Planting Spirit Lands to Cultivate the Immortal Heart

The soil in everyone else's fields was already loosened, leaving only Qin Haoxuan and the other two still working hard. As everyone else began sowing, the three of them seemed out of place.

It wasn't that the three of them were lazy, but the land was too dry and hard. According to Elder Chu, to plant crops, one had to dig at least three inches deep. It was difficult to even dig one inch into this soil.

The other disciples who had finished loosening the soil early were gloating. "Serves you right for following Qin Haoxuan and choosing land worse than even the lowest grade. You didn't even listen to Elder Chu's advice. You deserve this!"

Several disciples who were close to Li Jing were gathered around him, looking at Murong Chao with ambiguous expressions and whispering.

"Your Highness, I think Murong Chao clearly has ulterior motives. You value him so highly, yet he's still not satisfied. He ran off to join Xu Yu and Qin Haoxuan without even saying goodbye, as if he doesn't even consider you."

"Perhaps he's jealous of that guy named Qin. He sees that Xu Yu doesn't have many people around, so he wants to jump in and get a share!"

"That's right. Xu Yu is a Purple Seed after all. Although her future achievements will definitely not compare to yours, Your Highness, becoming one of her few friends before she rises to prominence will surely bring many benefits later!"

"I think he's got that rebellious streak, trying to be like Zhang Yang?"

Listening to these discussions, Li Jing, who was already unhappy, felt a glint in his eyes, and his gaze towards Murong Chao became somewhat unfriendly.

It took Qin Haoxuan a full hour to turn over the dry and hard soil. To his relief, after digging three inches deep, the soil underneath was noticeably better. Although it wasn't comparable to medium-grade land, it no longer looked so barren.

Among these two hundred people, many had already sown their seeds. Only Murong Chao and Xu Yu were still working hard with their hoes.

Murong Chao, who came from a prominent military family, looked at the soil quality of Qin Haoxuan's land and felt his confidence surge. This land was indeed not as bad as it looked on the surface; perhaps there would be some surprises later! He had been practicing martial arts since childhood and was proficient in all sorts of weapons, but wielding a hoe was different from wielding a saber. The hoe felt awkward in his hands, and after an hour, he had only turned over less than half of the soil.

The advantages of Purple Seeds and Gray Seeds were completely non-existent in this kind of rough work. The slender Xu Yu's hands had developed blisters, and she had dug less than a third of the way.

After finishing his own land, Qin Haoxuan, without a word, picked up his hoe and went to Xu Yu's field to help her loosen the soil.

At this moment, under Li Jing's signal, the group surrounding him went to Murong Chao's field and deliberately stepped on the soil he had loosened.

"Senior Brother Murong, do you need help?" One of them deliberately jumped, compacting the soil Murong Chao had loosened, and frowned, "Oh, why did you choose this kind of inferior land? It feels rough even to step on."

"Rough? Let me try."

"Oh my, it really is rough. Senior Brother Murong, your soil isn't loosened well. Let us brothers help you break it up a bit."

With that, the others also started jumping, and in the blink of an eye, they had compacted the soil Murong Chao had loosened quite a bit.

Murong Chao, who was about to get angry, happened to see Li Jing looking at him with a displeased expression. He was startled and immediately understood most of what was going on.

Ever since Murong Chao was identified as a Gray Immortal Seed, no one dared to slight him. His status in Li Jing's faction was second only to Li Jing himself. However, Zhang Yang, who was also a Gray Immortal Seed, had already taken root, while he had not. Some people who were unhappy with his high position in Li Jing's faction couldn't sit still, and all sorts of unpleasant rumors began to spread.

He deliberately distanced himself from Li Jing's faction to avoid their gossip and disdain. Murong Chao had even overheard some of Li Jing's other followers discussing him privately, saying things like, "He's also a special Immortal Seed, yet even Zhang Yang has taken root and he hasn't. What a waste, and His Highness still values him so much."

In his despair, he decided to stay away from them, but he forgot that Li Jing was extremely suspicious. Now, getting involved with Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu had directly offended him!

With this realization, Murong Chao immediately snapped out of his dejected mood. He was about to go find Li Jing to explain.

Just then, Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu, who couldn't stand seeing those people ruining Murong Chao's hard work, walked over.

With Qin Haoxuan's help, Xu Yu's land was also finished in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. As they were about to rest and prepare to sow, they happened to witness this scene. Looking at the expressions of Li Jing and Murong Chao, Qin Haoxuan quickly understood what was happening.

He walked up to them and calmly looked at the person causing trouble, saying, "Would you like to go to my field and see if my soil is loosened well?"

"Uh... no, that's not necessary..." Although Qin Haoxuan had a calm smile, his past reputation, even making Zhang Kuang wary, meant these people dared not offend him. Under Li Jing's signal to retreat, they fled in relief.

After driving those people away, Qin Haoxuan, without a word, raised his hoe and began to loosen the soil for Murong Chao. With Qin Haoxuan leading the way, Xu Yu, whose hands were already covered in blisters, also began to loosen the soil for him.

This guy is truly a monster!

Watching Qin Haoxuan finish digging two such dry and hard fields and then start helping Murong Chao loosen the soil, even Elder Chu found it incredible.

What he didn't know was that Qin Haoxuan practiced the Great Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique, a top-tier witchcraft. The strength of a witch practitioner far exceeded their imagination. Coupled with the excess medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus within Qin Haoxuan's body, doing such heavy physical labor, while not comparable to cultivation, allowed him to vent the heat within his body, preventing him from feeling so uncomfortable.

At that moment, Murong Chao's heart was filled with emotion. Compared to the ups and downs he experienced by Li Jing's side, Qin Haoxuan's kindness in return for their ill-treatment made him feel warmth for the first time!

He used to call Li Jing his brother, but in Li Jing's eyes, he was merely his subordinate, his underling, his appendage, someone to be summoned and dismissed at will. When Li Jing was happy, he'd offer a sweet date; when unhappy, he'd strike him down.

But in front of Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu, he finally felt equality and respect. At that moment, Murong Chao understood what true dignity was!

With the addition of Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu, Murong Chao's land was also quickly finished. Qin Haoxuan, after loosening the soil for three dry and hard fields, only had a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead and was still full of energy. After the three of them discussed it, they decided to follow the crowd and plant the easiest-to-grow and shortest-cycle Spirit Corn.

The normal maturity period for Spirit Corn is one hundred days, but when planted in the Spirit Field Valley's spiritual land and irrigated daily with water from the Spirit Spring, it can usually be harvested in thirty days. On Zhang Kuang and Li Jing's spiritual land, twenty-five days would be enough.

However, corn contained the least spiritual power. Besides new disciples occasionally eating it to fill their stomachs, it was generally used to feed spirit beasts.

Including Zhang Kuang and Li Jing, who owned Spirit Lands, all the new disciples decided to plant corn first. The plan was to use the corn to exchange for some spirit beast manure, and after fertilizing the land, they could plant other crops.

At this time, Qin Haoxuan, Xu Yu, and Murong Chao had clearly formed a united small group. The three of them sowed seeds in their three fields together, chatting casually. Murong Chao's resentment towards Qin Haoxuan for the punch had completely disappeared. Compared to the cautiousness he felt with Li Jing, he found this way much more free and uninhibited. This feeling of equal mutual support was wonderful.

After sowing, Qin Haoxuan didn't stop to rest for a moment. He picked up an empty bucket and headed towards the Spirit Spring five li away. Motivated by Qin Haoxuan, Murong Chao and Xu Yu, who had been exhausted, exchanged glances, got up from the ground, and each picked up two empty buckets, following behind him.

Although there was a Spirit Spring underground, it only allowed them to achieve more and faster harvests than others with the same effort. If others carried water to irrigate, and the three of them sat back and did nothing, then there would be no difference between having a Spirit Spring and not having one!

Because their land was the most remote, while others only had to carry water three li, they had to carry it five li.

After carrying a load of water, Murong Chao and Xu Yu, who had never carried water before, had their shoulders blistered, but they still followed Qin Haoxuan without a word. In the eyes of these two special Immortal Seeds, Qin Haoxuan, who was merely a Weak Seed, had a back that was so majestic and tall, giving them a feeling of awe and insurmountable height.

Qin Haoxuan carried a load of water on his shoulder, walking briskly, steadily, and without spilling a drop. Some people tried to match his speed, but when they walked that fast, the Spirit Spring water in their buckets began to spill. By the time they reached their destination, they were panting and exhausted, with most of the water spilled.

In contrast, Qin Haoxuan's face was not flushed, his heart was not pounding, and the water in his bucket remained the same. Even more commendable was that he could maintain this speed for over a hundred buckets.

In almost the same time it took Xu Yu and Murong Chao to carry one load of water, Qin Haoxuan had already completed three trips. After watering every inch of his own field thoroughly, he began to help Xu Yu and Murong Chao carry water.

Their efforts seemed utterly foolish to others. For their land, which was worse than the lowest grade and devoid of spiritual energy, irrigating it with more Spirit Spring water would be in vain.

While they were toiling, Elder Chu was not idle. He secretly picked two Spirit Lands to clear and sow. However, unlike other disciples who needed to carry water bucket by bucket, a single Spirit Rain Technique showered both plots evenly, making them instantly appear vibrant.

After doing this, Elder Chu looked at Xu Yu and Murong Chao, who were working diligently, and sighed softly. He muttered to himself, "Tomorrow you'll know you were wrong. With such poor land, no matter how hard you try, the corn you plant won't compare to theirs!"

With that, he glared fiercely at Qin Haoxuan, who was leading Xu Yu and Murong Chao in their strenuous work, and muttered angrily to himself, "If you hadn't incited Xu Yu and Murong Chao, why would I, a dignified Enlightenment Immortal Master and an elder of Spirit Field Valley, have to personally farm for these two!"

Elder Chu, unable to persuade Xu Yu and Murong Chao to change their minds, worried that they would lose at the starting line and that he wouldn't be able to bear the Sect Master's blame later. Thus, he had no choice but to humble himself and personally undertake this task.

This planting lesson continued until nightfall. The new disciples who had spent the afternoon carrying spiritual spring water were all somewhat disgruntled. How could they possibly irrigate an entire mu of land without carrying forty to fifty buckets of water? However, to ensure their crops weren't inferior to others', they gritted their teeth and carried the water, leaving them all with aching backs and sore waists.

Only Xu Yu and Murong Chao, inspired by Qin Haoxuan, persevered. With Qin Haoxuan's help, they, who had the furthest distance to travel, were the first to finish carrying water.

During the process of carrying water, Qin Haoxuan realized a truth: carrying water is like cultivating immortality. While speed is important, stability is also required. Otherwise, even if the person and the bucket reach the destination, if there are only a few drops of water left in the bucket, it will still be of no avail! This water, then, represents the heart of a cultivator.

Farming and carrying water, cultivating immortality and cultivating the heart.