Xu Changqing was in no hurry to submit his task.
He had to keep himself on the same level as everyone else.
He waited until only two days remained before the New Year, when nearly everyone had finished harvesting.
Only then did he head to the Spirit Field Core Administration Office and see Flower Elder once more.
It was much like his last visit. With so many people around, some disciples were working part-time there.
"Flower Elder!" Xu Changqing was extremely respectful; after all, the other man was a steward.
"It's you." Flower Elder had not forgotten him and still remembered him somewhat.
Xu Changqing nodded lightly. "I'm here to complete my winter task and submit Spirit Rice."
Flower Elder looked him up and down. "If I remember correctly, this is your first time planting in winter. Don't tell me your yield met the standard?" "I barely managed it," Xu Changqing said with a deliberately bitter smile.
Flower Elder looked slightly surprised. "As long as you completed it. The people from your batch haven't even reached a yield of a thousand jin."
"Zhao Ziyao?" That name popped into Xu Changqing's mind.
"Yes." Flower Elder nodded faintly.
Though Xu Changqing was somewhat surprised, he did not take it to heart.
Their relationship had been ordinary to begin with. If not for Lin An connecting them in the middle, they would probably have had no dealings with each other until death.
Afterward, Xu Changqing submitted one thousand jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice for his winter task.
"Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice?" Flower Elder exclaimed in surprise.
These days, there were few newcomers who could grow Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice.
He had not expected the man before him to accomplish it.
It seems Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice isn't something just anyone can grow. But this is the only kind of Spirit Rice I have on me.
He then discovered that Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice exchanged for a different number of points.
If it was Quality-Grade Spirit Rice grown in a Grade-Two Spirit Field, one thousand jin could earn two hundred points. Meanwhile, one thousand jin of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice grown in a Grade-Two Spirit Field could be exchanged for two hundred and fifty points—fifty more points, along with praise from Flower Elder.
Before leaving, Xu Changqing specifically asked about something.
He learned that exchanging for another High Grade cultivation technique required a full two thousand points.
That meant he either had to submit ten thousand jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice all at once, or slowly accumulate points until he could eventually exchange them.
Looks like I can only wait a little longer, Xu Changqing mused.
Then he left the Spirit Field Core Administration Office.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the mountain path outside the palace—
He came face-to-face with a familiar figure.
Who was it?
Zhao Ziyao!
The man's face was clouded with worry, clearly in a bad mood.
Yet when Zhao Ziyao saw Xu Changqing, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly stopped him. "Fellow Daoist Xu!"
"What is it?" Xu Changqing watched him with a wary expression.
Zhao Ziyao could not help asking, "Did you complete the winter task?"
"Yes." After thinking it over, Xu Changqing ultimately did not lie.
Since Flower Elder had casually revealed Zhao Ziyao's situation, it meant news of Xu Changqing completing his winter task could not be hidden.
In that case, concealing it from Zhao Ziyao now might make the man dissatisfied.
Thus, it was better to admit it openly and first see what this fellow wanted.
A trace of displeasure flashed through Zhao Ziyao's eyes, though he concealed it quickly. Then he asked, "Could you lend me a hundred jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice?"
Just as I thought. Xu Changqing knew this fellow was up to no good. Wearing a troubled expression, he said, "I barely managed to complete my winter task myself. What I have left isn't even enough for my own use."
Zhao Ziyao pressed, "How much do you have left?"
"Fifty jin." Xu Changqing shrugged.
"That's a little too little." Zhao Ziyao frowned.
Indeed, the other man might have been hiding something.
But Zhao Ziyao himself had failed to complete the winter task because his yield was insufficient.
Therefore, there was little chance Xu Changqing was concealing much.
Perhaps he had only managed to complete it this time by stepping in dog shit luck.
"I can only lend you ten jin. No more than that." Xu Changqing looked as though it pained him deeply.
"Ten jin will do." Zhao Ziyao did not refuse.
Xu Changqing immediately took out ten jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice from his Small Storage Bag.
"I'll definitely return it to you next year." Zhao Ziyao gave his assurance after receiving it.
"Alright." Xu Changqing chuckled softly.
Zhao Ziyao then continued toward the platform at the mountaintop.
Xu Changqing turned to watch his hurried retreating figure, and his gaze instantly turned cold.
This man was not someone worth befriending deeply.
Their relationship had already been ordinary, yet he had been so proactive about borrowing things.
In contrast, there was Lin An.
Although the two of them had both felt some resistance toward each other when they were in the outer area,
after becoming Formal Disciples, Lin An had never once borrowed anything from Xu Changqing.
Even during that incident with Zhang Su, when Xu Changqing had offered Spirit Rice on his own initiative, Lin An had only accepted it reluctantly.
"It's snowing!"
"Good thing we harvested in time!"
"Auspicious snow foretells a bountiful year! Next year will be even better!"
At that moment, goose-feather snow suddenly drifted down from the gray sky.
An extreme chill swept across the entire Spirit Fields.
Xu Changqing had nothing else to do, so he stopped to watch the snowfall for a while.
He discovered that not every place was blanketed by heavy snow.
Quite a few Spirit Fields looked no different from autumn and were completely unaffected.
Some places even gave off steam.
The snowflakes melted before they could even land.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
The instant Xu Changqing opened his door,
a gust of cold wind mixed with snowflakes surged inside.
Fortunately, as a cultivator, he was not afraid of the cold.
Outside, the Spirit Fields were covered in ice and snow.
The vast world seemed to have entered a state of hibernation all at once.
Crunch, crunch!
Xu Changqing trudged through the snow, one foot deep and the other shallow, leaving his home and heading in another direction.
When he neared the Spirit Field Core Administration Office,
he found that more and more people had gathered nearby.
Everyone was heading in the same direction without prior arrangement.
"Flying Paper Cranes! They can carry three hundred jin and reach the market in half an hour!"
"Rent one for five Low-Grade Spirit Stones a day! Buy one for fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"
"Spirit beast mounts! Reach the market in the time it takes to burn an incense stick! Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones a day!"
When Xu Changqing reached a crossroads,
he was surprised to find
quite a few disciples from the Water-Control Pavilion and Beast Spirit Valley standing by the roadside.
They were all selling and renting various items that could rapidly transport people.
But clearly, compared with spirit beasts,
everyone preferred Flying Paper Cranes.
Because they were cheaper.
Five Low-Grade Spirit Stones were equivalent to ten jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice.
At that moment, a Wood Spirit Root disciple who had rented a Flying Paper Crane called out to the people around him, "I can still take two more people to Red Maple Valley. Just one Low-Grade Spirit Stone, or two jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice!"
"I'm in." Xu Changqing hurriedly took out some rice.
Before long, three people had gathered.
Then, the Flying Paper Crane began flapping its wings vigorously.
Yet it did not fly into the air.
No, more precisely, it could not fly very high.
He did not know whether it was because the three of them were too heavy or because it had been designed that way.
The Flying Paper Crane only flew around five meters above the ground.
The man who had rented the paper crane asked with a smile, "How was your harvest this year, Fellow Daoists?"
Xu Changqing shrugged. "Not bad."
The other person was a female disciple with an awakened Wood Spirit Root. She said flatly, "Better than last winter."
The paper crane renter introduced himself. "I am Xu Mingsheng. I have been a Formal Disciple for five years."
After considering it, Xu Changqing said, "Cai Kun. Two and a half years."
The female disciple spoke last. "Lin Mengru. Two years."
Xu Mingsheng said playfully, "Fellow Daoists, this year's Red Maple Valley Market will be extremely lively."
Xu Changqing asked in confusion, "Why?"
Xu Mingsheng explained, "Because the Formal Disciple Grand Competition will begin in two years. All Formal Disciples have started preparing resources."
"It has nothing to do with us." Lin Mengru curled her lips.
Wood Spirit Root disciples were unsuited for battle.
Even if they participated in the Formal Disciple Grand Competition, their rankings would not be high.
No matter how capable they were, they would still be finished when they encountered those with Metal Spiritual Roots or Fire Spiritual Roots.
Xu Mingsheng waved his hand. "Fellow Daoist Lin, you're mistaken about that."
"Oh?" Lin Mengru raised her brows, looking somewhat unconvinced.
Xu Mingsheng said earnestly, "This is precisely our chance to sell the Spirit Rice, spirit plants, and other goods in our hands for higher prices!"
"That makes sense." Xu Changqing deeply agreed.
"Therefore, I want to discuss... market prices with you in advance." Xu Mingsheng got to the point.
Xu Changqing had always believed that every Spirit Farmer was an independent cultivator.
Thus, there was no need for them to band together.
But after coming into contact with Xu Mingsheng, he realized he had been wrong about everything.
Spirit Rice was generally sold through two channels.
One was the official channel, where Spirit Rice could be exchanged for points.
The other was the unofficial channel, where it was sold at market prices.
And the transaction prices in the unofficial channel had always been determined by Xu Mingsheng—or rather, by the force behind him.
That force consisted entirely of veteran Spirit Farmers who had joined the Spirit Field Core Region at least three years ago.
It was called the Farmer's Heart Society.
When prices were high,
when prices were low,
they controlled it all.
With only two years remaining before the Formal Disciple Grand Competition,
Xu Mingsheng and the others deliberately restricted the quantity of spirit plants.
First, they reduced the supply flowing into the market and increased customer demand.
Then they used the opportunity to raise prices, filling their bowls to the brim and making a fortune.
Normally, two jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice could be exchanged for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.
But under their control, it could now be sold for two!
Before you continue