Hearing that Ye Hao had something to ask him, Wan Bao sat back down.
Although he hadn't managed to purchase that mu of spirit field from Ye Hao, it didn't mean he held a grudge against him; on the contrary, he wanted to foster an even better relationship with him.
Because he could see that with Ye Hao's talent, the status of handyman disciple would not hold him back for long.
Before long, the young man would be able to become an outer disciple.
Befriending him early on now would also allow him to forge good karma with him.
“Senior Brother Wan Bao, since you know this mu of spirit field is in my hands, you must also know who its previous owner was, right?”
“Could you tell me? I want to know why this spirit field was left until now for me to lease.”
Ye Hao cupped his hands and asked the question he was most curious about.
“This matter wasn't supposed to be spoken of, but considering our relationship, I'll tell you.”
“However, if someone asks where you heard it from, you cannot say it came from me.”
Wan Bao looked at Ye Hao, urging him repeatedly.
Ye Hao nodded promptly. “Speak freely, Senior Brother Wan. Even if someone asks me, there's no way I would reveal your identity.”
“The owner of this spirit field owed Boss Zhao interest that he couldn't repay. Not only that, but while Boss Zhao was out with a gang of lackeys, he even stole all the white spirit rice from Boss Zhao's wooden house.”
“Although it wasn't a huge amount, it was still over 500 jin.”
“Boss Zhao has been searching all over for word of him, but rumor has it they still haven't found him.”
“Meanwhile, farming spirit fields is a task assigned by the sect; every single mu of spirit field must have a spirit farmer tending it. The steward of our Area B is Old Zhao.”
“Yet in reality, Boss Zhao is the one running things. Therefore, when the time came, all the blame would fall squarely on Boss Zhao's head. That's why he was in such a hurry to hand off this spirit field and have someone else lease it.”
“Still, Boss Zhao did lose his belongings after all, and so much white spirit rice at that. Losing face either way, he forbade anyone from bringing the matter up.”
Wan Bao leaned in close and told Ye Hao everything he knew, detail by detail.
What puzzled Ye Hao slightly was that, for some reason, there was even a hint of amusement in Wan Bao's tone as he spoke of this.
“Wait, the one indebted to Boss Zhao...”
“could it be Zhou Si?”
Suddenly realizing something, Ye Hao looked at Wan Bao with a hint of surprise, seeking confirmation.
“Oh? You actually know him?”
Wan Bao had intentionally avoided mentioning the person's identity and name, yet he hadn't expected Ye Hao to guess it right away, leaving him thoroughly surprised.
“Back when I left Boss Zhao's wooden house, that guy approached me to borrow white spirit rice.”
“I flatly refused him on the spot, however.”
Ye Hao promptly told Wan Bao how he had come to know Zhou Si.
“Zhou Si has been stuck at Third-Layer Qi Refinement for several years, and he bears bitter grudges over the smallest slights. Since you refused him back then, he probably already resented you.”
“What's more, he has now defected from Baiyun Sect and is extremely likely to degenerate into a bandit cultivator. When you enter and leave Baiyun Sect in the future, you'd best be careful.”
Wan Bao furrowed his brow and cautioned him.
Having stayed in Area B for decades, he understood far more than Ye Hao, and he was already intimately familiar with what kind of person Zhou Si was.
He didn't want any mishaps to befall Ye Hao over white spirit rice, so he offered a few extra words of warning.
“Third-Layer Qi Refinement?”
Ye Hao murmured softly.
With his current means, he wasn't afraid of the man.
As long as he remained cautious, there wouldn't be any trouble.
“Still, you don't need to worry too much. He wouldn't dare show himself openly right now.”
“As long as you stay careful, nothing will happen.”
“If all else fails, you can also go buy some items for self-defense.”
Wan Bao chuckled and patted Ye Hao on the shoulder.
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother.”
“All right, I'll be heading back now.”
“Take care, Senior Brother.”
After seeing Wan Bao off, Ye Hao continued cultivating.
Over the next few days, Ye Hao tended to the third mu of spirit field.
Every seven days, he would cast the Spirit Rain Technique and Lesser Spirit Rain Technique over these spirit fields once.
Treated like this, the white spirit rice would grow vigorously.
The Lesser Spirit Rain Technique finally reached the Eighth Layer.
Reaching the Eighth Layer, the Lesser Spirit Rain Technique could boost yields by sixty percent, while also granting a one-in-a-thousand chance for a First-Tier spirit plant to promote.
It even gained a special effect: a one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance for spirit plants to advance.
Promotion only allowed a spirit plant's quality to go from low-grade to mid-grade.
Advancement, however, brought about a transformative change, elevating what was originally a First-Tier spirit plant into a Second-Tier spirit plant.
Even if the odds were only one in a hundred thousand, it was not to be underestimated.
The only pity Ye Hao felt was that the Lesser Spirit Rain Technique he had obtained was incomplete; currently, he only had the cultivation method for the first eight layers, with no way forward beyond that.
During this time, Ye Hao had also cultivated the Spirit Rain Technique to the great perfection level.
At great perfection, the Spirit Rain Technique could yield an extra sixty percent.
Bolstered by the Eighth Layer Lesser Spirit Rain Technique and the great perfection Spirit Rain Technique, he was confident he could maintain the next season's yield across these three mu of spirit fields at over 800 jin.
The specifics, however, would only be confirmed after the actual harvest.
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was late August.
“Third-Layer Qi Refinement.”
The aura around Ye Hao suddenly shifted.
After a month of bitter cultivation, he had finally advanced from Second-Layer Qi Refinement to Third-Layer Qi Refinement.
Yet in the blink of an eye, this aura was masked by the Turtle Breath Technique, once again appearing as Second-Layer Qi Refinement.
Over the span of a month, he had already cultivated the Turtle Breath Technique to the Fifth Layer.
Right now, it would take a Golden Core cultivator standing right before him.
Otherwise, no one could see through his true realm.
For him at present, the Fifth Layer Turtle Breath Technique was more than enough.
“Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement is a minor bottleneck. Hopefully it won't hold me up for too long.”
Ye Hao carefully examined his condition. Following his realm's advancement, the system's bonus multiplier had indeed increased from twentyfold to thirtyfold.
However, the difficulty of breaking through to Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement had increased drastically, requiring at least three months to make a breakthrough.
And because of the bottleneck, it would likely take even longer.
After all, Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement was a minor bottleneck.
With his current spirit root aptitude, he would probably be stuck here for a good while, potentially needing half a year to break through.
However, being able to break through to Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement in half a year was already a tremendous blessing compared to other cultivators. After all, getting stuck at the Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement bottleneck often meant remaining stagnant for several years at the very least, just as had been the case with Zhou Si.
“Counting the days, Ye Yu and the others should be coming back soon.”
Ye Hao calculated how long Ye Yu and the others had been gone; it had already been a month now, and it was about time for them to return.
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