Three months later.
Threads of heaven and earth's spiritual energy flowed in through Ji An's nose and mouth, circulating through his immortal meridians along a specific route.
With each completed great cycle, a portion of that energy was refined into mana and deposited into his dantian's sea of qi, half of which, as always, was devoured by the stone turtle.
When Ji An felt his meridians begin to swell, he decisively ended his cultivation.
Looking inward, he noticed yet another inch-long branch meridian had formed, and a wave of satisfaction rose in his heart.
He emerged from meditation, a glimmer flashing in his eyes.
The sky held no moon, only glittering stars.
"Sigh… life without pills or spirit grain is tough," he murmured aloud.
But though he said it was tough, his heart was far from troubled.
Two months earlier, he had consumed the last of his harvested spirit grain.
Half a month ago, his supply of Yellow Sprout Pills had also run dry.
It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go back again.
At first, he had indeed been anxious for several days, even tempted to go out and peddle another round of "investment insurance." In the end, he restrained himself.
After all, credit diminished with each use. If others only saw him taking but never producing, it would harm his chances for future financing.
He resolved to start saving spirit stones deliberately. Even if, a year later, he could only make a token repayment, he couldn't afford to show no gesture at all.
Over the past few days, his mindset had adjusted. He hadn't yet reached the realm of being unmoved by joy or sorrow, but maintaining a calm heart wasn't a problem.
Ji An rolled up the meditation cushion and carried it back inside. While his mana was still abundant, he formed a hand seal and cast Thick Earth Formula. A hazy yellow radiance spread across the entire courtyard.
Before the glow had faded, his hand seals shifted again, and a misty cloud rose, just large enough to cover the yard.
Rain poured down in sheets. Green cabbages and cucumbers on their trellises swayed joyfully beneath the spiritual shower.
Ever since raising his two planting arts to the fourth layer, Ji An had made it a daily ritual to reshape his courtyard.
Like Old Huang, he had transformed the yard into a vegetable garden, leaving only a narrow path and a single square meter of open ground for meditation.
Though they were only mundane vegetables, nourished daily by spiritual energy, they grew thick and lush, infused with a faint spiritual essence far more nutritious than the wild greens he once foraged.
Nodding with a sense of accomplishment, Ji An returned to his bamboo loft to practice another technique, Sharp Gold Art.
Mana surged through his meridians, gathering at his fingertips. With a snap, sparks of golden light burst forth.
Sharp Gold Art condensed metal-element qi into thin filaments. A single strand had almost no offensive power; struck against human flesh, a tough-skinned cultivator with dull senses might not even notice it.
Even when released in a shower, the scattered energy was so diffuse that the sensation amounted to little more than a faint prick of a needle.
The spell's power was unimpressive, but against aphids smaller than sesame seeds, it was devastating. And best of all, it wouldn't harm the spirit grain.
Ji An split off a thread of divine sense, experimenting with controlling the golden filaments' directions, sending more to the sides and fewer to the center, or attempting to draw them all into a single concentrated strand.
Most of the time, his efforts were wasted. But now and then, when he succeeded, his delight was childlike, laughing with the pure joy of discovery.
Until his mana was completely drained, Ji An reluctantly ended his practice.
Over this period of constant training, he had gradually come to appreciate the subtle profundities hidden within the five planting arts.
Sharp Gold Art honed the precision of his divine sense; Withering-Bloom Formula emphasized steady, continuous mana output; Flamefire Incantation was all about unleashing the explosive force of fire qi; Thick Earth Formula embodied patience and accumulation; while Minor Rain Art carried the gentle rhythm of water nourishing all things.
Though they were only the most basic agricultural techniques, studied with devotion, one could still uncover within them the true essence of the Five Elements.
Moreover, while the five arts appeared unrelated, in truth, they complemented and reinforced one another.
After practicing Sharp Metal Art, his mana control had grown more precise, allowing him to cast spells with greater accuracy and thus conserve energy.
Just earlier, when he cast Minor Rain Rain and Thick Earth, the coverage had aligned perfectly with the size of his courtyard, which was the result.
He calmed his mind and stirred the stone turtle.
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Resonance: 0]
[Spiritual Qi: Kan 0.4, Kun 0.2, Xun 7.3]
[Techniques:]
Minor Rain Rain Art (Great Accomplishment 39%)
Thick Earth Formula (Great Accomplishment 25%)
Withering-Bloom Formula (Great Accomplishment 3%)
Flamefire Incantation (Proficient 8%)
Sharp Gold Art (Proficient 48%)
...
At the Great Accomplishment stage, the effect of spiritual qi diminished; far more was needed to comprehend further truths of the arts.
Even so, at his current pace, Ji An estimated that by the sect's three-year assessment, he would surely have Minor Rain Rain and Thick Earth raised to Perfection.
For Yellow Sprout Rice, the genetic limit was already fixed. Arts at the Great Accomplishment stage were more than sufficient; there was no need to rush.
In the sect, it was exceedingly rare for anyone to push a basic planting art to Perfection.
First, the divine insight required was too difficult. Second, once one reached the Foundation Establishment stage, more advanced planting techniques became available.
Ji An patted the sack of spirit grain beside him, feeling reassured.
Yesterday, he harvested his two acres of fields. After hulling, the total came to 588 jin of Yellow Sprout Rice. When Old Huang came by to "help," his eyes had nearly popped out of his head.
Back then, Old Huang had muttered bitterly that it had taken him seven or eight years to finally reach the theoretical yield for Yellow Sprout Rice. The look of grievance in his eyes whenever Ji An recalled it, he still found it hilarious… and deeply satisfying.
Hard to survive as a spirit farmer? Not only because you're too weak!
The next morning, Ji An finished his cultivation, stretched out his long legs, and headed for the Bihai Market.
A few days earlier, Zhang Yuanshan had sent Chu He to contact fellow disciples from their intake year at Green Pine Dao Academy.
Invitations had gone out, and they'd agreed to gather today at noon in Room Heaven No. 4 of the Hundred Flavors Pavilion.
The dishes there were prepared by spiritual chefs. Even setting aside taste, the act of eating and refining such food would yield mana equivalent to several days of bitter cultivation.
Cultivators had their organs nourished and bodies strengthened by spiritual energy. Now that Ji An had reached the third level of Qi Refinement, his speed was more than double what it had been when he first walked to the market.
By the time he arrived, he didn't feel nearly as exhausted as before.
After washing his face at the lakeshore and resting until his breathing steadied, he strode into Hundred Flavors Pavilion, the very restaurant he had once passed by with Wei Songnian without entering.
In the private room upstairs, Ji An found that Zhang Yuanshan, Chu He, and Zhao Mengyao had all arrived.
"Senior brothers, senior sister, good morning," Ji An greeted.
Three creditors gathered at one table; the looks they gave him were all tinged with amusement.
As the organizer of the meeting, Zhang Yuanshan rose to his feet and said:
"Junior brother, congratulations on advancing to the third level of Qi Refinement. Please, sit."
"Many thanks, senior brother," Ji An replied calmly, taking his seat as if nothing were amiss.
Chu He cleared his throat, his tone deep and serious:
"Junior brother, before entering the sect, you borrowed three spirit stones from each of us. After joining, you borrowed again.
We've noticed your debt has grown… rather high."
Zhang Yuanshan tapped the table with his finger, smiling as he added:
"It's not that we distrust you. But you've taken on the duty of a spirit farmer, and right now you can only plant grain. Earning spirit crystals that way is no easy matter.
I hear there are only three planting arts that can increase yield, and only after reaching the Small Accomplishment stage.
With a debt of more than ten spirit stones… how long will it take you to pay it off?"