Chương 41: Chapter 40

That afternoon, Elara returned from Benedict's with her gifts and went straight to the spirit field inside her courtyard. Glowmist Grass filled a little under half the qi-rich plot, its maturity readings hovering around [30/100]. Mindveil Grass and Wellspring Grass occupied most of the remaining space, with considerably more of the former. Both were further from maturity. The Mindveil Grass had reached around fifteen points, while the Wellspring Grass was still below ten.

After a moment's thought, Elara approached the Glowmist Grass. Light flashed in her hand, and the Spiritwell Flask appeared. She hadn't touched the spirit liquid it had produced over the past two days. Now she needed room for her tea sapling, and the Glowmist Grass would be the quickest crop to bring to harvest. She applied the spirit liquid and began forming hand seals. [You have successfully cast Soften Earth. Glowmist Grass maturity +5.] [You have successfully cast Soften Earth. Proficiency +1.] …

The soil loosened, allowing the spirit liquid to spread more freely around the roots. Elara moved on to her next casting. Mist laden with spiritual energy gathered over the field. [You have successfully cast Raincall. Glowmist Grass maturity +8.] [You have successfully cast Raincall. Proficiency +1.] … Raincall drew up the remaining spirit liquid and mixed it with the surrounding spiritual energy. The nourishing mist settled gently over the Glowmist Grass. [50/100] [58/100] …

[100/100] Across nearly eighty square yards, the Glowmist Grass reached maturity. Sixty-three white orbs and three green ones dropped beside the plants. Elara began collecting them, following the plan she had worked out. [You have collected a White Random Reward Orb. Reward: One day of cultivation x21.] [You have collected a White Random Reward Orb. Reward: Restore a small amount of qi x5.] Twenty-six white orbs brought her qi reserves back to full.

[5/100] Her Tier 4 cultivation progress had also risen by two points. With her current cultivation method, it took ten days' worth of cultivation rewards from white orbs to earn a single experience point. She left the remaining thirty-seven white orbs and all three green ones where they lay. Taking the Vitalleaf Tea sapling from her Storage Ring, she carefully planted it where the Glowmist Grass had grown. Then she formed her hand seals. The soil shifted around the sapling's roots, settling snugly into place.

She cast Raincall next, guiding the mist into the earth around the little tree. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Then Soften Earth again. Then Raincall. She alternated between the two until her qi ran dry, then went to collect more white orbs. [You have collected a White Random Reward Orb. Reward: One day of cultivation x23.] [You have collected a White Random Reward Orb. Reward: Restore a small amount of qi x5.] [7/100] This time, it took twenty-eight white orbs to refill her reserves. Her cultivation progress rose another two points. She returned to the sapling and resumed casting Soften Earth and Raincall. At last, its roots took firm hold in the spirit field. Its leaves deepened to a vibrant green, and it grew a little taller. [You have successfully cast Soften Earth. Proficiency +1.] [You have successfully cast Raincall. Proficiency +1.] Both Level 3 arts gained another point of proficiency.

By then, she had exhausted her qi for the third time. [You have collected a White Random Reward Orb. Reward: One day of cultivation x7.] [You have collected a White Random Reward Orb. Reward: Restore a small amount of qi x2.] [You have collected a Green Random Reward Orb. Reward: One point of Fortune.] [You have collected a Green Random Reward Orb. Reward: Restore a moderate amount of qi x2.] [8/100] The final nine white orbs earned her another cultivation experience point. Two of the green orbs restored qi.

The third had given her Fortune. With her reserves full again, Elara studied the sapling and decided she had done enough for now. She surveyed the field. The tea sapling stood in the center of the roughly eighty square yards previously occupied by Glowmist Grass. While it was young, it would draw spiritual energy from about twelve square yards of surrounding soil. That left roughly sixty-eight square yards for more Glowmist Grass. Its short growing cycle made the reward orbs a convenient source of qi restoration.

In the other half of the field, she had devoted about fifty-three square yards to Mindveil Grass and twenty-seven to Wellspring Grass. Even without spirit liquid, those crops and the spirit rice could bring in two hundred Spirit Stones in profit each month. She could expect nearly a thousand reward orbs a month, too. I'll definitely reach Tier 5 next month. Elara smiled at the prospect. For an outer disciple of the Moonwatch Sect, advancing an entire tier of Qi Refining in a month was astonishingly fast.

At Tier 5, she could also attempt the fifth step of the Stairway of the Great Dao. Its rewards would be considerably better than those from the second, third, and fourth steps. Assuming she could clear it.

"The fifth trial won't be easy. I'd better start preparing." She opened her status panel. … Personal Status Race: Human Cultivation: Qi Refining, Tier 4 (8/100) Fortune: 9 Talents (1): [Practice Makes Perfect (White)] (0/10) [Spirit-Touched Foundation (Green)] (8/100) … Rank One Mystic Techniques: [Stormcalling] (Level 1: 30/100) Rank One Cultivation Methods: [Verdant Moon Method] (Level 1: 46/100) … Her attention settled on Stormcalling and the Verdant Moon Method.

The Verdant Moon Method determined how efficiently she cultivated and circulated her qi. Stormcalling was a standard technique for Rank One Spirit Gardeners. Seeing it on the panel, though, reminded her of the uses players had shared on the Seed of Ascension forums. At its core, the technique controlled how spiritual energy moved and gathered. Players had found all sorts of unusual ways to put that to work. One would be perfect for her to try in the Dao Realm.

First, she spent her qi planting more Glowmist Grass and tending the Mindveil Grass and Wellspring Grass. Then she went inside to meditate. Night fell. The moon climbed until it hung high overhead. Midnight. Student Elara seeks to carry on the legacy of the Seeds of Ascension. Grant me entry to the Dao Realm. The words echoed through her consciousness. Her vision shifted, and the Dao Realm appeared around her.

Elara studied the fifth step of the Stairway of the Great Dao for a long moment, then took the Swarmkeeper Ring from her Storage Ring. Spirit-Eater Beetles poured out with a rising buzz. At her command, the dense swarm circled her. Still no queen? I'll have to find Julian Wang. She set that aside and began the hand seals for Stormcalling. The first stage took effect. Qi flowed outward, stirring the air into motion. At Level 1, with thirty proficiency points, she could exert a little control over the technique.

Only a little, but it was a start. She tried to make the wind carry the Spirit-Eater Beetles without making it strong enough to hurt them. A breeze swept over the Dao Realm's plaza. Thousands upon thousands of beetles rode the currents, streaming through the air in a thin black line. The wind strengthened. The line widened, becoming less distinct as the insects spread apart. Elara pushed the last of her qi into the technique.

As Stormcalling entered its second stage, the gathering spiritual energy abruptly pulled the beetles together. Their buzzing turned frantic. Tiny bodies rattled against one another. Disoriented beetles tumbled from the air in droves. Some had been killed by the qi. [You have successfully cast Stormcalling (Modified). Proficiency +1.] There it was. The notification she had been waiting for. Elara wanted to plant her hands on her hips and laugh. Stormcalling?

I could turn this into Swarmcalling, Swordcalling, Talisman Calling… Give players a game, and they would always find something new to do with it.