Spiritual Rice

Fang Yuan was still unaware of the enormous conspiracy closing in on him.

On the contrary, at this moment, his heart was filled with wild joy.

"This is..."

The moment he stepped into the rice field, a crimson glow flooded his vision.

The entire Crimson Jade Rice Field had transformed dramatically. The grains were plump and full, nearly bursting, and they emitted a faintly spicy aroma, like a fine seasoning, tantalizing and mouthwatering.

"The Red Jade Rice is ripe!"

Fang Yuan was overjoyed.

"Gugu!"

"Gugu!"

The Flower Fox Ferret beside him was also beaming with excitement, practically itching to pounce and feast.

Fortunately, its recent training had finally taught it that this spirit rice, like the Jade Crystal Rice, had to be husked and steamed before its supreme flavor could be savored—otherwise, it would be a waste of a heavenly gift.

So it held back, staring at Fang Yuan with eager eyes.

"Alright, let's harvest first!"

Fang Yuan returned to the Spirit Cottage, grabbed a sickle and other tools, and began cutting carefully.

Now that he had broken through Rest Pass and become a skilled hand in martial arts, his stamina far exceeded an ordinary person's, and his divine essence was extremely high. His movements were perfectly controlled. With a few flashes of the blade, rows of Red Jade Rice seedlings fell in orderly fashion.

Beside him, the Flower Fox Ferret watched this scene, licked its own paw, but didn't dare to help.

It knew very well that its future happiness depended on this rice field. If it messed things up with clumsy paws, wouldn't it be crying itself to death?

"Alright, help me carry these seedlings back!"

Fang Yuan tied the Red Jade Rice seedlings into bundles with straw rope and tossed one to the Flower Fox Ferret. "Careful!"

After harvesting came drying, threshing, husking...

When the final step was done, Fang Yuan looked at the bright red Red Jade Rice before him, and a smile unconsciously spread across his face.

The Red Jade Rice grains before him were the size of a pinky finger, each one crystal-clear like jade, with a fiery line running through the middle. The scent of spice wafted up.

"This harvest is about fifty jin. Half must be kept as seed for next time..."

Fang Yuan set aside the unhulled raw grain and stored it properly in the warehouse. Only then did he let out a long breath, staring at the remaining Red Jade Rice, rubbing his hands together impatiently. "Let me taste this spirit rice..."

Beside him, the Flower Fox Ferret drooled at the sight of the Red Jade Rice but didn't dare to grab any. Instead, it rolled its eyes, ate a small portion of the chaff, patted its belly, and wore a satisfied expression.

"What a clever little thing!"

Seeing this, even Fang Yuan couldn't help but laugh and scold it.

Though chaff was usually fed to livestock in the countryside, this was spirit rice chaff—its nutrition and vitality probably surpassed even Pearl Jade Crystal Rice.

"But... if you eat so much now, will you still have room when the Red Jade Rice is cooked?"

Fang Yuan tapped the Flower Fox Ferret's little head.

The white sable rolled its eyes, gestured with its tiny paws, and its eyes were full of longing, as if to say it could eat however much more was offered. It was impossible not to laugh.

"Really... I can't do anything with you!"

Fang Yuan chuckled helplessly, fetched some spring water, set up a steamer, thought for a moment, and put in one jin of Red Jade Rice.

"This Red Jade Rice is a spirit seed, so cooking it has its rules. Just steam it directly over water..."

Fang Yuan stuffed rice straw under the stove, watching the red glow flare up like a fire in the kitchen, and the aroma continuously rising from the steamer. He couldn't help swallowing.

This Red Jade straw was also a spirit plant, yet he was using it as fuel. If someone from the Gui Ling Sect saw this, they'd call him a reckless spendthrift.

But to Fang Yuan, using straw to cook rice was only natural, wasn't it?

Besides, combining the two might bring some special benefits.

'Next time, I'll raise some chickens and ducks with Red Jade chaff and make a full spirit feast—that's the real life!'

In Fang Yuan's heart, there was a small dream.

Since the straw burned easily, he had to keep adding more. When the last handful turned to flame and vanished, a fragrance ten times richer than before filled the kitchen.

"The Red Jade Rice is done!"

Fang Yuan opened the steamer, and a great cloud of red vapor rose. The ordinary steam, stained by the light of the Red Jade Rice, turned fiery red, like Fire Clouds.

Inside the steamer, the Red Jade Rice had softened, now about the same size as normal crystal rice. But after absorbing the water vapor, each grain looked even fuller, with faint flames flickering inside.

"Gugu! Gugu!"

The Flower Fox Ferret jumped up, unable to contain its eagerness.

"Haha... how could I forget you? Come, eat!"

Fang Yuan took out bowls and chopsticks, filled a full bowl for the Flower Fox Ferret, and another for himself.

Gulp!

Amid the rising aroma, Fang Yuan swallowed, picked up a chopstickful of Red Jade Rice, and brought it to his mouth.

"Woo..."

The next instant, his pupils shot wide open.

This Red Jade Rice melted on the tongue, like a stream of magma carrying a rich, spicy aroma that stimulated his taste buds.

That mildly numbing sensation, paired with the rice's original texture, became the best possible side dish—no other accompaniments were needed.

When his throat rolled and he swallowed, the torrent poured straight into his lower abdomen, then surged up again as a refreshing, icy cold stream.

The rice, which had been blazing hot in flavor, actually turned into a cold current upon entering his stomach?

Fang Yuan closed his eyes, feeling as if his entire body had passed through two extremes of heat and cold.

This sensation was like in the dream world—first steaming for half a day in a Turkish bath, then taking a refreshing cold shower, his whole body comfortable, every inch of skin feeling transcendent.

He was like this, and beside him, the Flower Fox Ferret had already wolfed down its rice, then stared at Fang Yuan with eager eyes.

"Such a glutton!"

Fang Yuan looked at the remaining rice, feeling some regret, and even more fear!

He was afraid he couldn't hold back and would devour all the dozens of jin of rice set aside for seeds!

Seeing the green glint in the Flower Fox Ferret's eyes, he knew this was no exaggeration.

"But... since it's the first harvest today, eating a bit more shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The taste of Red Jade Rice was simply too good. Fang Yuan rubbed his chin and tested the waters.

Beside him, the Flower Fox Ferret hopped and cheered, almost clapping its paws.

"Hoo... satisfied..."

After who knows how long, Fang Yuan contentedly clutched his stomach, lying leisurely on the grass, feeling too lazy to move even a finger.

Next to him lay the equally stuffed Flower Fox Ferret.

This man and beast, lacking restraint, had downed five jin of rice in one go, leaving Fang Yuan heartbroken when he came to his senses.

He had originally hoped to stretch this until the next harvest, but now it looked doubtful—no, it was already impossible.

"Looks like I'll have to be disciplined. Am I doomed to eat husks and drink porridge from now on, counting every single grain?"

Fang Yuan immediately grew dejected.

Little did he know that even within the Gui Ling Sect, Red Jade Rice was only supplied to the Sect Leader and direct disciples, and not even every day.

If anyone learned of his and the Flower Fox Ferret's treatment, they'd be drowning in envy, jealousy, and hate.

"But... the Crimson Jade Rice Seeds Lin Benchu gave me last time didn't have this quality..."

After eating his fill, Fang Yuan recalled the harvested rice and fell into thought: "Is this the divine effect of Level Three Planting Skill? I'd wager that even the Gui Ling Sect's spirit rice isn't as good as mine, and this is without triggering the Mutation Probability..."

"Time to train!"

After digesting a bit, Fang Yuan stood up and subconsciously glanced at his status panel, then froze, because it had changed:

"Name: Fang Yuan Essence: 1.4 Breath: 1.3 Spirit: 1.5 Age: 18 Cultivation: Second Stage of Martial Arts Skill: Black Sand Palm [Layer Two] Specialty: Medical Skill [Level One], Planting Skill [Level Three]"

"Essence Yuan went from 1.3 to 1.4?"

Essence Yuan, in Fang Yuan's view, represented Bone Structure and physique—the sum of all tangible, physical aspects of a person.

Before, it only increased when breaking through in martial arts.

But now, just one meal of Red Jade Rice had raised Essence Yuan by 0.1?

"Even if the first time has the best effect, this is still a bit much!"

Fang Yuan was both incredulous and wary.

Physical Quality was the foundation of everything. If just one meal of spirit rice could cause such a dramatic change, how astonishing must the talents be among those noble families raised on a steady supply of spirit rice from childhood?

"But... their spirit rice might not be as good as mine, and they definitely don't have my Gold Finger!"

With the help of his status panel, Fang Yuan was quite confident in reaching the peak of this world, unafraid of any so-called genius.

"Even so, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Daily training can't be skipped!"

Fang Yuan soon plunged into his Black Sand Palm practice.

But today, he immediately noticed a difference.

During martial arts practice, a trace of warm currents continuously surged from his limbs and bones, soaking through his entire body like warm water, making him increasingly energetic and giving him a faint, numbing sensation like an electric shock.

"This is..."

Fang Yuan, sensing something unusual, checked himself and looked at the attribute panel, discovering the issue.

"Black Sand Palm's proficiency is rising so fast—is this the spiritual effect of the Crimson Jade Rice Grain?"

If before, practicing the palm technique once only increased proficiency by a ten-thousandth, now it had reached a thousandth!

The efficiency had increased tenfold, enough to shock anyone to death.

"The effect of Red Jade Rice shouldn't have anything to do with proficiency, so is it because of my physical quality?"

Fang Yuan immediately formed a guess in his heart.

Essence Yuan is the foundation of everything. Now that his foundation had risen, the difficulty of practicing martial arts naturally dropped sharply.

Reflected in proficiency, this was the result.

"It seems... I must improve my physical quality as quickly as possible!!"

Fang Yuan clenched his fists, a gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes.

Red Jade Rice, Heart-Questioning Tea, combined with the attribute panel—it was practically like having a cheat device.