The sun was hanging high in the sky, its scorching rays mercilessly baking the earth.
The shantytown’s haphazardly arranged self-built wooden huts, tall or short, large or small, crammed together, and the stench of feces and urine permeating the air became even stronger under the sun’s blistering heat.
In a wooden hut at the southwestern corner, Xu Ping lay on a bed emitting a moldy and peculiar smell, eyes vacantly staring at the cobweb-covered beams.
Two days, a full two days!
No one knew how he managed through these two days!!
Two days ago, Xu Ping was just a homebody for whom stepping outside was considered a travel adventure.
Usually, apart from going to work, he huddled at home playing games.
That night, he gamed on his phone late into the night, unknowingly drifting off to sleep.
Upon waking, he found himself in another world!
Moreover, he had taken over the body of a cultivator with the same name.
At first, Xu Ping thought he was dreaming, except this dream was very long and very vivid.
Only today did he finish absorbing all the original host’s memories.
He resignedly accepted reality.
"How did it come to this..." Xu Ping sighed deeply.
Couldn’t help but want to shed tears.
Logically speaking, transmigrating into a cultivator should be a good thing.
In the host’s memories, some powerful cultivators could live for hundreds or even thousands of years, and possessed abilities to move mountains and fill seas.
But none of this applied to him.
This body was already twenty-eight years old, cultivation merely at the third layer of Qi Cultivation, and neither a cultivation genius nor a family heir, just a small spirit farmer in Dongwu Market.
What can be hoped for with this status, this cultivation aptitude?
If given a choice, he’d rather drive luxury cars and live in a villa than transmigrate.
After lying there for an unknown amount of time, the rough knocking on the wooden door interrupted Xu Ping’s thoughts.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, open the door!"
Xu Ping originally intended to pretend not to hear.
But the repeated urging forced him to quickly throw on his outer robe and get up to open the door.
Outside the door stood an old man in hemp clothing, his face full of wrinkles, right in front of his door.
A flash of memory swiftly arose in Xu Ping’s mind.
The old man’s surname was Sun, and everyone called him Old Sun, just like him, a spirit plant farmer in Dongwu Market.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, quick, quick, do you have any Spirit Stones, lend me a few." Old Sun grabbed Xu Ping’s sleeve as soon as the door opened, anxious.
Xu Ping’s face froze.
Came right off to borrow money?
"I don’t have any either! You know, I only farm five acres of spirit fields, there’s hardly any Spirit Stones left after daily consumption, what happened?" Xu Ping’s heart paused, but his face didn’t show it, pretending to be concerned.
"You...you..." Old Sun stomped anxiously but finally sighed long.
"Alas, it’s because I was too greedy, a few days ago didn’t I tell you I found a treasure map and suggested you join me to search for treasure?"
"End result was you didn’t go, so I went alone.
But there was no treasure there, instead, a mysterious corpse, I didn’t care much.
Yet I’ve had nightmares these days, now I’m too scared to sleep, don’t know if I’ve caught something ominous..."
Xu Ping’s heartbeat accelerated, his mind a chaotic mess.
Ominous...demonic creatures!?
This is something even more terrifying than Demon Beasts, it feeds on cultivators’ blood essence.
This...won’t implicate me, right?
Xu Ping discreetly sidestepped a few steps back.
"Do you have an Exorcism Talisman?" Old Sun asked Xu Ping, bloodshot eyes full of hope.
Not sure if psychological effect or not, Xu Ping felt Old Sun had an eerie and bloodthirsty vibe.
"I don’t have this either, Exorcism Talismans aren’t something I can afford!" Xu Ping replied helplessly.
Old Sun’s face fell hearing this: "Alas, doomed by you, then do you have any valuable items?"
How can someone be so shameless?
Xu Ping resisted the urge to curse: "No, I’m just a spirit farmer, where could I have any valuable items!"
"Alright, I’ll go find others to borrow!" Old Sun seeing no money borrowed, didn’t continue pestering, dejectedly hurried away.
Watching his figure gradually fade into the distance.
Xu Ping couldn’t help but curse under his breath: "What kind of people are these!!"
A world fraught with danger, a familiar face seemingly cursed by demonic influence.
"Can I just grab a bucket and run?"
To tell the truth, having just transmigrated and facing such distraught matters, he only wanted to leave this hellish place far behind.
Xu Ping rubbed his throbbing temple, contemplating for a bit, showing a look of distress.
He seemed to...have no choice!
He’s just a small spirit farmer in Dongwu Market, with no background, no power, no Spirit Stones, where could he move to?
If he hadn’t met the seemingly demonically influenced Old Sun, though poor, being a spirit farmer was relatively safe and stable.
But if Old Sun indeed had caught something ominous, who knows when he’d just make a snack out of him.
"The path of immortality is fraught with peril..." Xu Ping sighed.
Constantly missing the days before transmigration now.
But as life goes on, he had to continue living. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
Collecting his emotions, he tried hard to rejuvenate himself.
Xu Ping’s expression suddenly changed, snapping his fingers to his forehead.
The past two days, he’s been muddle-headed, completely forgetting to manage the spirit fields.
The five acres of spirit fields outside are his livelihood in Dongwu Market.
If something goes wrong, being expelled from Dongwu Market would be a light consequence!
Dongwu Market was established by the Golden Core Longevity Sect, not many dare cause trouble here, and being near the wasteland, expulsion from the market almost meant certain death.
Thinking of this, Xu Ping hastily grabbed the hoe resting in the corner and dashed out of the house.
The spirit farmers’ residential area was near the mountaintop market, and was often patrolled, relatively safe.
Yet incidents of robbery by cultivators still occur occasionally.
Upon reaching the field, Xu Ping found numerous weeds growing in the spirit field.
Many weeds reached two feet high!
Nourished by spiritual Qi, not only are these weeds stubborn, but they grow rapidly.
Weeds compete with spirit rice for nutrients and spiritual Qi, they must be eradicated.
Xu Ping spat into his palms, grabbed the hoe handle, and began weeding the field.
He had never done farmwork before.
But with the original host’s memories, he managed quite systematically.
Thus, from noon until the sun was about to set, Xu Ping finally finished hoeing all five acres of spirit fields.
Xu Ping was now drenched in sweat, completely sore, his body seemingly not belonging to himself.
Yet the work was still not finished!
After hoeing, rain was needed.
This ensures the spirit rice absorbs sufficient spiritual Qi and rainwater to grow strong.
It’s been days since Xu Ping rained on the spirit fields!
Many spirit rice leaves’ edges started to turn a faint yellow.
Xu Ping gathered his energy, stood at the field, formed spells, channeling mana from his Sea of Qi.
He was performing the staple skill every spirit farmer must know—the Spirit Rain Skill!
Spirit plant farmers have four core skills.
Spirit Rain Skill, Accelerated Maturation Skill, Geng Metal Finger, Spirit Nourishing Skill.
Of which the Spirit Rain Skill is the core of the core.
This magic has six stages: Entry Level, Skilled, Proficient, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, Perfection.
Generally, reaching the Proficient stage in the Spirit Rain Skill marks one as a true First Rank Lower Grade spirit plant farmer.
Else, they can only be called a spirit farmer.
Though Spirit Rain Skill is low rank, it’s a weather-manipulating magic, difficult to cultivate, without talent, even mid-to-late Qi cultivators can only hover around Entry Level.
Xu Ping also had little talent for Spirit Rain Skill, having farmed for years, still at Entry Level.
Barely able to irrigate ordinary spirit rice.
As the spells unfolded, clouds rapidly gathered from around into a cloud above the spirit field.
Soon, a light drizzle began to fall.
Xu Ping found it quite peculiar witnessing magic for the first time.
A message abruptly popped into his view.
[Spirit Rain Skill · Experience +1]