Growing Carrots with Grandpa Jack

Jerry and Xiao Wu played in the village while Tang San ran off to the Back Mountain to cultivate again.

Ever since he had returned home and found Tang Hao gone, and no longer had Xiao Wu, his cheerful little sister, by his side, Tang San had become more taciturn. Whenever he had free time, he cultivated!

Other than coming out when Jerry invited him fishing, he spent all his remaining time cultivating at home.

Grandpa Jack carried a hoe, preparing to plant carrots. The carrots Old Jack had grown over the years were highly popular with the restaurants in Nuoding City. The family had gradually become better off, and the carrots harvested a few days ago had sold out on the very day they were delivered to Nuoding City. So today, he was going to plant more!

Jerry had previously said that he did not want Grandpa to work too hard, but it was no use. Tang San was also a Work-Study Student, yet he had found a job at a Blacksmith Shop and received a Soul Master Subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin each month.

That made Jerry the poorest among them. He had originally wanted to apply as a chef at a restaurant, but they did not hire temporary workers, and he truly had no idea how to forge.

So he went fishing in a small river outside Nuoding City, catching only two or three fish each time and not daring to catch too many.

This little river was not even as good as the one behind the village's Back Mountain. There were very few ten-year fish in it. Later, he learned that because the river was near Nuoding City, Soul Masters came periodically to clear it out and prevent Soul Beasts from harming people.

These ordinary fish were very cheap, worth only a few Copper Soul Coins.

Most people had grown accustomed to eating Soul Beast meat. Even ten-year Soul Beasts sold for a different price.

Thus, the fish Jerry caught were only for poor people to eat, so they did not sell for much!

Still, relying on those Copper Soul Coins, Jerry lived fairly well at school!

Ordinary fish really did not taste as good as Soul Beast Fish. He had once eaten Soul Beast Fish until he was sick of them, yet he often missed them while at the academy.

"Xiao Wu, let's go plant carrots together!" Jerry asked.

"Sure, sure! We'll plant lots and lots of carrots, so many that we won't be able to finish eating them in a lifetime." Xiao Wu was delighted upon hearing they were planting carrots.

"You really do love eating!"

"Rabbits like carrots. Is there a problem with that?"

"No problem!"

When they arrived at the field, Grandpa Jack began teaching Jerry how to plant them.

"Our Martial Souls are carrots. Summon your Martial Soul, then sever the connection. That way, the Martial Soul can be planted. And carrots summoned by a Martial Soul grow quickly and large, much better than ordinary carrots."

"Our Martial Souls are called Food-type Martial Souls. Their greatest benefit is that they can be eaten, so we will never go hungry. The other villagers have sickles and hoes as Martial Souls. They can only work a little faster, and they cannot eat them." Grandpa Jack spoke proudly.

After watching Grandpa Jack plant one, then wait a moment before planting another, Jerry hurriedly asked, "Grandpa, aren't you tired from summoning your Martial Soul? And aren't Food-type Martial Souls unable to last very long?"

"I'm not tired. I don't have Soul Power, so summoning my Martial Soul doesn't require Soul Power."

"Actually, everyone thinks that any Martial Soul that can be eaten is a Food-type Martial Soul. But our Martial Soul is a carrot. It's also a plant. Since it's a plant, of course it can be cultivated."

"Unable to last long? I've never heard of that. Take a carrot and try it. You can leave it there until it sprouts."

That was right. Jerry had fallen into a misunderstanding. Oscar's sausage Martial Soul was already cooked, so naturally it could not be preserved for long. His was different, and carrots were plants. He had truly been misled.

"Food-type Martial Souls have special effects. Our carrots simply taste good, and as long as they are planted in the ground, they can keep growing. Jerry, you have Soul Power, so the carrots you grow may taste even better!" Grandpa Jack explained.

Hearing Grandpa's words, Jerry suddenly felt enlightened.

That's right, that's right. Carrots are plants too. I've always treated it as a Food-type Martial Soul. I was wrong.

At its core, it's an edible Plant-type Martial Soul. My previous cultivation direction was wrong. The teachers had also trained me as though I had a Food-type Martial Soul. They were all wrong, all wrong. I understand now. I understand.

Most Food-type Martial Souls were support types, and cultivation following the methods taught by the teachers was very slow.

But plants were different. Different Martial Souls required different cultivation methods, so his previous cultivation direction had been wrong.

Moreover, Jerry knew that Plant-type Martial Souls could evolve. Didn't Tang San's Blue Silver Grass later evolve into the true Blue Silver Emperor?

Grandpa Jack said that it could grow when planted in soil, which made Jerry think of Martial Soul growth. Would it grow and evolve, or would it accelerate cultivation?

At that thought, Jerry stopped thinking about it. Wouldn't trying it reveal the answer?

He hurriedly summoned his Martial Soul without severing the connection, because once he severed it, others could eat it. Grandpa Jack truly wanted to plant his, but Jerry did not. What would happen if he planted it in the soil and cultivated?

He then planted his Martial Soul in the ground and sat beside it to begin meditating.

He suddenly discovered that his Martial Soul was now absorbing two streams of Soul Power: one from the air and one from underground!

And the Soul Power from underground was even greater.

"Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!" Jerry suddenly burst into laughter.

Xiao Wu and Grandpa Jack hurriedly asked what was wrong.

"Grandpa, Xiao Wu, I found my cultivation method! My Martial Soul can absorb Soul Power from underground, and there's more of it than in the air," Jerry said happily.

Xiao Wu was delighted too. "Brother, really? That's so amazing!"

"Mhm, it's true, it's true. Most of the nutrients plants absorb come from their roots. Some plants have roots even larger than the branches above ground. And carrots are both roots and fruit."

"Most people treat them as fruit because they can be eaten, yet they overlook the fact that they are originally roots as well."

"The characteristic of roots is absorbing nutrients from the soil. When we cultivate, the roots are exposed to the air, so they basically absorb no Soul Power."

"But now that the carrots are planted in the soil, their roots can fully serve their purpose."

"Brother, you know so much. You're amazing!" Xiao Wu said happily.

Only then was Jerry truly happy. He was happy like a real child, and the huge stone that had long weighed on his heart was finally gone.

I'm really stupid. As a Modern Person, I took Biology Class. Plants need soil, sunlight, and water to grow.

Soil is everywhere, sunlight is plentiful, and there's even less need to mention water.

And Jerry had grown flowers before. Improving the nutrients in the soil would make plants grow better.

There's no fertilizer in this world, but I can make some simple fertilizer myself. Many fertilizers are made from common things found nearby.

Wouldn't that let me cultivate faster? It's a little like Martial Soul Mimicry Cultivation. I had thought I would only get to enjoy that after making it into a Senior Academy, but I can do it now. The environment plants need to grow is far too easy to arrange!

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