Low-grade First-tier Spiritual Field

The change in the ground beneath his feet made Ji An freeze for a moment, before wild joy surged through him.

This fluctuation in aura felt exactly the same as when he stood beside Old Huang's First-tier Spiritual Field.

By the moonlight, he saw the vegetable leaves gently unfurling, a faint gleam flickering across them.

The tender green leaves looked like translucent jade.

When the Thick Earth Art was cast after reaching the Perfected Realm, the spell contained an obscure, restrained aura, as weighty as the earth itself.

Now that he thought about it, it was this aura that had allowed the soil in the courtyard to be cultivated into a Low-grade First-tier Spiritual Field so quickly.

No, the Perfected Realm Minor Cloud and Rain Art had contributed as well. The True Meaning of Moistening within Water Element Spells allowed the soil to retain more spiritual power and fertility.

Ji An nodded slightly. The two spells complemented each other perfectly—no wonder they were mandatory Farming Spells.

"Advancing too fast brings its own troubles."

He muttered smugly, then burst into laughter.

After Old Huang's Minor Cloud and Rain Art and Thick Earth Art had both reached Greater Mastery, it had still taken him seven or eight years to cultivate one mu of ranked Spiritual Field.

Ji An had originally estimated that it might take him two or three years to get what he wanted. Who would have thought that his dream would come true in just one year?

Ji An became even more determined to practice a spell to Grand Perfection. The Perfected Realm alone had such an effect—Grand Perfection should be even more powerful, shouldn't it?

He did not cast spells in the Spiritual Field as frequently as he did in the small courtyard. Now that he had advanced into Late Qi Condensation, his spiritual power was even more abundant. If he carefully cultivated the fields, he would soon have several more mu of ranked Spiritual Fields.

When that time came, he would no longer plant beginner Spirit Grain like Yellow Bud Rice. He would switch to Azure Corn.

If he could cultivate the Spiritual Fields to Mid-grade First-tier, he could plant Jade Marrow Rice. That was spiritual rice eaten only by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators!

At the thought, his mouth filled with saliva, which spilled from the corner of his lips.

The bright moon hung high, a clear breeze drifted in, and the wide sleeves of his Daoist robe fluttered. Ji An felt utterly refreshed and at peace.

Morning light shone upon the bamboo building. Ji An finished cultivating and came into the courtyard.

The soil had advanced to the First-tier earlier than expected, so he needed to plant fruit tree saplings as soon as possible.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked out of the small courtyard and happened to see Old Huang and his grandson approaching from the opposite direction.

"Little Brother An, you—you broke through to Late Qi Condensation?!"

A flash of surprise burst from Old Huang's cloudy eyes. It had only been three years, yet Ji An had traveled the road that had taken him more than a decade to complete.

Along with his joy, an inexplicable sourness rose in his heart.

He was happy because he had befriended a disciple with outstanding talent, someone who could look after his grandson in the future.

He was not jealous that Liu Yu had become a Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation disciple.

It was hardly exaggerated for a direct descendant of a great family to progress like that. More importantly, he knew very well that Liu Yu and he belonged to two different worlds.

But when Ji An had entered the sect, his circumstances had been even worse than Old Huang's back then. At least Old Huang had carried two Spirit Stones when he joined the sect, and his cultivation had already reached the Second Layer of Qi Condensation.

Yet although the other man had started from a lower point, his progress was so swift that even Old Huang's gaze could not keep up.

"Thanks to your good fortune, I was lucky enough to break through last night."

Ji An cupped his hands, his smile gentle.

Old Huang walked closer and sensed that something was different.

He recalled having felt the same thing when he passed by here at dawn. But at the time, he had been in a rush to claim a good spot at Azure Water Lake to extract Water Essence, so he had not looked into it.

The feeling was so familiar, yet for the moment, he could not remember where that familiarity came from.

"Grandfather, why do I feel like the aura coming from the soil in Senior Brother Ji's courtyard is almost the same as the Spiritual Field where we grow Azure Corn?"

The speaker was Huang Feihu, Old Huang's grandson. He was fifteen this year and already at the Second Layer of Qi Condensation.

Judging by the state of his aura, he was not far from the Third Layer of Qi Condensation.

To achieve this while cultivating at the sect's Dao Academy, Old Huang had clearly spent a great deal of resources supporting his cultivation.

Slap!

Old Huang smacked his thigh hard. Wasn't that exactly it?!

"Little Brother An, you cultivated it last night? The Perfected Realm Minor Cloud and Rain Art actually has such a powerful effect?"

Old Huang had worked the land in his own small courtyard for many years. Though he did not tend it constantly, he still cast the Greater Mastery Thick Earth Art and Minor Cloud and Rain Art on it every few days. He had never heard any of his fellow Senior Brothers mention that the Minor Cloud and Rain Art could speed up the cultivation of Spiritual Fields.

Was it because my skills were lacking that those Senior Brothers could not be bothered to discuss such things with me? Their smiling faces suddenly seemed somewhat hypocritical to him.

Ji An nodded and said openly:

"It was indeed cultivated last night. I was surprised myself at the time."

There was no formation concealing the small courtyard. Passing Spirit Farmers would surely be able to tell at a glance.

Including the bamboo building, his small courtyard covered nearly half a mu. A formation capable of concealing such a large area would be extremely expensive, and there was no need for it.

He gave a light cough and added:

"The Perfected Realm Minor Cloud and Rain Art alone does not have this effect. It only works when paired with the Perfected Realm Thick Earth Art.

"My Thick Earth Art has been at the Perfected Realm for some time."

"Ah, comparing people really is enough to drive one mad."

Old Huang's smile was full of bitterness. He had always thought that after being a Spirit Farmer his whole life, even if he was not among the best, he could still be counted among the better-off group of Qi Condensation Stage disciples in the sect.

Now it seemed that he had spent too long living in a carefully woven false dream, comparing himself only with those worse off than himself—like a frog at the bottom of a well, staring at the sky.

After sighing, Old Huang cupped his hands and said:

"After Fei Hu entered the sect, I had intended to treat you and Senior Brother Wei to a meal and some wine. But Senior Brother Wei went to Azure Cloud Immortal City, so we could only wait.

"Yesterday, I heard from other Junior Brothers that they saw Senior Brother Wei at Azure Water Market. Better to seize the day than choose another—we'll go to Hundred Flavors Tower and have a feast at noon."

"I would be honored to accept, but there is no need to go to Hundred Flavors Tower. We're all our own people; we can go eat the spirit fish made by Senior Brother Liang Qiu."

Ji An nodded in agreement. He had been meaning to find Wei Songnian to discuss obtaining fruit tree saplings.

"How could that do? Let's see what Senior Brother Wei says.

"Junior Brother, come to my residence first. I'll bring the odds and ends I harvested these past few days to sell to Senior Brother Wei."

Ji An smiled.

"Senior Brother should buy a Storage Bag."

Old Huang waved his hands repeatedly.

"Ah, Storage Bags are for cultivators who often go out to hunt demons and gather herbs. Even after I go to Senior Brother Wei's family, I'll still be a Spirit Farmer. Buying a Storage Bag would be a waste."

The three returned to Old Huang's residence, gathered their things, then each mounted a Talisman Bird and headed for Azure Water Market.

Wei Songnian lived near Azure Water Market. After finding him, the three went to Liang Qiu's small food shop.

Once they reached a small private room on the second floor, Old Huang muttered:

"I originally wanted to treat my Senior Brothers to something nice."

"Enough, Old Huang. Don't act like you got a bargain when I know you're afraid of spending."

Wei Songnian laughed. They had dealt with one another for more than a decade—how could he not understand the other man?

Old Huang gave a simple, sheepish grin and pointed outside.

"Fei Hu, go next door to Hundred Flavors Tower and buy three bottles—no, four bottles—of spirit wine."

He took out a Spirit Stone and a handful of Spirit Crystals, handing them over.

"Got it, Grandfather." Hearing that he would get a share too, Fei Hu happily accepted the Spirit Stone and walked out.

Ji An smiled. He withdrew his gaze from Huang Feihu and said:

"Senior Brother Wei, I'd like to buy two spirit fruit tree saplings. Do you have any connections for that?"