No Need to Push So Hard

Yue Shuo comforted Gu Jiu after he refused the Spirit Carp meat.

Then he returned to the Spirit Field.

He had been somewhat prepared for Gu Jiu's refusal.

Given how Gu Jiu knew when to advance and when to retreat, how sensible and shrewd he was, he knew the Spirit Carp meat was far too valuable.

He also knew how precious Spirit Carp meat was.

After all, Mortals without Spiritual Roots who consumed spiritual food

could not actually absorb much of it.

Unless they had already practiced martial arts and advanced into the Innate Realm.

Of course, Gu Jiu still seemed quite far from the Innate Realm. At present, he was somewhere between a Second-Class and First-Class Martial Artist.

Yue Shuo took the opportunity to ask about it.

Martial arts had two paths: cultivating Inner Qi and tempering the body.

However, Martial Servants from Lineages like Gu Jiu generally cultivated both internally and externally. He was currently only a short distance away from advancing to a First-Class Martial Artist.

The Martial Servant who had injured him was a First-Class Martial Artist.

He also cultivated both internally and externally.

Normally, the servants assigned by the Qin Clan to immortal-cultivating disciples, as well as guest disciples, were at the level of Second-Class Martial Artists.

As for Lineage disciples,

people like Qin Feng were assigned First-Class Martial Artists as Martial Servants.

Within the Qin Clan, they were First-Rank Martial Servants.

Gu Jiu was a Second-Rank Martial Servant.

Above First-Class Martial Artists were Innate Martial Artists, known among Mortals as supreme grandmasters.

Innate Martial Artists could already draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into their bodies.

Naturally, they were no longer Martial Servants.

Instead, they became martial cultivation disciples.

Of course, without a Spiritual Root, advancing into the Innate Realm was far too difficult!

If such a person truly appeared, the Qin Clan would gladly elevate his status and take him in as a cultivation disciple.

Yue Shuo could hear the anticipation in Gu Jiu's voice whenever he mentioned the Innate Realm.

Naturally, he could not promise anything.

Who knew how many resources it would take to cultivate an Innate Martial Artist?

With those resources,

wouldn't he be better off cultivating his own elder brother?

Thinking of his brother Yue Gu, Yue Shuo still felt somewhat conflicted over the fact that his injuries left him unable to get out of bed and walk.

He had once thought about it.

After entering the Qin Clan, he would find a way to treat his brother.

But after learning some basic cultivation knowledge,

he finally understood.

Many pills that might be effective for Yue Gu's injuries were not only expensive, but even if he bought them, Yue Gu could not take them.

That was the real problem!

Mortals, those without Spiritual Roots, simply could not refine the immense medicinal power within spiritual pills.

Unless... he refined it for his brother himself.

Buying a pill and sending it back for his brother to swallow on his own would be nothing less than sending Yue Gu to his death.

"One year!"

Yue Shuo murmured to himself.

For one year, as a newly inducted Prospective Disciple, he was not allowed to leave the Qin Clan's main island, Hemu Island.

Of course, going to the market did not count.

Because the small island where the market was located was actually considered part of Hemu Island's territory.

Of course, if he advanced to Qi Refining Level One ahead of time, he might be able to accept an outside post such as island patrol.

He was confident about the former.

As for the latter... he still remembered Uncle Tong's warning.

He was not advised to leave the island within the next few years.

"Still, if I don't go back, I can have my brother come to Little Hemmu Island. The main island isn't too far from Little Hemmu Island..."

Or perhaps he could have his brother wait for him on Market Island.

Of course, Little Hemmu Island was safer.

Yue Shuo thought about it for a while. Since neither the pills nor someone to escort his brother had been arranged, he temporarily put the matter aside.

Yue Shuo calmed the turbulent thoughts that had just risen in his mind.

Within the Spirit Field,

he prepared to try cultivating the Wood Essence Art!

The wood-attribute spiritual energy here was the densest.

Yue Shuo wanted to see what would happen if he continued cultivating at full cultivation without actively breaking through.

He was trying every method he could think of to raise his chances of breaking through.

As for why he dared to experiment in the Spirit Field,

naturally, it was because his Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique, a planting spell that had already reached minor mastery, made earning ten Spirit Stones no longer difficult.

His cultivation was full. If he did not advance, he did not need to cultivate.

That meant he would not consume the Divine Sense needed for cultivation.

With this portion of Divine Sense available,

he could thoroughly irrigate Gathering Spirit Grass in large quantities, then harvest and sell the spirit plants.

Even if they had an absorption limit,

he could still irrigate them through a day's worth of growth at once.

Gathering Spirit Grass was originally one of the simplest low-grade spirit plants. So long as it had spiritual energy, it could grow.

"Adding the seed soaking and germination, it'll take at most fourteen or fifteen days to harvest a batch..."

Yue Shuo calculated it and was somewhat shocked himself.

He was also somewhat tempted.

However, he quickly calmed down.

He could not do that!

Cultivation and strength had to come first!

"Advance first! Then... raise several attack spells high enough, and I'll also need to learn a movement spell... and a defensive one..."

After his thoughts churned for a while longer, Yue Shuo finally settled his mind.

He circulated his cultivation technique and drew spiritual energy into his body.

Rustle...

Around where Yue Shuo sat cross-legged,

a faint breeze seemed to spiral, stirring strands of his long hair as tiny glimmers of light flickered.

The abundant wood spiritual energy within the Spirit Field

naturally surged into his body.

Then, a small portion remained within him, while more of it dispersed and fell upon the Gathering Spirit Grass in the Spirit Field.

An hour later, Yue Shuo opened his eyes.

The sky had already turned completely dark.

However, within the Spirit Field, even without relying on the starlight and moonlight above, he could sense the changes in the Gathering Spirit Grass.

"Have I been meditating for a long time?"

The remaining Gathering Spirit Grass that had not been specially cultivated had originally been around one year old at most.

Yet now, he discovered that two leaves from the second round had already grown.

Of course, that only meant an additional month of growth.

Yue Shuo checked his timekeeping tool.

However, he was unsure whether an entire day had passed, so he went to find the other living person in the ravine.

Gu Jiu was deeply moved once again.

Young Master was always thinking of him and worrying about his injuries!

"Young Master! This servant is fine! I can continue working tomorrow!!" Gu Jiu almost wished he could begin working immediately!

"Uh, there's no need to push so hard... Rest for another two days!"

A single low-grade Grain-Repelling Pill could only keep a cultivator with a Spiritual Root like Yue Shuo from needing food for a day or two.

But for Gu Jiu, it should last three to five days.

After taking a Grain-Repelling Pill,

there would be none of those trivial bodily needs involving the five grains and their cycle.

Yue Shuo firmly ordered Gu Jiu to continue recovering!

For three days, he was not to come out!

If he came out, Yue Shuo would send him back himself! He had no use for such a disobedient servant!

Yue Shuo had even made such a harsh declaration, and Gu Jiu agreed while being deeply moved.

He began recuperating with all his strength inside the room.

He would strive to recover as soon as possible and go out to serve Young Master!

Yue Shuo left the little wooden cabin, bolted the door, and deliberately made enough noise for Gu Jiu to hear.

He believed that under normal circumstances,

Gu Jiu would not come out on his own.

Only then did Yue Shuo return to the Spirit Field thoughtfully. He inspected his own status panel inwardly once more.

[ Cultivation: 500/500 (+2.2) ]

There had been no change at all.

Cultivation was unlike the proficiency gained from grinding spells; it would not advance automatically. He still needed to make the breakthrough himself.

Now, however, his breakthrough chance had changed slightly.

[ Breakthrough Chance: 53% (+1%) ]

This round of cultivation had raised his breakthrough chance by one percent, which meant he could continue cultivating even after his cultivation had reached its limit!

Without looking at the panel and merely inspecting himself inwardly,

Yue Shuo could sense it as well.

After this cultivation session, the cluster of spiritual energy within his body had been compressed and refined a little further.

Of course, the degree was slight.

It was only because he constantly observed and sensed his own condition inwardly

that he could perceive it so clearly.

"Should I keep cultivating?"

Yue Shuo glanced at the little wooden cabin several hundred paces away, then at the one-year-old Gathering Spirit Grass in the Spirit Field.

A certain thought surfaced once more.