Chapter 5: Qiongbi Peak (Please Favorite!!)

Old Lu, clad in a green robe, laughed and said, "There's not much to it, just that the five spirit fields under Qiongbi Peak have had a long-standing tradition of gathering periodically at the large stone slab at the crossroads. If Junior Fellow Ning has free time, feel free to join us for some lively discussion."

"Oh?"

Ning Daoran had been worrying about not having the chance to meet the group of spirit farmers under a mountain peak. After all, increasing one's knowledge was one of the keys to survival in the cultivation world.

"Alright!"

He nodded and smiled immediately, "Old Lu and I have just finished eating, so let's head over and have a chat with everyone."

"Very good, very good!"

Old Lu's face was full of smiles, "Let's go then, this old man will lead the way!"

...

The large stone slab was not far, just half a mile away.

The mountain where Ning Daoran's No. 77 spirit field was located was called Qiongbi Peak, one of the most ordinary peaks managed by the Chaotic Sect's Spirit Field Department in the Outer Mountain.

When he first took over spirit field No. 77, Ning Daoran was somewhat speechless about the name "Qiongbi Peak."

Such an unlucky name—it seemed living here meant one would never have the chance to strike it rich overnight. Later, after making inquiries, he learned the truth.

It was said that the founding ancestor of the Chaotic Sect, named Chaos Daoist, felt the terrain and landscape were perilous when he first divided the mountains, and exclaimed in admiration, "A solitary peak stands tall, rising a thousand zhang sheer from the ground!"

With a flourish, his disciple named it: Qiongbi Peak!

Beneath Qiongbi Peak, there was a spirit vein extending from the main peak of the Chaotic Sect, with a spiritual energy richness of about the first-tier mid-grade level, naturally incomparable to the third-tier mid-grade spiritual energy at the most abundant part of the main peak.

However, it was already sufficient for spirit farmers to cultivate crops and for Qi Refining Stage practitioners to cultivate.

This was also why many spirit farmers preferred to rent a piece of spirit land here, paying a large amount of spirit rice as rent to the sect each year.

Being a spirit farmer within the territories demarcated by the Chaotic Sect meant enjoying rich spiritual energy and the protection of the Chaotic Sect, thereby avoiding harassment from loose cultivators and those engaged in robbery cultivation. These many factors made spirit land rental in the Outer Mountains of the Chaotic Sect extremely popular!

Under Qiongbi Peak, there were a total of five parcels of spirit land, among which Ning Daoran and Old Lu's No. 77 spirit field was the largest—this was probably why he, an Outer Disciple, was allocated this piece of land.

The other four spirit fields were Nos. 78, 79, 80, and 81, each of which already had their own masters.

...

The large stone slab was located under a big banyan tree and was an excellent place for cooling off and gathering.

When Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer arrived, there were already several other people there, all with cultivation bases, and the intense aura of spiritual power could not be concealed.

"Fellow Daoist Ning has arrived!"

Old Lu smiled slightly, "Everybody, why don't we introduce ourselves?"

"Very well."

A granny carrying a baby girl on her back laughed and said, "I oversee spirit field No. 79, and because I'm a few years senior, everyone calls me Granny Yun Cui. Hello, Fellow Daoist Ning..."

Ning Daoran immediately bowed respectfully, "I've had the honor of meeting Granny Yun Cui!"

Granny Yun Cui smiled and returned the greeting.

Besides her, there was a male and a female cultivator leaning against each other, seemingly a Daoist couple.

"I'm Xin Yan, at the Third Level of Qi Refining, and this is my wife, Zhong Yan, at the Second Layer of Qi Refining. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist Ning!"

"Fellow Daoists, the pleasure is mine!"

Old Lu laughed, "Everyone calls me Old Lu, just like Fellow Daoist Xin, I'm also at the Third Level of Qi Refining. Let's sit down. This gathering is just for casual conversation, to get to know each other a bit."

Ning Daoran and Old Lu sat in a corner of the large stone slab, doing their best to be unobtrusive.

"Eh?"

Xin Yan looked up subtly and laughed, "I heard some days ago that a Qi Refining First Level Outer Disciple had arrived at spirit field No. 77. It's only been a bit over two months, and Fellow Daoist Ning has already broken through to the Second Level of Qi Refining?"

"By chance, by chance..."

Ning Daoran was a bit embarrassed, "It's also thanks to years of accumulated experience that I've been able to make this breakthrough!"

"You're being too modest, Fellow Daoist Ning."

Old Lu stroked his beard and laughed, "I heard you're just twenty years old, and you've already reached the Second Layer of Qi Refining. Such talent and understanding put us to shame. I'm afraid we won't even catch a glimpse of your back in this lifetime!"

Ning Daoran exchanged further pleasantries, continually attributing his success to luck.

He could feel that these spirit farmers, though outwardly enthusiastic, also harbored a bit of jealousy.

After all, not everyone has the opportunity to enter the Chaotic Sect.

On this Qiongbi Peak, Ning Daoran's status as an Outer Disciple, previously looked down upon in the grand hall, was actually the highest.

Outer Disciples were above servant disciples, and servant disciples were above spirit farmers—it was an iron law of the cultivation realm.

If one could enter the Chaotic Sect as a disciple, who would choose to be a mere spirit plant man tilling the land?

For spirit farmers like Xin Yan and Old Lu, advancing even a minor realm was incredibly challenging, and the spiritual stones, magic artifacts, and other necessities for cultivation had to be scraped together.

The mastery of the art of spirit planting was crucial!

Renting spirit land wasn't cheap; every year, they had to deliver a substantial amount of spirit rice to the sect, and while things went well in seasons of bountiful harvests, a poor yield could mean a year's work was in vain.

Ning Daoran was well practiced in the art of human relationships, naturally aware of the underlying subtext, and therefore kept a low profile, almost wishing to position himself as a junior.

But in the cultivation world, those who succeeded were revered. Those at similar realms were supposed to address each other as fellow Daoists.

They conversed for a long time, each sharing their grievances.

Ning Daoran mostly listened, aware that as a newcomer, he should be observant and speak little. He would humbly ask questions about anything he didn't understand, and the spirit farmers were naturally pleased to answer one by one.

Among these people, the only one Ning Daoran could not see through was Granny Yun Cui. Although her cultivation aura was at the Third Level of Qi Refining, Ning Daoran, who had perfected the Concealing Breath Technique, detected a similar aura from her—Granny Yun Cui must also possess some sort of method for concealing her cultivation.

Nevertheless, that was someone else's business, and he was too lazy to be a busybody.

Interfering in others' affairs could easily lead to an untimely death—a principle he always understood.

After holding back for a while, Ning Daoran finally couldn't resist asking a question. Why wasn't the person in charge of Spirit Field No. 78 here?

With a laugh that he couldn't suppress, Xin Yan said, "Fellow Daoist Ning might not know this, but the owner of Spirit Field No. 78 came almost at the same time as you and is also an Outer Disciple, a pair made up of a master and a servant. However, that little girl is shy and rarely shows herself. No worries, you'll see her eventually."

After chatting for a while longer, it got late, and everyone dispersed.

...

As the days passed, Ning Daoran, besides taking care of the Spirit Field, would often visit the Contribution Hall with Big Stupid Deer.

Inside the Contribution Hall were various treasures on display for exchange, which astonished both the man and the deer.

There were dazzling flying swords, wolf-toothed hammers as big as a fight, and cloth banners enveloped in flames, all made from materials that were unknown but exuded an extremely astounding aura.

"Holy shit... that's awesome..."

Like a country bumpkin entering the city, Ning Daoran couldn't stop marveling, his vocabulary exhausted, leaving him with only these four words of genuine praise.

"Awoo awoo..."

Big Stupid Deer was just as much of a rube, staring at the shapes of the magic artifacts and spiritual artifacts, nudging Ning Daoran's arm constantly with its big head. Bro, look, that sword is so cool, oh wait, that hammer on the left is even cooler. If you get hit with that hammer, even an iron skull would turn into a watermelon!

"Junior Brother Ning?"

Suddenly, someone called out to Ning Daoran.

It was Zhao Lichen.

Zhao Lichen had changed into a new set of clothes, having switched from the original deep blue disciple uniform to a white one. Could it be... he had risen from an Outer Disciple to an Inner Sect Disciple?

"Senior Brother Zhao, you..."

"Hehe..."

Looking slightly embarrassed, Zhao Lichen smiled and said, "Thanks to frequently wandering around with the Uncles, I've seen a lot more, so the sect promoted me to an Inner Sect Disciple. From now on, I'll be responsible for distributing tasks and explaining various complexities to my junior brothers and sisters here in the Contribution Hall."

He then curiously asked, "What brings Junior Brother Ning here?"

"Just looking around."

Ning Daoran grinned, "Senior Brother, I was wondering. Does our sect have a Book Collection Pavilion?"

"Of course!"

Zhao Lichen said with a laugh, "Junior Brother couldn't have been in the sect for three months and still not know where the Book Collection Pavilion is located? Just follow the path upward from the Contribution Hall, and halfway up the mountain is the Book Collection Pavilion."

He continued enthusiastically, "What is it, Junior Brother? Are you thinking of going there to read some books?"

"Cough cough..."

Naturally, Ning Daoran couldn't reveal that he wanted to "freeload" and access cultivation techniques and secrets in the Book Collection Pavilion. He had too significant of an advantage in that department. Any book he flipped through, a single glance would be enough to record it into his Refining Time system.

He didn't even need to borrow them - his photographic memory took care of it.

Just perfect, Ning Daoran's future cultivation philosophy was "the more skills, the better," without a particular focus on any single cultivation technique.

"Senior Brother, I'm interested in studying arrays."

He shared another intention, "To be honest, my talent and abilities are average, but I have a great interest in the Array Path. I wonder if the Book Collection Pavilion has any books on arrays?"

"There are, but they are on the upper floors."

Zhao Lichen said, "Since you are an Outer Disciple, you can only browse the first floor and can only stay for two hours during each visit."

"I see..."

Ning Daoran immediately said goodbye to Zhao Lichen and headed for the Book Collection Pavilion to take a look.

...

Halfway up the sect mountain, a huge pavilion stood imposingly amidst the clouds, spanning three layers, each exceptionally tall, with mist swirling around, completely embodying the ambiance of cultivation.

Ning Daoran handed over his Identity Jade Token.

"Oh?"

An Outer Elder glanced at it and said with a smile, "Ning Daoran... an Outer Disciple, a new face, huh? You know the rules of the Book Collection Pavilion, right? You can only browse books on the first floor for two hours, and you can only enter the pavilion once every ten days."

"Thank you, Uncle, I'm aware."

"Go ahead, spiritual beasts are not allowed inside; tie it up outside."

"Understood!"

Big Stupid Deer called out softly, nudging Ning Daoran's arm—it wanted to go inside to broaden its horizons too.

"Alright, alright."

Ning Daoran patted the deer's head, teasing, "You can't even read. What would you do inside?"

The Elder at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, who was sipping tea with an air of distinction, nearly laughed out loud.

...

Book Collection Pavilion, the first floor.

Ning Daoran quickly browsed through various books but found it difficult to locate what he needed.

The books on the first floor were generally jack-of-all-trades types, such as "East Desolate Immortal Cultivation World Chronicles," "Chaotic Sect Sect History," "Cultivation Introduction," "Spiritual Beast Postnatal Care," "Introduction to Joyful Union Sect Dual Cultivation", and so on, which could usually be seen at roadside stalls and were of very low value.

However, after nearly an hour of flipping through, Ning Daoran's perseverance finally paid off as he found two cultivation techniques that could be uploaded to the Grass and Wood Holy Spirit System.

[Invisibility Technique. Lower Grade Yellow (Uninitialized)]

[Sound Absorption Technique. Lower Grade Yellow (Uninitialized)]