Chương 6: Rules 1.6

Ning eventually reached Sector 3. Contrary to his expectations, it was not a courtyard or a cluster of buildings, but an entire valley - and not a small one either. From a single glance, he could see rows of farmland stretching across acres, with sect buildings tucked neatly along the slopes.

'This sect covers more area than I thought', Ning realized, shaking his head. His way of thinking still hadn't fully adjusted. Just one "sector" alone contained a whole valley… and that was only Sector 3. With a numbering system in place, it was easy to guess there were many more.

"Ah, the cliché of expansion," Ning sighed inwardly. It was practically a rule: the moment anything involved qi, cultivation, or magic, the world itself would inflate to extravagant sizes. Mountains became continents, valleys became provinces, and "walking distance" turned into a half-day marathon. Alas, such was the price of worldbuilding. So, Ning added another task to his growing list of priorities: learn the geography of his surroundings. The old Ji Ning had been nothing more than a countryside bumpkin.

And in a sense, so was the current him. All he truly knew was that the sect he'd joined was called the Pure Qi Sect, and that its strongest cultivator was a Golden Core Patriarch. The sect's territory supposedly spanned hundreds, perhaps even thousands of miles… yet that was considered small on the scale of the entire continent. And compared to the world at large, it was little more than a speck.

'They say everything is bigger in a cultivation world. Turns out that wasn't a lie.' Ning didn't even want to begin unraveling the absurdities of physics in this plane of existence. Space stretched unnaturally, valleys spanned for miles without breaking, and mountains scraped the clouds without collapsing under their own weight. He could already guess the answer to all of it. Qi. Always qi. Or "spiritual energy" if one wanted to talk in scientific terms.

Shaking his head, Ning soon arrived at a managerial post built into the hillside. The building looked modest enough, but it was still in that distinct pagoda style of architecture. Anyway, there was also a small crowd here, but Ning quietly waited for his turn. He deliberately kept his eyes down, careful not to stare too long at the paintings or calligraphy displayed near the entrance. He had already learned that lesson.

"Next," the clerk muttered, not looking up.

"Hello, I am a new disciple assigned here." Ning stepped forward and slid the pristine jade slip he'd received from the elder onto the counter. The clerk grabbed the slip, swiped it across the glowing formation on his desk with a practiced motion, and waited for the array to light up. Satisfied, he reached into a crate beneath the counter and tossed a small bundle of items directly at Ning's chest.

"Newcomer kit for Sector 3," the clerk rattled off, his voice carrying the sheer exhaustion of a fast-food worker at peak hours.

"Contains the Pure Qi Sutra and the Small Cloud Rain Technique. The introduction to the Sutra is what you used to draw qi, but this copy will carry you to the late stage of Qi Refining. The Cloud Rain spell is your bread and butter for spiritual farming. First two levels only, lasts until the third realm. Read the sect rules embedded in the jade logs. Review them carefully or break a rule and get expelled. Next." Ning caught the items, blinking at the rapid-fire delivery.

"Excuse me, Senior Brother, what do I need to look out for during spiritual farm-""Everything is in the rules. Read the logs, earn contribution points, and visit the Library Pavilion. There is also Old Zhou, who is your neighbour, he would be responsible for teaching what you want to know," the clerk interrupted, finally looking up with a dead-eyed stare. He slapped a cheap, glowing paper talisman onto the counter.

"This is a directional guide. Follow the blue light down the western ridge path to Plot 42. Don't step off the main path or the sector's defensive array will vaporize your legs. Next!" Ning wisely took the hint, grabbed his starter pack and the blinking paper talisman, and bowed his way out of the office. Spiritual farming is one thing, but not even a single basic offensive spell? Wonderful, Ning thought dryly as he walked out into the open air.

The talisman pulsed a faint, rhythmic blue light, pointing Ning down a winding dirt path into the valley. He walked completely alone, avoiding the disciples who looked exhausted from a hard day of farming. The solo trek actually suited him. It gave him a quiet moment to absorb the surrounding. He watched distant senior disciples casting massive, shimmering arrays over fields of glowing grain, realizing just how insignificant a stage-one Qi Refining newbie truly was in the grand machine of the Pure Qi Sect.

But, hey baby steps... He followed the fading light until he arrived at a modest wooden hut nestled between two rolling hills. An elderly man sat out front on a wicker chair, a faint ripple of qi vibrating around his fingers as he meticulously inspected a basket of dried herbs. His eyes lifted lazily as Ning's boots crunched on the gravel. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"A newcomer," the old man remarked with a thoroughly laid-back drawl.

"And you navigated the ridge paths without triggering a single defense array or getting lost. I see you've already broken through to the first level of Qi Refining, too. Not many manage that kind of basic competence." Ning inclined his head smoothly, presenting his newly stamped registration slip.

"Junior Brother Ji Ning reports for duty, Senior. The registry clerk assigned me to this plot." The old man took the slip, glanced at it, and let out a soft grunt.

"The name is Zhou. Just call me Old Zhou. I manage this hillside, which means I'm stuck guiding you until you can keep your crops alive." Old Zhou stood up, stretching his back as the faint ripples of qi around his fingers faded. He looked at Ning, then down at the bundle of starter items in the youth's hands.

"You look hungry. Go inside, wash those herbs on the counter, and chop the spirit greens. We'll eat first, then talk logistics."

"Understood, Old Zhou," Ning said, immediately moving to help. He had already realized that antagonizing someone who was going to teach you was not a good move. Before long, the simple meal was prepared, and Ning's helpfulness in the kitchen earned him a bit of silent approval. They set up a small wooden table and two chairs beneath a massive, shading tree outside.

As the sun dipped below the valley walls, Old Zhou lit a small spiritual lamp and cracked open a sealed clay wine jar, allowing a rich, fruity aroma to spill into the cool night air. Old Zhou poured himself a generous cup and pushed the jar toward Ning.

"Drink?"

"I'll pass for tonight, Old Zhou," Ning said, offering a polite smile as he slid his own cup aside. He still had zero data on his body's actual alcohol tolerance in this life, and he wasn't about to compromise his safety on his very first night. Old Zhou raised an eyebrow but didn't push. He took a deep sip, exhaling a breath of warm air.

"Smart. A cautious mind lasts longer on this road. Cultivation is a brutal business, brat. Even inside a recognized sect, you are constantly walking on thin ice. For the next five years, your absolute singular focus must be reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining. If you fail, the sect deems you a dead asset, and you'll remain a peripheral manual laborer forever."

"I will keep that in mind," Ning nodded seriously. Then, leaning forward slightly, he asked, "What's the real deal with the spiritual farming? The senior brother who directed me wasn't exactly talkative."

"You mean clerk Shi? He is just salty over getting assigned to the spiritual farming sector, so he is being a bitch about it. He doesn't exactly take pride in being the clerk of this section." Old Zhou spoke with zero filter.

"Pride?" Ning asked. Old Zhou let out a dry, mocking laugh.

"Spiritual Farming one of the foundational hundred professions of the cultivation world, entirely necessary to fuel the sect, but entirely devoid of glamour. For people like us with basic spiritual roots, it is widely considered the worst draw in the outer sect lottery." Ning frowned slightly.

"Is the reality that rough?"

"Worse," Old Zhou's tone darkened.

"Seventy-five percent of your total annual crop yield goes directly into the sect's granaries. You will curse the heavens every single harvest season, but you will still hand it over down to the last grain."

"Seventy-five percent?" Ning's eyes widened. This time, his shock was genuine. Fuck. That's dark. No wonder no one lines up for this job.

"Don't look so miserable," Old Zhou grunted, seeing Ning's face.

"The sect provides the protected spiritual land, the premium seeds, the defensive array formations, and the literal magic spells required to cultivate them. Compared to casual cultivators outside, who pay eighty-five percent and only lease their fields, you've got the better deal." Ning exhaled slowly, calming down. He'd seen interns in his past, plenty of work, no pay, and a boss who claimed "experience" was the real salary. Compared to that, this wasn't so foreign. After all, the sect wasn't family.

The sect was an employer.

"I know." Ning sighed, then straightened with a grin.

"After all, no sword gleams without countless strikes at the whetstone. I just need to keep at it." Old Zhou paused, his wine cup halfway to his mouth. He stared at Ning for a long moment, a genuine, approving glint finally appearing in his old eyes.

"No sword gleams without the whetstone... Ha! Well said, brat. You have a surprisingly strong mental fortitude." The old man chuckled, the last of his gruff exterior draining away. He took a deep drink and pointed a finger at Ning.

"And look on the bright side, as a spiritual farmer, you are entirely exempt from the sect's mandatory combat and scouting missions for a full year. That entire block of time is yours alone. Master your techniques, optimize your fields, and build your foundation in peace." Ning nodded slowly, letting it sink in. A whole year without interruptions… Ah! Yes just the silver lining I need.... Thanks for reading~