Farming Was Qi Refining, the Foundation of His Dao

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The third quarter was about to begin.

Xu Changqing queued with everyone else to collect spirit seedlings, only to see that familiar face again.

Zhang Er asked with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Junior Brother Xu, this is your last chance. Have you thought it through?"

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Brother." Xu Changqing suppressed the disgust in his heart and answered expressionlessly.

"Hm?" The smile on Zhang Er's face vanished in an instant, and his gaze turned razor-sharp.

Out of his own mercy, he had given the other man a chance to become formal.

Not only had Xu Changqing failed to cherish it, he had refused again and again.

Once the third-quarter assessment was over, Zhang Er would make this bastard pay a painful price.

Xu Changqing did not want to waste time, so he reminded him, "The spirit seedlings."

"Hmph." Zhang Er casually tossed over the Small Storage Bag containing the spirit seedlings.

After catching it, Xu Changqing did not leave immediately.

Instead, he opened the Small Storage Bag and released his spiritual power to inspect its contents.

Only after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the spirit seedlings did he turn and leave.

Before long, he arrived before the Grade-One Spirit Field under his care.

Yet there was someone standing there.

Who was it?

The Earth Spirit Root disciple who had helped Lin An loosen the soil!

Xu Changqing had originally planned to seek him out, but he had not expected the man to come knocking on his own.

The moment he saw Xu Changqing arrive, the man asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, is this the Spirit Field you manage?"

"Yes." Xu Changqing nodded.

"My name is Han Su, an Earth Spirit Root disciple," Han Su introduced himself.

"Xu Changqing," Xu Changqing replied.

Han Su hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, there's something wrong with your mu of Spirit Field."

Xu Changqing asked, "What did you see?"

"If I'm not mistaken, its yield is low, and the spirit plants aren't growing well. Is that right?" Han Su countered.

"That's right. Why is that?" Xu Changqing quickly pressed.

Han Su said playfully, "I awakened an Earth Spirit Root, so my perception of Earth Qi is extremely keen.

"The Earth Qi in your mu of Spirit Field seems... to have had part of it drained away?"

"As expected." Xu Changqing took a deep breath.

Why had Zhang Er refused to let the matter drop?

Why had he even been so certain Xu Changqing could not pass the third assessment?

Clearly, Zhang Er knew the true condition of this Spirit Field.

Perhaps...

"Fellow Daoist Xu, I can help you replenish its Earth Qi." A sly glint flashed through Han Su's eyes. He had not expected such an unexpected windfall this time; perhaps he could make a killing.

"What's the price?" Xu Changqing knew well that pies did not fall from the sky.

Han Su blurted out, "Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones, or one-tenth of every harvest."

"I have no spirit stones, and one-tenth of every harvest is impossible as well." Xu Changqing needed the man's help, but he was no fool.

Once he became a Formal Disciple, he would receive a mu of Grade-Two Spirit Field.

By then, the yield would at least double.

That meant two thousand jin.

This guy had opened by demanding one-tenth.

That was a full two hundred jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice.

If it had been a one-time deal, Xu Changqing could have held his nose and agreed.

But Han Su wanted a share of the pie every single time. He had clearly set his sights on Xu Changqing's desire to become formal.

Han Su blinked. "Fellow Daoist Xu, once you become a Formal Disciple, what does such a small loss amount to?"

Xu Changqing said sternly, "Precisely because of that, it's impossible."

"This... Lin An and I cooperate like this." Han Su spread his hands, looking as though it were only natural.

"He is him, and I am me." Xu Changqing still refused to yield, holding firm to his bottom line.

"This... then what do you suggest?" Seeing how unyielding Xu Changqing was, Han Su was reluctant to leave.

Xu Changqing said seriously, "For this cooperation, you can take one-tenth. We'll discuss anything after that later."

If Xu Changqing had spirit stones, he would have paid them long ago.

This was the only way.

"Huh?" Han Su's eyes widened at those words.

Xu Changqing reminded him, "Don't forget, you aren't the only one who awakened an Earth Spirit Root."

Han Su's eyes rolled wildly. After weighing it again and again, he nodded. "Fine."

He knew it too.

Not everyone could be as reckless as Lin An.

But as long as there was money to be made, even a mosquito's leg was still meat.

"Begin your performance." Xu Changqing gestured with one hand.

"Just watch." Han Su grinned.

He immediately removed his shoes and stepped barefoot into the Spirit Field.

Since Xu Changqing had already dealt with the weeds and loosened the soil,

Han Su skipped that step and directly used the Earthdraw Formula.

The entire process was, in truth, simply pouring the wandering Earth Qi between heaven and earth into the ground.

He replenished the portion that had originally been drained away.

That way, the soil in the Spirit Field would be rich in nutrients.

Watching this, Xu Changqing could not help but let out a sigh of relief.

Once the Earth Qi was replenished, the yield would rise.

That way, no one would suspect that he had a golden finger.

"All done." Before long, Han Su returned to the field ridge, his face waxy yellow.

Seeing the strange look on his face, Xu Changqing could not help asking, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I absorbed too much Earth Qi, that's all." Han Su waved a hand unconcernedly.

Xu Changqing nodded slightly. "That's good."

"Come, let's sign a talisman contract." Han Su took out a yellow talisman.

Xu Changqing signed his name.

Then he squeezed a drop of blood from his index finger and pressed it onto it.

Han Su did the same.

Once everything was settled, a layer of spiritual light emerged from the originally dull yellow talisman.

This represented that their cooperation had taken effect.

If Xu Changqing breached the agreement, the sect steward would personally deal with him.

Even if he failed the assessment and did not become a Formal Disciple,

as long as Han Su handed this talisman contract to the steward, he could still exchange it for one hundred jin of Spirit Rice Grain.

Though it was only the most common First-Grade Spirit Rice, it was still Spirit Rice Grain.

"Pleasure working with you. Come find me again next time." Han Su looked delighted.

Spirit Rice Grain was rich in nutrients and contained spiritual energy.

It could be eaten for long periods without any harm.

It could even increase the spiritual power within one's body at an extremely slow rate.

Though this was only a temporary partnership, he was not losing out.

After all, he had merely lost a little spiritual power.

Afterward, Han Su headed in another direction.

Watching his departing back, Xu Changqing narrowed his eyes.

Zhang Er was the cruelest; he wanted it all.

Han Su was a little better, asking for only one-tenth.

If not for his golden finger, Xu Changqing would probably have had no choice but to compromise.

Next, Xu Changqing, like the many outer sect disciples who had awakened Wood Spirit Roots,

began planting spirit seedlings throughout the Spirit Fields.

But they did not simply plant them.

First, they wrapped the spirit seedlings in their own faint spiritual power before planting them.

It seemed like merely one extra step, and one that consumed a great deal of spiritual power.

But in truth, this was one of the methods of Qi Refining.

As the saying went, farming was Qi Refining.

At the Early Qi Refining stage, there was only a single thread of spiritual power within the body.

After training, it would continue to increase.

Until it reached nine threads.

After that, one needed a massive amount of Wood Qi to break through.

And so, day after day passed.

The once-empty fields gradually filled with spirit seedlings.

The spiritual power within Xu Changqing's body also rose from "three threads" to "six threads."

Just as he wrapped the final spirit seedling in spiritual power and inserted it into the soil,

suddenly, all the spirit seedlings resonated.

Not only did they grow at a visible rate,

even the concentration of Wood Qi in the air began soaring.

The same was true of the other Spirit Fields.

At first, the scale was not large.

A patch here, a patch there.

Later, they connected into one expanse.

In the end, the spirit seedlings in every Spirit Field grew while releasing dense Wood Qi.

"The Wood Qi concentration is so dense this time!"

"With luck, we might even break through our realms!"

"If the Evergreen Formula hasn't reached the second layer, breaking through is impossible!"

At that moment, every outer sect disciple in the Spirit Fields sat cross-legged on the field ridges.

One after another, they circulated the Evergreen Formula to absorb the dense Wood Qi around them.

Farming was divided into three periods, corresponding to three stages.

The rising period.

The stable period.

The declining period.

The rising period—corresponded to the seedling-planting stage.

The stable period—corresponded to the growth stage.

The declining period—corresponded to the harvesting stage.

Among them, the rising and stable periods benefited Wood Spirit Root disciples the most.

Because they could absorb dense Wood Qi every day.

Their strength would therefore grow during these two periods.

During the harvesting stage, however, the Wood Qi would gradually diminish, slowing cultivation.

Xu Changqing was cultivating as well, and it felt... incredible.

The second layer of the Evergreen Formula

brought a +20% cultivation speed effect.

It was like drinking water.

While everyone else was taking tiny sips,

Xu Changqing gulped down mouthful after mouthful like a whale swallowing the sea.

Not only was his cultivation speed the fastest,

he even plundered all the Wood Qi around him.

Although Xu Changqing had failed two assessments in a row, this had also allowed him to accumulate a certain amount of spiritual power.

When the vast amount of Wood Qi surged into his body, there came a "hiss."

His spiritual power began to split.

At an astonishing speed, it split from "six threads" into "nine threads."

Normally, he should have stopped at this stage.

And remained stuck there for a while.

But with the 20% cultivation speed bonus,

gradually, nine strands of spiritual power gathered together.

At first, they twisted around one another like slender snakes.

But as Wood Qi continued to crash against them, they became increasingly solid.

In the end, the faint "strands" fused into a sturdy "wisp."

Nine strands became one wisp.

It looked as though the quantity had changed.

But the concentration of spiritual power had at least doubled.

"I... broke through?" Xu Changqing was stunned.

He hurriedly checked his status panel.

[Xu Changqing]

[Male]

[18 years old]

[Wood Spirit Root]

(Effect One: Vegetation Affinity)

[Middle Qi Refining]

(Effect One: Enhanced Stamina)

(Effect Two: Enhanced Vitality)

[Remaining Lifespan: 4414 days]

"An extra ten years of lifespan?" Xu Changqing's eyes widened.

[Evergreen Formula (Second Layer) ↑]

[Consume 2600 days of lifespan to raise the second layer of the Evergreen Formula to the third layer?]