I Practice Farming While the Rest Cultivates

Linyang Market.

It was barely dawn, and the fog had not yet cleared, enveloping the entire market under a layer of mist as thin as a veil.

A small courtyard enclosed by bluish-gray stone walls spanned about three zhang in length and two zhang in width, most of its area covered in dark gray soil, except for a narrow slate path in the middle.

In the gray-black soil, some low-grade Spirit Plants were planted. Fertilized silently by the mist overnight, the Spirit Plants were bursting with vitality, lazily stretching their tender green branches and leaves.

With a creak, a stone house at the end of the slate path opened, and a teenager walked out.

The teenager, about sixteen or seventeen years old, wore a gray robe. He was slender and handsome, with bright and clear eyes.

It was Lu Xuan, who had transmigrated some time ago.

Originally an ordinary young man on Earth, he unexpectedly woke up to find himself in the body of this teenager, becoming an inconspicuous Spirit Plant Master among the multitude of beings in the Cultivation World.

After overcoming the initial chaos and fear, Lu Xuan gradually adapted to his new identity.

An orphan with no parents, ordinary talents, and at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer, he leased a Spirit Field in the market using his accumulated years of savings. There, he planted Spirit Grass and Spiritual Medicine, striving to survive in this cruel and perilous Cultivation World.

The thin mist in the courtyard helped clear the grogginess of the newly awakened Lu Xuan. He walked around the Spirit Plants, carefully inspecting them.

There were twenty to thirty plants, each spaced a certain distance apart, about one chi high with slender leaves that sported faint white luminescence, resembling stars dotted in the white fog.

These were the Spirit Firefly Grass, a first-rank Spirit Plant, relatively easy to grow. Once matured, they could be used to make several types of Healing Pills and were widely used in the Cultivation World.

Besides the Spirit Firefly Grass, there were two trees in the yard, both Moon Erosion Trees.

Under Lu Xuan's meticulous care, the Moon Erosion Trees were thriving well, standing taller than his head, with dozens of hook-like silver-white fruits partly visible among the lush green leaves.

These fruits were called Moon Erosion Fruit, initially shaped like crescent moons. Gradually, they enlarged until reaching full maturity, resembling round moons.

Mature Moon Erosion Fruit could be directly consumed to slightly increase the Spiritual Energy inside a Lower-rank Qi Cultivating Monk. They were also used to make precious elixirs such as the Yuan Cultivating Pill.

Both in planting difficulty and rarity, the Moon Erosion Tree was slightly more demanding than Spirit Firefly Grass, and Lu Xuan invested most of his efforts in them.

Both types of Spirit Plants were growing quite well, yet a hint of worry crossed Lu Xuan's face.

He hurried to the western side of the yard and crouched down, pinching the leaf of a Spirit Firefly Grass near the stone wall with two fingers, carefully turning it over.

As expected, there were faint black threads on the back of the leaf. If not for Lu Xuan's careful attention, the hair-thin black threads would be hard to notice.

"The number of black threads has increased compared to yesterday," Lu Xuan silently compared, sighing lightly at the sight of the Spirit Firefly Grass being invaded by the threads.

Two days earlier, while tending to the Spirit Plants, he accidentally discovered this abnormal Spirit Firefly Grass near the stone wall. After a long search, he eventually found these black threads on the back of a leaf.

The threads seemed to fuse with the Spirit Firefly Grass, tightly adhering together, making them extremely difficult to separate.

Lu Xuan was only a low-rank Spirit Plant Master with modest background and limited knowledge; he was unsure of what exactly these black threads were.

Unable to target the problem directly, he had no choice but to carefully separate the black threads from the back of the leaf using the Spiritual Energy in his body.

Draining his Spiritual Energy and focus, he barely managed to clean it up, but the next day, the black threads reappeared, increasing in number day by day.

"If this trend continues, in a day or two, this Spirit Firefly Grass will be overtaken by the black threads, and it's likely they will spread to the nearby Spirit Firefly Grass."

Thinking this, Lu Xuan felt troubled, standing still in puzzlement.

He had considered pulling out this particular Spirit Firefly Grass to prevent the nearby ones from being contaminated.

However, after weighing the options, he decided against this idea.

After all, the origin of the black fine threads was unknown, and Lu Xuan was unsure of how they were eroding the Spirit Firefly Grass. If pulling them out proved effective, all would be well. But if the other Spirit Firefly Grass still could not avoid being eroded, it would be a situation most distressful.

"For now, the only solution is to go to the market and find a legitimate, experienced Spirit Plant Master to help solve this."

"All those Spirit Stones I've been saving up... I had planned to use them to pay the Spirit Field rent in two months."

Lu Xuan was just a Lower Level Qi Cultivating Monk, unable to fully own a Spirit Field of his own.

The small Spirit Field in the yard was rented from a "Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level" Cultivator in the market, and required a substantial amount of Spirit Stones every month.

"For the coming period, I'll have to tighten my belt."

He stood up, his expression resolute.

Once the Spirit Plants matured, he could sell them to shops or Cultivators in the market. Apart from paying rent and daily cultivation needs, he would have a little bit left.

But seeking help from a seasoned Spirit Plant Master would certainly cost him dearly.

Lu Xuan made a decision and looked around.

Black thorns encircled the bluish-grey stone walls, thick with sharp points, serving a protective function.

However, their defensive capability was barely there, just enough to deter gentlemen but not scoundrels, let alone strange insects and beasts lusting after the Spirit Plants.

"After sorting this out, I need to save some Spirit Stones to get a Protective Array to avoid similar incidents."

"Relying on this Straw Man Puppet to guard the Spirit Field is utterly unrealistic."

Lu Xuan looked toward a Straw Man Puppet standing in a corner of the yard.

The Puppet was three feet tall, leaning against the wall of the yard, made of unknown dry grass, with a disproportionately large head and a smaller body. On its large, somewhat deformed head, a greyish lump of tangled dry grass grew.

This Straw Man Puppet was a second-hand item Lu Xuan had purchased at a stall in the market. According to the stall owner, the Puppet originated from the Thousand Mechanism Sect of the Cultivation World and had simple behavioral patterns, often used to guard lower-grade Spirit Fields.

If it sensed a Cultivator or Demon Beast entering the range of the Spirit Field, the Straw Man Puppet would alert the owner. If it detected that the intruder intended to harm the Spirit Field Spirit Plants, the Puppet would also actively attack and trap the intruder.

However, perhaps due to being second-hand, the warning function was unreliable, and as for the active attack, that was not even worth considering.

Of course, it also had a lot to do with Lu Xuan himself since he had mostly kept to himself since his arrival, hardly interacting with the outside world, thus no Cultivators or Demon Beasts had entered the yard.

Lu Xuan glared at the Straw Man Puppet with its lump, spiritual power surged within him, and threads of Spirit Rain appeared above the Spirit Firefly Grass and the Moon Erosion Tree, falling on the leaves and seeping into them.

Nourished by the Spirit Rain, the Spirit Plants in the field appeared even more vividly green and clean, their pristine leaves gently swaying, full of charm.

The Spirit Rain Technique was a must-learn for every Spirit Plant Master. It mixed fine spiritual energy with water vapor to nourish the Spirit Plants, ensuring their smooth growth.

"Hm? This Spirit Firefly Grass has already reached maturity."

After watering each Spirit Plant, Lu Xuan noticed flickering light from one Spirit Firefly Grass, seeming to fall off the leaves.

He quickly went back inside, took out a White Jade Box, and carefully harvested the Spirit Firefly Grass, placing it into the Jade Box.

The Jade Box could slow the loss of spiritual power within the Spirit Plant, ensuring to some extent the medicinal efficacy.

"What's this?"

As Lu Xuan closed the Jade Box and was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a fist-sized white light group left in the place where the Spirit Firefly Grass had been planted. The light group faintly flickered, with specks of spiritual light scattering.

Curious, Lu Xuan reached out and gently touched the white light group.

In an instant, countless light points surged into his palm, and an involuntary thought flashed through his mind.

"Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass, gained Three Months Cultivation."