Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

However, what the onlookers said was not without merit.

The reason why the five spiritual roots are called pseudo spiritual roots is because this kind of spiritual root has a very low efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy, and the bottleneck is also much thicker.

Such cultivators, without resources, will likely only linger at the mid-stage of Qi Refining even after a lifetime of hard work.

Even if one is lucky enough to have some opportunity, one might be able to cultivate to the peak of Qi Refining before the age of sixty.

Even with Foundation Establishment Pills, the probability of reaching Foundation Establishment is less than 30%.

"I wonder if this is a blessing or a curse for Wang Xiaobao..."

But these are not things he should worry about.

All he could do was try to help Wang Xiaobao when the time was right.

"I just hope Uncle Wang doesn't lose his mind and take a dangerous risk."

Remembering the spirit contract worker who was publicly executed by the Hou family, Qu Ye shook his head and turned to leave the open space.

After seeing Wang Xiaobao's outcome, there's no need to stay any longer.

.........

Finding a secluded spot to shed her disguise, Qu Ye returned to her courtyard.

He first changed the dressing on his wound, then took out the White Light Sword from his storage bag and placed it across his lap.

Because he was "injured" and needed to recuperate, he was not in a hurry to report to the racecourse.

If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.

Since we have some free time these few days, why not refine the White Light Sword and the Jade Pendant a bit first?

Qu Ye closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment. Once his breathing was steady and his dantian was full of spiritual energy, he opened his eyes and gripped the sword in his hand.

After last night's initial refinement, the White Light Sword's blade is no longer as dull as it was when it was first acquired.

He slowly channeled his magic into the sword, allowing it to flow along the spiritual runes within the blade, like water flowing into a dried-up ditch.

A faint spiritual light emanated from the white sword.

The sword still retains a trace of the scholar's aura, which needs to be completely removed before the refining process can be considered complete.

Qu Ye didn't stop, continuing to channel his magic power, allowing the spiritual energy to repeatedly wash over the spiritual runes within the sword.

The White Light Sword is not of high grade, and its spirit patterns are not particularly complex. With enough patience, it can be refined in a day.

Qu Ye stopped when most of his magical power in his dantian was depleted.

There was a faint golden luster on the blade, which was the trace left by the metal elemental magic.

"Let's take another look at the jade pendant."

He placed the white sword beside him, regulated his breathing for a while, and took out the jade pendant.

The jade pendant is warm and smooth, and cool to the touch.

Unlike the White Light Sword, the Jade Pendant, as a mid-grade magic weapon, is a defensive type. It needs to "remember" its master's aura so that it can respond promptly when attacked.

When the magic power was probed in, the spiritual patterns within the jade pendant were far more complex than those of the white-light sword.

"Take your time."

Qu Ye sighed, put down the jade pendant, and continued to refine the White Light Sword.

Four days passed in this way.

A cool breeze blew as Qu Ye stood in the courtyard and drew his white sword from his waist.

A large, thick blue stone, about one meter high, stands upright in the courtyard.

This is something he brought back from outside these past few days, specifically to test the power of the magical artifact.

As magic power was channeled into the White Light Sword, a sword beam about a foot long emerged from its tip.

Qu Ye flicked his wrist, and the sword light struck the bluestone.

laugh!

With a muffled thud, a cut appeared on the surface of the bluestone, and fragments of stone dust fell down.

He stepped back a few paces and tried his sword a few more times, each strike leaving marks of varying depths on the stone.

With his final strike, he controlled his magic power to the maximum extent the sword could withstand, and with a powerful swing, the right side of the bluestone was smoothly cleaved open, sending stone chips flying.

"Its power is decent; when used at full strength, it's three points stronger than the Gengjin Sword Technique."

Qu Ye stepped forward and carefully examined the traces before nodding slightly.

"Next is the jade pendant."

Qu Ye controlled the white sword to soar into the air and fly to the opposite side of himself, with the tip of the sword facing him.

His expression remained unchanged as he controlled the white sword, transforming it into a beam of light that struck towards himself.

The moment the sword approached, Qu Ye felt a heat in his chest, and the jade pendant suddenly became hot. A layer of light blue light surged from the jade pendant, instantly enveloping his entire body.

The white sword struck the light shield, but was instantly deflected. The light shield remained motionless, only dimming slightly.

"Just as the shopkeeper said, it can withstand a full-force attack from a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining."

"In the future, we'll have more leeway when facing surprise attacks."

Qu Ye canceled the light shield, retrieved the White Light Sword, and was quite satisfied with the Jade Pendant.

In these four days, he not only recovered from his injuries, but also completed the refining of both magical artifacts.

At the same time, he also took the Qi-boosting pill that he found in the scholar's storage bag, which improved his magical power a little.

Although this elixir is mainly used by cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining, it also has some effect on those in the middle stages of Qi Refining.

Many impoverished mid-stage cultivators cannot afford to buy the Enhancing Essence Pill, so they have no choice but to continue using the Qi-Boosting Pill to cultivate.

After testing the power of the two magical artifacts, Qu Ye stretched and stepped out of the courtyard.

Now that this matter is settled, let's head to Lingma Farm to report for duty as soon as possible.

After recalling the location of the Spirit Horse Ranch, Qu Ye hurried towards it with light steps.

.........

Hou Family Residence, Lingma Ranch.

This place is located in a basin, surrounded by mountains on all sides, forming a spacious plain in the center.

Due to the suitable temperature, the plains remain lush and green year-round, with grass spreading out and presenting a scene of blue sky and white clouds.

Qu Ye walked for about 35 minutes and arrived at this place along the main road. He saw a courtyard with green tiles and an open gate by the roadside.

He approached the courtyard and saw several bundles of hay piled up inside, the air filled with the smell of a mixture of dry hay and spirit beast droppings.

A middle-aged monk was squatting in the corner of the courtyard, holding a sickle and cutting hay.

There was also an old man lying on a recliner in the courtyard, rocking back and forth contentedly.

Qu Ye stood at the door and gently knocked on the door frame.

The middle-aged cultivator looked up, glanced at him, put down his scythe, stood up, wiped his hands on the hem of his robe, and slowly walked over.

He stopped about ten steps away from Qu Ye.

What do you need?

"Steward Hou sent me." Qu Ye took out his identity token from his pocket and handed it over using his magic. "Report to the Spirit Horse Ranch."

The middle-aged cultivator took the token, ran to the old man, and carefully handed it over.

The old man took the token, opened his eyes, examined it from all angles, and then looked Qu Ye up and down: "Manager Hou spoke to you a couple of days ago. Your surname is Qu?"

"Qu Ye".

The old man nodded, stood up from the recliner, and after instructing the middle-aged cultivator to continue chopping fodder, said to Qu Ye:

"Hou Youde, you can just call me Uncle De." The old man returned the token to him, turned around and walked inside. "Come in."

Qu Ye followed him into the courtyard, to the main room, and sat down at the table.

Hou Youde poured him a bowl of water and pushed it towards him.

"Manager Hou said you worked at the Ling Bee Farm for several years?"

"Yes."

"A beekeeper going into horse breeding, that's quite a leap," Hou Youde chuckled.

"However, I must make it clear to you first that the rules of the Spirit Horse Ranch are different from those of the Spirit Bee Ranch."

"Uncle De, please speak." Qu Ye cupped his hands in greeting.

"Alright, I'll tell you a thing or two."

Hou Youde paused for a moment, then said, "Firstly, the Fierce Cloud Steed is a mid-grade first-tier spirit beast. It is fierce and aggressive, which is why one needs to be at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refining to be competent in it."

Qu Ye nodded.

"Secondly, our horse farm is different from your beekeeping. Our horses are ready for market in two years, and the profit depends on how well you raise them."

"Good and bad are divided into three grades: inferior, good, and excellent. You'll see how to distinguish them when I take you to the horse farm later."

"An inferior spirit steed will only be worth fifteen spirit stones; a good spirit steed will be worth twenty-five spirit stones; and a superior spirit steed will be worth forty spirit stones."

"You're new to the horse farm and not yet familiar with it, plus you brought your own swarm of spirit bees, so this time we can only assign you a Fierce Cloud Steed, otherwise it wouldn't be fair to the others."

"After two years, you'll be able to receive two or three Fiery Cloud Steeds, just like everyone else. Is that acceptable?"