Chapter 115: Does This Even Count as Spirit Rice?
Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Does This Even Count as Spirit Rice?
Upon hearing the name Giant Bone Spirit Rice, the three Spirit Fishermen, who had originally just come to go through the motions at the banquet, suddenly stared at the steaming pot of cooked Spirit Rice. It wasn’t that they had never heard of the great reputation of Giant Bone Spirit Rice. The previous Pavilion Master loved this variety, specifically spending a fortune to buy a large amount of it from elsewhere before distributing it as subsidies for the marketplace’s Spirit Plant Cultivators to grow. As for the price, given the financial resources of the guests present, they could afford to buy it occasionally for a taste. However, firstly, no one had the Spirit Stones to purchase and consume it long-term. Secondly, it was practically priceless but unavailable; apart from Song’s Shop right now, it couldn’t be bought anywhere.
"Junior Brother Song, you really spared no expense," Tian Nong said with a smile, looking at Song Yunxi. However, he left the second half of his sentence unspoken.
"The position of Pavilion Master really is full of perks!" he thought.
Even on Purple Cloud Peak, very few people had eaten Giant Bone Spirit Rice. After all, the yield of this crop was incredibly low, so absolutely no one grew it.
"Come, come, I guarantee there’s plenty for everyone today!"
Mei Hua actively served a large, overflowing bowl of Spirit Rice for every Cultivator present. When the thumb-sized grains appeared before them, they could hardly tear their eyes away. Chen Mo, on the other hand, had a somewhat strange expression on his face. He hadn’t expected Song Yunxi to actually use it as the main highlight of the banquet reception, but thinking about it, Giant Bone Spirit Rice was indeed worthy of the role.
"Hurry up and taste it. If it weren’t for all of you, Song would be reluctant to eat it on a normal day!"
Song Yunxi greatly enjoyed the expressions on their faces. He hosted this banquet today firstly to entertain Senior Brother Tian, and secondly to have the Grain Collection Officer back him up. He wanted these people, who had countless ties to Purple Cloud Peak, to know who the true Pavilion Master was.
The elders took up their chopsticks first. Although Yan Ronglin was the oldest, his Cultivation and status were far inferior to Tian Nong’s. The Grain Collection Officer sent from Purple Cloud Peak picked up a grain of Spirit Rice and placed it in his mouth. Instantly, the fragrant, soft, and sweet taste lingered on his lips and teeth.
Although he was now at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, only one step away from Foundation Establishment, he was different from geniuses like Li Shangxian. He had achieved his current status step by step through sheer diligence. In other words, he wasn’t qualified to consume Tier Two Profound Soaring Spirit Rice! For so many years, he had survived on Spirit Yellow Rice, occasionally supplemented with some meat. Now, as the Giant Bone Spirit Rice—which was comparable to Profound Soaring Spirit Rice—entered his stomach, a warm current immediately surged through his entire body. It felt as if he were cultivating while bathing in a sea of Spiritual Qi.
"Senior Brother Tian, how is it?"
"It’s comparable to cultivation!"
"Everyone, don’t just sit there. Eat while it’s hot, eat while it’s hot," Song Yunxi urged, beaming with joy.
Ning Jie opened her small, cherry-like mouth and ate a grain. But once she swallowed it, she abandoned all regards for her image, picking up her bowl and shoveling mouthful after mouthful. Even Yan Ronglin, whose eyes were usually filled with gloom, was now immersed in the pleasure brought by the Giant Bone Spirit Rice. Gao Qiang also took a bite, and for some reason, his body trembled slightly. "If I could eat this every day, I... I might also have a chance at Foundation Establishment."
Foundation Establishment! Not even one in ten cultivators on Purple Cloud Peak succeeded! Even a Cultivator like Tian Nong, who had one foot in the door, didn’t dare say he could definitely reach Foundation Establishment.
"I can’t afford to eat it!" Meng Ke sighed after finishing half a bowl.
At this moment, Chen Mo was the only one at the table who hadn’t touched his chopsticks. Ning Jie and the others had heard of this Spirit Plant Cultivator who was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, but they simply considered him just another ordinary Loose Cultivator relying on his background connections.
"Brother Chen, hurry up and eat."
"Oh."
Chen Mo wasn’t very interested, as he had just eaten a large pot of it before coming over. He took a bite and instantly frowned.
"This is wrong!" he thought. "The taste is wrong! The texture is obviously much coarser, and the Spiritual Qi contained within it is lacking by more than just a little bit. How could this be?"
After swallowing, he took another bite.
"It’s the same! The taste is still wrong!" he thought.
"How is it? Tastes good, right?" Song Yunxi saw him take two consecutive bites and assumed he couldn’t resist the temptation.
"Yes... it’s good."
Chen Mo forced a smile. At the exact moment the other party spoke, he roughly guessed the reason. This was indeed Giant Bone Spirit Rice, but it had definitely been grown in an ordinary Spirit Field. Meanwhile, his five acres of Spirit Field had been integrated with the Gathering Spirit Talent. Therefore, whether it was the texture, the aroma, or the Spiritual Qi contained within the Spirit Rice, it was completely incomparable. If he ate this kind of Giant Bone Spirit Rice every day, the time it took to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer would only be reduced by a year at most. It wouldn’t be cut in half like it was now!
"Glad you like it, glad you like it."
Song Yunxi raised his wine cup and toasted everyone one by one, starting with Tian Nong. When he reached Chen Mo, he patted his shoulder lightly and said, "There are still forty catties in the shop. I’ll have to trouble Brother Chen later."
Chen Mo understood the meaning of this sentence almost instantly. He wanted him to help with the breeding! The bizarre attribute of Giant Bone Spirit Rice was that an acre of Spirit Field yielded twenty catties, but planting an acre required one catty of seeds. This meant that for a Breeder with a breeding ratio of twenty to one or worse, let alone harvesting anything, they couldn’t even recover the seeds used for planting. It could be said that the more one planted, the less one had.
"Alright."
Chen Mo agreed. It was the end of the year, which was also the time to make money through breeding. Song Yunxi treated him well, so he wouldn’t bicker over such a trivial matter.
"HAHA!"
A pot of Giant Bone Spirit Rice had truly earned Song Yunxi a great deal of face. Although the Spirit Fish and Spirit Chicken on the table were also excellent and contained no less Spiritual Qi, they lacked that "scarce" attribute in comparison. As the drinks flowed, the group became well-acquainted. Chen Mo occasionally stood up to offer a toast, and the three Spirit Fishermen with strong backgrounds very respectfully drank it all in one gulp. However, he had some ideas of his own. There were only three Spirit Pools in the entire White Snake Marketplace. If Chen Mo wanted to awaken the Spirit Fisherman profession, he had to start raising and selling Spirit Fish. And even Song Yunxi couldn’t make the call regarding these three Spirit Pools. So, on the surface, he was friends with these three, but in reality, there was a hidden sense of competition!
...
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Song Yunxi saw off Ning Jie, Gao Qiang, and Yan Ronglin. Meng Ke was also very tactful and returned to his residence on his own. Chen Mo didn’t leave because he knew there was still work to be done.
"Senior Brother Tian, why don’t you rest here for today?" Song Yunxi looked drunk. The wine brewed from Spirit Yellow Rice packed quite a punch. "The guest room has been prepared for you."
Tian Nong looked him up and down, sighed, and said, "Alright."
The Grain Collection Officer from Purple Cloud Peak walked back to the room where he had rested earlier, his hands clasped behind his back. At this point, only Chen Mo and Song Yunxi were left in the entire room.
"Brother Song, where is the Spirit Rice?"
"Wait!" Song Yunxi held up his hand in a stopping motion. "Eating here today was boring. Let’s go! We’re heading to the second round!"
"The second round?"
The Pavilion Master picked up the unfinished pot of Spirit Chicken and said, "Yes! Xia Wan and Yun Rou are still waiting to eat the Spirit Chicken. How can we not go?"
Chen Mo looked at Song Yunxi with a strange expression.
"It better be an actual Spirit Chicken you’re talking about," he thought.