Zhou Tong narrowed his eyes, still uncertain. “You’re that Qi Condensation first-layer menial disciple from a year ago? The one who took the assignment from me?”
Lu Qinghe nodded. “Yes. Senior Brother gave me the opportunity a year ago, allowing me to obtain such fortune. This junior brother is truly grateful.”
His words carried genuine sincerity this time. Were it not for Zhou Tong, he would never have discovered the Black Soil Space’s miraculous uses – never would have advanced so rapidly.
Zhou Tong’s brow furrowed. “How did you manage to grow a thousand jin of Spirit Rice?”
Lu Qinghe blinked as if confused by the question, scratching his head. “Just followed the jade slip Senior Brother gave me. Watered every day, kept the insects away.”
He gave a simple account of the irrigation and tending – nothing that would raise suspicion.
“That’s all there was to it. I brought every last grain, Senior Brother. Please verify – I wouldn’t dare hold back even a single grain. It’s all been submitted to the Sect.”
This was precisely why he’d included five extra jin. No one could find fault.
Zhou Tong did not believe him. His gaze burned as it fixed on Lu Qinghe. “Just that simple?”
“Just that simple,” Lu Qinghe replied evenly. “Does Senior Brother think something is wrong?”
Zhou Tong’s expression turned contemplative. Could his earlier judgment have been mistaken? Had the Spirit Field not been ruined after all – could it still produce Spirit Rice?
Or was there something unusual about this boy?
It was no wonder the thought crossed his mind. Though Lu Qinghe hadn’t openly displayed spiritual power, the aura emanating from him was unmistakably that of Qi Condensation second layer – not first. Advancing a full layer in one year was utterly impossible for a five-spiritual-root menial disciple.
Regardless of the explanation, Zhou Tong resolved to investigate once the current matter was settled.
His face betrayed nothing. “No problem at all. Here – one hundred Merit Points. Though I should mention, there’s no Spirit Stone reward this year.”
Lu Qinghe had already expected this. The disciples who’d submitted their harvests before him had likewise received only Merit Points, told there were no Spirit Stones to give.
Everyone suspected Zhou Tong was pocketing the difference. But no one dared question him. An outer sect disciple at Qi Condensation sixth layer was not someone they could afford to provoke.
Moreover, he controlled the Affairs Hall. Future assignments depended on his goodwill. Cross Zhou Tong, and retaliation would follow – nothing good would come of it.
Lu Qinghe kept his expression calm. He couldn’t afford to offend Zhou Tong now.
But he noted the debt.
With the Black Soil Space, his cultivation speed would eventually surpass outer sect disciples like Zhou Tong. When his strength was sufficient, he would find the opportunity to collect what was owed – with interest.
Lu Qinghe accepted his token back and cupped his hands. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
He turned and left the Affairs Hall.
Without a moment’s pause, he made for a remote corner of the Taixuan Sect, found an unremarkable barren hill, and slipped inside.
Lu Qinghe dug out a small cave dwelling – crude, but serviceable as a temporary refuge. Once he’d arranged it to his satisfaction, he concealed the entrance.
Surveying his handiwork, he felt a pang of regret. “If only I had a formation. Then it would be perfect.”
The four great arts of cultivation: alchemy, artifact refining, formations, and talismans.
Formations ranked among the most formidable.
Some concealed the aura of heaven and earth. Others warded against enemy attacks. Killing formations could slay powerful foes. Trapping formations, illusion formations, spirit-gathering formations – each served a different purpose.
The Taixuan Sect itself lay beneath a vast formation, which was why outsiders saw nothing but a barren mountain.
But formations were costly. Even a low-grade one required over a hundred Spirit Stones.
“Focus on breaking through to Qi Condensation third layer. As for assignments… I’ll worry about those later.”
Returning to the Affairs Hall now was out of the question. He had a full year. Better to raise his strength first, then consider taking on duties.
Lu Qinghe settled cross-legged on his meditation cushion and produced a Blood Ginseng.
This one was different. Its color was far more vivid, and its size – twice that of a ten-year specimen.
A fifty-year Blood Ginseng.
In half a year’s time, the oldest roots growing in the Black Soil Space had reached fifty years of maturity.
At fifty years, Blood Ginseng underwent a qualitative transformation. In the wider cultivation world, such a specimen would be considered a rare spiritual medicine – worth no less than twenty Spirit Stones.
Lu Qinghe cleaned the root carefully, then swallowed it bite by bite.
In an instant, a torrent of medicinal power surged through every meridian in his body.
Sweetness rose in his throat – blood. The force nearly ruptured his channels. Lu Qinghe hurriedly circulated his cultivation method, drawing the spiritual energy inward.
One full cycle. Then another. And another. Slowly, painstakingly, he wrestled the rampaging medicinal power under control.
Fortunately, Blood Ginseng was gentle by nature. Had it been anything fiercer, his meridians would have burst long ago.
Night descended.
At Spirit Field No. 56, Zhou Tong stood at the field’s edge in white robes, gazing at the barren soil. He cast a handful of Spirit Rice seeds onto the earth.
He formed a seal and performed the Cloud Rain Technique. A dark cloud coalesced overhead, and spiritual rain gathered from the Qi of heaven and earth, falling in a gentle curtain. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Hours passed. The seeds lay unchanged – not a single sprout, not a flicker of life.
Zhou Tong could now confirm it. The spiritual power in this field had vanished entirely.
The land was dead. Growing Spirit Rice here was impossible.
His eyes narrowed to slits. “That boy lied to me.”
But anger did not follow. Instead, Zhou Tong threw back his head and laughed.
“A heaven-sent opportunity! If I seize that boy and pry out his secret… it won’t just be Qi Condensation seventh layer. Even Foundation Establishment becomes possible.”
He possessed three spiritual roots – decent aptitude. Yet thirty years of cultivation had only carried him to Qi Condensation sixth layer.
The gap between sixth and seventh was a chasm he could not cross. He had lingered at sixth-layer Perfection for five full years.
To force that breakthrough, he had taken the post at the Affairs Hall, managing menial disciple affairs – all of it a scheme aimed at one goal.
He had spent dearly to conspire with a Qi Condensation third-layer menial disciple, planting a High Grade spirit herb in this very field.
He had brazenly embezzled the menial disciples’ rightful earnings, amassing several hundred Spirit Stones. If the Sect ever discovered what he’d done, the penalty would be severe.
Still, everything had proceeded smoothly. The High Grade spirit herb plus several hundred Spirit Stones – together, they were enough to commission an alchemist to refine a Heavenly Origin Pill for his breakthrough.
Once he reached Qi Condensation seventh layer, his strength would surge, and he could ascend to inner sect disciple. With that status, even if his misdeeds came to light, the Sect would not punish him harshly.
Yet even with all these preparations, he had no certainty of success. And time was running short.
Now, however, he saw a faster path. Whatever secret Lu Qinghe carried – if he could take it for himself, the seventh layer would be assured.
He lingered no longer. A flying sword materialized beneath his feet, and he shot toward the menial disciple courtyard.
He found Lu Qinghe’s dwelling quickly enough – but the boy was gone. Zhou Tong broke the courtyard’s restriction and stepped inside. A thick layer of dust coated every surface.
Lu Qinghe had not returned here after leaving the Affairs Hall.
Zhou Tong’s jaw tightened. “Cunning little wretch. But the more you run, the more it proves you’re hiding something extraordinary.”
His voice dropped, cold and certain.
“As long as you remain within the menial disciple grounds… no matter where you hide, you cannot escape my grasp.”