Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 29: 800 Jin

Yao Shifeng's letter contained only one piece of information: an invitation for a gathering. The meeting was set for three days later at a market town that Gu Mo had previously visited.

Since neither the time nor place conflicted with anything else, Gu Mo promptly replied to Yao Shifeng, confirming his attendance.

After sending the response, Gu Mo began harvesting his spiritual field. With a sweep of his Geng Metal sword aura, the heavy rice grains were cut down. He then used the Sleeve Universe technique to collect the fallen rice stalks into his sleeve, instantly transferring them into his Black Mist Space.

In just a few moments, the harvest was complete. Gu Mo roughly estimated the yield—at least 700 to 800 jin. This was nearly his personal limit.

As for the theoretical maximum yield of Spirit Jade Rice, there were records of people achieving a yield of 1,000 jin per mu. However, such a record was set using a first-grade superior spiritual field, with five professional spiritual farmers, each proficient in an advanced-level farming technique, working together.

This kind of extreme yield was clearly not something that could be widely replicated. Producing 700 to 800 jin per mu, just from Spirit Jade Rice, placed Gu Mo among the top growers in the entire Spiritual Plant Hall.

After finishing the harvest, Gu Mo carefully transplanted his Sunflower plants from the Spirit Sunflower plot, as well as the Peashooters growing in the field, into pots and stored them in the Black Mist Space.

Next, he planned to register his yield with the Spiritual Plant Hall, so he had to take everything with him. He also scooped up the koi fish from his water tank, placing them in a basin before storing them in the Black Mist Space.

These koi had consumed quite a bit of his Solar Essence. If someone stole them, it would be a significant loss. Once he had a more stable supply of Solar Essence, Gu Mo even planned to feed the koi until they turned completely golden to see what changes might occur.

With everything he could carry safely stowed away, Gu Mo activated the formation plate in his spiritual field, shrouding it in an illusionary array. Only then did he take off on his paper crane, flying toward the valley.

"800 Jin!"

The supervisor in charge of recording harvests stared at Gu Mo in disbelief. A yield of 800 jin per mu—this was a rare feat even among the outer disciples, let alone a mere labor disciple who had only been in the Spiritual Plant Hall for a year.

As for the possibility of falsifying his yield, the supervisor was more than capable of detecting any deceit. If he didn't have the ability to judge real from fake, he wouldn't be in this position.

"You've officially entered the finals for this year's highest Spirit Jade Rice yield," the supervisor exclaimed. There was now a high chance that this year's yield champion would be a labor disciple.

Every year, the Spiritual Plant Hall rewarded those with the highest yields to encourage improvement. This was precisely why Gu Mo had chosen not to conceal his actual yield.

It was difficult to falsely inflate one's harvest numbers, but it was easy to underreport. As a new labor disciple, if he had reported a yield of just 500 jin per mu, it would still be considered excellent, and no one would suspect him of fabricating results.

However, Gu Mo chose to report truthfully. By demonstrating his talent in spiritual farming, he wouldn't attract unwanted attention—instead, he would earn rewards from the Spiritual Plant Hall.

After all, the reason he had been granted a plot of spiritual farmland with a three-year rent exemption was because he had revealed his aptitude for farming. Since that was the case, why not continue leveraging this talent to gain further benefits?

What truly needed to be kept secret was the existence of his Sunflowers. The Solar Essence they produced had the potential to fundamentally alter a cultivator's spiritual roots. If that secret got out, it would attract beings powerful enough to crush him effortlessly.

Because of this, Gu Mo took extreme precautions. He carried the Sunflowers with him every time he left, and since he had no technique to conceal his cultivation level, he didn't dare to practice at full strength.

Gu Mo submitted 500 jin of spiritual rice in exchange for 500 sect contribution points, keeping 300 jin for himself. Out of that, he planned to sell 200 jin at the market, which would earn him around 660 spirit stones. These stones would be more than enough to sustain his illusion array for an extended period. With that protection, he could safely expand his Sunflower cultivation to ten plants.

At that point, he would be producing ten units of Solar Essence daily. Whether for expanding the Black Mist Space, acquiring more Peashooters, or feeding his koi, he would have a surplus.

As for the remaining 100 jin of rice, he kept it for personal consumption. Ever since he started eating his own harvested spiritual rice, regular food had lost its appeal. Compared to ordinary meals, food infused with spiritual energy was simply on another level.

A Profitable Transaction

With the yield officially recorded, Gu Mo rode his paper crane toward the market town. Though the meeting was still a few days away, his fieldwork was done, so he didn't mind spending some time in the market.

His first stop was Gou Youyu's liquor shop. Their previous transaction had gone smoothly, so Gu Mo chose to sell his spiritual rice to him again.

"Brother, I've been waiting for you!"

The moment Gou Youyu saw Gu Mo, he set aside his work and greeted him enthusiastically.

The last batch of 100 jin of fresh Spirit Jade Rice had allowed Gou Youyu to brew a batch of fine-grade spiritual wine, earning him a solid reputation. Before that, his liquor was brewed using inferior spiritual rice, making it just standard-grade—while it still sold, it couldn't fetch a high price.

Only fine-grade spiritual wine and above could command premium rates. Moreover, if a liquor shop only sold average wine, it would harm its reputation in the long run.

"Shopkeeper Gou, what you've been waiting for is my spiritual rice, I assume?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Gu Mo didn't waste time and directly took out 200 jin of rice. He knew exactly why Gou Youyu was so eager to see him.

Sure enough, Gou Youyu's eyes gleamed with excitement when he saw the 200 jin of rice. Without hesitation, he handed over 660 spirit stones and even gifted Gu Mo a bottle of fine-grade spiritual wine.

The 660 spirit stones were payment for the rice, but Gou Youyu naturally wanted to offer a little extra goodwill.

Gu Mo didn't refuse. He had already finished the last bottle of wine from their previous deal. The taste had been excellent, and the spiritual energy contained in the wine was even stronger than the rice itself. Though not much of a drinker, he had ended up finishing the whole bottle by himself.

Seeking a Stealth Technique

With the transaction complete, Gu Mo didn't linger. Before leaving, he asked Gou Youyu to keep an eye out for information on techniques that could conceal cultivation levels.

He was still 2,200 sect contribution points short of exchanging for the Hidden Qi Technique. At his current pace, it would take him two more years to earn enough points. If he could find a similar technique in the market, it might save him both time and resources.

Of course, this was just a backup plan. If nothing turned up, he wouldn't be disappointed.

Gou Youyu readily agreed. From his perspective, this was likely something requested by the powerful figure behind Gu Mo, so he would make sure to do his best.

Exploring the Market

After leaving the liquor shop, Gu Mo wandered through the market plaza. Every time he came, the stalls had different items on display, making the experience fresh and exciting.

Over the past few days, rather than finding it tedious, he felt like he was broadening his knowledge. As long as he resisted impulsive purchases, the questionable goods on display couldn't deceive him.

The Meeting Approaches

On the third day in the market town, Gu Mo made his way to the designated meeting spot mentioned in Yao Shifeng's letter.