer as exaggerated as before.
"The Spirit Calming Incense has run out, and the Muscle Relaxing and Vitality Pills are exhausted too. My cultivation speed will have to slow down. I wonder whether I'll still have a chance to make the rankings this month."
Making the rankings would naturally be best. If he could not, there was nothing he could do about it.
His cultivation breakthrough was only a minor interlude. Yang Chen soon cast it from his mind and immersed himself in cultivation with single-minded focus.
However, after the Spirit Calming Incense ran out, he had much more free time each day. Taking advantage of these few leisurely days, he crammed knowledge and gained a deeper understanding of the Sun Moon Sword Sect and the path of martial arts.
From what he had learned, the Sun Moon Sword Sect had eight main peaks. These eight main peaks were not Labor Peaks, but foundations of profound heritage, each possessing numerous Outer Sect, Inner Sect, and even true disciple members.
The Nineteenth Servant Peak where he was located belonged to Hidden Sword Peak, one of the eight main peaks. Qiu Jiuming, the Spirit Planter Guardian who had left such a deep impression on him, was one of Hidden Sword Peak's true disciples.
Hidden Sword Peak had thirty-six true disciples as mighty and towering as him.
When Yang Chen had first seen this information, the shock in his heart was easy to imagine.
As for martial arts, he had been in the sect for over two months and had already encountered pills and formations. Such things naturally did not appear out of thin air. This world had alchemists and Formation Masters, and the spirit fields contained several first-grade Spirit Gathering Formations.
Over the past two days, he had considered learning a craft to conceal the system's existence. But after learning the requirements for studying one, he could only put the idea aside for now.
To master a craft, one first needed True Martial Realm cultivation—that was, one had to possess true qi. Secondly, the cost of learning a craft was extremely high. The initial investment alone required at least several hundred spirit crystals. Moreover, every craft required talent. Many people poured hundreds of spirit crystals into it and still struggled even to get started, wasting huge amounts of spirit crystals for nothing.
Of course, if one possessed talent, the rewards after achieving success in a craft were generous.
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