Jiang Family Courtyard, on a bench.
Event triggered (New) Lingjiang Temple publicly recruited farmers, and tens of thousands of farming households responded. As a result, one hundred people awakened Awakened Wisdom (Causality Value +150) (New) New Dajiang County was completed, with tens of thousands of mu of fertile fields and dozens of mu of Premium Quality fields (Causality Value +80) (New) Li Xiaobing's cultivation advanced. Lingjiang Temple intended to nurture her into the first Agricultural Path True Person (Causality Value +50) (New) The Green Mountain Lake Qin Household had three Eighth Grade cultivators, while Lingjiang Temple had eleven Eighth Grade cultivators (Causality Value +70) (New) The total number of Ninth Grade "Farmers" in Dajiang County surpassed five hundred (Causality Value +220) (New) Some "Farmers" were ambushed on their way home, and their lives and deaths remained unknown (Causality Value +65) (New) Wang Congyun secretly rescued thirty-eight people and transferred seventeen of them to Qingshan Lakeside, where they joined the Qin Household (Causality Value +140)
Ambushed on their way home?
Their lives and deaths unknown?
Jiang Tu knew clearly that the truth hidden behind these few short lines of events was probably extremely heavy.
Looking back on his previous gains in causality, he remembered that in the beginning, one Farmer's awakening could contribute more than ten points, while growing a single Premium Quality crop also gave more than ten points. Now, with over four hundred "Farmers" awakening all at once, it had only yielded this much... The returns had shrunk terribly.
It seemed that the wave of "dividends" in the early stages of Sequence development had already passed. Repeating the same actions again and again would continuously reduce their influence, and the causality gained would fall accordingly. This was the law of the Golden Tome, and also the law governing all things in the world.
The first person to eat a crab enjoyed it the most. Those who followed were merely riding the tide, and at best, they got to drink the soup.
What truly concerned him, however, was not the amount of Causality Value, but the information hidden behind each event.
New Dajiang County had been completed. The Daoist Sect had told the outside world that profound Daoist arts had purged the strange aura and driven away the strange creatures.
But Jiang Tu did not believe a single word of it.
He remembered that the Golden Tome's feedback from years ago had mentioned The Rebirth of Dajiang County Forbidden Zone.
What kind of "rebirth" could bring a dead land back to life?
What kind of "Daoist art" could resolve the strange aura that had plagued the Daoist Sect for ten thousand years?
He thought of the Farmers who had died within the Daoist Sect, Chen Cun, Sun Fu, thirty-six lives in all, as well as the tens of thousands of wronged souls from the Dajiang County Strange Calamity... One thought kept circling in his mind.
Was there some connection between the rebirth of New Dajiang County and those deceased Agricultural Path Cultivators?
But he had no proof.
He was in Xiaopei County, separated by a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers. He could only see lines of text on the Golden Tome... He still needed a reliable source of information, someone within the Daoist Sect who could exchange information with him. Otherwise, he could not even determine what had happened inside the forbidden zone and the Daoist Sect.
Wang Congyun, that black and skinny little Daoist, had once asked him how to survive in the Daoist Sect. Now, he was secretly rescuing "Farmers" and sending them to Green Mountain Lake as kindling.
He was indeed an ideal source of information, but he was thousands of li away, and they had no way to contact each other...
Even if they had, Jiang Tu would not take the initiative to contact him. The risk of exposure was too great.
He shook his head and temporarily pressed down this thought before calling up Xiao Tuyun's personal panel.
Name: Qin Tuo Yun Yangspan: 4/89 Cultivation: Innately Extraordinary (Eighth Grade · Field Steward (2000/2000)) Event triggered (New) At one year old, she could speak. The moment she opened her mouth, she talked about the Agricultural Path and such (New) At two years old, she ran and leaped all over the ground, sensing the earth veins with her bare feet (New) At three years old, she mastered the Earth Escape Technique, hiding in the rice paddies to tease her mother and elder brother (New) At four years old, she became proficient in the Earthmoving Technique. Using Earth Escape three times a day, she reached Eighth Grade perfection (New) Eighth Grade limit. There was no path ahead
Four years old... Eighth Grade perfection!
That girl had begun cultivating from inside the womb. Born at Eighth Grade, with an Agricultural Bone and Dao Foundation, she had already reached the end of the Eighth Grade path at only four years old. Her rate of advancement was even faster than Luo Jin's during the evolution. If this momentum continued and the path ahead had no limit, would she not be able to charge into Seventh Grade very soon?
But there was no path ahead, and her cultivation seemed unable to rise any further.
This was probably because Seventh Grade had not yet been loaded into reality. The progress of Sequence evolution determined the upper limit of Sequence development in the native world. He had only evolved as far as Eighth Grade... Xiao Tuyun was indeed a genius, but without evolution being loaded, even if she devoted her entire life to it, she might not be able to blaze a new Seventh Grade path above Eighth Grade.
Seeing this, Jiang Tu could not help comparing it with his own panel.
Name: Jiang Tu Yangspan: 37/94 Cultivation: Newly Entering the Dao Path (Agricultural Dao Sequence · Eighth Grade · Field Steward) (1596/2000) Remaining Evolution Duration: 14 years 4 months
He was a full thirty-three years older than Xiao Tuyun, yet he was still quite far from the Eighth Grade limit. He used Earth Escape twice a day and had only just glimpsed the threshold of the Earthmoving Technique. Even that was the result of the support provided by his Agricultural Bone.
Without the Agricultural Bone, his current progress would probably have been much slower.
Jiang Tu sighed.
There was still a difference between a talent-based player and an effort-based player. Other people reached the summit with casual practice, while you climbed the slope until you died.
Xiao Tuyun was talent-based, while he was effort-based—or, more accurately, "survival-by-cowering."
He would rather be a little slower, as long as he could guarantee his safety.
If he could spread teachings everywhere and accept disciples on a large scale, then as the Lord of the Great Dao, his cultivation speed would surely soar. But doing that would be no different from blowing himself up beneath the Daoist Sect's nose. Thus, he could only wait: wait for evolution to pave the road, wait for time to accumulate, wait for the total number of Sequence cultivators to slowly increase, and slowly feed cultivation back to him, accumulating little by little until it became much.
His remaining evolution duration had reached fourteen years, making this the most abundant reserve he had possessed since beginning the evolution.
He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
It was time to get down to business.
Late at night, Jiang Tu rose from his bed and went to the quiet room. The moonlight outside was thick, and the courtyard was utterly silent.
From the bedroom next door came Zhou Ning'e's even breathing. She had long since grown used to her husband occasionally disappearing at night and never asked questions. She rubbed her bleary eyes, turned over, and continued sleeping.
Jiang Tu locked his consciousness onto the Golden Tome.
Harvest.
Whoosh—
Causality Value: 2359
Over two thousand Causality Value!
This was all the wealth he had saved over ten years.
Tonight, he would pour every bit of these savings in, building momentum for the third evolution!
Optional Profession 1: Farmer Profession Level: lv2 (＋) Add points!
Whoosh—
Consumed 1000 Causality Value. Profession Level increased. Profession Sequence evolution efficiency moderately increased Profession Level: lv2 (1000/1000) → lv3 (0/10000) Trait: (New) Blessing a Region Blessing a Region: In places where large numbers of Agricultural Path Sequence cultivators gather, an Earthborn Guardian Spirit of Blessing a Region will be born. It will guard the mountains and rivers of the region and establish peace throughout the land
Jiang Tu blinked when he saw this.
An Earthborn Guardian Spirit?
His mind immediately conjured up the Land Gods from the xianxia stories of his previous life... This "guardian spirit" sounded similar to them, yet seemed to be more than a mere Land God. Guarding a region's mountains and rivers and establishing peace throughout the land went beyond managing the earth. It was more like a regional guardian deity.
If a Guardian Spirit could be born when enough Agricultural Path cultivators gathered, then the foundation of the Agricultural Path would be completely secure.
They would no longer be scattered soldiers wandering everywhere, but a major force with roots and foundations in one region.
The appearance of an Earthborn Guardian Spirit also meant that the influence of the Agricultural Path Sequence had expanded from individual cultivation to regional influence. Places where cultivators gathered would receive blessings and protection, the internal cohesion of the Sequence cultivators would increase significantly, and that would in turn promote the gathering and inheritance of cultivators.
This was equivalent to an accelerator for a positive cycle!
What a treasure!
Profession traits had never disappointed him!!
Pray for a Blessing: 1000 Causality Value
Jiang Tu's eyelid twitched.
The first prayer had cost only 150 points, but the second had jumped directly to 1000!
That price increase was practically poetry?!
He had originally intended to pray once and then add another wave of blessings, but now it seemed that his remaining Causality Value was enough for only one of the two.
After weighing it briefly, he still chose to pray. Blessings applied to both the evolution and reality. He currently had a second Blessing Slot; besides Favorable Weather, he could attach another blessing, making this more cost-effective.
Add points!
Whoosh—
Consumed 1000 Causality Value. Completed the second prayer for a blessing You successfully obtained the blessing—Phenomenon: Auspicious Snow Blessing: Phenomenon: Auspicious Snow Quality: Green (Fine) Description: Once this blessing is loaded into the evolution, there will be a one percent chance each year that Auspicious Snow will fall where the Agricultural Path cultivators reside during the evolution. Auspicious snow heralds a good harvest. It can cause crops and medicinal herbs to grow during winter, greatly extend their years, and infuse them with thin traces of the world's spiritual essence. After one evolution settlement is completed, this blessing will be loaded into reality. Based on the Blessing Slots, two blessings can be loaded simultaneously
Jiang Tu's eyes suddenly lit up.
Phenomenon: Auspicious Snow.
Fine quality!
It was a grade higher than Favorable Weather, and its effects were highly unique. There was a one percent chance of Auspicious Snow falling each year. It could make crops and medicinal herbs grow during the originally frigid winter, greatly extend their years, and infuse them with spiritual essence.
A one percent chance was indeed not high.
His fourteen years of evolution might not even encounter it once. But what if it triggered? Crops growing during winter, combined with the nourishment of spiritual essence, would be an overwhelming advantage during the early stages of evolution.
Awesome!
These 2000 Causality Value had not been wasted!
The only thing he needed to worry about was whether the descent of such a phenomenon would bring disaster upon Old Farmer Hall. Not necessarily. The phenomenon accompanying Xiao Tuyun's birth had not attracted the Daoist Sect's attention either. Still, it was worth observing for a while...
Everything was ready—
Profession Level lv3 with two traits in place, and both Blessing Slots filled.
Jiang Tu rubbed his hands together, filled with anticipation and nervousness. For the third evolution, he hoped to at least see the Sequence Grade break through the Eighth Grade threshold.
Begin! Continue Evolution No. 001!
Boom—!
The scene before his eyes changed abruptly.
Mountains and rivers turned upside down, the sun and moon moved in reverse, and a vast, ancient, and primordial land unfolded with a thunderous roar. His consciousness rose infinitely high, passing through the clouds and the river of stars, looking down upon an ancient world that was slowly awakening.
Loading the native Immortal-Phantom World model in all dimensions... Loading the beginning of the Great Dao: Thirty thousand years ago, the Primordial Immortal Calamity... Evolution Number: 001 (Continuation) Selected Profession: Farmer (lv3) (Traits: Premium Quality, Blessing a Region) Selected Blessings: Favorable Weather, Phenomenon: Auspicious Snow (2/2) Evolution begins!
Light poured down like a waterfall, completely swallowing his field of vision. The ancient and primordial Auspicious Land suddenly emerged!
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