After parting ways with Wei Songnian, Ji An turned his flight toward the Administrative Hall.
From their conversation, he had sorted out two particularly valuable insights:
First, while his performance was exceptional, some disciples with high spell affinity weren't that far behind, meaning his talents wouldn't appear impossibly unique.
Second, even if he revealed his gifts, there shouldn't be any major danger involved.
Of course, that was only Wei Songnian's opinion. Ji An would have to test and verify it for himself over time.
This trip to the Administrative Hall had two purposes: to see if there were any records of innate spirit treasures, and to exchange for more grain seeds.
Now that his Minor Rain Technique had advanced to Perfection, its mana cost had increased by half, but its rainfall range had multiplied several times. With just four mu of spirit fields, it felt like a waste.
He estimated the mana drain during the grain's tasseling period and decided to plant an additional two mu.
Though growing talisman grass yielded more profit in crystals, it consumed too much time. Better to save those hours for practicing spells.
The stone turtle's spiritual qi was his crutch, but never his entirety, so he had never once slacked in his spell training.
At the library behind the Administrative Hall, Ji An began combing through texts on general cultivation knowledge.
He flipped through quickly, and after about an hour, he actually stumbled across something that greatly reassured him.
It was a book on cultivation aptitudes and spiritual constitutions. It detailed the classification of natural talents, and also mentioned that apart from aptitudes, there existed a variety of special physiques.
The Five-Element Spirit Bodies, for example, weren't exceedingly rare. A Fire Spirit Body, cultivating fire-based techniques and spells, would find progress twice as effective with half the effort.
Seeing this, Ji An felt his heart relax. He could simply claim to be a Water Spirit Body cultivator!
After skimming further and finding no mention of innate spirit treasures, he let it go and left.
In the main hall of the Administrative, Ji An scanned the crowd until he spotted Li Changfeng, then strolled over.
"Senior Brother, I'd like to purchase two mu' worth of spirit-grain seed."
He handed over his jade token and a spirit stone, patting the ten remaining spirit crystals in his sleeve with a small nod.
Once again, every last coin had been spent where it mattered most.
"One spirit stone converts to twenty contribution points. Spirit-grain seed for two mu costs eight points, so you'll still have twelve contribution points left on your token," Li Changfeng said efficiently, completing the transaction.
Amused, he noted privately that this junior brother's token had rarely held more than ten points. Today was a rare exception.
Ji An accepted the seed with a smile.
"Senior Brother, a question. I've heard that spirit farmers can take assignments tending medicinal gardens. How does one apply?"
"You want to take a medicinal garden assignment? That requires mastery in three techniques: Minor Rain Technique, Thick Earth Formula, and Withering-Bloom Formula, all at the Great Accomplishment level."
Li Changfeng's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice.
"Junior Brother… you've cultivated Withering-Bloom Formula to Great Accomplishment as well?"
"I have. Once, I came here to exchange for the Great Accomplishment version of the technique's formula, but I was told the sect doesn't have it."
Ji An spread his hands. "You weren't on duty that day. The brother at the counter said that among planting techniques, Withering-Bloom Formula, Sharp Gold Art, and Flamefire Incantation don't even have manuals for the Great Accomplishment stage."
"That's true," Li Changfeng admitted.
"For those three techniques, reaching Minor Accomplishment is already sufficient for most purposes. No one bothers to push further; it all depends on personal insight from that point on."
"Then what's the point of cultivating Withering-Bloom Formula to Great Accomplishment?" Ji An asked, his teeth aching in regret. If he'd known this earlier, he would've saved his Xun-element essence instead.
"Because at Minor Accomplishment, Withering-Bloom Formula draws the vitality from higher-grade spirit plants far too slowly. Once you take a garden-keeping assignment, you'll understand exactly what I mean."
Li Changfeng nodded. His clan specialized in farming, so he understood the intricacies of planting better than most.
After a pause, he added,
"Junior Brother, getting an assignment to manage a medicinal garden is extremely difficult. Among the sect's Qi Refining disciples, spirit farmers are the most numerous; there are thousands of them. And many already meet the requirements. The moment a vacancy opens, someone will immediately fill it."
So the competition is that fierce?
Ji An was stunned, his brows knitting tightly. He had hoped to find a way into a spiritual vein node that way.
"Then there's no chance at all? Surely if I one day train Minor Rain or Thick Earth Formula to Perfection, I'd have a shot?"
Li Changfeng pulled him outside the main hall and sighed.
"Junior Brother… managing a medicinal garden comes with generous rewards. The interests involved are deeply entwined. Without support from higher-ups, it's nearly impossible."
Back in his own fields, Ji An expanded by another two mu and sowed the grain seeds.
That night, he cast his spell once again, spirit rain falling with its mysterious aura. His thoughts seemed to merge with the rain itself.
When the clouds cleared, Ji An let out a long breath and turned away.
Li Changfeng's words had cooled his fiery heart. Sometimes, opportunities weren't given based on ability, but on relationships and profit.
Human nature was the same in any world.
Cultivation could make one stronger and grant a longer lifespan, but it could never make one noble.
Ji An gave up entirely on revealing his Perfection-level Minor Rain Technique. From now on, he would only cast rain at night.
If there were no benefits to be gained, it would be best to stay low-key.
Since he likely wouldn't get a medicinal garden assignment, the chances of cultivating at a spiritual vein before Foundation Establishment were slim.
If he couldn't change the environment, then he could only change himself.
Ji An resolved to earn as many spirit crystals as possible and push for Foundation Establishment as soon as he could.
At Foundation Establishment, he would be allowed to choose a vein node for his cave-dwelling. Then, the stone turtle could absorb far more spiritual essence each day, and he would be granted twenty mu of his own first-rank spirit fields.
With a practical goal in mind, one would never feel lost.
Ji An immersed himself daily in cultivation, talisman ink refining, and spell practice. His life was tight but fulfilling.
The vegetables in his courtyard, nourished by Perfection-level Minor Rain, now contained nearly half the spiritual energy of true spirit-vegetables, an unexpected boon.
But the rain's vast coverage meant the weeds outside his courtyard also thrived wildly.
To cover his tracks, each day he burned the outside weeds with Flamefire Incantation. A spell he rarely used thus improved quickly.
And so, with enough Bi Jade Pills, a steady stream of spirit grain and vegetables, Ji An's cultivation advanced without hindrance, steadily climbing.
Two months passed.
The spirit grain and talisman grass ripened nearly ten days earlier than usual. After harvesting and threshing, Ji An weighed the grain and clenched his fist in shock.
He had planted five mu of spirit grain. Even after accounting for losses to birds, the yield should have been below 1,500 jin.
Yet the final tally was a full 1,600 jin.
Perfection-level Minor Rain had raised the very genetic ceiling of Yellow Sprout Rice!
The gain was only worth one extra spirit stone in coin, but its significance was immense.
Cultivating high-grade spirit herbs often took decades or even centuries. But if Perfection-level Minor Rain could already shorten crop cycles, then what about stronger spells in the future? Could they drastically reduce the maturation time of spirit herbs and even enhance their potency?
The path ahead gleamed bright. Ji An was brimming with motivation.
The early ripening of spirit grain and talisman grass also gave him extra time to craft talisman paper.
From now on, he decided, he would plant his crops ten days later than others, devoting two mu to talisman grass. That way, his harvest and his income would be even greater.