Ling Hua did not wander far from his home. Loaded with the belongings he had gathered just moments ago, his mother’s tear-stained eyes still lingered before his vision. She could hardly bear to part with her son, yet her love for him prevented her from being selfishly possessive; she knew that settling here was in his best interest.
He pulled out the jade slip once more and injected a sliver of Qi into it. A simple map of the mountain surfaced upon its face, indicating the location of the field granted to him by the Elder. After studying the marked indicators for a few moments, he raised his head toward the ascending path ahead and followed the designated trail.
The path led him toward a quieter reach of the mountain, far removed from the family members’ residences and halls. As he climbed higher, the voices of people behind him gradually faded until nothing remained but the rustling of trees and the murmur of water cascading over the rocks. Though he had lived on this mountain his entire life, this area felt subtly unfamiliar—perhaps because every step he took now was carrying him toward the place that would become his new home.
After climbing for a time, the path opened up into a relatively wide space, and the field finally came into view among the trees.
Ling Hua stopped at its edge, gazing at it in silence.
There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the field; it was simply a newly plowed spiritual plot. Stumps from the previous rice harvest were still embedded in the soil, and wild weeds had begun to sprout rapidly—accelerated by the abundant spiritual energy in the air. Had he left it unattended for just a week, a dense forest of weeds would have claimed the land. Yet, it was clearly organized: its boundaries were meticulously marked, and the soil appeared softer than the surrounding earth. Along one side ran a small stream descending from the upper mountain, while a small cave carved into the rocky cliff stood a few meters away from the plot.
Ling Hua looked at the cave, walked toward it, and pushed open the door, which yielded with a creak. Judging by the sound, he had anticipated finding the cave in a state of chaotic disarray that would require heavy cleaning. To his pleasant surprise, the reality proved quite the opposite. He stepped inside, taking in every corner of the cave.
On the right side stood a plain wooden bed; on the left, a pot and a stove; and in the deepest section lay a cushion—evidently intended for meditation.
He arranged his belongings in their proper places and stepped back out to explore the cave's surroundings further. Scanning the full expanse of the field, he walked over to inspect the soil before turning his gaze back to the stream.
"So this is where I will be living from now on," he murmured softly, as though trying to accustom himself to the idea.
There was no longer a bed awaiting him in his parents' house, no mother to scold him if he left without telling her where he was going, and no father to sit with him at the evening dining table. A smile touched his lips as he imagined his mother's expression upon realizing he wouldn't be returning home every night, then he shook his head swiftly.
"I suppose I'll miss her cooking more than anything else."
Chuckling at himself, he stepped into the field.
The Elder had informed him that the land covered five hundred square meters. The area wasn't massive, yet standing directly before it felt entirely different. Now, he could observe every single inch of it, fully aware that he would be responsible for every seed that sprouted, every drop of water that reached it, and every pest that emerged among its crops.
He pulled out the burlap sack containing the Green Jade Spirit Rice seeds and placed it carefully on the ground.
Then, he looked toward the nearby stream.
Approaching the water's edge, he bent down and extended a hand to touch the stream.
It was cool and clear, the bottom easily visible through its transparent surface. However, he did not feel the dense concentration of spiritual energy that was typically present near the family's main spiritual spring.
He recalled the Elder's words.
He was supposed to soak the seeds in the mountain's spiritual water for two days to initiate germination. The Elder hadn't meant the water from the tributary running beside the field; he was referring to the spiritual water flowing directly from the spring at the mountain's peak.
Ling Hua raised his head toward the summit.
"It seems I'll have to make the climb to the spring myself."
It was hardly a complex task for him, yet it wasn't something he could overlook either. As water flowed across the mountain, its spiritual density diminished the further it traveled from the source; thus, not all water passing near the fields shared equal value.
As for the main spiritual spring, it was situated at the mountain's highest elevation—a domain where the family preserved the potent water source across their entire territory.
Carrying the pouch of seeds, he picked up the small stone basin from inside the cave and set off along the ascending trail.
It didn't take long to leave his field behind, but he was forced to continue climbing for longer than expected. The higher he ascended, the denser the spiritual energy in the air became, gradually intensifying until he could feel it distinctly within his body.
After a considerable distance, the spring appeared.
It was smaller than he had envisioned, but it was bordered by smooth gray stones. Water trickled from a fissure between the rocks, gathering into a natural pool. Upon its surface floated several lotus flowers glowing with a faint azure light—blooms whose name he did not know—before the stream cascaded down the mountainside. Wisps of light mist hovered over the water's surface, its spiritual energy far surpassing that of the water flowing near his field.
Ling Hua stepped closer and set the basin on the ground.
He sat beside the spring for a moment, observing the water with keen interest.
"So this is the source of all the water."
He knew that the waters descending from here would later branch into small rivulets and streams across various regions of the family lands, utilized for both agriculture and daily life—though their spiritual density thinned as they moved away from the source.
He scooped up some water with the basin, filling it to the brim.
Afterward, he made his way back to the field.
Transporting water this way was by no means convenient, but having no alternative at present, he offered no complaint. Upon reaching the cave, he set the basin aside, retrieved the pouch of seeds, and untied it for the first time.
Before him lay dozens of small, jade-green seeds, each bearing a subtle sheen that was barely perceptible.
He retrieved a wide stone vessel from within the cave, poured in the spiritual water brought from the spring, and placed the seeds inside, one by one.
He watched them closely for a few moments.
Nothing happened.
Naturally, he didn't expect them to sprout immediately; the Elder had clearly instructed him to wait two days.
Placing the vessel in a safe spot inside the cave, he stepped back outside.
Looking over the field, now that he had completed the most urgent step, only the work advised by the Elder remained: plowing the soil.
Returning to the cave, he grabbed the hoe he had obtained from the Treasury Hall.
It appeared ordinary at first glance, but it was not a tool that just anyone could use in the manner of a mundane hoe. It was crafted specifically for cultivators who could nourish it with Qi; the more energy the user channeled into it, the easier and more efficient the plowing process became.
Standing at the edge of the field, Ling Hua gripped the handle with both hands.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then began sending a thread of Qi into the hoe.
The spiritual runes inscribed upon the blade responded instantly with a faint glow, and Ling Hua felt the tool's weight shift subtly between his hands.
"So that's how it works."
He drove the blade into the earth. This time, it sank in far more effortlessly than ordinary iron ever could, turning over a clump of soil with a fluid motion of his arms.
The hoe did not do the work on his behalf, but it drastically reduced the ground's resistance, transforming what would have been a grueling task taking days into work that a cultivator at his current realm could complete independently.
Starting from one edge of the field, Ling Hua moved in measured, even lines, taking care not to overlap his path unnecessarily or leave patches of soil unplowed.
At first, it was easy.
However, after a while, he began to feel the Qi in his Dantian draining slowly.
Pausing, he released a long breath and sat on a rock near the field.
"Even plowing the soil consumes Qi."
He inspected his Dantian, then let out a small smile.
"It seems the Elder wasn't exaggerating when he said farming wouldn't be easy."
He had no choice but to push forward.
After recovering a portion of his strength, he returned to work. This time, he sought a steady rhythm—balancing the influx of Qi into the hoe with brief moments of rest, rather than expending his energy all at once as he had done while casting the Rainmaking Spell.
As time passed, he came to understand a simple yet vital truth.
He didn't need to exert maximum strength at all times.
He needed to learn when to unleash his power, and when to conserve it.
That subtle distinction rendered his work far more efficient.
He continued until the sun began to tilt toward the west. Looking back at the section he had completed and then at the remaining expanse, he saw that while the task wasn't finished, he had made significant progress.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he raised his eyes toward the cave.
This place was going to be his home.
And this land was now his responsibility.
As for the seeds currently soaking in spiritual water, he would place them into this very soil with his own hands in two days' time.
For a moment, he envisioned neat rows of Green Jade Spirit Rice stretching out before him, green leaves swaying gently in the mountain breeze, and himself standing among them months from now, holding his very first self-grown harvest.
A serene smile touched his face.
He did not know if he would succeed.
Nor did he know how long it would take him to master the art of farming properly.
Yet, he knew one thing with certainty.
This land was his beginning.
Slinging the hoe over his shoulder, he headed toward the cave. Before stepping inside, he turned to cast one last glance over the field.
"Starting tomorrow, I will begin in earnest."
With that, he entered his new abode, leaving behind his very first day as an independent spiritual farmer.
Inside the cave, submerged in the spiritual water, the Green Jade Spirit Rice seeds waited for the two days to pass—after which the true agricultural journey of Ling Hua's life would begin.