Qin Ming stared intently at the three glowing traits.
The golden characters flickered faintly in his vision.
After confirming it over and over again, a wave of wild, ecstatic joy washed over him!
A Goldfinger!
This was unquestionably his very own Goldfinger!
Qin Ming had previously resigned himself to the belief that, barring any freak accidents, his journey on the immortal path would end right here.
He never expected a glimmer of hope to be reignited once more.
Qin Ming forced down his surging excitement.
Without even bothering to wash up, he cautiously approached the three stalks of spirit rice and inspected all the other plants in the courtyard.
He discovered that only those three specific stalks displayed traits.
‘Can I just harvest them directly?’ Qin Ming reached out and snapped the three spirit rice stalks off at the base.
As he gathered the rice, a green beam of light and two white beams flashed from within the grains, instantly transforming into three leaves that settled quietly inside his sea of consciousness.
The green leaf carried the [Ripening] trait.
The two white leaves carried the [Faint Spiritual Energy] and [Intermediate Spirit Rain Art x5] traits.
With a mere thought on his part, they could be deployed instantly.
Qin Ming hurried back inside and bolted the door.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, his mind focused on one of the white leaves.
The [Faint Spiritual Energy] trait instantly vanished.
In an instant.
A surge of magic power welled up from deep within Qin Ming’s dantian.
Startled, he hurriedly guided the thread of energy along the circulation routes of his family’s Everlasting Spring Art, converting it into his own foundational magic power.
‘It said it was just a faint trace of spiritual energy, but the amount of magic power packed inside is unexpectedly vast!’ After a long while.
Feeling the subtle changes taking place within his dantian, Qin Ming wore an expression of sheer delight.
‘The magic power in my dantian has grown quite a bit.
This single boost is equivalent to three months of bitter, daily cultivation!’ The bottleneck at the Second Layer of Qi Condensation—which had remained stubbornly unmoving for ages—was now faintly showing signs of loosening.
If he could get his hands on a few more traits like this, breaking through to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation wouldn’t be far off!
Even more surprising to him was that these traits could be stored directly inside his sea of consciousness and retrieved at any time, making them remarkably convenient.
‘I should try to stockpile more “Faint Spiritual Energy” traits like this when I get the chance.
Who knows, they might save my life at a critical moment!’ Qin Ming made a mental note to himself.
Having tasted his first success and feeling thoroughly invigorated, he couldn’t wait to test out the other two traits.
Yet he managed to suppress the urge just as quickly.
‘Can’t get carried away!
Stay calm!
I must stay calm!’ ‘I need to stick to my usual routine.
With my current low strength, I mustn’t let anyone notice anything unusual.
Developing steadily in secret is the best policy.’ With that thought, Qin Ming got up, went to the kitchen, and started a fire to cook.
The rice he used was none other than the freshly harvested spirit rice from yesterday.
He even stir-fried a couple of delicate, exquisite side dishes to go with it.
Previously, after paying his taxes, Qin Ming would always take whatever spirit rice he had left and sell it at the market, living frugally to scrape together enough everyday cultivation resources.
He rarely allowed himself to eat spirit rice more than a few times a month.
Spirit rice contained spiritual energy—though far less concentrated than what was found in traits—making it a relatively precious cultivation resource in the eyes of ordinary cultivators.
After finishing his meal.
Qin Ming grabbed his spirit-hoe and headed out to his spirit fields at his usual time.
After wandering around and inspecting the area, however, he discovered something notable.
No matter how thoroughly he scanned all the nearby spirit fields and plants, he found nothing.
Aside from his own unharvested half-mu of spirit rice—which contained a single stalk bearing the [Faint Spiritual Energy] trait—none of the other plants displayed any traits at all!
In other words, traits would only appear on spirit plants that he personally cultivated.
Furthermore, the appearance of traits was governed by a certain probability, and that probability was remarkably low.
After all, that half-mu field contained thousands of spirit rice stalks at the very least, yet only a single trait had appeared.
The odds were pitifully slim.
As for the flowerbed back at his courtyard spawning three traits all at once, it was practically equivalent to his ancestral graves smoking with auspicious smoke—a stroke of sheer, monumental luck.
Still, he took comfort in the thought that as long as he kept farming, traits would bound to turn up eventually.
Qin Ming’s spirit fields were located near the very back of the mountain slope.
Aside from himself, very few people ever came by, and the area was shielded by a dense bamboo grove.
Under normal circumstances, Du Haifu, the spirit field supervisor, rarely bothered to patrol this far out unless it was tax collection day or some major incident occurred.
Since all the spirit farmers had finished harvesting their rice yesterday, no one else was out in the fields today.
Qin Ming stared at the single trait-bearing spirit rice stalk in his field, blinking as he studied it closely for a long while.
Try as he might, he couldn’t tell what made it stand out from the surrounding rice stalks.
It baffled him completely…
Seeing that the coast was clear, Qin Ming decided not to overthink it and resolved to use the remaining two traits.
Du Haifu’s words yesterday had instilled a fierce sense of urgency in him.
He absolutely could not afford to be sent to the front-line battle camps as cannon fodder.
With his current combat capability, he was undoubtedly the absolute weakest scum among the cannon fodder.
‘Let’s try ripening this half-mu of spirit rice first and see what happens.’ Taking a deep breath, Qin Ming focused his intent and triggered [Ripening] alongside one charge of [Intermediate Spirit Rain Art].
The green [Ripening] leaf in his sea of consciousness vanished, while the [Intermediate Spirit Rain Art] charges dropped to four remaining.
Qin Ming formed a hand incantation and pointed upward toward the sky above the half-mu field!
A mass of grey spiritual clouds rapidly condensed overhead, blanketing the entire half-mu plot in a matter of moments.
Swish-shish-shish!
Accompanied by the enhancing effects of the ripening trait, a steady, nourishing shower of spirit rain began to fall.
‘This Intermediate Spirit Rain Art is truly worlds apart from the primary version.’ ‘The range of the rainfall and the efficiency of spiritual energy conversion have vastly improved.
Most importantly, it allows me to preliminarily draw upon the energy of the spirit vein itself.
There is simply no comparison.’ Qin Ming carefully savored the sensations experienced while casting the spell, deeply cherishing such a rare opportunity.
He centered his mind, absorbing the flow of magic power required for the intermediate-level art.
After a long while.
A sudden spark of insight bloomed in Qin Ming’s mind: the core difference lay in mastering the precise control over one’s own magic power and utilizing spiritual energy with high efficiency during casting.
The feeling of sluggish resistance when channeling his power had completely vanished.
It had taken Cai Old Jiu several years of hard practice just to advance his Spirit Rain Art to the intermediate tier.
The rainfall lasted for a full incense-stick’s duration before finally stopping.
Naturally.
Qin Ming’s magic power reserves were completely sucked dry as a result… His cultivation level was still simply too low.
Pale-faced, weak-kneed, and lacking even the strength to truss a chicken, he collapsed heavily onto the ground, wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.
A full incense-stick’s duration!
In the past, that was something he wouldn’t even dare to dream of, let alone while casting an intermediate-grade spell.
‘Heh!
I can actually sustain it for this long now!’ ‘I’m no longer a three-second drip irrigation system!’ At that moment, Qin Ming felt his confidence rush right back to him.
After resting for a bit, he stood up to inspect the effects of the rainfall.
Barely half a day had passed.
That half-mu of spirit rice had begun shooting upward at a visible, frantic rate.
It was just like the rampant, wild plant growth he had seen in his dream.
This blistering growth rate continued, pushing the stalks to more than double their original height before finally beginning to slow down.
The grains were already starting to form full, heavy panicles of spirit rice.
‘Hiss… this speed is a bit…’ The combination of the ripening effect and the intermediate spirit rain left Qin Ming drawing a sharp breath of astonishment.
‘And that was with the green ripening trait’s effects being diluted across an entire half-mu of land.’ ‘If I had concentrated all of it onto a single stalk of spirit rice, wouldn’t it have matured instantly?’ ‘It seems green-quality traits are exceptionally precious.
I’ll need to use them more sparingly next time.’ Even as Qin Ming marveled at his own luck, the trait data hovering over the spirit rice field shifted accordingly.
[Name]: Golden Spirit Rice [Attribute]: Faint Spiritual Energy (70% Maturity) At this rate of development, he estimated he’d be able to harvest the spirit rice by tomorrow morning.
And sure enough.
The following morning, when Qin Ming returned to the spirit fields, that small patch of spirit rice had fully matured.
Not only that, but the yield of the half-mu plot had increased by roughly twenty percent compared to normal crops.
Furthermore, the quality of the spirit rice was superior: every single grain was plump, crystal-clear, and radiating an enticing spiritual fragrance.
As expected of the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art—it could directly draw spiritual energy from the spirit vein to form rain, supplying ample nourishment to the crops.
What pleased him most of all was that the stalk containing the [Faint Spiritual Energy] trait had already been harvested and converted into a part of his personal cultivation.
A warm, content feeling settled in Qin Ming’s chest as anticipation for his future began to bloom.
Half a month flew by in the blink of an eye.
During this period.
After tending to his original three mu of spirit fields, Qin Ming approached Du Haifu to rent an additional two adjacent mu of land.
After turning the soil, he planted new spirit rice seedlings.
He had also used the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art trait three more times, leaving only a single charge remaining.
Through repeated practice, Qin Ming had gradually grasped the essential techniques and tricks of the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art.
He was confident that soon, even without relying on traits, he would be able to cast the Intermediate Spirit Rain Art entirely under his own power.
That was the fundamental difference between experiencing it firsthand versus blind, unguided practice.
When Du Haifu saw him coming to rent more land, the supervisor lavished him with praise for finally “seeing the light,” tossing in a few theatrical words of encouragement.
The fat man was more than happy to lease out extra plots, as it meant more opportunities to squeeze extra grease and profits for himself.
Little did Du Haifu know that Qin Ming’s sudden enthusiasm for farming was entirely driven by the desire to farm traits… After busy work spanning over half a month, he had finally whipped all five mu of spirit fields into shape.
With everything planted and left to routine daily maintenance, all that remained was to wait for the next harvest.
Qin Ming finally found himself with some spare leisure time.
Taking advantage of the next couple of days, he planned to sell a portion of the spirit rice in his possession and purchase some essential cultivation supplies.
Two items were at the top of his urgent shopping list.
First was a storage pouch; carrying bulky bags and bundles every time he went out had become thoroughly inconvenient.
Second was a soundproofing array… Qin Ming changed into a fresh set of robes, hoisted a bag of spirit rice onto his shoulder, and stepped out the door.
“Oh!
Is Daoist Qin heading to the market to sell spirit rice?
Looks like you had a fine harvest!” “Quite rare, Daoist Qin.” As Qin Ming stepped out, several nearby neighbors greeted him warmly.
Wending his way through the labyrinthine alleys, he reached the main thoroughfare.
At that moment, two cultivators—a man and a woman—approached from the opposite direction.
“Daoist Long.” “Daoist Qin.” Qin Ming hurriedly lowered his sack, cupped his fists, and greeted the man with respectful formality.
The cultivator surnamed Long before him was none other than the sole late-stage Qi Condensation powerhouse in their shantytown, having broken through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation several years ago.
As for the female cultivator at his side, she was none judging other than Qin Ming’s neighbor, Li Yanli.
Judging by how intimately close they looked, she had evidently managed to latch onto a powerful patron.
Security around the shantytown was less than stellar, and over the years, it was largely thanks to Daoist Long’s deterrence that minor scoundrels and petty thieves didn’t dare run amok in the vicinity.
The massive land-clearing campaign launched by the Spirit Feather Sect had drawn a flood of low-tier cultivators rushing into the area, alongside no shortage of rogue bandits and predatory cultivators lurking in the shadows.
Though Spirit Feather Sect’s law enforcement patrols operated outside, cases of murder for treasures still occurred from time to time.
Daoist Long gave a perfunctory grunt of acknowledgment before continuing on his way with Li Yanli.
In their eyes, Qin Ming was nothing more than an insignificant, low-tier spirit farmer unworthy of a second glance.
Acknowledging him at all was merely a courtesy extended to a fellow neighbor.
Qin Ming didn’t mind in the least.
Given that the man was a late-stage Qi Condensation expert, a bit of aloof pride was completely normal.
Qin Ming glanced back in the direction the two were heading, realizing that tonight would likely entail yet another round of noisy “fierce combat.” Sighing inwardly, he immediately bumped acquiring a soundproofing array up to his absolute highest priority.
Before long, the grand archway of the Qingyang Market came into view.
The market was bustling with crowds, the shouting of various peddlers and hawkers rising in an endless wave.
Following the main thoroughfare, Qin Ming headed straight for the innermost district of the market, making his way to the back door of a certain shop.
After knocking a few times, someone came out to answer.
Recognizing Qin Ming, the attendant asked him to wait a moment while he went inside to fetch the shopkeeper.
Moments later.
A middle-aged man emerged, dressed in a crimson brocade robe accented with white background and golden threads.
The shopkeeper was a Sixth Layer Qi Condensation cultivator, yet he showed no trace of arrogance toward a low-tier cultivator like Qin Ming, greeting him warmly with a practiced, professional smile.
“Here to sell spirit rice, are you?
Come, come inside, let’s talk.” Entering the back courtyard, Qin Ming set down the bag of spirit rice and returned the courtesy.
“Just these, roughly a hundred pounds or so.” The shopkeeper nodded and instructed his subordinates to inspect and weigh the grain.
“Golden spirit rice, totaling one hundred and eight pounds.” “I can purchase it at the market rate of one lower-grade spirit stone per five catties.
How does that sound to you, Daoist friend?” “Deal.” Qin Ming agreed readily.
He had occasionally sold spirit rice here in the past.
This channel was a secret tip originally passed to him by Cai Old Jiu.
Naturally, one could set up a stall in the public market and potentially fetch a slightly higher price for the spirit rice, but doing so required paying stall fees and dealing with various tedious hassles.
It was far less secure and stable than dealing here.
“If Daoist friend has more spirit rice in the future, you are welcome to bring it all to me.
I’ll buy as much as you have.” The shopkeeper paid out twenty-one spirit stones plus a few spirit crystal fragments.
“By the way, does your esteemed establishment have any soundproofing arrays for sale?” Qin Ming didn’t leave immediately, pausing to ask.
“We certainly do.” The shopkeeper smiled slightly, slapped his storage pouch, and produced a simple array set.
“A low-tier soundproofing array, priced at ten lower-grade spirit stones.” Qin Ming clutched the spirit stones he had barely had time to warm up in his hand, gritted his teeth, and asked, “Can you cut me a deal if I buy a storage pouch as well?” “Very well.
Ten spirit stones for the soundproofing array, and twelve spirit stones for the storage pouch.
I can knock off one spirit stone total—twenty-one spirit stones for the pair.” The transaction completed, Qin Ming stepped out of the shop.
“Easy come, easy go.
Not a single spirit stone is allowed to stay in my pocket,” Qin Ming muttered with a wry sigh.
Afterward, he stopped by nearby shops to pick up a few books on spirit plant cultivation and some daily necessities before hurrying back home.
Though his expenditures today had been substantial, Qin Ming was confident that he would soon be earning back far more spirit stones than he spent.