Making Preparations Before the Rain

"Gu Jiu, can you run an errand at the Market Island for me?"

After Yue Shuo woke up, he first completed a round of Wood Essence Art cultivation to avoid affecting the recovery of his Divine Sense. The second thing he did was summon Gu Jiu and ask him about it.

Gu Jiu froze for a moment, then nodded.

He answered:

"This servant is a second-class martial servant of the Qin Clan listed in the martial registry, and also your personal attendant. As long as Young Master gives this servant your identity token, this servant can register and enter the market to handle affairs!"

"How would you get to Market Island?"

"This servant can wait for the Qin Clan's large ship delivering supplies. After registering, this servant can ride it. This servant went to Little Hemmu Island the same way..."

Yue Shuo noticed that Gu Jiu's attitude had become even more deferential.

He considered how he had been casting the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique in the Spirit Field every night recently, as well as the growth of the Gathering Spirit Grass.

If Gu Jiu truly was as he claimed, with Spirit Plant Masters among his ancestors—

Then he would be able to tell.

He would see Yue Shuo's talent and progress in Spirit Plant Mastery.

Spiritual Root testing could only detect part of a person's cultivation aptitude. It probably could not assess comprehension or Divine Sense.

Therefore, someone like him, with a poor Spiritual Root but high comprehension and powerful Divine Sense—

His rapid mastery of cultivation arts and spells—

Should not be a problem.

"Can you make a trip to the Qin Clan's shop in the market for me?"

Even though he had noticed Gu Jiu's increasingly respectful attitude, Yue Shuo still did not truly regard him as his slave.

Gu Jiu was first and foremost a martial servant of the Qin Clan.

Only secondly was he a servant assigned to Yue Shuo.

"Young Master, please feel free to give your orders! This servant exists to handle all miscellaneous matters outside of your cultivation!"

Yue Shuo did agree with that point.

After all, people with Spiritual Roots were truly few and far between.

While nurturing them, having them do work and chores that ordinary people could accomplish—wasn't that a waste of time?

The Qin Clan arranged servants in these small places.

There were many benefits.

After all, it cost them practically nothing.

And servants, especially martial servants capable of cultivation—

Were even more willing to serve immortal cultivation disciples. At the very least, they could remain long-term on the main island, where the spiritual energy environment was better.

If the immortal cultivation disciple they followed achieved something—

They would receive even more benefits.

"The end of the month is approaching. Make a trip to the Qin Clan's shop in the market for me and find Shopkeeper Qin Yan. Tell her I want to reserve a Spirit Carp for next month!"

"As for the exact time..."

Yue Shuo calculated the timing as he spoke.

He did not intend to slow down his cultivation.

Therefore, to advance reasonably to Qi Refining Level One, he had to buy the Spirit Carp before his breakthrough.

One Spirit Carp was roughly equivalent to ten Gathering Spirit Grass plants.

He now had the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique at the "proficient" level. One casting could make Gathering Spirit Grass grow two leaves.

Two leaves were equivalent to two months of growth.

He then inspected the fourteen Gathering Spirit Grass plants he had watered yesterday after the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique advanced to the "proficient" level.

He found that, after several hours, another leaf had grown.

After all, digesting the remaining energy in the spiritual mist also required some time.

"Ten months old. It still needs one hundred and ten months of growth before it becomes Gathering Spirit Grass at the ten-year maturity stage!"

Yue Shuo silently calculated for himself.

Without changing his cultivation progress—

[Cultivation: 261/500 (+2.2)]

By cultivating the Wood Essence Art six fixed times each day, he gained +12.2 cultivation points. He only needed twenty days to fill the five hundred cultivation points.

That would fulfill the first prerequisite for advancement.

He currently reserved ten points of Divine Sense each day for casting the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique, which meant ten castings.

He would focus first on ripening ten Gathering Spirit Grass plants.

He could cast the technique through two rounds in one night.

After all, his proficient Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique could now irrigate two plants with a single casting.

One round of casting added two leaves, or two months.

Two rounds added four months.

Furthermore, after casting the technique, another leaf would generally grow the next day. He was not certain whether two rounds of casting would affect whether an extra leaf grew.

Better to calculate cautiously.

He would only count the one leaf gained during the day.

Four leaves at night and one leaf during the day made five leaves altogether. That meant at least five months of growth could be added each day.

Ten years, one hundred and twenty months.

The Gathering Spirit Grass currently had ten months of growth.

One hundred and ten months!

Even without deducting the leaves that naturally grew in the Spirit Field.

And without considering the increased benefits when the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique's proficiency reached two hundred and advanced to the minor mastery stage after twenty days.

He would need only twenty-two days!

Then he could harvest ten ten-year Gathering Spirit Grass plants!

A difference of two days was nothing.

After all, in about another ten days, the Qi-Replenishing Technique would advance from "proficient" to "minor mastery."

At that time—

He could save another one or two points of Divine Sense to use for casting the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique.

In short!

Both his cultivation and the Gathering Spirit Grass—

Could be fully completed after twenty days!

It was currently December twenty-eighth, which meant he could harvest the Gathering Spirit Grass on January eighteenth of next month!

"Reserve the Spirit Carp for the middle of next month!"

After thinking it over, Yue Shuo did not set the time too rigidly. But then he thought of another possibility and said to Gu Jiu:

"If they need an exact date, come back and tell me!"

"Also..." He spoke as he pondered.

"While you are at it, help me ask around about pirates attacking mortals... Right, everyone knows I came from Lesser Desolate Island in Yellow Town?"

Yue Shuo thought of this.

He took out his identity wooden token and examined it.

His name was carved on it.

There were also other engraved marks. He had tried scratching them with his fingernail himself, but he could not leave the slightest mark on the wooden token.

So those engravings represented his identity information?

"Yes, Young Master!"

Gu Jiu nodded with a serious expression and replied respectfully.

"After all, at this Ascension Assembly, three people with Spiritual Roots were detected from Yellow Town at once. Even within the Qin Clan, that is quite a rare occurrence!"

Yue Shuo handed his identity token to Gu Jiu.

Then, curious, he asked another question.

"The Qin Clan holds an Ascension Assembly once every five years. Generally, how many disciples with Spiritual Roots are detected each time?"

Gu Jiu carefully put away the token.

Only then did he continue answering respectfully.

"In reply to Young Master, that number is not very fixed. This servant only knows that the previous Ascension Assembly detected just nine guest disciples with Spiritual Roots!"

On average, that was only two or three people a year.

No wonder their treatment was not harsh.

"Go handle it!"

Yue Shuo did not continue asking about the current circumstances of the previous batch of guest disciples with Spiritual Roots.

He had not even reached Qi Refining Level One yet.

Cultivation came first!

After dismissing Gu Jiu, Yue Shuo continued with his unshakable routine of cultivating, recovering, practicing talisman tracing on ordinary paper, and so on.

He liked an orderly daily schedule.

The two matters unrelated to cultivation and planting—the Spirit Carp and inquiries about pirates—

Had both been arranged.

Next, he only needed to proceed step by step, cultivating and nurturing the Gathering Spirit Grass in turn.

At dusk, Gu Jiu returned.

He handed back the identity token.

He reported to Yue Shuo on the details of reserving a Spirit Carp for purchase next month at the market, as well as what he had learned about pirate attacks.