He Was Talented at Farming

Although Li Xiuchang tried his hardest to maintain his composure, how could he possibly hide it from Mo Tu and Zhang Wanzhi?

The two of them could hear even his heartbeat and breathing with perfect clarity.

Sensing the excitement and exhilaration hidden within Li Xiuchang, Zhang Wanzhi teased him through voice transmission: "This kid really thinks he's a genius. Look how excited he is."

Mo Tu said, "He truly has extraordinary talent when it comes to farming."

Zhang Wanzhi said, "Huh?"

He knew Mo Tu's eye for talent. For Mo Tu to praise someone as "extraordinarily talented," it meant Li Xiuchang's gift for the path of spirit plants was frighteningly high—absolutely top-tier.

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

Mo Tu said, "Even with the Daoist Sect's most supreme secret art of imparting the Dao, 'Anointing,' the effect still depends on the recipient's own ability to absorb it."

Zhang Wanzhi said, "True. Even if you poured the waters of a vast ocean into a cup, all you'd get would be a cupful of water... So does that mean he really is a genius?"

Mo Tu said, "On the path of spirit plants, his talent far surpasses mine."

Zhang Wanzhi said, "Hiss..."

That final sound of sharply drawing in a breath was not voice transmission, so Li Xiuchang heard it as well.

Li Xiuchang instantly felt secretly delighted. Here it comes—the legendary sound of someone sucking in a cold breath!

It seems my rate of progress has even shocked Senior Brother Zhang, who is known as the Outer Sect's Number One Genius.

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

Throughout the process, Mo Tu also seized every opportunity to explain some knowledge about the path of spirit plants to him.

Because the next seven plantings merely repeated the same work, the increase in length was not as astonishing as it had been at the start.

But it still pushed his Length Value past the three-inch mark!

The ten seeds occupied half of Li Xiuchang's courtyard, while the other half remained empty.

A whole courtyard of Netherfrost Grass could earn Mo Tu three thousand spirit stones a year. In the future, half a courtyard of Netherfrost Grass should earn Li Xiuchang fifteen hundred a year without any problem.

If Netherfrost Grass grew normally in the wild, it would take several decades to mature.

However, they had created the environment best suited to Netherfrost Grass's growth and used a Spirit Planter's methods to artificially hasten its maturation. It would probably flower and bear fruit in seven or eight years.

If they fertilized it diligently, they could shorten the growth period even further.

The purpose of a Spirit Planter was to increase the yield of spirit grasses and Spirit Medicines and shorten their growth cycles.

Otherwise, with the spirit grasses and Spirit Medicines of the cultivation world often having growth periods of several hundred or even a thousand years, where would anyone find medicinal ingredients for alchemy?

Once the Netherfrost Grass had been planted, what remained was long-term cultivation and maintenance. Li Xiuchang gazed eagerly at Mo Tu, waiting for him to continue teaching him the path of spirit control.

Zhang Wanzhi advised, "Junior Brother, you've progressed at lightning speed on the path of spirit plants, so your talent must be astonishing. Since that's the case, why not devote yourself entirely to studying the path of spirit plants?

"As for the path of spirit control, it won't be too late to learn it later. Hiring two apprentices to tend the courtyard would work just as well."

He was afraid that Li Xiuchang would spread himself too thin, bite off more than he could chew, and ultimately delay his cultivation instead.

However, he had forgotten one thing: it would be understandable coming from anyone else, but hearing those words from him was rather strange.

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

Zhang Wanzhi was instantly rendered speechless.

Who in the Outer Sect didn't know that Zhang Wanzhi possessed more than a dozen different skills?

Li Xiuchang knew Zhang Wanzhi meant well, but he had long since decided to walk the path of cultivating multiple skills simultaneously.

The path of spirit plants was good, but its returns came too slowly. After planting some spirit grasses or Spirit Medicines, he would have to wait at least a year or two before seeing a harvest.

More importantly, the path of spirit control was simply too tempting. Saying that hiring a few people would work just as well was utter nonsense.

How could people compare to ghosts in usefulness?

Seeing that Li Xiuchang had made up his mind to learn spirit control, Mo Tu did not waste any more words and took out a Jade Flute.

"Two First-tier malevolent spirits are sealed inside this flute. They're enough for you to use in tending the plants in the courtyard. I'll lend it to you for now; return it to me once you no longer need it."

"How could I accept that, Senior Brother Mo? How many spirit stones are these two malevolent spirits worth? I'll pay you in full at once. If you're unwilling to sell them, you can also rent them to me." Li Xiuchang hurriedly replied.

He still did not want to owe too many favors.

Although he seemed to have already incurred a favor tonight, owing a little less was better than owing a little more.

Li Xiuchang's original intention had been to interact with as few people as possible and cultivate quietly on his own.

With the help of the Length Cheat, he firmly believed that his rise was only a matter of time.

But ever since entering the Immortal Dust Sect, receiving the care of various senior brothers, and taking a master, he had inevitably become involved with many people and incurred their favors.

Mo Tu pondered briefly before saying, "Use it for now and see how it goes. If you find it convenient, you can buy it later. Or you can cultivate them into Second-tier malevolent spirits and return them to me in the future as rent."

Only then did Li Xiuchang accept the Jade Flute.

He played the Jade Flute, and two ethereal figures immediately flew out of it, one male and one female. Both appeared to be in their twenties.

The two malevolent spirits leaned against each other. They were actually a married couple.

"They were once an ill-fated couple in the mortal world. Their families tore them apart, and they both committed suicide for love. Their resentment did not disperse, and they became wandering souls. They cultivated beside me for more than twenty years before becoming First-tier malevolent spirits," Mo Tu explained.

"A husband and wife—that's great. Men and women working together means the work won't feel tiring." Li Xiuchang was quite satisfied.

The two malevolent spirits bowed to Li Xiuchang, who held the Jade Flute, then bent at the waist in a deep bow to Mo Tu.

First-tier malevolent spirits could neither speak nor communicate through voice transmission, but with the Jade Flute in hand, Li Xiuchang could directly issue orders to the two ghosts.

Next, Mo Tu instructed Li Xiuchang on how to control the malevolent spirits, how to issue orders to them, and how to maintain their loyalty, while also imparting to him the basic knowledge of the path of spirit control.

"The path of spirit control can be divided into three parts: Ghost Capturing, Ghost Controlling, and Ghost Nurturing. But in my view, Ghost Capturing and Ghost Controlling are merely minor paths. Ghost Nurturing is the true core."

"No matter how profound one's skills in Ghost Capturing and Ghost Controlling are, they're useless without the corresponding cultivation level and strength. Even a grandmaster of spirit control, if he possessed only Foundation Establishment cultivation, could at most use his skills to capture and control a malevolent spirit equivalent to the peak of the Golden Core realm."

"But a Nascent Soul Cultivator, even without any foundation in spirit control, could easily subdue a Golden Core-level malevolent spirit."

"Only Ghost Nurturing is the core of the path of spirit control. By cultivating low-tier malevolent spirits into high-tier malevolent spirits, you not only increase their strength but also ensure their loyalty. Even without external restraints, you can command them with ease, and you can disregard the gap in strength."

"If you personally cultivate a malevolent spirit, then no matter how much stronger it is than you, you won't need to worry about it betraying you."

"Of course, that doesn't mean you can abandon learning Ghost Capturing and Ghost Controlling. The more basic a minor path is, the more thoroughly you must master it. So begin practicing with the simplest Ghost Controlling..."

As Li Xiuchang practiced along with him, he kept an eye on the changes in his Length Value.

This time, his Length Value began surging again!

It was just that compared with the speed of his improvement while learning the path of spirit plants, it was still far slower.