Spring faded and autumn arrived once again, it was the season of harvest.
The vast spiritual fields were lush and green, and as the breeze swept across, the crops rippled like waves.
Plump, emerald-green grains of spirit rice hung heavy on their stalks, giving off a fresh and fragrant aroma that drifted through the air.
Above the spirit fields
A white-haired, child-faced elder in Foundation Establishment stood in mid-air. Behind him stood Xiao Qiang, respectfully positioned on a flying boat with his head bowed.
Although disciples were assigned to guard and manage the fields, during harvest season, the elder in charge was still expected to make a personal appearance.
Sweeping his gaze below, the elder extended his divine sense, instantly gaining a complete understanding of the field's condition. He nodded in satisfaction.
"The fields are in excellent condition this year. A few plots have yielded especially full heads of rice. Looks like we're in for a fine harvest…"
"These disciples' skills have improved compared to previous years!"
"Hmm… You've done well overseeing things in my stead."
"Being able to share my master's burden is this disciple's honor!"
Xiao Qiang stepped forward with a timely smile upon receiving the praise.
"Master, you may not know, but among this year's spiritual farming disciples, there's a generous newcomer named Li Ye. He often shares his insights and techniques with others, openly discussing his experiences…"
"His example has encouraged those around him, and many disciples have improved in their spirit-planting skills. Naturally, this has led to better care of the fields and a noticeable rise in yield."
"Oh? Is that so?"
The elder raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, then chuckled.
"If he's capable of such a thing, this Li Ye must be skilled enough to transfer to the Spirit Herb Garden… I'll have to meet him shortly."
In the cultivation world, individual knowledge was highly prized, and such selfless sharing was rare.
But his actions had helped cultivate many talented spirit farmers a contribution to the sect.
As the elder responsible for this domain, even if he didn't offer an official reward, a few words of praise were certainly appropriate.
Xiao Qiang understood this very well.
Now that he'd mentioned it, unless Li Ye had any glaring issues, his transfer to the Spirit Herb Garden was practically guaranteed.
In this way, Xiao Qiang wouldn't have taken advantage of the kid for nothing he'd at least brought his name up and earned some credit for it!
As he calculated silently, Xiao Qiang glanced up at the sun.
"Master, the time is about right… shall we begin?"
"Let's begin. No need to keep the disciples waiting."
The elder nodded.
Receiving the order, Xiao Qiang descended a bit and shouted with spiritual force:
"Begin the harvest!"
His voice rolled across the spirit fields, and the eager disciples below sprang into action.
But compared to the others who rushed excitedly, Li Ye's harvest had already begun well before this moment.
[You have cultivated Tier-1 spiritual plant: "Emerald Bud Rice" to maturity. EXP +0.5…]
[…]
["Emerald Bud Rice" has fully matured. You have obtained: [Emerald Bud Essence] (5%)…]
[…]
As the rice plants steadily ripened over the past days and heavy grain filled each stalk,
Every day, Li Ye's interface refreshed with a cascade of spirit plant feedback.
Until today, every single rice stalk has fully matured, and the accumulated feedback Li Ye received has reached an astonishing amount.
As the sound of nearby spirit farming disciples busily harvesting filled the air, Li Ye remained still.
After days and nights of tending the crops, with each seedling ripening under his care, he began to sense a faint, almost imperceptible connection forming between himself and the plants.
Now, gazing out at the rows of jade-like rice plants, a trace of reluctance unexpectedly stirred in his heart.
"So sentimental!"
He snapped out of it with a self-mocking chuckle, suddenly producing a sharp sickle and leaping into the fields.
And as he began cutting down bundles of spirit rice
A unique spiritual essence inherent to the Emerald Bud Rice began seeping into his body, bit by bit, with every swing of his blade.
[ … ]
[You have harvested Tier-1 Spirit Plant [Emerald Bud Rice]. Insight deepened, solidifying spirit essence +0.1%…]
[You have harvested… ]
As message after message popped up, a vivid image formed in Li Ye's mind of the rice growing from seed to sprout, and finally maturing.
He gradually slipped into deep concentration.
Before he knew it, the entire field had been harvested, and Li Ye slowly came back to himself.
Only then did he notice the alerts on his interface:
[You have harvested Tier-1 Spirit Plant [Emerald Bud Rice]. Insight deepened, solidifying spirit essence +0.1%...]
[[Emerald Bud Essence] solidified to 100%, converting into related trait…]
[Your skill [Planting] has gained Tier 1 Enhancement: [Vitality]!]
[[Vitality (Tier 1)]: Spirit plants personally sown and cared for by you will grow more easily and possess greater resilience and vitality.]
"…This is…"
Li Ye couldn't help but feel ecstatic.
According to Elder Na Luo, Elder Ji Qing had already returned to the sect and, once the harvest was complete, would summon the most qualified spirit farming disciples to select someone to manage his spiritual field.
Gaining such a rare skill enhancement at this time would no doubt give Li Ye a strong edge over the competition!
And if every spirit plant he cultivated could offer him a similar upgrade, then over time stacked layer upon layer Li Ye couldn't even imagine how refined his planting technique might eventually become!
"Junior Brother Li! Still standing there? Hurry up and thresh the rice let's see how many jin you harvested!"
From nearby, Zhang Liangfu, who had just caught his breath amid this rewarding yet exhausting work, called out upon seeing Li Ye standing there with a beaming smile.
"What's wrong? Didn't expect to have such a good haul and got overwhelmed with joy?"
He joked cheerfully.
"Hahaha! The joy of harvest is truly something special. Senior Brother Zhang, you caught me!"
Li Ye snapped out of it and laughed heartily in response.
"Isn't this exactly what we've all been working for?"
Hearing this, Zhang Liangfu also burst into laughter.
Their laughter rang out, mixing with the chatter and laughter of the other disciples, blending perfectly into the lively and joyful atmosphere of the spirit fields.
"A harvest… does bring a different kind of happiness."
With a flick of his wrist, Li Ye cast a spell to gather the sheaves of rice, removing the husks. One by one, the emerald-green grains shimmering like jade rained down into the sacks he had prepared.
Watching the scene, Li Ye felt a wave of emotion rise in his heart.
Repeating the process several times, multiple sacks were soon filled to the brim.
Then, mimicking the other spirit farmers, Li Ye carefully combed the fields for scattered grains and fallen rice stalks, gathering and processing them into another half bag of spirit rice.
But even that wasn't the end.
Sweeping his gaze across the now-barren field, Li Ye decisively reached down and pulled up the remaining stalks by the roots, collecting them along with the leftover husks into his storage pouch.
After all, they were still parts of a Tier-1 spirit plant dried, they could make excellent firewood for alchemy.
Waste not, want not!
"Haha! What did I tell you? Junior Brother Li, you were born for this life!"
Zhang Liangfu popped up again, giving Li Ye a big thumbs-up.
"Look at you, you're cleaning up almost as fast as I do!"
Li Ye glanced over at Zhang's field clean and neat, just like it was when they first arrived.
"Senior Brother Zhang is still the superior one…"
Li Ye replied modestly.
At that moment, Xiao Qiang descended gracefully onto the field ridge, holding a record book in one hand and a scale in the other. Smiling faintly, he called out:
"Junior Brother Li, it's time to present your spirit rice and weigh the fruits of your half-year's labor!"