Thor's Lightning Strike, Spirit Wheat's Rebirth

Li Ye followed Zhou Qiumai to a pavilion, full of questions. There were many such octagonal pavilions near the wheat fields, each occupied by varying numbers of cultivators.

Only Su Ya sat inside this one.

Su Ya was rather surprised when he saw Li Ye approach. Eighth level of Qi Refinement already?

Though rapid progress during the Qi Refinement stage was considered normal.

But this was outside the sect, without the benefits provided by senior spirit beasts and spirit plants, nor any courtyard residence or cave dwelling tailored to one's own spiritual energy attributes.

For him to advance so quickly out here, this Fellow Daoist Li must have eaten quite a few good things.

At present, they still addressed each other as fellow Daoists because their cultivation levels were similar. Before long, though, he would probably have to call him Senior Brother!

He rose with a smile. "It's rare to see Fellow Daoist Li venture out. Looks like the Zhou Family's Jingzhe spring wheat harvest really is quite alluring. Wouldn't you say so, Fellow Daoist Qiumai~?"

Zhou Qiumai's expression nearly cracked. This name really was a source of helplessness for him.

Still, he did not dislike his own name, and immediately said, "My name can fill one's belly! With a full belly and warm clothes, how could this name possibly be bad!"

Su Ya's expression shifted for an instant. He suddenly clasped his fists and said, "I truly was presumptuous. Fellow Daoist Zhou, please do not take offense."

Zhou Qiumai had not expected Su Ya to apologize so solemnly, and for a moment he did not know what to do. Seeing this from the side, Li Ye could only speak up to change the subject:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou's name is indeed excellent. However, I have only just arrived in this treasured land and am rather curious about the particulars of this Jingzhe wheat harvest. I hope you will not begrudge me your guidance."

With him changing the subject, Zhou Qiumai let out a sigh of relief and explained:

"This is also thanks to the Four Seasons Sect. Within the Four Seasons Sect stands a Heavenly Sound Thunder Leaf that has been bestowed a Divine Seat.

"It is that venerable elder who performs a divine ability for those of us families that plant Spring Thunder Wheat at this time each year.

"Once the thunder starts later, all five hundred mu of Spring Thunder Wheat will ripen at once, and the wheat flour they release will blot out the sky and cover the earth.

"There may even be some spirits or Wheat Pellets hidden within. Whoever gets them has the ability to claim them."

Only after hearing this did Li Ye come to a sudden realization.

So they were still borrowing the "divine power" of the Four Seasons Sect. At the gathering in the Peach Garden before, he had learned of a Peach Blossom Mountain God. Just how many "gods" did the Four Seasons Sect possess?

He truly was curious, and the curiosity was a reasonable one, so he asked:

"I wanted to ask Fellow Daoist Su last time as well. These gods... what exactly are they?"

Su Ya took a sip of tea, a trace of pride on his face. "My Four Seasons Sect has raised countless spirit beasts and spirit plants, and even descendants of divine beasts.

"Some of these senior figures have brought their innate divine abilities to the point of perfection and thus received consecration.

"They can wield godlike might within the territory controlled by my Four Seasons Sect. The Heavenly Sound Thunder Leaf is the Heavenly Sound Thunder God."

Able to wield might like that of a god...

Li Ye was truly astonished beyond measure.

He wondered how much painstaking effort and what price it took to nurture a plant—or a person—capable of receiving divine consecration.

He opened his mouth, just about to say something, when a rolling peal of thunder suddenly sounded in the sky beside them. The instant it rang out, its roar shook a hundred li.

Before the thunder arrived, purple lightning had already poured down like a torrential rain.

Flowing bolts of lightning coursed through the wheat fields. Some stalks of wheat clearly could not withstand their power and were scorched black completely.

Yet others seemed to have their strength awakened by the lightning, their enormous wheat ears bursting apart one kernel at a time.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Mist formed from pale-blue wheat flour swept toward them in every direction amid the lightning and howling winds.

The sight was truly spectacular, as though a sky-blotting, earth-covering mist were surging forth. Everywhere the eye could see was a tidal haze of flour!

"Now!" Su Ya leaped to his feet impatiently.

"Fellow Daoist Li, use whatever means you have to gather spiritual energy or lure spiritual entities over here! The Zhou Family will only allow the spiritual power to disperse freely for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea!"

"We'll split the harvest afterward. Let's secure enough first!"

As he spoke, he had already taken out a small bronze cauldron and held it in his palm. A wisp of fragrant smoke curled out from within it, instantly drawing over a great deal of flour.

It could even draw flour in like this? Could this flour have been endowed with some kind of spirituality as well?

No, wait. Half a cup of tea's time.

Wasn't that only around seven minutes?

Li Ye narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the surging tide of flour. But it contained immensely complex spiritual energy, as well as the lingering might of thunder. Trying to see through it was simply a fool's dream.

He could only stretch out his hand.

First, he used the Spirit Gathering Art that had been altered by the Spirit Water Phoenix-Eye Lotus.

He had merely intended to give it a try, but after using it for only a few breaths, a tide of flour and several blue Wheat Pellets immediately flew toward him.

They came so fast that, if Zhou Qiumai had not lent a hand, he would likely have been drowned in the waves of flour, ending up with it plastered all over his face and body!

"Fellow Daoist, be careful!"

Zhou Qiumai held a Storage Pouch behind him. "I never expected you to draw over so much spirit wheat flour and so many Wheat Pellets at once. Could it be..."

Before he could finish, a green ball of light tinged with blue suddenly flew over from not far away. It slowly landed on Li Ye's shoulder and quietly remained there.

"..."

This scene left Su Ya and Zhou Qiumai utterly stunned.

Li Ye was a little stunned as well. Silently, he looked toward his own shoulder.

There, quietly perched, was an old yellow ox. It was almost identical to a real ox, except it had been shrunk countless times over.

Name: Wheat Spirit Yellow Ox

Mood: Delighted, happy, finally free

State: Excellent

Bindable: Any type of wheat spiritual plant

"Life force begets essence, nature conceives spirits, and thunder nurtures life."

"Only with these three prongs working together could a few Wheat Spirits be born amid several hundred mu of wheat fields."

Su Ya sighed with emotion. "Fellow Daoist, your luck is truly good. If a Wheat Spirit like this is properly raised, then no matter what kind of wheat you plant in the future, it will likely be easy and pleasant. I truly envy you!"

Yet bitterness filled Li Ye's heart.

Only a few had been born from several hundred mu of land, and he had found one of them. Wouldn't those cultivators swarm him? And what was the Zhou Family's stance on this?

Zhou Qiumai, standing to one side, spoke up. "There is no need to worry.

"With Lord Thunder's lightning and the Spiritual Energy bursting through a hundred mu of wheat fields, naturally no one will discover it.

"Besides, since my Zhou Family invited everyone here, we will not begrudge this loss."

"However, Fellow Daoist Li, if possible, after you reach Foundation Establishment, I hope you can come to my Zhou Family and serve as a guest elder—this Wheat Spirit shall count as a token of sincerity from my Zhou Family in inviting you. The position of guest elder also comes with a stipend!"

His words landed with the weight of gold and stone.

Not to mention that cultivators from the Four Seasons Sect were present, even if Li Ye had merely been a Rogue Cultivator, the Zhou Family would still have acted this way.

Anyone fortunate enough to obtain a Wheat Spirit was bound to possess either great fortune or some special divine ability.

Offending such a cultivator over a single Wheat Spirit would truly be more loss than gain.

If they were going to give it away, then they should do so openly and generously, letting the other party accept the favor and forge a good bond. There might come a day when it proved useful.

This was the teaching of the Zhou Family's Old Matriarch.

Because of this very practice, they had forged quite a few good bonds.