Planning the Future

Although Wang Daoyuan had never personally planted Spirit Grain, he knew the saying: "You don't have to eat pork to know what it looks like." He understood that it took ten to twenty days for Spirit Grain to grow from sprouting to half a foot tall.

Experiencing ten days' worth of growth in just one and a half days, he could only think of two possibilities: First, the Spirit Pearl Space was extremely suitable for Spirit Grain growth; second, the time flow within the Spirit Pearl Space was different from the outside world.

It was difficult to determine if the Spirit Pearl Space was suitable for Spirit Grain growth, but the time flow was easy to ascertain.

He found two incense sticks, lit them, and placed one in the outside world while the other was placed inside the Spirit Pearl Space. When the incense in the space burned out, the one outside had only burned about a tenth of the way. The result indicated that the time flow in the Spirit Pearl Space was ten times faster than the outside world.

"Holy cow! This is going to be huge!" Wang Daoyuan roared excitedly.

Recalculating the profits based on selling Spirit Grain and multiplying by ten, his annual income of eight thousand Spirit Stones far surpassed that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who didn't specialize in any of the Hundred Cultivation Arts.

The entire Wang Clan's annual income was only twenty to thirty thousand Spirit Stones, but that was to support dozens of cultivators. Wang Daoyuan's eight thousand Spirit Stones were all his own.

This meant that with Spirit Grain maturing every nine days, forty harvests a year, his four mu of Spirit Fields would yield thirty-two thousand catties of Spirit Grain.

Wang Daoyuan almost cried. How on earth would he sell it all? After this harvest, he couldn't plant so much Spirit Grain. He couldn't sell it or eat it all, and he couldn't give it away. He never expected to be troubled by having too many resources.

Ever since he was identified as having a Five Spirit Root, his cultivation resources had always been insufficient.

Therefore, his planned future path was to become a Talisman Master and earn resources through Talisman Crafting. With the accumulation of his past life and diligent practice in this life, he could already easily craft Tier One mid-grade Talismans.

He was confident that by the age of thirty, he would become a Tier Two Talisman Master. Becoming a Tier Two Talisman Master would make earning Spirit Stones much easier. With sufficient resources, reaching Qi Refining Peak before the age of seventy was highly probable.

He didn't even dare to hope for a Foundation Establishment Pill. The auction price for a Foundation Establishment Pill never dropped below fifty thousand Spirit Stones, a sum the impoverished Wang Clan could hardly afford.

Furthermore, even if the clan managed to buy one, it would be allocated to the clan's promising Foundation Establishment candidates. Even if it were given to him, the success rate of achieving Foundation Establishment with just one pill would be very low.

His original plan was to do his utmost and forcibly break through to Foundation Establishment before the age of seventy.

Now, with the Spirit Pearl Space, resources were no longer a problem. Wealth, Dharma, companions, and environment—wealth was paramount. As long as there were enough resources, even someone with poor aptitude could force their way to Foundation Establishment.

With the fundamental conditions changed, his previous plans were no longer reasonable. Wang Daoyuan made new plans for his future.

He set a small goal: first, earn... no, first cultivate to Qi Refining Peak.

Considering his own aptitude, the most optimistic estimate to achieve this small goal would be around the age of thirty.

After that, he would have forty years to prepare for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

With his small goal set, he still needed to consider how to proceed.

According to clan regulations, disciples under the age of twenty could remain in the ancestral land to cultivate without any obligations. After the age of twenty, they were required to serve the clan.

Wang Daoyuan's previous plan was to continue staying at Jade Spring Peak and diligently improve his Talisman Crafting skills. Upon leaving at twenty, he would go to the Wang Clan's shops and provide Talismans for the clan.

After becoming a Tier Two Talisman Master, he could, like Ninth Uncle Wang Shoudé, become a clan elder and manage one of the clan's industries.

However, now, continuing to stay at Jade Spring Peak would actually hinder his cultivation.

This was because underage disciples were not allowed to leave Jade Spring Peak at will. Without leaving Jade Spring Peak, the Spirit Grain and Spirit Grass grown in the Spirit Pearl Space could not be sold. Wang Daoyuan could only stare helplessly at his vast quantities of Spirit Grain and Spirit Medicine, unable to exchange them for a single pill to improve his cultivation.

Wang Daoyuan was currently a Tier One mid-grade Talisman Master, a "technical talent." Working in the shops meant that besides completing a certain amount of Talisman Crafting tasks each month, there were no other restrictions.

This would give him ample time to sell the Spirit Grain and Spirit Medicine, and also to acquire some higher-value Tier One Spirit Medicine.

He made up his mind: he had to find a reason to leave Jade Spring Peak as soon as possible and work in the clan's shops.

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye. The Spirit Grain in the Spirit Pearl Space had been harvested for one season. Perhaps because there were no pests in the space, the yield was quite good, with an average yield of over two hundred and thirty catties per mu. Afterward, Wang Daoyuan decided to keep only one mu for planting Spirit Grain, and use the remaining three mu to plant Yellow Cloud Grass on one mu and Crimson Blood Ginseng on two mu.

Today was the last day of the year. Although cultivators generally did not celebrate the New Year like mortals, the Wang Clan was special and retained the mortal custom of celebrating the New Year.

The founding ancestor of the Wang Clan, Wang Chengzhu, was originally the second-generation heir of a wealthy family in the mortal world. He was also an only child, doted on by his elders.

Before the age of twenty, Wang Chengzhu lived a simple and uneventful life, filled with fine horses, luxurious carriages, hunting with falcons and hounds.

It wasn't until his twentieth birthday that the city where Wang Chengzhu resided was flattened by a sudden beast tide. His parents and all his relatives were devoured by demonic beasts, and only he narrowly escaped.

Wang Chengzhu swore to kill all demonic beasts and avenge his clan's destruction.

Later, he stumbled upon the inheritance of a rogue cultivator and embarked on the path of cultivation. Although he started late, Wang Chengzhu was a cultivator with a Two Spirit Root, and his Water Spirit Root was as high as eight inches and nine fen, only a sliver away from a Heavenly Spirit Root. His cultivation speed was incredibly fast; he started cultivating in his twenties, achieved Foundation Establishment before forty, and opened his Violet Mansion in his eighties.

Afterward, Wang Chengzhu hunted demonic beasts everywhere, making a name for himself in the northern part of Zhao Kingdom. The Zhao Family, the most powerful cultivation family in Zhao Kingdom, intended to recruit him.

Wang Chengzhu's ancestors had served as ministers in Zhao Kingdom, and his father had named him Chengzhu, hoping he would achieve high office like his ancestors.

To fulfill his father's last wish and to find a patron, Wang Chengzhu accepted the recruitment and became a Guest Official of the Zhao Family.

Later, demonic beasts from north of Return Goose Mountain invaded Zhao Kingdom in large numbers. Wang Chengzhu shone brightly in the war against the demonic beasts, achieving outstanding merit.

After repelling the demonic beasts, the Zhao Family rewarded Wang Chengzhu with a large amount of cultivation resources and granted him Jade Spring Peak. Wang Chengzhu married and had children, establishing the Wang Clan.

Because of Wang Chengzhu, the Wang Clan retained many customs and traditions from mortal families from its very inception. After Wang Chengzhu's death, these customs gradually faded, but habits like year-end accounting and ancestor worship were preserved.

Today was the day when the clan elders would conduct the year-end accounting, reflect on the past, and look forward to the future. In the afternoon, all idle clansmen on Jade Spring Peak gathered before the ancestral temple to listen to the clan elders deliver their "year-end summary" and announce the plans for the coming year, followed by ancestor worship.

Wang Daoyuan stood before the ancestral temple, listening to the Great Elder Wang Zhiren speak from the high platform. It felt like he was back in his previous life, listening to his superior ramble on, and he couldn't muster any interest. He began to ponder how he could leave Jade Spring Peak early and go out to work.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Daoyuan felt his legs starting to ache. Finally, the Great Elder finished his lengthy speech. Next, the Clan Leader Wang Zhian stepped forward and said, "I will just say a few more words."

Wang Daoyuan listened for a while, about to drift off again, when the Clan Leader's words piqued his interest.

He heard the Clan Leader say, "This year, the clan has acquired a new shop in Qingli Market and needs five or six people to work there. Those with special skills will be given priority. Any clan disciples willing to go should sign up with the Great Elder."

Upon hearing this news, Wang Daoyuan, who was just about to wander off in his mind, became instantly invigorated. It was like a pillow delivered just when he was feeling sleepy, a perfect excuse falling from the sky.