Hua Xuanzǐ looked at the slightly taller, sweet-faced Wei Yunxi and smiled.
"The senior brother normally in charge is out handling something, so I'm helping out for now. Are you here to accept a sect mission?"
Wei Yunxi nodded with a bright smile.
"Yes, Senior Sister. I was wondering if there are any missions suitable for new disciples like us."
"These are all beginner-level tasks for new disciples."
Hua Xuanzǐ handed her a jade slip. "Since your group is mostly in the early stages of Qi Refining, you should start with basic tasks like planting or cleaning. Once you reach mid-stage, you can take on assignments that involve gathering or hunting in the sect's back mountains."
Her advice was practical and fair.
Wei Yunxi swept her spiritual sense across the jade slip and skimmed through the listed tasks. After memorizing most of it, she handed the jade slip to Wei Zonghao and the others to browse while she continued chatting with Hua Xuanzǐ.
Over the past year, Wei Yunxi had undergone significant changes. Thanks to the daily nourishment from the milk fruit, her six-year-old frame now stood at 1.3 meters, nearly as tall as Wei Zonghao and Wei Zongyu. She was already taking on the form of a young girl.
Her rapidly improving cultivation also refined her temperament. The baby fat from her earlier days had faded, leaving behind delicate features that now bore a striking resemblance to her mother. Her appearance blended sweetness with a hint of aloof grace.
Wei Yunxi was quite satisfied with her looks—especially the pair of dimples that appeared when she smiled. They softened her presence and made her seem harmless, which in turn helped her make a few friends within the outer sect. Hua Xuanzǐ was one of them.
Hua Xuanzǐ had a steady hand for making blank talisman paper. She never cut corners to earn more spirit stones, so Wei Yunxi became a regular buyer. In turn, Wei Yunxi would sell off a portion of her completed talismans to Hua Xuanzǐ, who resold them. This arrangement let her earn spirit stones discreetly, keeping attention off her while benefiting them both.
At this moment, Hua Xuanzǐ leaned in and lowered her voice.
"Junior Sister Yunxi, I suggest you take on a task to plant spiritual rice. Just three mu of land will do. You'll need to invest a few spirit stones to buy seeds, but once it matures in three months, you only need to submit a fixed amount of rice. Everything else is yours—either for personal use or to sell."
Wei Yunxi hesitated. As someone from a modern world, her farming experience came only from books or TV programs about agriculture. She had never tried it herself.
Noticing her hesitation, Hua Xuanzǐ continued, "There's a trick to planting spiritual rice. For your first crop, I recommend Pearl Rice. It has low spiritual energy content, but high yield and strong resistance to pests.
After one or two harvests, you can try Red Rice or Purple Rice. Their yields are lower, but the spiritual energy is three times higher than Pearl Rice and they sell for more.
We cultivators may not need to eat like mortals, but food still nourishes the body. Long-term consumption of spiritual rice helps strengthen the body and even boosts cultivation. It's worth considering.
And if you find it doesn't suit you, you can always pick a different task next time. Plus, this task counts as a continuous one, so you won't need to take on any other missions for the next three months."
Wei Yunxi nodded. She had made up her mind to at least give it a try.
"Alright, I'll follow your advice. I'll take the spiritual rice planting task."
"Great. Hand me your identity jade token. I'll register you. Take your token to the Outer Fifth Peak. That mountain is used specifically for planting missions. You'll find the steward disciple at the foot of the mountain. He'll assign you a field.
If you give him a small gift, he might assign you a good plot. That way, you'll avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble and even benefit from the spiritual gathering formation around the fields. It's a win-win."
Wei Yunxi nodded as she listened, handing over her jade token quickly. This was the benefit of knowing senior disciples—they passed on practical survival tips that kept you from stepping on landmines.
Behind her, Wei Zonghao overheard everything and chose the same planting task. His roots were fire, wood, and earth—perfect for farming—so he accepted the mission without hesitation.
Wei Zongyu, after some thought, picked a support role at the artifact refinement workshop. He had gold, fire, and earth spiritual roots, and wanted to study artifact crafting. Though he didn't yet have the qualifications, he figured working as an errand boy could teach him the basics while giving him experience.
The three of them finished receiving their tasks and stepped aside to wait for Wei Yunyīng and the others.
Wei Yunyīng chose a medicinal field maintenance task. Wei Zongjin selected a cleaning assignment on the Spirit Beast Peak. Wei Yunqing, after much internal debate, picked a job sorting spiritual herbs on Pill Peak.
When Wei Yunxi learned of her choice, her eyelid twitched.
So Wei Yunqing was finally about to enter the next part of the plot. According to the original novel, this was where the male and female leads met for the first time—on the outer sect's Pill Peak.
Wei Yunxi glanced at Wei Yunqing's still-shorter frame and rolled her eyes. Unless Sheng Yuhong had some very questionable preferences, he probably wouldn't pay attention to her at all.
The six exchanged a few words about their assigned tasks, then returned to their quarters together. They planned to visit their respective task locations that afternoon.
None of them noticed the pair of eyes watching them from a distance. Only after they left the mission hall did that person finally turn around and step inside.
That afternoon, Wei Yunxi and Wei Zonghao set off for the Outer Fifth Peak. At the base of the mountain, they saw a thatched hut with a sign reading "Mission Transfer Point." Disciples were coming and going—some submitting harvested rice, others receiving new seeds. Inside, two steward disciples were managing the flow of tasks.
Wei Yunxi and Wei Zonghao exchanged a glance and automatically stepped into the line for receiving seeds. It didn't take long before it was their turn.
Wei Yunxi greeted the steward with a bright smile and a respectful bow.
"Senior Brother, the two of us have accepted a planting mission. We're here to register and receive our spiritual rice seeds and tools."
The steward glanced up and immediately recognized them as new disciples.
"Give me your identity tokens."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
The two of them handed over their tokens—and, without making it obvious, each slipped a low-grade spirit stone into his hand. The steward accepted them smoothly, tucking them into his sleeve. It was clear he was a seasoned veteran.
Wei Yunxi continued, "Senior Brother, we were recommended by Senior Sister Hua Xuanzǐ. She said the stewards on the Outer Fifth Peak were especially helpful and would guide us new disciples."
"Oh? You know Senior Sister Hua? She hasn't come by in a while. What's she been busy with lately?"
His tone immediately turned more friendly. Clearly, the spirit stones had been well spent.
Wei Zonghao smiled and answered, "Senior Sister Hua's been helping out at the mission hall these past few days. She even helped us receive this mission."
"Got it. Come take a look at this field distribution chart. The green ones are already taken, the gray ones are unclaimed. You can choose from the gray ones. Since it's your first time, I suggest each of you take three mu. Any more and you won't be able to manage it."