Chapter Three: The Art of Spiritual Rain

Removing the spirit hoe from his side, Zhou Changwang hurried down into the spirit field. With a forceful dig, the hardened earth sent a jolt up his hands, leaving them numb.

The soil of the spirit field was stubbornly tough, impossible for ordinary people to till. He hadn’t done much farm work in his past life, but having inherited all the original owner’s memories, he was able to channel his spiritual power, brandish the spirit hoe, and work with steady determination.

Once the soil was loosened, he pulled the weeds up by their roots. When refilling the earth, he was careful not to leave behind any stray seeds; otherwise, by the next day, new weeds might spring up beside the spirit crops.

Fortunately, he visited his three acres of spirit field almost every day to weed and tend to them, so within an hour, the task was complete.

But now was not the time to rest. Spirit grain was a delicate thing; disturbing the soil could easily affect its growth.

So Zhou Changwang quickly cast the Rain of Spirits technique. This spell, belonging to the category of spiritual agriculture, summoned rain imbued with a trace of spiritual energy, just right for nourishing the spirit grain and aiding its growth.

His mastery of the Rain of Spirits had reached a proficient level; its range was now much broader than at the beginner stage, but it still took three castings to cover an acre fully.

Forming the hand seals, Zhou Changwang directed his spiritual power through a unique pattern of runes. The moment his energy filled the structure, the surrounding world seemed to resonate with him, spiritual energy surging as a dark cloud took shape overhead.

"Go!" he called out, flicking his finger.

A fine, drizzling rain fell evenly from the black cloud, moistening the spirit field below.

Rain of Spirits +1

As the spiritual rain descended, Zhou Changwang noticed that Elder Xu, not far away, was also casting the Rain of Spirits to water his field. Yet Xu’s spell, not only broader in reach—covering an acre with just two castings—but also much faster.

While Zhou Changwang needed five to six breaths to complete the spell, Xu managed it in just four.

“It seems Elder Xu’s Rain of Spirits has reached the Minor Accomplishment stage,” Zhou Changwang compared silently. It was only natural—after all, Xu had been a spirit farmer for over ten years. With such constant practice, even mediocrity would be refined into expertise.

He didn’t pause, hastily casting the Rain of Spirits again—then a third time, a fourth...

Until he had performed the spell nine times.

Rain of Spirits +9

Rain of Spirits (Proficient 135+9/200)

At last, his three acres of spirit field were all watered.

—

After casting the Rain of Spirits nine times in succession, his spiritual power was nearly exhausted.

At such moments, a cultivator was actually in great danger. Spiritual power was their source of strength; without it, they were only marginally stronger than ordinary people, with severely limited abilities.

Fortunately, these spirit fields at the foot of Changling Mountain belonged to the Hall of Spiritual Agriculture, with cultivators sent to patrol every few days. Most cultivators knew that spirit farmers formed the lowest rung in the world of cultivation—except right after the autumn harvest, they had little to their names, so few bothered to trouble them.

Unconcerned with comfort, Zhou Changwang found a shaded spot, sat cross-legged, and began meditating to restore his spiritual power.

He circulated the Five Elements Formula, guiding the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth to slowly flow into his body.

One minute, two, three...

It was a slow process.

He had to draw in the ambient spiritual energy, absorb it into his body, then, under the guidance of his mind, circulate it through his meridians, gradually refining and transforming those wisps of energy into spiritual power he could wield.

Finally, it would gather in his dantian...

Five Elements Formula +1

After one full cycle, exhaustion crept across Zhou Changwang’s face.

Yet he did not stop; the emptiness in his dantian made him crave more spiritual power before he felt secure.

Half an hour later.

At last, Zhou Changwang ceased his cultivation.

He had no choice.

Cultivating was not a tranquil, leisurely pastime; it required the expenditure of mental energy to sustain the technique and refine the spiritual power. After three cycles, Zhou Changwang’s mind was already taxed, unable to sustain a fourth without risk.

Forcing the technique would only drain his mind, leading to spiritual chaos and sleep.

He even suspected that the reason he had transmigrated here was because the body’s original owner had overdrawn himself in cultivation and collapsed in exhaustion.

Of course, this didn’t mean cultivators could only practice for so long.

There were many tools to assist cultivation—such as Tranquility Incense, Qi-Nurturing Pills, Awakening Talismans...

Tranquility Incense and Awakening Talismans could both restore mental energy and speed up technique circulation, while Qi-Nurturing Pills could directly increase spiritual power.

High-level cultivators, with powerful minds, could even transform their mental energy into spiritual perception and awareness, naturally extending the time they could cultivate. If the consumption of their techniques was less than their rate of mental recovery, they could seclude themselves for years or even decades at a stretch.

So it was said: “In the mountains, time passes unnoticed; in cultivation, years slip by unmarked.”

Such was the way of things.

—

"Three full cycles, yet my spiritual power is only half restored," Zhou Changwang thought with resignation as he sensed his reserves.

But this was only to be expected.

His spiritual roots were what they were—his cultivation efficiency was inherently low. Out of every hundred wisps of spiritual energy, it was a good day if he could absorb and refine ten; in truth, it was usually less. Add in his environment—on the very outskirts of Phoenix-Song Outpost, far from the prime first-grade spirit veins at the center—the spiritual energy here was limited, and recovery was naturally slow.

"Still, at least my technique proficiency has increased," he consoled himself, glancing at his attribute panel.

Name: Zhou Changwang

Lifespan: 17/75

Cultivation: Qi Training, Level 2 (21/100)

Technique: Five Elements Formula (Novice 88/100)

Skills: Rain of Spirits (Proficient 144/200), Cleansing Technique (Novice 61/100), Growth Stimulation (Novice 63/100), Gengjin Finger (Novice 13/100)

After three cycles, his proficiency in the Five Elements Formula had increased by three.

“If I run another twelve cycles, I can advance the Five Elements Formula to the next realm.

Perhaps then, my cultivation efficiency will be entirely different.”

With this thought, Zhou Changwang’s heart swelled with anticipation.

He knew well the limits of his aptitude, so all his hopes for cultivation rested on the advancement of his techniques.

At noon, after a simple meal at home, he hurried back to his spirit fields.

“Changwang! Changwang!” No sooner had he arrived than Old Xu, the veteran spirit farmer, hurried over.

“What is it, Old Xu?” Zhou Changwang responded, snapping out of his thoughts.