Too Badly Damaged to Upgrade

[Spirit Field (lv1)]

[Lv2 spiritual effects: crop growth cycle -45%; when cultivating a wood- or earth-attribute Cultivation Method within a seven-zhang radius, Spiritual Qi absorption speed +25%.

Common pests and weeds will be converted into nutrients; +20% chance of crops mutating (for the better).]

[Upgrade requirements: Jade Dew Frost * 5 bottles, spirit soil base material * 5 cubic units, moisten the Spirit Field with first-rank spiritual liquid for ten consecutive days.]

After reading the requirements for upgrading the Spirit Field to lv2,

Li Yunjing stood in front of it and pondered carefully.

Jade Dew Frost was a first-rank spiritual substance of considerable value.

It was a basic spiritual liquid used to cultivate Spirit Plants.

A single bottle of Jade Dew Frost cost seventeen low-grade Spirit Stones.

Spirit soil base material was more affordable, at only five low-grade Spirit Stones per cubic unit.

As for the first-rank spiritual liquid, the upgrade requirements didn't specify which kind.

Even using the cheapest first-rank spiritual liquid,

a bottle would still cost six low-grade Spirit Stones.

Upgrading the Spirit Field to lv2 would require at least a hundred and ten low-grade Spirit Stones.

That didn't include the first-rank spiritual liquid.

The main issue was that Li Yunjing didn't know how long a bottle of spiritual liquid would last.

If it lasted ten days, the total would be a hundred and sixteen low-grade Spirit Stones.

Otherwise, it would cost even more.

"Now that the Spirit Field has been upgraded to lv1, I'll plant the seeds I bought earlier tomorrow."

Putting aside his stray thoughts, Li Yunjing looked at the empty Spirit Field and murmured to himself.

The Luozhen Sect's Spirit Field was currently used to grow Spirit Rice.

Spirit medicines and the like weren't grown in it.

The main reason was that the Luozhen Sect simply didn't have that much time to wait for spirit medicines to mature.

After all, spirit medicines routinely took ten years or even decades to mature.

If he used the Spirit Field to grow spirit medicines,

Li Yunjing would have starved to death long ago.

Growing Spirit Rice was more practical.

He could eat it himself or sell it to earn Spirit Stones.

After each harvest, Li Yunjing would buy a new batch of Spirit Rice seeds.

The last time, he had bought Golden Jade Rice seeds.

It was now mid-June.

This year, if the Spirit Field could be upgraded again,

he could grow Golden Jade Rice several times.

As for spirit medicines, Li Yunjing planned to clear a medicine field specifically for growing them.

He wouldn't use the Spirit Field meant for crops to grow spirit medicines.

"The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth. Deacon Wang should be coming to the Luozhen Sect, so I need to prepare in advance." Li Yunjing stretched.

Deacon Wang was a deacon of the Immortal Alliance.

He was one of the deacons stationed at the Immortal Alliance's Xunxian Town branch.

The Luozhen Sect was a member of the Immortal Alliance.

By agreement, the Immortal Alliance distributed benefits to the Luozhen Sect at regular intervals.

They were essentially Cultivation Resources.

Things like Spirit Stones and pills.

The benefits the Immortal Alliance distributed were quite good.

That was also one of the reasons Li Yunjing didn't want to give up the Luozhen Sect.

If he lost his membership in the Immortal Alliance,

and no longer had its benefits, obtaining premium Cultivation Resources would become much more difficult.

After giving his next steps some thought,

Li Yunjing returned to Luozhen Hall.

Zhang Hanpeng had already returned to his residence and begun cultivating.

Li Yunjing suddenly remembered that Zhang Hanpeng cultivated the Earth Spirit Instruction.

Now that the Spirit Field had been upgraded to lv1,

it provided a boost to disciples cultivating earth-attribute Cultivation Methods.

Tomorrow, he could have Zhang Hanpeng cultivate near the Spirit Field.

Perhaps that would help Zhang Hanpeng reach Early Qi Refining sooner.

Having settled that matter, Li Yunjing yawned.

He had been busy for quite a while and was a little tired.

He slept until he woke naturally.

The next day, Li Yunjing walked out of Luozhen Hall, stretching.

"I can't keep sleeping in Luozhen Hall. I should find time to build a residence of my own..."

Li Yunjing muttered to himself.

He cast a Cleaning Technique on himself.

His whole body felt much fresher.

Zhang Hanpeng was drawing in and expelling Spiritual Qi in the open space.

Seeing him, Li Yunjing called out,

"Hanpeng, come here."

Zhang Hanpeng opened his eyes, then jogged over.

"Greetings, Sect Master," Zhang Hanpeng said with a salute.

Li Yunjing nodded, then said,

"From now on, when you wake up each day, go to the Patriarch Hall and offer incense to the patriarch of the Luozhen Sect.

Also, cultivate around the Spirit Field from now on. It will benefit you."

Zhang Hanpeng didn't understand, but he nodded and agreed. "Yes, Sect Master."

Offering incense at the Patriarch Hall could increase the speed of Spiritual Qi absorption.

Cultivating beside the Spirit Field could also increase cultivation speed.

With that, the Luozhen Sect would soon have a new Qi Refining cultivator.

After Zhang Hanpeng left,

Li Yunjing summoned the panel.

[Sect: Luozhen Sect]

[Rank: First-Rank Sect]

[Sect Master: Li Yunjing (Qi Refining Completion)]

[Number of disciples: outer sect disciples * 1]

[Reputation: insignificant minor sect]

[Resources: low-grade Spirit Stones (189), First-Rank Spirit Rice (33 jin)...]

[Prosperity: one]

[Sect buildings: Sect Grand Hall (lv1), Spirit Field (lv1), Chicken Coop (lv1), mountain gate (lv1), Patriarch Hall (lv1)]

He had a hundred and eighty-nine Spirit Stones left, enough to last him a while.

Li Yunjing pondered as he looked at the sect buildings entry.

He looked around. Aside from the Sect Grand Hall and the Patriarch Hall,

there were four other buildings.

One was Zhang Hanpeng's residence.

The other three were the Luozhen Sect's former Scripture Library, Alchemy Chamber, and cultivation room.

But because the Luozhen Sect had fallen on hard times,

the Alchemy Chamber and cultivation room had long since been abandoned.

No one had set foot in them for a long time.

As for the Scripture Library, it still held some books.

But they were all basic reading materials.

There weren't many first-rank Cultivation Methods or Law Techniques.

Li Yunjing had learned the first-rank Law Techniques and Cultivation Methods left there long ago.

As a result, he hadn't visited the Scripture Library in a long time either.

Li Yunjing was wondering

why the names of those three buildings hadn't appeared on the panel.

Out of curiosity,

Li Yunjing first went to the Scripture Library, which was closest to the Sect Grand Hall.

He pushed open its door.

The creaking was almost grating.

Suddenly, with a crack, the door broke right off.

It fell to the ground with a bang, kicking up a great cloud of dust.

Li Yunjing gave a helpless smile.

He walked into the Scripture Library. Dust covered the floor.

Every book on the shelves was coated in a layer of dust.

Some of the shelves had toppled over too, and their books lay scattered across the floor.

A few Jade Slips sat on a desk at the very back.

The Jade Slips were in better condition. Nourished by Spiritual Qi, they hadn't been covered in dust.

Before Li Yunjing could venture deeper into the Scripture Library,

a notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[The Scripture Library has been detected as severely damaged and cannot be registered as an upgradeable building. Please repair it before upgrading it.]

"Hm?"

The sudden notification made Li Yunjing's eyes light up.

He had been wondering why the Scripture Library hadn't been recorded on the panel.

It turned out the Scripture Library was too badly damaged.

If that was the reason for the Scripture Library,

then the remaining Alchemy Chamber and cultivation room...

Li Yunjing immediately left the Scripture Library and headed first to the Alchemy Chamber.

Sure enough, just as at the Scripture Library,

a notification appeared before Li Yunjing's eyes, saying it was too badly damaged to be registered as an upgradeable building.

He went to the cultivation room next, and it was the same there.

Li Yunjing now had another goal.

Repair the three buildings.

Li Yunjing was eager to see what effects the three buildings would bring once they could be upgraded.

Especially the Alchemy Chamber.

As the saying went, the poor relied on mutations, while the rich relied on technology.

In the world of cultivation, pills were technology, something only the rich could afford.

Even the cheapest First-Rank Essence Consolidation Powder

sold for two low-grade Spirit Stones.

And taking Essence Consolidation Powder just once wouldn't produce any effect.

To use Essence Consolidation Powder to improve one's cultivation,

one had to take it for seven or eight days straight.

That would cost more than ten low-grade Spirit Stones.

The Luozhen Sect might still have a hundred or so low-grade Spirit Stones,

and appear able to afford pills.

But if they bought some pills of slightly better quality,

most of those Spirit Stones would be spent.

If all the Spirit Stones went toward pills, they wouldn't be able to cover their daily expenses.

If the Alchemy Chamber could produce some pills,

they could either use them themselves or sell them.

Li Yunjing scheduled the repairs to the three buildings.

There was no time to lose; he needed to get started right away.

But before that, Li Yunjing had other things to do.

First, he needed to upgrade the Sect Grand Hall to lv2.