Only Practice Makes Perfect

"You're finally here.

"Xu Zhong came by asking three times already."

Seeing Zhou Changwang arrive so late, Old Xu hurried forward 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.

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

Afterward, Zhou Changwang carried his spirit hoe down into the fields as well.

Though removing insects could earn Spirit Stones, he would not forget his proper work.

His own Spirit Fields were what truly belonged to him. The better the harvest, the greater his income.

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

Half an hour later, he had cleared all the weeds from the field 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 for casting the Spirit Rain Art, methods of controlling and circulating spiritual power, and ways to streamline and optimize its rune structure surfaced in his mind one by one.

The Spirit Rain Art had leveled up.

It had officially advanced from Mastery 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 had 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 be exceedingly difficult for them to reach Major Mastery.

Only he, with the aid of the Attribute Panel, could cut down a vast amount of practice time. With no bottlenecks and no barriers to stop him, he could rise all the way...

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

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

After three breaths, the spell took shape.

He pointed ahead.

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 within every drop of spirit rain is more abundant."

Feeling the changes brought by the Spirit Rain Art reaching Minor Mastery, Zhou Changwang was filled with delight.

After that, he only needed to cast four more Spirit Rain Arts to irrigate his remaining two mu of Spirit Fields completely.

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

Xu Zhong, who had long been waiting nearby, watched Zhou Changwang cast the Spirit Rain Art with practiced ease and could not help but sigh.

"It is nothing. Only practice makes perfect."

Zhou Changwang found it difficult to explain too much, so he could only give a vague reply.

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

Xu Zhong did not pursue the matter. At most, he assumed Zhou Changwang had a better talent for spellcasting, and promptly stated his purpose.

"No problem."

Zhou Changwang answered and once again walked toward Xu Zhong's Spirit Fields.

As for Old Xu—

The weeding and rain-sprinkling work for ten mu of Spirit Fields was enough to keep him busy.

Before noon, he had no free time at all.

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 that Lin's Restaurant really has been purchasing 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.

Old Xu happened to know Old He among the spirit farmers. Old He's wife worked in the kitchen of a restaurant, so Old Xu had gone to ask him about it.

Now, news had clearly come back.

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

"And they have to be good quality, with the insect flesh undamaged. Otherwise, they'll only take them at eighteen spirit insects for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

"Oh, and he mentioned Bug Kings too.

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

As Old Xu spoke, envy appeared in his eyes.

Having a skill to rely on truly was satisfying.

Zhou Changwang's methods for removing insects were exquisite. Not only could he earn a considerable amount of Spirit Stones from Xu Zhong, but he could also make a tidy sum 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 deal with them properly, he would even have to spend Spirit Stones to hire someone...

"This price is acceptable.

"How about this? Tell Old He later that I won't bother with quality or anything else. Eighteen spirit insects for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone—I'll package them all up for him to handle.

"Whether he earns more or less is his business.

"I only want my own share."

Zhou Changwang knew that he was asking someone to do him a favor, so naturally he had to offer something in return for them to take it seriously.

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

"This..."

Hearing that, Old Xu's eyes shifted, and a glint flashed through them. He hurriedly said, "Changwang, we're already so familiar. You can just leave such a good thing to me.

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

"What do you mean?"

Zhou Changwang glanced at Old Xu.

"I'll help you sell them.

"At eighteen spirit insects per Low-Grade Spirit Stone, I'll give you the corresponding Spirit Stones when the time comes. As for whether I sell them for more or less, you won't concern yourself with it. How about it?"

Old Xu spoke with a shrewd expression.

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

In other words, most of them met the quality standard for sixteen insects per 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, that's enough."

Zhou Changwang smiled and spoke without the slightest concern.

That afternoon, Zhou Changwang once again appeared in Xu Zhong's Spirit Fields to remove insects.

One spirit insect after another fell beneath his Geng Metal Finger, utterly incapable of fighting back.

Even when he encountered Bug Kings, with his caution and care, along with the Geng Metal Finger that moved as easily as an arm and struck wherever he pointed, he could handle them with ease.

"The eighty-fifth one."

Zhou Changwang swiftly pointed, killing an Azure-Armored Beetle. A 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 removed nearly every spirit insect he found, including two Bug Kings.

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

Although there were inevitably still some fish that had slipped through the net.

Those five mu of Spirit Fields no longer presented the sight of spirit insects everywhere as before.

From then on, he only needed to remove insects occasionally and on schedule, and it would not affect the growth of the Spirit Grain in the fields.

Of course, being able to cast spells continuously to remove insects came at no small cost for Zhou Changwang—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, his gaze falling upon the Attribute Panel.

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

The Geng Metal Finger had reached Minor Mastery too!