Chapter 14

This so-called "coming and going" refers to leaving the mountain gate to go to other places. Although cultivation makes one oblivious to the passage of time, there are always trivial matters that cannot be avoided, such as family emergencies or the need to go to the market for cultivation purposes.

In the sect rules, the ability to wield a magical artifact is a strict requirement. Even if one reaches the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage, if they do not have a magical artifact, they cannot leave the mountain gate.

After all, this place is close to the Demon Cloud Mountain Range, where the frequent appearance of demonic beasts poses a significant threat to cultivators without magical artifacts. Even with a magical artifact, a cultivator at the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage is as fragile as a newborn lamb in the eyes of higher-level demonic beasts.

Another point is that there are many wandering cultivators in this area, a mix of fish and dragons. Outside the Qingling Town, incidents of killing and plundering occur frequently. For disciples of Qingling Mountain, their identity is a guarantee of wealth in the eyes of some bold individuals.

Therefore, even with this sect rule, it is not so convenient to go out. One still needs the approval of the responsible overseer in the Spirit Garden.

Chu He was temporarily uninterested in the outside world. What interested him was that he could finally earn spirit stones.

The massive peak he was on was called Cone Peak, named for its shape. The overseer was a true disciple named Guo Zi. Not only Cone Peak, but the more than ten small mountains surrounding it were also under his jurisdiction.

There were over sixty to seventy peaks like Cone Peak on the periphery of Qingling Mountain, all guarded by true disciples. They were more like an "outer shell" of Qingling Mountain. These peripheral peaks, being far from the main spirit vein, had a moderate concentration of spiritual energy.

Of course, this moderate concentration is relative to the inner peaks. Compared to the ordinary world outside, the spiritual energy content here is several times higher.

This level of spiritual energy concentration is sufficient to cultivate lower-grade spirit fields. Therefore, in addition to Cone Peak, many spirit fields have been cultivated on the more than ten small mountains under its jurisdiction.

From Qingling Mountain's sudden recruitment of spirit farmers, it can be seen that the sect's productivity cannot keep up with the expansion of spirit fields, and there is a significant gap.

Therefore, the higher-ups of Qingling Mountain have long formulated a series of measures. Besides recruiting intermediate or advanced spirit farmers from outside, they also tap into the potential within.

For example, a cultivator at the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage, with the Rain of Mercy technique at the second level, can apply to the relevant overseer for the task of irrigating spirit fields and earn a certain amount of remuneration.

After breaking through to the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage, Chu He went to the overseer hall and received a task from an overseer named He Changxu, and also bought a lower-grade Qianji Jade.

The Qianji Jade is a lower-grade communication magical artifact, a palm-sized square jade with a message transmission array imprinted on it. It can display information released within the sect and communicate with other owners.

The market price of this item is generally around a hundred lower-grade spirit stones. Chu He only spent ten spirit stones to get it. This was because Chu He was smooth-talking and spent a lot of effort to persuade the overseer He, not only getting a 20% discount but also having the remaining amount deducted from future task rewards.

Of course, the significant pressure on these overseers due to the productivity gap played a major role in this transaction. However, Chu He naturally ignored these factors and was quite pleased with his bargaining skills.

In Chu He's eyes, this thing was like a tablet computer on Earth. However, its functions were much simpler, and its range was limited. It was useless once one moved away from the main transmission array on Cone Peak.

Most of the tasks he received were related to irrigating Qingling Grass.

Qingling Grass is a specialty of Qingling Mountain, and the mountain's name is derived from it.

It is an eighth-grade herb, with a mild and nourishing nature, rich in spiritual energy. It can neutralize the intense medicinal power of other herbs without any conflict. Therefore, it is known among alchemists as "Universal Grass."

In Chu He's view, Qingling Grass is more like a universal ointment.

Due to its medicinal properties, Qingling Grass is widely used in alchemy, being an essential ingredient in many elixir formulas, always in high demand and never hard to sell.

Among the various incomes of Qingling Mountain, Qingling Grass accounts for a significant proportion, with its planting area being three to four times larger than that of spirit rice.

Qingling Grass is a water-type herb, with a growth period of about two months, planted in spring and summer, and can be grown in two seasons per year. Although its planting conditions are not high, there is one very troublesome point: it needs to be irrigated with the Rain of Mercy technique at least eight times a day. Once it reaches maturity, the number of irrigations needs to be increased.

Chu He's daily class time is six hours, and after deducting two hours for sleep and trivial matters, he squeezed out four hours to work. Even the two hours for lunch and rest were reduced to one and a half hours.

Such hard work allows him to earn about three lower-grade spirit stones per day. The earnings of the first month were used to pay off the debt for the Qianji Jade, and it was only in the second month that he had net income.

For Chu He's cultivation level, performing the Rain of Mercy technique for such a long time every day is very tiring. Every time he rests, his meridians feel a burning and stabbing pain, making him extremely uncomfortable.

However, Chu He endured it, turning the pain into a habit.

Chu He's full dedication to earning extra income made him somewhat out of place with the other apprentices, and they became somewhat distant.

In less than a month, the apprentice who valued spirit stones and worked hard on tasks was already known throughout Cone Peak, even earning the nickname "Money Greed."

However, the instructors praised Chu He highly, often commending him in class, which made Chu He blush and feel somewhat embarrassed.

However, the instructors' praise was not a good thing, as it brought some hostility towards Chu He.

Those who harbored ill intentions towards Chu He were the top students in the class. The position of class leader was not yet determined, and they were originally competing openly and secretly. Suddenly, Chu He, a dark horse, entered the scene, making the situation even more complicated.

The position of class leader, in itself, did not have much power, merely assisting the instructors and managing discipline.

However, for these young people whose minds were not yet mature, it was a great attraction. After all, being above everyone else and below the instructors, at least in appearance, was a matter of prestige.

Chu He did not care about these things. If they did not provoke him, he treated them as air. If they did not know their place, he would deal with them harshly. Besides, his set goal required more focus, and he had no energy to waste on these matters:

To reach the fifth level of the Qi Condensation stage as soon as possible, pass the instructors' assessment, and obtain the qualification of a low-level spirit farmer. With the qualification of a low-level spirit farmer, he could lease spirit fields and earn more spirit stones.

Only with more spirit stones could he improve his spirit body quality, thus advancing to a mid-grade spirit body. With a mid-grade spirit body, the realm of Innate would not be a distant dream.

How could you, mere extras, understand Chu He's grand ambitions?

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