Greeting

With a thought, he drew upon his spiritual power and traced rune structures related to the Geng Metal Finger.

However, this time, he drew far less spiritual power than before, only barely covering the rune structure instead of overflowing like it had previously.

Then, the spell took shape.

He pointed forward again!

Sssht!

A flash of golden light shot out and plunged directly into the floor of the room, leaving a small hole the width of a little finger and more than three inches deep.

Geng Metal Finger +1

"Success.

Sure enough, reducing the mana input could still complete the spell.

Though its power was much weaker.

It was more than enough for practice."

Zhou Changwang was overjoyed.

With this, when his mana was full, the number of times he could cast Geng Metal Finger would rise directly from ten to twenty—twice as many.

Thus, Zhou Changwang began continuously attempting to cast the Geng Metal Finger using this "cultivation method."

One, two, three...

Only when the spiritual power within his body was completely exhausted did he stop.

Then he looked at the Attribute Panel.

There, the value beside Geng Metal Finger had changed to: Geng Metal Finger (Initiation 38/100).

He estimated that in another two days, he would be able to raise this spell to the Mastery level.

The night passed as he meditated and replenished his energy.

Although the area where Zhou Changwang lived was only on the outskirts of Phoenix-Cry Cove Market, it was close to the First-Rank Spiritual Vein in the central district. The spiritual energy was fairly abundant, so his spiritual power recovered far faster than it had at the Spirit Fields.

After three circulation cycles, it was basically full.

By then, however, his mental energy was almost entirely spent as well.

At times like this, the best way to recover was to sleep, so he quickly lay down and fell into a deep slumber.

Early the next morning.

Zhou Changwang rose as usual.

He washed rice and cooked porridge.

As he busied himself, he saw a somewhat petite woman from the neighboring residence approaching hesitantly.

As she walked, she kept cautiously glancing toward Zhou Changwang's room.

"Fellow Daoist Qian, is something the matter?"

Zhou Changwang recognized the woman. She was Qian Xiaoyue, a Rogue Cultivator at the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm who lived next door. She was an alchemy apprentice, currently doing chores and studying under an alchemist at Six Directions Pavilion within Phoenix Dock Market. In terms of status, she stood far above him.

After all, alchemists held an extremely high status in the cultivation world.

Even an alchemy apprentice was much better off than a spirit farmer like him.

"Ah, oh, it's nothing..."

Hearing that, Qian Xiaoyue seemed startled. She shrank her neck and hurriedly turned to flee.

But after taking two steps, she could not help stopping. Carefully, she asked, "Last night, I heard some commotion coming from your home..."

"I was practicing a spell. I didn't expect to disturb Fellow Daoist Qian. I'm truly sorry."

Zhou Changwang hurriedly said.

He had known that the explosive sound from his failed spellcasting yesterday would surely have been heard by the surrounding neighbors. He simply had not expected Qian Xiaoyue, who had always been so timid, to be the first to ask after him.

"It's fine."

Qian Xiaoyue shook her head. She said nothing else and left directly.

Zhou Changwang did not think much of it. After drinking his porridge, he headed out again.

When he arrived at his Spirit Field, a number of spirit farmers nearby had already begun working.

Besides Old Xu, there were also the brothers Zhao Jie and Zhao Qiang, several dozen meters away. The two were considered the most diligent among the nearby Spirit Fields, and they were bold as well. They had built a small hut beside the fields, sometimes resting there at night. They cultivated the most land too—a full thirty mu—and had additionally rented three mu for spiritual herbs, specially enclosed with Spirit Thorn Vines.

Spiritual herbs were unlike spirit rice, which could be harvested twice a year if tended properly.

From planting to maturity, spiritual herbs were often measured in years.

At the shortest, one to three years; at the longest, ten years.

They also required meticulous care and frequent use of spirit plant spells to aid their growth, consuming tremendous time and effort.

However, the brothers' cultivation was also high. One was at Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, while the other was at the Fifth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm. They were among the rare spirit farmers who had reached the Middle Qi Refining Stage.

Moreover, they kept a Spirit Beast Hound with the strength of the second layer of the Qi Refining Realm, so their safety was assured.

Farther away, several other spirit farmers were busy in their own Spirit Fields as well.

Zhou Changwang also spotted Xu Zhong, who had come from the same Spirit Plant Hall as him.

Xu Zhong wore embroidered robes and had a fair, clean face. If he were not carrying a spirit hoe and looking like he was about to work the fields, others might have taken him for the pampered young master of some wealthy family.

Yet after working for only a short while, he darted out of his Spirit Field with a panicked expression. Then he kept inspecting the field along its edges, his face growing uglier the more he looked...

Zhou Changwang paid him no mind. He went down into his own Spirit Field and began his routine weeding.

Then he cast the Spirit Rain Art to ensure the normal daily growth of the spirit grain.

After finishing, more than half the spiritual power in his body had been used up. He quickly found a place to sit cross-legged and began meditating to recover it.

Like this, after three circulation cycles.

Zhou Changwang had recovered half the spiritual power in his body.

At that moment, he opened his eyes.

The first thing he did was look at the Attribute Panel.

"The proficiency of the Five Elements Formula has reached (Initiation 96/100).

As long as I complete four more circulation cycles, it will reach (Initiation 100/100). At that point, perhaps the realm of my cultivation method will change."

Zhou Changwang's face was full of delight.

Four circulation cycles.

As long as he worked a little harder tonight, it would not be difficult at all.

In other words.

Today, his cultivation method proficiency would reach Perfection and advance...

That afternoon.

After lunch, Zhou Changwang eagerly headed straight down to the Spirit Field.

The taste of yesterday's Azure-Armored Beetle had left him longing for more. More importantly, the spiritual power contained in its flesh was greatly beneficial to his cultivation.

He had even heard that, because the spiritual energy inside spirit insects was easy to absorb and they counted as meat, some people were willing to spend one Low-Grade Spirit Stone for fifteen of them.

And some people truly had traded for them. It counted as a bit of extra income for spirit farmers like them.

Thus, he was extremely enthusiastic about finding and killing spirit insects.

If he found enough, perhaps he could make a little profit too?

"Sure enough, the fruiting period is almost here. I cleared out a batch yesterday, yet spirit insects have appeared again today."

Zhou Changwang noticed an Azure-Armored Beetle hiding beneath a spirit grain leaf. If not for its weight bending the leaf far too noticeably, he truly might not have spotted it.

He hurriedly held his breath. Spiritual power circulated within his body, and the instant the rune took shape, the spell condensed.

Geng Metal Finger +1

Then he pointed forward, and a flash of golden light streaked out.

Pfft!

The Azure-Armored Beetle's head was pierced clean through, and it fell to the ground.

Then came the second, then the third.

Besides Azure-Armored Beetles, there were also Black Octagonal Beetles, Root-Eating Ladybugs, and Burrowing Cicadas. Of these, Black Octagonal Beetles and Root-Eating Ladybugs were relatively small, but the damage they caused was no less severe. One directly gnawed through the stalks of spirit grain, while the other bit through its roots. Both greatly affected the growth of the spirit grain.

To restore the vitality of the gnawed spirit grain, he had no choice but to cast the Growth Technique to aid its growth.