Three months later, the two of them carried bedding and dry food up the mountain.

"The spirit rice and spirit vegetables will be harvested in two days, and we'll sleep on the mountain tonight," Jiang Xiaoyue said.

"I understand, I understand. Farmers also have people who sleep in the fields to guard the fruits and vegetables!"

“That’s right, that’s exactly the point.” Jiang Xiaoyue nodded, then smiled. “Thanks to you, Xian’er, I should be able to earn 10 or 20 percent more than in previous years.”

"Hehe, I'm awesome, right?" Fairy was innocent and carefree.

"Tch, it's just the Cloud and Rain Technique you learned, it has little to do with you."

"Hmph, you've learned the 'Blazing Flame Rebirth Technique,' I'd like to see how well you can refine pills then!"

The two chatted and laughed, bickering as they arrived at the spirit field.

If you look closely, you'll see that every spiritual field planted with spiritual rice and vegetables is guarded.

This not only relates to their future cultivation resources, but also to the breathing tax paid to the Qingyue Sect.

The Qingyue Sect doesn't care what you plant or how the harvest is. For a standard spirit field, you must deliver 500 catties of spirit rice, 500 catties of spirit vegetables, or 1,000 catties of spirit rice, or 1,000 catties of vegetables.

The two kept watch for two nights.

Late on the second night, everyone on Lingtian Mountain waited anxiously, including Shen Xian'er and Jiang Xiaoyue.

The ground was shrouded in mist, which snaked around their ankles.

When the moon is high in the sky, the hazy moonlight shines down, and the spirit rice and spirit vegetables grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"They're here! They're here!"

In the blink of an eye, the spirit rice and spirit vegetables matured in the moonlight.

The immortal stared blankly at the scene before her. The vast fields of spiritual rice and vegetables were shimmering with jewels, like the finest treasure trove.

"Isn't that amazing?" Jiang Xiaoyue laughed from the side.

After watching for a while, the two began harvesting under the moonlight.

This is tough and tiring work.

The medicinal vegetables were as tough as cowhide, impossible to tear;

The stalks of the spirit rice are difficult to damage with ordinary iron, and even if you buy a sickle with the 'Golden Light Technique', harvesting them is still extremely difficult.

"You said you..." Shenxian'er was panting, "Why learn the 'Blazing Inferno Technique'? I'll learn the Cloud and Rain Technique to irrigate; you learn the Golden Light Technique to harvest. With the two beauties combined, wouldn't we be invincible in Lingtian Mountain?"

Shenxian'er's way of speaking is starting to resemble Li Changzhou's.

"If you can't become a spirit plant master, you'll have no hope of farming your whole life. Among all the cultivation arts, alchemy is number one in terms of making money!"

The two worked from midday until midday before finally transporting the spirit rice and spirit vegetables home.

"Come to my place for lunch," Jiang Xiaoyue said.

Soon, fragrant spirit rice, simple boiled spirit vegetables, and a pot of twice-cooked pork were served, with green bamboo shoots, golden-brown pork slices, and a touch of chili and garlic.

They shoveled the twice-cooked pork into their mouths along with rice, then took a bite of refreshing boiled vegetables, and the two of them ate with great relish.

Once you eat the spirit rice and spirit vegetables, you'll feel a warm, comforting sensation.

Spirit rice and spirit vegetables not only have fewer impurities and are easy to absorb, purifying the five internal organs, but also contain their own spiritual energy, eliminating the need for the swallowing and exhaling steps in cultivation.

After finishing their meal, the two immediately sat down to meditate and cultivate, not daring to waste any food.

Shenxian'er has been stuck at the third level of Qi Refining for more than a month.

The first, second, and third layers were easy for her to accumulate spiritual energy, but breaking through the fourth layer, where her magical power liquefied, remained a mystery to her.

Once you reach the third level, if you don't break through, all the spiritual energy you absorb will dissipate.

At this moment, the spiritual rice and vegetables, once eaten, are filled with spiritual energy, which, according to usual calculations, is equivalent to a full four strands of spiritual energy.

Normally, I could only refine a maximum of three strands at a time before my mental energy was insufficient to continue breathing exercises.

Because she skipped the step of absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, she had extra energy to refine the four strands of spiritual energy in one go.

Just when I thought it would dissipate again, a strong surge of energy suddenly arose in my heart, signaling that I was about to break through!

She quickly changed her hand seals, and the spiritual energy flowing within her body suddenly paused. Then, following her hand seals, it moved along the path of the fourth level of cultivation.

After completing one cycle, she clasped her hands together and pressed them down to her dantian. The misty magic power transformed into a drop of liquid and fell into her dantian.

boom!

The spiritual pressure erupted, and Shenxian'er's hair danced wildly.

Fortunately, Jiang Xiaoyue had refined four strands of spiritual energy and stopped her cultivation in advance; otherwise, being disturbed by this spiritual pressure might have caused her to suffer a qi deviation and become possessed by a demon.

The spiritual pressure was like a raging wind, making her clothes cling tightly to her body. Jiang Xiaoyue stared at Shenxian'er in surprise.

She had known about Shenxian'er's situation for more than three months. Three months to reach the fourth level of Qi Refining, what kind of genius is that?

If one were in a sect, eating spiritual rice and vegetables every day and taking Qi-nourishing pills, one would probably already be at the sixth or even seventh level of Qi cultivation, right?

So, when the fairy opened her eyes, before she could even feel joy, she heard Jiang Xiaoyue say:

"Xian'er, you must join the sect!"

"Sect?" Shenxian'er looked at her in confusion.

"With your talent, it's a waste to farm here. Joining a sect will allow you to go further."

"But the deity told me not to join a sect, saying..."

"Don't listen to him!" Jiang Xiaoyue exclaimed excitedly. "Think about it, so far, besides helping you deceive ghosts (hanging ghosts) and people (shopkeepers in the market), what else has he helped you with?"

The immortal remained silent.

“Xian’er,” Jiang Xiaoyue took Shen Xian’er’s hand, “You only live once, don’t gamble with your future. You can’t hesitate for a second when it comes to cultivating immortality. I know that branch saved you, but you don’t have to listen to everything he says. Your life is your own.”

Shenxian'er withdrew her hand and shook her head: "Xiaoyue, thank you, but my life was saved by the God. If it weren't for the God, I would have been killed by the hanged ghost."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!