He figured he could modify it without any pressure, even without a test-run function.
Still, he remained very cautious and avoided using any strange logic.
He was just starting out, and his Qi Fortune was severely lacking. He didn't have the resources for trial and error. If he failed, it would seriously hinder his growth.
The Apprentice Tier didn't extend one's lifespan. With such an outrageous requirement for Experience Points, the road to breaking through to the Tai Chi Stage and becoming a Mage or something similar was a long one. He had to make good use of every initial resource.
Facing the core code, Zhang Deming began his work.
if (cast Growth Technique and maintain continuous output of Spiritual Power) {then, Growth Technique is cast successfully} else {then, Growth Technique casting fails, or Growth Technique casting stops.}
Unlike with the Little Cloud Rain Skill, Zhang Deming's modifications to the Growth Technique's core code were far more detailed.
This was because the Growth Technique was a Skill that drained power over time.
For example, if the Little Cloud Rain Skill required a one-time cost of fifty points of Spiritual Power to cast...
...then the Growth Technique, after activation, would consume one point of Spiritual Power per second. Given the difference, it was wise to be careful.
He watched as all the code transformed into Runes, condensed into a white ball of light, and finally flew into his Dantian, reforming into the shape of a simple blade of grass composed of Runes.
Zhang Deming let out a long sigh of relief. 'Looks like being cautious was the right call.'
'If I had defined it as carelessly as I did the Little Cloud Rain Skill, it most likely would have failed.'
After compiling the Growth Technique, the "warehouse" was empty once more, leaving only half of the golden orb of light and a white speck that had just begun to glow.
Filled with excitement, Zhang Deming closed the editor.
He casually fished a Vine seed out of his pocket and tossed it onto the ground.
He had recently acquired it from a fellow sect member specifically for practicing his Magic. It was said to be one of the most ideal seeds from an ordinary plant for casting the Growth Technique.
Of course, the Growth Technique could be cast on any plant.
With enough practice, one could even directly manifest a Vine of pure Energy to use as a control Skill in combat, though the cost was significantly higher.
At an even higher level of proficiency, it could be converted into an ability with a minor healing effect, making it a rather versatile and comprehensive Skill among low-level Magic.
This made it quite popular among the servants assigned to planting duties.
As Zhang Deming's hands moved in a practiced blur while he muttered an incantation, the seed on the ground burst from its shell under his Magic and began to grow rapidly.
Zhang Deming could clearly feel that he could control the Vine's growth and winding movements. Moreover, the Vine was incredibly strong, at least several times stronger than he was.
However, because it had been forced to grow so quickly, the Vine's life was also very short.
Since the power consumption wasn't high, Zhang Deming controlled the Vine and began experimenting with it inside his room.
In just a short while, Zhang Deming discovered that this single Growth Technique seemed to have given him a decent amount of combat capability.
Just as he was about to head outside to continue his experiments, his expression suddenly shifted. 'Is that a commotion outside?'
He checked the time. The noon break had just ended, and the sun was still high in the sky. 'At this hour, in this heat... it's not time for the afternoon work session yet, is it?'
Zhang Deming quickly dispelled the Magic. The tough, powerful Vine withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A moment later, it dissolved into motes of light and vanished into the air, leaving behind only a pile of ash the size of the original seed.
After tidying up, Zhang Deming opened his door.
Just then, Zong En, from the room next door, had just stepped into the courtyard.
Zhang Deming glanced at the considerable commotion outside and the figures rushing toward the Spirit Fields. "What's going on?" he asked, puzzled.
Zong En, standing in the courtyard, shook his head. "I don't know."
Zhang Deming watched the people rushing past. "Something happening at the Spirit Fields?"
Zong En nodded. "Looks like it."
"Come on, let's go see. The harvest is just a couple of days away. This season, I'm expecting to earn at least one Spirit Stone. I'm not about to let half a year of hard work go to waste."
After a moment's hesitation while watching the commotion, Zhang Deming headed out.
Zong En was even more eager than Zhang Deming. In the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard, the reward for Spirit Rice increased exponentially with the harvest yield.
Fifty catties of Spirit Rice was a passing grade. Sixty catties earned one Spirit Stone, seventy catties earned two, and seventy-five catties or more earned three.
And Zong En's Spirit Field was on track to produce over seventy catties.
The two of them hurried out of the courtyard and found the commotion outside was even greater.
Many people had run out of their rooms.
The Spirit Fields weren't far, and everyone was heading straight for them.
On the way, Zhang Deming stopped someone and asked, "What's going on?"
As one of the four servants who had recently succeeded in learning Magic, Zhang Deming held a certain amount of prestige.
The person replied, "I heard a Demon Beast showed up! It's already torn up a lot of the rice in Senior Brother Liu's Spirit Field."
"A Demon Beast? You mean a rice thief? A Spiritual Rabbit?" Zhang Deming asked with a frown.
The person nodded. "Seems so."
Zhang Deming's frown deepened. "That can't be right. Didn't Steward Feng issue a Reconnaissance mission just a few days ago? I saw a senior brother from the Outer Sect patrolling Little Qing Mountain."
"And Steward Feng himself has been making his rounds lately. How did this thing just show up out of nowhere?"
"I don't know. I just woke up and heard them talking about it."
Just then, they both stopped talking, as they had arrived at the Spirit Fields.
By now, more than a dozen Spirit Farmers surrounded the fields. In just a few moments, nearly all the Spirit Rice farmers had gathered.
Many of them were holding various clubs and sticks. A few had even grabbed their deathly heavy hoes.
At the front of the crowd, in a nearby rice paddy, a huge rabbit, half the height of a man, was currently fighting three servants.
Well, "fighting" wasn't the right word. It was more like they were flailing about, trying to corner it.
A sizable patch of the field around them had already been destroyed. It wasn't collateral damage from the fight, though—most of the crops had simply been eaten.
Among the three struggling servants, a young man covered in blood was leading the charge, fighting with a hint of madness.
He was the owner of the ravaged Spirit Field, Liu Yahu, a low-key peer who had been farming for about six years.
He had a massive wound on his shoulder, and the blood flowing from it had stained half of his body red.
But he seemed completely unfazed by it, his expression frenzied as he and the other two fought the massive Demon Rabbit.
The Demon Rabbit was half the height of a man and the size of a wild dog. Its appearance was no different from an Ordinary rabbit. Judging by its aura, it was likely a Demon Beast at the Junior Apprentice level.
It must have used its one and only Magic attack on Liu Yahu, which was what caused the wound on his shoulder.
Otherwise, three mere servants wouldn't have been able to hold it at bay like this.
Zhang Deming looked at Liu Yahu. In his memory, the man was a force to be reckoned with.
The fact that his rice was slightly better than Zhang Deming's own crop was a testament to how much effort he put in.
It wasn't because Zhang Deming lacked skill; after ten years of planting rice, his technique was beyond question.