Cultivation Starts from Farming Chapter 6: Refunding the Deposit

Right now, Old Man Lu came over to Xu Ping, handing him a Spirit Stone reward with excitement, and said gratefully, "Fellow Daoist Xu, thank you very much."

"No need for thanks," Xu Ping smiled and replied, "It’s only right to get paid for work."

"Let’s go, Fellow Daoist Xu, there’s still a few more families to visit, let’s head to Old Wang’s place first!" Old Man Lu urged Xu Ping while hurrying forward.

"I’m only at the third level of Qi Cultivation, and my Mana was already depleted after watering Fellow Daoist Zhou’s Spirit Field!" Xu Ping grumbled.

"I completely forgot!" Old Man Lu scratched his head awkwardly.

In his rush to earn money, he had overlooked that detail.

So, they had no choice but to wait until Xu Ping’s Mana recovered before moving on.

Fortunately, after eating a bowl of Spirit Rice, Xu Ping’s Mana restored swiftly.

Although fatigue lingered heavily, the lure of more Spirit Stones pushed him toward Old Wang’s home.

After securing yet another Spirit Stone.

Xu Ping at last wrapped up his daily tasks.

...

Squeak, squeak～

Cicadas in the roadside sycamore tree chirped relentlessly, grating on the nerves.

Yet Xu Ping felt fantastic; today’s two Spirit Stones plus yesterday’s made three, and after handing over four Spirit Crystals to Old Man Lu, twenty-six remained.

This haul over two days matched half a year’s earnings for him!

Truly, toiling away at farming leads nowhere; picking up a real skill is the path to success!

A grin spread across Xu Ping’s face.

Back at his residence.

Xu Ping deftly whipped up dinner; fragrant steam rose from the boiling rice in the pot.

After devouring two hefty bowls to satisfy his hunger, he went to the bedroom for his daily cultivation session.

Thirty minutes passed, filling his Dantian to the brim with Mana.

Xu Ping let out a slow breath of foul air, ceased cultivating, opened his eyes, and checked the panel.

[Name: Xu Ping]

[Lifespan: 28/98 years]

[Realm: Qi Refining Realm - Third Level: 72/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Five Elements Skill - Proficient (third layer): 162/200]

[Skills: Spirit Rain Skill - Proficient: 41/200; Geng Metal Finger - Mastered: 146/400]

"Hmm, the realm progressed?"

Xu Ping’s heart jolted, his eyes scanning the panel over and over, fearing an error.

After confirming, the realm had truly advanced from "Qi Refining Realm - Third Level: 71/100" to "Qi Refining Realm - Third Level: 72/100."

"Not easy at all!" Xu Ping sighed deeply.

Ten days since transmigrating, without any laziness, he’d finally nudged his realm forward!

"By this rate, reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining Realm would require..."

Xu Ping tried counting on his fingers... but failed, so he jumped up to grab paper and pen.

Heaven help him, no paper or pen in the house.

With no other option, he stepped outside, grabbed a stick, and scribbled calculations in the dirt.

A rough estimate showed one point every twelve or thirteen sessions.

That meant... about a year.

Hitting fourth level of Qi Refining Realm at age twenty-nine.

"Better than nothing!" Xu Ping felt somewhat pleased with the pace, even if quicker would thrill him more.

After all, getting trapped in Qi Refining Realm forever wasn’t his dream.

Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul... immortality as a true Immortal—he craved it all.

But Foundation Establishment alone blocked countless cultivators.

Mastering the core technique to ninth level perfection in Qi Refining Realm before age sixty was just the bare minimum.

Not to mention the three great bottlenecks.

With his present speed, ninth level perfection might come after fifty.

A shot at Foundation Establishment remained, but the odds were slim.

He desperately wanted ninth level sooner, for a failed attempt would still leave retry chances.

For quicker gains, though, external aids were essential.

Like cultivation-boosting Pills.

Such pills always came at a steep price.

His old self couldn’t have dreamed of buying them.

Now, however, things might differ!

...

...

Four days later, come morning.

Elder Yan enjoyed breakfast in his home.

At sixty-five, he focused on wellness, opting for refined foods.

A bowl of Spirit Rice paired with fresh garden veggies and boiled tender Demon Beast meat.

He savored each bite unhurriedly until done.

Then he entered the meditation chamber to cycle his Mana, nurturing his body and meridians.

By this age, his vitality had started to wane; the path to Immortality offered no further hope, confining his life to the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation.

Nevertheless, preserving health remained essential. Circulating Qi daily after meals to nurture the body allowed him to outlast those who only knew blind fighting.

Most vitally, even at sixty-five, his vigor showed no sign of fading.

Some ignorant fools acclaimed him as surpassing many young men in capability.

This filled him with immense pride.

After half an hour, Elder Yan concluded his nourishing circulation.

Having straightened his robes, he prepared to go water other people's Spirit Fields.

As one of the rare Spirit Farmers skilled in Spirit Rain Skill, his schedule during the fruit-bearing season was extremely packed.

Countless Spirit Farmers lined up to hire him for irrigating their Spirit Fields.

Therefore, amid the current Beast Tide crisis, he resolved to increase his rates.

In the end, with Demon Beast materials the only thing dropping in price due to the Beast Tide, all else—including Spirit Rice—was set to rise.

With Spirit Rice prices climbing, it was perfectly logical for him to follow.

This realization brought a smug delight to Elder Yan.

He was certain his business savvy was real.

...

...

The moment Elder Yan stepped outside, a young cultivator rushed up to him in haste.

"Didn't I say one at a time? Your Spirit Field isn't scheduled yet." Elder Yan frowned lightly while eyeing the young cultivator before him.

The young cultivator, named Wu Ming, had booked Elder Yan to water his Spirit Field five days later.

"I'm not here to rush you, Elder Yan." Wu Ming hurriedly clarified, tension evident in his voice.

"Then what do you want? Afraid I'll flee with your deposit?" Elder Yan sneered.

"No, no." Wu Ming chuckled awkwardly.

After pausing hesitantly, he finally disclosed his intent: "Elder Yan, could you... refund my deposit? I won't need you to water the Spirit Fields anymore."

"Not watering anymore?"

Elder Yan knitted his brows. "Think it through carefully—the fruit-bearing period is less than twenty days. No second chances if you change your mind."

"No regrets, no regrets." Wu Ming assured swiftly.

"Alright, I'll refund it." Elder Yan shrugged indifferently.

Returning a Spirit Farmer's deposit meant little to him; plenty of others queued for his watering services.

Elder Yan drew two Spirit Crystals from his storage pouch, about to hand them to Wu Ming, when rumors from recent days suddenly crossed his mind.

Could it be?

He swiftly pulled back the Spirit Crystals.

"Elder Yan, what...?" Wu Ming stared in surprise.

"Tell me, why cancel my watering services?" Elder Yan's face turned grave, his gaze sharp with suspicion.

"Uh... well..." Wu Ming faltered, panic rising inside as he struggled for words.

"Speak, or kiss your deposit goodbye." Elder Yan let out a cold chuckle, his voice dripping with menace.

"Ah!"

Wu Ming jolted in shock but feared offending Elder Yan, so he reluctantly confessed: "I... I found someone else to water the Spirit Fields."

"Who? That recent Spirit Rain Skill breakthrough?" Elder Yan demanded.

"It's Xu... Xu Ping. Yes, just broke through recently, and he charges only one Spirit Crystal per acre." Wu Ming spilled everything in nervous haste.

"Hmph! So brazen, poaching my business without a heads-up!" Elder Yan snorted, rage igniting in his heart.

"Eld... Elder Yan, the deposit...?" Wu Ming fidgeted anxiously.

Elder Yan said nothing, simply hurling the Spirit Crystals at Wu Ming.

"Thank you, Elder Yan." Overjoyed, Wu Ming stuffed the crystals into his chest pocket and dashed off without glancing back.

As Wu Ming's figure shrank into the distance, Elder Yan's eyes turned frigid: "Let's see what kind of person you are!"

He had dwelt in this land his whole life.

Having wielded influence for decades, he absolutely refused to be dethroned in his later years.

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