The next day, early in the morning
Li Mu was in the yard sorting out the rice spikes harvested yesterday.
He placed a wooden roller and spread out a large piece of burlap in the middle of the yard, took a handful of rice spikes and forcefully struck them on the burlap, causing the grains to separate from the Linggu stalks and fall onto the burlap.
Repeating this process.
By around noon, Li Mu had harvested seven large baskets of Linggu rice, approximately weighing around 2,000 pounds.
Once all 2,000 pounds of rice is husked, roughly 1,200 to 1,300 pounds of Spirit Rice could be harvested, then 700 pounds of Spirit Rice will be paid as sect rent, and the remaining Spirit Rice will belong to him.
This yield is pretty good; under his meticulous care, the Spirit Field produced an extra three to four hundred pounds of rice. Other Spirit Plant Cultivators consider 1,000 pounds of Spirit Rice yield per acre of Spirit Field as decent. Some Spirit Plant Cultivators focus too much on daily cultivation, neglecting their Spirit Field management, not even yielding enough 700 pounds of Spirit Rice, and end up having to pay the sect with Spirit Stones.
However, the Qing Xuan Sect isn't too harsh on the 'chives below', as rent for Spirit Fields is paid annually. After planting a season of Spirit Rice, Spirit Plant Cultivators have the remaining six months to plant other spirit plants to increase revenue.
After lunch, Li Mu took a short rest and began husking the rice.
In the rural areas of the original world, farmers husk rice following general steps: first drying the rice grains to remove moisture, then placing the rice in a solid container and pressing it with wooden sticks to separate the husk, or using machines with drying functions to press and husk the grains.
In this world, the steps to husk Linggu rice differ as the rice contains Spiritual Qi. Exposing Linggu rice to sunlight causes its Spiritual Qi and moisture to evaporate, resulting in a loss.
Li Mu brought in a closed wooden husking box, poured in dozens of pounds of Linggu rice, then closed the box lid, injected Spiritual Power into the Array Stone on the box lid, and activated the Shell Refining Array inside the husking box.
The husking box buzzed with a 'hum', discharging a large amount of husk powder from its nozzle.
Once the husking box stopped working and the box lid was opened, it revealed over ten pounds of Spirit Rice, each grain plump, full of Spiritual Qi, and crystal clear.
Li Mu quickly poured these over ten pounds of Spirit Rice into a Beast Hide Spirit Rice Bag, sealed the bag to prevent the loss of Spiritual Qi.
Husking ten pounds of Linggu rice at a time, Li Mu tirelessly repeated his efforts.
With seven large baskets of over 2,000 pounds of Linggu rice, after husking, he filled twelve Beast Hide Bags. Some Spirit Rice remained unbagged, so Li Mu emptied a water jar to store the Spirit Rice and also filled two rice urns, roughly enough to last him half a year.
The amount of Spirit Rice husked exceeded Li Mu's estimate by over a hundred pounds.
After paying 700 pounds of Spirit Rice rent to the sect, keeping some Spirit Rice for himself, and selling the rest, he could sell three or four dozen Low-grade Spirit Stones.
After half a year's hard work, this is all the Spirit Stones earned; being a Spirit Plant Cultivator truly has no future!
Unless one can lease the sect's top-grade Spirit Fields and cultivate Alchemy Spirit Medicine for better profits.
However, wishing to lease the Qing Xuan Sect's top-quality Spirit Fields or Medicinal Fields requires not only enhancing cultivation but also participating in sect competitions, passing assessments, and upgrading from a Servant Disciple to an official Outer Disciple.
Li Mu moved the twelve bags of Spirit Rice into the warehouse, planning to bring seven bags to the Qing Xuan Sect's Qing'an Town outpost tomorrow to pay the field rent. The Beast Hide Bag that holds Spirit Rice was distributed by the Qing Xuan Sect; each filled bag weighs exactly 100 pounds.
Looking at the warehouse filled with Spirit Rice Bags, Li Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead, sporting a face full of joy without feeling any fatigue.
Indeed, it's the Cultivation World, full of Spiritual Power, Li Mu's Qi Refining Fifth Layer physique is so much stronger than his former mortal body.
After a day of hard farming, Li Mu felt no discomfort in his body.
He cleaned and tidied the yard, went back inside, and began searching for books to read.
Li Mu flipped through the sect-issued "Spirit Plant Cultivator's Basic Chapter", wherein it suggested suitable spirit plants to plant after the completion of Linggu stalk planting in the Spirit Field.
Li Mu hesitated between choosing Wind Spirit Grass or Cui Ling Fruit.
Tier One Wind Spirit Grass is a grass-type spirit plant that can be harvested three months after planting, sold to the sect's Spirit Beast Farm for spirit beast fodder, is easy to manage, grows quickly, and won't interfere with the next season's Linggu rice planting, being the choice of many Spirit Plant Cultivators.
However, for these reasons, Wind Spirit Grass doesn't fetch a high price—100 pounds for one Lower Spirit Stone, producing anywhere from three to four thousand pounds from one acre of Spirit Field is already impressive.
Moreover, wind spirit grass cultivation could damage the field fertility, requiring extra effort to enrich the field during subsequent Linggu rice cultivation.
On the other hand, planting Cui Ling Fruit differs, it is also a Tier One spirit plant but a fruit-type spirit plant, with a longer growth cycle of nine months. Its harvested fruit can be eaten directly or sold to wineries for refining Cui Ling Wine, possessing higher economic value—three to four pounds fetch one low-grade Spirit Stone.
Planting Cui Ling Fruit does not harm the field fertility, but it would miss the season for Linggu rice planting. Additionally, Cui Ling Fruit is quite delicate, requiring considerable management effort. Many Spirit Plant Cultivators have suffered losses while trying to cultivate it.
Both spirit plants possess their own pros and cons, Li Mu almost wore out the "Spirit Plant Cultivator's Basic Chapter" but couldn't find a third suitable spirit plant for cultivation.
With a virtual panel available, Li Mu could always check the attribute status of Cui Ling Fruit, not fearing failure in cultivation; even if Linggu rice wasn't grown, profiting from the Cui Ling Fruit was possible.
However, the Talent Divine Power - Plant Spirit Absorption effect was too powerful, Li Mu eagerly desired continued cultivation enhancement. Cultivating Wind Spirit Grass, capable of harvesting waves of Plant Spirits every three months, deeply tempted him.
Weighing the pros and cons, Li Mu made a gut decision to plant Wind Spirit Grass.
This world is too dangerous, enhancing cultivation and strengthening himself is paramount. If the Plant Spirit Absorption from Wind Spirit Grass proved effective, Li Mu even considered not planting Linggu rice but continuing to grow Wind Spirit Grass, eventually leasing more Spirit Fields for cultivation.
In doing so, he could harvest several waves of cultivation in a year.
As for not having enough Spirit Stones, he could earn more through Talisman Making.
The lower management requirements for Wind Spirit Grass would leave him more time for Talisman Making.
With proficiency levels rising, the success rate of talisman making would also increase, and he could refine higher-level Spirit Talismans, surely amassing enough Spirit Stones for rent payment.
With that decided, Li Mu thought it over and prepared to plant Wind Spirit Grass.
The next day, early in the morning, Li Mu pushed a wooden board wheelbarrow carrying ten bags of Spirit Rice, headed towards Qing'an Town, to pay field rent and take care of the remaining three bags of Spirit Rice.