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“Working for others is out of the question… Actually, farming doesn’t sound bad!”

Zhou Yi had long made plans, to farm for a few years and familiarize himself with the marketplace before contemplating other pursuits.

As a newcomer without any background or connections, there was no need to stand out for the sake of minor conveniences. Should he inadvertently violate any taboos or unspoken rules, it would only bring needless resentment and trouble.

“The Cultivation World is fraught with danger, far less safe than the ordinary world. One must tread on thin ice, with utmost caution!”

“First, I’ll claim a cave dwelling, and I can even get the Spiritual Rain Technique for free by farming.”

Zhou Yi had been cultivating for decades and only mastered the simple art of Mana Condensation, and he had long envied the spells of the immortals.

…

The buildings of the small Dan Mountain Market were all identical, except for a six-story building in the center, with the plaque of Dan Ding Sect hanging at its entrance. Cultivators entering and exiting were all extremely cautious.

This was the official office of small Dan Mountain!

On the first floor.

Zhou Yi arrived at one of the counters, and with a smile and respect, he said.

“Fellow Daoist, can a Loose Cultivator register their name here?”

“Are you new?”

The young Daoist, dressed in a sky-blue robe with a golden cauldron emblem on his chest, did not even lift his eyes as he spoke, taking out a jade slip: “Write down your name, age, origin, skills.”

Zhou Yi pressed the jade slip to his forehead, circulating his mana, and inscribed the information he had prepared long ago.

——Zhu Gang, fifty-two, Loose Cultivator from Xuzhou, no skills.

Dan Ding Sect wasn’t strict in their management of Loose Cultivators; registering names wasn’t intended to probe their backgrounds but to facilitate subsequent management.

After checking the information on the jade slip, finding nothing out of the ordinary, the Daoist took out a palm-sized bronze token, engraved the name “Zhu Gang” on its surface, and then handed the token over.

“Be careful not to lose it; it costs one Spirit Stone to replace.”

Zhou Yi received it with both hands and said with a smile, “Got it, thank you for your trouble.”

The Bronze Token was equivalent to Zhou Yi’s identity in the marketplace. Inside, it contained a special inscription from the Dan Ding Sect, which was hard to counterfeit by ordinary people. In theory, it could be replaced for free if lost or damaged, but to avoid troubling the Daoists, one Spirit Stone was required as a fee for their effort.

The Daoist, quite pleased with Zhou Yi’s respectful demeanor, casually asked, “Do you want to farm or mine?”

Zhou Yi answered, “To farm.”

The Daoist off-handedly reminded, “Hmm, go to the second floor and look for Brother Liu; he’s affable, and you can ask him for lots of advice.”

“Thank you very much!”

Zhou Yi bowed and thanked him. Perhaps what the Daoist mentioned was just a trivial matter, but it was very useful guidance for Loose Cultivators new to the marketplace.

As for face, Zhou Yi always considered it a byproduct of strength and ability.

When it was time, it would naturally come; no need to insist, no need to care!

On the second floor.

It was quite lively, with about three or four dozen cultivators whispering quietly among themselves.

Although small Dan Mountain had no rules against noise, whether on the streets outside or inside the shops and offices, cultivators either spoke quietly or used sound transmission spells to communicate.

Zhou Yi had inquired about Brother Liu’s location and headed straight for the counter, presenting his Identity Plaque.

“Brother Liu, I’m a new Loose Cultivator here to claim my cave dwelling and spirit fields.”

Brother Liu appeared to be in his seventies or eighties, which was quite old among cultivators, and his face bore a kindly smile: “Have you ever cultivated the Spiritual Rain Technique, or grown Spiritual Medicine before?”

Zhou Yi shook his head, “No.”

“Then you can only plant Spirit Rice.”

Brother Liu took out a map and pointed to a green area: “Choose any spot you like; there’s a rent of six dou per mu of spirit field.”

The areas for planting Spirit Rice were mostly around small Dan Mountain, while the spirit fields closer to the central Qi Yun Peak were used for cultivating Spiritual Medicine.

Zhou Yi respectfully asked, “May I ask senior, how much does the Spiritual Rain Technique and planting experience affect the yield of Spirit Rice?”

“It can differ by as much as fifty or sixty percent.”

Brother Liu spoke with pride: “Poor Dao once specialized in cultivating the Spiritual Rain Technique for over a decade. Each mu of land could yield an extra two or three dou.”

Spirit Rice, unlike ordinary rice or wheat, was planted one plant per zhang; an average mu of spirit field roughly produced one shi, so Brother Liu’s extra two or three dou were quite impressive.

Zhou Yi carefully examined the areas designated for Spirit Rice and chose a spot on the east side.

By small Dan Mountain’s east was the endless sea, in case of any emergencies, fleeing into the sea could save one’s life.

“Let’s rent three mu for now.”

“Certainly.”

Senior Brother Liu entered the information about the spiritual farm into the identity token and then asked, “Which grade of cave dwelling would you like to choose?”

“The lowest grade!”

Zhou Yi replied without hesitation. The lowest grade cave dwelling was worth three thousand spirit stones, and it was located close to the spirit rice area.

Living close to the spiritual farm saved him the trouble of traveling far to reach the fields. It definitely wasn’t because he couldn’t afford a higher-grade cave dwelling!

“Just right, cave dwelling number 306 is vacant. Each year you’ll need to repay thirty spirit stones.”

Senior Brother Liu entered the cave dwelling information, handed over the identity token, spell jade slip, and a packet of spirit rice seeds to Zhou Yi, and cautioned, “Remember not to be lazy. Many who rent or borrow are overdue and can only turn to mining to repay their debts.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

After inspecting the token and jade slip, Zhou Yi, with a thick face, said, “Senior Brother, this is the first time for me to cultivate the Spiritual Rain Technique. I humbly request some guidance. When I harvest the spirit rice next year, I’ll repay you doubly.”

“Interesting, interesting! It has been some years since I’ve seen such a thick face,” said Senior Brother Liu with amusement. Taking out another jade slip, he said with a smile, “These are some of my cultivation insights. There’s no need for you to repay me doubly. When you’re more financially comfortable, just treat me to a meal at the Phoenix Cry Pavilion.”

“Definitely! Definitely!”

Zhou Yi suppressed his joy and bowed deeply in thanks.

He left the office.

Following the map in the identity token, he flew around the central area for well over an hour, finally finding cave dwelling number 306.

It had a private entrance and courtyard, measuring two zhang square.

Three main rooms with east and west wings, the layout was similar to those in Divine Capital, but the difference was that the other cave dwellings were separated by dozens of zhang, emphasizing the privacy of cultivation.

Zhou Yi purposely took a look around and noticed that the neighboring dwellings were all vacant and uninhabited.

“The Dan Mountain Market extends for a hundred li or so, only the trading area is crowded. The population is sparse elsewhere. For me, this couldn’t be more perfect, as it prevents others from noticing anything unusual.”

“First, I’ll put the cave dwelling in order. Tomorrow, I’ll check the fields.”

Zhou Yi cast a Cleaning Spell and tidied up the rooms.

The main bedroom was traditionally not used for cultivation. He installed a few mechanisms, not to injure cultivators, but to serve as an early warning system.

Night fell.

In the western wing, Zhou Yi sat cross-legged and began his first night of cultivation in the marketplace.

The Guiyuan Technique operated, attracting spiritual energy at a rate three to four times that of the outside world, circulating and refining it through his meridians, storing mana in his dantian.

An unprecedented efficiency in cultivation caused ripples in Zhou Yi’s usually tranquil heart.

“With such a rate, breaking through to the fourth level of Qi refinement will be even quicker than the third!”

“This is just the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth. Combined with spirit rice and spiritual medicine, wouldn’t I just take off… No, I still need to pay rent and repay my debts!”

At this thought, Zhou Yi’s good mood abruptly dampened.

The next day.

Zhou Yi went to inspect the spiritual farm. It was a rectangle ten zhang in width and a little over ten zhang in length, quite tidy.

After clearing the weeds and tilling the land, Zhou Yi didn’t rush to plant the spirit rice. Instead, he schmoozed with neighboring cultivators.

A few flattering compliments and kind words earned him several small tips on cultivating spirit rice.

These were not exclusive secrets but common knowledge among the old folks of the marketplace. Even without anyone telling him, he would have figured it out after a few years of personal experience.

A month later.

Zhou Yi mastered the Spiritual Rain Technique, which, when cast, could create spiritual rain in a three zhang radius.

This was indeed one of the most basic spells, transforming mana into spiritual rain to nourish the spiritual fields and boost the yield of the spirit rice.

“Time to start farming!”

Hoisting a hoe, Zhou Yi planted a grain of spirit rice every three chi.

This was one of the small tricks: the germination rate of spirit rice was about sixty percent, with a seedling rate of fifty percent. Therefore, approximately one out of every three seeds would survive to become a seedling.

Naturally, after becoming seedlings, some thinning out was necessary—that’s where cultivators would need to transplant them.

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

From three mu of spiritual farmland, Zhou Yi harvested two dan and four dou, paid one dan and eight dou for the rent, and was left with six dou of spirit rice.

Zhou Yi sold the spirit rice directly to the Dan Ding Sect, earning thirty spirit stones, and then the rent for the cave dwelling was due.

“So, a year’s work for nothing?”