Chapter 47: Spirit Pool Prototype, Rainfall Technique, Minor Achievement!
Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Spirit Pool Prototype, Rainfall Technique, Minor Achievement!
On the second day after the insect plague, the entire Purple Cloud Peak was dead silent.
As soon as dawn broke, Chen Mo stepped out of his wooden cabin and walked into his Spirit Field.
The surroundings were completely bare, with only the spot he currently stood on still lush, green, and brimming with vitality. The contrast was extremely stark.
The insect plague had passed, but Chen Mo didn’t dare lower his guard in the slightest. What was the most terrifying thing in this world? The human heart.
The other Spirit Plant Cultivators had lost their entire harvest. He was the only one whose Spirit Field still retained a considerable yield. This sense of disparity would only grow stronger with each passing day. No one knew what these neighboring Spirit Plant Cultivators might do!
Therefore, all Chen Mo could do was guard this final patch of green land well.
He formed a hand seal, and rain clouds gathered on the horizon. As the Spiritual Rain fell with a steady PATTER, a moist, refreshing fragrance filled the air.
What was supposed to be a half-hour of rainfall only lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The two acres of Spirit Fields were fully saturated with water, yet his Rainfall Technique hadn’t gained a single point of experience.
At this moment, Chen Mo found himself in a dilemma. Currently, his Rainfall Technique experience was at 228 points, still a long way from upgrading to Minor Achievement.
He had originally planned based on the progress of fifteen acres of Spirit Fields. It would have taken about two more months to break through to Minor Achievement, at which point his [Increased Production] Talent would upgrade again.
But now, never mind Xiao Changhua’s Spirit Fields—even his own were reduced to a mere two acres. Relying on this tiny plot of land alone was completely insufficient to upgrade his Talent!
He pondered deeply but struggled to find a solution. His future plans had seemed so smooth, but heaven rarely aligned with human desires. Accidents always struck when least expected.
Chen Mo sat cross-legged, cultivating the Qi Cultivation Technique as usual. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him!
He thought to himself, "I didn’t use Rainfall before because I was afraid of drowning the Spirit Rice. But now that there’s no Spirit Rice left, what is there to be afraid of?"
Chen Mo slapped his forehead. Now, he could practice this Rainfall Technique just like the Flaming Palm and Geng Metal Finger—completely free of any restrictions! No matter how much rain he summoned or how wide an area he covered, no Spirit Plant Cultivator would object. The sprouts were gone, so who cared if it rained?
Chen Mo stood up and formed the hand seal again. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon once more, and Spiritual Rain continuously poured down on his three ruined acres of Spirit Fields.
Just like that, it rained for three consecutive hours, stopping only when the Spiritual Qi in his body was completely exhausted. Rainwater pooled up, thoroughly soaking the entire Spirit Field. The excess water converged into a small stream, flowing down through the trenches between the fields.
That day, Xiao Changhua did not appear, nor did Lan Ling.
Among his neighbors, only He Zhiping stopped from a distance to look over. However, he couldn’t figure out what Chen Mo was up to. Why was he wasting his Spiritual Qi to make it rain? Chen Mo, naturally, wasn’t going to explain.
Because after lasting for three hours, his Rainfall Technique had directly gained 9 points of experience! At this rate, in twenty days at most, this Magic would smoothly break through to Minor Achievement.
Of course, improving his Magic came at the cost of stalling his Realm progression. After all, the time originally meant for cultivating the Qi Cultivation Technique was now being spent on Rainfall. Consequently, his breakthrough to Qi Refining Third Layer would have to be delayed by another ten days to half a month!
After weighing the pros and cons, Chen Mo decided to cultivate his Rainfall Technique to Minor Achievement first. Delaying his Realm wasn’t a major issue; after all, the pressing matter at hand was paying the grain tax and rent. Six hundred catties for five acres, with a 50% Increased Production, was just enough. But who could guarantee there wouldn’t be another disaster, big or small, in the future? It was better to play it safe and prepare for any eventuality!
***
Over the next twenty days, Chen Mo spent his days guarding his two acres of Spirit Fields, constantly monitoring the movements of the other Spirit Plant Cultivators to prevent them from trying anything suspicious.
Additionally, he excavated a large pit—about ten meters in diameter and seven or eight meters deep—on the plot of land that had been eroded by the mysterious seed and was no longer suitable for farming. After tamping down the soil inside the pit, Chen Mo repaired the irrigation trenches in his Spirit Fields so that excess rainwater would flow into it.
In twenty days, this artificial "fish pond" had filled to nearly half its capacity. The rainwater summoned through the Rainfall Technique inherently contained some Spiritual Qi. Now, pooled in the fish pond, it faintly resembled the beginnings of a Spirit Pool.
Of course, as it stood, this so-called "Spirit Pool" couldn’t yet be used to breed Aquatic Spiritual Creatures. If he put a Spirit Fish in there, it would likely suffocate and die within two days! However, the "Spirit Pool" was merely a byproduct. Chen Mo’s true goal was the incremental growth of his Rainfall Technique!
During these days, Xiao Changhua frequently went out. It was unknown where he was going, but his direction pointed toward the Ancient Dust Marketplace. Lan Ling, on the other hand, locked herself in her wooden cabin. He Zhiping knocked on her door many times, but she simply refused to open it. With his Spirit Plants gone, He Zhiping seemingly didn’t have the face to bring up the matter of becoming Dual Cultivation Companions again.
In the entire hundred-acre vicinity, it seemed Chen Mo was the only one still bustling about. The Spiritual Rain continued to PATTER down.
When two lines of bright yellow text appeared before his eyes, Chen Mo instantly stopped his technique, and the clouds on the horizon dispersed.
[Rainfall Technique +1]
[Rainfall Technique Upgraded!]
He hurriedly opened his status panel:
[Name: Chen Mo]
[Profession: Spirit Plant Cultivator (Unlocked), Spirit Nurturer (Locked)...]
[Lifespan: 31/77]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer]
[Cultivation Technique: Qi Cultivation Technique (135/200)]
[Spirit Root:]
[Metal Spirit Root (Tier One): 73/100]
[Magic:]
[Rainfall Technique (Minor Achievement): 1/800]
[Qi Crossing Technique (Proficient): 172/200]
[Flaming Palm (Minor Achievement): 79/800]
[Geng Metal Finger (Great Success): 1/1600]
[Spirit Snake Body Technique (Proficient): 184/200]
[Talent: Increased Production (Purple), Breeding (Green)]
His gaze focused:
[Increased Production (Purple): Absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into Cloud Formation and Rainfall Skill to increase Spirit Plants yield. This Talent can be integrated into Techniques such as the Rainfall Technique, increasing Spirit Field production by 100% (Already integrated with Rainfall Technique; you can freely choose whether to apply it when casting. If this Technique upgrades, the Talent upgrades as well).]
"One hundred percent?!" Chen Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
The purple Increased Production Talent could actually increase output by 100%! Originally, he had expected 80%. He never imagined it would straight up double the yield!
That meant he could harvest 400 catties of Spirit Rice from a single acre of Spirit Field! Two acres would be 800 catties! Even after deducting taxes and rent, he would still be left with 200 catties, which was equivalent to his harvest from planting three acres of Spirit Fields.
If there hadn’t been an insect plague, from five acres of Spirit Fields alone, his net income would have been 1,400 catties every year! At that rate, he could probably exchange for one Low Grade Spirit Stone every year.
He murmured to himself, "Should I grind the Rainfall Technique to Great Success first?" However, as soon as this thought arose, Chen Mo immediately dismissed it.
Grinding the Rainfall Technique to Great Success would take at least three months. By then, the Spirit Rice would have already matured, and trying to increase production would be virtually impossible. Furthermore, delaying for these three months meant his breakthrough to Qi Refining Third Layer would be pushed back by another two to three months. The loss would completely outweigh the gain!
He awakened the [Increased Production] Talent at Qi Refining First Layer and the [Breeding] Talent at Qi Refining Second Layer. So, what Talent would he awaken at Qi Refining Third Layer?