Chapter 9 Host, please do your best

Lin Jing had just walked out.

At that moment, the door of the yard opposite his also opened.

Two young men, who looked very similar, came out and faced each other.

To avoid awkwardness, Lin Jing nodded as a greeting and then planned to leave.

However, just then, a voice came from behind him.

"Esteemed fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."

Lin Jing stopped, turned around, and looked at the two men.

The one on the left, wearing a smile, spoke:

"Fellow Daoist must have just moved here, right?"

"I am Zhang Sen," he said, and pointing to the person next to him, he continued, "This here is my twin brother, Zhang Lin."

"May I know your esteemed name, fellow Daoist?"

"Lin Jing."

Lin Jing spoke and then asked Zhang Sen with curiosity,

"May I inquire if there is something you need, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

Lin Jing had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the people around, with no immediate plans to interact with others, making him appear rather aloof.

Zhang Sen didn't mind and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Lin. Being new to this place, you must be unfamiliar with everything here."

"Going forward, we will all be neighbors, so it's good to have each other's support."

"If there is any difficulty where you need our help, just ask," he added.

Lin Jing was somewhat surprised; they had just met, yet they were so warm and friendly, which was unexpected to him.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Fellow Daoists Zhang, but it's getting late now, and I still need to arrange some furniture. I won't chat with you now," he responded.

"Let's talk some other time when I'm available."

Nevertheless, Lin Jing didn't feel like getting too involved with them at the moment and excused himself to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you are too courteous," said Zhang Sen.

"We brothers also have matters to attend to, so we shall not delay you further, Fellow Daoist Lin. Let's chat another day," he added.

After saying this, the two of them left directly.

Watching them leave, Lin Jing also turned and left.

......

After visiting Fang Market, by the time he returned, it had already turned dark.

Back at the courtyard, Lin Jing had a preliminary understanding of several businesses in the market that purchased Spirit Rice.

He had planted ten acres of Spirit Rice in the System Space, and each acre could yield a thousand kilograms; all together, that was ten thousand kilograms.

Ten thousand kilograms was not a small amount; naturally, he couldn't sell it all to a single business as that could arouse suspicion and he would need to change to several businesses.

Currently, being only a junior cultivator at the second level of Qi training, even dividing up the sales would inevitably draw attention.

"If only there were a magic artifact that could change one's appearance and aura, that would be wonderful," he thought.

"The maturity period for Spirit Rice is one year, but with the enhancement from the System Space, it could mature in half a year. With twenty acres of Spirit Fields inside the System Space all planted with Spirit Rice, that would be forty thousand kilograms in a year."

"That's equivalent to the annual yield of a small family."

"No, that won't do," Lin Jing shook his head.

"Forty thousand kilograms of Spirit Rice of unclear origin entering the market would definitely catch the attention of the discerning."

"I can't just plant Spirit Rice; over the next few days, I need to see if there are other crops I can plant."

"And, I must also find a way to acquire a magic artifact that can alter appearance and aura as soon as possible."

Of course, his cultivation could not be neglected.

Since he had already used up his entry time into the System Space the previous night,

he could only practice cultivation in the courtyard for now.

However, it wasn't long before Lin Jing frowned and stopped his cultivation.

"The spiritual energy here is so sparse, even worse than it was at Qingyuan Peak."

Lin Jing frowned because the spiritual energy in this place was too thin, making his cultivation with his Spirit Root Aptitude ineffective here.

"I wonder how other people manage to cultivate here. Could it be that they use Spirit Stones to cultivate?"

After that, he dismissed the idea.

First of all, his cultivation aptitude was poor, and even if he used Spirit Stones for cultivation, the effect would be minimal unless he got a Spirit Gathering Array. With the aid of a Spirit Gathering Array, it would be a different story.

Furthermore, while he now seemed to have a substantial number of Spirit Stones, over five hundred, he still had to learn Alchemy and purchase pill recipes and Alchemy ingredients...

as well as a Magic Artifact that could alter his appearance and aura.

When all was accounted for, these Spirit Stones were far from sufficient. Not to mention, just one Magic Artifact for altering appearance and aura could significantly dwindle his supply of Spirit Stones.

After all, what he needed to buy was no ordinary Magic Artifact; it had to at least shield him from the Divine Sense of cultivators in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, making trades more manageable in the future.

In this world, being weak was the original sin; he certainly did not want to be devoured by others during trades, leaving not even a scrap of bone behind.

Therefore, concealing his identity was of utmost importance right now.

......

Unable to cultivate, Lin Jing picked up the Pill Scripture and began reading.

He read until late at night, waiting for the System to prompt him.

"System Space time refreshed, remaining time: 4 hours."

Lin Jing entered the house and picked up the sickle he had purchased along with the furniture.

"Enter System Space," Lin Jing thought to himself.

The Spirit Rice was ripe; he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Soon after, Lin Jing began to get busy.

Until an hour later, Lin Jing, drenched in sweat, collapsed beside the field.

"System prompt: Harvesting one mu of Medium Grade Spirit Rice, gained Harvest Points: 1."

Seeing the system prompt floating by, Lin Jing couldn't help but complain.

"The System is really stingy!!!"

"System prompt: As it is the host's first time harvesting a Spirit Plant, reward gained: 10 Harvest Points."

"Is this another achievement reward?"

Just one Harvest Point for one mu of Spirit Rice; reaching the next level would take ages.

"System, come out and explain."

"Host, the Harvest Points gained from planting Spirit Plants are determined by the grade of the Spirit Plant. The higher the grade of the Spirit Plant, the more Spiritual Power it contains, and the more Harvest Points you will obtain."

"To gain more Harvest Points, you need to find higher-grade Spirit Plants to plant."

"Host, please keep it up."

After hearing the System's explanation, Lin Jing felt a bit embarrassed.

"Heh... hehe..."

It seemed he couldn't blame the System; after all, he had planted Spirit Rice.

Who let his cultivation be low, preventing him from accessing higher-grade Spirit Plants?

......

Although the provided Harvest Points were few, the yield was good.

This one mu of land, Lin Jing estimated, would yield over a thousand jin, and this was Medium Grade Spirit Rice, which was much more valuable than Low Grade Spirit Rice.

Based on the prices he had inquired about today, fifty jin of Medium Grade Spirit Rice could be traded for one Lower Grade Spirit Stone; thus, a thousand jin would equal twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

"Really, being a landowner feels much more comfortable."

With the comparison from his time at Qingyuan Sword Sect, Lin Jing smiled with satisfaction.

After the harvest, next was the drying and husking of the Spirit Rice to turn it into true Spirit Rice.

Considering that there were several more mu of Spirit Field to harvest, Lin Jing did not linger. After spreading out the Spirit Rice to dry, he left the System Space.

That night, Lin Jing did not cultivate and slept soundly.

In the following days, Lin Jing left early and returned late, wandering around Fang Market.

He became quite familiar with the entire market.

Nanshan Market was established and managed collaboratively by several sects nearby to facilitate trading between various forces.

The largest force, naturally, was the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

Since the Qingyuan Sword Sect was renowned throughout the Nanming Domain and located near the Night Mist Mountain Range boasting rich resources, many Loose Cultivators came seeking fame.

Some small families even relocated their entire clans here to seek development, and over time, Nanshan Market reached its current scale.

Of course, Lin Jing did not need to concern himself with these details. He was more interested in the various shops in the market.

After all, he would inevitably have to deal with these shops in the future.

Therefore,

getting to know them in advance was essential.