"If weeds aren't pulled up by the roots, they'll just grow back and compete with the spirit grain for qi.
But once you've learned the Flamefire Incantation and raised it to the second level of proficiency, you won't need to weed by hand anymore."
As Old Huang spoke, his hand seals shifted. A blaze of orange-red spiritual light spread across the field like the glow of a setting sun.
Ji An watched as wisps of green smoke curled upward, and the weeds turned to ash on the spot.
He grabbed a shovel to check, and sure enough, even the roots had been burned to cinders.
Now this is what cultivation should look like! Someday I'll be this impressive too!
"Senior Brother's spells are profound, truly admirable!"
Putting down his hoe, Ji An clapped enthusiastically, playing the part of the perfect audience.
"After more than ten years of cultivation, my Flamefire Incantation still hasn't reached the Great Achievement stage. Shameful, really."
Though his words spoke of shame, Old Huang's face carried a faint, unmistakable pride.
"The Flamefire Incantation not only burns away weeds at the root, it also kills pests in the fields, turning their bodies into fertilizer, killing two birds with one stone.
Of course, the incantation has other uses too. In time, you'll discover them for yourself."
He continued, "But once the weeds are gone, another problem arises.
The spiritual qi in a field isn't evenly distributed. Some places gather too much qi, which clots together, while others become barren.
Neither condition is good for grain or herbs to absorb qi.
That's when we use the Spirit-Tremor Hoe and the Qi-Combing Rake to shake and smooth the flow of spiritual qi.
Alternatively, the Thick Earth Formula can solve this problem. If you train it to the Great Achievement stage, it can even improve the fertility of the soil.
With enough time, you could raise an ordinary field into a Grade One spirit field.
In my ten mu of farmland, I've already cultivated one mu into a Grade One field. For that, the sect rewarded me with two minor merits."
Old Huang once again released a spell. Yellow-brown light shimmered across the field, as though invisible tools were plowing and raking the soil.
Then he pulled out a pouch of grain seeds and scattered them with a flick of his hand. The seeds landed neatly and evenly in the soil.
With a smug chuckle, he said,
"A little trick, Object Control. For large-scale sowing, there's nothing better. But you'll have to wait until mid-stage Qi Refining before you can learn it. For now, you'll sow the seeds by hand.
Once the seeds are spread, you use the Thick Earth Formula again."
Dusting off his hands with feigned nonchalance, Old Huang declared,
"There, one mu of spirit grain planted."
Ji An watched as the exposed seeds slowly sank into the soil. It was nothing short of miraculous.
"Senior Brother, your skills are a model for us all. I don't know how long it'll take me to reach even half your level."
Now this… this is cultivation.
"Xiao An, to tell you the truth, though I'm only at seventh-level Qi Refining, among all the spirit farmers in the sect, those who've reached my level can be counted on one hand."
"But alas…"
Old Huang's expression suddenly turned pained. "I'm already fifty-six. At most, I can remain in the sect for another four years before I'm forced to leave.
The lifespan of a Qi Refining cultivator isn't much longer than that of an ordinary mortal. To live a hundred years is already the limit.
But if you break through to Foundation Establishment, your lifespan doubles to two hundred years. That's why, in the eyes of the sect, anyone who doesn't build their foundation ultimately has no value.
After sixty, the body begins to decline, and breaking through becomes almost impossible. Even with the resources, many die in the attempt."
Ji An frowned. "With skills like yours, Senior Brother, surely the sect should want to keep you."
Spirit farmers were considered skilled laborers. Even if Senior Brother Huang had lost the chance to reach Foundation Establishment, he could still shine in planting spirit grain; his level was far above most spirit farmers.
"The sect has thought about such matters," Huang explained. "There's a special rule: if a disciple passes sixty but has a craft worth keeping, he can indeed remain.
For spirit farmers, the requirement is to master three planting techniques to the Great Achievement stage. I've only managed to bring Minor Rain Technique and Thick Earth Formula to that level."
Ji An spoke earnestly:
"You still have four years. If you persist, there might yet be a glimmer of hope, Senior Brother."
"Xiao An," Huang shook his head with a faint, bitter smile, "some things just can't be learned. After seven or eight years, I finally accepted that truth."
His eyes carried a touch of loss, but he quickly composed himself, raising his brows with renewed spirit:
"A few years ago, I gave up cultivation altogether. I knew my path had reached its end. But my grandson, Huang Feihu, will surely surpass me.
He just turned twelve and entered Green Pine Dao Academy. With a grandfather like me to support him, his road to immortality will be much smoother.
I don't ask for greatness if he can build his foundation, our Huang clan can branch out and establish a true cultivation family."
Huang Feihu?
Ji An's lips curved into a smile.
"A fine name. Your grandson is bound to gallop smoothly along the cultivation path, fulfilling your long-cherished wish."
"May your words come true," Huang chuckled. "If Feihu enters the sect one day, I'll ask you to look after him."
"Senior Brother, you flatter me. If ever you need me, just ask."
Ji An agreed readily. Whatever the future might bring, now was the time to be open-handed with promises.
Then he asked curiously:
"Senior Brother, I see plenty of abandoned fields here. Since you no longer cultivate for advancement and only earn spirit crystals, why not plant a few more mu?
With your skills, it seems effortless!"
A single mu of spirit field planted in under a minute, if Ji An had such efficiency, he'd never stop short of farming a hundred mu.
Huang laughed and shook his head.
"Xiao An, are you saying that just because you think I look relaxed?"
He explained:
"Take spirit grain as an example. It matures once every three months. The first month doesn't take much work, true.
But once the stalks emerge, they need more and more spiritual rain. Ten mu of fields, watered once a day, consumes nearly half the spiritual power of someone at seventh-level Qi Refining.
And to ensure a good harvest, one must use the Withering and Flourishing Art to siphon wood-element qi from other plants to nourish one's own fields.
As the grain ripens, pests and birds come swarming. Every day, you must cast other spells to kill or drive them off, or else the harvest won't survive.
I've tested it again and again, ten mu is my absolute limit."
Would he like to plant more? Of course. But if the yield fell short, he would lose out instead.
Good seed couldn't be skimped on either; only the spirit farmer's hall sold cultivator-grade seeds.
And sect fields weren't free. Each farmer had to pay rent to the Logistics Hall, handing in a quota of spirit grain on time.
On top of that, disciples above fourth-level Qi Refining were required to complete a certain number of sect missions every year.
All these obligations together limited the amount of land he could work.
Ji An nodded thoughtfully.
He understood. Whatever the world, the same pattern appeared:
"The Dao of Heaven takes from the surplus to give to the lacking; the way of man takes from the lacking to add to the surplus."
The more oxen and horses you had, the more they could endlessly provide for those of higher realms, so that the powerful could cultivate undisturbed.