Spirit Realm, Human Race territory, Qinhuai Land, Beast Taming Sect Utility Disciple recruitment office.
"Li Jing, your Five-Element Spiritual Root is a bit problematic."
Deacon Chen gently rubbed his thumb and forefinger, looking at Li Jing with a half-smile.
Li Jing replied with a fawning smile, "Deacon Chen, I've admired the Beast Taming Sect for a long time. Please be accommodating."
As he spoke, he subtly slipped ten Spirit Stones into Deacon Chen's hand.
Deacon Chen's lips curled slightly upon seeing this, but he still maintained a troubled expression.
"Our Beast Taming Sect has never recruited Utility Disciples with Five-Element Spiritual Roots. It's a rule I can't easily break."
Yet, he tightly clutched the ten Spirit Stones in his hand, a hint of greed in his eyes.
Li Jing cursed inwardly, but his outward demeanor became even more humble. He took out a small bottle from his embrace and whispered, "Deacon Chen, this is a bottle of peiyuan pill I obtained by chance. Please accept it."
Deacon Chen's eyes lit up. He took the small bottle, opened it, sniffed, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
He cleared his throat twice, feigning reluctance, "Ah, seeing your sincerity, I'll make an exception this once. However, with your Aptitude, you can only help the Sect with reclamation."
"What!" Li Jing's eyes widened. He had long heard about the Beast Taming Sect's reclamation efforts. That place was overrun with Yao Beasts, and Utility Disciples who went there had a 60% chance of dying. With his Qi Refining First Level cultivation, he probably wouldn't return if he went.
"What, unwilling?" Deacon Chen's face immediately turned cold. The Medicinal Pill and Spirit Stones in his hand were instantly stuffed into his Storage Pouch. To ask for them back would be a pipe dream.
Li Jing gnashed his teeth in hatred. This scoundrel was too greedy. However, circumstances were against him, and besides, he didn't want to be a Loose Cultivator anymore.
"This Disciple is willing."
Li Jing took a deep breath. When under someone else's roof, one had to bow one's head. The Beast Taming Sect's deacons were all at the Foundation Establishment Stage. With his small arms and legs, one slap could kill him.
Deacon Chen chuckled, waved his hand, and wrote Li Jing's name in the roster.
"Alright, go over there to collect your utility uniform and identity token. From now on, you are officially a Utility Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. Someone will take you to the Hundred Thousand Great Wilderness shortly."
"Don't say I took Spirit Stones for this. If you go to reclaim land, you can get an entire mountain, a hundred acres of land, and all the year's harvest will be yours."
Hearing this, Li Jing felt a little better. If the entire mountain were planted with spirit rice, how many Spirit Stones would that earn?
But upon closer thought, his face darkened again. It sounded good, but it was a barren mountain. How long would it take him to cultivate it? What would happen when the Sect reclaimed it?
Moreover, there were Yao Beasts to contend with. It would be good enough to keep his life; forget about the harvest.
Li Jing sighed. At least there was still some hope. He had truly had enough of being a Loose Cultivator these past few years, living hand-to-mouth with pitifully few resources.
As a Transmigrator, to have fallen to this state was unheard of. That's right, he wasn't from this world. In his previous life, he walked out the door with his left foot, hit the jackpot, and Transmigrated to this cultivation world.
He became a direct descendant of the Golden Core Family, the Li Family. Unfortunately, his talent was exceptionally poor, with a Five-Element Spiritual Root. As soon as he came of age, he was kicked out of the Li Family to fend for himself.
Some might ask how a direct descendant could be so miserable. Naturally, his cheap old father had taken over a hundred wives and concubines, siring at least eighty or ninety children.
Other direct descendants had better talent than him, so to avoid wasting Family resources, they naturally kicked him out to become a Loose Cultivator.
Arriving at the utility Pick-up location, the person in charge was a handsome young man. Upon seeing Li Jing's information, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
"Fellow Daoist Li, are you from the Cloud Mist Mountain Li Family?"
The young man looked up at Li Jing and asked with a smile.
Li Jing was puzzled but still nodded slightly, saying, "That's right."
"Hahaha! Clan Brother Li, my name is Li Xuan. I am also from the Cloud Mist Mountain Li Family, and a direct descendant. I wonder if the Family is well?"
Li Xuan stood up abruptly, speaking with great excitement.
"I didn't expect to see Clan Brother here. Please forgive Clan Brother's poor eyesight for not recognizing Clan Brother!"
Li Jing smiled faintly. After all, they were from the same Family, which brought a sense of closeness.
"Clan Brother, why are you going to the Hundred Thousand Great Wilderness for reclamation?"
Li Xuan's smile faded, and he asked with a slight frown.
Li Jing shook his head with a bitter smile and told Li Xuan what had happened.
"This Deacon Chen is truly inhumane!" Li Xuan sighed, "Alas, a Five Spiritual Roots, going to reclaim land is better than being a Loose Cultivator, but it's too dangerous. It's a pity I have little influence and cannot arrange for Clan Brother to go elsewhere."
"It's alright, Clan Brother is satisfied to be able to join the Beast Taming Sect." Li Jing forced a smile. At least it was more stable than being a Loose Cultivator.
Li Xuan's expression changed. He slapped his Storage Pouch, and a red sun bow appeared in his hand, which he then handed over.
"Clan Brother is only at the Eighth Level of Qi Refining cultivation and doesn't have many good things. I'll give this low-grade first-order red sun bow to Clan Brother."
"This is absolutely not allowed, Clan Brother, please take it back!" Li Jing quickly refused. A low-grade first-order Magical Artifact was worth forty to fifty Spirit Stones.
"Haha, I don't use this great bow. The Hundred Thousand Great Wilderness is extremely dangerous, with low-level first-order Yao Beasts appearing from time to time. With this red sun bow, Clan Brother will have an extra layer of protection."
Li Xuan forcefully placed it in Li Jing's hand. Li Jing had no choice but to accept it.
Afterward, Li Xuan took out two black Utility Disciple uniforms and an identity token, handing them to Li Jing.
"Clan Brother, Cultivate well in the future. Even if our Aptitude is low, the Family will not abandon us."
Li Xuan gave Li Jing a hearty smile. Seeing that someone else had come to collect, he waved his hand, telling him to go back.
Li Jing was deeply moved by this, repeatedly agreeing. After turning away, his face immediately darkened.
"I wonder what Li Xuan is planning."
He didn't believe Li Xuan was so kind. Having struggled as a Loose Cultivator for several years, he had long grown accustomed to deceit. A low-grade first-order Magical Artifact worth forty or fifty Spirit Stones, why would it be given away like that?
One must know that there was no relation between them. Even if they were from the same Family, they weren't blood brothers. Even blood brothers might turn against each other for a Magical Artifact.
Li Jing pondered for a moment, sensing Li Xuan's words, which likely concerned the Family's interests.
"Who cares? I got a Magical Artifact for free. I'll worry about future matters later."
Returning to the waiting area, three people were already seated. Li Jing glanced over: a middle-aged man of fifty or sixty, dressed in rags with patches on his robe, whose gaze was full of greed when he saw the red sun bow.
Of the other two, one was a woman in a goose-yellow long dress, with fair skin and a pure, lovely appearance, looking innocent and naive.
The other was a young man in his twenties, with a handsome face like jade, his eyes darting around, looking very nervous.
Li Jing didn't speak, found a seat, and waited for Deacon Chen to take them to the Hundred Thousand Great Wilderness.
Before long, Deacon Chen strode over, slapped his Storage Pouch, and a silver-white flying boat appeared on the ground.
"Follow me onto the flying boat; I will take you to the Hundred Thousand Great Wilderness!"
Deacon Chen said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, everyone dared not delay and quickly jumped on. Deacon Chen formed a hand seal, and the flying boat soared into the sky, transforming into a silver light that flew towards the horizon.
At this moment, the ragged middle-aged man rubbed his hands and looked at Li Jing, saying, "Fellow Daoist, my name is Yan Jian, a mere Loose Cultivator. May I know your esteemed name, Fellow Daoist?"
Li Jing frowned inwardly but still said calmly, "I am Li Jing, a Disciple of the Cloud Mist Mountain Li Family."
Yan Jian's heart skipped a beat, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Fellow Daoist is actually from an aristocratic Family. I was presumptuous."
"Haha, no matter. We are going to the Hundred Thousand Great Wilderness, and there's no telling if we'll encounter danger. I'll need your care in the future, Fellow Daoist."
Li Jing narrowed his eyes. This old fellow was clearly after the red sun bow. If he didn't bring up the Li Family, he might commit murder and robbery.
"Of course! If we, reclamation Disciples, don't unite and look out for each other, encountering Yao Beasts will surely lead to death!"
Yan Jian said with a slight smile, his gaze still intentionally or unintentionally fixed on the red sun bow.
The remaining two on the flying boat, listening closely, also nodded slightly in agreement.
The atmosphere was no longer so heavy, and a few of them also exchanged names.
The woman's name was Huang Yan, a Disciple of a small Family with Three Spiritual Roots Aptitude. Her Family didn't support her, so she could only join the Beast Taming Sect to make a living.
The young man's name was He Xiao, a Cultivator from the Zhushan He Family. His Aptitude was also ordinary, so he had to join the Beast Taming Sect.
Deacon Chen glanced at everyone, threw out four Storage Pouches, and said indifferently, "Inside are your tools and seeds for cultivation and reclamation, a month's worth of food, and the Beast Taming Sect's Cultivation methods. The Sect will provide food every month, but after a year, you'll have to be self-sufficient. After that, the Sect will collect 60% of your harvest annually."
Everyone quickly took the Storage Pouches, overjoyed. Yan Jian's eyes gleamed, and he constantly caressed his Storage Pouch, wishing he could press his face against it.
The flying boat traveled for a day, finally reaching its destination. The area was covered in continuous mountains, with flowing mists gently shrouding them, and a vast expanse of green. On some mountain peaks, terraced fields were spread out, and as the sunlight shone down, golden light shimmered.
Deacon Chen sent the four off the flying boat and then transformed into a silver light, soaring away.
Li Jing touched his Storage Pouch. It was good to join a Sect after all. Although this Storage Pouch was only a low-grade first-order, it was still worth over twenty Spirit Stones.
Looking around, Li Jing's assigned area was named Cuiwei Mountain. A Disciple had managed it for a year previously but was carried away by a Yao Beast.
The cultivated spirit fields were long overgrown with weeds, and sparse, mature spirit rice struggled to survive among them.
Li Jing curiously snapped off a stalk of spirit rice. Suddenly, a blue panel appeared before his eyes.
[Physique: Innate Farming Saint Body (Awakening 1%)]
[Effect One: spirit plant maturation rate increased by 20%.]
[Effect Two: Yield increased by 20%.]
[Effect Three: Cultivation rate increased by 10%.]
[Effect Four: Comprehension Ability increased by 5%.]
[Green Wood Immortal Qi: 1]
[Lifespan: 21900 days]
"This is a System?"
Li Jing was immediately overjoyed. Then, a piece of information suddenly came to his mind, making his expression change slightly.
According to the information in his mind, this was not a System at all, but the Awakening of his Physique, the Innate Farming Saint Body, which could also be called the Green Wood Immortal Body, though not fully Awakened.
And this panel was specially manifested by the Green Wood Immortal Body, based on his memories and experiences, in an understandable way, to let him know how to Awaken the Immortal Body.
That Green Wood Immortal Qi could be used to awaken his Physique, accelerate the growth of spirit plants, and convert Lifespan.
Li Jing felt the information in his mind and couldn't help but roar to the sky. This Physique was great! As long as he cultivated and farmed, Immortal Ascension was not a dream.