Improvement

Reform involved a thousand tangled threads; it couldn't be accomplished overnight.

Even with a general plan in place, there were still plenty of small issues that needed to be sorted out one by one.

Fortunately, it was June now,

and it hadn't been long since the last crop of Spirit Grain had been harvested.

There was still a month before the next quarter's Spirit Grain was planted, leaving enough time to make all kinds of preparations.

In fact,

when it came to Shen Changchuan's reform plan,

most people remained doubtful.

That was only natural.

Many people were accustomed to following old ways and didn't want to change. Whether the changes were good or bad, they instinctively disliked them and hated leaving their comfort zones.

Among them, those who were used to shirking and cutting corners were even less eager for things to change.

But clearly,

there was nothing like democracy in all of Dawan Village. As a cultivator, Shen Changchuan held absolute authority.

For everyone in Dawan Village,

they had to carry out his orders whether they understood them or not.

There was no room for opposition.

Besides,

Shen Changchuan's reforms weren't entirely without support.

At the very least, most members of the eleventh and twelfth teams supported him, as did his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu.

As for the former,

if production increased, the warriors in those two teams would have a chance to earn a share of the Spirit Grain as a reward.

This immortal treasure was far more precious than gold and silver!

It might even give them or their descendants a chance to embark on the path of cultivation!

To ordinary people, its value went without saying.

As for his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, he wholeheartedly approved after reading the reform plan.

His grandson wanted to make something of himself. If he succeeded, that would naturally be a wonderful thing.

And even if he failed,

the reform plan Shen Changchuan had drawn up provided enough of a safety net to prevent any major losses.

To be honest, even he, a man who had traveled far and wide and seen much of the mortal world, had been left awestruck when he saw Shen Changchuan's reform plan.

The plan was so cautious,

and so ingenious!

Especially the proposal to leave the ten mu of land unchanged as before and experiment with improvements on only two mu.

Even Han Qinhu, who considered himself a man of wide experience, was at a loss for words.

"Before considering how to win, first consider how to avoid losing. He acts without arrogance or impatience. My grandson Shen Changchuan is destined for great things!"

That was what Han Qinhu had thought to himself.

He had even taken the initiative to assume the task of supervision afterward, devoting most of his time and energy to helping Shen Changchuan with the reforms.

He helped see the plan through to the end.

Amid the busy changes in Dawan Village, time slipped by, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Yet even while busy with the village's overhaul,

Shen Changchuan hadn't neglected his cultivation.

Or rather, ever since he had escaped the vortex that was the Shen Family Estate in Tiannan City,

he had never once slackened in his cultivation!

Shen Changchuan had a very clear understanding of this world.

In this feudal world of cultivation, a person's authority came from the power they possessed.

The stronger they were, the greater their say—and the more power they held.

Whether it was reorganizing Dawan Village or improving Spirit Grain production to bring in a greater harvest,

the purpose of all these efforts

was ultimately to improve his own strength!

Shen Changchuan wouldn't put the cart before the horse.

For that reason,

even at his busiest, Shen Changchuan had never forgotten to cultivate.

And reality had not let his efforts go unrewarded.

In just half a month,

his cultivation had broken through, advancing a small step to the peak of the third layer of the Qi Induction Realm.

He was only one step away

from reaching the fourth layer of the Qi Induction Realm.

That would put him in the middle stage of the Qi Induction Realm!

"I've reached the peak of the third layer of the Qi Induction Realm. The fourth layer is already within reach!"

Feeling the richer magical power within him, Shen Changchuan was in high spirits.

"This should have something to do with leaving that oppressive place, the Shen Family Estate. Once you break free of the cage, the sky opens wide, and my state of mind has improved."

"Freed from my cage, I return to nature. The ancients spoke true!"

"Of course, cultivation resources have played a big part too."

"With the flesh and blood of that fourth-layer Demon Boar, teeming with vital essence, I was able to make up for the deficiency in my magical power and reach the peak of the third layer of the Qi Induction Realm so quickly!"

Near the spirit spring at the heart of Dawan Village,

Shen Changchuan sat cross-legged on a boulder inside a secret chamber, in an excellent mood.

The spring water beside him trickled forth, and wisps of spiritual energy spread through the surrounding space.

The chamber was a square space, its four walls and ceiling built from massive stone beams weighing a thousand catties apiece. They completely covered the spirit spring and enclosed it within.

From outside, one could see layer upon layer of loose earth packed down over the top, making the chamber look almost like an artificial hill. There was only a person-high passage for entering and leaving, and a heavy wooden door firmly sealed the entrance.

Naturally, the purpose was to keep as much of the spiritual energy evaporating from the spring as possible locked inside a small space, where someone could cultivate.

As for how effective it was,

well,

Shen Changchuan felt it was far better than meditating wherever in the wild.

He could feel his magical power circulating faster here, to say nothing of anything else.

And it was precisely the meat of that fourth-layer Demon Boar,

combined with the excellent spiritual energy around the spring, that had allowed Shen Changchuan to advance so quickly to the peak of the third layer of the Qi Induction Realm.

He had to remember,

he had only reached the late third layer of the Qi Induction Realm two months ago.

Now, in a mere two months, he had advanced by a small stage.

His cultivation speed was plain to see.

"Leaving that great vortex at the Shen Family Estate really was the right decision for me!"

Thinking back on his two and a half years at the Shen Family Estate, Shen Changchuan couldn't help sighing once more.

Compared to his life at the Shen Family Estate, where he had to tread carefully and avoid offending anyone, where he didn't dare cultivate too hard, and where his allowance amounted to only one bowl of Spirit Rice Porridge every ten days—with a few bites of Demon Beast meat only on important holidays like New Year's—

life here in Dawan Village was incomparably more carefree!

At the very least,

he was completely free now!

And that wasn't all he had gained in recent days.

Shen Changchuan fixed his gaze on empty space, and a screen appeared before his eyes:

Name: Shen Changchuan

Realm: Peak of the Third Layer of the Qi Induction Realm

Cultivation Art: Elephant Mountain Qi Absorption Art

Magical Artifacts:

Two Gold Needles (quasi-low-grade magical artifacts)

Spells:

Golden Needle Stab: 100% (Trait: slight improvement in concealed-weapon accuracy; negligible experience in cultivating Metal-element spells)

Light Body Technique: 100% (Mastery Trait: slight increase in speed; negligible experience in cultivating movement techniques)

Wind Blade Technique: 52%

Fireball Technique: 43%

Vine Technique: 13%

Spirit Eye Technique: 2%

Not bad.

His Light Body Technique had reached mastery, too.

With plenty of vital essence from the Demon Boar meat to sustain him, Shen Changchuan had managed to carve out time amid his busy schedule over the past half month

to successfully cultivate the Light Body Technique to mastery,

while also learning the Spirit Eye Technique Shen Shiying had left him.

There wasn't much to say about the Spirit Eye Technique. When activated, it let him see faint traces of spiritual energy or demonic aura.

It was merely an auxiliary spell.

The important thing was that his Light Body Technique had reached mastery.

As with Golden Needle Stab, once the Light Body Technique's progress reached 100%, two lines of traits had appeared beneath it.

Shen Changchuan still didn't quite understand the effect of the second line, "negligible experience in cultivating movement techniques."

But he could feel the effect of the first line, "slight increase in speed."

After he cast the Light Body Technique, now at 100% mastery,

he could leap eight or nine zhang, instead of the four or five he had managed before.

The boost to his agility while using the Light Body Technique was at least a third greater than before!

As a result, his attack speed had also increased somewhat!

Without a doubt, this had further strengthened Shen Changchuan's overall combat prowess!

Now,

Shen Changchuan even felt that if that peak fourth-layer Giant Demon Pig appeared before him again,

he could confidently run circles around it and kill it!