The seasons change, and spring brings warmth and blooming flowers.
Qin Ming's five acres of Spirit Field have been tilled, and Spirit Rice has been replanted.
This time, he used the 'Mother Seed - Beast Fang Rice' entry he obtained last time.
The seed contained in this entry is just enough to plant one acre of Spirit Field.
This year, there's a tense atmosphere among the Spirit Farmers.
Each one is working desperately, afraid of falling behind.
Du Haifu patrolled the hillside, nodding with a satisfied expression.
Time flies, and two months pass in the blink of an eye.
The Spirit Rice in Qin Ming's Spirit Field starts to grow tall.
Yet, he sits by the ridge, staring blankly at the field, looking distressed and gloomy.
The good news is that under the constant enhancement of his Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique, the Golden Spirit Rice in the four acres of Spirit Field is growing well, and three entries have emerged, including the 'Ripening' entry that he was longing for.
[Name]: Golden Spirit Rice [Entry]: Ripening (Maturity 26%)
[Name]: Golden Spirit Rice [Entry]: Weak Dharma Power (Maturity 35%)
[Name]: Golden Spirit Rice [Entry]: Weak Dharma Power (Maturity 28%)
The bad news is that the one acre of 'Beast Fang Rice' he planted has shown no response, not even a sprout.
"What's wrong exactly?"
"I planted according to the Spirit Plant Book, didn't I? And also used the Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique enough."
"Am I going to suffer a big loss this time..."
Another two months pass.
The first season's Spirit Rice harvest is completed.
Qin Ming's acre of 'Beast Fang Rice' is still barren, with nothing growing...
This season, seven bushels and thirty pounds of Golden Spirit Rice were harvested.
In Qin Ming's Sea of Consciousness, there is now one more green 'Ripening' entry and two white 'Weak Dharma Power' entries.
When Du Haifu learned that Qin Ming had planted Beast Fang Rice in that plot, instead of blaming him, he patted his shoulder and advised him patiently:
"Little Qin, isn't it good to honestly plant your Golden Spirit Rice?"
"Why waste Spirit Stones in vain?"
"This Beast Fang Rice, let's not even mention you, even Tier One Spirit Plant Masters in the sect rarely succeed in cultivating it."
"The risk is too great, don't aim too high!"
"Beast Fang Rice generally sprouts in three months, but yours hasn't shown any sign after four months... it's difficult..."
"Your current ranking for this season's Spirit Rice yield is over two hundred."
Qin Ming is not too worried about ranking now, since he has entries in hand and is confident!
However, he is a bit unwilling about this Beast Fang Rice.
He worries about what to do if he uses the 'Ripening' entry and it still doesn't grow?
That would really be a situation of losing money and troops.
One peaceful day.
Qin Ming still decided to use his only 'Ripening' entry on that acre of Beast Fang Rice Spirit Field.
After a long time.
In Qin Ming's anxious eyes.
A tender green shoot breaks through the soil.
"Success!" Qin Ming's eyes gleamed with golden light, and he let out a long breath, relieved.
Soon, the Spirit Rice seedlings of Beast Fang Rice grew rapidly until they reached about two inches high and stopped.
Then the ripening effect within the Spirit Field gradually faded, and the terrifying growth speed of the Beast Fang Rice ceased.
"It seems that the higher the grade of the Spirit Plant, the more 'Ripening' entries are needed."
"This time, I'll just have to wait slowly, as the minimum maturity period for Beast Fang Rice is three years..."
"I'll keep planting Golden Spirit Rice for now. If I get lucky and another 'Ripening' entry appears, I can harvest a batch of Beast Fang Rice early!"
"It took so long without sprouting, I thought the seeds had gone bad."
Qin Ming also has some expectations about what entries the Tier One Spirit Plant 'Beast Fang Rice' will refresh.
He gazed at the Spirit Field, where three entries glistened brightly.
[Name]: Beast Fang Rice [Entry]: High-Level Spirit Rain Technique x5 (Maturity 7%)
[Name]: Beast Fang Rice [Entry]: Quality Enhancement x1 (Maturity 5%)
[Name]: Beast Fang Rice [Entry]: Ripening x5 (Maturity 5%)
!!!
"It's happening, it's happening! Hahaha!"
Qin Ming excitedly leaped up from the ridge, these three entries are too sharp.
High-Level Spirit Rain Technique!
Used specifically for cultivating higher-grade Spirit Plants, with rain effects far exceeding the Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique.
Most importantly, any Spirit Plants watered by the High-Level Spirit Rain Technique, as long as they are below Tier One High-Grade Spirit Plants,
will have their harvest yield doubled!
Among them, no one in this group of spirit farmers has mastered it yet; only a few spirit plant masters from the Spirit Feather Sect can perform it.
Ten days later.
Du Haifu stared in astonishment at Qin Ming's spirit field.
After repeated inspection, he looked at the spirit rice sprouts mingled with distinctive red stripes in the spirit field, and confirmed that these were undoubtedly the leaves of Beast Fang Rice.
"You really managed to cultivate it, kid." Du Haifu examined Qin Ming with a complex expression, momentarily at a loss for words.
...
A few days later.
Qin Ming went out again.
'With the successful cultivation of Beast Fang Rice, it's just a matter of time now. First, I need to find a body refining technique.'
'The cultivation realm is ever-changing, and the world is unpredictable. My spirit root's aptitude is too poor, and my cultivation speed is slow; I must acquire some means of protection.'
Qin Ming's goals were clear, understanding the need to prepare for unforeseen dangers.
Qingyang Market.
In the center of the market is Juxuan Pavilion.
"Fellow Daoist Qin is here?"
Shopkeeper Liao greeted him warmly with a smile.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, please come to the private room on the fourth floor. We can chat over a drink."
"Someone, prepare a pot of top-grade Spirit Mist Tea."
After more than a year of interactions, although Qin Ming had only visited Juxuan Pavilion a few times, the quantity of spirit rice he sold each time had steadily increased.
Needless to say, the other party was evidently a seasoned spirit farmer with stable yields.
As the shopkeeper of Juxuan Pavilion, he naturally had a good eye for people.
Moreover, Shopkeeper Liao learned some news a couple of days ago that surprised even his usually calm and experienced self.
Qin Ming followed Shopkeeper Liao upstairs, looking around the grand and spacious suite, elegantly decorated with a quaint charm.
He was somewhat surprised.
He still routinely took out two large bags of Golden Spirit Rice from his storage pouch and placed them in front of him.
"The usual rules, two bags, Shopkeeper, please weigh them."
Shopkeeper Liao smiled faintly, quickly weighing and verifying them.
"Two stones and ten pounds of Golden Spirit Rice."
"Fellow Daoist Qin, here are seventy spirit stones, please check them."
Qin Ming frowned, why were there so many extra spirit stones?
He asked in confusion, "Shopkeeper, what does this mean?"
Shopkeeper Liao quickly explained, "Recently, spirit rice in the market is about to increase in price, likely within these few days. Since Fellow Daoist Qin is a regular customer, I took the liberty of paying you at the increased price."
"Increased prices?"
"Shopkeeper Liao, hasn't the market for Golden Spirit Rice always been stable? How did the price suddenly increase?"
"Did something happen?" Qin Ming asked in surprise, calmly trying to find out more.
Shopkeeper Liao handed the spirit stones to Qin Ming and glanced out the window.
Then he took out a soundproof talisman, cast a soundproof shield inside the room, and cautiously said:
"The battle camp on the front lines of the Spirit Feather Sect discovered a utopian place deep in the Yunze Wilderness, where there is a complete Tier Three Spirit Vein!"
Tier Three Spirit Vein?
Qin Ming, as a low-level cultivator, had only read about it in books, and his heart was instantly stirred.
"But that place is inhabited by a barbaric tribe of several thousand people, and the barbarians there are fearless in battle, brave and skilled. Their cultivation techniques are very different from ordinary cultivation sects, and the Spirit Feather Sect has suffered great losses on the front lines."
"Originally, they intended to contact the sect for reinforcements, but the message was leaked midway and was intercepted by Golden Cloud Valley."
"That's a Tier Three Spirit Vein!
"Naturally, Golden Cloud Valley was envious and immediately dispatched a large number of their disciples to attack and destroy the Spirit Feather Sect's teleportation array to Qingyang Market."
"And thus severed the supply line between the Spirit Feather Sect and Qingyang Market."
Shopkeeper Liao observed Qin Ming's shocked reaction, as expected, and continued:
"With such a long supply line, the Spirit Feather Sect will surely suffer a great deal this time."
"The conflict between the Spirit Feather Sect and Golden Cloud Valley this time will not be resolved quickly, whether in three to five years or even decades."
"Therefore, not only the daily living materials like spirit rice and meat will rise, but other cultivation resources will also increase in price."
Qin Ming listened to Shopkeeper Liao's words, unable to recover for a long time, a foreboding sense of impending storm lingering in his heart.
'No wonder the Spirit Feather Sect is even sending spirit farmers to the front lines recently...'
...
"I heard that the barbarians are very skilled at controlling demon beasts, and a group of demon beasts slipped through the front line defenses of the Spirit Feather Sect, their whereabouts unknown. Fellow Daoist Qin, please be more cautious when you go out lately, and avoid traveling far."
After saying this, Shopkeeper Liao invited Qin Ming to take a seat.
"Come, try this Spirit Mist Tea from Yunze Wilderness, it's quite beneficial even for the Qi Cultivation Stage."
Qin Ming politely accepted the tea and took a sip.
The fragrance lingered in his mouth, its spirit charm delightful.
Qin Ming knew that Shopkeeper Liao had laid so much groundwork, presenting a show of goodwill towards him.
Next, they would likely discuss important matters.