Chapter 23

After passing the assessment and gaining the recognition of the various instructors, Chu He transitioned from an apprentice to a low-level spirit farmer. This news shocked many of the apprentices in the academy. In just over two months, he had progressed from the third level of the Qi Condensation Realm to obtaining the qualification of a low-level spirit farmer, which was incredibly fast. It was rumored that the best record before this was three months, and Chu He had broken it.

As for the various exclamations and admiring glances, Chu He could no longer hear or see them. After obtaining the qualification of a low-level spirit farmer, he immediately went to find Chief He to handle the leasing of spirit fields. He then moved out of the 98th Garden and went to a small mountain called Lu Gang Ling, located beside Cone Peak, to take charge of several acres of spirit fields.

The spirit fields on Lu Gang Ling were not a single large plot. Due to differences in soil quality and the distribution of spiritual energy, they were divided into over a hundred non-contiguous areas.

Chu He's plot of spirit fields was isolated near the mountain waist, covering about seven or eight acres. In addition to a thick wall, there was a small house with one hall and one room. From a distance, it looked like a miniature estate.

The wall and the house had been reinforced with simple earth-elemental runes, capable of withstanding several attacks from a first-level beast.

Since Cone Peak was close to the mountain gate, although it was protected by a rune array, the main function was to confuse and alert, without much killing power.

Although there were many disciples patrolling the various mountains, there were always gaps, and occasionally beasts would find weak points in the rune array and slip in. Therefore, the places where spirit farmers lived were reinforced to ensure safety. As long as they could hold out for a while and send a distress signal, help would arrive in time.

The terrain here was gentle, with lush vegetation. To the east, there was a dense bamboo forest. A clear mountain spring gushed out from a nearby rock crevice, trickling down. On both sides of the stream, various colorful wildflowers grew, making the area particularly eye-catching.

At first glance, one could tell that this was a good place. There were not many such places on Lu Gang Ling, and it was likely that Instructor Zhang had instructed Chief He to give him special treatment.

The outer sect disciple who had led the way, having completed his task, was about to take his leave. Chu He quietly slipped a few low-grade spirit stones into his hand and thanked him humbly.

At first, the disciple insisted, "Junior Brother, you're being too formal, no, no." But seeing Chu He's determined expression, he had no choice but to accept them, inwardly praising him as a good junior brother.

Being good at socializing was always one of Chu He's strengths. Besides, he would still need to deal with the affairs of the steward's hall in the future, such as paying rent and delivering harvests. A few low-grade spirit stones as a gesture of goodwill were a small price to pay.

After seeing off the senior brother, Chu He began to consider the planting matters.

The reason these several acres of spirit fields were abandoned was due to the shift in labor and resources after the sect developed many medium-grade spirit fields.

The spirit fields were now overgrown with wild grass, which, due to the abundant spiritual energy, grew extremely vigorously.

In such a situation, the best approach was to first completely eliminate the wild grass, then use a magical plow to loosen the soil, and finally use the Sweet Rain Technique to nourish the fields for several days to restore their full vitality.

To thoroughly eliminate the wild grass, the only method available was to pull it out by hand.

The weeds growing in the spirit fields were not ordinary; their roots were extremely deep. When Chu He pulled out a single weed, he was quite surprised because it defied his expectations. The roots of these weeds were several feet long, almost as tall as a person.

Not only that, the weeds were extremely dense. Pulling out a few at a time might be manageable, but if he tried to pull out large handfuls to speed up the process, it would still require a lot of effort. Clearing six or seven acres, even with Chu He's cultivation at the fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, would leave him sore and tired.

There was a better method, which was to use the Withering Spirit Gathering Technique to deal with the weeds, which would be more thorough. However, the Withering Spirit Gathering Technique was not simple; it was an eighth-grade technique, higher than the Sweet Rain Technique and the Lesser Metal Technique, and required the sixth level of the Qi Condensation Realm to learn.

Those who could advance to the sixth level of the Qi Condensation Realm and master the Withering Spirit Gathering Technique could become subordinate spirit farmers of Green Spirit Mountain and be listed as outer sect disciples. This was why the qualification for a low-level spirit farmer was set at the fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, while the assessment standard was at the sixth level.

The Withering Spirit Gathering Technique was a relatively fierce wood-elemental technique. Once activated, it could forcibly extract wood spiritual energy from surrounding plants, similar to a low-level area-of-effect skill in a game. When initially learned, its power could "wither" plants, and when mastered, it could "gather" spiritual energy. When used appropriately, it was very helpful for planting.

After clearing the weeds, Chu He rested for a while before starting to use the magical plow to till the land. With the help of the magical tool, this task became much easier.

After plowing the land, the next step was to use the Sweet Rain Technique to nourish the spirit fields.

This nourishing process needed to be done for several days. First, it gradually restored the field's vitality, and second, it stimulated the grass seeds hidden in the soil. Once these seeds sprouted and grew a bit, they could be completely eliminated, ensuring no weed problems for a while.

Chu He's Sweet Rain Technique had reached the third level, a significant improvement from before. With his current spiritual energy, he could at least water two or three acres.

However, to thoroughly water and nourish six or seven acres, this task left Chu He feeling tired again.

"Phew, this is what it's all about. Comfort is for the second-generation immortals and the dead." Chu He wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling the burning in his meridians from the repeated depletion of his spiritual energy. Although he was exhausted, it gave him a sense of excitement.

No wonder Chief He looked surprised when Chu He proposed the leasing area. It seemed that a newly graduated low-level spirit farmer could hardly manage the area Chu He had requested.

After completing all the tasks, it was already afternoon. Chu He activated the only warning rune array in the garden and then entered the inner room to start his cultivation.

Despite the continuous hard work, it was not without its rewards. After performing the breathing exercises, Chu He noticed a slight change: his total spiritual energy had increased, although the increase was minimal, it was a pleasant surprise for him.

This rate of increase was about two to three times that of cultivating with the aid of elixirs. He hadn't expected that repeatedly and intensely depleting his own spiritual energy would have such benefits.

Heh, being a spirit farmer is indeed a good profession, Chu He thought happily.

After his spiritual energy was restored, he took a Qi Nourishing Pill and began to cultivate by drawing in spiritual energy.

Due to the Purifying Fire, what originally required two separate steps was combined into one, with clear distinctions: most of the elixir's power nourished his spiritual body, while the absorbed spiritual energy was refined into his own spiritual energy. Most of this newly obtained spiritual energy was consumed by the needs of his spiritual body.

If not for the need for more primordial energy to advance his spiritual body, Chu He's cultivation speed would be much faster, at least several times faster.

Even so, among the many Qi Condensation Realm disciples of Green Spirit Mountain, Chu He's progress was still among the top.