"Introduction to Spirit Plant Cultivation" is more practical, recording how to care for Jade Sprout Rice, including loosening the soil, weeding, watering, and the basic incantations and spells for "Water Gathering" and "Spirit Rain" (which require a small amount of spiritual energy to activate). It also includes methods for dealing with some common spirit insects.
"Water Gathering Technique... Spirit Rain Technique..." Li Xuan murmured to himself, his gaze once again turning to the well outside the house. The faint effect of the well water gave him hope.
Li Xuan went to the well again and drew a small bucket of water. This time, he didn't drink it down, but sipped it slowly, carefully sensing the changes in his body.
A slight cooling sensation entered my abdomen, and after a moment, I felt a slight peristalsis in my abdomen again, but this time it was not a sharp pain, but a kind of gentle urging.
Li Xuan quickly went to the outhouse again, and the amount of filth he expelled was significantly less than the first time, and there was also less gray impurities seeping from his body.
"Has the effect weakened? Or has the body adapted?" Li Xuan pondered. "But it is still effective!" He forced himself to drink another half bowl despite the discomfort.
This time the reaction was milder. A clear realization formed in his mind: this seemingly inconspicuous well might be his greatest asset in this world!
After the initial euphoria came extreme calm. Having read countless novels, he knew all too well the dangers of possessing a treasure. A lowly servant without spiritual roots possessing such a miraculous ability—if discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The best outcome would be to be kept in captivity and used as research material; more likely, they would be stripped of their souls and treasures, and die a gruesome death!
"We must keep it a secret! We absolutely cannot let anyone know!" Li Xuan clenched his fists, his nails almost digging into his palms.
From today onward, he must play the role of a lowly, unqualified, and resigned laborer.
Over the next few days, Li Xuan began a regular routine. He would get up before dawn, first sip a certain amount of well water to feel the subtle changes in his body, and then take care of his personal hygiene.
Then he picked up the rusty hoe in the house and, following the instructions in "Introduction to Spiritual Planting", began to carefully tend to the barren spiritual field.
Weeding, loosening the soil, irrigating with well water... Li Xuan soon discovered that after irrigating with well water, the drooping Jade Sprout Rice seedlings seemed to have perked up a little. Although the change was minimal, it gave him a glimmer of hope to complete his monthly task.
During his rest period, Li Xuan repeatedly practiced the hand gestures and incantations of the "Gathering Water Technique" and the "Spiritual Rain Technique".
Without spiritual power, he naturally couldn't perform the move, but he forced himself to form muscle memory, memorizing every gesture and every tone.
The days were monotonous and arduous. The well water he drank each day had less and less effect, and his body expelled less and less impurities, almost imperceptibly. But his body was indeed undergoing slow but steady changes.
The backache and soreness from the first day of work gradually lessened, and my strength seemed to have increased slightly. My five senses became more acute, and I could even hear the birdsong and insect chirping in the distant mountains and forests more clearly.
The most obvious change was that his appetite had increased. His meager rations were quickly gone.
Li Xuan had no choice but to try to identify some non-poisonous wild vegetables recorded in "Introduction to Spiritual Plants" in the mountains and fields, and mix them with well water to fill his stomach.
During this time, a young man, also dressed in menial clothes and with a dark complexion, passed by his sacred field and glanced at him curiously a few times.
"New here? You're really unlucky to have been assigned to this godforsaken place." The young man's tone wasn't malicious. "I'm Zhao Tie from number six next door. This place is godforsaken, there's almost no spiritual energy, the Jade Sprout Rice grows slowly, and the tasks are extremely difficult to complete. All the previous handymen have run away."
Li Xuan immediately put on a simple yet dejected expression: "Yes, Senior Brother Zhao. There's nothing we can do. Without spiritual roots, we're lucky to even have a place to stay. We can only work as hard as we can."
Zhao Tie sighed, "That's true. By the way, use water sparingly. This well is shallow and might dry up during the dry season. Go to the stream three miles to the west for water. It doesn't have any spiritual energy, but it's plentiful." He pointed in the direction.
Zhao Tie then left.
"Thank you for reminding me, Senior Brother Zhao." Li Xuan quickly thanked him, but thought to himself: This well water is a treasure to me; it would be troublesome if it dried up.
It seems that finding more and better water sources must also be put on the agenda.
But for now, he doesn't even have the ability to protect himself, so he can only rely on this well for the time being. The amount of water he drinks each day has started to increase, from the initial half bowl to several bowls a day.
The body seemed to gradually adapt to the cleansing effect of this trace amount of spiritual energy, becoming more resilient.
In the stillness of the night, Li Xuan lay on his hard wooden bed, listening to the wind outside and contemplating the future.
The future remains uncertain, but at least he has found a unique path to becoming stronger: drinking water makes him stronger!
Current goals: 1. Continuously strengthen my body using well water. 2. Take good care of the spirit field, complete my monthly tasks, and retain my status as a handyman. 3. Absolutely avoid arousing anyone's suspicion.
Li Xuan was like a weed pressed down by a stone, greedily absorbing water and silently accumulating strength in a corner where no one paid attention.
A month has passed in a flash.
Li Xuan lived an extremely regular life, like an ascetic monk. Every day consisted of drinking water, farming, practicing hand seals and incantations, and finding wild vegetables to eat.
He drank large amounts of well water every day, and the effect had become negligible. He could hardly feel the excretion of impurities, but he could clearly feel that his physical condition was far superior to that of the weak boy he had been when he first arrived.
A punch can create a subtle gust of wind; carrying two full buckets of water, one moves with light steps; one's eyes can see the veins on distant leaves; one's ears can detect sounds from an even greater distance.
However, the situation at the spirit field was far from optimistic. Despite his meticulous care, the soil was too barren, and the spiritual energy of the well water was too weak, so the growth of the jade sprout rice remained slow.
The rice seedlings are only slightly greener and taller than before; they are still a long way from producing plump ears of rice. With the end of the month approaching, let alone a hundred jin, I'm afraid I won't even be able to harvest ten jin.
"We must find a way to enhance the spiritual energy of the irrigation water!" Li Xuan thought anxiously.
He pinned his hopes on the "Spirit Rain Technique." Although he had no spiritual power, a month of intensive practice had made his hand seals and incantations incredibly proficient, and Li Xuan decided to give it a try.
That morning.
Li Xuan stood by the spirit field, his expression solemn. He took a deep breath, recalling the records in "Introduction to Spirit Planting," and laboriously formed the hand seals he had practiced countless times, while chanting the difficult incantation.
Without the stimulation of spiritual energy, the spiritual energy in the world remained unresponsive. Once, twice, three times… Sweat streamed down his forehead, and his arms ached and went numb from holding the hand seals. He knew it was futile, but he still refused to give up, as if performing some kind of ritual.
Just as Li Xuan was highly focused and repeatedly chanting the incantation to the point of it becoming almost instinctive, an unexpected change occurred!