Spiritual Field Task

"Qianqing." Li Ditu looked at Li Qianqing in surprise.

He had not expected Li Qianqing to be assigned to Changle Mountain.

He remembered that Li Lilong had spoken very highly of this junior.

After bowing, Li Qianqing took out the letter Li Lilong had given him and handed it before Li Ditu. "Second Grandfather, please have a look."

After reading it, Li Ditu saw that the task assigned to Li Qianqing was ordinary enough and perfectly matched his performance over the past three years at Changqing Mountain.

"Mm. Come with me."

Li Qianqing's task was to tend three mu of Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields. His daily workload was not heavy, leaving him ample time to cultivate. Normally, a Three Spiritual Roots cultivator had to tend at least five mu of Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields.

"The Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields you will be tending are all planted with White Corn. White Corn ripens once a year and is a Rank 1 Low-Grade Spirit Rice."

"One mu of Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Field can hold one hundred White Corn plants, producing eight hundred to twelve hundred jin of White Corn per year..."

Li Ditu spoke as they walked, while Li Qianqing nodded from time to time to show that he was listening attentively.

For the three mu of Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields under his care, he would normally receive three hundred Contribution Points from the Lineage after one year. If the three fields produced an average of one thousand jin of White Corn per mu, he could earn an additional one hundred Contribution Points.

At an average of one thousand one hundred jin of White Corn per mu, he could receive a total of five hundred Contribution Points.

If the average reached one thousand one hundred fifty jin of White Corn per mu or more, he would receive six hundred Contribution Points—twice the base Contribution Points. This was his extra commission.

Besides that, Mid-Stage Qi Refining cultivators received three Low-Grade Spirit Stones from the Lineage each year.

One hundred Contribution Points from the Lineage were roughly equivalent to one Low-Grade Spirit Stone. In other words, if Li Qianqing tended his Spiritual Fields well, he could increase his assets by a total of nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones each year.

Within the Li Clan, his assignment was already the kind with plenty of money and little work, and its extra commission was especially generous. Ordinary cultivator clansmen generally only received around half the maximum commission.

"We're here, Qianqing. These are the three mu of Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields you will be tending."

A total of twelve mu of Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields had been opened up on Changle Mountain.

The number and grade of Spiritual Fields that could be opened were closely related to the Spiritual Vein.

The Spiritual Fields of the Mortal Realm were all opened above Spiritual Veins, depending on the vein's location and the concentration of spiritual energy in the soil.

The three mu of Spiritual Fields spread around the central cottage would be where Li Qianqing stayed for some time to come.

The spiritual energy concentration inside the cottage was quite good, enough to support the cultivation needs of even a Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivator. For Li Qianqing, who had only recently entered the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, it was an excellent place to cultivate.

"Now, Second Grandfather will explain how White Corn should be tended..."

Li Ditu began explaining how to care for White Corn.

During their three years of cultivation, Li Family disciples had all learned the most basic knowledge of planting. People regarded food as their heaven, and cultivators were no different. Planting was among the most basic forms of knowledge.

Only after eating and drinking their fill, satisfying their most basic daily energy needs, could they focus wholeheartedly on cultivation.

White Corn was the easiest Spirit Rice to tend and also one of the easiest spirit materials to cultivate.

As long as one grasped the most basic Rain Transformation Art and Geng Metal Art, one could care for it well.

After finishing the general explanation, Li Ditu left behind the two minor spells and gave Li Qianqing a full month before departing.

During that month of study, someone else would tend the three mu of Spiritual Fields.

"Goodbye, Second Grandfather."

"Mm. In one month, I'll come inspect the results of your cultivation." Though he said that, Li Ditu believed Li Qianqing could easily reach the target he had set.

After all, he had given him an exceptionally generous amount of time. If Li Qianqing still had not even begun the Rain Transformation Art and Geng Metal Art after a month, Li Ditu would be deeply disappointed.

After entering the cottage, Li Qianqing first sensed the concentration of spiritual energy between heaven and earth here. It was even somewhat better than his residence on Changqing Mountain.

"This is one of the nodes of a Micro Spirit Vein. It would be even better if a Spirit Gathering Array were set up here."

Li Qianqing was merely saying it. If a Spirit Gathering Array were truly arranged here, the three mu of Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields around the cottage would likely not even be able to grow White Corn.

Without taking out the spell manuals, Li Qianqing began studying the Rain Transformation Art and Geng Metal Art.

As long as one opened the specific meridian pathways through which a spell operated, the spell was considered learned. Using it skillfully meant Lesser Mastery, while perfect command meant Greater Mastery.

Any spell he had learned in his previous life was especially easy for Li Qianqing to grasp again.

If he had followed the path of spell arts in his previous life, learning spells now would have been even easier.

In two hours, both the Rain Transformation Art and Geng Metal Art had been learned. By then, dusk had fallen.

If he continued cultivating, it would take at most one day for both spells to reach Lesser Mastery. But reaching Greater Mastery would consume quite a bit of time, because in his previous life, he had only cultivated both the Rain Transformation Art and Geng Metal Art to the Lesser Mastery Realm.

He had not been a Spirit Planter specializing in cultivation in his previous life. If he had known he would be reborn, then when his realm was high enough, he would certainly have learned those spells that had long become useless to him and cultivated every one of them to the Greater Mastery Realm.

The time was about right, so Li Qianqing began preparing today's White Corn.

During Early-Stage Qi Refining, a cultivator consumed one jin of White Corn each day. Upon reaching Mid-Stage Qi Refining, that rose to one and a half jin per day.

Before coming to Changle Mountain, Li Lilong had prepared a year's supply of White Corn for a Mid-Stage Qi Refining cultivator—five hundred forty jin in total.

Cultivators with a Lineage had the most basic guarantee of daily food. For some Rogue Cultivators, if they wanted their cultivation to continue advancing, they had to run about for food every day.

White Corn was the best-selling cultivator food in the Cultivator Market. Thus, many of the Li Clan's Rank 1 Low-Grade Spiritual Fields were planted with White Corn. Beyond meeting the most basic consumption needs of Lineage cultivators, large quantities of White Corn were also sold outside.

The Li Family owned five shops. Of those, three were located in the Cultivator Market of Tongyang County, Xiangshui Prefecture.

As the cheapest and most basic Spirit Food for cultivators, White Corn tasted exceptionally good—fragrant, soft, and glutinous, never growing tiresome no matter how often one ate it.

After eating and drinking his fill, Li Qianqing began cultivating Void God Needle.

This Divine Sense Secret Technique was the worst one he had obtained. For that very reason, after absorbing its contents, he had never cultivated it, leaving him unable to use it now that he had not yet learned it.

Li Qianqing was in no hurry. His Divine Sense being born at Mid-Stage Qi Refining and the unsealing of Void God Needle were merely unexpected delights. It was still far too early for him to need this Divine Sense Secret Technique in battle.

The next day, at dawn.

When Li Qianqing opened the door, he saw a young man busily at work.

He simply watched quietly without saying anything.

He did not know whether this fellow was Li Qianbao, because he had never met this fellow in his previous life either.

Li Qianbao was no good person.

One of his main reasons for coming to Changle Mountain was to resolve the crisis caused by Li Qianbao, which had led to losses for the Lineage.