Golden Ear Village, the Perfect Cultivation Ground, an Unexpected Cave

"Mm, Boss."

Xiao Ze nodded slightly and continued making his bed.

Although Xiao Wu found Xiao Ze a little strange, being rather thoughtless, she did not dwell on it.

She continued chatting with the others.

Seeing this, Xiao Ze headed straight out.

He arrived at the Principal's Office.

"Xiao Ze, what is it?"

The principal had met the three work-study students today. Though Xiao Ze had the poorest talent, he liked him the most.

Moreover, he believed that Xiao Ze would certainly achieve the most.

As for the other two—

One had no eyes and had taken Yu Xiaogang as his master.

The other looked foolish and was bound to be deceived.

"Principal Grandpa, it's like this. My Martial Soul requires a special place to cultivate."

"A Mimicry Training Ground? But our Primary Academy doesn't have one." The principal looked troubled.

He was only a Soul Ancestor himself and had no money to build a Mimicry Training Ground.

"Not that. My Martial Soul is Black Earth, so I only need to cultivate beside Farmland. And my cultivation speed won't be slow, either."

"Oh. An interesting Martial Soul." The principal nodded.

"Mm... Nuoding City's Farmland is all quite far away. But if you leave Nuoding Academy from the west gate and walk another two or three kilometers, there's a village there. You can cultivate there."

"It's just a little far."

Xiao Ze was delighted. "Two or three kilometers isn't far. I can treat it as physical exercise."

"Alright. You can eat there in the future too. It might even be cheaper than the academy."

The principal smiled.

At Primary and Intermediate Academies like this, everything was run by others, including the price of meals.

"Understood, Principal Grandpa."

Watching Xiao Ze's departing back, the principal sighed. "What a good child. It's a pity his Soul Power talent is so low. I hope this strange Martial Soul of his can help him."

Under the blazing midday sun, Xiao Ze left the city and followed the main road to the village the principal had mentioned.

By then, Xiao Ze's clothes were already soaked through with sweat.

His cheeks were flushed and burning hot.

Xiao Ze let out a breath of relief.

After gaining Soul Power, Xiao Ze's body had improved considerably.

Upon entering Golden Ear Village, the first thing he saw was a sea of golden wheat swaying gently in the breeze, like a vast, flowing ocean of gold.

The glittering wheat heads hung low, laden with plump grains that gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

Across the fields, orderly irrigation channels crisscrossed the land. Clear water murmured through them, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

At the sight of those endless stalks of wheat, Xiao Ze could not help opening his mouth.

Golden Ear Village truly lived up to its name. It was far wealthier than Qingxi Village.

Xiao Ze continued along the winding path.

He could see elderly people basking in the sun on bamboo chairs outside their doors, gently fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans.

Mischievous children played nearby, pursued by Parents carrying bowls of food.

It was incredibly warm and peaceful.

Xiao Ze looked around. The Farmland here was excellent and quite suitable for his cultivation, but he still needed to find a place with ample Natural Life Force that was not too far from here.

The Farmland covered a vast area, and quite a few villagers were working within it.

At a glance, the fields were flat, but to the northwest stood a lush, verdant mountain that seemed promising.

Xiao Ze immediately headed over.

A quarter of an hour later, seeing the abundant Natural Life Force here and the golden wheat before him, Xiao Ze was overjoyed.

This was the perfect place to cultivate, far better than Qingxi Village.

More importantly, there was hardly anyone here.

To be safe, Xiao Ze checked the surroundings and found no animals.

It seemed that animals were rather scarce in the world of Douluo Continent.

Xiao Ze wiped the sweat from his forehead, sat cross-legged, and began circulating Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica.

"Spirit of the hundred herbs, abundant spiritual energy. My heart seeks the Dao, sensing their feelings."

As the sun set, the sky suddenly darkened, and fierce winds howled.

Xiao Ze opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

His face was filled with excitement.

"The cultivation efficiency here is actually twice that of Qingxi Village. Great! This way, I can reach level ten faster."

Xiao Ze then looked toward the dim sky, where dark clouds blanketed everything.

In the blink of an eye, raindrops as large as beans began to fall in a light drizzle.

"...It's actually raining."

Xiao Ze was numb. There was still some distance to Nuoding Academy.

He planned to find somewhere sheltered to wait it out, then head back once the rain eased.

Bang—

"Damn!"

It was too dark, and Xiao Ze stepped into empty air, sliding down the steep slope.

Xiao Ze quickly grabbed a tree beside him and stopped himself.

"Whew... What rotten luck." Xiao Ze let out a sigh of relief.

The night sky was covered by dark clouds, with no moonlight in sight. It was far too dark.

"Hmm?" Xiao Ze stared blankly at a boulder beside him that was being pushed by the strong wind.

How could such a huge rock be moved by the wind?

The next moment, the boulder rumbled and rolled downhill.

It gave Xiao Ze quite a fright.

"Damn... That was terrifying. Good thing I was beside it. If I'd been underneath it, I wouldn't even know how I died."

Xiao Ze crawled over and felt the damp ground.

It seemed that the soil here had been softened by the rain, leaving the boulder unstable and causing it to roll down directly.

As he raised his head slightly, Xiao Ze's pupils suddenly widened.

"A cave?"

A cave entrance appeared before Xiao Ze, its interior pitch-black.

"There's actually a cave here, and it looks natural."

"But there was a boulder blocking the entrance. That boulder doesn't look like it was naturally here, either."

He had not noticed earlier, but after looking around, Xiao Ze saw that there were no boulders this large nearby. Perhaps someone had brought it here.

"Could there be some treasure inside? Don't tell me I'm a Child of Luck?"

Xiao Ze began letting his imagination run wild.

He had read plenty of novels. In situations like this, there was usually something good inside.

For example, Xiao Yan's flying combat technique.

Thunder rumbled across the sky, purple lightning flashing as the light rain gradually intensified.

"No, I have to go in and take shelter. This little body of mine can't handle getting soaked like this."

Although Xiao Ze had Soul Power, this little bit of Soul Power could not do much.

Xiao Ze pushed aside the weeds and squeezed into the cave.

The cave entrance was extremely narrow, roughly the size of a normal adult.

Inside was pitch-black, and a cold, damp aura washed over him.

Xiao Ze took out a box of matches from his pocket.

"Good, they still work."

He struck a match, and its faint light dispelled the darkness before him.

Following the path, Xiao Ze made his way inside.

The interior was much larger than he had imagined.

"This place... don't tell me the entire mountain was hollowed out."

Xiao Ze clicked his tongue.

Nuoding Academy.

"So, Xiao Ze still hasn't returned?"

"Yes." Xiao Wu nodded.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I don't know either." Xiao Wu looked utterly aggrieved.

Tang San's brows drew together as he looked at the principal with displeasure.

In just one afternoon, Tang San had already been captivated by Xiao Wu.

Principal, you have chosen the Path to Death.

"Sigh... I'll go look for them."

The principal immediately sprinted toward Golden Ear Village.