Moreover, once he mastered a skill, he could use the resources he obtained to exchange for other treasures, arm himself to the teeth, and acquire means to protect his path.
"Then, which skill should I learn?" Zhang Wan pondered as he sat in the carriage.
Artifact forging, alchemy, formations, and talismans were all options. With experience points, he was not afraid he would fail to learn them.
Investing a sum of experience points early on could save a large amount later. It was a very worthwhile deal.
"Perhaps I should consider becoming a Spirit Planter too."
Cultivating spirit plants would not only provide things to eat and use in cultivation; it could also be useful in artifact forging, alchemy, formations, and talismans.
If he wanted any spirit medicine or spirit herb, he could cultivate it himself. Just thinking about it was beautiful.
Although being a Spirit Planter was easy to learn but difficult to master, and cultivating spirit plants required quite a lot of time, the same saying still applied: with experience points, Zhang Wan was not afraid he would fail to learn.
With the help of experience points, Zhang Wan could even easily reach an extremely high level as a Spirit Planter.
Perhaps by then, he might find a way to reduce the cultivation time of rare spirit plants.
Zhang Wan had yet to decide which skill to learn.
There was no need to rush his decision.
If he wanted to begin learning, he first had to find a way to obtain a corresponding inheritance. Otherwise, even if he wanted to cheat by spending experience points, he would have no way to do so.
The rune carriage sped along, and in a short time, it traveled from the Beginner Martial Arts Academy to Hemi Town.
There were quite a few rune carriages stopped in Hemi Town. Aside from those transporting supplies back and forth, there were the rune carriages like Zhang Wan's, escorting students.
However, not all these carriages came from the Beginner Martial Arts Academy.
The Jade Bone Sect ruled an area spanning over a thousand kilometers, with more than fifty million mortals under its jurisdiction.
There were several million children of suitable age who could attend the academies.
Although not every child of suitable age could enter an academy under the Jade Bone Sect to cultivate martial arts, there were still several hundred thousand who met the requirements. A single Beginner Martial Arts Academy could not hold so many students.
There were forty or fifty academies like this one that trained Houtian martial artists.
Whenever the academies went on break, the rune carriages were at their busiest.
Zhang Wan brought his second younger sister, Zhang Lingshu, out of the carriage and walked toward Quanjian Village outside Hemi Town.
Quanjian Village had a mountain spring containing a trace of spiritual energy. Relying on this spring water, the village had long been growing pseudo-spiritual plants for the Jade Bone Sect.
Hemi was the pseudo-spiritual plant most widely cultivated in Quanjian Village, which was also the origin of Hemi Town's name.
Zhang Wan's parents lived in Quanjian Village, growing the pseudo-spiritual plant Hemi for the sect. This was also why Zhang Wan and Zhang Lingshu had been qualified to go to the Beginner Martial Arts Academy to study martial arts.
Aside from a very small number of exceptionally talented people, the students in the academies under the Jade Bone Sect basically all came from backgrounds like this.
Quanjian Village was some distance from Hemi Town, and heavy snow had sealed the roads.
But that could not stop the siblings, Zhang Wan and Zhang Lingshu.
In the past, Zhang Wan's parents would come to meet the siblings whenever they were on break, but ever since Zhang Wan had succeeded in cultivating the Ox Demon Body Tempering Fist and had always conducted himself steadily, his parents had stopped doing so.
Once he had mastered the Ox Demon Body Tempering Fist, he could mobilize the qi and blood within his body, making his strength no less than that of an ordinary adult.
Naturally, Zhang Wan's parents no longer treated him like an ordinary child.
Moreover, quite a few students were traveling toward Quanjian Village, including some friends Zhang Wan had known since childhood. Everyone looked out for one another, so there was truly nothing to fear.
They chatted and laughed along the way, discussing the interesting things that had happened to each of them at the academy recently, and reached Quanjian Village through the wind and snow.
The siblings, Zhang Wan and Zhang Lingshu, returned home.
As soon as they opened the door, they saw a little carrot-top excitedly shouting, "Big Brother! Big Sister!" as he ran over.
It was their third younger brother, Zhang Yan.
Zhang Wan picked up his third younger brother. Their mother, Lin Yue, was busy in the kitchen, while their father, Zhang Changlin, was still working in the fields.
The heavy snow had sealed the sky, and it was no longer the season for planting Hemi.
However, there were also quite a few pseudo-spiritual plants suitable for cultivation in winter. Even now, mortals like Zhang Changlin, who worked as Spirit Farmers under the Jade Bone Sect, still had to keep busy.
Zhang Wan chatted with his mother for a while. After eating some food with his second younger sister, he found the family's iron plow, picked up the packed meals, and headed to the fields together to look for his father, Zhang Changlin.
Their third younger brother, Zhang Yan, also scampered after them.
Zhang Changlin had a full five mu of farmland, two mu of which were used to grow pseudo-spiritual plants. At that moment, he was busy turning over the soil.
Ordinary fields were generally plowed in the second or third month, but fields used to grow pseudo-spiritual plants were cultivated without pause throughout the year.
As soon as one harvest of pseudo-spiritual plants ended, preparations began to plow and plant the next crop.
The earth was stiff in winter and difficult to hoe. It was only because Zhang Changlin had also learned some Mortal martial arts and could mobilize the qi and blood within his body that he could turn over the frozen ground.
Mortals who could not even mobilize their qi and blood were not qualified to become Spirit Farmers of the Jade Bone Sect and grow pseudo-spiritual plants.
When Zhang Wan arrived, Zhang Changlin was delighted to see his children, whom he had not seen for so long.
When Zhang Wan was home, especially after he had mastered the Ox Demon Body Tempering Fist, he had also begun helping around the house by turning over and replanting the fields.
However, after Zhang Changlin's initial delight this time, he became somewhat puzzled. Why was his eldest son not carrying a hoe, but instead carrying an iron plowshare?
After taking the food Zhang Lingshu was carrying and eating lunch on the ridge between the fields,
he saw Zhang Wan tie a rope around himself and pull the plow in front, while Zhang Lingshu operated the iron plowshare behind him, rapidly turning over the frozen-hard earth.
There were several water buffalo used for farming at Zhang Wan's home.
Ordinary buffalo could still be used at other times, but if they were made to plow in winter, they would be worked to death.
Since the buffalo could not do it, people had to take their place.
He had experience being a human plow!
Turning over one mu of frozen, hardened farmland would leave even someone capable of using qi and blood utterly exhausted.
But with Zhang Wan pulling in front and Zhang Lingshu guiding the plow behind him, they easily finished turning over the entire mu of land, which totaled more than six hundred square meters.
Zhang Changlin stared in stunned disbelief.
Then, as if he had thought of something, he asked in a delighted, trembling voice, "Eldest, have you broken through to the Houtian realm?"
Zhang Wan smiled and gave him an affirmative answer.
Zhang Changlin was beside himself with joy, laughing until his face bloomed.
He had worked himself to the bone planting fields for the Jade Bone Sect just to wait for this day.
He had originally thought he would have to wait at least another ten or twenty years, or perhaps never live to see it.
Instead, his eldest son had given him a surprise.
Seeing his father so happy that he had lost himself, Zhang Wan smilingly picked up the sack resting on the field ridge.
He took out the seeds and planted the Snow Grass seeds one by one.
For Snow Grass to grow, it needed the bitter cold of winter. The heavier and more continuous the snowfall, the better the Snow Grass would grow.
The four members of the father-and-sons family worked for a while and planted the Snow Grass.
By then, dusk had arrived.
Winter days were short, so they returned home early.
The remaining mu of farmland used to grow pseudo-spiritual plants would have to wait until tomorrow.
After returning, Zhang Changlin's delighted expression remained unchanged as he told his wife, Lin Yue, the news.
Lin Yue was also happy, but she laughingly scolded Zhang Wan for not telling her as soon as he had returned.
Zhang Wan could only repeatedly apologize.
The family ate dinner amid laughter and cheer.
As soon as they finished eating, Father Zhang and Mother Lin went out to visit the neighbors, telling everyone about their son breaking through to the Houtian realm. They drew praise and envy from all around, and the two of them were so delighted they could hardly close their mouths.
Zhang Wan, meanwhile, was instructing Zhang Lingshu in her exercises.
This left Zhang Lingshu groaning bitterly. She had thought that once she was on break, she would be able to relax properly and have a great time.
But how could Zhang Wan let his second younger sister have her way?
He had prepared a whole pile of exercise regimens for her long ago, guaranteeing that she would spend this month full, rewarding, and unforgettable.
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