Chapter 72: Planting Trees

Li Zhen had acquired a mid-grade first-rank spirit field at the cost of merely twenty-two spirit stones.

Two spirit stones were spent on gathering information, while twenty spirit stones were demanded by Steward Xu to grease the wheels. In truth, both Li Zhen and Steward Xu knew that these twenty spirit stones would line the steward’s own pockets.

Having paid the price, Li Zhen now owned a mid-grade first-rank spirit field.

He arrived at the spirit field, which boasted a barrier array within its acre of land, set up by the previous owner to ensure isolation.

Given the high value of spirit plants grown in mid-grade fields, such barrier arrays were essential to prevent rogue cultivators from stealing or sabotaging the crops.

Currently, this mid-grade spirit field was planted with a batch of mid-grade spirit ginseng, still half-grown and at least six months away from maturity.

Due to the market’s previous destruction and the subsequent dispersal of spiritual energy for some time, these spirit ginsengs had fallen in quality by a significant tier.

It was precisely because of this severe drop in value, coupled with the plants’ immaturity, that Li Zhen was able to secure the mid-grade spirit field for just twenty spirit stones. Steward Xu, uninterested in these low-grade spirit ginsengs, practically gave them away as part of the deal.

Li Zhen first cast the ‘Minor Cloud Rain Spell’ to water the mid-grade spirit ginseng with spiritual water. Regardless of its quality, mid-grade spirit ginseng was still a first-tier mid-grade spirit medicine.

Of course, he wouldn’t waste much effort on the spirit ginseng itself. The real purpose of renting this first-tier mid-grade spirit field was for the first-tier high-grade spirit tea trees.

During his stay in the Xian Nation, he had found numerous research papers on the cultivation of spirit tea trees on the cultivator network.

Among them was a method for planting first-tier high-grade spirit tea trees in a first-tier mid-grade spirit field. Naturally, this required the spiritual energy to be of first-tier high-grade quality.

A diagram appeared on his retinal display, showing the design of the spirit array he had downloaded from the research paper.

Following the design displayed on his retina, he dug fifty deep holes at specific locations within the mid-grade spirit field. This destroyed quite a few of the spirit ginseng, but he couldn’t afford to worry about that.

Next, he placed a spirit stone in each of the fifty holes. After placing all the stones and filling the holes, he cast a magical incantation.

The mid-grade spirit field lit up with fifty glowing points. These points connected to form a spirit array spanning the entire spirit field.

Had he not possessed an existing design for the spiritual array and been able to determine the positions of fifty spirit stones through his identity bracelet, Li Zhen could never have so readily assembled this formation.

This paper was authored by a master array alchemist whose ideas were as imaginative as they were impractical. The novel concept, however, earned little but ridicule from the cultivation community.

After all, any cultivator in the Xian Nation who could command fifty spirit stones would easily find the location of a high-grade spirit tea tree plantation. The space required for such a tree was negligible; its primary needs were for spiritual soil and spiritual energy.

The high-grade spirit tea tree Li Zhen had acquired was already rooted in premium spiritual soil, though the quantity was insufficient, necessitating the careful construction of this spiritual array.

As for the fifty spirit stones, even after depleting a significant portion of his reserves, he could still afford this many.

He planted the Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Tea Tree at the eye of the array. Within the array’s bounds, the power of the mid-grade spirit field would be continually drawn to the array’s center, supplying the high-grade spirit tea tree with the nourishment it required.

The fifty spirit stones could sustain the array for only one year. Most of the array’s energy demands would be met by the first-order high-grade spirit vein, which was already in place.

Li Zhen shook his head at the memory. Fifty spirit stones a year for a single Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Tea Tree. And it even affects the mid-grade spirit field’s output. No wonder that paper was ridiculed.

The true environment for growing a Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Tea Tree should be in a Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Field, or at least with Grade 1 High-Grade spirit soil equal to the tree’s canopy. Now, through this method, the tree can grow safely.

Li Zhen gazed at the Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Tea Tree. Let’s just hope there aren’t any more incidents in the market.

He pondered why he hadn’t brought the tree to the Xian Nation. Honestly, even if I did, there’d be no place to grow it. Only the school and the Going Beyond Swordplay Institute have Grade 1 High-Grade spirit veins. At home, we only have access to Grade 1 low-grade spiritual energy.

And considering the preciousness of a Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Tea Tree, exposing it in the Xian Nation would be problematic. First, I couldn’t explain its origin, and second, it would attract the attention of powerful entities.

Just look at how even the headmaster of Second High School treasures his Grade 1 High-Grade spirit tea. One can only imagine how precious an entire Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Tea Tree would be.

This Grade 1 High-Grade Spirit Tea Tree can produce ten spirit tea leaves per month. As long as I’m careful about how I harvest them, I could potentially supply high-grade spirit tea leaves indefinitely.

Naturally, cultivating high-grade spirit tea trees was no simple task. It required frequent watering with spiritual water and extermination of spirit insects. However, compared to managing spirit rice, it was considerably easier.

For high-grade spirit tea trees, the greatest cost wasn’t labor, but rather the consumption of spiritual energy and the strength of the spirit field itself.

After successfully planting the high-grade spirit tea tree, Li Zhen decided to visit every few days to check on its progress. As for safety concerns, as long as there were no power struggles within the market, the spirit field would remain secure.

In truth, he had no choice but to plant the high-grade spirit tea tree now.

While the spirit plant bag could sustain the longevity of spirit plants, the longer one waited, the lower the plant’s vitality became.

Given favorable conditions, it made sense to plant the high-grade spirit tea tree as soon as possible.

Additionally, being able to drink high-grade spirit tea regularly would greatly benefit his cultivation, which was also a matter of consideration for Li Zhen.

A week passed since Li Zhen began his arrangement. He met with Old Qian every other day, each time delivering exactly 44 talismans—no more, no less.

The old cultivator was surprised by the pace of Li Zhen’s talisman-making but said nothing. However, he did expand the range of areas where he sold the talismans, ensuring they wouldn’t draw unwanted attention from those who might be monitoring the situation closely.

Outside the market, the troubles continued unabated, even growing worse with each passing day.

Fortunately, the Iron Sword Gang and the Zhao Clan wouldn’t attack other cultivators; they were only targeting the traitorous Lin Clan.

The Golden Blade Gang and the small alliances hadn’t intervened either, as they too wanted to weaken the Lin Clan’s power. When the Lin Clan asked for their help, they merely went through the motions.

Although the pressure was solely on the Lin Clan, the atmosphere in the market was stifling. It presented an excellent opportunity to sell talismans, as everyone wanted to purchase some for self-defense.

While first-grade inferior talismans were of low quality, the number of early-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the market was substantial. Consequently, the sales volume of even first-grade high-quality talismans was quite remarkable.

A single low-grade talisman sold for ten silver pieces, so in each transaction of forty talismans, Li Zhen earned four spirit stones.

No wonder rogue cultivators wanted to learn talisman crafting—it was far more lucrative than being a spirit farmer.

A low-rank spirit farmer, working hard for a year, would only earn a few spirit stones. Without additional income, they wouldn’t even have enough resources for cultivation.

The true rewards for spirit farmers came when they could cultivate mid-grade spirit fields. One acre of a mid-grade spirit field yielded ten times the income of a low-grade spirit field. That was in the case of spirit rice cultivation. If they grew spirit medicines instead, the income disparity would be even greater.

Moreover, Li Zhen’s income from talisman-making far exceeded that of a typical first-rank, low-grade artisan. His cost of production was minimal, while his success rate was extraordinarily high.

For an average first-rank, low-grade talisman maker, the cost of materials for creating a talisman ranged from seven to eight shiliang. This left little room for profit.

Although Li Zhen’s earnings were respectable, they still fell short of replenishing the spirit stones he’d consumed during his transmigration. He was essentially drawing on his original savings.

Undeterred, Li Zhen knew that if worst came to worst, he could always sell some spirit rice. First-rank, mid-grade spirit rice, after all, served as hard currency in the market, easily exchangeable for other goods.

As he mass-produced talismans, his skill in this area also improved significantly.

To elevate his talisman-making to first-rank, mid-grade level, however, would require both extensive practice and access to the appropriate manuals. Fortunately, the latter was easily resolved; the “Going Beyond Swordplay” library provided him with all the necessary first-rank talisman-making guides.

He was confident that the day he became a first-rank, mid-grade talisman maker—and thus self-sufficient in his new world—was not far off.

In addition to his progress in talisman-making, both his qi refining and body tempering had seen remarkable enhancements. His qi refining benefited from the energy essence extracted by the Dragon Heart Space through pill consumption, while his body tempering was aided by the use of first-rank, mid-grade magical equipment.

Each day, he also enjoyed a cup of first-rank, mid-grade spirit tea, which bestowed upon him a boost in spiritual energy and nourished his mind.

Fuelled by these extraordinary resources, Li Zhen’s overall strength rapidly increased.