Harvesting the Spirit Rice

Chapter 6: Harvesting the Spirit Rice

As soon as Shi Yue returned to his quarters, he eagerly took out the Blue Pearl. After infusing it with magic power, he entered the Mysterious Space.

Compared with yesterday, the Spirit Rice seedlings in the Spirit Field had grown considerably taller, their leaves thicker and broader. Just as Shi Yue had expected, time here passed ten times faster than in the outside world.

Shi Yue excitedly circled the mu of Spirit Rice, and after confirming the seedlings had no problems, he went over to the two mu of empty Spirit Fields.

Low-grade Spirit Rice didn't need much spiritual energy. After growing for a certain period, it would mature. Spirit Herbs were different: they needed to absorb enough spiritual energy to grow, or they wouldn't even sprout. A Hundred-Year Spirit Herb meant one that had grown for a hundred years in an environment suited to its growth. Suppose a Spirit Herb absorbed a thousand units of spiritual energy over a hundred years. If it grew in an environment exceptionally rich in spiritual energy, it might absorb those thousand units in less than a hundred years.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy here was far more abundant than in the outside world. Growing Spirit Herbs here could greatly shorten the time they took to mature.

Shi Yue took out the Silver Hoe, raised it high, and brought it crashing down.

This hoe was a Mid-grade Magic Tool. Its sole purpose was to till Spirit Fields, shaking the spiritual energy trapped inside clods of earth loose and spreading it evenly through the soil, making it easier for spirit plants and Spirit Herbs to absorb.

To other cultivators, a Hoe Artifact was practically useless, with little value. But for a Spirit Planter who grew Spirit Herbs, a good Hoe Artifact was crucial and indispensable.

"If you want a good harvest, you need a good hoe." This saying was widely repeated among Spirit Planters.

Shi Yue gripped the Silver Hoe with both hands, smashing apart the large clods and turning up the soil underneath.

Half a day later, Shi Yue had tilled both mu of Spirit Fields. The soil was now loose and soft, which greatly benefited the growth of Spirit Herbs.

Shi Yue wiped the sweat from his face, put away the Silver Hoe, then flipped his hand and took out two leather pouches. From one, he removed a red seed and carefully buried it in the soil.

Blazing Sun Grass needed plenty of sunlight, so the two seeds had to be planted farther apart to ensure each plant received enough. Condensing Smoke Grass didn't need much sun; it only needed to be watered on schedule, so its seeds could be planted closer together.

Shi Yue planted a Blazing Sun Grass seed every foot or so, making sure there was more than a foot between each pair.

After planting the last Blazing Sun Grass seed, Shi Yue began chanting an incantation. Blue light appeared all around him.

A moment later, Shi Yue stopped chanting and pointed toward the sky above the Spirit Field.

The blue light surged toward the field, gathering into a huge white cloud that covered the mu planted with Blazing Sun Grass.

"Fall." At Shi Yue's low command, raindrops the size of beans poured from the white cloud and fell onto the Spirit Field.

One golden blade of grass after another emerged from the soil, growing continuously until each was about a foot tall, then stopping.

Blazing Sun Grass didn't need much rain. After a quarter of an hour, Shi Yue withdrew his Hand Seal, and the white cloud dispersed.

Next, Shi Yue buried the Condensing Smoke Grass seeds throughout the remaining mu of Spirit Field, leaving less than half a foot between each pair. He also used far more water on them than he had on the Blazing Sun Grass.

After finishing everything, Shi Yue left the Mysterious Space.

He had spent most of the day working and was exhausted, but he didn't rest. Sitting cross-legged on his stone bed, he silently recited the second layer of the Great Void Art and absorbed spiritual energy.

For cultivators, meditating could also serve as rest. It simply wasn't as comfortable as lying in bed, but Shi Yue didn't indulge himself. No matter how tired he was, he kept up his cultivation.

Shi Yue had already tested it: time in the Mysterious Space passed ten times faster than in the outside world. If he cultivated inside for ten days, even if only one day passed outside, his lifespan would still decrease by ten days. So cultivating in the Mysterious Space wasn't worthwhile unless he had ample resources or was at a critical point in breaking through to the next cultivation level.

The next morning, as the first ray of sunlight fell into the courtyard, Shi Yue stepped out of his room with a faint smile.

Today was the day to harvest the Spirit Rice—the happiest day of the year for Shi Yue.

Nearly one mu of Spirit Field could yield about eighty or ninety pounds of Spirit Rice.

Shi Yue walked up to a stalk of Spirit Rice, flipped his hand, and took out a pair of Golden Scissors. He clipped off a grain of rice the size of a baby's fist and carefully set it on the ground, then clipped a second...

A little over an hour later, he had harvested all the Spirit Rice. The plump grains lay piled together, forming a miniature golden hill.

Looking at the mountain of rice before him, Shi Yue smiled despite his fatigue. He took a Storage Bag from his robes, tossed it into the air, and struck it with a Hand Seal.

The Storage Bag's mouth sprang open, and a streak of rosy light shot out, enveloping all the grains. They rapidly shrank before his eyes, and once they were small enough, they flew into the Storage Bag and disappeared.

Shi Yue beckoned to the Storage Bag hovering in midair, and it flew back into his hand.

His lips moved slightly, and points of red light appeared in front of him, quickly coalescing into a Crimson Fireball.

"Go." He pointed at the Spirit Rice in the field, and the Crimson Fireball shot toward it.

With a pop, the moment the Crimson Fireball touched the Spirit Rice, it burst into flames. The fire grew larger and larger, and the searing heat forced Shi Yue to retreat into the stone house for shelter.

Before long, the flames died down, leaving only a pile of ashes in the Spirit Field.

He walked out of the stone house and cast a Rainfall Technique. Raindrops the size of beans fell steadily into the Spirit Field.

A quarter of an hour later, Shi Yue withdrew his Hand Seal and dispelled the Rainfall Technique.

After leaving the courtyard, he released a magic tool and flew toward Great Void Valley on it.

Great Void Market was a market established by Great Void Sect, located in a valley three hundred li northeast of Great Void Sect. Taixu Sect had stationed a Core Formation Cultivator there long-term, showing just how much importance it attached to the market.

As it happened, Taixu Sect's market was quite famous, far more prosperous than markets established by other sects.

Yuezhou, where Taixu Sect was located, bordered Northern Yan Country. Relations between the Great Tang Cultivation World and the Northern Yan Cultivation World were fairly cordial, and cultivators from Northern Yan often visited Taixu Sect's market to trade. Northern Yan cultivators occasionally brought items not found in Great Tang, opening people's eyes and drawing even more cultivators from far and wide, making the market increasingly prosperous.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Shi Yue landed in a small grove outside Great Void Market.

He changed into ordinary clothes, making himself look like an ordinary cultivator, then set off toward the market.

By the usual rules of the Cultivation World, flying was forbidden within five li of a market. As Shi Yue walked along, he saw many cultivators hurrying about. Several were dressed in rather unusual clothes and looked like cultivators from Northern Yan Country.