He's Talented at Farming

Li Xiuchang tried his best to remain calm, but how could he hide it from Mo Tu and Zhang Wanzhi?

The two could hear his heartbeat and breathing clearly.

Zhang Wanzhi sensed Li Xiuchang's hidden excitement and transmitted a message, teasing, "This kid really thinks he's a genius. Look how thrilled he is."

Mo Tu: "He does have considerable talent in farming."

Zhang Wanzhi: "Huh?"

He knew Mo Tu's discerning eye. For Mo Tu to praise someone as "considerably talented" meant Li Xiuchang's aptitude in Spirit Planting was terrifyingly high, definitely top-tier.

Zhang Wanzhi: "I thought it was all thanks to your 'Demonic Sound Infiltrating the Brain' technique that he improved so rapidly."

Mo Tu: "Even the Daoist Sect's most profound secret method, 'Anointing,' depends on the recipient's own capacity to accept it."

Zhang Wanzhi: "Indeed. Even pouring the vast ocean into a cup would only yield a single cupful... So, he truly is a genius?"

Mo Tu: "In the way of Spirit Planting, his talent far surpasses mine."

Zhang Wanzhi: "Hiss..."

The final gasp wasn't a telepathic message, so Li Xiuchang heard it too.

Li Xiuchang secretly rejoiced. There it is, the legendary gasp!

It seems my rate of progress has even shocked Senior Brother Zhang, who's known as the Outer Sect's number one genius.

Next, under Mo Tu's guidance, Li Xiuchang planted the remaining seven Netherfrost Grass seeds.

During this process, Mo Tu also seized opportunities to explain some knowledge about Spirit Planting to him.

Since the subsequent seven plantings were just repetitions of the same work, the increase in Length wasn't as astonishing as at the beginning.

But it did push his Length value past the three-inch mark!

Ten seeds occupied half of Li Xiuchang's courtyard, leaving the other half vacant.

Mo Tu's entire courtyard of Netherfrost Grass could earn three thousand Spirit Stones a year. Li Xiuchang's half-courtyard of Netherfrost Grass should be able to earn fifteen hundred a year in the future.

Netherfrost Grass normally takes decades to mature in the wild.

However, they had created the most suitable growing environment for Netherfrost Grass and used Spirit Planter techniques for artificial ripening. It was estimated to take seven to eight years to flower and bear fruit.

Applying more fertilizer could further shorten the growth period.

The role of a Spirit Planter was to increase the yield of Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine and shorten their growth cycles.

Otherwise, with the Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine in the cultivation world often taking hundreds or thousands of years to grow, where would they find ingredients for Alchemy?

After planting the Netherfrost Grass, it required long-term cultivation and maintenance. Li Xiuchang eagerly looked at Mo Tu, waiting for him to continue teaching him the way of Soul Manipulation.

Zhang Wanzhi advised, "Junior Brother, your progress in Spirit Planting is astonishingly fast, indicating remarkable talent. Why not focus all your efforts on Spirit Planting?

"As for Soul Manipulation, it's not too late to learn it later. Hiring a couple of apprentices to manage the courtyard would be just as effective."

He was afraid Li Xiuchang would spread himself too thin, trying to grasp too much and ultimately hindering his cultivation.

However, he overlooked one point: while those words might be acceptable coming from someone else, they sounded odd coming from him.

"But... I also want to be as versatile as Senior Brother," Li Xiuchang said sincerely.

Zhang Wanzhi was immediately speechless.

Everyone in the Outer Sect knew that Zhang Wanzhi possessed over a dozen skills.

Li Xiuchang knew Zhang Wanzhi meant well, but he had already decided to pursue a path of cultivating multiple skills.

Spirit Planting was good, but the return cycle was too long. Growing Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine, for example, would take at least one to two years to yield a harvest.

The crucial point was that Soul Manipulation was incredibly appealing. The idea of hiring people to do the work was simply nonsensical.

How could people be as useful as ghosts!

Seeing Li Xiuchang's resolve to learn Soul Manipulation, Mo Tu didn't waste words and took out a Jade Flute.

"This flute seals two First-tier malevolent spirits, enough for you to tend to the plants in your courtyard. I'll lend them to you for now; you can return them when you no longer need them."

"How can I accept this, Senior Brother Mo? How much are these two malevolent spirits? I'll pay you upfront. If you're unwilling to sell, I can rent them from you." Li Xiuchang hurried to say.

He still didn't want to owe too many favors.

Although he seemed to have already incurred some debts tonight, he wanted to owe as little as possible.

Li Xiuchang's original intention was to interact less with others and cultivate quietly by himself.

With the help of his Length Cheat, he firmly believed his rise was inevitable.

But since entering the Immortal Dust Sect, receiving care from various senior brothers, and even taking a master, he had unavoidably interacted with many people and incurred debts of gratitude.

Mo Tu pondered for a moment: "Try using them first. If they suit you, you can buy them then. Or, you can nurture them into Second-tier malevolent spirits and return them to me later as rent."

Only then did Li Xiuchang accept the Jade Flute.

As he played the Jade Flute, two phantoms, a male and a female, immediately flew out from it. They both appeared to be in their early twenties.

The two malevolent spirits clung to each other; they were a couple.

"They were a pair of ill-fated lovers in the mortal world, separated by their families, and both died for love. Their resentment lingered, turning them into wandering spirits. They've been cultivating by my side for over twenty years to become First-tier malevolent spirits," Mo Tu said.

"A married couple is great; men and women working together makes the labor feel lighter," Li Xiuchang said with satisfaction.

The two malevolent spirits bowed to Li Xiuchang, who held a jade flute, and then bowed to Mo Tu.

First-tier malevolent spirits cannot speak or communicate telepathically, but since Li Xiuchang held the jade flute, he could directly issue commands to the two spirits.

Next, Mo Tu began to instruct Li Xiuchang on how to control malevolent spirits, how to give them orders, and how to maintain their loyalty. He also imparted basic knowledge of the path of Soul Manipulation.

"The path of Soul Manipulation can be divided into three parts: Ghost Capturing, Ghost Controlling, and Ghost Nurturing. However, in my opinion, Ghost Capturing and Ghost Controlling are minor arts; Ghost Nurturing is the core."

"Even with profound skill in Ghost Capturing and Ghost Controlling, they are useless without corresponding cultivation strength. Even a Soul Manipulation Grandmaster, if they only possess Foundation Establishment cultivation, can at most capture and control malevolent spirits equivalent to the peak of Golden Core using their skills."

"But a Nascent Soul cultivator, even without any prior Soul Manipulation foundation, can easily subdue a Golden Core-level malevolent spirit."

"Only Ghost Nurturing is the core of Soul Manipulation. Cultivating low-tier malevolent spirits into high-tier ones not only enhances their strength but also ensures their loyalty. They can be easily commanded without external constraints and can ignore differences in strength."

"If a malevolent spirit is nurtured by your own hand, even if its strength far surpasses yours, you need not worry about betrayal."

"Of course, this does not mean you can abandon learning Ghost Capturing and Ghost Controlling. The more fundamental the minor art, the more thoroughly you must master it. So, let's begin by practicing the simplest, Ghost Controlling..."

As Li Xiuchang practiced, he paid attention to the changes in the Length value.

This time, the Length value began to surge again!

However, the rate of increase was still much slower than when he was learning the path of Spirit Planting.