Cultivation begins with harvest.

"If the loss is caused to the other party by force majeure, the matter may be disregarded or a new compensation plan may be requested."

This was something Chen Guang and Wei Donglai had just discussed. Simply put, from the initial intention of setting this rule to the result, it was actually biased towards benefiting Chen Guang.

The only problem is that no contract has been signed yet, so this isn't a done deal and there's still room for reneging.

"Since we have chosen you, we will not change it casually. One acre of spiritual land is indeed a bit too much to ask," Wei Donglai said. "If you have any requests, it is not too late to change them now, and we will consider them accordingly."

"I want a storage artifact, as you should know, Senior Brother Wei," Chen Guang said. "I'm willing to give you the last harvest of the Ice Pine and the Concentration Flower. If I can't grow them, I'll compensate you according to the market price and the quality of the mature plants. I don't need the 1,000 catties of spirit rice as a subsidy."

Wei Donglai had somewhat underestimated Chen Guang's determination, but he still pretended to be a little angry and said, "What kind of talk is that? Do you think we're short of a thousand catties of spirit rice?"

"Senior brothers, please consider this. I have some grains drying in my yard; I'll go turn them over." Chen Guang gave Wei Donglai and Zhong Qi some time before disappearing back into the yard.

Since there was no outright refusal, there's room for negotiation; how they negotiate is up to them.

……

"A mu of spirit field is not the same as half a mu of spirit field. A mu means nothing is left. This time we selected spirit farmers who are at the first or second level of Qi Refining, which means we have taken over all of other people's free spirit fields. The price for contracting them is completely different." Wei Donglai said to Zhong Qi as he watched Chen Guangyuan leave.

Zhong Qi nodded: "How could I not know? So I'm going to change the original three spirit farmers to two."

"That Chen Guang..."

"As you can see, he should have a complete pure spiritual energy, which makes a difference. Why not invest in him? Even if our deal falls through now, he has the highest probability of staying at Purple Spirit Peak as a disciple of the deacon among the three," Zhong Qi thought. "I think he is more suitable than the other two."

"Then I'll listen to you, Senior Brother Zhong." Wei Donglai stopped hesitating.

……

After a short while, Chen Guang leisurely returned to the edge of the field.

Zhong Qi smiled at Chen Guang: "Junior Brother Chen, we've discussed it and decided to rent one acre of your spirit field. The formation will be set up on one acre, but in reality, we'll only use half an acre, so you'll still have half an acre of free spirit land."

"Senior brother's words are somewhat biased. Inside the Ice Mist Array, the temperature will drop, and there will always be a dense fog of cold air. Although it is called freedom, the types of spiritual plants that can be selected are actually fixed and extremely limited," Chen Guang did not believe Zhong Qi's words. Wei Donglai had also told Chen Guang about the characteristics of the Ice Mist Array. "My conditions remain unchanged. I hope senior brother can give me a storage spiritual artifact. I will be satisfied."

Seeing that Chen Guang was extremely determined, and that the argument was just a verbal sparring match and wouldn't sway him, Zhong Qi had no intention of continuing the entanglement.

The Xuanhuang Formation has the function of adjusting environmental attributes, but it consumes a lot of materials and spirit stones. The contract stipulates that this ability should be used as little as possible—all to avoid excessive consumption of spirit stones.

"That's possible, but let's just say we can offset it with Bing Lusong's harvest. Since I've chosen you, I'll support you to the end. I'll give you some more Concentration Flower seeds, and you can plant them for me as payment for renting an acre," Zhong Qi agreed readily. "I do have a storage artifact here, but the actual space is a bit small."

Chen Guang was actually quite nervous inside.

Sometimes, you have to take a gamble when you do things. Chen Guang was worried that if he pushed the other party too far, they would just give up on him and he could just find someone else, which would be terrible. But the result was obviously good.

Chen Guang wouldn't wait for a high price, get too big for his britches, or continue causing trouble.

"Brother Zhong is very generous, I will remember it forever," Chen Guang said sincerely.

Zhong Qi untied the black, scale-covered belt from her waist, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the shape of a complete snake.

"This is the Black Void Serpent Belt. The Black Void Serpent is a kind of demon beast with traces of the universe, but it is much fainter. For example, the Void Gourd and the Void Frog concentrate these traces on a certain organ, so they are smaller in size and have more space. The Black Void Serpent, on the other hand, is covered all over its body. It can fly at a low altitude, moves extremely nimbly, and is silent. It can penetrate many stone walls and earthen mountains."

"To craft a storage artifact from a Black Void Serpent, it must be captured intact without any damage. The internal space is only a little over two square meters. Unlike the sect's storage pouch, which is a mid-grade artifact, the Black Void Serpent belt is merely a low-grade artifact. It cannot leave a soul imprint or undergo blood recognition. Anyone who gets it can use it. However, it cannot be activated by simply using magic power; one must hold it in their hands to use it. It is rather ordinary, so please don't find it offensive, junior brother."

Chen Guang quickly said, "No, no," but his eyes were still shining as he looked at him.

Wei Donglai said casually, "The Black Void Serpent is not very valuable, but it is a storage artifact, and it is even rarer. Owning one is a symbol of strength."

Chen Guang understood immediately: "Junior brother will certainly do his utmost to repay his senior brother as soon as possible!"

"Haha, I'm relieved to hear you say that, Junior Brother. It's getting late, let's sign the contract and set up the ice mist array so we can all go about our business," Zhong Qi urged.

This time, after the contract was revised again and verified by all three parties, it was then engraved on the contract.

On the pristine white contract paper, a inch-long ray of golden light immediately appeared. Squinting slightly, one could see beneath the golden light were gilded characters, recording the terms that had just been agreed upon.

Wei Donglai and Zhong Qi first placed their thumbs on it, and Chen Guang followed suit, placing his own fingers on it. As if an electric current passed through his body, the contract kept flashing and changing, and it actually split into three, falling into the hands of Chen Guang and the others. Each one was exactly the same, carrying a trace of spiritual energy.

Such contracts have original copies in the Three Halls, and they are marked with special numbers that can be easily identified. It is said to be a special magic weapon. As long as the contract is signed on one side, the other side will automatically retain the text content. If there is a dispute, even if the contract in one's own hand is lost, it will not matter. One will only have to pay some handling fees, but it will not affect the actual use.

After signing the contract, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhong Qi took out the items from the Black Void Serpent's belt before handing them to Chen Guang, saying with some reluctance, "Actually, this is a Black Void Serpent that hasn't reached adulthood yet. Otherwise, it should have three internal spaces. It's a pity."

Spiritual artifacts with spatial attributes are incompatible with each other. In addition to a storage bag with a unique pattern and the Qingheng Sect logo hanging at her waist, Zhong Qi also had a gourd that was bluish-white hanging from her waist. She had two storage spiritual artifacts on display, which showed that she had a profound foundation.

However, only the storage bags of the Qingheng Sect are special, with unique markings, capable of being bound by blood and leaving a divine soul imprint, making them the safest.

Chen Guang took the Black Void Serpent Belt. It felt cool and smooth to the touch, but it was quite heavy. It looked like just a belt, but it weighed about ten pounds. With such a heavy spiritual artifact on his waist, if his clothes were not specially made and he had no foundation in body cultivation, it would definitely be uncomfortable to carry such a heavy object on his body.

Chen Guang excitedly used his magic to envelop the entire belt, and immediately sensed a peculiar, elongated space within his perception.

It is not a regular two-sided space, but a long, narrow space with a slightly elliptical shape.

"Finally, I have my own storage artifact! Another huge step forward!"

Chen Guangdu had the illusion that his eyes were about to well up with tears.

"Junior Brother Chen, we're setting up an array. Would you like to come along?" Zhong Qi invited.

"Go, of course I'll go," Chen Guang said, no longer caring about what others thought. He simply tucked the Black Void Serpent Belt into his pocket. "Being able to witness the setup of the Xuanhuang Formation firsthand is something I couldn't ask for."