Chapter 46: Spirit Fields

With ten spirit stones now in his possession, Li Zhen left the Treasure Pavilion with a smile on his face.

Behind him, the old shopkeeper of the pavilion wore an equally pleased expression. Both felt they had come out ahead in the transaction.

In truth, such low-grade first-rank magical artifacts typically fetched between eight to ten spirit stones each. As for concerns about their origin, the Lin family held sway in these lands, making such worries irrelevant.

Thus, the old shopkeeper stood to gain six to ten spirit stones from this deal alone.

He’d shown leniency towards Li Zhen, recognizing the youth’s talent and hoping to cultivate a relationship for future dealings.

As for Li Zhen, he was overjoyed inwardly. With those ten spirit stones, he could finally afford passage home, easing all his anxieties.

Spirit stones were highly prized treasures within the Xian Nation. In fact, one spirit stone could easily purchase several high-quality low-grade first-rank magical items if exchanged directly.

Of course, spirit stones were officially priceless due to their scarcity, which only heightened their importance in society.

“Excuse me, is Manager Zhao available?” Li Zhen asked, peering at the sign hanging above the door that read “Spirit Field Management Office.”

“Come in!” came the response from inside.

As Li Zhen entered the Spirit Field Management Office, he was greeted by the sight of a middle-aged cultivator savoring tea.

“Quite young to be interested in farming, aren’t you?” The middle-aged cultivator, who was Steward Zhao, furrowed his brow slightly as he asked, “What spirit plant techniques have you learned?”

“I’ve mastered the Minor Cloud Rain Spell,” Li Zhen replied respectfully. “I’m here to farm with the hope of being accepted into Ten Directions Valley next June!”

“Not bad, ambitious one,” Steward Zhao nodded, sensing Li Zhen’s cultivation level. “Entering Ten Directions Valley is no easy feat. Might I ask if you’re interested in joining our Zhao Clan?”

“My elder brother from Ten Directions Valley instructed me to wait here!” Li Zhen tactfully declined, pulling out Gu Zhun as an excuse.

Had Steward Zhao chosen to investigate, he would have found that Gu Zhun was indeed a disciple of Ten Directions Valley. Though Gu Zhun’s cultivation might not be impressive, as a disciple of such a prestigious valley, he far surpassed the scattered cultivators found in local markets.

“The Minor Cloud Rain Spell alone won’t suffice,” Steward Zhao continued amicably, unfazed by the rejection. “You’ll need to master Spirit Enhancement and Golden Edge spells as well. Here, these are some essential techniques for spirit planters. For one spirit stone, they’re yours. And I’ll even arrange for two acres of spirit fields for you!” He produced a jade slip with a smile.

Li Zhen wasn’t foolish; he could clearly discern the value exchange hidden within this offer.

The jade slip purchased with one spirit stone contained a spiritual husband’s magical techniques, but such spells could be bought anywhere at a cheaper price; one spirit stone was definitely too high.

However, besides buying the jade slip, one spirit stone could also handle the procedures for two acres of spirit fields, and this made all the difference.

“Thank you for your trouble, Manager Zhao!” Li Zhen took out a spirit stone and handed it over.

“Give me your identity card!” Manager Zhao waved his hand to put away the spirit stone, speaking solemnly.

Li Zhen handed the wooden plaque to Manager Zhao, who cast several incantations on it.

“Your log cabin is in C District, number 17. The location of your spirit fields is recorded on your identity card. Regardless of how well you grow them, the market requires an annual payment of three hundred pounds of spirit rice per acre. If you can’t provide that amount, each pound will need to be compensated with one fragmentary spirit. Additionally, here are some spirit seeds gifted by the market for these two acres,” Manager Zhao meticulously explained.

Li Zhen reclaimed his wooden plaque and received a small pouch of spirit seeds. With this transaction complete, he now had an employment relationship with the market, housing provided, and no longer needed to pay any other fees.

Holding the wooden plaque, Li Zhen spent some time finding C District, number 17.

C District, number 17 wasn’t particularly noticeable, its entrance still dirt flooring.

He opened the wooden door of No. 17 in District C with his key card. The room contained only a wooden bed, a few farming tools, and some sacks piled against the wall—nothing else.

It was clear that this room of less than twenty square meters served both as living quarters and storage space.

Of course, these log cabins had basic security measures: an alarm array protected them. Without a key card, anyone who tried to enter would trigger the alert system.

Combat cultivators maintained order at the market and would quickly come to investigate.

Generally speaking, the interior of the market was safe; it fell within the protective cover of the large formation.

Li Zhen looked around the empty house, then turned to inspect his spirit fields after grabbing the farming tools.

His two acres of spirit fields lay next to the market, not far from his assigned residence at No. 17 in District C—only about three hundred feet away.

Compared to those spirit fields on the outskirts of town, this pair of plots was much more favorably situated.

The closer a spirit field was to the village, the richer its supply of spiritual energy. If Manager Zhao hadn’t sensed that Li Zhen had a chance of becoming a disciple of Ten Directions Valley, he never would have entrusted such prime spirit fields to him for cultivation.

These spirit fields seemed to have lain fallow for some time, weeds already encroaching upon their surfaces.

Li Zhen took out a jade slip but still felt somewhat awkward using it.

Li Zhen had learned about jade slips in his classes at the Xian Nation academy. These slips were crafted from spiritually attuned jade through specialized artificing techniques.

Spiritual jade was highly valued in the Xian Nation, and with more affordable and convenient media like data cards available, jade slips were rarely used.

While their use was uncommon, jade slips still held significance and were indispensable in certain situations.

For instance, when it came to advanced cultivation techniques, they contained the willpower of powerful cultivators who had mastered them. With this assistance, other cultivators could more easily grasp these complex methods.

Only jade slips could bear the willpower of such masters.

It wasn’t that the Xian Nation lacked jade slips; rather, ordinary cultivators simply couldn’t access them.

At school, Li Zhen had studied how to use jade slips, and now he found himself putting that knowledge to good use.

He pressed the slip against his forehead, allowing Farmer Lingzhi’s information to enter his mind.

Within the slip, alongside ‘Small Cloud-Rain Spell,’ ‘Spirit Enhancement Technique,’ and ‘Golden Edge Art,’ there were also detailed insights on cultivating spirit rice.

The ‘Small Cloud-Rain Spell’ went without saying—it was a spell for summoning spiritual rain.

The ‘Spirit Enhancement Technique’ activated spirit seeds and maintained the vitality of spirit fields. However, this technique was no longer necessary in the Xian Nation due to advancements in cultivation practices.

In the Xian Nation, spirit seeds were supplied by specialized seed stations. These seeds activated upon purchase, with automated machinery at home maintaining the spirit fields in optimal condition.

The ‘Golden Edge Technique’ was an attack spell not particularly powerful but highly effective against spirit bugs. Other attack spells either required too much spiritual energy or were simply too potent, affecting too wide a range.

Imagine discovering a tiny spirit bug and unleashing a Fireball Spell. While the bug would indeed be finished, you’d also lose a large patch of your spirit rice crop.

A Golden Edge Technique attack consisted of a needle-like projection of gold elemental spiritual power. When wielded skillfully, it could kill spirit bugs without causing any collateral damage.

Li Zhen first examined the Spirit Enhancement Art; it wasn’t overly complex. He then took out his farming tools, beginning to till the land while studying this art.

His tools, provided by the market, were low-grade tier-one magical devices. The spirit field’s soil was incredibly hard; without such devices, proper tilling would have been nearly impossible.

As Li Zhen worked, he channeled his own spiritual energy into the tools. With his considerable strength, turning over the earth seemed effortless.

Despite this, even after working until dusk, he had only managed to till two acres.

No time left to plant today, he thought, heading towards his wooden hut.

As Li Zhen walked back, more cultivators began to appear on the streets. Some ignored him outright, while others regarded him with curious eyes.

From these passing cultivators, Li Zhen sensed a pervasive numbness—a feeling emanated by most of them.

Only a few cultivators’ eyes glimmered with hope; notably, these appeared quite young in age.

Li Zhen didn’t approach any of them. His understanding of this world was too limited; speaking little was safer than risking mistakes through conversation.

He also grew more cautious, noticing that some cultivators looked at him with greedy gazes.

News of Li Zhen’s arrival had already spread among those who kept their ears open.

It was known that he’d been brought here by a disciple from Ten Directions Valley, along with two spirit stones as payment.

Moreover, someone had seen Li Zhen enter the Treasure Pavilion. Whether buying or selling there, it suggested that Li Zhen possessed some wealth.

Given his very young appearance, even if not talking about substantial riches, just having a few spirit stones made him an object of interest for many.

Of course, anyone coveting Li Zhen’s supposed wealth wouldn’t be particularly powerful themselves. A mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator could easily earn far more profit from a single outing than scheming against a young novice would yield—time being a valuable commodity after all.