Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

early morning.

Fang He woke up early and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He closed his eyes and began to circulate the Green Wood Technique.

Fang He could feel that the true qi in his dantian was more condensed, and its quality had improved by at least 30% compared to before.

Feeling the changes brought about by the advancement in my realm, a sense of satisfaction welled up in my heart.

Fang He was about to get up when she suddenly remembered something.

According to the rules, after improving one's cultivation level, one must register with the management office within ten days.

Yesterday I was so busy with the delayed recruitment that I forgot to register my cultivation at the market management office.

Although there's no rush, it's better to get it done sooner rather than later for peace of mind.

Fang He tidied herself up quickly and went out.

……

Ling Tin District is not far from the market town; it's only a 15-minute walk away.

Fang He walked along the path towards the market, encountering several familiar rogue cultivators along the way, and nodded in greeting.

It was still early, and the sea breeze was cool and felt quite comfortable on my skin.

He was in a good mood.

Fang He walked into the market and found that there were more people than usual today.

They gathered in twos and threes, seemingly discussing something.

He slowed his pace and vaguely heard a few keywords.

"Sea monsters..."

"Spirit Field..."

"Destroyed..."

Fang He frowned slightly, but did not stop.

Let's get down to business first.

……

The Market Management Office is located on the east side of the market, in a two-story wooden building with a plaque hanging at the entrance that reads "Self-Governing Association of Independent Cultivators".

This is the self-governing organization of independent practitioners, responsible for registration, dispute mediation, information dissemination, and other related matters.

Unlike the Zhou family's office, the people here are nicer and fairer.

Fang He walked into the management office, where several unaffiliated monks were handling their business.

He waited in line for a while, and when it was his turn, he walked to the counter.

"Register your cultivation level."

The manager behind the counter looked up, his expression calm.

"Put your hand on it."

Fang He placed his hand on the spirit-testing stone.

The stone emitted a white light, indicating its cultivation level.

The steward glanced at it and wrote a few strokes in the register.

"Three levels of Qi Refining".

He looked up and glanced at Fang He again.

"Yesterday it was the second floor, today it's the third floor, that's fast."

Fang He: "Just lucky."

The steward closed the register and lowered his voice: "The Zhou family has been paying attention to promising rogue cultivators lately, so you'd better perform well."

Fang He's heart stirred.

"Thank you for the pointers."

The manager waved his hand, signaling for the next person.

Fang He stepped aside, lost in thought.

Is the Zhou family keeping an eye on potential rogue cultivators?

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

He couldn't figure it out for the time being, but he kept it in mind.

……

Fang He walked out of the management office and slowed down his pace.

There were indeed many more people in the market than usual.

He walked toward the direction from which the commotion had come. Several rogue cultivators were gathered around a stall, their expressions solemn.

"Have you heard? The sacred fields to the east have been destroyed again!"

"Yes, the sea monsters have been rushing ashore like crazy lately."

"The Zhou family has already sent people to clean up, but they don't have enough manpower."

Fang He frowned slightly and took a few steps closer.

"Fellow Daoists, what is it?"

A rogue cultivator glanced at him: "You don't know? Recently, sea monsters have been very active, and several spirit fields have been destroyed."

"Which sacred field?"

Fang He's heart sank.

"Those areas to the east, near the coastline."

The rogue cultivator pointed in the direction, "It was destroyed just three days ago, it was in terrible condition."

Fang He looked in the direction he pointed.

It wasn't far from where he lived in Lingtian District.

Thanks.

Fang He cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and walked eastward.

Feeling uneasy.

seeing is believing.

……

The closer you get to the coastline, the stronger the fishy smell in the air.

The salty smell of the sea breeze, mixed with the stench of blood, was somewhat unsettling.

Fang He quickened his pace.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the edge of a sacred field.

The sight before him made him gasp.

The once tidy spiritual field was now a mess.

Linggu was trampled into pieces and lay flat in the mud and water.

The spirit array was destroyed, and spiritual energy continued to leak out, forming a faint white mist in the air.

There were several huge claw marks on the ground, deeply embedded in the mud, each as big as a washbasin.

That was left by a sea monster.

A nearby thatched hut was half-collapsed, with broken walls and ruins scattered all over the ground.

Several scattered monks nearby were cleaning up the mess, their faces full of worry.

Fang He stood on the edge of the field, looking at the tragic scene before him.

A middle-aged rogue cultivator squatted by the field, picking up fragments of spirit grain that were still usable.

Fang He stepped forward: "Fellow Daoist, what's going on here?"

The middle-aged rogue cultivator didn't look up, but sighed.

Three nights ago, a sea monster suddenly rushed ashore.

He pointed to the paw prints on the ground: "A mid-grade first-tier sea beast crawled up from over there."

"The Zhou family's guards arrived in time and drove the sea beasts away, but the spirit field has already been destroyed."

Fang He felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the claw marks.

A mid-grade first-tier sea beast is equivalent to the strength of a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"Is anyone injured?"

The middle-aged rogue cultivator paused for a moment, then pointed into the distance.

"Over there, a rogue cultivator couldn't escape and was bitten to death."

Fang He looked in the direction he was pointing.

In the distance, there was another sacred field, which was even more severely damaged.

The thatched hut was almost completely razed to the ground, with some dark red marks on the ground.

His heart tightened.

The threat of sea monsters was closer than he had imagined.

"Have sea creatures been coming ashore more often lately?"

The middle-aged rogue cultivator shook his head: "It used to be rare, but it's happened three or four times in the last two weeks."

"I don't know what's wrong, the sea monsters seem to have gone mad."

Fang He frowned.

He recalled the rumors he had heard before.

Marine mammals are migrating abnormally, moving frequently, and behaving strangely.

In retrospect, these rumors were true.

Thank you for letting me know.

Fang He cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and walked back.

Heavy heart.

……

On the way back, Fang He kept thinking.

I originally thought that the crisis would be resolved once I broke through the third level of Qi Refining and obtained the conscription delay.

But now it seems that the threat of the sea monsters is more urgent than the conscription.

The conscription is delayed for three months, but sea monsters could surge ashore at any time.

If the sea monsters were to launch a large-scale invasion, the entire Qing'ao Island would be in danger.

He must become stronger.

Fang He quickened his pace and returned to Lingtian District.

He stood by his spiritual field, looking at the two acres of spiritual grain.

The spirit grains are growing well and will be ready for harvest in four or five days.

It's relatively safe for now.

But who can guarantee that this will always be the case?

The destroyed sacred fields to the east are only seven or eight miles away from here.

If the sea monsters rush a little further in, they will reach this side.

Fang He squatted down and placed his hand on a leaf of a spirit grain.

A faint sense of vitality emanated from my fingertips, and Ling Gu's condition was clearly presented in my mind.

It is growing well, with a solid root system and full ears of grain.

Fang He stood up and walked around the ridges of the field.

everything is normal.

But his sense of crisis did not dissipate.

Fang He stood at the edge of the field, gazing eastward.

That's the coastline, and also the direction from which sea monsters attack.

He must become stronger.

Continue practicing, accumulate vocabulary, and improve your strength.

……

late at night.

Fang He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Thoughts churned in my mind.

I went to the management office to register today, and the manager said that the Zhou family is paying attention to promising independent cultivators.

It could be an opportunity, or it could be trouble...