Chapter 12 The Cabbage Ripens
Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one's lifespan can reach two hundred years, and their five senses will improve, allowing them to begin learning magic, object manipulation, and flight...
But none of those things were what Li Chang'an cared about most.
What he cared about most was that he could leave the immortal mountain for an hour!
Although living in the fairy mountain was very comfortable, with a beautiful and pleasant environment, Li Chang'an sometimes missed the outside world.
Now he can finally go out!
Li Chang'an was excited, and that night he meditated with even greater enthusiasm.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, Li Chang'an stood by the field and found that the rice seedlings in the nursery area had grown much taller, and the Chinese cabbage seedlings had also grown several centimeters taller with larger leaves, making it look like a lush green field from a distance.
Upon closer inspection, Li Chang'an discovered that the soil underneath had actually turned into inferior spiritual soil.
He was somewhat surprised: "How did this come about?"
The sword spirit beside him explained calmly, "Heavenly lightning."
Thunder?
The sword spirit glanced at him and continued, "The heavenly lightning during a cultivator's tribulation contains the most powerful energy in the world. It can purify the heavens and earth, awaken the vitality of all things, and bring abundant spiritual energy."
Therefore, when the nine bolts of heavenly lightning struck Li Chang'an and sank into the ground, they could imbue ordinary soil with spiritual energy, transforming it into inferior spiritual soil.
Li Chang'an suddenly remembered what the sword spirit had said yesterday: "The tribulation is both a test and an opportunity for you."
Could this be the opportunity you're referring to?
No wonder the Sword Spirit Senior specially brought him to the rice paddy to undergo tribulation.
"So these crops were able to withstand the lightning?"
The sword spirit remained silent.
Li Chang'an suddenly realized something.
The Sword Spirit Senior brought him here specifically to undergo tribulation, so he will definitely protect the crops he planted.
Li Chang'an's heart raced with excitement, and he quickly thanked him, "Thank you, senior!"
The Blade Spirit remained silent.
Li Chang'an had grown accustomed to his silence and didn't care.
He looked at the two acres of inferior spiritual soil with ecstatic joy, feeling as if his face was about to burst with laughter.
He was worried about the slow growth of the rice a while ago, but now the problem has been solved!
It turns out that being able to leave the immortal mountain for two hours after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was not the most gratifying thing for him.
What made him happiest was that the ordinary soil on the acre of land where he planted rice—no, the acre of land where he planted spirit rice and the acre of land where he planted cabbage—had actually turned into inferior spirit soil!
He gained two more acres of inferior, spiritual soil!
Li Chang'an was so happy that he forgot himself. He squatted by the edge of the field, touching the rice seedlings and the cabbage leaves.
It took a long time for my emotions to calm down.
The soil has become inferior spiritual soil, and the spiritual rice has absorbed enough spiritual energy. Now the seedlings are tall enough to be transplanted.
After feeding the pigs, Li Chang'an returned to the bamboo hut and changed into the high-top waterproof boots he had worn when planting rice seedlings. He had just planted a row of seedlings when he heard Xie Kuling's voice coming from the bamboo forest.
Li Chang'an had Zhu Lin relay a message, inviting Xie Kuling in.
Xie Kuling walked to the edge of the field and saw the sword spirit sitting on the black sword, meditating.
This was the first time he had seen the sword spirit.
But he had already heard from his uncle Xie Xuan that there was a powerful cultivator with terrifying cultivation in the Xuanling Immortal Mountain.
This must be the one.
Xie Kuling paused for a moment, then respectfully clasped his hands in a salute.
Then, he turned to Li Chang'an and said, "This morning, my disciples found a seriously injured cultivator by the pool. I thought something must have happened here, so I came to check on you."
Previously, the cultivators who came to "challenge" him were at most knocked away; none of them had ever suffered such serious injuries.
Li Chang'an, who was still holding a small handful of rice seedlings, said, "Those were the ones who came to challenge us yesterday. They got a little... out of control towards the end."
It wasn't that he couldn't stop, but rather the sword spirit.
He tried his best but only managed to injure the man's arm. It was the sword spirit that caused the man to be seriously injured and unconscious until today.
Xie Kuling nodded and said, "That person is a rogue cultivator from the neighboring Zhao Kingdom, with a cultivation level of the third stage of Foundation Establishment."
"He posted a status update on his mobile app before he arrived, and many cultivators are waiting for the results. If they find out the outcome, I'm afraid they'll..."
The situation was completely chaotic.
The word came to mind subconsciously.
Li Chang'an couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"Foundation Establishment Stage 3, no wonder he's so powerful." And so arrogant.
During his battle with that person, he rarely gained the upper hand. If it weren't for the help of the black sword and his breakthrough that restored spiritual power to his dantian, he wouldn't have even had the chance to fight with all his might.
Li Chang'an chuckled again: "However, I also benefited from this misfortune and successfully established my foundation."
Xie Kuling was taken aback: "Foundation Establishment?"
"So he's your cornerstone?"
"Foundation stone?" Li Chang'an asked, somewhat puzzled.
The man seemed to have used the same term when he discovered that he had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and his tone wasn't very good; he seemed angry and embarrassed.
Xie Kuling explained: "The foundation stone is the one that guides a Qi Refining cultivator to the Foundation Establishment stage. With the foundation stone, a cultivator can examine their inner self and find their own 'path' of cultivation."
"Some foundation stones are actively used for guidance, while others are passively used. And cultivators are generally... quite ambitious. If they are used as foundation stones, and their minds are not stable, they may even drop in cultivation level."
No wonder the man was so angry.
Li Chang'an lowered his eyes and fell into deep thought.
Although he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and officially embarked on the path of cultivation, Li Chang'an still didn't feel a sense of reality.
Introspecting one's inner self, the "Tao" of spiritual practice...
Li Chang'an only remembered that when he was fighting that person with the bamboo whip, he had only one thought in his mind.
He didn't want to be bullied anymore, he didn't want to be looked down upon anymore, and he didn't want these people to think that he was unworthy of inheriting the Xuanling Immortal Mountain!
Is this his "Tao"?
Li Chang'an chuckled softly and shook his head.
Who cares, it's such a hassle.
"To celebrate having some more inferior spiritual soil, I'd like to braise some edamame tonight as a snack with my drinks—those soybeans I planted; thanks to the inferior spiritual soil, they've already formed pods and grown beans these past few days. Xie Kuling, why don't you have a drink too?"
Li Chang'an thought for a moment and then said, "We can also invite the Grand Elder and the disciples."
They've helped him pick up packages and deliveries many times, so this is a good opportunity to express our gratitude.
Xie Kuling was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "I can't drink, and my disciples are already here, which would be a bother to you. I'll ask my uncle to come and have a drink with you instead."
Li Chang'an laughed and said, "Then you should try some edamame. I'll get more so you can take some back for your disciples. Oh, right, I'll have to trouble you to buy some wine. I'll send you the money for the wine later."
Xie Kuling didn't refuse and nodded, "Okay."
After speaking, he went to check on the two extra acres of inferior spiritual soil, and soon left the immortal mountain.
Li Chang'an continued transplanting rice seedlings.
Transplanting rice seedlings on one acre of land by himself is a huge undertaking.
Li Chang'an had only planted half of the rice paddies when he saw that it was already 3 p.m., so he left the paddy field and went to the soybean field.
The poor-quality soil under the soybeans was only two square meters. Li Chang'an picked the soybeans that had grown, leaving only one plant unpicked, intending to let it continue to grow and use the beans that grew to produce seeds.
Then, he weighed the bag of edamame in his hand and estimated it to be about six pounds.
The Qingfeng Sect has more than twenty disciples, and six catties of edamame is definitely not enough for them.
Li Chang'an then shaved a long bamboo strip and went to the Ningjing River to spear fish.
The black-scaled fish in the Ningjing River were quite intelligent; they would disappear at the slightest disturbance on the bank. Previously, he could only rely on the black sword to spear the fish for him.
But now that he has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, Li Chang'an stood on the bank, staring at the river surface, and then quickly used his spiritual power to control the bamboo strips to pierce into the water.
"Splash!" A black-scaled fish weighing three or four pounds was speared up.
Li Chang'an persevered and speared five more fish in succession.
After stringing the six fish onto bamboo strips, Li Chang'an carried them back to the bamboo house with satisfaction.
In the courtyard of the bamboo house, in the southwest corner there is a simple stove made of piled stones, with an iron pot on top.
This is where Li Chang'an has been cooking lately.
Since he was going to drink that evening, Li Chang'an didn't choose to cook, but simply boiled a bowl of noodles.
After finishing his meal, he began preparing the edamame.
Black Sword diligently gutted and scaled the six fish, while Li Chang'an found some bamboo, shaved it into strips, and strung the fish together, placing them aside.
The braising spices were all bought online beforehand, and they were put into the pot to simmer along with dried chili peppers and rock sugar.
As the sun gradually set behind the mountains, this blessed land entered a tranquil night.
Seeing that Li Chang'an had invited people to a gathering, the sword spirit had already left by the time it got dark, leaving Li Chang'an alone outside the bamboo house.
He set up a few rechargeable lamps in the yard, and the bamboo house in this little corner had more light, making it look much warmer.
The edamame in the pot has been simmering over medium-low heat for about twenty minutes, emitting a rich aroma.
Xie Kuling and Xie Xuan arrived outside the bamboo house, carrying two cases of beer, a plate of fried peanuts, and a plate of pickled vegetables.
"The night view here is so beautiful." Xie Kuling sat in the courtyard, looking up at the night sky.
The runes on the seals of the four distant immortal mountains flowed silently, like water flowing down from the Milky Way in the sky. The pale gold color contrasted with the blue-black of the night sky, creating an overwhelming sense of holiness and unparalleled beauty.
Xie Xuan opened a bottle of beer and looked up when he heard this.
I was stunned at first glance.
After a long while, he finally looked away, glancing at Li Chang'an, who was grilling fish, with a complicated expression in his eyes.
Li Chang'an seemed oblivious, still focused on brushing sauce onto the grilled fish in his hand.
Xie Xuan lowered his eyes and silently took a sip of wine.
Li Chang'an flipped the grilled fish over.
Many people have come to Xuanling Immortal Mountain during this period, but only Xie family uncle and nephew have come here through the bamboo forest. They saw the seals outside the immortal mountain, but did not inquire about them.
After brushing the sauce onto the fish, Li Chang'an felt even more favorably disposed towards the Qingfeng School.
The fish was placed on the fire, and Li Chang'an opened a bottle of beer, clinking bottles with Xie Xuan.
Li Chang'an and Xie Xuan weren't very familiar with each other, and at first the two were a bit reserved. Later, Xie Xuan drank until his face turned red, and he started talking to Li Chang'an without caring about his image.
The conversation started with how to tutor children's schoolwork, then moved on to the troublesome TV drama crew, and finally to the history of the Qingfeng School.
Li Chang'an would also talk about some bizarre things he encountered while filming, and then occasionally mention grilled fish.
A fish was quickly grilled, its tender, slightly sweet flesh and charred skin instantly winning over the uncle and nephew.
The braised spicy edamame has a soft and flavorful outer skin that can be easily peeled off with a gentle touch. The beans inside the pods are also soft and tender, with a sweet and glutinous taste and absolutely no beany smell.
The grilled fish was quickly finished, and a lot of spicy braised edamame was also eaten. Xie Xuan drank a full five bottles of wine, then slumped his head onto the table, waving his hands repeatedly.
"I'm not drinking anymore, I feel nauseous..."
Li Chang'an blushed and stared at him for a while.
A beat slow to realize that the uncle and nephew might be leaving, he quickly turned around, drew a fire talisman, and began grilling the remaining five fish.
"Take these fish back with you later for your disciples to try," Li Chang'an said.
Xie Kuling put down his chopsticks and went over to help with the grilling.
Flames scorched the fish skin as Xie Kuling stared blankly at the oil dripping into the fire, the question in his mind blurting out: "Li Chang'an, what does it feel like to reach the Foundation Establishment stage?"
Li Chang'an continued working with his hands and said upon hearing this, "To be honest, I don't really have any real understanding of cultivation or foundation building yet."
"It's like I just learned a new skill. My life is still the same, and I'm still the same person."
Xie Kuling looked at him.
As the leader of the Qingfeng Sect, he was used to seeing cultivators who were arrogant because they had spiritual roots, but he had never seen anyone like Li Chang'an before.
Xie Kuling suddenly smiled.
"As expected of you."
Li Chang'an smiled.
The five fish were quickly grilled, and Li Chang'an found a bamboo basket and packed the fish and edamame into it.
Xie Kuling helped Xie Xuan up and left with the basket.
After tidying up the table, Li Chang'an staggered back to the bamboo house.
His alcohol tolerance wasn't actually very high; even after only three bottles, his mind was already foggy.
He didn't cultivate tonight; he lay down on the folding bed, covered himself with the blanket, and fell asleep instantly.
The next morning, while Li Chang'an was having breakfast, the sword spirit appeared in the courtyard.
Upon seeing him, Li Chang'an quickly went into the bamboo house and brought out a small bowl of spicy braised edamame.
"As expected of something grown in spiritual soil, the taste and texture are excellent. I specially saved some for you, would you like to try some?"
The sword spirit merely glanced at it and said, "Cultivators must abstain from grains."
“You’re not a cultivator, you’re a sword spirit,” Li Chang’an said instinctively.
He then realized that the sword spirit's words were a reminder to him.
Li Chang'an smiled sheepishly: "I didn't fast before, did I? Besides, I don't think we need to be too taboo about these things, right?"
That person misses out on so much fun.
The sword spirit fell silent, looking down at the plate of spicy braised edamame.
Although it had cooled down, the aroma of the braising sauce still filled my nostrils.
The sword spirit did not eat, but said, "I am a sword spirit, I don't need to eat."
Although he had somewhat guessed his reaction, Li Chang'an still regretfully withdrew his answer, "Alright."
He took that small bowl of spicy braised edamame and ate it with his noodles.
After finishing breakfast, Li Chang'an dashed off to the rice paddies to continue transplanting rice seedlings.
The Blade Spirit watched for a while, then silently looked away.
...
Even inferior spiritual soil is still spiritual soil, and its effects are exceptionally good.
Chinese cabbage, which normally takes two months to mature, matured in just ten days after the soil became poor and unsuitable.
Rows of cabbages, each the size of a football, stood in neat rows in the field. The cabbage stalks gleamed, and the green leaves were tightly wrapped together. If you got close, you could smell a refreshing aroma.
Golden particles from the basic manual appeared beside it: [Common Item].
It seems that inferior soil cannot change the quality of crops.
Li Chang'an stood in the field for a moment, pondered, then picked a fruit and took it back to the bamboo house, intending to taste it and see how it was.
"Snap." The leaf made a crisp sound as it was plucked, and the refreshing aroma of the cabbage became even stronger.
Li Chang'an paused for a moment, then picked two more leaves and broke them into pieces about four or five centimeters wide.
Then, he boiled a pot of water, added nothing, and put the cabbage leaves in.
For some reason, he had a gut feeling that the taste of this cabbage would not disappoint him.
The aroma of cabbage seeps into the hot water, the leaves slowly soften, and a delicate fragrance wafts out.
Li Chang'an picked up a leaf that had softened first and put it in his mouth; the sweet taste instantly burst forth in his mouth.
He then tried a slice of cabbage stalk, which was crisp, tender, and sweet; it seemed as if juice would splatter out when he gently bit into it.
Li Chang'an was stunned.
This cabbage is just an ordinary variety, but its taste is exceptionally good, even more tender and sweet than winter cabbage.
If it's a spiritual item, what would it taste like?
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