Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Cultivating the Spiritual Fields

After Zhang Zhixuan had been there for three or four days and grown somewhat familiar with the environment, his Seventh Uncle Zhang Mengyuan began teaching him how to cultivate the spiritual fields."Zhixuan, you've already mastered the Golden Needle Technique—with this spell, you can kill most pests. If you encounter tricky pests, don't act rashly; notify the clan immediately and let us experienced elders handle it.""We harvested the Jade Marrow Rice a month ago. Starting today, I'll cast the Spiritual Convergence and Rain Spell. From now on, you must cast this spell once every half a month to moisten the spiritual soil and maintain its spiritual energy. After casting it four times, you'll sow the seeds. Every second, twelfth, and twenty-second day of the month, weed in the morning and cast the Spiritual Convergence and Rain Spell in the evening to irrigate the fields. On the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth days, take care of the Yellow Sprout Grass. On the eighth, eighteenth, and twenty-eighth days, tend to the dozens of precious spiritual herbs.""These dozens of spiritual herbs are extremely valuable. Every time you cast a spell on them, you must dissolve three Low-Grade Spirit Stones to replenish their spiritual energy. After all, our best spiritual fields are only High-Grade Second-Rank, but the dozens of spiritual herbs we're growing are all Third-Rank—and the most important one, the Vitality-Replenishing Ginseng, is even a Fourth-Rank spiritual herb. Without additional spiritual energy supplementation, they can't survive for long; in a few years, they'll gradually wither and lose their medicinal value."Though the Zhang Clan had over a hundred cultivators, only three were proficient in spiritual field cultivation. The Second Elder was over a hundred years old, the Seventh Uncle was nearly seventy, and even the youngest Thirteenth Uncle Zhang Menghan was over fifty. In recent years, the clan had intentionally trained young cultivators in spiritual field cultivation, hoping they would take over from the Second Elder so he could retire peacefully on the mountain. After all, Qi Refining cultivators only had a lifespan extension of fifty years (a total of around 110–120 years). The Second Elder had been injured in several battles in his early years, damaging his vitality—his lifespan was slightly shorter, and he might not hold on for many more years. Once he passed away, the clan would only have two spiritual field cultivators left, making it difficult to rotate duties.Zhang Zhixuan had no strong objections to becoming a spiritual field cultivator. Though the task took years to complete, it provided stable cultivation time and was safer than other tasks outside the mountain.Zhang Zhixuan did not slack off in learning from Zhang Mengyuan. He nodded seriously and said, "In the past few days since coming down the mountain, I've carefully studied the Spiritual Convergence and Rain Spell. This spell is easiest to learn for cultivators with Water Spiritual Roots; next are Wood and Earth Spiritual Roots—Fire and Metal Spiritual Roots cannot learn it. From my exploration over the past ten-odd years, I should have Fire, Metal, and Wood Spiritual Roots. Though learning the Spiritual Convergence and Rain Spell will be a bit difficult, my comprehension is decent, and I learn quickly. I estimate I'll be able to barely cast it in about a month."Zhang Mengyuan nodded approvingly. "It seems your comprehension is indeed good. I'm a Four-Spiritual-Root cultivator with a Water Spiritual Root—even with this advantage, it took me over three months to learn this spell. If you're confident you can master it in a month, I won't need to spend extra time teaching you."Zhang Mengyuan was an Eighth Layer Qi Refining cultivator; each time he cast the Spiritual Convergence and Rain Spell, he could irrigate twelve or thirteen mu of spiritual fields. With just two casts, the old man irrigated the twenty-five mu of First-Rank spiritual fields.As for the most important five mu of spiritual fields, Zhang Mengyuan calmly took two wooden buckets from the house, fetched over thirty buckets of spiritual water from the well, and carefully poured it over each spiritual herb one ladle at a time.Zhang Mengyuan pointed to the well and said, "This spiritual well is the foundation of the thirty mu of spiritual fields. Irrigating with its water can nurture the spiritual fields. Every ten days, you must fetch thirty buckets of spiritual water from the well and pour it over the five mu of Second-Rank spiritual fields—never skip this. As long as we keep nurturing the soil with spiritual water, the clan's spiritual fields will grow larger and better. Well-cultivated spiritual fields can support more cultivators, making the clan stronger. A stronger clan benefits cultivators like you with good spiritual roots—with more people supporting you, your future will be brighter."Zhang Zhixuan dipped his left hand slightly into the bucket. Immediately, he felt a bone-chilling cold, and a tingling, numb sensation spread from his fingertip. "The spiritual water in this well has such abundant spiritual energy!" he exclaimed.Zhang Mengyuan sighed. "Yes, the spiritual water is growing more and more potent. When this well was first dug, it was ordinary. Three hundred years ago, it gradually began to emit a wisp of spiritual energy—but it was only slightly extraordinary, a relatively common spiritual object. Back then, the clan was more powerful with more cultivators, but our greatest reliance was still the protection of Ancestor Chuyun. At that time, Ancestor Chuyun was already a Fourth-Realm Purple Mansion cultivator, one of the top experts in the Qingxuan Sect. The spiritual rice the clan's cultivators used daily was bought from the Qingxuan Sect. After Ancestor Chuyun passed away, the clan declined day by day, but the spiritual energy in this well grew stronger. Most of these thirty mu of spiritual fields were opened only in the past hundred years. If the spiritual energy in the well continues to increase, it will surely attract outsiders' covetous eyes. With the clan's current strength, we might not be able to hold onto this well in the end. Thus, over the past thirty years, the clan has stopped opening new spiritual fields, hoping to avoid attracting unwanted attention.""Rest assured, Seventh Uncle. This spiritual well is the clan's foundation—I'll guard it carefully," Zhang Zhixuan said solemnly."During the five years you're down here cultivating the fields, focus on your cultivation and farming. Don't make friends with loose cultivators, and never bring them here. Though these dozens of mu of spiritual fields are close to Lushan County, ordinary mortals in the county won't disturb you. If you encounter difficulties in cultivation and need to go to the Xihe Market to exchange items, notify the clan's cultivators in Lushan County in advance so they can come take over guarding the well. Besides you, there are five other clan cultivators in Lushan County: the County Magistrate, the County Captain, the Bandit-Catcher, the City Patrol, and the Merchant Guild Leader. Their cultivation is not high—some haven't even broken through to the Innate Realm. All five are under the command of the cultivator guarding the spiritual fields. You're not only responsible for cultivating the fields but also for protecting the safety of the mortals in the county and villages.""Though the Boundless Ocean is a spiritual energy-dead land with no demonic beasts in its waters, low-level demonic beasts occasionally come down from the depths of Lushan Mountain. Even a lowly First-Rank demonic beast is difficult for an Innate Realm cultivator to handle. Thus, you must protect yourself while eliminating these wandering low-rank demonic beasts to safeguard the county's people. The mortals of Lushan County may have no mana, but most are descendants of our ancestors. The next generation of cultivators will mostly come from among them—they are the foundation of the Zhang Clan's cultivators. As long as we have the ability, we should protect them well."