Gou Zai created a blessed land in the immortal abode

The next morning.

Li Chengming continued to work odd jobs at the pharmacy.

It took about three hours, and the wages were five taels of spirit rice.

On the way home, I bought some wood ash and some seeds of the Spirit Gathering Grass.

After everything was settled, Li Chengming sat cross-legged on the bed, his mind sinking.

White mist surges, and green mountains reappear.

Within the immortal abode, the one acre of spiritual field lay quietly atop the mountain peak, its dark soil gleaming faintly under the illumination of some unseen spiritual light.

Li Chengming walked to the edge of the spiritual field, squatted down, and rubbed the soil between his fingers.

It has a warm and smooth feel and is full of vitality.

It was even better than he had imagined.

Li Chengming first dug shallow furrows in the field, then evenly scattered the seeds and covered them with a thin layer of soil.

Wood ash sprinkled on the soil surface can serve as both fertilizer and insect repellent.

The final step is watering.

He slowly stood up, then chanted an incantation and made a hand seal, and a white light shot out from his fingertips.

It turned into a cloud of white mist in mid-air, and in the next instant, it gathered into a cloud of mist.

A moment later, a light drizzle began to fall, nourishing the fields.

Li Chengming was only at the second level of Qi Refining, so his Spirit Rain Technique couldn't cover an acre of land; it could only water the fields row by row.

After irrigating one acre of land, Li Chengming felt a little short of breath.

"This Spirit Rain Technique is incredibly energy-consuming; no wonder the Kong family recruits so many medicine apprentices."

"Thank goodness I didn't go."

After watering the medicinal herbs, Li Chengming left the immortal abode.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating the second-grade cultivation technique "Little River Flowing Water Technique" to restore his spiritual energy.

…………

The days passed by.

Li Chengming's life became increasingly regular.

Every morning, he goes to the pharmacy to grind herbs; in the afternoon, he returns to his courtyard to meditate and cultivate; and in the evening, he enters the immortal abode to tend to the spiritual fields.

It's a blatant version of the cultivation-themed 996 (a popular Chinese TV drama series).

The growth of the Spirit Gathering Grass was even better than he had expected.

The effects of the spirit fields in the Immortal Abode are not simply limited to accelerating the growth cycle. Li Chengming gradually discovered that the spirit fields also seem to slightly improve the quality of spirit plants.

These Spirit Gathering Grasses had a faint silver sheen along the edges of their leaves.

"At this rate, the quality of this batch of Spirit Gathering Grass will probably reach top grade, and the price will be at least 20% higher."

Li Chengming squatted by the edge of the field, carefully adding soil to the newly sprouted buds, a smile unconsciously curving his lips.

In this way, this acre of Spirit Gathering Grass can sell for at least 60 catties of Spirit Rice.

Even after deducting the costs of the Spirit Gathering Grass seeds and wood ash, the profit is still fifty catties of Spirit Rice.

A full half-stone.

In two months, I earned half a spirit stone.

This is already considered a fairly considerable income among the independent cultivators in Yuehufang City.

"At this rate of growth, it will be ready for harvest in about forty days."

Li Chengming patted the dirt off his hands, stood up, and looked past the spirit field, landing on the vast white mist in the distance of the immortal mansion.

Beyond the white fog lies an undeveloped area.

The immortal abode told him that as long as he improved his cultivation, he could dispel the white mist and expand his territory.

With a cultivation level of two Qi Refining stages, one can only house two buildings.

Now that one acre of spiritual land has been built, the remaining space can only be used to choose one more option.

This made Li Chengming hesitate.

Should we cultivate another sacred field, or build a new structure?

"Sigh, let's take care of this acre of Spirit Gathering Grass first."

With a thought, Li Chengming withdrew from the immortal abode.

He opened his eyes on the bed. The room was dimly lit, and it was pitch black outside the window.

There is no curfew in Moon Lake Market, but most shops close after nightfall, leaving only a few restaurants that provide spiritual food and one or two elixir shops that stay open all night.

Li Chengming did not plan to go out.

He sat cross-legged and began to circulate the "Little River Flowing Water Technique," his spiritual energy flowing slowly through his meridians like a gentle stream.

He obtained this cultivation technique from a rogue cultivator in the market with his only two spirit stones when he first arrived.

A second-grade cultivation technique isn't particularly good, but it's sufficient.

In essence, the cultivation of the Qi Refining stage is about accumulating spiritual energy and filling the dantian and spiritual apertures.

It takes time and patience; you can't rush it.

"At the current rate of cultivation, it will take at least a year and a half to break through to the third level of Qi Refining."

Li Chengming's cultivation aptitude was average to begin with, and he also lived in a place with sparse spiritual energy on the outskirts of the market.

Without the aid of elixirs, the cultivation speed is indeed too slow.

"Once this batch of Spirit Gathering Grass is sold, I'll exchange it for a few Spirit Gathering Pills."

Li Chengming secretly made his plans.

The Spirit Gathering Pill is the most commonly used cultivation pill in the Qi Refining stage; one pill is equivalent to half a month of arduous cultivation.

The price is one spirit stone per bottle, and each bottle contains six pills.

In all the years Li Chengming had been in the market, he had only ever bought one or two loose pills with leaking spiritual energy from the stalls of independent cultivators.

"Once I have some extra money, I'll definitely buy a good bottle and try it out."

…………

The next morning.

As usual, Li Chengming went to the pharmacy to pound medicine.

Inside the pharmacy, Kong Shaowen was fiddling with an abacus behind the counter when he saw Li Chengming enter. He greeted him with a smile.

"Young Li, you're here early today."

"Good morning, Master Kong."

Li Chengming bowed respectfully and then walked towards the backyard.

He had become extremely skilled at pounding herbs. With each mortar and pestle, the rhythm of the pestle rising and falling was distinct, and his efficiency was much faster than when he first arrived.

In less than two and a half hours, all the medicinal herbs for the day had been ground.

Kong Shaowen stroked his beard and walked over, glancing at the neatly stacked white jade bottles beside Li Chengming, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Young Li, your skills are getting better and better."

"Confucius taught well."

Li Chengming accepted his wages for the day, five taels of rice, and tucked them into his pocket.

After leaving the pharmacy, Li Chengming, as usual, strolled around the stalls at the end of the market.

I'm in luck today; a stranger, a rogue cultivator, is selling a small bag of spirit soil.

"This spiritual soil was dug out of the mountains, and it's full of spiritual energy. It costs three catties of spiritual rice per catty, no bargaining."

Li Chengming squatted down, picked up a little soil, and rubbed it between his fingertips.

The soil is fine and is indeed much better than the batch he bought at the market before.

How many?

"Just five jin."

"I'll take them all."

Li Chengming didn't haggle and promptly took out fifteen taels of spirit rice and handed it over.

The rogue cultivator was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a prompt response. He quickly handed over the cloth bag, muttering to himself:

"Fellow Daoist, you're very generous. I'll definitely come back to you next time I have good stuff."

Li Chengming smiled but didn't reply.

Spiritual soil is a good thing.

It might not be of much use to others, but Li Cheng clearly needs it.

Whether it's opening up a new spiritual field in the Immortal Abode or upgrading an existing one, a large number of spiritual fields are needed.

[Spirit Field: Common Grade]

[Current effect: The growth cycle of the spirit plant has been accelerated by 10%]

[Advanced Effect: Increases the growth cycle of spirit plants by 30%]

[Advanced Requirements: 100 catties of spirit soil, 50 catties of wood ash, and 10 catties of spirit fertilizer]

Upgrading a common spirit field to a superior one requires a considerable amount of resources.

Leaving aside the spirit field and wood ash for now.

Take spirit fertilizer for example; it's made from the excrement of demonic beasts, supplemented with spirit herbs and spirit water.

The price is one spirit stone per kilogram.

I can't afford it, I simply can't afford it!