Chapter 329 - 318: Reclaiming the Spirit Fields

Chapter 329: Chapter 318: Reclaiming the Spirit Fields

The day after the Core Formation Platform disappeared, the ruins were still sealed off, but the market couldn’t remain at a standstill. Li Yuan paid a visit to the management office, signed the necessary documents, handled his correspondences, and then turned his attention back to the Spirit Fields.

The three hundred mu he had taken over from Qin Ruoshuang, plus the nineteen hundred mu he’d acquired in a trade from the short-bearded cultivator, and now, using his status as Pavilion Master, Li Yuan had directly found and started reclaiming eight hundred mu of abandoned Spirit Fields around the market. By this count, the amount of Spirit Fields around the market under his control had reached a grand total of three thousand mu.

Three thousand mu was no small number.

Li Yuan didn’t plan to develop it all at once. Instead, he prepared to first reclaim the newly found eight hundred mu. If he were to slowly manage it all by himself, even with the Soil Cultivation Skill, it would take a very long time. He had no intention of tackling it all alone. After returning to the market, he first went to the trading area where Loose Cultivators gathered and put out the word: he was hiring.

Repairing Spirit-Introducing Canals, leveling the field ridges, clearing away broken stones and roots—all paid daily in Spirit Stones.

The Low Tier Loose Cultivators came quickly.

With the chaotic situation outside, many were afraid to travel far. Being able to find steady work near the market, even if it was just digging canals and tilling land, was far better than risking their lives for resources on the edge of the Ghost Mist Forest. In less than half a day, Li Yuan gathered his first batch of workers. It wasn’t a large group, but it was enough to get things started on the most crucial plots of land.

The Spirit Fields were distributed across several gently sloping areas outside the market. They weren’t too far from each other, but they didn’t form a single, contiguous plot.

Li Yuan first went to inspect the eight hundred mu he was preparing to reclaim.

Li Yuan stood at the edge of the field, scanned the area, and began assigning tasks.

A dozen or so Qi Refining Loose Cultivators went down along the old channels to clear out the mud and connect them to the Spirit-Introducing Canal. Another group, equipped with Magic Hoes and land levelers, began rebuilding the collapsed field ridges section by section.

Several others were tasked specifically with clearing the scattered stones and withered roots from the fields, preventing them from obstructing the soil layers when Spiritual Power was later infused.

Li Yuan himself didn’t join them in the menial labor. Instead, he started from the centermost plot to perform the most crucial step.

Soil cultivation.

He squatted down, pressing his palm against the surface of the field. Spiritual Power slowly sank from his palm into the earth.

The Soil Cultivation Skill didn’t instantly turn a Spirit Field into a paradise. What it did was reorganize the scattered spirituality within the soil. Which layer was more compacted, which had accumulated stagnant energy, which tiny underground Spirit Vein tributary was still flowing, which patch of soil consumed Spiritual Power faster—all this feedback became clear the moment he pressed his palm down.

Li Yuan moved along the field ridges, plot by plot.

After finishing one area, he moved on to the next.

By dusk on the first day, Li Yuan had only managed to treat less than two hundred mu of the core area. The progress wasn’t fast, but the results were immediately visible. The plots of land treated by the Soil Cultivation Skill were a shade darker than the old soil next to them. Rubbed between the fingers, the soil no longer felt coarse; the granules were loose but held together. Even the blades of grass along the ridges seemed suffused with Spiritual Qi, their color more vibrant.

Starting the second day, he had more hands.

When the first group of Loose Cultivators returned and spread the word, another dozen or so people came from the market. As before, Li Yuan only chose those who were diligent and had a steady demeanor. He paid their Spirit Stones on the spot, without any delay or debt. With more people working, the speed of clearing the Spirit Fields immediately picked up.

The Spirit-Introducing Canals were repaired section by section, reconnecting the previously broken water flow. The field ridges were also re-demarcated. Although the entire eight hundred mu weren’t finished yet, the core area in the center was already starting to take shape.

Li Yuan also sought out a few experienced Spirit Farmers who had actually worked on Spirit Fields before.

Their Cultivation levels were not high, mostly in the early to middle stages of Qi Refining, but they were skilled with their hands. They knew how far apart to plant certain medicines, which supplementary herbs required their seedlings to be pressed down early, and which type of soil was suitable for scattering Spirit Ash before sowing.

For Li Yuan, he could handle the reclamation and formation-setting, but for the subsequent care and all the meticulous details, he needed people to supervise.

Once the workforce was settled, Li Yuan began by re-zoning the eight hundred mu of Spirit Fields.

The centralmost area, where the Spiritual Qi was most stable and the soil layer thickest, was reserved for the Soul Condensing Grass.

This plant was crucial for the Soul Condensing Pill. Since he needed to strengthen his Divine Soul Line, Soul Condensing Grass was an indispensable main ingredient.

Next was the Vascular Grass.

The Vessel Continuation Pill was still a high-demand commodity in these turbulent times, so there were no worries about selling it in the market. He also had a mature recipe for it. If the Spirit Fields could provide a stable supply of Vascular Grass, his whole alchemy production line would become much easier to manage.

The next layer out was reserved for the Spirit-Gathering Flower.

The Spirit-Gathering Flower was versatile and could be used in many basic pills and supplementary medicines, making it the most suitable for mass cultivation first. In addition, Li Yuan set aside various small plots for other supplementary herbs he would need later, to avoid being short one or two minor ingredients when it was time to start alchemy.

On this day, as he finished his final round on a newly leveled field in the southernmost area, his panel lightly vibrated.

[Soil Cultivation Skill: Mastery (0/800)]

Li Yuan stopped and pressed his palm to the ground again.

After reaching Mastery, the feedback from the soil was even more detailed than before.

When his Spiritual Power sank in, it didn’t just improve the surface layer; he could now sense the consistency and spirituality distribution of the soil layers down to three feet.

Previously, for the same plot of land, he would have to go over it two or three times to roughly regulate the soil layers. Now, a single pass could resolve most of the issues.

Li Yuan lifted his hand and looked at the vast expanse of Spirit Fields that had been put in order.

It was impossible to plant all eight hundred mu in a short time, nor could they yield a harvest immediately. But starting today, the line of self-produced Spirit Medicine was formally established. As for the remaining two thousand two hundred mu, it wouldn’t be too late to gradually expand once these eight hundred mu were on the right track.

After returning to the market that evening, Li Yuan spread open a ledger in his stone house and reviewed his three main ventures.

The market operation venture was currently responsible for generating Spirit Stones. Storefronts, pills, management fees, and material circulation all provided immediate income.

The Spirit Field cultivation venture required an upfront investment of Spirit Stones and manpower, but once the medicinal herbs could be grown stably, the cost of alchemy would be significantly reduced.

The mine production venture was another stable source of income. Purple Evil Stones, Fire Evil Stones, and raw ore could all be exchanged for Spirit Stones or be used to directly supply his Alchemy and Artifact Refining.

Once these three ventures truly interlocked, the Spirit Stones earned from the market could continue to support the Spirit Fields and the mines. The herbs from the Spirit Fields would lower the cost of pills, and selling the pills would recoup the Spirit Stones.

Li Yuan closed the ledger, thought no more of it, and prepared to head to the Spirit Fields again the next day.

However, just after noon the next day, Ji Huaiyuan arrived.

He arrived carrying a Sword Box, his complexion looked better than last time, and the stiffness in his left shoulder from his previous injury had faded considerably. He had clearly recovered a great deal during this time.

"Li Dao You."

"How are your injuries healing?"

"More or less recovered." Ji Huaiyuan sat down in the stone house and unstrapped the long box from his back. "I came this time because I wanted you to take a look at something for me."

Li Yuan’s gaze fell on the Sword Box.

Ji Huaiyuan lifted the lid, revealing a longsword resting quietly inside.

The blade was slightly wider than a typical Magic Sword. Its body was a dark red suffused with a deep, purplish-black hue, as if a wisp of Evil Qi had been mixed into fire. Extremely fine Spirit Patterns ran along both sides of the sword’s spine. The Fire Spiritual Power and Evil Qi flowed in parallel within the patterns, not clashing, but instead tightly interwoven.

"Tier Two Middle Grade." Ji Huaiyuan reached out, took the sword, and laid it horizontally on the table. "I tried forging one a while back with the Fire Evil Stones from your place, and it was a success. I personally think this approach is viable, I’m just not sure if there’s a market for it in the market town."

Li Yuan reached out and placed his hand on the hilt.

The panel immediately popped up.

[Detectable Equippable Item: Fire Evil Sword (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Fire Evil Edge (Green)]

[Effect: When using Magic of the Fire Evil attribute, power is increased by 30%. Proficiency gain when learning Fire Element and Evil Element Magic is increased by 30%.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Consume one Tier Two Fire Element pill or one Tier Two Evil Element pill.]

[Current Equipment Slots are full (5/5). Replace a current item?]

Li Yuan glanced at it, his expression unchanged, and withdrew his hand.

’A green attribute. The effect isn’t bad, and the condition isn’t difficult either.’

’But my equipment slots are full right now. There’s no need to mess up my current setup just to try out a Magical Artifact. Besides, this sword isn’t for me; Ji Huaiyuan brought it to ask about its marketability.’

"It’s well-forged." Li Yuan said, looking at the Spirit Patterns on the blade. "There should be demand for this among Fire Element cultivators and Evil Cultivators. Especially now, with so many cultivators pouring in from the outside, a Magical Artifact that can handle Fire Spiritual Power while also inflicting Evil-attribute damage isn’t common."

Hearing this, Ji Huaiyuan’s expression visibly relaxed.

"Then I can rest a little easier."

As he spoke, he opened the box completely.

Inside was not just one sword, but three.

The three swords were similar in style and aura, clearly forged using the same method. However, one of them had a stronger spiritual pressure—it must be the Tier Two Middle Grade one on the table—while the other two were slightly weaker.

"I’ll leave all the ones I brought this time with you," Ji Huaiyuan said. "Help me test the waters in the market. If someone is willing to buy them and the price is right, sell them. It would be even better if they can be traded for raw ore materials."

Li Yuan nodded.

"What do you want to trade for?"

Ji Huaiyuan took out a list from his storage pouch and pushed it over.

It was a detailed list: Fire Copper, Red Patterned Iron, Melting Spirit Sand, Earth Marrow Stone, and several other supplementary materials commonly used in Artifact Refining. The quantities were listed item by item, with priorities marked at the end.

"These are what I’m most short on right now." Ji Huaiyuan tapped the list. "If someone offers to trade with these, that works too. As long as the quality isn’t too poor."

Li Yuan scanned the list and already had a clear idea.

The market was currently crowded with people and a miscellany of goods, so it might not be possible to gather everything at once, but finding a sales channel wouldn’t be difficult. This was especially true for the cultivators who had fled from Yunzhou; many of them had materials on hand but lacked the means to sell them, and they also needed suitable Magical Artifacts.

"Leave the items here with me for now." Li Yuan placed the three Fire Evil Swords back into the box. "I’ll keep an eye out for you."

Ji Huaiyuan smiled.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Li Dao You."

The two exchanged a few more words about the mines and Artifact Refining before Ji Huaiyuan took his leave.