Chapter 121 - 119: Cultivating the Spirit Field, Anomaly

Chapter 121: Chapter 119: Cultivating the Spirit Field, Anomaly

Wanzhong Mountains Range.

Layers of mountain peaks overlapped like rolling ocean waves. Dozens of towering summits stood shoulder to shoulder, thrusting out from the billowing sea of forests. Nestled within a crevice surrounded by these high mountains lay a relatively flat expanse of woodland. At its heart was a pool of clear, blue water. To the north of the pool, hills and thorny thickets dominated the landscape, while the south sloped gently into flatlands.

Looking down from above, tiny figures could be seen clearing the mountains and felling trees. The newly divided and plowed fields looked like scars branded into the valley.

This was the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land.

Inside the small courtyard at the center of the mountain peak on Ten Thousand Snake Lake Heart Island.

Li Changsheng held a Bone-Chopping Knife covered with a faint golden sheen, meticulously trimming a strange implement. The main material of the implement was a glossy, pitch-black wood. A curved piece of wood, about the thickness of a calf and bent at nearly a ninety-degree angle, was mortised into the middle of a straight piece of wood. This was the wooden plow Li Changsheng had spent over a day making. It looked much more exquisite than those made on the Miscellaneous Peak.

After working for a while, Li Changsheng flipped his hand and took out a completely dark green hoe engraved with several runes. Using woven vines, he firmly bound it to the plow. With this, a wooden plow capable of tilling the fields was completely finished; the only thing missing was a plow ox.

Though he didn’t have an ox, he had a pig.

Li Changsheng turned his gaze toward Xiaohua’s family, who were lying in a row by the door. He smiled and called out, "Xiaohua, come here."

OINK OINK...

Xiaohua raised its head, grunted as it stood up, and waddled over to his side.

Li Changsheng picked up the wooden plow and placed the vine ropes next to Xiaohua. He patted the pig’s head and, like a wealthy landlord, walked out toward the Spirit Field with his hands behind his back.

Xiaohua grunted and followed unhurriedly. A swarm of bugs rose from the corner of the courtyard like a dark cloud, floating behind him.

Upon arriving at the edge of the field, Li Changsheng surveyed his surroundings. The three acres of Tier Two Mid-grade Spirit Field and High-grade Spirit Field were riddled with craters due to the battle between Tong Zuo and the flood dragon. Tall weeds were sparse, and the newly sprouted ones barely reached his calves.

With a slight shift of Li Changsheng’s thoughts, the swarm of bugs, led by Big Bro and Little Bro, descended into the Spirit Field like a dark tide.

Within a few breaths, a low-grade spirit snake—as thin as a chopstick and striped with green and yellow—was dragged into the air by several mid-grade bugs. It writhed and struggled for a few moments before over a dozen more bugs swarmed it, devouring it until only an empty shell remained. Following that, over a dozen more snake beasts were hauled up by the swarm and eaten clean.

Perhaps because Ten Thousand Serpent Lake was teeming with snakes, or perhaps due to the disappearance of the flood dragon, there were very few bugs in the Spirit Field; most of the pests were unranked snake beasts.

Li Changsheng waited for a moment. Once the bug swarm had cleared out a portion of the Spirit Field, he got to work, unloading the wooden plow and tying the sturdy woven vines onto Xiaohua. Then, he guided Xiaohua into the Spirit Field.

Channeling his Spiritual Power into the hoe, the runes on it flickered with spiritual light until a one-inch, glowing white edge appeared on the blade. Pressing both hands on the wooden plow, he exerted a little force, and the hoe immediately sank over a foot into the soil.

Looking around, the area was completely empty. A faint smile appeared in Li Changsheng’s eyes as he suddenly slapped Xiaohua on the rump and shouted, "Hiyah!"

OINK OINK...

Xiaohua grunted and took a step forward. Feeling the resistance from behind, its muscles bulged as it continued to march onward.

CRACK...

The teeth-setting sound of plant roots snapping rang out. Dirt churned up along both sides of the hoe, and traces of invisible Spiritual Qi escaped from the earth. However, after rising barely three inches off the ground, it could go no higher, swirling over the turned soil instead.

"Hiyah..."

Accompanied by his constant shouts, they soon reached the end of the furrow.

Li Changsheng lifted the wooden plow at the right moment. As he guided Xiaohua to turn around, he skillfully channeled his Spiritual Power into the slightly dimmed hoe.

Time slowly passed.

By noon, more than half of the three acres of Tier Two Mid-grade Spirit Field had been tilled, revealing rows of neat furrows. The portions that were plowed first were now covered by a thin layer of glowing white Spiritual Mist. It slowly drifted outward like flowing water but was bound by an invisible restriction, only able to circulate within the one-acre plot.

Just as Li Changsheng was immersed in plowing, a streak of Escape Light flew in from the horizon. It originally intended to land on the edge of the mountain peak but suddenly took a sharp turn, landing at the edge of the Spirit Field behind him.

The light dissipated, revealing Lan Cai Shen’s figure. He looked at Li Changsheng, who was vigorously tilling the land using a pig as an ox, with a bizarre expression on his face.

It suddenly dawned on Lan Cai Shen why Junior Brother Li had raised so many pig-type Spirit Beasts. So this was how they were used!

However, another thought uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

Why not just raise an ox-type Spirit Beast?

While he was lost in thought, Li Changsheng let Xiaohua rest for a moment, walked to the edge of the Spirit Field, and cupped his hands. "Changsheng greets Senior Brother."

"No need for formalities, Junior Brother." Lan Cai Shen snapped back to reality, waving his hand. He pointed at Xiaohua, who was resting in the dirt, and chuckled. "Having this Spirit Pig certainly makes things much more convenient for you." He paused for a moment before sighing, "It’s a pity this method can’t be widely applied..."

If all Spirit Farmers had such a Spirit Beast, cultivating the Spirit Fields would undoubtedly be much easier.

Li Changsheng nodded in agreement. Most Spirit Farmers were Cultivators with poor aptitude and bleak futures. For them, practicing the Beast Taming Technique was far too difficult. Moreover, a good Spirit Beast was exorbitant in price; the costs simply outweighed the benefits.

Li Changsheng then asked curiously, "Senior Brother, what brings you here?"

Lan Cai Shen flipped his hand, taking out a bright yellow piece of paper, and handed it over with a smile. "Here is the land deed for your three acres. As long as the Miscellaneous Peak exists, it will remain valid."

Li Changsheng took the deed with joy and examined it closely. It was very thin, feeling like both paper and animal hide, yet possessing the cool touch of metal. Upon infusing it with Spiritual Power, every word shimmered with spiritual light, making it look extraordinary.

After he had toyed with it for a while, Lan Cai Shen cupped his hands and said, "Tomorrow, I need to return to the Miscellaneous Peak. It could take a few days or as long as several months. During that time, I must ask Junior Brother to look after the Spirit Fields."

"Rest assured, Senior Brother." Li Changsheng nodded in agreement, though he was somewhat puzzled. "Why are you leaving at this time, Senior Brother?"

Logically speaking, since the Spiritual Land had just been opened, this was precisely the time when Lan Cai Shen was needed to hold down the fort.

Li Changsheng furrowed his brows, thinking to himself, "Did something happen on the Miscellaneous Peak?"

Lan Cai Shen hesitated for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh. "People from the sect’s Beast Soul lineage and Blood Fusion lineage are coming to the Miscellaneous Peak. It’s inconvenient for my father to show himself, so I have to be the one to host them."

"People from the Beast Soul and Blood Fusion lineages are coming?"

"It’s all because of..."

Lan Cai Shen’s expression turned ugly. He stopped mid-sentence and simply said, "Just think of it as two wolves fighting over a single bone." He paused, then sneered, "For that bone, although there hasn’t been any bloodshed, quite a bit of fur has been shed..."

Perhaps because the two had grown closer, Lan Cai Shen couldn’t stop himself and blurted out, "They came here because they want to drag another dog into the fight..."

Li Changsheng was stunned, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he looked at him. He wondered if Lan Cai Shen was serious. Comparing the Miscellaneous Peak to a dog—that was his own father’s domain...

Lan Cai Shen also seemed to realize it was inappropriate and hurriedly waved his hands. "Not a dog, a wolf... a wolf.

"Anyway, get back to your work, and don’t forget to keep an eye on the Spirit Fields for me..."

Under Li Changsheng’s bizarre gaze, Lan Cai Shen left behind those words before transforming into a streak of Escape Light and hastily departing.

"The Beast Soul and Blood Fusion lineages, a bone...

"I’ll have to find time to ask Senior Brother Tan. Hopefully, no accidents occur."

Pondering this, Li Changsheng stepped back into the Spirit Field. He fed Xiaohua a few handfuls of Spirit Rice and resumed tilling the land.

The night grew dark, and moonlight fell like frost, blanketing the mountain peak.

At the edge of the Spirit Field, Li Changsheng unloaded the wooden plow from Xiaohua. Looking at the three acres of Mid-grade Spirit Field now overflowing with a thin mist of Spiritual Qi, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in wonder. The disparity between a Tier One Spirit Field and a Tier Two Spirit Field was simply too massive. No wonder the Miscellaneous Peak placed so much importance on it.

After watching for a moment, Li Changsheng turned to leave. Xiaohua waddled closely behind him. Having enjoyed a full meal, the swarm of bugs, led by Big Bro and Little Bro, flew in circles around him.

In just A Cup of Tea’s Time, the man and the pig had returned to the small courtyard. As soon as he entered the door, the sound of constant bleating reached his ears.

"Once I finish tending to the Spirit Fields, I’ll find someone to sell them to..."

Thinking this, Li Changsheng put away the wooden plow from Xiaohua’s back, chopped off a small branch from the Stink Sock Tree, and turned to enter the kitchen. Cooking smoke soon curled upward, and the crisp sound of chopping vegetables echoed from within.

After feeding the Spirit Beasts, Li Changsheng ate a simple meal and returned to the third floor of the wooden cabin. Reaching out, he gave the increasingly lazy Xiaobai a stroke. He sat cross-legged on the soft couch, closed his eyes to concentrate, and circulated his Spiritual Power to open his Spirit Contract Veins.

He spent the entire night without sleep.

The next day.

Li Changsheng hauled the wooden plow onto Xiaohua’s back, left the courtyard, and headed toward the single acre of Tier Two High-grade Spirit Field. As they drew closer, a deep, serene pool of water came into view.

OINK OINK...

Suddenly, Xiaohua stopped in its tracks. It stamped at the surrounding dirt with an air of anxiety.

Li Changsheng turned around, saw its reaction, and patted its head comfortingly. His thoughts shifted slightly.

BUZZ...

The bug swarm above his head scattered, flying out to scout the surroundings. At that moment, a faint ripple abruptly spread across the deep pool behind him, only to quickly disappear.

A moment later, the bug swarm had only caught a few ordinary snake beasts. There was nothing abnormal. As for Xiaohua, calmed by his comforting pats, its anxious mood gradually settled.

"Strange..." Li Changsheng frowned and scanned his surroundings. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he suppressed the doubts in his heart and led Xiaohua to the Tier Two High-grade Spirit Field adjacent to the deep pool.

Still uneasy, he looked around once more and shifted his thoughts. The bug swarm descended into the cratered High-grade Spirit Field. Merely moments later, the bugs took to the air again.

"Huh..." Li Changsheng said in surprise. "There isn’t a single snake beast...

"Is it because of the flood dragon’s lingering aura?"

Glancing at the deep pool beside him, Li Changsheng pondered for a moment. He then unloaded the wooden plow and tied the vines around Xiaohua.

"Hiyah!"

OINK OINK...

Xiaohua skillfully stepped into the Spirit Field. Its muscles bulged as it marched forward.

RIP...

The moment the spiritual soil was turned, a plume of glowing white mist surged upward, coiling above the Spirit Field. The High-grade Spirit Field was several times harder than the Mid-grade Spirit Field. During the process, the hoe exhausted its Spiritual Power several times, and it took a full hour to barely plow a single ridge.

Looking at the furrow surrounded by the glowing white mist, Li Changsheng wasn’t in a rush to continue plowing. He channeled his Spiritual Power, letting it seep into the veins of the ’Sharp Metal Art’. Within a few breaths, the spiritual light in his veins swirled into form. A faint golden glow emanated from his palm, covering the hoe like flowing water.

"This should be enough."