Spirit Rice Planning (6k)

Chen Mobai recalled what the Sunglasses Girl from the Divine Machine Mansion had said when she told his fortune.

There are Three Tribulations in Core Formation.

One of the tribulations was the Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation. I was wondering what it was, but now I understand.

In other words, all one needs to do to avoid this calamity is to form a core within the Immortal Sect Core Formation.

The Golden Core involves Three Tribulations, and I've already passed two of them in this manner.

As long as one's internal energy is perfected and Spiritual Sense can control the process of condensing the Golden Core without being disturbed by Heart Demon, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Just as Chen Mobai was pondering, the dark clouds above the Longevity Wood turned deep red and instantly burst into flames—a true fiery cloud.

Hong He and the others had already stood up, watching the streaks of orange-red flames falling from the sky.

Meng Hong's figure appeared, and he burst forth with pure Heavenly Wood Divine Light. With the Fourth-Grade Longevity Wood beneath his feet as the core, he evolved a domain Grand Array.

Streams of Heavenly Wood Divine Light soared into the sky, colliding with the Heavenly Tribulation Fire. Due to the elemental advantage of the Heavenly Wood, the Heavenly Wood Divine Light began to ignite and dissipate inch by inch.

However, relying on the advantage of the terrain, Meng Hong used the Longevity Wood to evolve the Grand Array. As long as his Spiritual Sense was sufficient, he could continuously generate Heavenly Wood Divine Light.

Moreover, as time went by, the Heavenly Wood Divine Light, after being tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation Fire, changed from its original pure and clear green to a dark and deep blue, and was no longer easily destroyed.

"It seems that there won't be any problem surviving the Heavenly Tribulation?"

Chen Mobai breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

"That's not necessarily true. This is just the beginning. Heavenly Tribulation usually last for several days and nights. Now is when Elder Meng's energy and spirit are at their peak, so the Heavenly Tribulation is nothing to worry about. The real concern is that he might not make it to the very end."

Hong He shook his head and expressed his concerns.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but show a worried expression.

At that very moment, two earth-shattering energies erupted from the other two Longevity Wood, transforming into two azure suns that rose and surged beyond Giant Wood Ridge.

"Who is spying on us?"

Zhou Shengqing's cold voice rang out, as if an unexpected person had appeared at the crucial moment when Meng Hong Core Formation.

"Don't worry, we're just here to take a look, that's all."

Two beams of light bloomed in mid-air, transforming into two familiar figures. The one who spoke was Nan Shidao, and the one beside him was Ji Zhenshi.

"Leave immediately, or I will take this as a provocation. Once Meng Hong has reached the Core Formation, our Divine Wood Sect will surely mobilize all its forces to flatten your Mountain Shaking Peak and Six Armor Mountain."

Zhou Shengqing spoke coldly, and a Divine Tree on Giant Wood Ridge shone with a dark green divine light, which transformed into a deep green current that swirled around his entire body, faintly turning into lightning, making him appear like Wood God.

"Hehehe, okay, okay, okay."

Nan Shidao simply chuckled, showing no intention of actually engaging in Spell Duel with Zhou Shengqing, the number one expert in the Eastern Wasteland.

He and Ji Zhenshi exchanged a glance, and the two silently flew backwards away from the area of Giant Wood Ridge.

Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue didn't believe them at all. After discussing it, the former followed Ji Zhenshi and the other two and watched them fly away from the territory of Jian Country, while the latter continued to guard Giant Wood Ridge.

"Although I knew it was Lure the Tiger from the Mountain, I still had no choice but to comply."

Seeing Zhou Shengqing, the strongest member of the sect, being taken away by Ji Zhenshi and the other man, Chen Mobai couldn't help but sigh. However, as two people with a deep-seated hatred for the Divine Wood Sect, if they saw that Meng Hong was truly showing signs of successfully Core Formation, they might stop him at all costs.

Therefore, Zhou Shengqing had no choice but to treat the matter with caution.

"It's still because the sect's foundation is insufficient. If there were Nascent Soul Ancestor in charge, how could such a clown dare to come here?"

Hong He said something in a calm tone that left Chen Mobai speechless.

"Elder Meng's chances of successfully Core Formation will likely drop by another 20% due to this."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai looked worried and sighed.

Fortunately, Ji Zhenshi and his companion did not dare to completely break ties with the Divine Wood Sect, so after withdrawing from the border of the Jian Country, they stopped in the neighboring Snow Country.

Zhou Shengqing did not pursue them to the Snow Country, after all, this was the territory of the Blowing Snow Palace. However, Kong Lingling pretended not to know that two Core Formation Ancestors had come to her territory, and let Ji Zhenshi Nan Shidao stand on the border between the Jian Country and the Snow Country, confronting Zhou Shengqing.

[We must find an opportunity to wipe out these two companies.]

Looking at his two old rivals, Zhou Shengqing was already plotting to launch a second sect war.

However, at Giant Wood Ridge, Fu Zongjue encountered two strange opponents.

This is a ghost cultivator who has reached the Core Formation stage, occupying the body of a Ghost Embryo. He is shrouded in shadow, and beside him is Madam Guo, whom Chen Mobai is very familiar with.

Fu Zongjue did not act rashly and directly activated the power of the Giant Wood Ridge's Grand Array.

However, neither of the two ghost cultivators made a move. They simply stood outside the Grand Array, silently observing the signs of Meng Hong's Core Formation.

Two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

While condensing his Golden Core, hoping to transform his False Core into True Core, Meng Hong was also controlling the Heavenly Wood Divine Light Array to resist the tribulation fire and lightning descending from the sky, which was very difficult.

Chen Mobai and the others witnessed Meng Hong swallowing one rare and precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures after another, including a piece of Chongxu Immortal Ganoderma.

Relying on the elixir and the favorable location, Meng Hong finally managed to condense the elixir, and a wisp of golden light shone from his dantian.

The golden light penetrated his body and illuminated the surrounding void. Under the illumination of the golden light, the Heavenly Tribulation Fire seemed to lose its energy and began to extinguish.

"Did it work?"

Upon seeing this, Chen Mobai's face lit up with surprise and delight.

"Halfway there, there are still Heart Demon and the final Heavenly Tribulation."

Hong He sighed. Meng Hong had used up all his trump cards, but he had only managed to condense the Golden Core.

It's practically impossible for them to succeed in Core Formation this time!

As expected, on the fourth day, Meng Hong's face suddenly turned deathly pale, a wisp of black energy flashed between his brows, and then the golden light in his dantian suddenly dimmed and finally disappeared.

The Heavenly Tribulation Fire, which had been extremely fierce and seemed to be brewing a final, powerful offensive, vanished in the blink of an eye, as if it had received some signal.

The sky cleared up again.

But the mood of everyone in the Divine Wood Sect was gloomy.

After Meng Hong failed to Core Formation, the Core Formation Ghost Cultivator did not linger and directly took Madam Guo away from the sky above Giant Wood Ridge.

A short while later, Zhou Shengqing returned with a somber expression.

The two ancestors landed at the Longevity Wood where Meng Hong was, fed him a healing pill, and then called Chu Zuoshu up.

Then Chu Zuoshu came down and dismissed all the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Divine Wood Sect in the surrounding area.

"Master failed to Core Formation and needs to recuperate, so I will take care of him."

However, E Yun did not leave and expressed her feelings to Chu Zuoshu.

"Mu Yuan will take care of Senior Brother Meng, but since you're doing this out of good intentions, why don't you two stay and take care of him for a while?"

Chu Zuoshu thought about it and agreed. Zhou Wangshen immediately followed suit.

Therefore, all three of Meng Hong's Foundation Establishment disciples stayed behind.

Chen Mobai, along with Hong He, left the place following the Sect Leader's orders.

"Core Formation is difficult!"

Yuan Chiye followed them, and halfway there he sighed sincerely, feeling that he no longer had much confidence in his Core Formation.

" Within the Eastern Yi Region, as long as enough Spirit Stone are paid, the three major sects are willing to protect Rogue Cultivator their Core Formation. If I have the opportunity in the future, I may not Core Formation within the Giant Wood Ridge."

Hong He suddenly said this.

The three major sects within the Eastern Yi Region all have Nascent Soul Ancestor, and providing places for Rogue Cultivator to Core Formation also generates a significant income for them.

"The main problem is that our sect has too many opponents in the Eastern Wasteland. As long as we can wipe them all out, there shouldn't be any problems."

Chen Mobai, however, pinpointed the crux of the matter.

The Divine Wood Sect has been having an exceptionally smooth run lately. Even Meng Hong and the two patriarchs did not expect that someone would actually take advantage of this opportunity to come knocking on their door.

Although no action was taken, it still served as a significant deterrent to Meng Hong.

The Core Formation is inherently a very subjective matter. Given the disturbance caused by Ji Zhenshi, Nan Shidao, and the two ghost cultivators, it was only natural that Meng Hong failed to Core Formation.

However, this could also be because the recent high-profile summoning of E Yun and others revealed the time when Meng Hong had reached the Core Formation to outsiders.

"Junior Brother Chen, after we Core Formation, do you think it's better to destroy the Mountain Shaking Peak first, or the easier one to destroy Six Armor Mountain first?"

At this moment, Hong He said something that surprised Chen Mobai.

"Senior Brother Hong is so confident about Core Formation."

"With my talent, I have a very high chance of forming Core Formation. If you fail, Junior Brother, I will be very disappointed." Hong He's words left Yuan Chiye, who was standing to the side, at a loss for words.

"Then let's destroy the Mountain Shaking Peak first."

Chen Mobai thought for a moment and gave this answer.

"First Mountain Shaking Peak, then the Six Armor Mountain. By then, half of the Spirit Vein in the Northern Eastern Wasteland will fall into the hands of my Divine Wood Sect, and we will have almost controlled all the Spirit Land bordering Cloud Dream Marsh. Junior Brother Chen's idea is indeed in line with mine."

"After Mountain Shaking Peak and Six Armor Mountain, when do you think we should make our move against the Five Elements Sect, Senior Brother Hong?"

Hong He was speaking with a smug look on his face when Chen Mobai suddenly asked a question that left him speechless.

"This Five Elements Sect is probably not a good place to make a move."

"If the two of us Core Formation, and we add Junior Sister Yin with the Heaven Spirit Root, then our sect will have five Core Formation. If we also include Uncle Mo from Golden Light Cliff, wouldn't it be a very easy thing to reclaim the Five Elements Orthodoxy?"

Chen Mobai countered, "Although the Eastern Wasteland is known as a barren land in the Eastern Domain, its Spirit Vein resources far exceed those of any Dao Academy of the Immortal Sect. If it could be completely controlled, it would be enough to give birth to several Nascent Soul cultivators."

If he had the ability, he wanted to use the power of the Divine Wood Sect to unify the entire Eastern Wasteland.

"What my junior brother said makes some sense."

Hong He hadn't thought that far ahead before, but after Chen Mobai's reminder, he suddenly realized that this matter had great potential.

Moreover, his cultivation requires the help of the vast waters of Cloud Dream Marsh. If he can truly unify the Eastern Wasteland, then in the future, not only will he be able to form Core Formation, but he may even be able to Nascent Formation.

"After Mountain Shaking Peak and Six Armor Mountain, why don't we first wipe out the Blowing Snow Palace and the Returning Heaven Valley, and then finally target the Five Elements Sect?"

Hong He thought about it and revised his plan. He felt that the Five Elements Sect was the strongest, and it might also have the foundation left by the Primordial Ancestor. It would be better to leave it for last.

"I'm afraid that after we destroy the Six Armor Mountain on the Mountain Shaking Peak, the Five Elements Sect will come to attack before we can even make a move against the Blowing Snow Palace and the Returning Heaven Valley."

Chen Mobai shook his head. If he were the leader of the Five Elements Sect, once he discovered that the Divine Wood Sect had more than three Core Formation Cultivator, he would definitely start forming alliances and at the very least support the Mountain Shaking Peak and the Six Armor Mountain, dragging the Divine Wood Sect into the quagmire of sect war.

"Then we can only take it one step at a time. Or we can all go to the Outer Domain to Core Formation, and then Junior Brother Chen and I will come back after Junior Sister Yin Core Formation. At that time, we will directly reveal five Core Formation and sweep across the Eastern Wasteland with overwhelming force."

Hong He's words were full of scheming.

Chen Mobai thought this plan wasn't bad, so he sat down with him halfway, took out Eastern Wasteland Map, and the two began to deduce how to conquer the Eastern Wasteland most quickly and efficiently, given that the Divine Wood Sect had five Core Formation.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chiye kept wiping the sweat from his forehead.

I never expected that these two would be able to find common ground!

The next few days.

Hong He would come to see Chen Mobai whenever he had free time. The latter was also worried about Meng Hong's injuries after failing to Core Formation, so he stayed in Divine Wood City for a few more days.

Two weeks later, good news came from E Yun.

Although Meng Hong failed to form his Core Formation, he did not force it, and with the properties of the Longevity Sutra, he only needs to recuperate for two or three years to recover completely.

However, after this incident, Meng Hong was too old and his vital energy was severely depleted, so he no longer had the opportunity to Core Formation again.

If one still insists on forcibly attempting to reach the Core Formation, then success is the only option; failure is not an option.

Because if we fail again, we'll basically die.

"Master is in a fairly good mood. He said that at least by using his Core Formation this time, he has drawn out those who harbor ill intentions towards the sect."

As E Yun spoke, he sighed. If it weren't for this Core Formation, he would never have known that so many wolves and tigers were secretly coveting the Divine Wood Sect.

"My senior brother is stationed out there for a long time, so we need to be extra careful."

Chen Mobai said that he was guarding the Jian Country and was usually either at Giant Wood Ridge or the Immortal Sect. In addition, he had mastered the Sword Fiend and had the power to resist even those who had reached the Core Formation, so he was relatively safe.

But E Yun and his group are different. They often have to go to Cloud Dream Marsh, the most dangerous and chaotic place in the Eastern Wasteland. If they are targeted by someone with ulterior motives, they could very well suffer a serious injury.

"Don't worry, there's also Uncle Nu Jiang, who has connections with the Water Vein in Cloud Dream Marsh. He has a good relationship with Old Ancestor Zhou Old Ancestor Fu. If you really encounter danger, you can just hide in his Wind Rain Dock."

Chen Mobai nodded in agreement.

"I am responsible for Cloud Kingdom Guardian. Now that Master is out of danger, he will also be leaving the sect. From now on, Junior Brother will take care of Master, and I also hope that Junior Brother Chen will look after him when he has time."

"Must!"

Even without E Yun's instructions, Chen Mobai planned to visit Meng Hong after some time.

After all, this former Sect Leader was still quite good to him.

E Yun left with Hong He.

After the two left, no one came to visit.

Yu Lian had already been sent to Lone Soul Ridge by Chu Zuoshu, but this time it seemed that Fu Zongjue had sent a Puppet Body for him to take away. After all, the Void Stone Mine was extremely precious, and the ghost cultivators knew about that place, so it was better to be safe.

Half a month later, Chen Mobai brought the Second Grade Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice that he had ripened with the Yi Wood Divine Thunder to visit Meng Hong.

"You're here, why bring a gift?"

Meng Hong has moved away from the place where the Longevity Wood was located and is now living in the courtyard where he usually fishes.

This place can be considered a Third Grade Spirit Land in Giant Wood Ridge, with small hills, streams, forests, and seas of flowers, making it a scenic spot within the sect.

"Spirit Rice replenishes vital energy. Elder, eat more of it and you will recover faster."

Chen Mobai handed the jade Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice he had cut into pieces to Mu Yuan, who thanked him, accepted the rice, and then left to cook it.

"Oh, you actually managed to grow Second Tier Spirit Rice. This stuff only ripens once every ten years. Apart from the Spiritual Plant Department, which is forced by the sect to maintain a scale of 100 acres, no other sect cultivators have actually planted it."

As the former Sect Leader, Meng Hong was very clear about the scale and production of Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice.

In order to diversify the channels for Spirit Rice and avoid being held hostage by the Great Merchant Guild guilds, the sect has invested heavily in supporting the cultivation of Spirit Rice.

First-grade Spirit Rice is alright, since it can ripen once a year and provides ten times the Sect Contribution, so many Qi Cultivation Cultivator are willing to grow it.

However, Second Grade Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice requires ten years of careful cultivation after planting before it can be harvested, so almost no Qi Cultivation Cultivator are willing to do it.

Because Qi Cultivation Cultivator who accept missions from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion are all thinking about making a quick buck.

The cultivation of Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice has taken far too long.

Moreover, over ten years, the harvest from cultivating medicinal herbs is even greater.

"I have improved some rice varieties and cultivated Phoenix Tear Bamboo Spirit Rice, which has a slightly inferior taste but only takes six years to mature. This is also Second Grade Spirit Rice. There are also three samples of Qingke Spirit Rice and Jade Sprout Spirit Rice that have grown to the Second Grade. If the latter is really successfully bred, I am confident that I can compress the maturation cycle of Second Tier Spirit Rice to three years, so that I can achieve the freedom of Second Tier Spirit Rice."

Within the sect, although the upper echelons, including Chu Zuoshu, knew that Spirit Rice was very important, they were unsure how to change the current situation.

Although Chen Mobai wanted to plant Spirit Rice all over Giant Wood Ridge, he couldn't do it all by himself. It just so happened that he came to visit Meng Hong today. As the former Sect Leader, Meng Hong knew all the difficulties and could help Chen Mobai analyze whether they could be resolved.

"The rice variety is indeed the key. If, as you say, a Second Tier Spirit Rice rice variety that can be harvested once every three years has been developed, perhaps in ten years, every Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the sect can eat Second Tier Spirit Rice every month."

Meng Hong said with emotion.

The Divine Wood Sect currently has 78 Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but only 100 acres of Second Grade Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice have been planted.

The number of acres of Spirit Rice is fixed; it is not rotated every year. Instead, after the hundred acres are harvested, they are replanted in the same spot.

In other words, the Divine Wood Sect can only harvest 100 acres of Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice every ten years.

The average yield is about 300 jin per mu.

Each person would receive approximately 40 jin (20 kg) per year.

This amount of production is simply not enough to feed Foundation Establishment Cultivator for ten years, and it would probably be finished in a month for an ordinary Body Tempering cultivator.

However, once one's cultivation reaches the Foundation Establishment level, they all know the benefits of Spirit Rice for the body, and at least when conditions permit, they will eat Spirit Rice at every meal.

Once the sect runs out of the Second Tier Spirit Rice, they will go to the market and trade association outside to buy more Second Grade -tier rice. If they can't afford the Second Grade rice, they will buy first-tier Spirit Rice. At least they won't have to make do with Bigu Pill every meal like Qi Cultivation Cultivator.

Therefore, in reality, the Starry Skies Great Merchant Association and others can also earn a huge amount of Spirit Stone in the Eastern Wasteland every year through Second Tier Spirit Rice.

As for Third Tier Spirit Rice, needless to say, the Golden Core Ancestor never skimped on himself. Even when the entire sect was struggling, the Ancestor's rations were never lacking.

Most of the High-grade Spirit Stone in the Eastern Wasteland were bought up by those Great Merchant Guild through Third Tier Spirit Rice.

One piece of first-grade Spirit Rice weighs ten jin of Low-grade Spirit Stone, one piece of Second Tier Spirit Rice weighs ten jin of Mid-grade Spirit Stone, and one piece of Third Tier Spirit Rice weighs ten jin of High-grade Spirit Stone.

"Let's solve the problem of Second Tier Spirit Rice first. As long as we cultivate more new rice varieties, there will be individual cases of breaking through to the Third Grade in the future. Then we can cultivate these individual cases and make it possible to plant Third Tier Spirit Rice all over Giant Wood Ridge."

As the Agriculture First at the Wuqi Dao Academy, Chen Mobai was full of confidence in cultivating Third Tier Spirit Rice in the spiritually rich Giant Wood Ridge.

However, one must take things one step at a time, as the Divine Wood Sect currently does not even have enough Second Tier Spirit Rice.

"There aren't enough Spirit Field. Most of the Second Grade and Third Grade Spirit Land in Giant Wood Ridge are used to grow herbs. The sect can't give up this broader market for Spirit Rice."

Meng Hong sighed.

If one doesn't eat the Spirit Rice, there are still Bigu Pill, but without these pills, many people's cultivation will stagnate, which will cause chaos in the sect.

"Doesn't the sect have a lot of wasteland? If it can be reclaimed, it can add thousands of acres of Spirit Field."

Chen Mobai had also spent two years in the Spiritual Plant Department and knew that Giant Wood Ridge was sparsely populated. Apart from the medicinal fields on the plains, which were all occupied by people, many Spirit Land were actually abandoned due to the lack of people.

When Chen Mobai joined the sect, he even cultivated ten acres of Spirit Field on his own.

For example, the land of Little South Mountain would still be barren if he hadn't occupied it.

"We're short-handed. Even if the sect orders people to cultivate the land, we still need Spirit Planter to maintain the planting. For thousands of acres of Spirit Field, we need at least a hundred novice Spirit Planter. That's all the Spiritual Plant Department has. Most of them are just guarding the medicinal fields."

Meng Hong shook his head and said that although he agreed with Chen Mobai's idea, if this difficulty could not be solved, it would remain just wishful thinking forever.

"If there's a shortage of manpower, can't we use Puppetry instead?"

Chen Mobai offered his own idea, which Meng Hong didn't understand and was completely confused about.

The Immortal Sect have long since achieved fully mechanized management and large-scale cultivation of Spirit Plant, and manual sowing and cultivation are now rare.

The Spirit Planter of the Immortal Sect mainly focus their efforts on breeding and cultivating new species, such as Wenren Xuewei's new tea and Chen Mobai's Agriculture Spirit Rice.

Chen Mobai felt it was necessary to use the successful farming experience of the Immortal Sect to benefit the Divine Wood Sect.

Meng Hong felt a sense of exhilaration upon hearing his opening remarks, captivated by the prospect he described.

"Explain in detail!"