Qin Chuan returned indoors and sat quietly for the time it took to drink half a cup of tea before his mind finally settled.
He let out a long breath, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes.
“Since I have already set foot on this path, I should press forward with courage and never retreat.”
The path of cultivation was like rowing against the current: fail to advance, and one would fall back;
The path of office was the same.
In Dongsheng Tianxia, cultivation and officialdom were closely intertwined. On this road, one either treaded as if on thin ice until finally reaching the far shore—attaining high rank and great authority, glory and honor, and enjoying longevity—
Or one could only be reduced to a stray dog by the roadside, obscure and forgotten.
“Fortunately, I have the Tianyun Furnace in my possession. Compared to others on the same path, my odds of reaching the far shore are at least somewhat greater. All the more reason to strengthen my conviction!”
After shutting the door tightly, Qin Chuan sat cross-legged on the bed and took several deep breaths, doing his best to temporarily suppress the disturbances at the Agricultural Spirit Temple during the day, the new County God’s inspection, and that sudden “spirit orange mission.”
The urgent matter at hand was to break through to the first level of Qi Refining. After all, if he could enter the fourth level of Qi Refining ahead of time, he would have hope of becoming a regular official and truly receiving the register.
At that point, as an official Tianlu Daoist, the odds of being dismissed would be much smaller, and his chances of escaping this spirit orange whirlpool would also be greater.
He focused his mind and looked inward, sinking his consciousness into that “sea of qi” formed by gathered spiritual particles.
Following the route recorded in the Peiyuan Gong, he began carefully guiding the more than one hundred thousand spirit particles.
Unlike the nearly spontaneous, fierce impact he had felt in the spirit fields during the day, this breakthrough carried a greater sense of natural control, as though everything was falling into place.
The Peiyuan Gong was worthy of being a foundational method taught by the government. Its route was clear, upright, and balanced, greatly increasing the efficiency with which spirit particles condensed and transformed.
Qin Chuan could clearly “see” those spirit particles, which had originally been somewhat scattered, beginning to rotate, compress, and collide in an orderly manner under the restraint and guidance of the cultivation method...
Time passed bit by bit.
Outside the window, the moonlight gradually brightened, spilling a clear radiance through the lattice.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from Qin Chuan’s forehead. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his entire mind was devoted to the tremendous transformation taking place inside his body.
Condensing spirit particles into spirit waves was a qualitative transformation, requiring extremely powerful control of divine sense and great patience. Several times, the rotating, compressed cluster of spirit particles nearly lost control and collapsed.
But relying on a tenacious divine sense far beyond that of ordinary people, Qin Chuan was always able to stabilize it again at the most critical moment.
Who knew how long passed—perhaps one shichen, perhaps two.
Suddenly!
Qin Chuan’s body trembled slightly.
At the center of the sea of qi within his body, that point which had been compressed to its utmost limit abruptly lit up with a faint glow.
Then, with that point as its center, an extremely subtle yet incomparably clear “ripple” spread outward like waves upon water!
Buzz...
It was as though a soundless roar rang out in his mind.
Wherever that “ripple” passed, the spiritual particles that had once been as loose as grains of sand seemed to be granted life and connection. They stirred joyfully, resonated, and rippled along with it, ultimately merging completely into the rhythm of that “wave.”
Particles transformed into waves; the spirit wave formed of itself!
An aura several times stronger than before naturally emanated from Qin Chuan’s body, but he quickly restrained it.
His eyes snapped open, and deep within them, it seemed as though a flash of lightning passed and vanished.
He looked at the three-inch spirit wave suspended within his dantian.
“The first level of Qi Refining... is complete!”
He let out a long breath of turbid air. The exhalation was incomparably long, even stirring a faint sound of wind in the silent room.
Sensing the spirit wave inside him, flowing slowly like a stream and endlessly alive, as well as the greater strength, sharper five senses, and clearer divine sense that came with it, Qin Chuan felt indescribable joy and excitement surge within his heart.
More importantly, he had confirmed one thing—his previous inability to break through had indeed been because he lacked a proper method like the Peiyuan Gong.
A government inheritance, even if it was only the most basic, was far beyond what some wild, unorthodox path could compare to.
After the joy passed, the practical problems from the day rose once more in his mind.
“The first level of Qi Refining is only the lowest level of cultivation in the Jiuchuan County Office, and even in the Agricultural Spirit Temple.”
Qin Chuan calmed down and pondered inwardly. “And that spirit orange mission...”
He thought of the field, of the bitter yet subtle expressions on the faces of the deputy temple chief and Old Huo, and of the new County God Sun Qinghan’s seemingly gentle yet unquestionable attitude.
The two mu of red spirit soil under his charge had just so happened to be selected as the trial planting site. On the surface, this looked like an opportunity, but thinking one layer deeper, it might well be a scalding hot potato.
If it succeeded, most of the credit would go to the superiors for their effective planning and excellent leadership. If it failed, or if any mishap occurred in the process, then he, the rootless newcomer fire-labor Daoist directly responsible, would undoubtedly be the best target for accountability.
“If it is as Brother He said...” Qin Chuan recalled the conversation during the day, and the troubled expressions of the people at the Agricultural Spirit Temple. His heart turned cold. “If they don’t want this to succeed, and deliberately create some mistakes, then pushing me, a temporary worker, out to take the blame would be perfectly suitable.”
Having understood this point, Qin Chuan was not discouraged. Instead, his gaze became even firmer.
Since he could not avoid it, he could only meet the difficulty head-on.
This spirit orange mission was a crisis, but it might not necessarily be without opportunity. If he could produce some results in this matter, perhaps he could establish himself more quickly and obtain more resources.
“The urgent task is to familiarize myself as soon as possible with the first-level Qi Refining applications of the Peiyuan Gong and stabilize my realm. Then, starting tomorrow, I must do everything I can to understand the habits of that ‘Liuxiang Orange,’ as well as... how much actual support the temple can give me.” He silently made his plans.
He glanced outside the window. The moon had already slanted westward.
Then he turned over and went to sleep.
The next day.
Qin Chuan arrived early at Spirit Field C-3.
After breaking through, he was full of energy, his eyes even clearer, and his perception of the surrounding spiritual qi much sharper.
First, as he had done the day before, he checked the red spirit mushrooms that were growing well. Then his gaze landed on the two mu of vacant red spirit soil.
At that moment, Old Huo, Huo Yuanjue, walked over with his hands clasped behind his back, his face still carrying that look that kept strangers away.
He glanced at Qin Chuan and seemed to notice something. In surprise, he said, “You broke through?”
Qin Chuan’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly answered respectfully, “Replying to Old Huo, I was fortunate enough to succeed last night.”
Huo Yuanjue looked at him deeply.
Only now did he finally understand the reason behind Sun Qinghan’s evaluation yesterday—“quite talented.”
Half a month ago, the results had been posted and the certificates bestowed.
In other words, this newly appointed fire-labor Daoist had cultivated to the first level of Qi Refining in half a month.
Unfortunately, when cultivating in Dongsheng Tianxia, sometimes talent was not the most important thing. Having been saddled with such a matter, unless a miracle occurred, no matter how talented he was, he would still be dragged down with it.
With this thought, when he looked at Qin Chuan again, a measure of silence inevitably arose.
Only after a long while did he finally speak.
“Mm. Not bad.”
Old Huo gave an indifferent response to whether Qin Chuan’s success in Qi Refining had truly been due to luck, then also turned his gaze toward the two mu of empty land.
“You heard what happened yesterday?”
“Disciple... heard some of it,” Qin Chuan answered cautiously.
Old Huo snorted. “The Liuxiang Orange is a new variety developed beyond the heavens. It’s delicate, with high requirements for soil fertility, rainwater, and spiritual qi. In a place like our Jiuchuan, where the spiritual qi is already barren, the odds of successfully cultivating and planting it until it bears fruit... are not high.”
His words were conservative, but the meaning was obvious.
Qin Chuan fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Old Huo, then regarding this matter, the temple...”
“What else can be done? It’s a task personally assigned by the County God. We have to grit our teeth and do it. It’s just that no one in the temple knows how to tend this thing, so we can only have you manage it for now, while the temple slowly assigns someone to study it...”
As for who would slowly study it, only heaven knew. In any case, he himself had never agreed to it.
Old Huo’s tone did not fluctuate much.
“Therefore, starting today, those two mu of land will still be managed by you.
“When the county temple transports the orange trees over, they will give you the jade slip for planting the Liuxiang Orange. If there is anything you don’t understand, first follow what is written on the jade slip.
“As for the farming tools and basic fertilizer you need, apply for them according to the rules.”
He paused and glanced at Qin Chuan. Perhaps because he felt it was an extreme pity for the other party’s talent, his tone seemed to soften by the slightest trace.
“If you encounter a problem you truly cannot solve, you may come ask me. But don’t expect too much. After all, I’ve never planted that thing either.”
Qin Chuan understood in his heart, and instead felt somewhat more at ease. At least Old Huo had not completely washed his hands of the matter.
“Disciple understands. I will certainly do my utmost,” Qin Chuan said with a bow.
Old Huo said nothing more. With his hands behind his back, he strolled off to inspect the other spirit fields.
Qin Chuan stood where he was, looking at those two mu of empty land that might change his fate. His gaze gradually sharpened.
He reached out and gently pressed his hand onto the red soil. The newly born spirit wave within his body circulated faintly as he tried to perceive the characteristics of this land.
He had to fleece whatever he could from the government, but for this sudden mission, he also had to think of every possible way to do his utmost. He could not allow his immortal path to be severed here.
“Liuxiang Orange...”
He murmured softly to himself:
“Then let me see just how difficult you are to serve.”
Thank you to Ao’ao for the 5,000-point tip~