Cultivation Starts from Farming Chapter 2: Proficiency Panel

Damn, a cheat system?

In front of Xu Ping's stunned gaze, the glow warped several times, and a panel abruptly materialized.

[Name: Xu Ping]

[Lifespan: 28/98 years]

[Realm: Qi Cultivation Level Three: 71/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Five Elements Skill Proficient (Level Three): 143/200]

[Skills: Spirit Rain Skill Entry Level: 12/100; Geng Metal Finger Entry Level: 78/100]

After gazing in a daze for moments, Xu Ping detected no further oddities, and his rigid frame slowly regained movement.

He summoned the panel and dismissed it multiple times in succession.

"It's no illusion!"

Thrill surged through him.

Golden Finger!

Undoubtedly, this was his personal Golden Finger!

A sense of security washed over Xu Ping, granting him true safety at last in this perilous realm!

"Whew..."

With a deep inhalation, he quelled the surging excitement and restlessness within.

Xu Ping scrutinized the holographic display with care.

Its stats appeared simple and direct.

Despite all his attempts, nothing interactive could be found.

No AI assistant or top-up features existed on the game-like panel.

"Does it just show my stats?"

Doubt plagued Xu Ping; of what value was such a Golden Finger?

Were ratings possible, he'd slap it with a single star.

"Hold on, didn't an EXP notice appear when I cast Spirit Rain Skill?"

"Could it possibly..."

Xu Ping's eyes sparkled as a realization dawned.

Containing his bubbling anticipation, he snapped his fingers.

From his fingertips erupted a piercing golden ray, plunging straight into the earth and carving a narrow hole six inches deep and finger-thick.

[Geng Metal Finger · Experience +1]

A notification flashed across his sight.

Xu Ping's eyes darted straight to the panel.

"Geng Metal Finger Entry Level: 78/100" now read "Geng Metal Finger Entry Level: 79/100".

"Whew, exactly as I thought!"

His pulse quickened wildly as he pressed on with tests.

Every finger snap boosted the skill's proficiency by a single point on the display.

He persisted in casting until half his Spiritual Power was drained, then finally halted.

By that point, "Geng Metal Finger" proficiency stood at "90/100".

"Whew... whew!"

Gasping for air, Xu Ping stared at the panel in delighted astonishment.

"Each use forces proficiency up by one?"

"Hard work pays off big!"

A broad grin spread uncontrollably across Xu Ping's face.

"Armed with this proficiency boost..."

"What could possibly scare me now..."

"Nah, nah, plenty of worries remain, like that shady Old Sun maybe."

Recalling Old Sun's ghastly pale and creepy visage, Xu Ping's elation slowly ebbed away.

Stay low-key, stay low-key, keep staying low-key.

Golden Finger or not, he remained a total beginner in this treacherous world.

Composing himself, Xu Ping mulled over ways the proficiency system might aid him.

"Could the proficiency panel help me rake in cash?"

His initial idea centered on leveraging the proficiency panel for Spirit Stones to relocate to the market hub.

Arrays shield the market center, offering protection leagues beyond the slums.

Still, after racking his brain, no money-making method via the proficiency panel emerged.

Grinding proficiency in Spirit Rain Skill to turn spirit plant farmer wouldn't pan out quickly.

Even as a spirit plant farmer, growing spirit medicine for profit would demand ages.

Far too slow by then.

Other cultivation arts demanded Spirit Stone spending or were outright inaccessible.

"Why does a cheat still leave making money this tough!" Xu Ping sighed in despair.

Right then, a sturdy tall middle-aged man strode up alongside a haughty elder clad in opulent robes.

Xu Ping knew them instantly.

Surname Chen for the middle-aged fellow; the arrogant elder was Elder Yan—both spirit farmers.

Yet Elder Yan stood apart from typical spirit farmers; mastery in Spirit Rain Skill brought him lavish prosperity.

Every tier of Spirit Rain Skill opened a whole new realm.

Consistent irrigation of Spirit Rice via proficient Spirit Rain Skill doubled yields beyond entry-level watering.

Particularly in Spirit Rice's vital heading stage, one or two proficient Spirit Rain Skill applications guaranteed at least twenty percent extra harvest.

From what Xu Ping recalled, Elder Yan's yearly Spirit Rice output hit roughly a thousand pounds, netting two hundred pounds more.

That equaled 4 extra Spirit Stones.

After handing over sixty percent, 16 Spirit Crystals still remained.

Hence, each year at this season, spirit farmers shelled out Spirit Stones to hire Elder Yan for field watering.

In the nearby fifty-mile radius, he ranked as a notable presence.

"How come I didn't think of this!" Xu Ping smacked his forehead in frustration.

He hadn't dealt with Elder Yan previously and never imagined that a proficient Spirit Rain Skill could generate income too.

Still, it wasn't too late to catch on now.

Thanks to the proficiency panel, the Spirit Rain Skill could advance in only a few days!

On top of that, Spirit Rice's fruiting phase stretched across an entire month.

After a moment's thought, Xu Ping trailed behind the two.

...

Inside the spirit field.

Elder Yan cast the Spirit Rain Skill to water the Spirit Rice.

One must admit, the proficient Spirit Rain Skill summoned twice the clouds that Xu Ping managed, while the rainwater brimmed with incredibly dense Spiritual Qi.

Xu Ping's eyes lit up, as he watched intently.

After the duration of one incense stick, Elder Yan wrapped up irrigating five acres of spirit field and prepared to rest while recovering his Mana—then he spotted Xu Ping atop the embankment.

Actually, he had probably noticed sooner.

During the Spirit Rice irrigation, he simply overlooked Xu Ping.

"What, you want to learn how to irrigate others' spirit fields like me?" Elder Yan gave Xu Ping a glance and chuckled.

Xu Ping felt stunned; Elder Yan had pierced straight through his intentions.

Sensing Xu Ping's bewilderment, Elder Yan straightened up and smiled steadily:

"Many have shared your mindset, figuring they could master proficient Spirit Rain Skill just by observing me. Regrettably... it hinges mostly on talent!"

"Young man, heed my advice—chasing after irrigating spirit fields like me is a dead end! Spirit farming offers a brilliant future." Elder Yan appeared deeply insightful.

Xu Ping stood completely baffled; if he wasn't already a spirit farmer, he'd have swallowed Elder Yan's drivel about spirit farming being such a promising path.

"I won't hold you back; young folks these days won't stop until they smash into a wall." The elder let out a chuckle and resumed irrigating the spirit fields.

...

...

Evening.

Following a full day of labor, Xu Ping made his way back home.

He thrust open the door and stepped inside.

The wooden house supplied by Dongwu Market was exceedingly basic.

A small front yard served for drying grains, a compact backyard held a well, and... nothing more.

The inside proved even more Spartan.

The kitchen at least featured a pot and stove, but the bedroom contained merely a bed, a clothes rack, and zilch else.

These living conditions desperately needed upgrading!

Xu Ping shook his head ruefully.

He drew water from the backyard well for bathing, then kindled a fire in the kitchen to cook.

From the rice jar, he grabbed some Spirit Rice, rinsed it thoroughly, and loaded it into the earth stove pot.

He lit the fire.

As the pot bubbled, white steam swirled through the tiny kitchen.

It spread the distinctive rice fragrance.

Seated before the stove, Xu Ping drew in a deep breath.

His hunger surged even stronger!

At last, the Spirit Rice finished cooking; he swiftly lifted the lid and ladled a hefty bowl of piping-hot rice.

Time to dig in!

Ignoring the scorching heat, he snatched his chopsticks and greedily shoveled a mouthful of rice.

"Delicious!"

Moments later, Xu Ping had devoured the entire large bowl of rice.

He slumped back in his chair, rubbing his full belly contentedly, too indolent to stir.

"Hold on, no time-wasting." Something clicked in his mind, so he hurried to the bedroom to meditate and cultivate.

Right after eating ranked as the prime moment for cultivation, enabling peak absorption and processing of Spiritual Qi and nutrients from the Spirit Rice.

Fortifying the body while amplifying Mana.

Xu Ping lingered at Qi Cultivation Level Three, still miles from Level Four.

Cultivating via external Spiritual Qi absorption offered terribly low efficiency.

Pills or a Spirit Gathering Array lay far beyond his budget.

Therefore, Spirit Rice alone sustained his everyday cultivation needs.