Chapter 44: Chapter 42: Tier One Lower Grade Spirit Field The change in the land beneath his feet made Ji An pause, then he burst into joy. This wave of energy was exactly like the feeling when standing beside Old Huang’s Tier One Spirit Field. By the moonlight, he saw the leaves of the vegetables gently stretching, with a faint glimmer passing through. The tender green leaves looked like crystal clear jade. After reaching the Perfection Realm with the Thick Earth Technique, the magic contained a subtle and reserved aura, like the heaviness of the earth. Now that he thought about it, it was this aura that had cultivated the courtyard’s land into a Tier One Lower Grade Spirit Field more quickly. No, the Perfection Realm Small Cloud Rain Technique also played a part; the moisture true intent of the Water Element Magic could make the land retain more spiritual power and fertility. Ji An nodded slightly, the two magic techniques complemented each other, no wonder they were essential planting techniques to learn. "Progressing too fast also has its troubles." He muttered cheekily, then laughed heartily. Old Huang’s Small Cloud Rain Technique and Thick Earth Technique both reached Great Success, and it took him seven or eight years to cultivate an acre of Entry Level Spirit Field. Ji An originally estimated it might take him two to three years to achieve his wish, but unexpectedly, his dream came true in just one year. Ji An strengthened his resolve to practice a magic technique to Great Perfection; if the Perfection Level already had such an effect, Great Perfection should have an even stronger effect! In the Spirit Field, his spellcasting frequency wasn’t as high as in the courtyard. Now, having advanced to Late-stage Qi Refining, with more ample magical power, if he carefully cultivated the Spirit Field, he could soon have several more acres of Entry Level Spirit Fields. By that time, he wouldn’t plant Yellow Sprout Rice, a Basic-Level Spirit Grain, anymore; he would switch to Jade Corn. If he could cultivate the Spirit Field to Tier One Middle Grade, he could plant Jade Marrow Rice, the Spirit Rice consumed by Foundation Establishment cultivators! Thinking of this, his mouth began to water, dripping from the corner of his mouth. The bright moon was shining, the cool breeze was blowing, his Daoist robe’s large sleeves fluttered, and Ji An felt relaxed and joyful. ... The morning light shone on the bamboo building, and Ji An finished his cultivation and came to the courtyard. The land had been upgraded to Tier One sooner than expected, so he needed to plant the fruit tree saplings as soon as possible. He walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back and happened to see Old Huang and his grandson walking towards him. "Brother Xiao’an, you’re... you’ve broken through to Late-stage Qi Refining?!" Old Huang’s cloudy eyes showed a few surprised sparks; it’s only been three years, and he’s walked a path I took over a decade to finish. He was delighted but also inexplicably a little sour. Delighted that he’d made friends with a talented disciple, his grandson would have someone to rely on in the future. He wasn’t jealous of Liu Yu becoming a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining disciple. For a direct lineage disciple from a prominent family, such progress wasn’t surprising, especially since he knew Liu Yu was in a different world from him. But when Ji An entered the sect, his situation was worse than Old Huang’s had been. At least Old Huang had two Spirit Stones and had reached the Second-Layer Qi Refining when he entered. Yet, despite starting low, Ji An’s rapid progress was hard for him to keep up with. "Thanks to fortune, I managed to break through last night." Ji An cupped his hands, his smile gentle. Old Huang walked over, sensing something different about the place. He recalled feeling the same way when he passed by at 5:00 AM, but he’d been too rushed to seize a good spot at Jade Water Lake for extracting Water Element Essence to think about it deeply. The feeling was so familiar, yet he couldn’t place it for a moment. "Grandpa, why do I feel like the aura emitting from Brother Ji’s courtyard’s land is similar to that of our Spirit Field where we grow Jade Corn?" It was Huang Feihu speaking, Old Huang’s grandson, who was fifteen and already at Second-Layer Qi Refining. Judging by his Qi Mechanism, he wasn’t far from Third-Layer Qi Refining. Having such results while cultivating in the Sect Daoist School, it seemed Old Huang had invested a lot of resources into his cultivation. "Slap!" Old Huang suddenly slapped his thigh—it was indeed so! "Brother Xiao’an, was this cultivated last night? Could the Perfection Level Small Cloud Rain Technique really have such a strong effect?" Old Huang had cultivated his own courtyard for many years; though not frequently maintained, every few days he cast Great Success Level Thick Earth Technique and Small Cloud Rain Technique over it. He had never heard any other senior brother mention that Small Cloud Rain Technique could accelerate Spirit Field cultivation. Was it that his skills were inadequate, and those senior brothers were too lazy to share this with him? He suddenly felt their smiling faces seemed a bit hypocritical. Ji An nodded, openly saying: "Indeed, it was cultivated last night; I was surprised at the time as well." There was no magic array concealing the small courtyard, and passing Spirit Farmers could definitely spot it at a glance. Including the bamboo building, his small courtyard was nearly half an acre—buying a magic array to conceal such a large area would be costly, and it wasn’t necessary. He cleared his throat slightly and added: "The Perfection Level Small Cloud Rain Technique alone doesn’t have this effect; it takes adding the Perfection Level Thick Earth Technique to achieve it. My Thick Earth Technique has been at Perfection for some time now." "Sigh, comparing people really... " Old Huang’s smile was full of bitterness; he had always thought that although he hadn’t stood out in a lifetime of being a Spirit Farmer, he ranked among the better half of the Sect’s Qi Refining disciples. Seeing now, he’d been living in a carefully woven, false dream for too long, only comparing himself with those who achieved less, like a frog at the bottom of a well. After sighing, Old Huang cupped his hands and said: "After Flying Tiger entered the sect, I originally wanted to invite you and Senior Brother Wei for a drink, but Senior Brother Wei went to Cyan Cloud Immortal City, so we had to wait. Yesterday I heard from other junior brothers that they saw Senior Brother Wei at the Jade Water Marketplace, so strike while the iron is hot, let’s head to the Hundred Flavors Pavilion for lunch." "To be honest, the Hundred Flavors Pavilion isn’t necessary. We’re all friends; we can go eat Senior Brother Liang’s Spirit Fish." Ji An nodded in agreement, intending to find Wei Songnian to discuss acquiring some fruit tree saplings. "How could that be, let’s see what Senior Brother Wei says. Junior brother, first come with me to my place; I’ll bring the miscellaneous items I’ve collected these days to sell to Senior Brother Wei." Ji An laughed and said: "Senior brother should buy a Storage Bag." Old Huang waved his hand quickly: "Oh, it’s the cultivators who often go out for demon hunting or herb gathering that need Storage Bags. I’ll still be a Spirit Farmer when I join Senior Brother Wei’s family, so buying a Storage Bag would be a waste." The three of them returned to Old Huang’s place, grabbed what they needed, and each rode a Talisman Bird toward Jade Water Marketplace. Wei Songnian lived near the Jade Water Marketplace, and after they found him, they headed to Liang Hill’s small restaurant. Once upstairs in the small private room, Old Huang grumbled: "I originally wanted to treat the senior brothers to something good." "Alright, Old Huang, don’t pretend; I’m afraid it’ll hurt your heart." Wei Songnian laughed; they’d known each other for over a decade—how could he not understand him! Old Huang chuckled stupidly and pointed outside the door: "Flying Tiger, go next door to the Hundred Flavors Pavilion and buy three bottles, no, buy four bottles of Spirit Wine." He took out a Spirit Stone and a handful of Spirit Crystals and handed them over. "Okay, Grandpa," Flying Tiger saw he got a share and cheerfully took the Spirit Stone and left. Ji An smiled, retracting his gaze from Huang Feihu, and said: "Senior Brother Wei, I’d like to purchase two Spirit Fruit tree saplings; do you have any connections in this area?"