Chapter Seven: Mastery of the Five Elements Technique

As for the Earthen Burrower, its vigilance was simply too keen. The moment he approached, it vanished underground, leaving him momentarily at a loss for what to do.

All in all, after inspecting the three acres of spiritual fields, he had captured a total of six spiritual insects: three Azure Beetles, two Black Octagons, and one Root-eating Weevil—a rather generous haul.

However, his spiritual energy was nearly depleted as a result.

“This spiritual energy is truly fleeting. Every spell must be calculated carefully, or it won’t be enough,” Zhou Changwang sighed, sinking down onto the field ridge to rest, weary.

“But six spiritual insects should certainly accelerate my cultivation progress yet again,” he murmured, his expression finally softening into a faint smile as he glanced at the bag containing the remains of the spiritual insects.

“Changwang, look over there,” Old Xu approached, gesturing subtly.

Following his gaze, Zhou Changwang saw that within Xu Zhong’s spiritual field, a cultivator dressed in azure robes was busy casting spells. Xu Zhong himself stood cautiously at the field’s edge, seemingly wishing to approach but too nervous to dare.

“That Xu Zhong is quite willing to splurge, actually hiring a Spiritual Plant Hall cultivator to exterminate pests. But I checked his field yesterday—those spiritual insects were swarming in droves, utterly unafraid, gathering in numbers beyond counting. Even though the cultivators from the Spiritual Plant Hall are skilled at pest control, their spellcasting has limits. Not to mention, those insects are cunning—at the first sign of danger, they burrow underground or fly away. I doubt they can be cleared in a single attempt,” Old Xu said, shaking his head repeatedly.

“Indeed,” Zhou Changwang agreed.

He knew well that the masters from the Spiritual Plant Hall, though accomplished spiritual agronomists who possessed a few powerful techniques, were mostly occupied with their own fields. Those who had spare time and were willing to take on hired work were of limited ability, usually no more than at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Granted, at the fourth level, the practitioner’s mind had already transformed into spiritual perception, allowing them to detect spiritual insects more swiftly. Yet, exterminating them still required spellcasting, and their spiritual energy was also finite. Clearing out too many at once was simply impossible.

With so many insects in Xu Zhong’s field, it would take at least three days of hired extermination to eradicate them. But such fields were managed with an eye on economy: one extermination cost three lower-grade spirit stones, totaling nine for three days. Most spiritual farmers could neither afford nor bear such an expense.

“Just wait and see—tomorrow, Xu Zhong will be troubled again. But he brought this upon himself. Cultivating spiritual fields is all about diligence. Neglect them for a day, and weeds overrun the place; leave them for three, and swarms of insects are inevitable,” Old Xu lamented.

Zhou Changwang nodded, about to add his own comment, when Old Xu’s brow arched and his expression shifted. “Still, Xu Zhong does know how to enjoy himself. I heard he recently made a trip to the mundane world… Which is understandable, I suppose, given his youth.”

“The mundane world?” Zhou Changwang was puzzled.

“The world of mortals—about three hundred li east of our market city lies the Kingdom of Heavenly Martial. Here, we’re the lowest rung, barely able to afford a meal of spiritual rice, but in the mortal realm, even a trifle from us would be enough for a life of luxury. Xu Zhong went there, stayed at the House of Pleasure for several days…”

Old Xu smacked his lips. “The girls there, while not as skilled in seduction arts as the cultivator-ladies of Heavenly Fragrance House in our city, are every bit as beautiful. Most importantly, they’re cheap—only requiring gold or silver, not spirit stones at all.”

“Oh? So you’ve been there too, Elder Xu?” Zhou Changwang couldn’t help asking.

“No… No, I haven’t, just heard about it, only heard…” Old Xu’s face reddened, and he waved his hands in denial, hastily retreating toward his own field, almost as if fleeing in embarrassment.

...

“The Five Elements Technique—entry level achieved!”

That night, Zhou Changwang had just emerged from his cultivation when he immediately checked his attribute panel. Now, the level of the Five Elements Technique had shifted from “Entry: 99/100” to “Entry: 100/100,” and then, with a slight flicker, transformed into “Adept: 1/200.”

“The Five Elements Technique has indeed broken through, reaching the adept level.”

His heart surged with delight, and at that very moment, he sensed a unique insight awaken within. In truth, he’d noticed this after every session of cultivation, but perhaps because this was an actual breakthrough, the insight this time was much deeper—a qualitative leap from the previous accumulation.

It was as if he had practiced the Five Elements Technique a thousand times over, suddenly gaining a much deeper understanding of its many transformations.

“What effect will the Five Elements Technique have at the adept level?” he thought, unable to wait to find out. After all, this technique was the foundation of his cultivation. With his spiritual root unchanged, the technique’s level determined his cultivation speed.

So, he began another session.

Guiding his spiritual energy through his body, he swiftly drew in the surrounding spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

One minute, two, three… Until the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed.

Five Elements Technique +1
Cultivation +1

Zhou Changwang completed a full cycle of the technique, then stopped, immediately sensing the changes brought on by his breakthrough.

“First, the technique operates faster. Previously, one full cycle took twenty minutes; now, it takes about eighteen. Next, the efficiency has improved as well—the same amount of spiritual qi from heaven and earth now converts into thirty percent more spiritual energy than before. In other words, my cultivation speed has increased by more than thirty percent…”

He savored the sensation, his face bright with joy. Even with his mediocre spiritual root, a thirty percent gain in efficiency was not insignificant. Any improvement was cause for celebration, especially since this was merely the adept level. Beyond it lay proficiency, mastery, and even greater heights.

He glanced at the attribute panel again.

Name: Zhou Changwang
Lifespan: 17/75
Cultivation: Qi Refining, Level 2 (24/100)
Technique: Five Elements Technique (Adept 2/200)
Skills: Spiritual Rain (Adept 153/200), Cleansing Spell (Entry 62/100), Growth Acceleration (Entry 67/100), Geng Metal Finger (Entry 63/100)

“By this count, my Geng Metal Finger is nearly at the adept level as well. When that happens, my pest control efficiency should improve even further.”

Zhou Changwang was filled with excitement. At present, his access to spiritual resources was limited, and the only type available to him was spiritual insects. As his sole means of pest control, and as his only offensive spell, Geng Metal Finger naturally occupied his greatest attention.

As for Growth Acceleration, though he was more proficient with it and it was indeed extremely useful—the most basic and vital spell for any spiritual agronomist, capable at high levels of drastically shortening crop cycles without harming the plants—in the end, it could not fundamentally improve his cultivation conditions, and so remained secondary in his priorities.