In the days that followed, everything became a repeating cycle.
Cooking, cultivating, walking the dog, tending the Spirit Fields.
Day after day, every day was the same.
If it were someone else, they might not have been able to endure the loneliness.
But whenever Xu Changqing saw the rice shoots in the Spirit Fields growing ever more robust,
his mood would become incomparably bright.
And as he continued cultivating, the spiritual power within his body had grown to four strands.
At that moment, he stood on the ridge between the fields.
Little Yellow Dog, now somewhat bigger, was at his feet.
Looking at the Four-Leaf Clover silently growing in the corner, he could not help raising an eyebrow.
Zhang Su had clearly called it Four-Leaf Clover.
Yet now, most of them had only a single leaf.
This was obviously not right.
After all, he had fertilized them when they needed fertilizing.
He had brought rain when they needed rain.
When he had planted them, he had even deliberately wrapped them in spiritual power.
By all rights, they should have grown normally.
Yet their current state looked uneven, with the good and bad mixed together.
Most had one green leaf.
A few had two.
But forget four leaves—even three were nowhere to be seen.
Was the growth cycle simply long?
Or had he overlooked something?
Xu Changqing stated with certainty, "There is absolutely no problem with their nutrition."
Woof! Woof!
At that moment, Little Yellow Dog at his feet began barking toward the other side.
Hearing the commotion, Xu Changqing could not help glancing over.
Someone was walking over from the distance.
But it was not Hu Bugui.
Nor was it Lin An or Zhao Ziyao.
He never would have expected it.
It was actually Li Sancai.
Senior Brother Li, who had helped him several times in the Outer Spirit Fields.
"Senior Brother, what brings you here?" Xu Changqing hurried forward to greet him.
Li Sancai looked around as he smiled. "My assignment guarding the outer perimeter has ended, so I have returned to the core area."
Xu Changqing's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful. Senior Brother, give me your address. I'll come visit next time."
Li Sancai took out a Communication Talisman and handed it over, then explained, "At Red Maple Valley Market last time, I was not deliberately snubbing you. My cousin had an urgent matter, so I could not delay."
"Your cousin?" Xu Changqing accepted the Communication Talisman and suddenly understood. "Li Lingbi is actually your cousin, Senior Brother!"
Li Sancai gave a slight nod. "You know as well that, over the past two years, the prices of all kinds of resources have been soaring. Whether spiritual plants or spiritual artifacts, even task rewards are much higher than before."
Xu Changqing felt the same. "Exactly. I just spent twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones to hire someone to bring rain."
The two walked along the field ridge as Li Sancai continued, "Precisely because my cousin is a core disciple, his need for all kinds of resources has only grown greater."
Hearing this, Xu Changqing pondered, "Could this be one of the reasons Senior Brother returned this time?"
Li Sancai gave him an approving look. "I came to find you this time for two reasons. One was to confirm your location. The other was to discuss cooperation."
"Cooperation?" Xu Changqing was greatly surprised, yet at the same time incomparably delighted.
"Four-Leaf Clover?" Li Sancai's eyes brightened when he saw the thriving Spirit Rice, but when he noticed the spiritual plants in the corner on the other side, he froze for a moment.
Xu Changqing grinned. "That's right, Four-Leaf Clover."
Li Sancai suddenly wore an amused expression. "The fact that you can grow Four-Leaf Clover surprises me, Junior Brother. But did the person who sold you the seeds not tell you how to plant it?"
The moment Xu Changqing saw his expression, his heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly shook his head. "No. I thought it was cultivated the same way as Spirit Rice."
Li Sancai could not help sneering. "This Four-Leaf Clover requires a great deal of water. Even if you want to grow it, you need to find somewhere with plenty of water. Otherwise, it will compete with your Spirit Rice for moisture."
Xu Changqing shook his head. "But there is nothing wrong with the Spirit Rice I planted."
He checked on it through his senses once every day.
Moreover, once the Evergreen Formula reached the fifth level,
he would be able to sense every condition of the spiritual plants in advance.
Li Sancai looked as though he had everything under control. "First, because you have a lot of Spirit Rice.
Second, there is something wrong with the Four-Leaf Clover seeds.
Third, I imagine your Evergreen Formula has improved, hasn't it?"
"I see." Xu Changqing neither admitted nor denied it.
Li Sancai did not press him when he saw that. Instead, he pointed at where the Four-Leaf Clover had been planted. "Next time, dig a water channel beside it. That will do."
Xu Changqing sighed with feeling. "I never expected Senior Brother to help me again. I'll never be able to repay this favor."
Li Sancai said with a helpless laugh, "It's nothing. Many things are mutual."
Although Xu Changqing had not admitted whether the Evergreen Formula had improved,
that was not the important part.
After all, more than half a year had already passed.
Even with the poorest aptitude, one would still improve bit by bit.
What was more, judging by how well the Spirit Rice was growing now, the yield would definitely not be low.
"By the way, what did Senior Brother want to cooperate with me on?" Xu Changqing was very curious about this.
Li Sancai's smile faded, and he said seriously, "My cousin Li Lingbi intends to attempt an Earth-Grade Golden Core within ten years, so he needs a great deal of resources."
Xu Changqing could not help changing the subject. "What is an Earth-Grade Golden Core?"
Li Sancai answered, "Golden Cores have three grades: Human, Earth, and Heaven."
The Human-Grade Golden Core was the worst kind of Golden Core.
Whether in the strength of one's mana or the power of spells after they were cast, it was the weakest.
But the overwhelming majority of cultivators possessed Human-Grade Golden Cores.
This involved many reasons.
One was aptitude.
The other was resources.
An Earth-Grade Golden Core could utterly crush a Human-Grade Golden Core.
But to achieve Earth Grade, one needed a vast amount of resources.
Furthermore, one had to go out and hunt thousand-year demons, obtaining their core parts.
By absorbing the power within those core parts, one could strengthen one's Spiritual Root.
As for a Heaven-Grade Golden Core, it involved even more things.
In the entire Heavenly Origin Realm, perhaps only one would emerge in a thousand years.
Therefore, for many geniuses, an Earth-Grade Golden Core was both the limit and the pursuit.
Xu Changqing immediately asked, "Is a Heaven-Grade Golden Core difficult to attain?"
Li Sancai said with a grave expression, "This is not a matter of whether it can be attained. It requires a certain opportunity. Without immense fortune, it is nearly impossible."
Xu Changqing secretly thought, Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't.
Even a genius like Li Lingbi, with Threefold Mutual-Generating Spiritual Roots,
had to seek a breakthrough within his limited lifespan.
But he was different. He possessed an almost infinite lifespan, so he could accumulate bit by bit.
Seeing him fall silent, Li Sancai assumed he had been dealt a blow and comforted him, "These matters are too far away for you. Talk about them after Foundation Establishment."
Xu Changqing nodded. "Senior Brother is right."
Li Sancai returned to the main subject. "Junior Brother, as long as you join our team, the next ten years will be extremely busy, and there may even be many demands. But whether my cousin ultimately succeeds or fails, you will receive the greatest benefits."
"Benefits?" Xu Changqing fell into thought.
Li Sancai said pointedly, "Even if my cousin fails in his attempt at an Earth-Grade Golden Core, he is still a genius with Threefold Mutual-Generating Spiritual Roots. He is not someone certain people can compare to."
Xu Changqing knew whom he meant, but he did not agree immediately. Instead, he hesitated. "Since this is Senior Brother's invitation, I certainly cannot refuse. I'm only afraid I won't be able to help."
Li Sancai burst out laughing. "Before I came, I actually had the same concern.
But after seeing you tend the Spirit Rice so well and even begin growing Four-Leaf Clover, that concern has vanished!"
Before you continue