Li Mu pushed the cart back and encountered Old Man Zhang on the road. At this time, he was harvesting Spirit Rice in the Spirit Field, bare-chested, revealing a thin, dark, wrinkled elderly body, sweating profusely.
"Old Man Zhang, busy, huh? Want to hire me?" Li Mu greeted Old Man Zhang with a smile, jokingly asking.
"Forget it! The pest damage hit me hard this time. Where would I find Spirit Stones to hire you!" Old Man Zhang looked up at Li Mu, his face full of distress.
"Did you go to pay rent, kid? Bought so many things? Didn't your Spirit Field get affected by the pests?" Old Man Zhang asked in surprise, looking at the items on the cart.
"It did, but the impact wasn't that severe," Li Mu awkwardly explained.
"You're really lucky! I had it worse, can't stay in Qing'an Town anymore," Old Man Zhang eyed Li Mu enviously, speaking with a hint of sadness.
...
Li Mu opened his mouth, not knowing how to comfort him. He was so busy he forgot to tell Old Man Zhang about the Worm-like Aphid discovery. This situation made him feel somewhat guilty toward him.
"Old Man Zhang, where are you planning to go?" Li Mu sighed along with him, asking with concern.
"Decades of cultivation have turned out to be nothing. I've come to accept my fate! I plan to return to my old home in the Mortal World for retirement," Old Man Zhang's face showed a wistful look full of nostalgia.
After a pause, Old Man Zhang looked at Li Mu and asked, "After paying this year's land lease, I plan to propose returning the lease of the Sect's Land to the Qing Xuan Sect. Would you want my piece of Spirit Field? Haven't you always admired my Clear Wind Rain Summoning Skill? As long as you help me assume the lease of this Spirit Field, I'll pass on the insights of the Clear Wind Rain Summoning Skill to you!"
The Qing Xuan Sect's Spirit Field is not something you can just return at will. You must find a lessee to sign a contract and take on the subsequent rent to ensure the Sect's Land income remains stable before you can quit peacefully. Otherwise, you'd have to pay fines of two to three times the rent to opt out.
Now, due to the pest damage, most Spirit Plant Cultivators suffered heavy losses and are unwilling to continue leasing the Sect's Land. To retire comfortably, Old Man Zhang still needs a successor, and Li Mu, his neighbor, is undoubtedly the best candidate.
Hearing Old Man Zhang's proposal made Li Mu's heart move.
With a Golden Finger panel to observe the status of Spirit Plants at any time, Li Mu isn't afraid of losing Spirit Stones in farming. He was just worried there weren't enough Spirit Fields!
Now it's great; Cui Ling Fruit and Wind Spirit Grass can both be planted.
Seeing Li Mu hadn't reacted for a while, Old Man Zhang immediately became anxious, "Kid Zhao, what other conditions do you need? Don't just stay silent!"
Li Mu was slightly stunned and then realized he was called by the original name. He quickly said, "No problem, I'll lease your Spirit Field, no additional conditions."
"Thank you so much, you've helped me a great deal," Old Man Zhang was overjoyed, gratefully thanking Li Mu.
"It's settled then. I'll tidy up the Spirit Field, and tomorrow afternoon let's go pay the rent, and you come along to take care of the paperwork?" Old Man Zhang looked at Li Mu, eager to finalize the matter to prevent any changes.
"Alright! Whenever you're available, just call me!" Li Mu replied with a big smile, nodding happily.
After chatting for a bit, Li Mu pushed the cart back to the courtyard. He couldn't wait to check the Profound Level Technique Book.
Taking out the Finger Snap Force Technique Book, Li Mu fetched a pair of scissors, cut open the insert on the last page, and carefully extracted the contents—an old, blood-stained yellow paper, with the writing still clearly visible.
[Quenching God Technique (Fragment)]
[Grade: Profound-level Top Grade.]
[Attributes: Refines and strengthens the Divine Soul, enhances Divine Sense.]
[Quenching God Technique's first three levels of technique, beginner cultivation can condense Divine Soul, refine Divine Sense.]
The Innate Divine Power - Recognition of Ten Thousand Spirits took effect. Li Mu joyfully looked at the prompt on the virtual light screen and quickly spread open the yellow paper to record the Quenching God Technique's content.
Picking up a Divine Sense Cultivation Technique, although only the first three layers, Divine Sense is an ability primarily governed by Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Qi Refining Cultivators also have Divine Sense but it's very weak, mainly focusing on condensing Spiritual Power and Magical True Essence. Divine Sense Techniques are extremely rare, and no Qi Refining Cultivators have the energy to cultivate Divine Sense.
However, Li Mu would not miss this opportunity. Enhancing and improving Divine Sense is significantly beneficial—first, it can boost the power and range of Techniques; second, it aids in Artifact Refining and Talisman Making, enhancing the Hundred Arts; third, it allows the detection of enemies with Divine Sense;…the benefits are numerous.
"Heart and Breath Depend on Each Other, Embrace and Return to the Origin, Meditation, Unity of Heart and Qi, Body Unmoving Day Refining Essence, Heart Unmoving Daily Qi Refining, Unmoving Will Day Refining God, …,"
Li Mu silently memorized the key points of practicing the Quenching God Technique and walked into the Cultivation Room, sat cross-legged, and focused on cultivating according to the instructions of the Quenching God Technique.
...
Time flew by, and a day and a night passed.
"Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao! Are you home?" Old Man Zhang's call came from outside the courtyard.
"Coming, coming, Old Man Zhang, please wait a moment!" Li Mu responded, running over to open the door.
As the courtyard door opened, it revealed a handsome, mature-looking young face.
"Brother Zhao, you look more energetic, huh! No, wait, how did you reach Qi Refining Fifth Layer?" Old Man Zhang greeted Li Mu with a smile, feeling the Spiritual Pressure emanating from him, and exclaimed in surprise, asking curiously.
"Hehe! A few days ago, I went to gather medicine with someone and luckily picked a Red Spirit Fruit. After eating it, my cultivation improved. Didn't you notice yesterday?" Li Mu chuckled and explained with the pre-prepared reason.
"Yesterday, I was busy harvesting Spirit Rice and didn't notice. Brother Zhao is really lucky! Saved ten years of hard work. What does that Red Spirit Fruit look like? Where did you find it? Was there no Demon Beast guarding it?" Old Man Zhang was filled with envy, asking Li Mu a rapid series of questions.
"How could there be no Demon Beast? Two Demon Beasts were fighting fiercely over the Spirit Fruit, and I took a chance while they were unprepared, picked one, and ran. The Spirit Fruit is baby fist-sized, bright red, just near the Soul Fall Valley!" Li Mu explained, pretending to be terrified.
"You actually went to the Soul Fall Valley, and risked your life?" Old Man Zhang's face slightly changed, asking in shock.
The moment you hear the name Soul Fall Valley, you know its danger. It's located in a valley thirty miles east of Qing'an Town, between two Spirit Mountains, shrouded in dense fog year-round. It might harbor a high-tier Spirit Vein, with many rare Spirit Medicines growing inside, as well as a large number of Tier One and Tier Two Demon Beasts.
The gathering of many Loose Cultivators in Qing'an Town and its importance to the Qing Xuan Sect is largely tied to the abundant Spirit Medicines, Demon Beasts, and rich cultivation resources.
Frequent trips are taken by Hunter Cultivators and Medicine Gatherers to the Soul Fall Valley to gather Spirit Medicines and hunt Demon Beasts. Equally, many Cultivators have buried their bodies and souls there, eventually leading to the valley being infamously named Soul Fall Valley.
"I'm just so poor and desperate! If I don't go into the mountains to gather some Spirit Medicines to sell, how can I afford the Sect's land rent?" Li Mu gave a wry smile, explaining.
Hearing this, Old Man Zhang immediately lost interest in continuing the topic and sighed heavily. He had already decided to give up on cultivation; how did he encounter such an opportunity and yet still couldn't let go!
"Brother Zhao, I'm all set. Let's go handle the procedure for transferring the Sect's Land lease!" Old Man Zhang looked at Li Mu and asked earnestly.
Li Mu nodded, locked the courtyard door, and helped push the cart filled with Spirit Rice for Old Man Zhang, heading towards Qing'an Town.