Planting Zone Adjustment

The change in the black mole on the sole of his foot was merely a small interlude; the constantly busy youth soon cast it to the back of his mind.

After all, it did not affect his lifespan; on the contrary, it could bring endless hope to his path of cultivation.

Another month passed.

Chen Changming remained at the first level of Qi Refining, having made no further breakthroughs in either his spells or blade techniques. However, there was good news: his fifteen mu of spirit rice had finally all matured.

Chen Changming tallied the harvest: the ten mu of fields in the woods yielded twenty-eight thousand catties, and the three mu outside the courtyard yielded five thousand six hundred catties. These spirit grains were crystalline and translucent, emitting a rich fragrance, completely different in quality from the previous spirit rice.

The youth believed this was mid-grade spirit rice.

He loaded the spirit rice from the three mu into his storage bag and the remaining two mu into another.

As for the spirit rice in the woods, it barely fit into his largest storage bag.

Once he finished, he was preparing to head out of the mountains to find the outer sect disciple Tian Shouyi, but unexpectedly, the fellow came to him of his own accord.

"Senior Brother Tian, here is my spirit rice."

Chen Changming stepped forward to greet him, handing over the storage bag with a smile on his face.

"Hmm, you kid are quite efficient."

Tian Shouyi glanced at the youth and poured the spirit rice from the storage bag into his own.

Having dealt with Chen Changming twice before, the two could be considered familiar with one another.

"Junior Brother, you all are truly lucky..."

Tian Shouyi looked at the youth, his complexion ashen, and sighed softly.

Chen Changming had a vague suspicion and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, why do you sigh so?"

"Sigh, you must know that the two kingdoms are at war. This time, the various sects of the Yue Kingdom suffered a defeat, inciting the fury of the sect masters. They have ordered reinforcements, and I am among them this time..."

Tian Shouyi said, feeling restless and uneasy.

Chen Changming comforted him, "Senior Brother, war is perilous; you must take care to protect yourself."

"Mm."

Tian Shouyi was in low spirits. He looked toward the mountaintop and said, "This time, the third-level Qi Refining handymen must also follow me to the front lines, so the planning for our spirit rice cultivation area will have to be adjusted."

Third-level Qi Refining handymen also had to go to war?

Chen Changming's heart skipped a beat. He thought that if these cannon fodder went, they would likely never return; even this Tian Shouyi was in grave danger.

In this battle, the Lingxiao Sect would suffer heavy casualties.

Tian Shouyi transferred 100 contribution points into the Contribution Token, patted Chen Changming on the shoulder, and continued, "We will be short-handed here from now on, so those at the second level of Qi Refining will all go to cultivate the spirit fields on the mountaintop...

As for the mountainside and the foot of the mountain, you may choose according to your own abilities. The sect makes no rigid requirements, as long as you hand over the original quota each year."

Chen Changming nodded.

His spiritual energy was abundant, and he had never had a place to cast his Cloud Rain Art, often letting it go to waste on that patch of woods. If the sect was no longer going to manage this area so strictly, he could cultivate more spirit fields.

Tian Shouyi took out a conch-like treasure, held it to his mouth, and shouted a few times; the sound carried all the way to the mountaintop.

Before long, all the handyman disciples arrived.

Tian Shouyi announced the sect's new arrangements in public, and the many handyman disciples felt as if they were caught between fire and ice.

Those third-level Qi Refining handymen were all deathly pale, scared out of their wits.

The second-level Qi Refining handymen were also anxious, their expressions heavy; after all, if the war continued to tighten, they would likely be sent to the front lines as well.

Only the first-level Qi Refining handymen were relatively calm, though most of them lacked the ability to cultivate the mountainside spirit fields that yielded twice a year, as they were already overwhelmed taking care of the five mu of fields at the foot of the mountain.

A moment later.

Tian Shouyi left with the despairing third-level Qi Refining disciples, while the second-level disciples went back to pack their things and headed for the mountaintop.

They were in low spirits now, not particularly concerned with cultivating spirit fields, their minds solely on how to save their own lives.

The first-level Qi Refining handymen returned to their original dwellings, and not a single one was willing to go to the mountainside.

Chen Changming blinked.

Could it be that the entire mountainside was to be left for him alone to cultivate?

On the mountainside, there were over two hundred mu of spirit fields in total.

For Chen Changming, this was acceptable, though it would be a bit tiring. However, at the thought of obtaining a large amount of mid-grade spirit rice, he felt as if he had been injected with adrenaline, his heart filled with fighting spirit once more.

Chen Changming did not rush up the mountain; instead, he quietly left the Lingxiao Sect and made his way to Lingyun City.

He had to find a way to sell the spirit rice in his possession.

After some disguising, the youth in a black bamboo hat entered the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion once again and met Shopkeeper Xu.

Shopkeeper Xu was all smiles: "Fellow Daoist, we meet again after half a year. I wonder if you have brought any surprises for this old man this time?"

Chen Changming did not speak, but handed over a storage bag.

Shopkeeper Xu took the storage bag, took out a handful of spirit rice to smell it, and his expression changed. He gave Chen Changming an apologetic smile and hurried out.

Chen Changming waited patiently.

On the top floor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Shopkeeper Xu hurried in, saying excitedly, "My Lady, that handyman disciple surnamed Chen from the Lingxiao Sect has returned, and he truly brought back Mid-grade Spirit Rice."

"I certainly didn't misjudge him. Although this youth has a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root, he possesses extraordinary talent in cultivation. His grasp of the Cloud Rain Art is so profound that he managed to grow Mid-grade Spirit Rice despite only being at the first level of Qi Refining!"

The woman in white smiled slightly; her beauty eclipsed all others, making the flowers of the world pale in comparison.

For the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, investigating a mere handyman disciple from the Lingxiao Sect was not difficult, so Chen Changming's information had long since been laid out before Shopkeeper Xu and the woman in white.

"My Lady, shall I go and discuss a partnership with him?" Shopkeeper Xu asked with a smile.

"Mm. That batch of medicinal herbs is important. As long as it is not excessive, satisfy his requests as much as possible." The woman in white nodded.

Shopkeeper Xu exited the room and returned to the private chamber on the second floor, seeing the remarkable handyman disciple from the Lingxiao Sect once again.

"Fellow Daoist, this is indeed Mid-grade Spirit Rice. How much do you have? The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion will take it all..." Shopkeeper Xu said urgently.

"Over thirty thousand catties." Chen Changming said calmly. He felt that after Shopkeeper Xu's trip out, the way the man looked at him had changed; it had become extremely respectful, and his tone was so courteous that it made Chen Changming feel a bit unaccustomed for a moment.

Over thirty thousand catties? Shopkeeper Xu was shocked. What kind of freak was this handyman disciple at the first level of Qi Refining to have grown so much Mid-grade Spirit Rice in just half a year? He truly could not fathom it.

"We'll take it all." After thinking for only half a second, he agreed immediately.

Chen Changming handed over another Storage Bag to Shopkeeper Xu, and after the latter verified it was correct, he traded six hundred and seventy-two Low-grade Spirit Stones to Chen Changming on the spot.

"Shopkeeper Xu..." Chen Changming looked at him, hesitating to speak.

With this many spirit stones, he could buy about seventy-four Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills on the street, but that was a large quantity, and he feared that trading in the open streets would make him an easy target. It would be better to test the waters with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to see if they could offer him a discount. After all, purchasing here was much safer.

"Please, Fellow Daoist, speak your mind." Shopkeeper Xu said with a beaming smile. It was clear that this handyman disciple had a request for him, which played right into his hands.

Chen Changming asked tentatively, "I wish to purchase some Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. I wonder if Shopkeeper Xu could sell them to me a bit cheaper than the market price?"

"Haha!" Shopkeeper Xu laughed and said quite readily, "Why not? As a VIP of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, you may purchase the Spirit Gathering Pills for eight spirit stones each."

Eight spirit stones each? Chen Changming felt a surge of joy in his heart. This way, he could purchase eighty-four pills, ten more than before. Ten Spirit Gathering Pills! For the perpetually frugal Chen Changming, this counted as a small fortune!

Following this, Shopkeeper Xu accepted Chen Changming's spirit stones and traded the eighty-four Spirit Gathering Pills to him.

Having achieved his goal, Chen Changming breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to turn and leave when he was suddenly called back by Shopkeeper Xu.

"Fellow Daoist, do you require a large quantity of Spirit Gathering Pills?"

Shopkeeper Xu's voice rang out from behind him. Chen Changming's body stiffened; he stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly.

"Shopkeeper Xu, what do you mean by this?" Chen Changming asked in a hoarse voice.

"Do not misunderstand, Fellow Daoist." Shopkeeper Xu waved his hands and smiled. "To tell you the truth, our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has a herb field that requires someone proficient in the Cloud Rain Art to water it. Since you are capable of growing Mid-grade Spirit Rice, your attainments in this area must be quite strong. How about we enter into a partnership?"