Feng Mingyou paused for a moment before continuing, "Learning one skill in a month might be considered good luck.
"But two skills in one month? That's impossible to attribute to luck. Regardless of your Spirit Root, I've never heard of such aptitude in the entire Celestial Spirit Sect.
"I was shortsighted back then. I, Feng Mingyou, admit I was wrong.
"You've laid low for ten years and have now decided to rise up. I suppose you've accumulated enough by now, so I think you won't be staying in this courtyard for much longer.
"Before you leave, even if there's no goodwill between us from the past, I don't want any resentment to remain.
"A genius like you, with such a Heart… I really don't want to leave any bad blood between us. Otherwise, if you were to return, I might not be able to bear the consequences.
"So today, you can do whatever you want. Just leave me breathing.
"I activated the Sound Insulation Array in the courtyard when I came in. You can let loose without any worries. Just vent the resentment you've held for ten years."
Zhang Deming: "..."
'Two skills learned in a month?'
'Heaven-defying aptitude?'
'Laying low for ten years?'
'Ha, so that's the kind of genius I am! ...'
Zhang Deming looked at Feng Mingyou's earnest expression and realized for the first time that this man was not an Ordinary person.
At the very least, he was better at scheming than he was, to have managed to climb to his current position.
It was probably because he had no background, no Talent, and was short on luck.
Zhang Deming paused, then said, "Another cup?"
Feng Mingyou was slightly stunned. He poured the tea in surprise and said, "You really don't hold a grudge?"
Zhang Deming smiled. "Steward, I've understood very well for the past ten years how one must get by in this Sect.
"So there's no resentment. you were just doing your duty, weren't you?
"Besides, I should actually thank you for your harshness, which has allowed me to live peacefully on Little Qing Mountain for the past ten years.
"Otherwise, I reckon that if certain people had known I was living a comfortable life before they'd forgotten about me, I probably would have been shuffled off to the Beast Garden and ended up in the Mine long ago.
"So, fortunes turn. The Little Qing Mountain Servant Institute is my way out."
Feng Mingyou stared blankly at Zhang Deming, who was slowly sipping his tea. His gaze flickered for a long time before he sighed and said:
"Sigh… You're truly mature for your age.
"If I had your kind of Heart back in the day, I might have reached Tai Chi by now.
"Allow me to congratulate you in advance on your bright future!
"So, when are you planning to leave?"
Zhang Deming said, "I might go register with the Outer Sect this afternoon, but I'll probably only head over in six or seven days."
"Six or seven days?"
"Are you planning to go only after you've harvested the rice?" Feng Mingyou asked.
Zhang Deming nodded. "Yes."
Feng Mingyou shook his head. "There's no need. I'll make sure you get your share. You don't have to delay all those days."
But Zhang Deming shook his head and said, "Steward, I appreciate your good intentions, but even though ten years have passed…
"…I don't know if anyone is still watching me.
"So let's just stick to the rules. I don't want to leave any openings for people to use against me right after I join the Outer Sect."
"Well…
"Actually, you could be completely high-profile about this. With your aptitude, it wouldn't be difficult to be noticed by an Elder and accepted into the Inner Sect.
"Then you probably wouldn't have any more problems."
Hearing this, Zhang Deming gave a bitter smile.
'A genius of comprehension… he wished.'
'If he had really comprehended it through his own ability, he wouldn't be afraid of the hype.'
'But he was relying on his cheat!'
'Even setting aside the worry of his cheat being discovered…'
'Before I fully understand the rules for obtaining Qi Fortune Energy and how difficult it is, pretending to be a genius could backfire spectacularly.'
'Spirit Root often determines Talent, so having high comprehension with a twenty-one-point Spirit Root is a bizarre thing that already attracts attention.'
'If I play this card, the outcome will be too uncertain. Why risk it? Isn't it better to just lay low?'
Zhang Deming smiled and said, "It's better to live a quiet, simple life. The whole genius thing has nothing to do with me."
Feng Mingyou looked at Zhang Deming, a bit dazed, and said, "Alright, as you wish. Just let me know when you're leaving."
Then, the two of them began to sip their tea and chatted about many other things.
A long time later, at Feng Mingyou's insistence, Zhang Deming left with four jin of Spirit Rice.
Don't look down on it just because it was only a few jin; this was worth two months of Feng Mingyou's salary, equivalent to two Spirit Stones.
For a place like the Little Qing Mountain Rice Field Servants' Courtyard, which had basically no perks, this was no small gift.
It was already evening when he returned.
It was obviously too late to go register with the Outer Sect today, so he would go tomorrow.
Thanks to the Spirit Tea, not only was Zhang Deming's Spiritual Qi full, but he had also gained four Experience Points.
He brought the Spirit Rice back to his courtyard and put it in his little stash.
Then, Zhang Deming turned and went to the Spirit Field. He still hadn't cast the evening's Cloud Rain Skill.
Moreover, now that he was an Intermediate Apprentice, his Spiritual Power was abundant. One full reserve could be used for three castings.
His Dantian had also stabilized, so he no longer had to worry that excessive daily casting would harm his foundation.
Arriving at the Spirit Field, Zhang Deming increased his Magical Power output when he cast the skill.
For one Little Cloud Rain Skill, Zhang Deming used double the Spiritual Qi.
Looking at the Spirit Rice, which was in its filling stage, he might earn more than two Spirit Stones this season.
After casting the skill, Zhang Deming felt that he still had a third of his Spiritual Qi left.
He didn't save it, instead directly using the Growth Technique on the Spirit Rice.
Besides forcing growth, the Growth Technique could also nurture the plants. It was a form of nurturing that didn't drain their Life Force, bringing only benefits with no drawbacks.
Only when his Spiritual Power was completely depleted and his face was pale did Zhang Deming stop the technique.
In the evening, the setting sun was like blood, painting the sunset clouds with extraordinary beauty.
This was likely the hour for the Little Qing Mountain servants to gather, preach, and show off, so no one was left working in the rice fields.
Zhang Deming looked at the expanse of Spirit Rice, feeling a wave of emotion. After ten years as a Spirit Farmer, he felt he was about to achieve enlightenment.
After casting the magic, Zhang Deming walked back to the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard under the setting sun.
As soon as he reached the square, under the banyan tree, one disciple brother after another spotted Zhang Deming.
"Brother Ming, we've all been waiting for you! Today, you have to share your experience with everyone, no matter what."
"You can't just say things like, 'I just kept studying and then I got it,' or 'I could suddenly just cast it.'"
"Look, even a bunch of people from the herb garden next door have come to join the fun."
From a distance, Lü Guo greeted Zhang Deming with great enthusiasm, leading him forward as he spoke.
As he got closer, Zhang Deming realized that there weren't just twenty-odd people under the banyan tree today, but a full forty or fifty.
Just as Lü Guo had said, the news that he had advanced to Intermediate Apprentice and learned a second magic skill had spread throughout Little Qing Mountain in half a day.
Now, he was, in name and in reality, the genius servant of the Little Qing Mountain Servant Institute.
Of the people who had come today, some genuinely wanted to hear his 'sermon'.
Some were here to suck up to him, hoping to build connections and get ahead.
And some were simply here to see what all the fuss was about.
Amidst the crowd's enthusiastic anticipation, Zhang Deming hesitated for a moment, then stopped making excuses.
"Alright, today I'll talk to you all about the Basic Technique required for every Spirit Farmer: the Little Cloud Rain Skill."
"The Little Cloud Rain Skill… it gathers water to form clouds and fuses spirit into rain…"