Bei Zhixing never came to see him again after he left.
When he quoted a price of three pounds of Clear Water Rice to look after one mu for ten days, Fang Yun knew this would be the outcome.
Three pounds of Clear Water Rice was truly the lowest price he could offer.
If he took care of it for ten days, the Clear Water Rice yield would certainly increase. However, Bei Zhixing would be handling it himself for the remaining two-plus months, so the effects of his work wouldn't be noticeable.
Of course, Fang Yun wasn't going to explain that.
As long as he knew it himself, that was all that mattered.
「Five days later.」
While tending to the Clear Water Rice as usual, Fang Yun noticed some black spots on the young seedlings.
A closer look revealed the black dots were actually tiny, slender insects.
These were pests that plagued the Clear Water Rice. They had to be dealt with immediately upon discovery; if left unchecked, they would severely impact the crop's yield.
Fang Yun took aim at the insects. Tiny Golden Needles shot from his hand, striking the black pests with perfect accuracy while leaving the Clear Water Rice plants completely unharmed.
"Perfect!"
Fang Yun dusted off his hands and nodded in satisfaction.
This was Perfect Pest Control. Upon settlement, it would grant an additional three Talent Points.
During pest control, if a plant was damaged but the injury was within a certain threshold, it would be considered Standard Pest Control. Exceeding that threshold meant no Talent Points would be awarded at settlement.
After his Planting Talent reached one star, he became extremely sensitive to any changes in the Clear Water Rice. This allowed him to care for it more effectively, thereby increasing the yield of every single plant.
Among Tier One, Lower Grade Spirit Rice, Clear Water Rice was considered one of the easiest varieties to care for. But as the grade of Spirit Medicines to be planted increased, a one-star Planting Talent would no longer be as effective. Before attempting to grow Second-Tier Spirit Medicine, his Planting Talent would need to be at least two stars.
Time passed, and soon it was the first day of the second month.
January's settlement began.
——
Standard Tilling x2: +4 Talent Points.
Perfect Rainfall x14: +42 Talent Points.
Standard Rainfall x6: +6 Talent Points.
Standard Weeding x11: +11 Talent Points.
Perfect Pest Control x9: +27 Talent Points.
Standard Pest Control x3: +3 Talent Points.
Affiliation: [None]
Talent Point Bonus: 0%
Settlement: +93 Talent Points.
——
'Almost a hundred points. Nice.'
The 93 new Talent Points, added to the 37 he had left, brought his total to 130. He could draw for a Life Talent again.
After upgrading his Planting Talent and renting an additional mu of Spirit Field, his efficiency at gaining Talent Points had noticeably increased.
If all went well, he should be able to draw for another Life Talent at the beginning of next month.
Fang Yun quickly drew for a Life Talent. The wheel stopped on "Artifact Refining Talent," granting him his first fragment for it.
After drawing the Life Talent, Fang Yun reviewed the results of the previous month's settlement.
This was the first time "Perfect Rainfall" had appeared. It seemed to require that every time he summoned rain, the falling drops and the gathered Spiritual Qi had to achieve the most comfortable state for the plants.
With the help of his one-star Planting Talent, getting the Clear Water Rice to that "most comfortable state" was relatively easy.
He had yet to achieve "Perfect Weeding" even once.
Since he had no successful attempts to go on, Fang Yun found it difficult to summarize the requirements.
Once he succeeded, he could quickly figure out the difference between Perfect Weeding and Standard Weeding. He was good at summarizing—a necessary skill for writing strategy guides in his past life.
During the first month of caring for Clear Water Rice, rainfall was needed more frequently, while weeding and pest control were less common. That would change in the second month. The water requirements for Clear Water Rice differed at every stage of its growth.
...
「Mid-March.」
The Clear Water Rice plants had begun to form grains, meaning their growth cycle was entering its final stage.
This was the most critical stage, and also the one most prone to pest infestations.
During this stage, Fang Yun spent significantly less time on his own cultivation, needing to devote more care and attention to the Clear Water Rice.
He had gained eighty-two Talent Points at the start of the month and had drawn for another Life Talent. This time, he received a Planting Talent fragment. He now needed just five more fragments to upgrade his Planting Talent to two stars.
"Fang Yun, your Clear Water Rice is growing in nicely! Looks like you're heading for a bumper crop this time."
Two middle-aged Cultivators were chatting as they walked by. Spotting Fang Yun tending to his fields, Bei Zhixing clicked his tongue and called out.
"Uncle Zhixing, are you regretting it? Not letting me help you out in the beginning."
"Get outta here! You really had the nerve to ask for three pounds of Clear Water Rice." Despite his words, when he saw the number of grains forming on the plants in Fang Yun's rented Spirit Field, the three-pound quote suddenly seemed quite reasonable. "I just had your Uncle Datong handle mine. He only charges two pounds of Clear Water Rice per mu."
As he spoke, Bei Zhixing clapped the shoulder of the stocky, middle-aged man beside him.
The stocky man's name was Huang Datong. He lived closer to Fang Yun's cabin than anyone else.
Fang Yun's general impression of Huang Datong and his family was that they were very friendly neighbors.
"I'm familiar with Uncle Datong's planting skills. He should be charging at least three pounds of Clear Water Rice per mu. Uncle Zhixing, you're just taking advantage of the fact that Uncle Datong is too quiet to argue."
"Watch your mouth, Fang Yun. What do you think my relationship with your Uncle Datong is? A pound more or less doesn't matter to him."
Fang Yun just smiled at Bei Zhixing. He didn't reply, turning his attention to Huang Datong instead.
"Uncle Datong, your little girl, Mengzhu, is about to have her Spirit Root tested, isn't she?"
"Yes, in two months. I hope she's found to have a Spirit Root and can enter the Celestial Cloud Sect..." The usually quiet Huang Datong became a bit more talkative when the subject turned to his daughter.
It is much harder for two Cultivators to conceive a child than it is for mortals. The difficulty increases even further as their Cultivation Realms rise.
However, if both parents are Cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage, there is a fifty percent chance their offspring will be born with a Spirit Root.
It is said that one can influence an offspring's Spirit Root Talent by consuming certain special Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
To become a disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect without any connections, one needs a talent of Three Spirit Roots or better.
For someone like Fang Yun, whose parents were both Outer Sect disciples of the Celestial Cloud Sect, he could have become an Outer Sect disciple himself if he had possessed at least Four Spirit Roots.
Spirit Roots are categorized as Mixed Spirit Roots, True Spirit Roots, and Celestial Spirit Roots, as well as Abnormal and Special Spirit Roots.
Five Spirit Roots and Four Spirit Roots are both considered Mixed Spirit Roots, while Three Spirit Roots and Dual Spirit Roots are considered True Spirit Roots.
As someone with a Five Spirit Roots talent, Fang Yun's only path to joining the Celestial Cloud Sect now was to showcase his other talents—like his Planting Talent.
According to his current plan, if all went well, he would become a disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect in seven months.
Bei Zhixing and Huang Datong didn't stay long; they both had to get back to tending the Clear Water Rice in their own rented Spirit Fields.
After they left, Fang Yun resumed checking the condition of each Clear Water Rice plant.
「The end of March arrived.」
Fang Yun harvested the two mu of Clear Water Rice so skillfully that not a single grain was dropped.
'Let me see just how many pounds I got.'
Looking at the number on the scale, Fang Yun was extremely satisfied.
The total harvest this time was two hundred fifty-two pounds and three taels of Clear Water Rice!