Spirit Rice Yield

Spirit Rice Yield

Back in his room.

Qin Ming set up the Soundproof Array. From now on, no matter how much the neighbors next door carried on, it would no longer affect him.

"Phew—much better. The whole world is finally quiet."

For the time that followed, Qin Ming devoted all his thoughts to the five mu of Spirit Fields.

They directly concerned his future fate.

Ten days later.

The Spirit Rice in the fields had begun to grow, lush and flourishing. Qin Ming hurried into the fields at once to inspect them.

What concerned him most was what kind of Affixes would appear in these five mu of Spirit Fields.

At a glance, he saw four Affixes gleaming within the verdant rice paddies.

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Faint Mana (Maturity 10%)

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Faint Mana (Maturity 15%)

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Beast Control Art x5 (Maturity 12%)

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Primal Beastfang Rice (Maturity 10%)

"New Affixes appeared again."

Qin Ming's expression brightened. Besides Faint Mana, there were two new Affixes.

"Too bad the Accelerated Growth Affix didn't appear." He sighed regretfully.

He was quite familiar with the Beast Control Art. It was also a Spirit Plant spell.

Used together with a specially made bell-shaped artifact, it could swiftly drive away all kinds of demonic beasts and protect Spirit Plants.

However, this spell was rather difficult to cultivate, even harder than the Spirit Rain Technique. Hardly anyone knew it.

The number behind the Affix presumably meant it could be used five times.

Qin Ming then turned his attention to the final Affix.

"Hm? Beast Fang Rice... it sounds familiar. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."

Qin Ming furrowed his brow and searched his memories carefully.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration streaked through his mind. He remembered!

He patted his Storage Bag, and a booklet appeared in his hand.

Come to think of it, this was a Spirit Plant manual that Spirit Feather Sect had distributed to Spirit Farmers like them.

Qin Ming quickly flipped to the last few pages.

Beast Fang Rice was a First-Grade Lower Spirit Plant. Its grains were white as snow and shaped like beast fangs. Consuming it could not only slightly strengthen one's blood and qi, reinforce the sinews and bones, and harmonize the internal organs, but the spiritual energy it contained was also five times that of Golden Spirit Rice!

Golden Spirit Rice was merely Common Spirit Rice and did not qualify for any grade.

Beast Fang Rice, on the other hand, fell within the category of lower-grade Spirit Plants and was relatively rare.

It was precisely what body-refining cultivators coveted. Whenever it appeared in the market, it was usually snapped up in an instant.

However, Beast Fang Rice had rather demanding cultivation requirements. One had to use the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art to draw upon the Spirit Vein's energy and maintain long-term watering.

Furthermore, it had a very long maturation cycle. Even the poorest-quality Beast Fang Rice took two years to mature, and its yield was low as well.

Its price was ten times that of Golden Spirit Rice, while even its seeds were exceptionally expensive.

Spirit Feather Sect's booklet had also specifically noted: Any Spirit Farmer who successfully planted and cultivated Beast Fang Rice would have their Spirit Rice tax reduced by half.

Being able to cultivate a First-Grade Lower Spirit Plant meant one was qualified to advance to a First-rank Spirit Planter.

That status was far above that of an ordinary low-ranking Spirit Farmer.

"They're actually Beast Fang Rice seeds! I've struck it rich!" Qin Ming was overjoyed.

Now, he had to take even better care of these five mu of Spirit Fields.

In a little over three months, it would be time to hand in the Spirit Rice tax again. That would be his true trial.

It directly concerned his fortune and his life.

During this period, Qin Ming remained tense every moment. Nothing could possibly go wrong in the Spirit Fields.

Right afterward, Qin Ming carefully cleared out the weeds and used up his last casting of the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art.

The days passed one by one.

Every day, Qin Ming left early and returned late, working diligently and laboring hard.

He looked forward to the Spirit Rice ripening sooner.

Apart from tending the Spirit Fields, he devoted himself to cultivating the Evergreen Skill and the Spirit Rain Technique.

After fully experiencing the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art five times, he made great progress in cultivating the spell. With his repeated practice and exploration,

he finally found the right feeling.

One month later.

Qin Ming gazed at the spirit cloud above him, covering all five mu of Spirit Fields. Delight appeared on his face as he said, "The Intermediate Spirit Rain Art is complete!"

From now on, even without relying on Affixes, he could cast the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art by himself.

However, the mana of the second layer of the Qi Refining Stage was truly worrying.

Even so,

to increase the yield, Qin Ming went all out!

Every time he cast the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art, he drained every last wisp of mana from himself!

To make sure he could bring down Spirit Rain two or three times every week,

whenever he returned home from the Spirit Fields, his face would be pale with exhaustion. Looking as though he had been hollowed out, he had to brace himself against the wall as he walked.

"My goodness, Fellow Daoist Qin, I never would've guessed!"

"Honestly, have you secretly been patronizing Li Yanli next door lately?"

"Young man, you need to know moderation!"

"Even if your waist were forged of iron and your kidneys cast from steel, you can't keep going at it like this every day."

For a time, even his neighbors thought he had been indulging in wild pleasures.

Ah, my cultivation is still too low. Every time I cast the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art, my spiritual power can barely hold out.

Qin Ming inwardly sighed. Faced with their speculation, he merely gave an awkward smile and offered no further explanation.

Farming in peace was the proper path.

Watching the Spirit Rice in the fields grow stronger by the day,

Qin Ming smiled in satisfaction.

"At least my efforts haven't gone to waste."

More than two months later.

The Spirit Rice ripened.

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Faint Mana (Maturity 100%, Harvestable)

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Faint Mana (Maturity 100%, Harvestable)

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Beast Control Art x5 (Maturity 100%, Harvestable)

Name: Golden Spirit Rice
Affix: Primal Beastfang Rice (Maturity 100%, Harvestable)

Qin Ming collected the four Spirit Rice stalks, and four white leaves instantly appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

Not long after.

A group of Spirit Farmers began harvesting Spirit Rice under the watch of the overseer, Du Haifu.

When it came time for Qin Ming's Spirit Field, Du Haifu could not help showing a trace of surprise at the sight before him.

With one glance, he saw that every golden Spirit Rice stalk in Qin Ming's fields was heavy with full ears and plump grains, so laden that they had bent the rice stalks down.

"You mastered the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art?"

Du Haifu turned to examine Qin Ming. After a long while, he unusually revealed a hint of approval.

"I was fortunate enough to master it a few days ago."

"Not bad, you've done quite well. Go harvest your Spirit Rice."

Qin Ming immediately got to work, harvesting the Spirit Rice.

After working for an entire day, he harvested a full eight large sacks of Spirit Rice.

Du Haifu began inspecting and weighing it.

"You harvested eight shi and twenty jin of Spirit Rice..."

"You must pay seventy percent as tax, a total of five hundred seventy-four jin."

Just as his words fell,

a massive dharma vessel streaked through the sky and came to a steady halt in midair above the hillside.

At the prow stood a Blue-robed Elder with his hands behind his back. His face was stern and rigid, while seven or eight Spirit Feather Sect Outer Disciples stood neatly and respectfully behind him.

The moment Du Haifu saw him, he promptly bowed and said, "Greetings, Elder Gu. As instructed, all Spirit Rice taxes for this season have now been collected. Please inspect them."

As he spoke, he cautiously presented a jade slip.

Qin Ming also hurriedly lowered his head and bowed.

Before Elder Gu, Du Haifu was all nods and bows, completely lacking the hard-edged manner he usually displayed toward the Spirit Farmers.

Though the other man was merely an Outer Sect steward of Spirit Feather Sect, he was still Du Haifu's immediate superior. Du Haifu did not dare overstep in the slightest.

After Elder Gu finished examining the jade slip, he instructed the disciples beside him to gather all the Spirit Farmers together.

There were more than three hundred people in all.

Cai Lao Jiu squeezed through the crowd to Qin Ming's side and gave him a meaningful look. "Younger Brother Qin, how was it? How was today's harvest?"

Qin Ming laughed casually, revealing nothing. "Not bad. But Lao Jiu, you really weren't being decent. You had quite the harvest last season and never told me—you were getting rich in silence, huh?"

"Hehehe, didn't it all get offered up?" Cai Lao Jiu's gaze drifted aside as he answered guiltily.

At that moment, Elder Gu on the dharma vessel swept his gaze over the crowd and announced without a trace of emotion, "The Spirit Rice taxes for this year's three seasons have all been collected."

"By order of the sect, this steward hereby announces that the ten cultivators ranked last in this year's total Spirit Rice output will be forcibly assigned to the front-line War Camp to replenish its manpower. Defiance will not be tolerated."

Elder Gu's unquestionable voice rang out like a thunderclap, exploding in the hearts of the Spirit Farmers and leaving them unable to calm down for a long time.

"What? The front-line War Camp?"

"N-no way, right?"

"I-I shouldn't be among the bottom ranks, should I?"

"Why wasn't something like this announced beforehand?"

The Spirit Farmers immediately felt as though danger hung over every one of them, and panic seized their hearts.

"Hmph!" Elder Gu snorted coldly, and the pressure of a Qi Refining Stage cultivator at Great Perfection spread outward.

Everyone instantly fell silent.

"The Spirit Rice output for these three seasons, along with all the rankings, is listed here. You may inspect them yourselves."

After Elder Gu spoke, a Spirit Feather Sect disciple beside him stepped forward and cast an art toward the jade slip in front of them.

In an instant,

a massive screen of light appeared in the sky above the Spirit Farmers' heads, dense with clearly visible text.

It displayed rankings from highest to lowest, with each season's detailed output listed behind them.

Qin Ming looked up, swept his eyes across it, and quickly found his own name: one hundred fifty-sixth!

"Phew—"

He let out a long breath.

He was ranked in the middle.

At last, his hanging heart settled.

"How is that possible? Eight shi and twenty jin?"

Cai Lao Jiu cried out in shock beside him.

A dramatic scene unfolded.

On the light screen, the one hundred fifty-seventh rank read: Cai Jiuwu...

Cai Lao Jiu was ranked immediately behind Qin Ming.

One had to know,

his Spirit Rice output in the first two seasons had both surpassed Qin Ming's by quite a bit.

Yet Qin Ming's Spirit Rice output for the third season was simply outrageous, having far exceeded his own!

If they considered only the third season's output, Qin Ming had already squeezed into the top fifty.

Those ranked at the very top were all veteran Spirit Farmers in the Qi Refining Mid Stage.

"I trust each of you has seen clearly?"

"The last ten, board the vessel and come with me."

"Tian Youcai, Zhao Shan, Lin Chengdong..."

The ten Spirit Farmers whose names were called instantly turned deathly pale, their hearts ashes.

What awaited them was the brutal task of opening up the front lines.

But before Elder Gu's command, they did not dare disobey.

Those people were led onto the dharma vessel by Spirit Feather Sect disciples.

"I hope you will all redouble your efforts. Continue farming diligently in the coming year and contribute to the sect. The sect has issued new targets for next year. The next time cultivators are assigned to the War Camp, it will be the thirty Spirit Farmer cultivators ranked at the bottom."

Elder Gu's unquestionable voice echoed in everyone's ears for a long time.

Hearing this, Qin Ming mused inwardly.

This time, Spirit Feather Sect had not informed anyone in advance.

As a result, most Spirit Farmers had not known they could be assigned to the War Camp.

If Du Haifu had not given him a hint back then, he too would surely have been kept in the dark.

And after this incident,

next year, fierce competition would inevitably break out among these Spirit Farmers.

After all.

No one wanted to go to the front lines and become cannon fodder.

Qin Ming looked at the four Affix leaves in his Sea of Consciousness.

An inexplicable surge of emotion rose within him.

In the past,

mastering the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art in such a short time was something he would not even have dared to dream of.

But now,

it had taken less than half a year.

His experience in planting Spirit Rice had also improved considerably. After paying this round of Spirit Rice taxes, he would still have more than 250 catties of Golden Spirit Rice left.

He could not finish so much Spirit Rice by himself. Once he sold it, he would be able to save up another modest sum of Spirit Stones.

With Spirit Stones, he would have a little more confidence in surviving in an environment like this.

"But if things continue at this pace, my cultivation will soon fail to keep up."

"Continuously squeezing out mana at such high intensity will inevitably damage my meridians if it goes on for too long. That would be irreversible."

What was more, he now had Beast Fang Rice Spirit Seeds.

Planting Beast Fang Rice had to be put on the agenda.

And to maintain the circulation of the Mid-grade Spirit Rain Technique's mana for extended periods,

Qi Refining Layer 3 was the minimum requirement.

"I wonder whether those two 'Faint Mana' Affixes can help me break through to the Qi Refining Stage Third Layer."

"No, I need to work even harder at farming. I have to unlock that 'Accelerated Growth' Affix!"