Ma Hongjun was panting from exhaustion, but he still stubbornly retorted, "Teacher Zhao, what does increasing Soul Power have to do with running? Running can't raise my Soul Power Level. If you really want me to improve, you might as well stop making me run and let me meditate to cultivate my Soul Power."
"Hey, you little brat, I think you're asking for a beating! You still dare talk back? Xiao Fan, Xiao Ao, you two go cultivate. Hong Jun, pick up the pace!"
"No, Teacher Zhao!"
"Hahaha, serves you right for running your mouth."
Watching Lu Fan and Oscar sneak away with suppressed laughter, Ma Hongjun wore an expression uglier than death.
"Xiao Ao, do you have anything else to do right now?"
Lu Fan asked.
Oscar thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing much. What is it, Brother Fan?"
Lu Fan nodded. "Want to earn some extra money?"
Oscar's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, yes! Brother Fan, if you've got a way, please give your little brother a chance!"
Lu Fan smiled, pleased that he was teachable.
"Headmaster Flender has already agreed to let me grow flowers on the back mountain. Come help me plant them. I won't shortchange you—how about one Copper Soul Coin for every five seeds you bury?"
Oscar was naturally willing when he heard that.
No normal person would turn down such an easy job for a Copper Soul Coin.
Seeing Oscar agree, Lu Fan led him toward the back mountain.
They arrived at an open stretch of land.
Seeing Oscar eagerly ready to get started, Lu Fan smiled and poured cold water over him. "Don't get too excited. Our task is enormous."
"Headmaster Flender got me roughly four thousand seeds. We'll need to plant about one mu of land."
"Later, I'll buy even more seeds. My personal goal is to plant as much as eight mu, but I won't force you to help then. After all, we Soul Masters should focus primarily on our own cultivation."
Oscar shook his head. "It's fine, Brother Fan. You're paying me such a generous wage."
Lu Fan nodded. "We came mainly to check the condition of the soil first. I plan to go back to the village and hire some villagers with farming experience to help."
"Aren't the two of us enough?"
Oscar was somewhat confused. He had never farmed before, so he did not really understand.
Lu Fan shook his head. "Before planting, we need to till the soil and clear the weeds. Even after all that, at our speed, it would already be impressive if the two of us could plant five hundred seeds in a day."
"Come on, let's take a look around the village."
Lu Fan led Oscar toward the nearest village.
"By the way, Brother Fan, why do you want to plant so many flowers?"
Oscar voiced the doubt in his heart.
Lu Fan's Martial Soul was a flower, so it was normal for him to like flowers.
But no matter how much he liked them, surely he would not plant so many all at once.
Lu Fan smiled when he heard that. "Liking flowers is one reason, but the bigger reason is cultivation."
"What does growing flowers have to do with cultivation?"
"I'm building a Mimicry Cultivation Environment. Cultivating in a suitable mimicry environment can greatly increase a Soul Master's cultivation speed."
"Our academy can't afford the equipment needed to build a mimicry environment, so I decided to make one suitable for myself by hand."
After hearing Lu Fan's explanation, Oscar's eyes lit up. "Then, Brother Fan, do you think there's a suitable Mimicry Cultivation Environment for me?"
This time, Lu Fan was the one left stunned.
"Well... I really don't know about a Mimicry Cultivation Environment for a food-type Martial Soul. Maybe something like a kitchen? Perhaps you could try making more Sausages and selling them."
Oscar nodded.
Uncle Big Sausage was about to make his debut.
The two arrived at the village, and Lu Fan directly led him toward the fields.
Looking at the farmers toiling in the fields below, Lu Fan called out, "Hiring workers! Tilling, weeding, and planting, all in one package. Hiring two people. The requirement is to till and weed one mu of land within three days, then plant four thousand seeds together. The pay is one Silver Soul Coin per person."
At those words, the farmers immediately stirred.
But when they saw that the person speaking was a child, they suspected that he might be causing trouble.
Seeing this, a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring lit up beneath Lu Fan's feet.
Once they saw that Lu Fan was a Soul Master, those who had feared he was a fraud immediately beamed and rushed to compete for the only two positions.
"I've farmed for eight years! I'm an absolute expert at working the land—pick me!"
"Get out of here. Only eight years, and you dare brag? I've been farming for fifteen years."
"Hey, you two youngsters, get lost. I started farming when I was six, and I'm already over thirty this year. I've farmed for more than twenty years. This job needs an old hand like me!"
Lu Fan decisively chose this seasoned veteran.
At the man's recommendation, he also chose another fellow with more than twenty years of farming experience, and the four of them set off together.
They brought the two men to the back mountain.
Lu Fan pointed at the mu of land before them. "This is the plot. I'll pay you one Silver Soul Coin as a deposit first, and I'll give you the rest once you finish."
"But let me make this clear first. If you don't finish planting after three days and take four, or even five days, then your pay will be reduced."
Lu Fan reminded them.
For these two experienced farmers, planting eighteen hundred seeds a day between them was no difficult task.
Besides, Lu Fan and Oscar would help as well.
With four people working together, they should be able to finish in about two days.
After discussing it, one of the men went to weed while the other began tilling the soil.
Meanwhile, Oscar and Lu Fan started burying seeds in the sections of land they had already prepared.
Three hours later, the man clearing weeds had finished cleaning the field and joined the other man in tilling the soil.
An hour later, the land had been tilled as well. The two men came to Lu Fan to collect seeds and joined the planting.
With the two seasoned farmers on board, the speed of planting instantly increased severalfold.
Lu Fan and Oscar had already spent a long time here. As Soul Masters, they still needed to focus mainly on cultivating their Soul Power.
Lu Fan left the seeds behind and took Oscar back to the academy.
"Brother Fan, I planted a hundred seeds."
Oscar grinned at Lu Fan.
Lu Fan nodded. "A hundred seeds means twenty Copper Soul Coins. But I only have Gold Soul Coins and Silver Soul Coins on me right now. Wait until tomorrow, when I go buy some fertilizer and get change back from someone. Then I'll pay you."
Oscar nodded.
He believed Lu Fan would not cheat him.
As soon as they returned to the dormitory, they saw Ma Hongjun exit his cultivation state. He looked at them unhappily. "You two are really disloyal. You actually left me alone to suffer while you ran off to have fun."
Lu Fan waved a hand. "We didn't have it easy either. The two of us went to the back mountain to plant flowers."
Lu Fan was a little tired. He had Oscar explain to Ma Hongjun what the two of them had been doing.
He climbed onto his bed and lay down, planning to take a short nap first.
Before you continue