Cultivation begins with harvest.

The next day, Chen Guangcai began to tally the harvest from the second mu of spiritual field.

Without the reward of the light clusters, it would have been impossible to count how much was gained. Now, however, Chen Guang has tallied it all up.

A total of 743 plants were harvested, including 340 of ordinary quality, 322 of excellent quality, and 81 of superior quality. No higher quality Lingmi rice was found.

A total of 1470 strands of pure spiritual energy were acquired.

"This acre should be of higher quality," Chen Guangxin thought.

The first acre contains a total of 1309 strands of pure spiritual energy, though there are some differences in quantity. Every 666 strands of pure spiritual energy combine to form a complete true qi. There are no special skills involved in fusing the pure spiritual energy; Chen Guang only needs to use his magic power to imprison it.

Adding the remaining pure spiritual energy that hadn't been fully released, two more complete strands of true qi were combined, leaving more than sixty strands, which were then swallowed directly into the stomach.

Once inside the stomach, it was immediately swallowed up by that complete stream of pure and spiritual energy.

This complete true qi was originally somewhat weakened, as it had been significantly depleted by constant consumption with mortal energy. But the wonder of true qi lies in this: once it becomes a whole, it can remain intact until it is completely exhausted. At most, it will weaken and can even absorb true qi of the same kind and origin to recover. When placed between heaven and earth, it can also recover itself very slowly.

More than sixty strands, only slightly depleted by this one strand of pure spiritual energy, make it look no different from when it was first obtained. However, Chen Guang knows in his heart that it is still not as complete and powerful as it was when he first obtained it.

"Besides the two strands of pure spiritual energy, I also obtained two sections of purple spiritual earth root. If I maintain this efficiency, I can obtain two more strands of pure spiritual energy next year. With a little effort, I will definitely get three strands. A single strand is worth fifty or sixty catties of spiritual rice, but a complete strand is worth tens of thousands. Only cultivators who are about to establish their foundation will start preparing a complete strand of true qi."

"Purple Spirit Earth Root yields five acres a year. Under the current circumstances, even if we don't continue planting more high-yield spiritual plants like Swallowtail Grass, we'll only get about two roots a year."

After Chen Guang did this calculation, he found that his wealth had expanded rapidly.

The problem is that he can't flaunt his wealth.

The Qingheng Sect wouldn't investigate things excessively, but Chen Guang did take the time to investigate the Purple Spirit Earth Root. It only appears in places where both Purple Spirit Soil and Dawn Purple Qi are extremely abundant. It's not that Purple Spirit Peak is the only one that has it, but as long as it's brought out, it will attract the attention of Purple Spirit Peak.

There's also the Thousand Water Gourd, which is also a storage-type spiritual artifact. It can't be put in a storage bag, so it's taken out separately. Does this mean that Chen Guang possesses a storage spiritual artifact that can store items with storage properties?

That would be even more frightening.

Chen Guang cannot withstand a thorough investigation, because it might expose that Chen Guang was able to obtain such a thing out of thin air. Are we going to gamble that Qingheng Sect will remain righteous even knowing all this?

That might be the case at present, but it's also possible that it's not, isn't it?

Possessing immense wealth yet having to keep a low profile restricts his development in every way, which is another pain point. Therefore, Chen Guang is willing to expose his pure spiritual energy, which can be used as an explanation for his rapid improvement in cultivation. There is no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days if you are a thief for a thousand days.

The higher one's cultivation level, the less one is constrained by certain "possibilities".

Reaching the first level of Qi Refining, I was incredibly excited and joyful several months ago, and I was quite proud of it.

But before a year had even passed, Chen Guang began to complain about his low cultivation level and slow progress.

"Let's focus on the present. I've thought about these things several times. Instead of just daydreaming, I might as well go out and dig a hole." Chen Guang ate white rice and simple stir-fried dishes, still able to taste the sweetness of the rice and the aroma of the dishes, indirectly confirming that his mind was not in turmoil and that he would not lose his composure. Otherwise, he would not be able to enjoy his food, and his mind would be filled with worries. How could he do good deeds then?

As for today's morning practice, Chen Guang unusually missed it.

They toured the spirit fields.

Two Linquan pumpkins are about to ripen; according to previous patterns, the red peony will take a little longer for its last flowering, but it will still be ripe in five or six days; since the spiritual energy array was set up, only two Jade Heart Grass plants are in a very different state from the others, with their leaves withering, but everything else is fine.

"In previous years, I was busy breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining, so I spent most of my time from late autumn to early spring cultivating and learning about cultivation knowledge in the Scripture Pavilion. Now it's different. With the Pure Spirit Qi in my body, as long as I master the breathing technique, hundreds of hours of cultivation won't take long. There's no pressure in terms of cultivation. Should I also plant some special spiritual plants in the winter?"

Many experienced spiritual farmers do this: they plant short-lived spiritual plants in winter, mainly vegetables, and can make a profit.

For example, Chen Guang has five acres of spirit fields, but in reality, one acre belongs entirely to him. Before, when he planted other things, he would carve out a small area from the spirit rice and paddy fields. As long as it wasn't too much, the disciples of the branch buildings allowed this behavior.

In winter, there are no planting requirements in the branch buildings. Many spiritual farmers take advantage of this loophole to rush to plant some cash crops. Perhaps it's not really a loophole, because the branch buildings have never stopped this behavior, provided that it does not affect the planting plan for the following spring.

It's already late autumn, and if we don't hurry up and plant now, it will be too late.

There are three main types that circulate during the winter.

Garlic, radish, and cabbage can all be harvested within three to four months from sowing. The key is that they are also easy to manage. Although it is difficult to grow high-quality vegetables if you rush to harvest, Lingzhi seasonal vegetables have lower quality requirements. If the quality is not up to standard, you can just sell them at a lower price and still make a little profit.

Winters at Ziling Peak are indeed cold. A huge array has been set up at the spirit fields of Ziling Peak. Each branch building is a point that supports the operation of the array. However, it is mainly used to defend against extreme weather, large monsters, large swarms of insects, and some creatures that are good at burrowing underground. It does not have a great impact on the weather. It is still cold, and sometimes it snows.

Snow occasionally falls in winter, and the formation usually doesn't prevent it; the building will only give a three to five day advance notice.

Snowfall slows down the growth of these crops. Even if they are cold-resistant enough, cold is still cold and will definitely inhibit and affect their growth. Fortunately, these crops have no problem surviving the winter. Garlic and radishes may not seem to have grown at all on the surface when it gets cold, but the underground parts will not stop growing.

Just as Chen Guang was thinking about these things and cleaning up the residue in the grains in the yard, there was a sudden knock on the gate.

Chen Guang was still surprised, thinking that Cao Fang would not arrive until evening, since she must be busy harvesting her own or others' spiritual rice. He slowly raised his head and saw that it was a young man with fair skin, but extremely handsome, even a year or two younger than himself, with red lips and white teeth, and still some boyishness on his face.

"Donglai." Chen Guang never expected that Wei Donglai would arrive so quickly.

"Winter is just around the corner. To adapt to combat in cold regions, the other disciples responsible for Snow Peak will have to stay there for training and adaptation throughout the winter. I'm afraid I won't be able to come if winter comes," Wei Donglai said as he stepped into the courtyard. He picked up a few grains of rice as if they were old friends, rubbed them with his hands to remove the husks, revealing white, moist grains that could already be called rice. He then put them in his mouth, chewed a couple of times, and said, "This spirit rice is truly something you can never get tired of. Even raw, it has a unique flavor."

Wei Donglai stopped in front of Chen Guang, his eyes showing a strange look.

Chen Guang had no intention of hiding the pure spiritual energy, nor could he hide it from the disciples of the Qi Hall.

Each session has its own unique benefits.

The Earth Hall is a spiritual field and seven free spells related to the art of seed condensation, suitable for farming.

The Qi Hall is a technique for observing Qi.

The Qi Hall is for killing demons and eliminating enemies. If you can't accurately scout the environment and confirm the strength of the target, you really won't even know how you died. The Xing Hall, Lu Hall, and Qi Hall are all extremely sensitive to Qi. Each of the three has its own characteristics.

The Punishment Hall is responsible for patrolling the territory, punishing those who transport criminals, and is most skilled at seeing through the disguises of disguised cultivators. They are also adept at environmental reconnaissance and tracking traces.

Lu Tang is responsible for collecting information and transmitting intelligence, and also serves as a scout and transporter of supplies. He is skilled at infiltration and is also extremely good at grasping the true nature of a target. He may not be able to see the true face, but he can confirm that "you" are "you". He is also good at recording the environment and escaping.

Especially in the Qi Hall, even if you use some kind of concealment technique or disguise, they may not be able to see your true face, but they can easily judge your strength, what method you used to conceal your aura, and what type of cultivator you are. Their ability to process and collect all kinds of information is exaggerated.

All three require cultivators with extremely high qualifications to enter, and they need to maintain a very high level in many aspects such as interpersonal skills, reaction and response, combat talent, and cultivation speed.

Wei Donglai has a grade C aptitude, or more accurately, a pseudo grade B. Wei Donglai's earth spirit root aptitude is the most outstanding, reaching the grade B standard. Without this aptitude, in these three halls, let alone standing out, every day would be torture. He would be left far behind by the outer disciples of the same hall, and the harder he tried, the less he could see their backs. He could only barely get by.

Even though everyone was busy all day with almost no time to rest or cultivate, 95% of the disciples from these three halls did not fail the three-year mini-exams. They did not slack off in any of their knowledge, magic cultivation, combat skills, or gossip. Some even achieved remarkable success in their personal hobbies such as chess, poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music while also cultivating various immortal arts. They were considered quite talented in the mortal world.

Sometimes, you shouldn't compare people to dogs, or even compare them to people.

In contrast, in the Earth Hall, during each three-year mini-exam, two or three households in a branch building would disappear. A branch building typically has only a dozen or so households. Starting from the mid-stage of Qi Refining, the proportion of households that disappear would double.

Therefore, Chen Guang needed to use Linquan pumpkins to befriend some disciples of the Qi Hall, even if it was a kind of worldliness that he didn't like in his previous life.

"Goodness, I had a feeling you were something special from the start, but I still underestimated you." Wei Donglai slapped Chen Guang on the shoulder. "Now I trust you even more."

Chen Guang sighed, feigning surprise: "How can I compare to you? You've already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining."

"I spent more time cultivating this year because of the cultivation level assessment," Wei Donglai said casually. "Whether the spirit field is free or not, I brought the things with me."