"Alright, we'll follow Senior Brother's suggestion."
Both Wei Yunxi and Wei Zonghao were receptive to advice. They hadn't planned to plant too much anyway, since this was their first attempt.
Wei Zonghao glanced over the field distribution map and said, "Senior Brother, we'd like to choose adjacent spiritual fields. That way, we siblings can look after each other."
Wei Yunxi gave him a playful glance.
"Brother Zonghao, don't make things difficult for Senior Brother. They don't have to be right next to each other. As long as the fields are decent and not too far apart, that's enough."
The steward disciple immediately understood their intent. He waved a hand and lit up two plots on the map, making entries as he spoke. "These two plots have been left fallow for some time. They won't need additional fertilizing when you plant. There are only three fields between them. You'll still be close enough to watch over each other."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
They accepted their updated identity tokens and each received a storage pouch.
"These contain enough spiritual rice seeds to plant three mu of land. You can owe the spirit stones for the seeds for now and pay them off after your harvest.
There's also a spirit hoe, a formation disk to control your field, and a jade slip that outlines basic farming knowledge. You should read it before you start digging, so you don't overlook anything important."
"Many thanks for the guidance, Senior Brother."
They bowed respectfully before exiting the thatched hut. Thanks to this steward's advice, they would avoid many beginner's mistakes.
"Brother, my field is in Area B, number 58. What about yours?"
"I got number 60, just one between us. Pretty close."
Wei Zonghao also felt that the low-grade spirit stone he spent had been worth it. They'd managed to secure a B-grade spiritual field, far better than the lower C- or D-grade ones.
Wei Yunxi nodded. "It probably helped that Senior Sister Hua put in a good word too."
"Let's go check out our new territory."
The two made their way to Area B and found their designated fields. Using the formation disk, they activated the protective barriers and found a small thatched hut in each plot. These would serve as their temporary shelters.
The huts were no more than five square meters, just enough space for a single bed. It was a bit spartan, but the protective formation ensured safety. Disciples who didn't want to waste time commuting could live and cultivate on-site while tending to their crops, saving both time and effort.
After getting familiar with the area, they got to work. First, they loosened the soil across their three-mu plots with the spirit hoe, then planted the rice seeds. Once finished, they used the Rain Summoning Technique to water the fields. With that, the first phase of planting was complete.
It took them seven full days to finish this task. By the end, Wei Zonghao was so exhausted he didn't even want to move. He collapsed in his hut to rest.
Wei Yunxi fared better. Thanks to the milk fruit, her physical strength had steadily improved. Despite her youthful appearance, she had the strength of someone far older. Her face may have been that of a delicate girl, but beneath that was a formidable amount of power—not that she showed it. She was committed to maintaining her gentle and refined persona.
As she sat in her hut, she quietly calculated how many milk fruits she had left. She planned to trade for more with the Tribal Warriors once the rice harvest came in. Over the past year, she had already used up more than half her supply. And she still had a long way to go before reaching adulthood. A treasure like that—one that enhanced body and strength—could never be too plentiful.
The next day, after a full rest, Wei Zonghao came to find her.
"Little Sister Yunxi, I ran out of spirit buns. I'm heading to the dining hall to restock."
Wei Yunxi checked her own storage pouch. Her food supplies were nearly gone too. She nodded.
"Brother Zonghao, would you mind picking up a bit more? And see if you can find a stove too. It'd be nice to cook something once in a while. Yesterday, I saw a Senior Brother frying spiritual vegetables on his own. It looked really good."
"You're not coming with me?"
"I'd rather stay and keep an eye on our fields. This is our first time planting, and I don't want anything to go wrong. I'd feel uneasy if we both left."
She voiced her concern frankly.
"Alright, I'll go. You hold the fort here. I'll also check in with Zongyu and the others. We'll probably all be staying close to our fields this first month. At least it won't interfere with cultivation."
"Exactly. There's nothing wrong with cultivating here."
With everything settled, Wei Yunxi handed him five low-grade spirit stones. Over the past year, she had earned nearly a hundred through talisman sales, so this was just a small investment. She told him to stock up generously.
Wei Zonghao didn't refuse. He took the spirit stones and headed straight to the outer sect marketplace, planning to buy a stove first, then food. He also intended to spend the night at their main courtyard to report in with the others before returning to Outer Fifth Peak the next day.
His plan was solid. What he didn't know was that someone had been waiting for an opening—and now had their eyes set on Wei Yunxi.
Ever since the two arrived at Outer Fifth Peak, they had stuck together. On paper, Wei Zonghao was at the peak of Qi Gathering sixth layer, just a step away from the seventh. That was far above Wei Yunxi's apparent fourth layer.
The hidden threat didn't feel confident enough to take them both at once, so they had waited for a chance. Wei Zonghao's temporary departure gave them exactly that. And so, they decided to act that very night.
Wei Zonghao hadn't left Wei Yunxi alone without reason. He believed that since both of them had improved their spiritual roots, it made no sense for his cultivation to soar while hers remained stagnant. That left only one possibility—Wei Yunxi was hiding her true strength.
Thinking of how Wei Yunqing always tried to provoke her, Zonghao could understand why Yunxi would choose to stay low-profile. Sometimes, hiding one's capabilities was the best way to avoid unnecessary trouble. That was why he never exposed her.
In truth, he figured Wei Yunxi was probably at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, same as him. That was why he left without worry.
That evening, after casting another Rain Summoning Technique over their fields, Wei Yunxi returned to her hut to cultivate. She deactivated the barrier around the field and began her routine.
For the first half of the night, she focused on drawing talismans. Once her spiritual energy was depleted, she switched to meditation. Thanks to the spirit-gathering formation, her dantian was fully replenished after two hours.
Just as she was about to start drawing again, she heard the faintest disturbance.
In the still silence of night, the sound was as clear as a bell.
Her spiritual sense shot out immediately—and she saw someone emerging from underground, heading straight for her hut.
Wei Yunxi's heart tightened. She instinctively readied a Thunderstrike Talisman in her hand and pulled a low-grade spirit sword from her storage pouch.
She had traded this sword from Hua Xuanzǐ using talismans. After saving up enough spirit stones, Hua Xuanzǐ had upgraded to a top-grade sword, making this one available at a bargain.
With a bang, the hut's door was kicked open. A youth with a twisted expression stood in front of her.
Wei Yunxi narrowed her eyes.
"You? So this is revenge against the Wei clan?"
Chen Feng sneered.
"Hmph. You think you're untouchable just because you've got inner sect backing? I want to see what the Wei clan will do once you disappear from this field. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
As he spoke, he unleashed the full pressure of his Qi Gathering sixth-layer cultivation, planning to strike first and fast.
But Wei Yunxi felt more excited than afraid. She wasn't threatened at all.
With swift precision, she threw out the talisman in her hand.
A flash of violet lightning split the night sky and struck Chen Feng directly in the head.