Entry and the Appearance of Proficiency

Yue Shuo first looked over the introduction to the cultivation manual the old man had given him.

[First-Grade Wood Essence Art]

Cultivation Requirement: Wood Spirit Root

Cultivation speed +2 per level, mana recovery speed +10%... At Great Perfection, planting efficiency additionally +40%.

Can activate: First-Grade spell 'Qi-Replenishing Technique'.

(Can restore a certain amount of one's own vitality and mana.)

A cultivation art specifically for planting?

Yue Shuo silently set this cultivation art aside as a backup, then looked through the other three complete manuals he had previously flipped through.

[First-Grade Evergreen Method]

Cultivation Requirement: Wood Spirit Root

Cultivation speed +2 per level, vitality recovery speed +10%... At Great Perfection, additional lifespan +50 years.

Can activate: First-Grade spell 'Evergreen Technique'.

(Can restore a certain amount of one's own vitality.)

The remaining two were [First-Grade Thousand Waves Formula] and [First-Grade Water Spirit Formula], both requiring a Water Spirit Root to cultivate.

The former boosted spell attacks and came with the offensive secret art 'Thousand Waves Slash'.

The latter mainly increased spell defense.

All five were First-Grade cultivation arts. At most, each added two points of cultivation efficiency per level, and all could be cultivated to Qi Refining, Great Perfection.

Aside from the Origin Return Art, which reduced cultivation efficiency and which Yue Shuo intended to examine further,

Of the other four,

There were three he wanted to cultivate.

The Evergreen Method added fifty years to one's lifespan. That was no small amount.

His current lifespan limit was only a hundred years. In one stroke, it could increase his lifespan by half.

And it was an additional increase.

The mana recovery and planting-efficiency boost of the Wood Essence Art also perfectly suited him, since he was preparing to farm.

Besides, one had to prepare for a rainy day.

Mastering an offensive art, a defensive art, and an escape art was also essential.

At present, he had not officially cultivated to Qi Refining Level One.

He could not yet access offensive spells.

But as it happened, the Thousand Waves Formula came with an offensive secret art—Thousand Waves Slash!

"Lifespan isn't urgent. I need to prioritize the offensive secret art and improvements to planting. Then I'll cultivate... the Wood Essence Art first!"

After all, he would be farming very soon.

Yue Shuo reopened the Wood Essence Art and carefully read it from beginning to end.

Perhaps this type of cultivation booklet had been prepared specifically for newcomers. The later pages also contained some cultivation notes and insights.

Wood-element cultivation arts.

Cultivating in places rich in the aura of grass and trees produced better results.

After some thought, Yue Shuo still did not go outside to cultivate. Safety came first for his first cultivation attempt.

He fastened the door and sat down on the bed.

He adjusted his breathing rhythm and calmed his mind as he sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Ten minutes later, Yue Shuo gave up.

Sitting there in meditation only filled his mind with wild thoughts. He could not calm down at all.

Just then, there seemed to be some activity outside.

He went out into the courtyard and discovered that the person assigned to measure the field and set up the formation had arrived. She was a female cultivator with fair skin and ordinary features.

Sensing his gaze, she turned and met his eyes, then nodded.

Then, without any unnecessary small talk, she controlled a formation disk that sank into the center of the Spirit Field and vanished.

Her fingers plucked through the air as though playing a zither.

Bzzz...

After Yue Shuo sensed an unusual hum and ripple, he noticed that the Spirit Field beside the stream had become somewhat different.

The female cultivator circled the Spirit Field once, raised her head, and beckoned to Yue Shuo.

Yue Shuo jogged down.

As he ran, he considered how he should address her.

"Formation plaque!"

The taciturn female cultivator merely held out her hand to Yue Shuo. He kept both the formation plaque and his blackwood identity token on him at all times.

He hurriedly took them out and handed them over.

Very soon, the formation plaque was linked to the formation laid within the Spirit Field.

"If you have no mana, use blood first. Once you cultivate mana, refine it as soon as possible! Do not lose it! Do not cultivate within the Spirit Field! Ten Spirit Stones can only cover planting expenses..."

The female cultivator spoke evenly, her tone without the slightest rise or fall.

Without giving Yue Shuo a chance for small talk, she swiftly explained the matters related to the Spirit Field.

Once she finished, she gave Yue Shuo no time to react. With a flash of her steps, she was already ten meters away, and after several flashes, she disappeared.

Yue Shuo could only bow to her from afar.

"Thank you... Senior!"

These Qin Clan cultivators all seemed rather... normal.

They were neither overly warm nor cruel toward him. They went about their duties in an ordinary manner, simply completing their assigned work.

Nor did they demand benefits or expect bribes.

Their lack of harsh words and wicked conduct made him loosen up inwardly.

Since Yue Shuo could not enter meditation, he went to inspect the Spirit Field first, intending to better understand its condition.

Naturally, he brought two small booklets with him.

One was the Treatise on Spirit Plants, and the other was the Three Planting Arts.

The former explained several basic spirit plants in detail: how to plant them, and how to care for them from nurturing the seeds to sprouting, growth, and maturity.

It clearly described how to tend to spirit plants at every stage.

It was extremely useful to Yue Shuo!

The latter required Spirit-Drawing Entry before one could begin its initial cultivation, and it came with three spells specifically for planting.

Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique, Lesser Spirit-Nurturing Technique, and Lesser Rejuvenation Technique.

If one cultivated a water-element cultivation art,

The first spell, the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique, would be somewhat easier to cultivate—or rather, its effects would be somewhat better after cultivation.

However, the Lesser Spirit-Nurturing Technique and the Lesser Rejuvenation Technique

Were both more compatible with a Wood Spirit Root.

Still, the three minor spells were ranked by difficulty.

As Yue Shuo inspected the Spirit Field, he flipped through the two planting booklets in his hands, then directed Gu Jiu to begin working.

The Spirit Field had always been well nourished.

It was only because no planting disciple had come to sow and tend it, and no one with a Spiritual Root had watched over it, that spirit plants could easily wither halfway through their growth.

Therefore,

There were many well-nourished First-Grade Spirit Fields on Hemu Island, yet less than half were actually in use.

Of course, keeping them nourished would not go to waste.

"The longer a Spirit Field is nourished, the richer its soil fertility becomes. The time it can be planted afterward will also be longer..."

Gu Jiu understood this basic knowledge as well.

His understanding of certain matters on Hemu Island even surpassed Yue Shuo's, whose knowledge was only half-baked from asking around and reading books.

Yue Shuo did not hide anything and directly asked how Gu Jiu knew so much.

"My Gu Clan ancestors were Spirit Plant Masters!"

Gu Jiu was quite proud of that.

Ancestors?

They chatted as they worked, with Yue Shuo learning about Gu Jiu's background and origins.

Yue Shuo and Gu Jiu worked together.

First, they soaked half a bag of Gathering Spirit Grass seeds in well water. Then, they dug out a hundred small planting plots in the Spirit Field.

After all that work, Yue Shuo grew hungry and ate the evening meal Gu Jiu had prepared.

He returned to the inner room once more.

He found the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone Gu Jiu had prepared, then began practicing calligraphy, intending to practice until his hand grew steady before starting Talisman Crafting.

He could not settle his mind, and there was nothing he could do about it.

However,

A flower deliberately planted would not bloom, while a willow casually stuck in the ground would grow into shade.

While practicing calligraphy, Yue Shuo once again entered that state where he saw five-colored spiritual light. In an instant, inspiration struck.

According to the manual's description,

He had achieved Spirit-Drawing Entry.

[Cultivation Art: Wood Essence Art (First Grade): 1/100 (Beginner)]

After an unknown period of meditative cultivation, Yue Shuo awoke and naturally glanced at the Cultivator Character Panel.

There, under cultivation arts,

The Wood Essence Art had reached Beginner level, and proficiency had appeared.

He slowly let out a long breath.

Just as expected!

His Cultivator Character Panel could record every cultivation art related to cultivation that he learned after reaching the Beginner stage!

Proficiency had appeared!

Yue Shuo immediately checked the other changes to his personal attributes from this cultivation session.

In particular, did cultivation consume Divine Sense?