Chapter 3: Double Blessings
Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Double Blessings
"Alas, Cultivation Immortal, Cultivation Immortal..."
Wang Lixia leaned against the doorframe. Her hunched frame gave off a feeling of extreme frailty and boundless melancholy.
Over sixty years ago, possessing a Spirit Root and excellent Innate Talent and aptitude, she embarked on the Immortal Path that countless mortals envied. At that time, her future seemed infinitely bright. She had secretly resolved to form a Supreme Golden Core. Unfortunately, her ambitions soared higher than the heavens, but her fate was as thin as paper.
An old saying circulated in the Cultivation Immortal Realm: Once you fail to enter an Immortal Sect, you remain an ant for life.
Having failed to join the Cyan Yang Sect, Wang Lixia received guidance from an expert and obtained the identity of a Spirit Plant Cultivator, finally settling down in the Marketplace. She originally thought that relying on her own hands, she could scrape together some resources. Never mind a Golden Core, even reaching Foundation Establishment would be enough for her to make a name for herself on Purple Cloud Peak.
But things went contrary to her wishes!
Back in the day, she too had swallowed her pride to beg other Cultivators for a Fasting Pill. She was just like Fellow Daoist Chen outside the door, risking her Realm stagnating to help others tend their Spirit Fields in order to "borrow" a single Fasting Pill.
Wang Lixia saw the shadow of her past in Chen Mo. Furthermore, she had now entered her twilight years and likely didn’t have many years left to live, which was why she agreed to lend the Pill.
"Alas, forget it... We are both just poor souls who have fallen on hard times," she sighed mournfully from inside the wooden cabin.
Chen Mo opened his interface and watched his Rainfall Technique experience rise from 36 to 39, putting him in an excellent mood. The physical exhaustion caused by his near-depleted Spiritual Qi was thrown completely to the back of his mind.
"I can cast the spell twice in three days. Irrigating eight acres of Spirit Fields yields 3 experience points. At this rate, the Rainfall Technique will break through to the proficient stage in two months at the latest! There’s still time, there’s still time!" Chen Mo calculated inwardly as he returned to his own Spirit Field.
For the next two days, he had to seize the time to meditate and cultivate in order to replenish his depleted Dantian. In his memory, the most suitable place for cultivation within his three acres of Spirit Fields—and the spot with the densest Spiritual Qi—was exactly where the original owner had died. Right before his death, the original owner had been meditating there, absorbing the Spiritual Qi from the Spiritual Sand.
All the Spirit Fields surrounding the Ancient Dust Marketplace were built upon a First-level Spirit Vein. Although its quality was not high, it was still considered a Pocket World Blessed Land.
Chen Mo shoveled some dirt from the nearby field ridge to cover up the bloodstains on the ground. Then, he tossed down a futon and sat cross-legged to perform his breathing exercises.
His aptitude was low, and the vast majority of the Spiritual Qi resources in the already barren First-level Spirit Vein were absorbed by the Spirit Plants. As a result, it took him a long time and immense effort just to sense a faint trace of Spiritual Qi. And Chen Mo could only rely on these gossamer-like threads of Spiritual Qi to recover!
He sat like this for three hours, until the sky grew late and night fell.
In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, one must never sleep out in the wilderness at night. Not even in the Spirit Fields. No one knew if unknown evil entities might prowl about and casually claim a Spirit Plant Cultivator’s life.
Over the following two days, Chen Mo meditated and cultivated in the Spirit Field during the day, returning to his small wooden cabin to rest at night. Even so, he only barely replenished ninety percent of his depleted Spiritual Qi.
"It really is draining the pond to catch the fish!" Chen Mo sighed helplessly. Tending to eight acres over three days had already pushed him to his absolute limit!
Early on the third morning, Chen Mo arrived first at Wang Lixia’s field. He knocked lightly on the door and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I have come to perform the Rainfall."
Without waiting for a response, he formed the hand seals and began casting the Rainfall.
For a full half hour, until all five acres of the Spirit Field were completely irrigated, she never stepped out of her house. Chen Mo couldn’t say much. Their agreed delivery time was in six days. He still had to perform the Rainfall two more times before she would lend him a Fasting Pill in advance.
After a polite farewell, he returned to his own field, but he was in no rush to cast the Rainfall Technique. He hadn’t fully recovered yet, so forcing a Rainfall now would truly overdraw his physical limits. If he were to damage his Dantian, he would likely be stuck at the Qi Refining First Layer for the rest of his life.
As he meditated and breathed, a sense of hunger gradually arose from his stomach. The effects of the Fasting Pill were beginning to wear off.
"It never rains but it pours!" Chen Mo smiled bitterly. By the looks of it, he would have to endure starvation for another six days!
Only when the sun was high in the sky and he had recovered thirty percent of his Spiritual Qi did he finally bring down the Spiritual Rain upon his own Spirit Field.
Early morning three days later, Chen Mo completed the third Rainfall of their transaction.
There were still three days left before he could "borrow" the Fasting Pill, but the effects of his previous one had worn off three days ago. By now, he was starving and suffering.
After casting the rain, Chen Mo endured his hunger, returned to Wang Lixia’s door, and politely bid her farewell. However, just as he thought she wouldn’t show herself like last time, the wooden door suddenly opened.
Wang Lixia, her face full of wrinkles, walked out leaning on a cane.
"Senior, I will return in three days." Chen Mo’s body was already somewhat weak by this point. It was a good thing only three days remained, otherwise he might truly have to resort to eating mortal grains.
"Take it. I’ll give you the next one in a month." Wang Lixia pulled a Porcelain Bottle from her sleeve and tossed it lightly, landing accurately in Chen Mo’s hand.
"Senior? This... didn’t you say you would give it to me in three days?" Chen Mo was rather surprised.
No bottom-tier Spirit Plant Cultivator had it easy. A single Fasting Pill might mean nothing to clan or Sect Cultivators, but for people like them, it meant life itself. It meant the Immortal Path!
"Ahem..." Wang Lixia coughed lightly. "It’s rare to find a fool willing to tend my Spirit Field for me. It would be a pity if you starved to death."
Having said that, she turned and walked back inside without any expression.
BANG!
The door shut tight.
Chen Mo eagerly popped the stopper, and a fragrant medicinal scent immediately wafted out. A Fasting Pill! He couldn’t be more familiar with this scent.
Without a second word, he tossed the Elixir into his mouth. Within moments, the Medicinal Power began to dissolve in his body, nourishing him through and through. The pangs of hunger gradually vanished.
"Ms. Wang is actually a good person," Chen Mo sighed with emotion. He hadn’t expected her to advance the first Fasting Pill ahead of schedule. This completely exceeded his expectations.
"It seems I made the right choice by seeking her out!" Overjoyed, Chen Mo returned to his field and began to meditate.
On the evening of the third day, right as he was performing his breathing exercises, a line of bright yellow text suddenly flashed before his eyes.
[Qi Cultivation Technique +1]
"The Cultivation Technique gained experience?!" Chen Mo was thrilled and immediately opened his interface.
Sure enough, the experience for his Qi Cultivation Technique had risen from 43 to 44!
"Could it be that I can break through the Realm without Spiritual Sand?"
The system interface only displayed whole numbers without showing any decimals, so Chen Mo had no idea if these nine days of meditation had raised his experience from 43.99 to 44, or from 43.01 to 44!
Still, being able to increase his Cultivation Technique experience without Spiritual Sand was great news for Chen Mo. At the very least, it gave him a glimpse of hope, didn’t it?
"This is truly a double blessing! Everything is going to get better!" Chen Mo made a gesture to cheer himself on.