Settlement: Entering Eighth Grade

"Evolution paused due to insufficient remaining evolution time."

"Settling accounts—"

"Evolution duration: 28 years and 5 months"

"Historical review: More than twenty years after Heavenfall, farming revived in the Auspicious Land. The slave Luo Jin carved out the Agricultural Dao Sequence from humble beginnings, spreading teachings and passing on the Dao. Over twenty-eight years, he gathered followers and established the [Old Farmer Hall], secretly preaching with slaves as its foundation and steadily expanding. Later, he reclaimed wasteland and opened new ground, building [Shennong Valley] within a miasma-filled valley, storing Premium Quality crops within it. He painstakingly selected the best of the best, and as the fire of the Agricultural Path began to rise, there were three Eighth Grade "Field Stewards" and more than a hundred Ninth Grade "Farmers." His influence extended across an entire city. Yet when a force grew too great, it inevitably divided. Undercurrents surged as Li Shitou and Luo Dazhuang gradually developed disagreements. Luo Jin was about to enter seclusion to break through, and storm clouds gathered over the Old Farmer Hall—"

"Settlement rewards: Sequence Points ×170, Luo Jin's Agricultural Path Knowledge Inheritance · Part Two, Luo Jin's Cultivation Experience · Part One, Premium Quality Seeds ×2"

"Professional traits synchronized into the local world—Evolution Blessing synchronized into the local world—"

Within the Jiang Family Farmstead.

Jiang Tu fell back into the present from the passage of ten thousand years, still immersed in the evolution log, savoring it for a long while.

Twenty-eight years had passed in the blink of an eye.

He had watched Luo Jin rise from a tiny slave, treading on thin ice every step of the way, until he now commanded over a hundred cultivators, possessed the slave foundation of an entire city, secretly opened Shennong Valley, and gained control of Premium Quality crops.

It had not been easy. Truly not easy.

Yet the end of the evolution left Jiang Tu faintly uneasy.

Li Shitou secretly contacting outsiders was no good omen! Given Luo Jin's steady nature, if he had been in the hall, he would never have allowed such a thing to happen... Yet he had happened to enter seclusion, and Li Shitou had happened to make his move at this very moment.

Jiang Tu shook his head and suppressed his stray thoughts. Reviewing the log, he sank into contemplation.

The clash between the steady route of the Luo Jin brothers and the development route of Li Shitou would likely emerge in reality as well.

Wasn't Chen Cun a living example?

He was an absolute development faction—and a goddamn suicide-charge development faction at that!

But Li Shitou was different from Chen Cun, after all. He was not so ostentatious, and the route he took was still relatively prudent. His proposal to first gather slaves, then lower-class farmers and herb farmers, accumulating strength in secret, was constructive. It might not necessarily fail.

Beyond their difference in routes, Jiang Tu was also greatly looking forward to Luo Jin's secluded breakthrough.

Seventh Grade... What abilities would it bring?

Judging from the current abilities of Eighth Grade—Earth Escape Technique, earth qi perception, weather prediction, herb cultivation, moving earth to open paths and cut off watercourses... After reaching Seventh Grade, these abilities would certainly be greatly strengthened. On top of that, there would definitely be new supernatural abilities!

He was looking forward to it!

Desperately looking forward to it!

But the Golden Tome had fucking cut off right here again.

Damn it! This damned Golden Tome always cut off at the most crucial moment!

Still, this time he himself had been too impatient. He had only saved up five years before starting the evolution. He had gotten a taste, but not enough to satisfy himself.

Set a small goal—next time, he would save up at least ten years first, then evolve to his heart's content in one go!

Just then, golden light flashed before his eyes.

Whoosh!

A stack of yellowed paper pages appeared out of thin air. It was thicker than last time and better preserved.

Jiang Tu reached out and touched it. The pages turned into a dazzling stream of light and burrowed into his brow.

Sizzle—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A vast amount of Agricultural Path knowledge poured in like streams flowing into a great lake, merging with what he already knew.

This new knowledge inheritance ran deeper and broader than the last.

It not only gave him a deeper understanding of crop habits, changes in the weather, and herb cultivation, but also many practical techniques used in reclaiming wasteland and opening new ground—how to use mountain contours to channel water for irrigation, how to identify which tracts of wilderness were worth cultivating and which were not.

Even fertilizer preparation had its own intricacies. In the past, Jiang Tu only knew to use manure and plant ash for simple composting. But in this new knowledge, compost was divided into seven types, each with different proportions and composting durations tailored to different soil types and crops.

Some required lime to neutralize acidity. Some needed bone meal mixed in to enrich the soil. Others had to be sealed and fermented for months before use.

Beyond that, there were also the most precious methods for cultivating and nourishing "Premium Quality" crops. Though they had not formed a complete system and were merely scattered insights—seed selection, germination, identifying Premium Quality seedlings—they were still enough to benefit Jiang Tu immensely.

It was almost as though an experienced old farmer had poured out the experience of his entire life and bestowed it upon him.

He slowly opened his eyes, his senses refreshed and his understanding naturally ordered.

Whoosh!

Golden light flashed again, and a hazy phantom abruptly appeared.

It was a youth—dark-skinned, thin, and not particularly handsome, utterly ordinary in appearance. Yet he naturally possessed a friendly air that inspired trust.

At the sight, Jiang Tu was filled with emotion.

The blurry Luo Jin from the log was now standing before him. Though he was only a phantom, a recorded fragment of cultivation experience, that sense of reality was beyond words!

To Jiang Tu, Luo Jin no longer seemed like a flat character on paper, but a living, breathing person!

At that moment, Luo Jin sat cross-legged beside a field, summarizing the insights he had gained from years of cultivation.

"...Agricultural Path Cultivators do not look at innate bones, nor do they distinguish between the young and the old."

"I once taught an old farmer in his twilight years, already frail and over sixty. But he was sincere toward the land. He had farmed all his life and never dared waste an inch of soil or a grain of food. Then, he awakened...!"

"I also taught an ignorant child. He liked talking to the earth, liked watching seeds sprout. He awakened as well."

"But those who see farming as bitter drudgery, merely a job, and wish they could do one bit less with every bit they do—no matter how they are taught, they cannot learn it."

"So I believe that what Agricultural Path Cultivators value most is a heart of reverence."

"Reverence for the earth, dependence upon it, and the heart that prays for a bountiful harvest. With such a heart, good harvests can grow from the soil, and Awakened Wisdom can be awakened as well."

"This may be called the [Awakening Law]..."

"As for those who have awakened Awakened Wisdom, as well as promising seedlings likely to awaken, sincerely teaching them and genuinely passing on knowledge, earning their respect and trust... can raise one's cultivation and accelerate one's progress."

"Sometimes, when a disciple breaks through, though I remain still, my cultivation rises on its own."

"This is called the [Inheritance Method]."

"The Agricultural Path values inheritance. Masters guide disciples, disciples guide later generations, and the Kindling Flame passes on in Endless Renewal. The more one passes it on, the more sincere one's teaching, the faster one's cultivation progresses. That is why I promoted the tradition of the old leading the new within the Old Farmer Hall. Only then did the Agricultural Path flourish as it does today, with more than a hundred 'Farmers.' The results have been remarkable, and under the bonds of master-disciple inheritance, the hall has become more united as well."

Jiang Tu listened with rapt attention. Luo Jin's [Inheritance Method] matched his previous conjectures without prior consultation, confirming his ideas. It was more complete than Jiang Tu's own summary and could fully serve as a genuine foundational cultivation method for Sequence cultivators, much like the Five Qi Primordial Formula used by Daoist Sects to lay the foundations for young disciples.

Its strength lay in its practicality. Its strength lay in requiring no innate bones. Its strength lay in the fact that everyone could cultivate it.

Without outside interference, how long would it take for the Agricultural Dao Sequence in reality to comprehend a complete [Inheritance Method]?

At present, the Agricultural Path Cultivators in reality still lacked an intelligent leader like Luo Jin.

Wait a little longer. Watch a little longer.

Luo Jin continued speaking. "The inheritance cultivation method is utterly different from the orthodox paths of the immortal Buddhas and gods said to fill the heavens. Though I have never seen immortals or gods, I have heard elders speak of how ancient cultivators valued innate bones and talent, spiritual roots and immortal foundations. Without these, one could not even enter the gate."

"But the Agricultural Dao Sequence... does not look at such things. So long as one reveres the land, tills diligently, and is willing to teach and pass on the Dao, one can cultivate and break through."

"Could the favor of immortals and gods still remain in this world?" Luo Jin raised his head to the sky, his gaze devout. "If so, please bless us slaves. Bless the fire of the Agricultural Path, that it may never be extinguished."

The phantom scattered and vanished without a trace.

Jiang Tu fell silent, feeling inexplicably a little proud.

The favor of immortals and gods?

If Luo Jin knew that the "immortal god" in his eyes was merely a farmer keeping his head down, what would he think?

Though the true credit belonged to the Sequence Golden Codex, watching the Sequence he had guided into evolution with his own hands take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit gave him a wondrous feeling beyond compare.

The remaining settlement reward was two seeds.

Jiang Tu held them between his fingertips and examined them carefully. Their appearance was not much different from ordinary wheat or rice seeds, utterly unremarkable. Yet when he held them in his hand and lightly sensed them with the cultivation of a Ninth Grade "Farmer," he immediately discovered the difference.

The seeds actually gave off emotions—joy, restlessness, and a subtle yearning for the earth. Like swaddled infants, they eagerly longed to be buried in the soil, to sprout, to break through the earth.

Jiang Tu froze.

As his cultivation rose, he could indeed gradually sense the emotions of the earth, grass, and trees. But the emotions of most crops and plants were extremely faint; without careful perception, they could not be detected at all. Yet these two seeds had not even entered the soil, and their emotions were already so distinct.

So this was Premium Quality?

He began to look forward to the results after planting them!

However... How could he secretly plant Premium Quality crops without attracting anyone's attention? That was something worth carefully planning. Fortunately, he already had his own land and farmstead, leaving him far more room to maneuver than before.

Putting away the seeds, Jiang Tu rubbed his hands together. It was time once again for the beloved point-adding segment!

"Sequence Points: 170"

After a brief calculation, he decided to use 70 points to increase his cultivation and break through to the Eighth Grade "Field Steward" first.

The remaining 100 points would, as usual, all be added to the accumulation speed of evolution time.

"All progress in my cultivation comes from my own sincerity, diligence, effort, and perseverance. Now... Golden Tome, add the points!"

Whoosh!

"100 Sequence Points consumed. Evolution time accumulation speed has increased—"

"From now on, every one year in reality will additionally grant five months of evolution time."

Jiang Tu's eyes lit up.

Previously, it had increased by two months every year. Now it had become five months—an increase of a full three months!

Seventeen months of evolution time per year? He had moved another step closer to his ten-year small goal!

"23 Sequence Points consumed. Cultivation has increased!"

"40 Sequence Points consumed. Grade boundary broken through—!"

"7 Sequence Points consumed. Cultivation has increased!"

"Cultivation: Newly Entering the Dao Path (Agricultural Dao Sequence · Eighth Grade · Field Steward) (7/2000)"

Boom—!

The next moment, a vast force descended from the heavens, like an immortal placing a hand upon his crown and imparting the Dao. It pierced through the crown of his head and spirit pool, flowing straight into his limbs and bones—overbearing yet gentle, like a surging river. It should have washed everything away, yet it instead bypassed every vital point, soaking into his sinews and bones, nourishing his organs.

Numbness spread through his entire body, from the surface inward, advancing layer by layer through flesh, skin, bones, and marrow.

Jiang Tu clenched his teeth, forcibly enduring the indescribable sensations.

The force of breakthrough grew ever stronger, crashing about wildly. Wherever it passed, it left behind scorching afterheat. His bones let out dense explosive cracks like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, crack, crack, crack, crack— His muscles and tendons writhed faintly, rising inch by inch beneath the surface of his skin, progressing from tingling numbness to blazing heat.

Drip. Drip.

Large beads of sweat rolled down and evaporated.

He did not know how long had passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps several hours—before the force of breakthrough finally subsided.

"Huff... huff..."

Jiang Tu gasped heavily, drenched from head to toe.

Then, an entirely new perception rose from beneath his feet.

Through the brick floor and the rammed-earth foundation, he could clearly sense the soil three feet underground—where it was soft, where it was hard, where there were broken stones, where earthworms crawled. Further down—five feet, seven feet, one zhang.

The course of the earth veins and the flow of the water veins were vague and indistinct, yet he could already glimpse their outlines.

In a daze, he could even sense tomorrow's weather. He knew there would be rain tomorrow afternoon—not much, only a light drizzle, lasting less than half an hour.

He knew the day after tomorrow would be clear, with wind coming from the east.

Was this the Eighth Grade "Field Steward"?

Was this... a new realm?

In another moment of daze, he felt the earth beneath his feet grow increasingly scorching, as if he were about to meld his body into it—

The heavens were calling! The vast wilderness was summoning!