Cultivation begins with harvest.

Three ponds appeared in the ice fog array, and the ditches for drawing water and draining water were all determined after complicated trials and calculations.

I spent two days on this and finally managed to get the basic outline done.

The next step is to do the details and specifics well. For example, the sides of the pond need to be constantly compacted with moist purple spirit soil. Although purple spirit soil dries out easily, it also becomes more viscous and has some water-retaining properties as long as there is a stable water source.

Chen Guang also cultivates spirit rice using a dry planting method. He only needs enough water to cover the roots of the rice before stopping irrigation. After a day, he starts draining the water and then rests for a day or two. Otherwise, the completely moist purple spirit soil will be almost impossible to loosen. The spirit hoe can cut through hard, dry soil, but when it comes to sticky soil, the wielder needs to use tremendous strength to pull it out.

Most of the Lingmi rice is grown using dry farming methods and does not truly achieve the "rice" yield, so the upper limit is 300 catties per mu.

The main factor is that the compaction of the purple spiritual soil suppresses the activity of the spiritual plant's root system, slows down the growth rate of the spiritual plant, and reduces its efficiency in absorbing water, nutrients, and spiritual energy, which indirectly leads to a decrease in yield—this is why the soil needs to be loosened frequently.

It is difficult to loosen completely moist purple soil without damaging the root system; this also means that the spirit rice cannot be planted too densely, as it is not conducive to loosening the soil.

If these difficulties can be resolved, the production of Lingmi rice can be increased.

Chen Guang couldn't solve it, but now, the flaw of the Purple Spirit Soil has become an advantage, which Chen Guang has been able to utilize to build the walls of the pond without any problems.

"The actual completion will be another few days of work."

Chen Guang looked at the rudimentary structure before him and breathed a sigh of relief. The ditches still needed to be widened, and the ponds needed to be walled up. He had been busy for several days, just to prepare for planting the Concentration Flower.

This is exactly the same as agricultural planting in the mortal world. The preparation work before planting crops is heavy, but not much; the work after planting crops is numerous, complicated, and detailed, requiring patience and energy, but it is not very heavy, just tiring; when harvesting crops, time is of the essence, and the tasks are numerous and heavy; the cleanup work after harvesting is also numerous and detailed. Unless you want to leave the land barren, simple cleaning up the mess is a must.

Just like cooking, the process itself isn't the main problem; it's the preparatory and post-cooking work that truly leaves one physically and mentally exhausted.

"Hey, these three ponds and the connecting ditches will take up two-tenths of my land. It's such a waste to leave them abandoned like this. If only I could raise some spirit beasts or monsters in the ponds—" Chen Guang muttered to himself, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Yes, you can grow spiritual plants, so why can't you raise spiritual beasts and monsters?

Spirit plants can generate reward orbs, but can spirit beasts?

Even if it doesn't exist, it's still better than letting it go to waste like this.

Chen Guang hadn't decided on the specific type yet. This pond was used to condense cold water spirit liquid, so its temperature would be very low. How many spirit beasts could withstand such an environment?

The Jade Hedgehog Beast is definitely out of the question. Its main appeal is its cuteness. Its advantages are that it's good-looking, clean, and easy to raise. It would freeze to death if thrown into the Ice Mist Array, let alone enter the future Cold Pool. That wouldn't be domestication, it would be murder.

The idea is good, but its implementation requires careful consideration.

Chen Guang's expression turned strange.

In my previous life on Earth, I was born into a farming family. I was fed up with farm work, which was dirty, tiring, and poor. I worked hard to escape the fate of toiling in the fields. But after going around in circles, I ended up in the cultivation world and became a "first-class Qi Refiner". I feel ashamed.

But deep down, I felt a little smug, because at least I had benefited greatly from it and was able to accept this kind of life.

Chen Guang packed his things, went home to wash up, and then went to Cao Fang's house.

All the courtyards in Lingnong were pretty much the same. Chen Guang saw Cao Fang as soon as he arrived at the gate. She looked travel-worn but not tired, though her breath was so weak that Chen Guang could sense it. Sweat rolled down her delicate face, but she looked satisfied and happy.

"You're going to get my cultivation manual tomorrow? No problem, I'm all ready. Shall we go first thing in the morning?" Cao Fang excitedly jumped and skipped over Chen Guang, her voice full of energy.

"It seems I just used too much magic..."

Chen Guang asked curiously, "Have you been helping people harvest spirit rice lately?"

"Yes, I don't know why, but Lu Daxian and his wife didn't go to harvest the spirit rice either, and you didn't go either. All the work fell on my shoulders," Cao Fang laughed happily. "These days, I've collected more than 700 catties of spirit rice. Today was the most tiring day. The rest were just some casual tasks, and I still have about 100 catties of spirit rice left."

"Brother Lu and the others didn't go?" Chen Guang asked, puzzled, but seeing that Cao Fang also looked clueless, he didn't press the matter. "I was thinking of telling you if it would be alright to go to the market a little later tomorrow? The disciples from the branch buildings are coming to harvest the Jade Heart Grass in the morning, and I need to stay and watch over them, so I can't get away."

"Is that all? No problem, I'll come find you later." Cao Fang patted her chest loudly and readily agreed.

"By the way, I'm planning to go to Fanglin this winter. Would you like to come along? Two senior brothers who are at the mid-stage of the Earth Hall Qi Refining realm will also be coming," Cao Fang said.

"Fang Lin? Is that the Fang Lin Hall thing where you accumulate spending and sell 6,000 catties of spirit rice, and then you get a chance to buy Fang Lin products at an 80% discount for a day?" Chen Guang asked rhetorically.

Cao Fang said matter-of-factly, "Of course, among the scattered cultivator families in the east, only Fanglin, Chaxi, and Hepu Mountain are worth visiting for us spiritual farmers. The wild spiritual plants there are very unique. In order to attract cultivators to spend money, the scattered cultivator families there will only bring out some special products to entice them. There are also many good things that are kept hidden away. It is difficult to buy them without going to their territory."

"If you don't have a record of 6,000 catties of spirit rice, you can buy one from Fanglin Hall. It's a special winter event. By purchasing designated goods, you only need to accumulate 3,600 catties of consumption and sales records to get a chance to explore Fanglin. It's quite cheap. I think it shouldn't be difficult for someone of your status to do this. There's only one chance like this every five or six years. Winter is a relatively quiet time for us Earth Hall disciples. We leave the sect at this time to search for opportunities. Do you want to go? We can all go together and look out for each other."

Chen Guang was somewhat tempted, but after thinking about it, he declined.

He's had quite a lot going on this winter.

Planting spirit plants within the ice mist array, learning four spells including the Flame Mist Spell, and choosing suitable spirit beasts to raise...

The two Dingzhen tea trees are not completely cured of their illness. At present, only the problem of thirst has been solved. The small, withered, and severely diseased Dingzhen tea tree still needs careful observation and care to completely eliminate the disease.

"If you have any suitable yin-cold attribute spiritual plants, could you please bring them to me? I can give you an extra 10% off the price, plus an extra service fee." Chen Guang pondered the remaining land in the ice mist array and quickly added, "I don't need too much, just enough for a small plot or two will do."

"Alright, I'm really curious about what you've been up to inside the formation." Cao Fang deftly opened the courtyard gate, leaving only Chen Guang's head behind. "Then, Fellow Daoist Chen, I won't keep you any longer."

With a chuckle, he closed the courtyard gate.

Chen Guang didn't mind and was about to go back when he realized that Lu Daxian's house wasn't far away. He decided to take a detour to see why Lu Daxian and his wife had given up helping to harvest the spirit rice. Earning hundreds of catties of spirit rice in a few days was still worthwhile.

I just happened to have the excuse that the other party was short of vegetables.