Isn't It Just Grinding?

A person was a complex individual. Thoughts, decisions, execution, and choices all determined the upper limit of one's achievements.

Before transmigrating, Zhou Changwang had been nothing more than an ordinary person. He had graduated from a second-tier university and remained unemployed for half a year after graduation. Only then had he swallowed his pride and gone into sales and food delivery. Two years later, after running himself ragged and getting nowhere, he had returned home at his family's forceful urging to go on blind dates and take civil service exams...

Mediocre and ordinary.

So he had never believed that he could achieve anything in this dangerous and terrifying world of immortal cultivation.

But now, everything was completely different.

Because he had an Attribute Panel.

This was a golden finger.

With a golden finger, even pigs could take flight and dogs could become talents.

Surely he could not be worse than a pig or a dog, right?

"Still, calm down.

"I need to test the Attribute Panel's exact function first."

Zhou Changwang took a deep breath and calmed himself.

At present, he had mastered only one cultivation technique and four spells.

If he wanted to test the results, spells were naturally simpler.

Of the four spells, the Minor Spirit Rain Art and Growth Technique were both spiritual plant spells. The Geng Metal Finger was actually also a spiritual plant spell, used specifically to eliminate insects. It was one of the few spells he knew that possessed offensive power.

But he was currently inside the house he rented on the outskirts of Phoenix-Cry Cove Market, so it was naturally unsuitable to use them.

Thus, he cast the Cleansing Art.

The Cleansing Art looked simple, but any spell, once cast, was related to runes.

Following his memories, Zhou Changwang formed a hand seal. His spiritual power guided his mana, and he used that mana to trace the rune corresponding to the Cleansing Art.

Specks of spiritual light immediately bloomed from his hand.

"Go!"

He pointed forward, and the specks of spiritual light flew out, scattering into every corner of the room.

Silently, all the dust in the room was swept away and cleansed.

Spotless.

Cleansing Art +1

After casting the spell, Zhou Changwang immediately turned his gaze to the Attribute Panel. He clearly saw that the number after the Cleansing Art had risen directly from (Initiation 59/100) to (Initiation 60/100), and excitement instantly surged through him.

"As expected, it increases proficiency.

"Every cast can raise proficiency by one point?"

To prove it, Zhou Changwang hurriedly cast the Cleansing Art again.

This time, the Cleansing Art was aimed at himself.

As spiritual light scattered around him, Zhou Changwang felt clean and refreshed from head to toe, as though he had scrubbed himself for half an hour. It was extremely comfortable.

At the same time, the value belonging to the Cleansing Art on the Attribute Panel changed once more.

Cleansing Art (Initiation 61/100).

"As expected, the proficiency increased again.

"One practice session adds one point of proficiency. Doesn't that mean I only need to cast it thirty-nine more times to cultivate this spell to Initiation Perfection?"

Seeing this, Zhou Changwang finally felt completely reassured.

Though each practice only increased it by one point, the meaning behind it was extraordinary.

After all, reality was not a game. One part effort did not necessarily bring one part reward. More often, there was fruitless labor and the despair that came after hope could no longer be seen.

That was true of doing things, and it was true of immortal cultivation as well.

Ordinary cultivators—even peerless geniuses from great sects—could not see a progress bar before successfully mastering a spell. They would become troubled and slacken off, then doubt themselves and even abandon cultivation.

But he was different.

Every time he cultivated, he gained something.

Little by little, drops of water pierced stone.

"Isn't it just grinding?

"When it comes to hard work, who have I ever fallen short of?"

Zhou Changwang's heart surged. At last, he felt that a small path had been forced open through the thick fog of his road toward immortal cultivation.

Five Elements Spiritual Root, inferior aptitude, with no hope of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime?

But what if he cultivated the Five Elements Formula to Major Mastery, or even Perfection?

Would things then be different?

And there were all those spells.

At the Initiation stage, their power was naturally insufficient. But what about spells at Perfection—would their power increase dramatically?

"Keep a low profile, keep a low profile.

"Though the Great Dao may be within reach, the process is long and dangerous.

"If I ever lose myself and expose my foundation, I will be doomed beyond redemption."

Zhou Changwang was not some reckless youth. He knew that keeping a low profile did not necessarily guarantee safety, but being too high-profile would certainly get him killed quickly.

So he soon calmed down.

Then, as usual, he got up, tossed a handful of rice into the pot in the kitchen, and cooked himself a bowl of porridge.

Naturally, this was not Spirit Rice porridge, but porridge made from ordinary mixed grains.

Life as a Rogue Cultivator was difficult. To him, Spirit Rice porridge was a luxury.

After finishing it with homemade pickles, Zhou Changwang picked up the spiritual hoe in the corner and headed out.

He had not forgotten his current identity.

His three mu of Spirit Fields were his future livelihood. After tending them for several months, the harvest season was almost here. Naturally, he would not give up now.

The outskirts of Phoenix Cry Dock were actually filled with houses that Rogue Cultivators had spontaneously built around the entire Phoenix Cry Dock.

It was cramped and chaotic, with large and small alleys everywhere. No one knew how many Rogue Cultivators and bandit cultivators lived there. Of course, there were also many martial artists who had come chasing dreams, as well as ordinary people unable to cultivate, most of whom were descendants of Rogue Cultivators.

Whether unwilling to give up or hoping that descendants with Spirit Roots capable of cultivation would emerge in their families, they struggled desperately to remain here.

As Zhou Changwang walked, he remained cautious. Before long, he left the market's bounds and arrived at the Spirit Field area on the very outskirts.

"Changwang, you finally came.

"If you'd come any later, the weeds in your fields would have grown taller than the Spirit Grain."

From far away, an old man in a gray robe called out. He too had a spiritual hoe slung over his shoulder.

The old man's age could not be discerned from his appearance. Though his face was covered in wrinkles, his hair was jet-black and tied in a Daoist topknot, making him vastly different from an ordinary old farmer.

He was Xu Fugui, a Rogue Cultivator and spiritual farmer like Zhou Changwang. Outsiders generally called him Old Xu.

He was at Qi Refining, Third Layer. It was said that he had been stuck at this level for more than ten years. He had long since given up on further cultivation and focused solely on saving Spirit Stones, hoping to leave some shelter for his descendants.

The two had both rented Spirit Fields at the foot of Long Ridge Mountain, east of Phoenix Cry Dock. Since their fields were close together, they were fairly familiar with each other.

However, unlike Zhou Changwang, who had rented only three mu of Spirit Fields, Old Xu had rented a full ten mu. He was an experienced old spiritual farmer with more than ten years of experience renting and cultivating Spirit Fields.

"I'm here."

Zhou Changwang hurried over and indeed saw clumps of weeds growing rapidly beside each stalk of Spirit Grain in his fields.

Unlike Spirit Grain, which was a spiritual object that grew slowly and required careful tending, these weeds flourished wildly under the nourishment of spiritual energy in the Spirit Fields.

In just one night, they could grow tall and large.

If left unattended for three days, weeds would blanket the entire Spirit Field.

For spiritual farmers like them, weeding was an essential daily task. Otherwise, weeds would cover the fields, competing with the Spirit Grain for spiritual energy and affecting the harvest.