It was an early morning, and as expected, Simon was already out in the Celestial Rice Fields working.
Celestial Rice was grown in unique paddy fields irrigated by the Silver River.
During ancient times, the Silver River was just a normal river. But after a heavenly giant known as the Silver Ancestor fell from the heavens and crashed into the lower realms, his essence leaked into the river, transforming it into a celestial river.
The rice absorbed this celestial energy, granting vitality and longevity to those who consumed it.
Simon used a sickle to harvest some of the matured celestial rice.
"I wonder why Aldred insists we call this celestial rice. It glows a bit, yes, but in the end, it's just rice."
"Morning, Simon!" called out Old Man Garp, the village elder who, despite his advanced age, remembered seeing Simon farm when he was just a boy.
"Morning, Old Man Garp! Lovely day for farming, isn't it?" Simon responded, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Old Man Garp laughed and waved goodbye.
"It is indeed!"
Even as he walked away, he couldn't stop laughing. He'd long accepted that Simon simply was and always would be. His vegetables had kept the village prosperous, and their benefactor deserved his peace.
Simon paused for a moment and adjusted the big basket of harvested rice on his back.
"I should check my attribute panel and see what's new."
The attribute panel was something everyone had, even non-cultivators.
It was a magical information board that showed the basic information about a person, as well as the quantification of their skills and abilities.
"Hmm, let's see..."
With a leisurely swipe of his index finger across the air, a sizable translucent blue screen appeared before Simon:
[Name: Simon]
[Title: Immortal Farmer]
[Race: Human (Quasi-Immortal)]
[Lifespan: 1,035 / 20,000]
[Cultivation: Fourth Level of Body Integration Realm]
[Techniques: Heavenly Soil Cultivation, Divine Harvest, Spirit Fruit Cultivation]
[Magic: Unparalleled Field-Nurturing Shield, Heavenly Hoe Technique, Magic Plant Arsenal, Vegetation Reckoning Grand Magic Seal, Praiseworthy God Steps, Demons of the Fields, Nine Stars Alchemic Release]
[Arcane Power: Heavenly Strength, Dao Creation World (Inaccessible), Wisdom of the Fields, Azure Cardinal Saint's Protection, Vast-World Plant-Kingdom Legacy, Divine Earth Spirit Blessing, Flora Immortal Forefather Creation]
[Equipment: Eternal Bloom Lamp (Supreme-grade Treasure), Heavenly Spirit Hoe (Immortal-grade Treasure), Seeds of Eternity (Supreme-grade Treasure), Demon King's Greatsword (Immortal-grade Treasure) Numinous Water Flask (Celestial-grade Treasure), Heavenly Spirit Sword (Celestial-grade Treasure)]
. . .
Two supreme-grade treasures!
20,000 years' worth of lifespan!
Four secret legacies!
A heaven-defying sealing technique!
These were very impressive possessions. Any cultivator fortunate enough to reach the Body Integration Realm could shake the cultivation world, especially if they had Simon's array of abilities.
Yet to Simon, most of these things were something he would never use──mostly because he didn't even know what they were.
He simply thought his attribute panel was trying to flatter him.
"Wow, it gets larger every time. It makes me regret not going to school, haha! Maybe then I'd understand some of what's written down here..." he mused.
Adjusting the straw hat jauntily perched atop his head, he hooked the sickle onto the small clip on his waist, adjusted the big basket of celestial rice on his back, and marched out of the Celestial Rice Fields.
As he walked across the unbelievably huge farm, he looked around and smiled, just happy to be enjoying another peaceful day of farming.
"Huh?"
Simon paused when he saw an unfamiliar structure.
It was a greenhouse, but not one he was used to.
Tipping his straw hat, Simon walked over to the greenhouse. Before he could get within five meters of it, the ground beneath him started to rumble as if something was about to explode out of it.
BOOOOOM!
Powerful roots as huge as pillars broke out from the earth, ready to ensnare Simon.
However, the farmer kept his grip on the straps of his basket rigid and immediately took off into the sky with a powerful leap.
The roots moved at great speeds, like rockets that wouldn't stop pursuing their target, which was Simon in this scenario.
"Hm? What are these?" Simon spoke calmly.
He easily weaved through the attacks of these fat, destructive roots like they were nothing. He was flying in the air without even realizing it, more concerned with the monstrous roots attacking him.
"Oh my, these are definitely weeds!" he exclaimed.
Immediately, Simon held out one hand, and from the heavens, a powerful golden beam shot down, morphing into a golden hoe with a thin, flat blade blazing with intense celestial energy.
This was the Heavenly Spirit Hoe!
Simon's eyes searched around, and soon his divine senses spread out in all directions, pinpointing the array that was powering these roots.
"There it is!"
From high above, he darted down toward the array like a streak of lightning and instantly shattered it with one powerful swing of his hoe. Had he not managed to control the force of his impact, he would have split the White Cloud Mountains in half!
All the monstrous roots that had surrounded the area, especially the greenhouse, instantly shriveled as if they had lost all the blood in them.
"Phew!"
Simon hoisted his sacred hoe on his shoulder, grinning proudly.
"Weeds are never a good thing on a farm, but uncle always said to erase 'em if you see 'em, haha!"
As if on cue, a woman immediately rushed up to Simon and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Master Simon!" she exclaimed with a very bright look on her face.
"Oh, Aveline..." said Simon.
"Hrmm..." Aveline pouted. "Be a little happy to see me, Master."
Aveline, the Jade Lotus Maiden.
She was a spirit maiden formed from the essence of a sacred lotus flower nurtured by Simon who sourced celestial energy from the Silver River. She has profound knowledge of herbalism and alchemy, assisting in the cultivation of medicinal herbs and the creation of pills to aid in spiritual advancement.
She had long, wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her face was round, and she wore a somewhat short dress with a leaf pattern. She also had vine-like bracelets and anklets, and she went barefoot.
Basically, she looked like a nature woman.
"So, why are there so many weeds around the greenhouse?" Simon asked, gesturing back at the shriveled roots with his thumb.
Aveline smiled knowingly, as if she expected him to say something like that.
"Uhm, what?" Simon asked, puzzled.
Placing her hands on her fairly round waist, Aveline grunted.
"Those aren't weeds!"
"They aren't...?"
"YES!"
"..."
"A few years ago, I found some Blood Lily Seeds in a cave up in the Cloud Dragon Hills while I was studying some plants. I took them back with me and experimented on them for a while. With some help from Yuria, I was able to use our special celestial irrigation system to nurture the seeds until they sprouted and became an incomplete Blood Lily Tree."
Simon understood most of what she was saying, but he was still wondering when he'd hear something about the weeds. "Oh, I see," he said, acting like he was fully invested in their conversation.
Aveline, however, was still disappointed.
She covered her face with her hand and sighed heavily.
"Oh jeez, that Blood Lily Tree was already at the Golden Core Realm. I was hoping to fully cultivate it as the primary layer of defense for the greenhouse if it could reach the Divine Transformation Realm."
Simon burst into loud laughter, which annoyed Aveline. "Master, what's so funny?" she asked, already squeezing her face as if she'd smelled something unpleasant.
Patting her head, Simon chuckled, "That thing wasn't at the Golden Core Realm; it was just a weed. You're lucky I took care of it in time!"
Aveline folded her arms and looked away, while Simon's hand remained atop her head.
"Whatever..." she mumbled.
. . .
Panel
[Name: Aveline]
[Title: Jade Lotus Maiden]
[Race: Woodland Spirit]
[Lifespan: 300 / 1,500]
[Cultivation: Third Level of Golden Core Realm]
[Territory: Greenhouse and herbal gardens]
[Technique: Medicinal Plant Cultivation, Divine Harvest]
[Magic: Ginkgo Conjuring Technique, Ginkgo Storm Conjuring, Fathomless Forest Grand Magic, Fist of the Earth]
[Arcane Power: Divine Earth Spirit Blessing, All-Healing Plant and Vegetation Legacy]
[Equipment: Emerald Lotus Fan (Spirit-grade Treasure), Numinous Forest Sword (Celestial-grade Treasure), Jade World Cauldron (Celestial-grade Treasure), Heavenly Herb Pouch (Celestial-grade Treasure)]