Cultivation Starts from Farming Chapter 3: Starting to Make Money

"Whew!"

Xu Ping drew in a deep breath, shoving aside the mess of stray thoughts cluttering his mind, then activated the Five Elements Skill to begin cultivation.

With his mana fully drained, over an hour of cultivation was needed to replenish it back to normal.

After soothing the restless spiritual power for some time, he gradually wrapped up the first cultivation round.

Meridians in early Qi Refinement cultivators hold only so much strength. A typical one-and-a-half-hour daily session already feels exhausting.

Pushing further might be doable, but efficiency tanks, meridians take extra strain, and injury looms—none of which aids long-term cultivation.

For peak efficiency, the body's former owner stuck to three sessions each day.

Even with that daily grind, the fourth layer of Qi Refinement stayed far out of reach.

But now, armed with the panel, surely things would shift... wouldn't they?

Xu Ping eyed the attribute panel with eager hope.

In the end, only the Five Elements Skill proficiency had ticked up from ’143/200’ to ’144/200’; no progress in his cultivation stage.

Disappointment flickered through Xu Ping, yet he accepted it swiftly.

The original owner possessed a lowly spirit root from the start, saddled with subpar talent.

On top of that, his cultivation method was the downright ordinary Five Elements Skill.

Apart from reliable progress without deviation risks, it boasted zero merits.

Such talent paired with that technique meant even panel help couldn't forge an instant genius.

Steady does it.

He trusted that crossing a proficiency milestone in the Five Elements Skill would boost cultivation speed dramatically.

Dismissing the proficiency panel, Xu Ping stepped out of the bedroom to stand beneath the backyard's massive tree.

"It’s you."

After irrigating the spiritual field, this tree became Xu Ping's go-to for honing the Spirit Rain Skill.

Elder Yan's warnings wouldn't kill this golden money-making scheme, of course.

Elder Yan insisted the Spirit Rain Skill demanded raw talent, blind to Xu Ping being a glitch far beyond any genius.

Grasp the might of a cheat?

Reining in his musings, Xu Ping shaped the incantation seals; dark clouds gathered at once, unleashing a soft spirit rain.

Raindrops lightly kissed the leaves, creating a delightful rustle.

[Spirit Rain Skill experience +1]

The panel alert popped up, stirring no waves in Xu Ping's heart.

For now, his sole aim was proficiency in the Spirit Rain Skill, paving the way for his wealth-building push.

Time drifted on through his nonstop drills.

The Spirit Rain Skill inched ever closer to proficiency.

...

...

Five days later.

Dazzling sunlight streamed across the clear blue sky, draping the world in a radiant golden veil.

Old Man Lu hefted his hoe toward the spiritual field.

By this hour, he'd usually be deep in fieldwork.

Yet last night, he couldn't hold back and visited Widow Li's place.

No telling where that seductive siren mastered such a captivating Bewitching Technique.

She all but pinned him to the bed; even now, his legs trembled weakly.

"Just a touch too costly." Old Man Lu licked his lips, relishing the memory of last night's indulgence.

As he trudged along.

A silhouette rose from the nearby fields. Peering closer, it was Xu Ping.

Old Man Lu opened his mouth to hail him.

Then he caught Xu Ping unleashing the Spirit Rain Skill.

Abruptly, a dark cloud double the standard size loomed over the field.

Drizzle followed swiftly.

The spiritual qi packed into that drizzle was staggeringly potent!

"Pro...proficient-level Spirit Rain Skill!!" Old Man Lu's eyes bulged like saucers.

A mere third-layer Qi Refinement cultivator he might be, but decades as a spirit farmer gave him unerring eyes for the Spirit Rain Skill.

As the cornerstone ability for spirit plant farmers, the Spirit Rain Skill's difficulty was notorious.

Across dozens of miles, only a scant few spirit farmers hit proficient level.

"This kid pulled it off!?"

Envy and jealousy twisted in Old Man Lu. A lifetime of grueling spirit farming hadn't brushed proficiency's threshold for him, but this early-twenties youth had shattered through.

Heaven plays no favorites!

Luckily, the cultivation world's trials had honed Old Man Lu's temperament.

He bounced back fast.

Spotting Xu Ping wrap up the Spirit Rain Skill, Old Man Lu dashed over with a beaming call: "Good morning, Fellow Daoist Xu."

Wrinkles etched his face, baring two massive yellow teeth in his grin.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist Lu!" Xu Ping spun around, spotted the familiar face, and grinned broadly.

"Indeed, it's me. Who would've thought Fellow Daoist Xu's Spirit Rain Skill advanced so quietly—what a stunning breakthrough!" A bootlicking smile plastered Old Man Lu's features.

"Pure luck, nothing more," Xu Ping replied humbly.

"Luck alone doesn't cut it. If Spirit Rain Skill breakthroughs hinged on luck, everyone would've mastered it. Fellow Daoist Xu's success stems from pure talent..."

Old Man Lu launched into effusive praise of Xu Ping's innate gifts.

Flattering remarks flowed, like how Foundation Establishment pales in comparison, with Golden Core as the true pinnacle.

Without knowing his own middling aptitude, Xu Ping might've bought into the hype.

"Sigh, not like me—childless in my twilight years, destined to depart this world alone..." Old Man Lu delved into his woeful history, a heartbreaking saga sure to tug at heartstrings and summon tears.

While lamenting his woes, he furtively brushed away a tear.

In that tear-wiping instant, Old Man Lu cast a sly peek at Xu Ping.

Xu Ping's grave expression suggested deep sympathy for the tale.

Elated, Old Man Lu sensed the moment perfect; with a heavy sigh, he declared:

"Alas, age has caught up—I can barely tend my spiritual field anymore. This year's yield will surely crash. Fail Longevity Sect's quota, and I'll get booted from Dongwu Market. Whatever shall I do!"

Throughout the chat, Old Man Lu kept a sharp eye on Xu Ping's reactions.

Xu Ping held a somber look but offered no reply.

"Speak up already!" Old Man Lu fumed silently to himself.

Xu Ping stayed mute, forcing Old Man Lu into awkward desperation; forcing a smile, he tossed in more praise: "Fellow Daoist Xu, might you assist this old fellow in irrigating the spiritual field?"

Old Man Lu owned ten acres of spiritual land altogether and had first intended to shell out spirit stones for Elder Yan's watering services.

Word came that Elder Yan had hiked his fees.

Up from one spirit crystal per acre to two spirit crystals per acre.

Wasn't this exploiting the looming beast tide to inflate costs?

Fuming over it, Old Man Lu skipped Elder Yan, causing today's holdup.

"No issue with that—count on me," Xu Ping assured, thumping his chest assuredly.

"I figured as much; Fellow Daoist Xu is just so..."

Overjoyed, Old Man Lu geared up for more bootlicking, only for Xu Ping to cut in: "What's your offer per acre?"

Old Man Lu's face froze solid.

Hold on—all that chatter wasted!

Your earnest look before—was it all fake?

"Fellow Daoist Xu, I..." Old Man Lu tried whining about his poverty once more.

"Simply state your price per acre!"

Faced with Xu Ping's firm stance, Old Man Lu's wrinkles deepened: "What rate do you demand per acre?"

"Word is Elder Yan takes one spirit crystal per acre; I match his skill, so one spirit crystal per acre it is." Xu Ping remained unaware of Elder Yan's recent increase.

"One spirit crystal per acre!?" Old Man Lu's eyes bulged in shock.

Xu Ping's ask struck him as outrageously steep.

Even Elder Yan's old rate stood at one spirit crystal per acre, and with a decade-honed Spirit Rain Skill mastery, Elder Yan outshone Xu Ping for sure!