Reclaiming the Spirit Field (2)
By the time I returned to the spirit field from the east market, the sun had already set. I closed the stone gate and took out the items I'd bought today one by one. Laying them all out in front of me filled one corner of my heart with a sense of security.
"First, the spells..."
I channeled spirit energy into the jade slip labeled Bean Soldier Technique, and the inscriptions and usage method flowed into my mind. It didn't feel as difficult as I'd expected. Instead, the performance and success seemed to depend heavily on the quality of the base material, the mother beans.
After a moment of thought, I took out a single Tranquil Heart Bean and placed it on my palm.
"Alright, let's give it a shot."
I carefully drew up spirit power from my dantian and infused it into the bean. At first, there was no reaction, but thanks to my traits, I could see changes occurring within the Tranquil Heart Bean. Not wanting to miss the momentum, I poured in more spirit power as described on the jade slip.
The bean began to tremble slightly. A faint light gathered on its surface and grew brighter. I set the bean aside, straightened my posture, and formed hand seals. With that, a bean soldier was created.
But it didn't look quite like what I'd imagined. Honestly, since it was called the Bean Soldier Technique, I'd expected it to take the form of a soldier or a person. Was my skill still too low? What emerged was something like a bean sprout from an animation—awkward limbs sprouting out.
Go left. Now right. Turn around.
Simple movements worked fine, and the spell itself wasn't as hard as I'd thought. It felt perfectly suited to me, somehow. The only downside was how quickly it drained my spirit energy.
Feeling the burden of the consumption, I immediately dispelled the spell. The bean soldier reverted to its original Tranquil Heart Bean form. A subtle glow still lingered on its surface.
The jade slip noted that as long as the bean soldier wasn't badly damaged, it could be restored and reused. So this one should be reusable too.
To keep practicing the Bean Soldier Technique, I sat in meditation periodically to recover my spirit energy while honing the spell. My compatibility with it must have been high, because progress came quickly. Instead of just dumping spirit energy into the bean, I infused it along its natural lines.
After several failures, I could finally produce a bean soldier that held its form properly. Unlike the incomplete ones or the jade slip's descriptions, it could even follow more complex commands.
With a feel for the Bean Soldier Technique, I turned to the jade slip for the Spirit Rain Technique.
The principle was familiar, but I made a small mistake. The fine control was trickier than expected.
"Summoning this much water escape in a place with no water source..."
Being inside the spirit field made me cautious. But when just a few droplets formed at my fingertips, I added more spirit energy—maybe too much? Rain poured down inside the field, soaking me to the bone.
I wrung out my wet clothes and tidied up the spirit field for a bit.
"Still, it's not impossible."
After cleaning up the drenched field, fatigue set in. I decided to postpone practicing the Exorcism Technique and focus on replenishing my spent spirit energy first.
I took out a storage pouch from my spatial ring, retrieved a Spirit Replenishing Pill, and swallowed it. Before the pill's medicinal energy could dissipate, I sat in meditation and circulated my cultivation method.
By the time I finished a long session, it was pitch black outside the field. Sitting on my bed, I gazed at the Tranquil Heart Bean in my palm and couldn't help but smile. For a day's work, it was plenty useful—aside from the spirit energy drain issue.
Still, clearing the field alone seemed tough. That's when I remembered the Affairs Hall posting jobs with spirit stones.
Sure, it'd cost spirit stones, but doing rough labor in this young body wasn't right. Let others handle the shoveling. Damn straight.
That thought eased my mind. With spirit stones, hiring sect disciples as laborers shouldn't be hard.
With my plans sorted, I extinguished the lamp and lay down.
"Tomorrow, straight to the Affairs Hall."
I murmured softly and drifted off to sleep.
The next day, I returned to the Affairs Hall after just one day away. Even early in the morning, it buzzed with disciples seeking work.
I scanned the area and spotted the inner part of the hall. A long table sat there, where a middle-aged cultivator was recording something in a ledger. Disciples handed over wooden plaques and received spirit stones—it looked like mission registration happened there.
I headed over and waited in line like the others. Soon, it was my turn.
"Senior Brother, may I ask something?"
The middle-aged cultivator replied without lifting his eyes from the ledger.
"What is it?"
"Can I register a mission?"
Only then did he look up at me.
"You can. But there's a registration fee of one low-grade spirit stone."
It wasn't too bad, so I took a low-grade spirit stone from my spatial ring and placed it on the table.
"Please register it."
He flicked the stone to check it, then opened a section of the ledger.
"Mission details?"
"Assisting with reclaiming a spirit field on the outskirts of Qingling Peak."
"Location?"
"Spirit Field 79."
His hand paused, and he glanced at me.
"Farming there's tough."
"I've already been granted it."
Pity crossed his face as he jotted down a few lines.
"Pay?"
"Two low-grade spirit stones. It'll take half a day."
He nodded and pulled out a wooden plaque.
Location: Outskirts of Qingling Peak, Spirit Field 79 – Reclamation Assistance
Client: Direct Disciple of Qingling Peak, Ryu Yeon-hwa
Time: Half a day
Details: Weed removal and stone clearing
Pay: Two low-grade spirit stones
I confirmed it and hung the plaque on the board at the side of the Affairs Hall. Then I stepped back a few paces to watch.
Soon, a few outer disciples gathered naturally in front of it.
"Outskirts spirit field?"
someone muttered softly.
"Wasn't that the empty one?"
But their eyes drifted to the bottom of the plaque.
Client: Direct Disciple of Qingling Peak, Ryu Yeon-hwa
The mood shifted the moment they saw it.
"A direct disciple's request."
"Did Elder Cheong Nan-seo have a disciple?"
Murmurs spread. Amid the buzz, I kept my head down quietly.
"Two low-grade spirit stones isn't bad..."
They whispered among themselves, hesitating.
I watched silently. Soon, one outer disciple picked up the plaque and approached the steward.
"I'll take this mission."
The steward flipped through the ledger and noted his name, then pointed lightly in my direction.
"The client is over there."
His gaze, and several others, turned to me.
The outer disciple straightened up and cupped his hands in salute.
"Senior Sister. I'll take the mission."
Hearing that, two other outer disciples nearby stepped forward.
"I can do it too, Senior Sister."
"I'm free for half a day as well, Senior Sister."
I glanced around. Mostly Qi Condensation 1st or 2nd star—manageable levels, perfect for directing.
"You three should be enough."
We left the Affairs Hall and headed to the spirit field. At first, everyone walked in silence. The gap between a direct disciple and outer disciples made awkwardness inevitable.
Soon, the oldest-looking one spoke up.
"Senior Sister, I'm outer disciple Yu Gang."
"Jin Mok."
"So Un."
"Ryu Yeon-hwa. Just for half a day today, please."
The three bowed politely again.
A moment later, Yu Gang asked cautiously.
"I heard you were granted that field, Senior Sister... Are you really planning to reclaim it?"
I thought for a second and answered honestly.
"Still testing it out for now."
Jin Mok said,
"Impressive. Everyone knows it's abandoned land."
Not wrong.
Soon, the spirit field came into view. Their steps slowed simultaneously.
"Here it is..."
So Un let out a small sigh. I took out the jade plaque and opened the barrier.
Shrr—
The faint curtain at the entrance parted.
"Come in."
They entered quietly at my words. Yu Gang looked around, scooped up some soil, and muttered lowly.
"The condition's definitely poor."
"That's why I called you all."
I walked to the section I'd marked yesterday and drew a line in the dirt with my toe.
The three nodded.
"Got it."
They got right to work. I watched from a short distance.
Definitely faster.
Used to this kind of labor, they handled it well without extra instructions. I could feel the soil quality improving bit by bit.
Good. This pace should finish the first section on time.
Half a day passed quickly, and Yu Gang approached me.
"Senior Sister, the section you specified is nearly done."
I went over, knelt, and touched the soil. Still a ways to go, but much improved.
Confirming the state, I took spirit stones from my spatial ring and distributed them.
"Good work."
They dusted off their dirty hands and bowed.
"We'll take our leave then, Senior Sister."
Once they left, the field fell quiet. I stood there a moment, surveying the cleared land. The thick weeds and stones from yesterday were gone.
Now it actually looks like a field.
I took out a sack of bean seeds from my spatial ring. Opening it, the beans clinked softly as they rolled.
I rolled a few in my palm. My traits reacted faintly.
First time, so no need to overdo the area.
I circled the cleared section and picked the best-looking spot. Planting beans at regular intervals, my body quickly grew sore—it's been days since I did farm work.
"Hoo..."
I caught my breath, then planted a few more. Once the spacing was right, I stood up.
Final step. Forming hand seals, I slowly drew spirit energy from my dantian.
"Spirit Rain Technique."
Faint water vapor gathered overhead. Soon, a single droplet fell. Then plink, plink—rain began to patter down.
I maintained the seals, adjusting the flow carefully. Not a drenching like last time.
The soil gradually soaked up the moisture.
Working well.
Once it had enough, I released the seals. The rain stopped. Looking up, the sun had tilted west.
"That's it for today."
I murmured, tidied my spatial ring. Beans wouldn't sprout tomorrow, but I'd check anyway.
"Not bad for the first day."
With light steps, I left the spirit field.