Chương 5: Cultivating the Spirit Fields

Life seemed to have returned to its previous course.

The commotion brought about by the immortal sects recruiting disciples is like a stone thrown into an ancient well; no matter how big the ripples are, they will eventually return to calm.

For most people in Matongli Village, life consists of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, worrying about the harvest in the fields, the livestock in the pens, and the food in their bowls.

A disciple of an immortal?

That's too far away, as far away as the clouds in the sky. It's okay to look up occasionally, but when you look down, you still have to busy yourself with the ground beneath your feet.

Chen Mo couldn't be more satisfied with this.

He still gets up before dawn, first going to the end of the village to fill the water vat for Grandma Sun, and then helping Aunt Sun at the tofu shop push the millstone a few times along the way.

Then we would go to Dr. Li's place, either to help sort and dry the medicinal herbs, or, like today, to go into the mountains with him to collect herbs.

"Hmm, this seven-leaf star-patterned grass is cold in nature and often grows in shady, damp rock crevices. Its sap can be applied externally to relieve boils and carbuncles caused by heat toxins. When taken internally, it needs to be combined with warm-natured medicinal herbs to neutralize the heat, and the dosage should be carefully controlled..."

On a mountain path, Doctor Li stroked his beard, testing the young man beside him.

Chen Mo, carrying a half-full bamboo basket, thought for a moment and then answered:

"The book 'Baicao Chubian' records that seven-leaf star pattern is a nemesis of cold poison, but it cannot grow alone with yang or yin alone. It is often used with three or four ounces of dried old ginger or one mace of sunflower seeds to neutralize its coldness and preserve its detoxifying effect."

Doctor Li's eyes revealed undisguised admiration as he patted Chen Mo on the shoulder:

"Good lad, you remember it perfectly! Much better than your blockhead senior brothers! If you weren't so uninterested, I would really like to take you as my last disciple and pass on my skills in identifying and treating diseases."

Chen Mo smiled innocently:

"Uncle Li, you're joking. I just have a good memory. I'm not really capable of taking pulses and prescribing medicine. I'm content to help you out and identify herbs to make a living."

That's partly true and partly false. It's true that I have a good memory; the system reward of [Basic Identification (Herbal)] was already at Lv. 6 three years ago.

He had long since memorized the medical books and pharmacopoeias that Li Langzhong had almost worn out from frequent use, and his understanding of them was even more thorough than that of Li Langzhong, the practitioner.

It's true that he doesn't want to study medicine. His main job now is cultivating immortality and farming. Healing and saving lives is good, but it's too conspicuous and doesn't fit his principle of being cunning.

However, it's a great way to trigger system tasks by identifying herbs and helping with herb gathering, earning experience and potential extra rewards.

The two chatted and laughed as they returned to the village, parting ways in front of Li Langzhong's courtyard.

"Thank you for your trouble, Xiao Mo, for accompanying this old man on this trip again. Here, take this packet of dried Solomon's Seal slices and steep them in water to replenish your energy."

Doctor Li took out a small oil paper package from inside the house.

Chen Mo could not refuse, so he accepted the gift and thanked the man.

Just as he turned and left the gate of Doctor Li's courtyard, heading towards his own small, dilapidated courtyard, the familiar notification arrived as expected: [Ding! Daily task: Assisting Doctor Li in collecting herbs in the mountains is complete!] [Task Rewards: 800 Experience Points, 50 Copper Coins] [Hidden element achieved: Perfectly identified all 17 herbs collected this time, without any errors or omissions.] [Bonus Reward: 300 Experience Points, 1 copy of "Basic Alchemy Notes (Fragment)"] [Li Langzhong's favorability towards you +3, current favorability: 88 (considered as nephew/niece)] Ok?

Extra rewards?

"Basic Alchemy Notes"?

Chen Mo's heart stirred.

This was an unexpected surprise.

It seems that leveling up your skills and completing tasks perfectly has hidden benefits.

Although the alchemy manual was just a basic fragment, it was a perfect match for the spirit fields he was planning and the [Basic Identification (Herbal)] skill!

In the future, if I can grow some low-level spiritual herbs myself and try to process them in the most basic way, even if I can't refine proper pills.

Obtaining some powders or ointments that are more effective than ordinary herbs is also an excellent way to supplement resources.

He returned to his courtyard, located in the most remote corner of the village, in a cheerful mood.

After closing the creaking wooden door, the old locust tree in the courtyard, lush and green, cast a cool shade.

Chen Mo didn't rush to look at the newly acquired notes. Instead, he went to the west side of the courtyard, to the open space that was originally filled with miscellaneous items and rubble.

This is where his planned half-acre spiritual field is located.

With a thought, the [Spiritual Field (Half an Acre) Cultivation Permission] blueprint in the system space, which was emitting a faint glow, was used.

There were no earth-shattering changes, but Chen Mo clearly felt that the land beneath his feet seemed to have come alive, and an indescribable, faint sense of affinity emanated from the depths of the soil.

The system has endowed this land with the qualifications and potential to become a spirit field, but how to cultivate and improve it is up to him to do.

"Perfect, let's try out this new technique."

Chen Mo took a deep breath and silently circulated the "Hibernating Dragon Returning to Origin Technique".

Unlike the slow and sluggish "Basic Qi Induction Technique", the "Dragon Returning to Origin Technique" has a more solid and efficient circulation of spiritual energy, with a unique rhythm that is as steady as a mountain and as agile as water.

He mobilized a meager amount of earth-attribute spiritual power, slowly channeling it into his feet. Then, following the almost instinctive understanding of the land brought about by [Basic Farming Lv. 6], he began to tread and sense the land.

The root systems of weeds, the distribution of gravel, the degree of soil compaction, the direction of the faint underground water veins...

All sorts of information, with the subtle probing of spiritual energy and the assistance of skills, were clearly fed back.

"Let's start with cleaning and initial loosening of the soil."

Chen Mo took off his outer clothes, revealing a body that, while not muscular, was well-proportioned and contained hidden strength.

He picked up the hoe leaning against the corner of the wall. This was no ordinary farm tool; it was one he had modified a few days ago by using scraps and a little ingenuity after helping Uncle Wang the blacksmith with his work. It was now sturdier and more stable.

He swung the hoe, and it fell.

The movement may seem ordinary, but it contains the essence of [Basic Power Generation Technique Lv. 5], with power originating from the waist and legs, transmitted through the spine to the arms.

Finally, the hoe landed precisely on the blade, penetrating the soil three-tenths of an inch deep, neither too deep nor too shallow, just right.

The turned-up clods of soil were evenly broken up, and the grass roots hidden in the soil were easily cut off and picked out.

One hoe after another.

Sweat quickly slid down his forehead, but his eyes were focused, and his movements were steady and rhythmic.

Within his dantian, the five-colored vortex of energy gradually accelerated with his work. Not only did it not consume spiritual power, but it also increased because his physical activity was in harmony with the "Returning Dragon to Origin Technique".

It spontaneously draws in minute amounts of earth and wood energy from the surrounding environment, integrates it into the vortex, and then nourishes the body, eliminating fatigue.

[Daily Task: Cultivating Spirit Fields (In Progress)] [Current progress: Land clearing and initial soil loosening 5%] [Task Rewards (Phase): +10 Experience Points, Slight Recovery of Stamina, Slight Increase in Perception of Earth Attribute Spiritual Energy.] The system's prompts appeared at the right time, providing a small but positive feedback.

Chen Mo smiled slightly. This tangible sense of accomplishment, with visible progress, made him feel more fulfilled than simply meditating and practicing Qi cultivation.

This is the true meaning of "Heaven rewards diligence".

As the sun rose higher, he estimated that he had cultivated about one or two percent of the area, and then stopped.

Too much of a good thing is bad; a steady, gradual approach is best.

He wiped his sweat, went back inside, and scooped a ladle of cold water from the water vat and drank it.

Then, with great care, he took out the "Basic Alchemy Manual (Fragment)" which was a reward from the system, and the Qi Refining Chapter of the "Returning Dragon to Origin Technique" which he had obtained before, and placed them together on that simple wooden table.

Instead of immediately studying the alchemy manual, he once again immersed his mind in the "Returning Dragon to Origin Technique".

The information about the transmission of cultivation techniques is vast and profound; each experience brings new insights.

The interaction between his spiritual energy, his body, and the earth during the cultivation of the spiritual field today gave him a vague understanding of the concept of "returning to the origin."

The so-called "returning to the origin" may not be just about forging spiritual power.

Furthermore, they integrate themselves with their profession and the place they live, and from the most basic labor, they comprehend the most essential Tao.

Just as he was immersed in comprehending the cultivation technique, Uncle Wang's rough shout came from outside the courtyard gate:

"Xiao Mo! Are you home? The blower's casing broke again. Come help your uncle take a look, and lend a hand while you're at it. We need to ship a batch of farm tools this afternoon!"

Chen Mo opened his eyes, the faint five-colored spiritual light in them disappeared, and he returned to being the clear-eyed, gentle-smiling country boy.

"Uncle Wang is here!"

He got up, straightened his clothes, and pushed open the courtyard gate.

Under the sunlight, his small courtyard was still dilapidated, and the newly started construction site on the west side looked messy.

But only he knew that a seed called immortality had already taken root in this seemingly barren soil.

It will be quietly buried, and with each time he carries water, chops wood, gathers herbs, and cultivates the land, as well as with the accumulation of those insignificant experience points, it will slowly take root and sprout.

A new daily routine is also a new form of self-cultivation. In the mundane details and diligence of this ordinary life, we move steadily forward.

[Preview of remaining daily quests available today: Help Wang the Blacksmith repair the blower (Estimated reward: +200 experience points, +? in Basic Forging Proficiency)] Repair the leaky roof of the village head's house (Estimated reward: +150 experience points, +1 to overall villager favorability); Collect ten bundles of dry firewood (Estimated reward: +100 experience points)...

Life itself is a form of spiritual practice.

Spiritual practice is also found in daily life.