Ren had come up with ideas for his next batch of spirit herbs and vegetables. If spirit plants were planted close together, they would deprive each other of qi. They also had individual requirements of the nature of qi and many other factors.

  The sunseeker seed would best grow in areas of yang nature with plenty of sunlight and warmth. That was easy enough to provide. However the ghostvine needed shade, support to grow on and plenty of moisture. The book also had informed him that yin qi of death was particularly good for it. Spirit beasts carcasses were best but how could he afford them just to bury them? He could maybe raise chicken and butcher them in a particular area before cooking them?

  Ren shook his head. He may not be an arrogant young master, but even the little pride he had left didn’t allow him to raise and care for chickens. Ren smiled ruefully. He was becoming more and more like a mortal farmer. If his mother could see him now, she'd cry. He decided he would just buy them.

  At home he decided to plant two of each. The sunseeker ones were planted at the center of the qi gathering formation where the grass swords had grown. As for the ghostvines, he planted them at the back of the hut near the compound wall, where there was very little sun and the spring that brought water was close. As for the last seed of each type, he decided to experiment. Since even one success out of 4 would help him recuperate his losses and two would make it profitable, he decided to take a chance trying something he had read about.

  Qi followed the wuxing cycle of elements, where water nurtured wood, which in turn nurtured fire. Since some of the spirit vegetables he had bought were wood attribute, he would plant them as an intermediary. They would be nurtured by the ghostvine and would themselves nurture the sunseeker. He found an area near the edge of the courtyard and planted them perpendicular to the sunseeker, furthest away from the wall.

  Then he got to carving formations all around his new plants to gather qi and protect them. Though Ren liked his fellow disciples for the most part, he didn’t want to tempt anyone into thieving from him. By the end he was covered in dirt and stiff.

  One refreshing but cold bath later, he began to cultivate. Since he was so tired, he wondered if he would make it all the way to the end of the large round of stances, but towards the end he thought it was slightly easier and managed to complete it. He sighed in relief as he felt the gathered wisps of qi settling in his dantian. Completing a large round was more effective than stopping just short.

  The next morning after cultivating and tending to his new crops, he went to inquire about ways to spend his contribution points. He didn’t want to spend them on items because they could break or be taken away. One’s own strength was most important. He first went to the Hall of Scripture to see if he could find anything useful.

  Standing before the numerous shelves with so many scrolls and tablets on them, Ren remembered the problem with having an abundance of choice. This time, however, not being under the pressure of selecting the right cultivation method did make it easier. He first walked the shelves trying to understand how they were sorted. They weren’t sorted by element, use, or technique.

  Not being able to read them made it harder; only a brief introduction was available without first purchasing them using contribution points. It seemed to be random. Uncountable disciples coming in, reading the introduction, and then randomly placing them anywhere had completely ruined any organization it once may have had. The elder lazily reading at the entrance might have been to blame for the lack of oversight.

  As Ren spent a few more hours there, he noticed that some bookshelves had more of one type or another. That might have been the original system. He started to get a feel for things. Walking another area, he felt he was onto something. They were first sorted by element, as bookshelves close to each other were mostly of the same type.

  He walked to the miserly elder at the desk and asked about it.

  “Greetings, senior, I was looking for any techniques that help in nurturing plants. How do I find them?”

  “Fate and luck Now don’t bother me and go look for yourself.” He said gruffly, waving him away.

  Ren held back his annoyance at the flippant answer and walked away before he got in trouble for being rude. Most of these elders should be in the foundation establishment realm and could flatten him with a thought. He couldn’t wait to be that strong. He promised himself if he was in such a situation, he would treat his juniors better.

  After a few more hours, he finally encountered a shelf that had more plant-related scrolls. Many were completely out of his budget, costing over 300-800 contribution points. They had impressive-sounding names like the Empyrean Root Heaven Trunk Scripture or Mystic Rain of Azure Heavens. The brief descriptions were shocking too. Claiming to nurture spirit plants of higher realms than your own, to the highest quality and usable at any realm. It could even be customized to specific attributes?

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Ren was doubtful. ‘Why were such costly scrolls on the first floor? Which qi gathering realm disciple even had that many points? And how could they be usable at higher realms? Shouldn’t they be on the second floor or above? Had someone brought it down by mistake?’ Without being able to read more, there were no answers to his questions. He moved on.

  There were also a few more affordable methods, but the introduction warned that they may be incomplete. They were still worth more than he had, but he could earn enough points to get them soon enough if he saved up. He got up and put away the last scroll he was holding and stood to leave when he heard a clatter. Curious, he walked around to the back and saw what looked like a short plank of wood that had been knocked out of the shelf by him.

  Ren went to pick it up, feeling the wood was cool to the touch. He turned it over and saw it was the bark of a tree, and it was rough yet worn by age. He read the description, which informed him he was holding the Nurturing Rain Sutra. Meant to create unattributed qi-infused rain that would work on all types of plants. It was worth only 4 points.

  “Now that’s more like it!” he muttered. A generic technique, cheap enough that whatever little aid it provides is still worth it at this time. Later he would buy stronger techniques, but until then this would do. And its cost would spare him just enough points to spend on something else he had an eye on.

  He went to the desk to register it and get a copy made. The elder took the piece of bark and saw it cost, threw it back at him, and said,

  “Didn’t I tell you not to bother me? Why do you keep disturbing my reading for such measly things? And what a stupid manual? Only 4 points, it isn’t worthy of our great Hall. Just take it.”

  With growing annoyance, as Ren stepped close to hand over the identification jade to the elder to deduct the points, he caught a glimpse of the book the elder was reading. “Passionate dual cultivation in the mysterious forest.” Ren suddenly felt like hitting something.

  “This is your important reading?! I hope a monkey steals your plums in that mysterious forest!”

  He took back his identification jade and walked away as fast as he could. Ren was still fuming when he entered the Hall of Learning. He saw the board, which lists the classes, their cost, and timings, and found the one he was looking for. It was the basics of formation, and it was held weekly for 2 months. The best part was it only cost 20 points. He would have had to wait till next month to join the next batch if he didn’t have enough points.

  Registering himself was quick, and the friendly girl at the desk told him it was a popular class, as the teacher was quite good. Rather pleased with how things had worked out, he headed home to learn the Nurturing Rain Sutra. He had spent what he had earned this month to strengthen his foundation instead of on pills or weapons. Armed with more knowledge and hopefully more useful formations, he could earn more in the future. If he continued doing so, a virtuous cycle could be formed.

  Sitting down in his hut, he focused his qi into the bark, and slowly the information entered his mind. The technique would create qi of no alignment and shower it where targeted. Since it was mostly qi, it wasn’t even really water that rained down. So he could use it as often as he pleased. He felt that was a relief, as he didn’t want to drown plants like the fire attribute sunseeker plant. Regarding how to use it, he needed to chant the sutra while performing a few stances in a dance repeatedly and cycling his qi. Ren blushed when he realized he would look quite silly doing the stances and resolved not to let anyone see him when he was doing it.

  The sutra itself seemed simple enough but profound. “It must be because I don’t know what really good methods sound like that I’m impressed by this. Let’s just try it for now.”

  He went to the spirit vegetable field close to where his experimental setup of plants was and began chanting the sutra. As he did the short dance, it confirmed his suspicions. He felt as ridiculous as he must have looked. Waving his arms around, followed by cycling his hips, and then doing a short hop that coincided with a loud exclamation from the sutra.

  For all the embarrassment, the results were undeniable as his qi was rapidly drained and a thin drizzle began to fall. It must have been barely enough to dampen the soil before he fell, completely exhausted of qi. This downside was a more significant matter, and hopefully he could grow his cultivation to cover the needs of this qi drinking sutra.

  Ren cultivated to recover and then settled in for the night. Tomorrow was the next class, and he wondered if he could win the promised reward, implausible though it was. How amazing that would be! It was the end of his very first month alone, living the life of a cultivator in a sect. He had worked hard this month, learned a lot, and worried about growing his sword grass and whether he could complete that task he had taken up with Hua.

  Speaking of, he had also made a true friend and gotten to know his fellow disciples better and some friendly seniors. Even exploring the sect was enjoyable. It was enchanting, vast, and mysterious. Entire mountains of disciples and huge terraced fields dedicated to herbs. And that was just the outer sect! How amazing the inner sect must be? Would it be even more dangerous filled with temperamental seniors?

  It was a dangerous life, but he had seen more astounding sights in a day than he had in his life as a young master of the Zhao family. He hoped nothing unfortunate would happen to him but wanted to be prepared if it did. He could still run to his uncle, but now that he had a better idea of the strength of cultivators, he knew his uncle wasn’t a foundation realm cultivator. If at his age he hadn’t broken through, he likely never would. No wonder his family had pinned their desperate hopes on him.

  He shook himself out of his introspection; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. It was a clear sky and the stars spilled across the heavens. As he faded to sleep, his last thought was how much he enjoyed his new life.