Spirit Rice

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Spirit rice is the principal crop assigned to low-level Wood Spirit Root disciples in the Dongting Immortal Sect. Outer disciples cultivate it for their official-disciple assessment, which requires a yield of at least 1,000 jin from one mu over one of three seasons. Xu Changqing initially fails twice: once because he learns the Evergreen Formula too slowly, and once because his crop yields only 900 jin after developing problems midway through growth. 1

The crop's condition depends on nutrients, water, and spiritual energy. Li Sancai identifies Xu's inferior stalks as deficient in all three, while Han Su's replenishment of earth qi restores nutrients to Xu's field. 2 3 Spirit rice seedlings also release dense wood spiritual energy during their growth and stable periods, creating a cultivation opportunity for Wood Spirit Root disciples. 3

After becoming a formal disciple, Xu cultivates Second-Grade Spirit Rice in a Grade-Two Spirit Field. Its yields begin at roughly 2,000 jin and can reach 3,000 jin or more when cultivation, spell techniques, field quality, and external resources are combined. 12 Xu steadily improves his output through soil tilling, spirit beast manure, and water-attributed rainfall. 16 28

A single plant mutates following a summer thunderstorm. Xu secretly transplants it, roots and all, into Black Soil beneath Stone Mountain rather than selling it, recognizing its exceptional potential. 39 40 The plant eventually matures and produces 999 grains; Xu preserves the parent plant and begins raising its grains as Mutated Spirit Seedlings. 49 50

The first propagation trial succeeds when 95 of 100 soaked Mutated Rice Seeds sprout. Xu plants the seedlings around the original mother plant in Black Soil, where they mature as Mutated Child Rice. Although the children provide higher-quality grain and increased lifespan gains, they cannot continue the mother plant's reproductive lineage. 51

Xu's later mutation experiments produce increasingly specialized strains. These include Golden Rice-Gathering Spirit Rice for Metal Spiritual Root cultivators, earth-supporting Brown-Glow Mutated Rice, and the repeatedly evolved Mutated Mother Rice. 66 106 237 After completing his Five-Element Spiritual Root, Xu's Portable Space enables the evolution of Foundation-Firming Rich-Soil Rice and Five-Element Circulating Rice. 352

Appearance

Ordinary mature spirit rice grows in golden, wind-swaying ears filled with plump grains. Healthy crops are visibly vigorous, while poorly nourished stalks droop, shrivel, and blacken. 1 5

• Grade-One spirit rice is plumper than ordinary rice; when cooked, it remains springy rather than loose or mushy. 11
• Supreme-Grade Second-Grade Spirit Rice has plump grains and abundant spiritual energy. 28 44
• Mutated Spirit Rice is entirely golden, with exceptionally dense wood spiritual qi and nine rice ears rather than the usual three to five. 39
• The mature mutated plant grows roughly two meters tall; its grains are golden, fruit-like, and twice the size of ordinary Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice grains. 45 49
• Mutated Child Rice develops six heavy ears per stalk; plants growing within the Fortune-Born Mutated Mother Rice's domain can bear twelve ears instead. 140 200
• Fortune-Born Mutated Mother Rice becomes shorter after its second mutation, but its grains grow as large as adult fingernails. 106
• Thousand-Ear Golden-Ray Rice is an enormous metal-attributed Mutated Rice variety that can exceed five meters in height and bears dense, umbrella-like clusters of ears. 308
• Five-Element Circulating Rice has thick jade-like stalks with faint five-colored light, broad leaves edged in pale gold, emerald veins, and translucent amber ears. 352
• Fortune-Breeding Prolific-Seed Mother Rice is taller than its prior forms, golden-red in color, spiral-patterned, and bears twelve densely packed ears. 454

Properties

Spiritual Nourishment

Spirit rice contains nutrients and spiritual energy. Consuming it gradually increases spiritual power and can be sustained over the long term. 3 11

• Spirit rice porridge noticeably raises the concentration of wood spirit qi around it. 11
• Grade-Two Spirit Rice serves as a valuable food source, task submission, payment, and market commodity. 17 18
• Mutated Spirit Grain rapidly restores expended spiritual power; after eating it, Xu advances from five to six strands of spiritual power. 49
• Mutated Spirit Grain also improves the yellow dog's fur and the Pearl Hen's feathers after consumption. 50
• Mutated Spirit Grain contains at least twice the spiritual qi concentration of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice and is reserved primarily for Xu's own cultivation. 185 219
• Golden Rice-Gathering Spirit Rice contains Metal Qi and is especially valuable to cultivators with Metal Spiritual Roots, such as Li Lingbi. 66 69
• Foundation-Firming Rich-Soil Rice restores expended spiritual power and is suited for daily consumption by cultivators. 352
• Five-Element Circulating Rice replenishes spiritual power and gradually improves the compatibility and circulation of Five-Element Spiritual Roots. 352
• Three-Rhythm Circulating Rice replenishes metal, wood, and water spiritual qi simultaneously, making it especially suitable for cultivators with Multiple Spiritual Roots. 454

Yield and Field Compatibility

The grade and treatment of a spirit field directly affect spirit-rice quality and quantity. 12

• A Grade-One Spirit Field mass-produces around 1,000 jin and ordinarily cannot exceed 1,500 jin. 12
• A Grade-Two Spirit Field begins at 2,000 jin and may reach 3,000 jin when supported by cultivation and external factors. 12
• Soil loosening, full-field fertilization, the Minor Cloud-Rain Art, and spring rain raise Xu's spring yield to 3,500 jin. 28
• By summer, Xu reaches 4,000 jin of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice—the limit of his ordinary one-mu cultivation. 44
• With sufficient nutrition, one mu of Grade-Two Spirit Field consistently produces 4,000 jin of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice across different seasons. 69 181
• Mutated Child Rice produces roughly 40 jin per 100 stalks under ordinary conditions. 51 185
• The Fortune-Born Mutated Mother Rice doubles the yield of all spirit rice within its two-zhang domain, causing affected Mutated Child Rice to develop twice the normal number of ears. 106 200
• Foundation-Firming Rich-Soil Rice can survive in wet mud, dry soil, and even gravel, though Black Soil produces better yields. 352
• Five-Element Circulating Rice requires highly nourished Black Soil and ordinarily demands a Grade-Three Spirit Field or better to develop evenly. 352
• Three-Rhythm Circulating Rice regulates nutrients, moisture, and spiritual qi in the surrounding field, functioning as a natural field steward. 454

Mutated Trait: More Children, More Blessings

The mutated plant's defining trait is More Children, More Blessings. 39

• It bears nine rice ears and produces 999 grains upon maturity. 39 49
• Xu infers that the golden plant is the “mother” while the grains are its “children,” so he harvests only the ears and preserves the parent plant. 49
• Its grains are larger, heavier, more spiritually potent, and more flavorful than ordinary Second-Grade Spirit Rice. 49 50
• Xu intends to grow its seeds into Mutated Spirit Seedlings in Black Soil, potentially establishing a renewable crop. 50
• The original mother plant successfully produces viable descendants, with 95 of 100 tested seeds sprouting after soaking in spiritual rain. 51
• Its Mutated Child Rice descendants do not continue growing after harvest and cannot replace the mother plant as a source of renewable offspring. 51 83
• After its second mutation, the mother plant gains Spiritual Energy Cultivation, a two-zhang domain, and the ability to double spirit-rice yields within that domain. 106
• After its third mutation, it becomes Fortune-Breeding Prolific-Seed Mother Rice, gaining Layered Proliferation of Seeds and a ten-zhang Domain Proliferation effect. 454

Mutation and Variant Traits

Spirit rice can mutate through natural environmental changes, Xu's Verdant Touch Finger, and the special conditions of his Portable Space. 39 65 352

• Prefixes are rare features of mutated spirit plants. Gold Rice indicates metal-attributed spiritual qi, while Spirit-Gathering improves spiritual-qi accumulation. 66
• Earth-Eroding Brown-Glow Mutated Rice is unsafe as food because its grains contain corrosive miasma, but its growth vortex benefits nearby earth-attributed plants. 237
• Spirit-Vein Regreening Rice can repair meridians, improve wood-element cultivation speed, restore Wood Qi to a Spirit Field, and promote lesser wood-attributed plants in ordinary soil. 288
• Foundation-Firming Rich-Soil Rice matures about once per month, produces high yields, restores spiritual power, and leaves behind stalks especially useful for enriching soil through slash-and-burn farming. 352 360
• Five-Element Circulating Rice nourishes nearby plants, produces ashes useful for spirit talismans, and changes surrounding Black Soil into Five-Colored Soil. 352
• Soil-Spirit Symbiotic Rice forms connected root systems when planted alongside its own kind, improving its lineage stability and foundation-firming utility. 453
• Three-Rhythm Circulating Rice supports the balance of field resources within a five-zhang area. 453 454

Vulnerabilities

Spirit rice can suffer from inadequate resources, harsh weather, pests, and malicious interference.

• Insufficient nutrients, water, and spiritual energy result in malnourished, blackened, low-yield stalks. 1 2
• Winter planting is more difficult and ordinarily reduces yields. 10 12
• Winter Awakening Bugs and rice planthoppers infest spirit fields; pest removal must be performed carefully to avoid damaging the crop. 13 28
• During extreme summer heat, ordinary spirit rice dries beneath the sun, while the Mutated Spirit Rice remains unaffected in its sheltered Black Soil location. 44
• Fresh Spirit Beast Manure can consume Earth Qi and conceal insect eggs if used without proper processing. 88
• Thousand-Ear Golden-Ray Rice can be harmed by Spirit-Eroding Fungus, Inverted-Vein Worms, and the Cold-Yin Spirit-Locking Curse. 309
• The Spirit-Eroding Fungus King releases spores capable of causing spiritual stagnation, fungal growth on Spiritual Roots, cultivation regression, and transformation into Eroding-Spirit Puppets. 324

Products

• Spirit Rice Porridge — A staple meal for formal disciples; fragrant, spiritually nourishing, and capable of slowly increasing spiritual power. 11
• Spirit Rice Wine — Brewed from spirit rice. Xu's Expert-grade Second-Grade Spirit Rice Wine raises spiritual-qi absorption by 30% for one hour and reduces wood-element spell consumption by 20%, though long-term use reduces reaction speed and damages internal organs. 37
• Masterful Hand Spirit Rice Wine — Xu's perfected Spirit Rice Wine increases spiritual-qi absorption by 40% for one shichen, reduces wood-element technique consumption by 30%, improves cultivation-technique comprehension, and increases spirit-rice digestion efficiency. 86
• Yellow Rice Wine — A superior wine whose Masterful Hand version doubles spiritual-energy absorption efficiency for one hour, reduces wood-element technique consumption, improves cultivation-technique comprehension, and eliminates long-term drinking harm. 68
• Task Submissions — 1,000 jin of Supreme-Grade Second-Grade Spirit Rice earns 250 sect points. 17 29
• Trade Commodity — Spirit rice is sold through official point exchanges or unofficial markets, whose prices are controlled by the Farmer's Heart Society. 17 18
• Rogue Cultivator Trade — Supreme-Grade Second-Grade Spirit Rice is highly sought after in Dongqing City and other Rogue Cultivator Markets because of its scarcity outside the sect. 59 62
• Mutated Spirit Grain — A superior food resource reserved for cultivation and propagation rather than ordinary sale. 49 50
• Five-Element Circulating Rice Byproducts — Its husk ash can serve as a natural spirit-talisman material, while dried stalks can be used in low-level spirit artifacts and magical artifacts. 352

Relationships

• Xu Changqing — Primary cultivator and harvester. His Shennong System grants lifespan when he harvests spirit rice; he later preserves and propagates the Mutated Spirit Rice. 1 40 49 50
• Li Sancai — Diagnoses nutrient, water, and spiritual-energy deficiencies in Xu's inferior spirit rice. 2
• Han Su — Replenishes earth qi and loosens Xu's fields, improving the conditions for spirit-rice cultivation. 3 28
• Bai Ling'er — Casts the Minor Cloud-Rain Art to nourish Xu's fields and protect crops during summer heat. 28 44
• Hu Bugui — Supplies century-old spirit beast manure, which increases yield; he also trades for Xu's rice and Spirit Rice Wine. 12 16 38
• Li Lingbi — A prospective recipient of Golden Rice-Gathering Spirit Rice because of his Metal Spiritual Root component and need for multiple attribute-aligned cultivation resources. 66 69
• Miao Huayu — An outer disciple who cultivates Spirit-Vein Regreening Rice in a Grade-One Spirit Field, demonstrating exceptional talent for spirit-plant cultivation. 288
• Rong Yan — Gives Xu a Thousand-Ear Golden-Ray Rice plant after Xu identifies the ailments and concealed curse affecting it. 309
• Ji Mingxuan — A Spirit Grain Sect disciple who confirms Xu's diagnosis of Thousand-Ear Golden-Ray Rice and later invites him to visit the Spirit Grain Sect for further exchange. 309 310
• Han Xin — Constructs the Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation that conceals Xu's transplanted Mutated Mother Rice and its descendants from outside observation. 185

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Outer-Sect Assessment — Spirit rice is Xu Changqing's final route to remain in the Dongting Immortal Sect after two failed assessments. 1
• Formal Disciple Farming — Xu chooses winter spirit-rice cultivation despite the risk, gaining access to a Grade-Two Spirit Field after becoming a formal disciple. 10 11
• Market and Resource Arc — Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice becomes Xu's principal source of sect points, spirit stones, contracts, and leverage within the Farmer's Heart Society-controlled market. 17 18 27
• Mutation Arc — A thunderstorm-produced Mutated Spirit Rice plant becomes Xu's concealed long-term cultivation resource, with its seeds reserved for propagation rather than immediate consumption or sale. 39 40 49 50
• Mutated Child Rice Propagation Arc — Xu proves that the mother rice's seeds can produce a superior but non-reproductive Mutated Child Rice crop, establishing the foundation of his private mutated-rice cultivation. 51
• Mother Rice Evolution Arc — The original parent plant evolves into Fortune-Born Mutated Mother Rice, gaining a yield-doubling domain that makes it the centerpiece of Xu's future spirit-rice operations. 106 185
• Portable Space Mutation Arc — Xu's completed Five-Element Spiritual Root transforms his rice varieties into Foundation-Firming Rich-Soil Rice and Five-Element Circulating Rice, greatly expanding the strategic value of his Portable Space. 352
• Spirit Field Crisis Arc — Thousand-Ear Golden-Ray Rice reveals the Vein-Erosion Disaster caused by parasites, fungus, and a concealed curse. Xu's diagnosis leads to the capture of the Inverted-Vein Worm Mother and Spirit-Eroding Fungus King. 309 324
• Successive Mutation Arc — Xu's repeated mutation attempts culminate in the Mother Rice's third evolution into Fortune-Breeding Prolific-Seed Mother Rice, emphasizing its increasingly overwhelming reproductive potential. 454

Trivia

• Harvesting an Inferior Spirit Rice stalk grants Xu one day of lifespan, while harvesting Premium or Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice grants six days per stalk. 1 16 28
• Mutated Spirit Plants are rare enough to be worth at least 1,000 sect points or more than 100 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. 40
• Xu views Mutated Spirit Rice as the only known path to exceed the 4,000-jin yield limit of his ordinary one-mu field. 44 45
• Mutated Child Rice grants Xu ten days of lifespan per harvested plant, four days more than ordinary Supreme-Grade Second-Grade Spirit Rice. 51
• The first Mutated Mother Rice was protected in the dark beneath Stone Mountain for a long period, with a Breath-Hiding Formation used to prevent its fragrance from exposing the secret. 140
• Xu ultimately transplants the Mutated Mother Rice into his second Grade-Two Spirit Field only after Han Xin creates the Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation to conceal it. 185
• Foundation-Firming Rich-Soil Rice can be harvested monthly, while Mutated Child Rice and Five-Element Circulating Rice ordinarily mature once per season. 425
• The third-mutated Fortune-Breeding Prolific-Seed Mother Rice's descendants can spread so aggressively that they displace unrelated spirit plants from their territory. 524