Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 6: Slow Growth

"How did you come over?"

When Li An saw Wang Dazhu's arrival, he smiled slightly.

"Brother An, I've wanted to come over for a long time, but as a new disciple, we can only freely move around on the last day of each month. That's why I came today... Brother An, how are you feeling?"

Wang Dazhu looked at Li An with concern.

Li An sighed, "Ah, my spiritual roots are still damaged, but luckily... I've reached the first level of Qi Refining."

Wang Dazhu was delighted, "That's great! I knew it, Brother An, you're not an ordinary person!... Hmph, a few days ago at the gathering, Zhao Xianchuan said that you would never be able to cultivate in this lifetime..."

"Gathering?"

"Yes, our group of disciples who entered together agreed to gather on the last day of each month to share our experiences and progress together... When I go back next time, I'll let them know that you've succeeded in Qi Refining!"

He had an expectant look on his face, obviously having been ridiculed during the gathering because of Li An's situation.

Now that Li An had succeeded in Qi Refining, he naturally wanted to show off.

Li An couldn't help but smile and didn't say anything.

Even if Wang Dazhu spread the news of his success in Qi Refining, it wouldn't have much impact.

Zhao Xianchuan and the others would find out with a little inquiry that, under normal circumstances, Li An would be stuck at this level for the rest of his life.

Wang Dazhu excitedly talked about his situation in the sect.

After entering the Xuan Yang Sect, Wang Dazhu and other named disciples were taught by the outer sect elders in charge of transmitting techniques, teaching them breathing exercises, martial arts, and more.

The treatment for named disciples was also very generous, with five spiritual stones and ten bags of spiritual rice per month!

Wang Dazhu worked hard in his cultivation, practicing fire-based techniques, and had already reached the first level of Qi Refining.

In just two months, he had almost reached the peak of the first level of Qi Refining and could advance to the second level.

This was the advantage of having abundant resources!

In comparison, at his current cultivation speed, Li An would need at least another year to reach this level.

"It's better to become an official disciple. You can worship the outer sect elders as your masters and receive personal instruction from them. You'll receive ten spiritual stones per month. Brother An, I heard that Mu Qingwan has already reached the second level of Qi Refining and is highly valued."

Mu Qingwan, Zhao Xianchuan, Wang Jian, and other official disciples had a comfortable life and a promising future.

In comparison, Li An had fallen far behind the group of youths who entered the sect together.

"Brother An, I have two spiritual stones left for the next two months..."

Wang Dazhu said, taking out a spiritual stone and handing it to Li An.

Li An smiled, "No need, Dazhu. I don't need any spiritual stones here."

"In three years, there will be an assessment for named disciples, and the winners will have the opportunity to become official disciples. Keep it for yourself."

Wang Dazhu grinned, "I'll listen to you, Brother An. If you need anything, just come find me."

"Oh, by the way, will you come to the next gathering with us?"

Li An pondered for a moment and said, "Okay."

...

In the middle of the month, Fan Jie finally returned.

This time, he brought a large quantity of insecticide, the same kind that Wang Zilin used.

Li An speculated that a few days ago, Fan Jie himself didn't know which insecticide was effective, so he conducted experiments.

Now that he had confirmed the effectiveness, he dared to make a large-scale purchase.

"The first batch of spiritual rice will be ripe in a few days. We must control the pests!"

"If anyone's field is affected by pests and it affects the yield, I won't spare you!"

Fan Jie threatened coldly.

His gaze swept over Zhang Susu, and her exhausted and anxious expression seemed to bring a hint of amusement to his eyes.

But when he saw Wang Zilin, who looked even more exhausted beside her, a trace of disgust appeared on his face.

"Elder Xian,"

After Zhang Susu and Wang Zilin dispersed, Li An took the initiative to find Fan Jie.

"What's the matter?"

Li An respectfully said, "It's like this, a friend of mine who is an elder in the sect came to see me a few days ago and mentioned that he wanted to buy some special spiritual food..."

"Coincidentally, I found that some of the pests in the spiritual fields seemed to have spiritualized, so I wanted to catch these spiritual insects and sell them to my friend."

"But without your permission, I dare not act on my own, so I haven't told him yet."

"Elder Xian, can I do this?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Jie's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"What's the name of your elder friend? Is he an official disciple or a named disciple?"

He asked in detail.

"He's called Wang Dazhu, a newly admitted disciple this year. He's currently a named disciple, but his aptitude is very good."

Li An replied.

Upon hearing this, Fan Jie fell into deep thought. A named disciple was willing to befriend a menial servant?...

However, this did remind him of the importance he attached to Li An.

And the matter of spiritual insects being born in the spiritual rice fields absolutely must not be spread by Li An, otherwise, if someone investigated...

His attitude softened slightly and he said, "Those spiritual insects won't sell for many spiritual stones. You should focus on taking care of the spiritual rice. Rest assured, if you perform well, I won't let you suffer."

"Next month, I'll talk to the sect and increase your monthly allowance."

Li An respectfully said, "Thank you, Elder Xian."

He did this to put pressure on Fan Jie!

After all, Fan Jie was too stingy.

In this way, Fan Jie would have some fear in his heart.

...

Another ten days passed.

The first batch of spirit rice has finally matured and harvesting has begun.

After harvesting a large amount of spirit rice, Zhang Susu looked at her own harvest and burst into tears.

Her spirit field was originally barren, and she had to exert all her efforts to barely reach the production standard. Coupled with the recent impact of pests, she is now about 200 kilograms short.

Wang Zilin, who was beside her, also had a breakdown in his mentality. Because he spent a lot of time helping Zhang Susu, the yield of his own spirit field was not high, only slightly higher than the standard yield by over 100 kilograms, and he could only receive a reward of about five kilograms.

The one with the largest harvest was Li An, exceeding the standard yield by about 800 kilograms.

According to the reward criteria, he could receive a reward of about forty kilograms of spirit rice.

This is considered very generous for a servant.

After all, with one hundred kilograms of spirit rice, one can exchange for a piece of low-grade spirit stone.

"Zhang Susu, all of your monthly deductions, Wang Zilin remains the same, and Li An receives an additional forty kilograms of spirit rice!" Fan Jie announced expressionlessly.

Li An's heart was slightly delighted. The previous days of hard work paid off.

Fan Jie took away Wang Zilin's five-kilogram reward, but he didn't deduct anything from Li An.

Wang Zilin and Zhang Susu were both extremely jealous in their hearts, but they didn't dare to show it because they had learned from past experiences.

Immediately after, Fan Jie distributed the monthly allowances.

Li An weighed it and found that the spirit stones in the bag were no longer just half a piece, but a complete one!

The allowances were also sufficient.

...

"Brother Li," Zhang Susu found Li An and bit her lip lightly. "Can you lend me some spirit rice?"

She had used up all her monthly allowance and wouldn't have enough to eat this month.

"Susu, I still owe you some spirit rice," Li An didn't refuse and returned all the spirit rice he had borrowed from Zhang Susu.

Not even one grain was left.

Zhang Susu took the bag of spirit rice, but didn't leave. Her face turned slightly red. "Brother Li, can you lend me some more?"

This bit of spirit rice... still isn't enough to eat.

"How much do you need?"

"One bag, just one bag is enough. I will definitely repay you on time when next month's allowance is distributed."

Li An shook his head. "Sorry, I can only lend you half a bag."

"My spiritual roots are still severely damaged and I really need spirit rice."

Not lending would make Zhang Susu hold a grudge.

Lending too much would make Fan Jie hate him.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Susu felt a little disappointed in her beautiful eyes, but still gratefully said, "Okay, then just half a bag. Thank you..."

She took the spirit rice and left.

...

During this period, the first leaf of Li An's life seed had completely unfolded, about the size of the tip of a thumb.

Nourished by the life seed, his spiritual roots seemed to have undergone a slight change.

But Li An couldn't help but feel complicated. At this rate, it would probably take another half a year to reach the completion of the Qi Refining stage...

Lack of spirit stones was one reason, but fundamentally... the cultivation speed of the Life Nurturing and Immortal Casting Technique was slower than other techniques.

However, Li An was not in a hurry. He felt that his vitality was slowly increasing, reflected in his lifespan. He had gained more than ten years of lifespan.

Even if it took ten years to break through to the Qi Refining stage, it would be enough!

Accumulate strength and grow slowly!

"It's time to cultivate some spells."

Li An whispered.

In this life, he wanted to take a steady and stable path. But the cultivation world was extremely cruel, and without combat techniques, it would be impossible.

Fortunately, he came from a cultivation family in his previous life and had cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage, so he had no shortage of techniques in his mind.

"For now, the most practical one for me is the Water Arrow Technique!"

The Water Arrow Technique was a low-grade Huang-ranked spell that could use the moisture in the air to form sharp water arrows to kill enemies.

Its killing power was quite good.

Moreover, the reason for choosing this spell was that the Water Arrow Technique and the Cloud Manipulation Technique were related and could mutually promote each other. He could cultivate it during his daily work.

After trying more than ten times, water droplets suddenly condensed in front of him, then compressed into the shape of a small arrow. With a shake of his spiritual energy, the water arrow shot out, piercing through a piece of wood one meter away.

"The spiritual roots are too weak. It took many repetitions to truly master it."

"For now, the maximum range is only about one and a half meters. To form killing power, it must reach about ten meters!"

"However, the spiritual energy cultivated by the Life Nurturing and Immortal Casting Technique is more pure and abundant, and it recovers quickly. If it were an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator, they could only use the Water Arrow Technique twice at most before depleting their spiritual energy, but I can use it about five times!"

Li An was quite satisfied.

In the following days, while practicing the Cloud Manipulation Technique, he also intentionally or unintentionally tempered the Water Arrow Technique.

The range of the Water Arrow Technique quickly increased to about four meters.

And the Cloud Manipulation Technique became more refined. When he cast rain, the distribution of the rain curtain became more even, and the spiritual energy moved accordingly.

The spiritual rice visibly grew better.

...

In the meantime, the second batch of spirit rice was also harvested.

But during this period, the pests became more severe, and the effectiveness of the insecticide Fan Jie provided decreased.

The additional boost from the Cloud Manipulation Technique was offset by the pests, and Li An's harvest was basically the same as the previous one.

Zhang Susu and Wang Zilin suffered even more losses.

After the second batch of spirit rice was harvested, Fan Jie finally adjusted the allocation of the spirit fields!

(End of this chapter)