News of the Dragonfish, Raising Mutated Rice Seedlings

Mutated Spirit Grain, whether in spiritual qi content

or taste,

was superior to the Second-Grade Spirit Rice grown in Grade-Two Spirit Fields.

Of course, Xu Changqing was not selfish enough to eat it all by himself.

He later shared some with the yellow dog and the Pearl Chicken.

As the two little fellows ate, looks of enjoyment appeared on both their faces.

A rich fragrance unique to Mutated Spirit Grain even wafted from their bodies.

Even their fur and feathers became softer and smoother.

Xu Changqing said with slight regret, "What a pity there isn't enough to eat."

There were still nine hundred grains left now, and he could not continue eating them.

He planned to cultivate the Mutated Rice Seeds into Mutated Spirit Seedlings and plant them back into the Black Soil.

He wanted to see whether they could grow and mature.

If it succeeded, it would mean he could eat an endless supply of Mutated Spirit Rice in the future.

That way, the speed at which his cultivation realm advanced would increase greatly.

It would take less than a year for him to reach Qi Refining Perfection, perhaps even break through into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After all, there would be another Spiritual Qi Tide in spring.

Over the following days, Xu Changqing kept a close eye on the Mutated Spirit Rice.

Although harvesting the ears of rice had caused it to lose its luster,

there were no other problems.

[Mutated Spirit Rice]

[Fully Matured]

[Undamaged]

[Spiritual Qi Abundant]

[Today's Finest]

[More Children, More Blessings]

After watering it several more times with spring water, Xu Changqing left the cave.

He then stepped onto a Flying Paper Crane and flew toward the Core Administration Office.

Autumn was fast approaching, and third-quarter planting was about to begin.

Although he still had other seeds, he needed to collect new spirit seedlings.

Since this was not his first time, the entire process went very smoothly.

Xu Changqing specifically checked his points.

He had previously earned 700 by submitting Spirit Rice.

Later, he had earned another 700 for helping Hu Man cultivate Earth-Spouting Lotus.

Together, they had just surpassed 1,400 points, equivalent to half a high-tier spell technique.

Sure enough, the best way to earn points was to complete missions.

But good missions were like finding overlooked treasure—they could be encountered but not sought.

Missions like cultivating Earth-Spouting Lotus were even rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Xu Changqing then left the Core Administration Office.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

He had Han Su come over to loosen the soil.

He arranged a time with Bai Ling'er for rain.

He waited for Hu Bugui to deliver the spirit beast manure.

The first two were fine, without any problems.

Yet something had happened with the third matter—Hu Bugui's side.

Looking at the unfamiliar young man leading a camel by the hand, Xu Changqing could not help asking, "You are?"

"My name is Sun Ban." The unfamiliar young man gave an awkward laugh as he explained, "Senior Brother Hu had something come up, so he asked me to temporarily deliver the hundred-year spirit beast manure to you."

Xu Changqing pressed, "What happened to him?"

Sun Ban hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Hu was injured."

The moment he heard that, Xu Changqing thought of Zhao Ziyue and Black Dragon Pool.

He then had Sun Ban unload the hundred-year spirit beast manure.

Before leaving, Sun Ban even gave him a plump, juicy watermelon as compensation.

Xu Changqing then took out a Communication Talisman from his small storage pouch and poured spiritual power into it.

"Who is it?"

"It's me!"

"Uh... Fellow Daoist Xu?"

"I heard you were injured?"

"Looks like you've already met Sun Ban."

"Was it related to Zhao Ziyue?"

"It has nothing to do with Senior Brother Zhao!"

"What do you mean?"

Next, after Hu Bugui's detailed explanation,

Xu Changqing finally learned what had happened to this fellow.

After the two had parted ways last time,

Hu Bugui had quickly gone with Zhao Ziyue to Black Dragon Pool.

They wanted to see whether Spirit Rice Wine could lure a Dragonfish.

Unexpectedly, Black Dragon Pool contained not only Dragonfish, but fish demons as well.

While they were fishing, an attack suddenly came out of nowhere, and Hu Bugui was dragged into the water.

Fortunately, Zhao Ziyue had a Water Spirit Root and had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

He successfully rescued Hu Bugui before the fish demon could eat him.

The two did not dare stay any longer and fled at once.

But Hu Bugui's arm had been injured as a result, leaving him temporarily unable to go out.

"So that's what happened." Xu Changqing came to a realization.

Hu Bugui said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Xu, your Spirit Rice Wine really does work."

"Oh?" Xu Changqing raised a brow at those words.

Hu Bugui said seriously, "After the fish demon dragged me into the water, I happened to see a Dragonfish lingering where the Spirit Rice Wine had been poured."

Xu Changqing frowned. "Unless it bites the hook, that cannot prove it works, can it?"

But Hu Bugui immediately said, "No, no, no. I think the Spirit Rice Wine works, but perhaps the quality of the Spirit Rice isn't high enough, so it isn't attractive enough."

"The quality..." Xu Changqing thought of the Mutated Spirit Grain in his hands.

Could it be that ordinary Spirit Rice Wine could attract Dragonfish, but would not make one bite the hook?

If he switched to Third-Grade Spirit Rice Wine,

or Mutated Spirit Rice Wine,

then according to Hu Bugui, it might truly take the bait.

Because Dragonfish possessed a thin bloodline of demon dragons, they were extremely valuable.

The price of even a single one was over a thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

Because their flesh was exceptionally delicious, they were loved by many people.

At this point, Hu Bugui said rather regretfully, "What a pity we didn't succeed this time. Otherwise, I could have become a core disciple and wouldn't need to take that damned Formal Disciple Grand Competition."

Xu Changqing smiled upon hearing that.

He himself had no intention of participating in the Formal Disciple Grand Competition.

Even if his strength was sufficient.

Even if his realm was sufficient.

He simply was not interested.

With that time, he might as well plant more Spirit Rice.

The two then chatted briefly for a while longer.

Hu Bugui's injury would require at least ten days to half a month of recovery.

The next time they met would probably be in winter.

Xu Changqing felt that as long as Hu Bugui was all right, that was enough.

Hu Bugui was one of his few friends.

If something truly happened to him, or he even died,

the lack of spirit beast manure would only be a secondary concern.

The important thing was that there would be no one left to drink and chat with him.

In the blink of an eye, time passed.

The day Bai Ling'er was scheduled to make it rain arrived.

Before long, she came as promised.

She seemed to be in a good mood today, with a smile always hanging on her face.

Xu Changqing could not help asking, "Did something good happen?"

Bai Ling'er blinked. "My older sister came back from the Eastern Domain! She brought back lots of local specialties."

"The Eastern Domain?" Xu Changqing quickly recalled, "The Great Moon Dynasty!"

Bai Ling'er nodded, then took something from a pink storage pouch shaped like a fragrant sachet. "This is Peach Blossom Pastry, the most popular dessert in the Great Moon Dynasty right now. Try it."

Xu Changqing accepted it and examined it carefully.

It was a small box containing a single pastry.

Its color leaned toward pink.

It was shaped somewhat like a peach blossom.

It carried a faint peach blossom fragrance.

He picked it up, placed it in his mouth, and bit off a third.

The texture was very crisp.

The taste was somewhat sweet.

As he chewed, many tiny crumbs fell away.

Overall, it was decent, but not particularly astonishing.

"I'm starting the rain." Bai Ling'er wanted to finish quickly so she could return earlier and talk with her older sister.

Very soon, the Minor Cloud-Rain Art began to circulate.

A slightly dark mass of watery vapor condensed above the Spirit Fields.

Like mist, yet not mist; like clouds, yet not clouds.

Before long, the pattering sound of rain began.

Seeing this, Xu Changqing hurriedly put away the remaining half of the Peach Blossom Pastry, then took several buckets from his small storage pouch.

Bai Ling'er looked puzzled and asked, "What are you doing?"

Xu Changqing gave an embarrassed smile. "I'm collecting some spirit water."

Bai Ling'er understood, then reminded him, "Then you need to be careful. The spiritual qi will dissipate in just a few days."

"Got it." Xu Changqing committed it to memory.

Before long, he had filled several buckets.

After Bai Ling'er left, he raced toward Stone Mountain without stopping.

But he was not going to irrigate the Mutated Spirit Rice.

He was going to raise seedlings.

There were three steps in total:

Soaking the seeds

(Soak the rice seeds in water.)

Sprouting

(Place the soaked rice seeds in a warm, moist environment.)

Raising seedlings

(After the rice seeds sprout, place them in nutrient-rich soil.)

The whole process would take roughly three to seven days, after which the Mutated Rice Seeds might become Mutated Rice Seedlings!!!