Chapter 4: First Cultivation

’He was right. The Spiritual Qi in this Spirit Rain is nearly twice as dense as what I can produce. This will definitely increase my Spirit Rice yield!’

In the Spirit Field, Shen Ji suddenly realized something. She hurried back to grab her Spiritual Hoe, just as she saw Jiang Xu walking toward her with a smile.

"So? I didn’t lie to you, did I?"

"You certainly didn’t, but one Spirit Rain is useless. It’s not enough for me to lend you Spirit Rice."

"Of course I’m not just going to cast it once. I’ll come by every two or three days until your Spirit Rice is ready for harvest. That should be enough, right?"

Shen Ji considered it for a moment. The next harvest was less than a month away. Ten or so sessions of Spirit Rain of this quality would significantly increase the yield from her Spirit Field. She was about to agree on the spot.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Xu said,

"Let me be clear, though. I’m no longer asking to borrow your Spirit Rice. Now, I’m trading for it."

"What do you mean? Didn’t you say you wanted to borrow it at first? Are you going back on your word?" Shen Ji was a little angry.

Jiang Xu explained to Shen Ji in a slow, deliberate tone:

"At first, I hadn’t shown my hand, so I only said I wanted to borrow.

But now I’ve put my cards on the table. If I still just borrowed your Spirit Rice, would that be fair?

Wouldn’t that mean you get an increased Spirit Rice yield and my labor for absolutely no cost?"

After hearing him out, Shen Ji felt he had a point.

The Spirit Rain Technique Jiang Xu had just cast was truly extraordinary. It was definitely worth trading Spirit Rice for.

"Fine, we’ll do it your way. How much Spirit Rice are you asking for?"

"About eighty to a hundred jin."

"Goodbye."

Hearing Jiang Xu’s words, Shen Ji turned and walked away.

"Hey, hey, don’t go! We can negotiate. Seventy or eighty jin would be fine too."

"Your Spirit Rain, at best, will increase my yield by one percent, and you have the gall to ask for so much? I can give you twenty jin of Spirit Rice. Take it or leave it!"

"It’s not that ineffective! Thirty jin, not a bit less. That’s at least one jin a day!"

"Deal!"

Jiang Xu had thought he would have to argue a bit more, but to his surprise, Shen Ji agreed immediately. She scurried back to her small hut, and a moment later, a cloth sack was thrown out from behind the door.

"That’s ten jin of Spirit Rice. I’ll pay you in three installments!"

Jiang Xu was rendered speechless.

’In installments? Is she afraid I’ll take the Spirit Rice and run? I’m a servant with a Spirit Field to my name; where would I even run to? Besides, thirty jin of Spirit Rice isn’t worth running for.’

Seeing the door shut tight, it was clear she didn’t want any more conversation. Jiang Xu hadn’t planned on staying long either.

His stomach was rumbling like thunder, and the aroma of the Spirit Rice in his arms made him want to eat it raw.

Jiang Xu rubbed his belly and mused,

"Immortal Cultivators are really something else. Even our stomachs can rumble with such... presence."

...

A trace of Magical Power gathered at his fingertip, and a wisp of flame suddenly flickered to life.

Jiang Xu touched the flame on his finger to a pile of firewood under what looked like a rural earthen stove. Once the wood caught fire, he retracted his hand and extinguished the flame.

Creating fire on a fingertip wasn’t considered Magic. It was just a crude application of Magical Power, mockingly called a trick by Qi Cultivation Cultivators. The corresponding Magic was the Fireball Technique.

There were many such tricks. For example, gathering Magical Power in one’s eyes to see more clearly corresponded to the Spiritual Eye Technique.

Gathering it in one’s hands to increase their strength corresponded to the Giant Strength Technique.

Gathering it in one’s legs to run faster corresponded to the Light Body Spell.

And gathering it on the surface of the skin to enhance Defense corresponded to the Golden Light Spell.

Magic was different from a trick. Every Magic had its corresponding spell gestures, pathways for Magical Power to circulate through the meridians, and finally, a Spell to invoke the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for reinforcement.

Therefore, every Magic was incredibly powerful, worlds apart from a mere trick.

Magic was great, but great things all had one drawback.

They were expensive!

As a servant in the Profound Origin Sect, life was tiring and freedom wasn’t guaranteed, but it was far better than the life of most Loose Cultivators outside the Sect.

Putting aside the monthly stipend of one Spirit Stone, just the fact that they were guaranteed one jin of Spirit Rice per day, with some to spare, was enough.

This alone was enough to make countless Loose Cultivators drool with envy.

With the original owner’s aptitude, the Spirit Rice harvested over these five years would have been enough for him to steadily advance to an Outer Disciple within five years, without needing to spend Spirit Stones on Elixirs.

Naturally, he could have used those Spirit Stones to purchase several kinds of Magic to strengthen himself.

"Alas... alas."

Jiang Xu shook his head and sighed, his eyes glued to the pot on the earthen stove.

As time passed, a unique, ricey fragrance began to fill the small kitchen.

Jiang Xu had made rice in a rice cooker before and was familiar with its aroma.

But he had never found the smell of cooking rice so captivating.

It was as if it resonated with his very body.

After enduring for a little over fifteen minutes, Jiang Xu couldn’t hold back any longer.

In fact, even he was impressed by his own self-control for lasting that long.

Lifting the lid, Jiang Xu ladled the Spirit Rice into a large bowl he had prepared. Without any seasonings or side dishes, he began to eat it directly.

Before long, Jiang Xu had eaten every last grain of Spirit Rice in the pot.

"This small taste gives a glimpse of the whole.

If just the lowest-grade Spirit Rice can bring such pleasure, one can only imagine the wonders of Cultivation.

I wonder what kind of pleasures high-level Immortal Cultivators enjoy."

Jiang Xu let his imagination run wild for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh at himself:

"Me, at my Realm, trying to imagine the lives of Golden Core and Nascent Soul ancestors, is no different from a farmer imagining the Emperor uses a golden hoe to till the fields.

Enough of that. I should focus on what’s important."

Spiritual Qi began to emanate from the Spirit Rice in his stomach. He couldn’t let this hard-earned treasure go to waste.

Without being picky about the location, Jiang Xu sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate right where he was.

He silently recited the Purifying Heart Spell, circulated the Cangmu Skill, cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts, and calmed his spirit. Drawing a thread of pure Magical Power from his Qi Sea, he began the Circulation of Heaven and Earth, refining the Spiritual Qi in his body into Magical Power and storing it back in his Qi Sea.

...

’Just as I thought. I can only condense Magical Power right now, I can’t break through.’

Jiang Xu looked frustrated.

It was just as he expected. With his meridians damaged at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, he could no longer easily attempt a breakthrough.

If he forced it, he would most likely end up completely finished.

The Cangmu Skill Jiang Xu was currently practicing was a Wood Element Technique. It had some minor healing properties and could naturally nourish the meridians.

Unfortunately, the effect was minimal. Relying on the Cultivation Technique alone, it would likely take three or four months to heal, and by then it would be too late.

’It seems my only option is to buy Elixirs. But would my five Lower Grade Spirit Stones be enough?’

But just as Jiang Xu was wondering how to get more Spirit Stones if he didn’t have enough...

He suddenly saw two lines in the corner of his vision: [Cangmu Skill · Skill Level +1].

"This is..."

Jiang Xu called up his panel and found that his Cangmu Skill had become (Beginner): 80/100.

Based on his body’s Circulation Number, he calculated the time that had passed.

’I was in Meditation for about an hour, and my Skill Level increased by two points.

At this rate, my Cangmu Skill will reach the ’Skilled’ stage in three days.

A Cultivation Technique that enters a new level might have a leap in improvement, just like my Spirit Rain Technique did.

If that’s the case, perhaps the technique’s healing effects will also be enhanced, and I might not need to spend Spirit Stones to heal my meridians!’

Jiang Xu slapped his thigh in excitement, but a question immediately followed.

He knew from the original owner’s memories that other people also had breakthroughs when practicing Techniques and Cultivation Methods, but their progress after a breakthrough was never as exaggerated as his.

’Could it be that the panel’s function isn’t just to display Skill Level, but also to enhance the power after a breakthrough?’