I had the book with me, so if I had any free time over the next two months, I could flip through Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy again. I might even gain some new insights.
Tonight, Fang Yun meditated and cultivated late into the night.
He was waiting for the monthly settlement to arrive.
He opened the light screen. On the monthly settlement interface, the results appeared the very moment the new month began.
Last month's settlement for [Cursory Listening · Planting] had given him twelve Talent Points.
Less than half a month ago, he had attended another Spirit Plant Master's lecture. That was also a [Cursory Listening], but it only provided five Talent Points.
In contrast, this month's settlement included [Detailed Reading · Alchemy], which gave him a whopping one hundred Talent Points.
"Holy crap! One hundred points!"
Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy had yielded far more Talent Points than Fang Yun had expected.
Talent Points +320.
These were the Talent Points from this month's settlement. Fang Yun's total now stood at 383.
He had earned fewer Talent Points for tending the Purple Corn than last month, but Fang Yun was perfectly fine with that.
After all, he had spent less time on the Purple Corn, so his care wasn't as meticulous. It was only natural that the number of "perfect" waterings, pest removals, and weedings had decreased.
If he had earned about the same number of Talent Points from the Purple Corn as last month, he would have been able to draw for a Life Talent four times.
He made three consecutive draws.
Artifact Refining Talent Fragment x1.
Alchemy Talent Fragment x1.
Planting Talent Fragment x1.
He received one fragment for each of the three Life Talents.
With the new fragment, Fang Yun's Planting Talent reached two stars.
Instead of immediately heading to bed, Fang Yun began to summarize his findings.
——
Studying Alchemy, Planting, and Artifact Refining is a reliable way to gain Talent Points.
The amount of Talent Points gained is related to the degree of comprehension and absorption.
Compared to the hypnotic effect of the lectures, reading on my own is more suitable for me. Actually, scratch that. It's probably due to the lecturing skills of the sect's Spirit Plant Masters. Their lessons don't progress from simple to complex, and they don't even have a Q&A session. I don't run into those problems when I study on my own. Yes, that must be it. The difference between "Cursory Listening" and "Detailed Reading" makes that clear.
Next month, I have to spend some time rereading Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy. Maybe I can still get Talent Points from it? I can test it out.
…
——
After writing, Fang Yun read it over one more time.
Then, he burned the piece of paper.
There was much to do in December. It was time to officially start practicing Alchemy.
Now that his Planting Talent had reached two stars, it was surely more than enough for cultivating Tier One Spirit Medicines.
With the Talent Point bonus from being in the sect, he could now get a guaranteed minimum of two hundred Talent Points each month.
Ever since becoming an Outer Sect disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect, everything was getting better!
Filled with anticipation for the future, Fang Yun drifted off to sleep.
He woke up before the sun was even up.
Even earlier than usual.
He wanted to see if his new two-star Planting Talent would make a noticeable difference in how he tended to the Purple Corn.
He arrived at the Spirit Fields.
The senior disciple, Tian Ruifeng, was already there, having arrived even earlier than him.
Fang Yun was used to this; Tian Ruifeng had never once arrived later than he did.
After they exchanged greetings, Fang Yun immediately entered his Spirit Field to observe the condition of the Purple Corn plants.
'There's a huge difference between a one-star and a two-star Planting Talent.'
Tending to the Purple Corn plants now felt completely different compared to yesterday.
He could sense the changes in the plants with much greater detail, making it far easier to care for them.
'For next month's settlement, I should be able to achieve "perfect" on all the pest removals and waterings. Getting a perfect score on all the weeding will still be a bit difficult, though.'
Of watering, pest removal, and weeding, Fang Yun felt that achieving a "perfect" weeding was the most demanding.
Before he knew it, Fang Yun had finished meticulously tending to his three mu of Purple Corn.
It took him nearly half the time it had on previous days when he was being just as meticulous. Compared to his average time last month, he had saved a third of the time.
With the extra time, Fang Yun could get more things done.
"Junior Brother Fang, you're done for the day already?" Tian Ruifeng's face darkened when he saw Fang Yun preparing to leave. He looked disappointed, as if frustrated that Fang Yun wasn't living up to his full potential.
'Three mu of Purple Corn, and he spends less time on them each month.'
'If this keeps up, in three months, is he just going to take a quick stroll through the fields and call it a day?'
"Yes, Senior Brother Tian," Fang Yun nodded and explained, "I've gained some new insights into caring for the Purple Corn recently, so I've gotten much faster."
'After all, Senior Brother Tian's average time per plant is much shorter than mine.'
"Oh?" Tian Ruifeng's expression softened considerably.
Although he thought Fang Yun was currently distracted with other pursuits, Tian Ruifeng knew he wasn't one to make empty boasts.
"In that case, let me take a look for you."
Though his expression had improved, Tian Ruifeng still wanted to verify it for himself.
"Please, Senior Brother Tian!" Knowing the man's character, Fang Yun had no reason to refuse. He even made a welcoming gesture.
As Tian Ruifeng entered his three-mu Spirit Field, Fang Yun, feeling bored just standing around, decided to walk into Tian Ruifeng's field to see if any of his plants needed weeding or pest removal.
'Helping Senior Brother Tian for free is one thing, but it's also a chance to earn some Talent Points. Not a bad deal.'
Observing carefully, Fang Yun actually managed to find and remove a pest.
Perfect!
Three Talent Points, secured.
Just as he was about to move on to the next plant, Fang Yun suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The Purple Corn plant he had just de-pested seemed a little... off.
'Huh? This is...'
"Junior Brother Fang, your work today was excellent." By this time, Tian Ruifeng had finished inspecting every single plant in Fang Yun's Spirit Field, and his expression was back to normal.
'With his current skill, even at only the third layer of Qi Refining, he could easily manage five or six mu of Purple Corn.'
"With your Planting Talent, I think..."
"Senior Brother Tian, come over here, quick!" Fang Yun cut him off. "This Purple Corn plant... I think it's showing signs of mutation."
He said it was showing signs, but in reality, Fang Yun was already certain it was mutating.
"What!"
Hearing this, Tian Ruifeng dashed to Fang Yun's side with incredible speed. He scrutinized the Purple Corn plant, not missing a single detail.
"It's... it's... it's really mutating!!"
Tian Ruifeng roared with excitement.
'How many years has it been?'
'Almost seventy years!'
'I've finally cultivated a mutated Purple Corn!'
At this moment, Tian Ruifeng was overcome with indescribable emotion.
Fang Yun felt a fiery gaze land on him, and he couldn't help but get goosebumps.
"Um, Senior Brother Tian... you should wipe your tears... or is that snot?" Fang Yun produced a piece of paper from somewhere and offered it to him.
He could understand what Tian Ruifeng was feeling right now.
Only by cultivating a mutated plant could one have a chance to become a Spirit Plant Master.
For someone like Tian Ruifeng, who had been tending Purple Corn for decades, the requirement of producing a ninety-percent yield of superior-grade plants from a one-mu Spirit Field had surely been met long ago.
Cultivating a mutated plant was the most difficult hurdle.