Mastery Comes Only Through Practice

"Why are you only getting here now?

Xu Zhong came by to ask three times already."

Seeing Zhou Changwang arrive so late, Old Xu hurried over to greet him.

"Something held me up."

Zhou Changwang answered. Seeing that Xu Zhong had also gone down into the fields and was using a spirit hoe to weed, he was not surprised.

He had already helped clear the spirit insects from two mu of Xu Zhong's spirit fields yesterday. If Xu Zhong did not take this chance to weed them, the growth of the Spirit Grain would truly become a problem.

After that, he too carried his spirit hoe down into the fields.

While eliminating insects could earn Spirit Stones, he would not forget his own proper work.

His own spirit fields were what truly belonged to him. The greater the harvest, the greater his income.

Naturally, he would not lose the big picture for the sake of a small gain.

Half an hour later, he had cleared all the weeds from the fields and quickly began casting the Spirit Rain Art.

After casting the Spirit Rain Art twice in succession, something suddenly stirred in his heart.

In an instant, countless techniques related to casting the Spirit Rain Art, controlling and circulating spiritual power, streamlining and optimizing rune structures, all surfaced in his mind one by one.

The Spirit Rain Art had leveled up.

It had officially advanced from Proficient to Minor Mastery.

He glanced at the Attribute Panel.

Skill: Spirit Rain Art (Minor Mastery 1/400)

Sure enough, it had reached Minor Mastery.

Moreover, this spell's proficiency requirement had increased again, reaching four hundred.

Four hundred proficiency meant that he needed to cast the Spirit Rain Art four hundred times before it could level up again and reach Major Mastery.

However, Zhou Changwang knew that this was not much.

For ordinary cultivators, even if they truly cast it thousands upon thousands of times, it would still be extremely difficult to train it to Major Mastery.

Only he, with the Attribute Panel, could cut down on vast amounts of practice time. With no bottlenecks and no regard for barriers, he could advance all the way...

After leveling up, Zhou Changwang cast the Spirit Rain Art once more.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

After three breaths, the spell took shape.

He pointed forward.

As wind and clouds shifted, a dark cloud rapidly gathered, covering fully half the mu of spirit field before him.

Then, a fine, drizzling spiritual rain fell evenly from that dark cloud, sprinkling every corner of the spirit field.

"As expected of a Minor Mastery Spirit Rain Art. Not only is it faster to cast and broader in range, but even the spiritual energy contained in every drop of spiritual rain is more abundant."

Feeling the changes after the Spirit Rain Art reached Minor Mastery, Zhou Changwang was delighted.

After that, he merely cast the Spirit Rain Art four more times and irrigated the remaining two mu of his spirit fields.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, your Spirit Rain Art is no simple thing either."

Xu Zhong, who had been waiting nearby for some time, watched Zhou Changwang skillfully cast the Spirit Rain Art and could not help sighing.

"It's nothing. Mastery comes only through practice."

Zhou Changwang could not explain too much, so he could only answer vaguely.

"Then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Zhou to continue helping me eliminate insects."

Xu Zhong did not pursue the matter. At most, he assumed Zhou Changwang had exceptional talent in spellcasting, then quickly stated his purpose.

"No problem."

Zhou Changwang answered and headed toward Xu Zhong's spirit fields once again.

As for Old Xu—

The weeding and rain-watering work for ten mu of spirit fields was enough to keep him busy.

Before noon, he would not have a moment of free time.

After lunch.

Old Xu mysteriously sidled over and looked at Zhou Changwang. "I asked Old He for you. He just got back to me and said Lin's Restaurant really has been buying spirit insects.

It's just that the price is a little lower than setting up a stall at the Rogue Cultivator Market yourself."

"How much?"

Zhou Changwang asked.

Yesterday, seeing how many spirit insects had accumulated in his bag, he had asked Old Xu to help inquire whether anyone was buying spirit insect corpses.

As it happened, Old Xu knew Old He among the spirit farmers. Old He's wife worked in a restaurant kitchen, so Old Xu had gone to ask around.

Now, news had clearly come back.

"Sixteen spirit insects for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

And the quality has to be good too, without damage to the insect flesh. Otherwise, they'll only buy them at eighteen spirit insects for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

Oh, he also mentioned Bug Kings.

Bug Kings are valuable and contain even more spiritual energy. He said one can be worth eighty spirit fragments, and five can be exchanged for four Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

As he spoke, envy showed in Old Xu's eyes as well.

Having a skill to rely on really was satisfying.

Zhou Changwang's insect-eliminating methods were exquisite. Not only could he earn quite a few Spirit Stones from Xu Zhong, but he could also make a tidy profit from the spirit insect corpses he dealt with.

Unlike Old Xu, who could only honestly farm spirit fields to earn Spirit Stones.

If spirit insects grew in his spirit fields and he failed to handle them properly, he would even have to spend Spirit Stones to hire someone...

"This price is acceptable.

How about this? Later, tell Old He that I won't bother distinguishing quality. I'll bundle them all to him at eighteen spirit insects per Low-Grade Spirit Stone, and he can handle the rest.

Whether he earns more or less is all his business.

I only want my own share."

Zhou Changwang knew that he was asking someone to help him, so naturally he needed to offer something in return before they would take it seriously.

Although this would mean giving up some of the profits, it would save him a great deal of trouble. Why not?

"This..."

Hearing that, Old Xu's eyes shifted, a gleam flashing through them. He hurriedly said, "Changwang, we're already so familiar with each other. You can just give me such a good opportunity.

There's no need to trouble Old He..."

"What do you mean?"

Zhou Changwang glanced at Old Xu.

"I'll sell them for you.

We'll calculate it at eighteen spirit insects per Low-Grade Spirit Stone. When the time comes, I'll give you the corresponding Spirit Stones, and whether I sell them for more or less, you won't interfere. How about it?"

Old Xu said with a shrewd look on his face.

He knew that the spirit insects Zhou Changwang killed were all struck directly in the head, without harming the insect flesh.

That meant most of them met the quality standard of sixteen insects for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

There was profit to be made, so naturally he was eager.

"Of course.

As long as I don't receive fewer Spirit Stones than I should, that's enough."

Zhou Changwang smiled, speaking as though he did not mind in the slightest.

That afternoon, Zhou Changwang appeared in Xu Zhong's spirit fields once again to eliminate insects.

One spirit insect after another fell beneath the killing strikes of his Geng Metal Finger, utterly unable to resist.

Even when he encountered Bug Kings, with his caution and care, along with the Geng Metal Finger that moved like an extension of his arm and struck wherever he pointed, he could still deal with them easily.

"The eighty-fifth one."

Zhou Changwang swiftly pointed, killing an Azure-Armored Beetle. A faint smile could not help appearing on his face.

By then, he had thoroughly swept through Xu Zhong's five mu of spirit fields.

He had eliminated nearly every spirit insect he discovered, including two Bug Kings.

One was a Spirit Locust King, and the other an Azure-Armored Beetle King.

Though there were certainly still fish that had slipped through the net.

These five mu of spirit fields no longer presented the former sight of spirit insects everywhere.

From then on, he would only need to eliminate insects occasionally at regular intervals, and it would not affect the growth of the Spirit Grain in the fields.

Of course, being able to continuously cast spells and eliminate insects like this had cost Zhou Changwang dearly—the bottle of Vitality Pills Xu Zhong had given him now had only one pill left.

"But all of this is worth it."

Zhou Changwang thought as his gaze fell upon the Attribute Panel.

Skill: Geng Metal Finger (Minor Mastery 13/400)

The Geng Metal Finger had reached Minor Mastery too!