Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Liu Qingchan (Part 2)

Compared to the leisure of cultivating on the mountain, being a farmer and tending spiritual fields at the foot of the mountain is far busier—especially in the first few months. Still unskilled with the Spiritual Convergence and Rain Spell, Zhang Zhixuan burned through mana with every cast. His days blurred into a cycle of casting spells, recovering mana, weeding, and plowing; he barely had a moment to focus on his own cultivation, sometimes even skipping laundry or cooking.Little Qingchan proved an unexpected help. Though mute, she was diligent beyond her years. Before long, she took over all mundane chores—freeing up precious time for Zhang Zhixuan. Gradually, he grew more proficient with the Spiritual Convergence and Rain Spell: each cast drained less mana, and his free time stretched longer. Whenever he had a moment to spare, he taught Qingchan to read and write, to recognize the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the inner workings of the five viscera, and to learn immortal cultivation basics—spiritual energy, spiritual veins, magical artifacts, spiritual herbs, and more. Once she had a solid foundation, he could guide her to start cultivating.Cultivation is fraught with hidden perils. Even Golden Core cultivators who have lived for centuries often hear tales of fellow cultivators going berserk—some grow mentally unhinged, while others lose their lives entirely. Only when a cultivator understands their own body, matures in temperament, and gains 稳重 (steadiness) can they begin cultivating.While the initial Innate Realm is relatively simple—focused solely on opening meridians and refining internal energy (not powerful spiritual energy)—children under fourteen still need a guardian to sit by their side during cultivation. Without supervision, a single misstep could lead to lifelong regret.And so, Zhang Zhixuan's days settled into a rhythm: weeding, plowing, sowing, pest control, irrigation in the spiritual fields; occasionally teaching little Qingchan. Life grew increasingly like that of a farmer, and surprisingly, he found it quite contenting.Seasons turned, sun rose and set, and before he knew it, nearly a year had passed. The time for harvesting the spiritual rice had arrived.The spiritual energy at the foot of the mountain was far thinner than on the peak—barely reaching High-Grade First-Rank, suitable only for Innate Realm cultivators breaking through to Qi Refining. For a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Zhang Zhixuan, it was barely enough to sustain his cultivation, let alone advance. To speed up his spiritual energy refinement, he had two options: take Spiritual Pills, or use Spirit Stones for cultivation.A Sixth Layer Qi Refining cultivator like Zhang Zhixuan, if relying on Spirit Stones to refine spiritual energy, would consume roughly five or six Low-Grade Spirit Stones per month—far less cost-effective than buying Spiritual Pills. Thus, clan cultivators on external missions mostly relied on Spiritual Pills to boost their cultivation.In his year at the foot of the mountain, Zhang Zhixuan had taken only two Golden Sprout Pills—boosting his mana by a mere few months. His cultivation had barely progressed.Recently, he had been planning a trip to the market, hoping to exchange all his remaining Spirit Stones for Spiritual Pills. Moreover, he needed to prepare cultivation techniques for Qingchan as soon as possible.Qingchan had exceeded all his expectations. Though mute and harder to communicate with than most children, she was exceptionally intelligent—far more so than ordinary kids her age. Hardened by her tragic fate, her temperament was also more mature than that of her peers. Under Zhang Zhixuan's guidance, she absorbed knowledge rapidly: within less than a year, she had mastered nearly all common characters, understood the locations of meridians and acupoints and their connections, and had a solid grasp of immortal cultivation basics.A month earlier, under Zhang Zhixuan's supervision, Qingchan had begun cultivating for the first time. She practiced the Primordial Unity True Technique—the Zhang Clan's foundational cultivation method. This technique originated from the major sect Qingxuan Sect and had long been widely circulated across the three southeastern counties.In the past, the Zhang Clan's original foundational method was the Ice Essence Technique, passed down by a loose cultivator—ideal for Water or Ice Spiritual Root cultivators to open meridians and break through to the Innate Realm. Later, Ancestor Chuyun joined the Qingxuan Sect, learned the Primordial Unity True Technique, and brought it back to the clan. Though the Primordial Unity True Technique progresses slower than the clan's original Ice Essence Technique, it is balanced and gentle, suitable for cultivators with any type of spiritual root.Due to the sect's large size and thousands of years of circulation, most immortal cultivation clans in the three southeastern counties possess this technique. Even some local loose cultivators use it to lay their foundation, open meridians, refine spiritual energy, and break through to the Innate Realm.Thirty years ago, in a great battle, the Zhang Clan lost its Spirit-Measuring Platform—leaving them unable to test spiritual roots. Thus, over the past thirty years, the clan's Zhi-generation cultivators have relied on the Primordial Unity True Technique to break through to the Innate Realm. Since this technique is already widespread, the clan has no rules against teaching it to outsiders.Qingchan's cultivation progress was astonishing—far surpassing Zhang Zhixuan's own pace when he began at age six. In just one month, her cultivation had surpassed her father's, reaching the Fourth Layer of the Innate Realm. At this rate, she would break through to the Innate Realm and enter Qi Refining in less than half a year."Qingchan started cultivating at nine—her meridians should have partially blocked by now, putting her at a disadvantage compared to me when I started at six. Moreover, the spiritual energy here is far thinner than on the mountain. Logically, her progress should be much slower than mine. It took me a year to break through to the Innate Realm, but Qingchan might do it in less than six months. Even without a Spirit-Measuring Platform, I'd bet her spiritual root aptitude is far better than mine—she's either a Special Spiritual Root or a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Given her current pace, Heavenly Spiritual Root seems more likely," Zhang Zhixuan thought to himself as he watched Qingchan dart around the spiritual fields.Qingchan's extraordinary spiritual root aptitude came as a huge surprise. "If Qingchan is truly a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator, she could be the clan's once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Ancestor Chuyun was only a Special Spiritual Root, and he brought immense prosperity to the clan. With Qingchan's superior aptitude, her path should be even broader. Regrettably, the Zhang Clan is in decline—if the clan raises a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator, it might not be a blessing but a curse. Moreover, my cultivation is still low, and I have little influence within the clan. Qingchan has no backing in the immortal world; if someone with ill intentions takes notice, I might not be able to protect her. The clan is full of gossip—years ago, when a Special Spiritual Root talent appeared, someone leaked the news, triggering a major crisis. It was only after the Clan Leader beheaded two culprits that order was restored. I must keep this secret a little longer."Zhang Zhixuan pushed aside his worries, served the cooked Jade Marrow Rice, and called to Qingchan, who was frolicking in the spiritual fields: "Little Qingchan, come eat quickly. The Jade Marrow Rice is ripe today—after eating, we'll start harvesting."Jade Marrow Rice is no ordinary grain. Its grains are plump and large, with only three to five grains per stalk. Because the stalks are extremely tough, they can only be cut with magical artifacts—making harvesting far slower than ordinary rice. Once ripe, the grains must be picked within three to five days; if they fall to the ground, they will immediately germinate and become inedible. Thus, harvesting Jade Marrow Rice is like picking fruit—one grain at a time—far slower than reaping ordinary rice.Qingchan kicked off her brocade quilt in annoyance, gave Zhang Zhixuan an impatient look, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and reluctantly got up to eat. Since she had started cultivating, Zhang Zhixuan's ration of Jade Marrow Rice had grown insufficient. With her excellent spiritual root, Qingchan refined essence and opened meridians at a rapid pace—naturally, her appetite grew larger. Because Jade Marrow Rice was delicious and accelerated the cultivation of Innate Realm cultivators, this greedy little girl had grown accustomed to it; even if she went hungry, she would wait for the Jade Marrow Rice to be served before eating.Sharing one person's ration between two meant shortages were inevitable. By the end of most months, their Jade Marrow Rice would run out.Over the past two hundred years, the Zhang Clan had been a declining immortal cultivation clan, and the resources provided to cultivators were meager. Fortunately, Zhang Zhixuan cultivated quickly and had good spiritual root aptitude, so the clan gave him slightly better treatment. Even so, supporting Qingchan's cultivation would require far more resources than the clan could provide. To continue cultivating smoothly, Zhang Zhixuan needed to find an additional source of income.Qingchan reluctantly got up, and the two quickly ate a small bowl of spiritual rice before grabbing their tools to start harvesting. Now at the Fourth Layer of the Innate Realm, Qingchan had strength of several hundred jin in her arms. Though small, she was faster than Zhang Zhixuan at picking the spiritual rice.