True to his word, Luo Mingyan spent a full day transporting Wei Zhong to the Azurewood Sect.
This was Wei Zhong's first long journey since transmigrating. Sitting aboard Luo Mingyan's flying magical artifact, he felt a sense of novelty.
No wonder I'm so unfamiliar with this, he thought. The body he had inherited possessed no such flying artifacts. At best, he could only fly low to the ground on a magic sword. Soaring through the air in a small boat like this was simply beyond his reach.
Truly wealthy! Wei Zhong marveled. With such an artifact, even escaping would be much easier. No wonder he's a sect cultivator.
Oblivious to Wei Zhong's thoughts, Luo Mingyan sat cross-legged in the boat's cabin, eyes closed as he circulated his cultivation energy.
He's quite diligent, Wei Zhong mused. Having known Luo Mingyan for years, he knew the man had risen from humble origins as a Loose Cultivator. His parents had even farmed sect lands for several years.
Luo Mingyan's exceptional aptitude had earned him entry into the Azurewood Sect's Outer Sect. Over the years, his cultivation base had skyrocketed, propelling him to the rank of Inner Sect disciple.
Successful Foundation Establishment would undoubtedly secure him a True Inheritance position.
Alas, dozens, if not hundreds, of cultivators like Luo Mingyan languished at the Foundation Establishment bottleneck.
Even with a Foundation Establishment Pill in hand, Wei Zhong dared not rashly attempt Foundation Establishment. The consequences of failure were too severe for most to bear.
A day later, the two arrived at Bright Moon Market, a bustling market city on the outskirts of the Azurewood Sect.
The market teemed with cultivators, and Wei Zhong even spotted one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators among the crowd.
"This is the Azurewood Sect's most prosperous market city," Luo Mingyan explained. "Not only are there many Loose Cultivators here, but sect disciples also come to trade. Numerous high-level experts frequent this place, so be careful not to offend anyone."
"Understood!" Wei Zhong replied.
Luo Mingyan led him to a multi-story pavilion and warmly greeted the resident steward upon entering. "Uncle Ning, long time no see!"
"Ah, Mingyan! What brings you here?" Steward Ning replied, recognizing him.
"Haha, I need your help with something, Uncle Ning. Do you have any Spirit Fields available? A friend of mine wants to find work as a Spirit Farmer here."
Steward Ning glanced at Wei Zhong. "These Spirit Fields are highly sought after."
Wei Zhong understood this was a veiled request for a bribe. Feigning reluctance, he pulled twenty spirit stones from his robe—deliberately avoiding using his Storage Pouch—and handed them over.
Steward Ning waved his right hand and accepted the spirit stones.
"Coincidentally, the Spirit Farmer who managed this field went missing five months ago and is likely dead. Over ten acres of Spirit Field are untended. Would you be interested in taking it over, Fellow Daoist?"
Wei Zhong was overjoyed. "Thank you, Steward Ning."
They quickly finalized the arrangements. Steward Ning handed Wei Zhong a token, proof of his claim to the Spirit Field.
"I'm granting you this opportunity out of respect for Luo Mingyan. But be warned, Fellow Daoist: if you fail to check in within three months, the Spirit Field will be reclaimed. Don't let your cultivation make you lose track of time."
"I understand completely."
"Then it's settled. I must be going now."
"Farewell, Uncle Luo."
After Luo Mingyan departed, Steward Ning led Wei Zhong to a plot between the terraced fields. Pointing to the surrounding Spirit Fields, he said, "Spirit Field No. 16 is yours now. Mind the boundaries and don't overstep them. Pay your rent on time each year, and as long as you don't damage the field, you're free to manage it as you see fit."
"And that small courtyard over there is also yours..."
"Thank you, Steward Ning."
Watching the steward's retreating figure, Wei Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally settled.
Stepping into the small courtyard, Wei Zhong found it overgrown with weeds, a clear sign it had been neglected for quite some time.
He released Nine-Colored from its Spirit Beast Pouch, and the bird perched on a tree branch in the yard.
"From now on, you'll be guarding this place," Wei Zhong said, gently stroking its feathers.
Nine-Colored had already reached the mid-stage of First-Tier demon beast status, roughly equivalent to a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Years ago, Wei Zhong had stumbled upon the recipe for Spirit Feeding Pills. With this aid, Nine-Colored had not only secured its position as a spirit beast but had also rapidly advanced in cultivation, reaching the mid-stage of First-Tier just a few months prior.
Wei Zhong suspected the bird possessed the bloodline of some special demon beast. Without any formal training, it had independently mastered a wind blade technique, making it more than capable of dealing with ordinary early-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
After tidying up the courtyard, Wei Zhong went to inspect the Spirit Field.
As expected of the Azurewood Sect, even their outer Spirit Fields surpassed those of the Yan Clan in quality. The Azurewood Sect possessed a Third-Tier spirit vein, far superior to the Yan Clan's Second-Tier vein. Naturally, the spiritual energy in their Spirit Fields was denser, leading to higher annual spirit rice yields.
After planting the spirit rice and performing a few spells, Wei Zhong returned to his small courtyard.
The spirit field was merely an external asset; his own cultivation base remained his top priority.
Name: Wei Zhong
Cultivation Base: Ninth Layer of Qi Refining (5%)
Techniques: Azure Wave Art - Mastered (99%); Life Preservation Art - Beginner (87%)
Lifespan: 134/137
Wei Zhong had diligently cultivated for the past seven years, successfully reaching the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. However, progress on the Azure Wave Art and Life Preservation Art had been disappointingly slow.
The Azure Wave Art remained stubbornly stuck at 99% mastery, seemingly blocked by a bottleneck. Meanwhile, the Life Preservation Art's progress had slowed dramatically after surpassing the 50% mark, advancing less in seven years than it had in the previous four.
With only three years of lifespan remaining, Wei Zhong decided to focus on refining his cultivation within the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, hoping to break through the Azure Wave Art's bottleneck.
Although it was merely a mid-grade Yellow-Grade technique, the Azure Wave Art would become obsolete once he reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
Yet Wei Zhong had no intention of switching to another technique.
The Azure Wave Art's high proficiency allowed him to cultivate at a speed comparable to a Profound-Tier Technique.
It had become his best option for "leveling up" to extend his lifespan.
With his lifespan already teetering on the brink, Wei Zhong feared switching to another technique would doom him to an early death within a few years.
Over the next year, Wei Zhong divided his time between farming and cultivation. Aside from occasional trips to Bright Moon Market for cultivation resources and brief appearances before Steward Ning, he largely kept to himself.
"Brother Chu, have you heard about the True Monarch's inheritance?"
"Brother Ning, are you referring to the Blood Sea True Monarch's inheritance that's been the talk of the Market City?"
The two men sat across from each other at a table laden with snacks made from spirit beasts, a gift from Wei Zhong. They raised their cups in a toast, enjoying the First-Tier spirit wine Wei Zhong had recently learned to brew, using Spirit Rice and wild mountain fruits.
Wei Zhong had discovered that his talent isn't limited to cultivation techniques; he also possesses remarkable aptitude for other crafts.
First-Tier Spirit Wine Brewing - Proficient (42%)
He had even considered studying alchemy. If not for the lack of access to an inheritance path, he would have started already.
"Exactly. The True Monarch's inheritance. Even reaching Foundation Establishment is a struggle for cultivators like us, let alone Core Formation or Nascent Soul. This matter has thrown Han Bamboo City into complete chaos."
Wei Zhong felt a surge of relief at his foresight in choosing the Azurewood Sect over Han Bamboo City, a haven for Loose Cultivators.
"I don't know where the rumor started, but a group of cultivators carrying Inheritance Keys is reportedly passing through Han Bamboo City on their way to Cloud River Prefecture to claim the inheritance. This has drawn a massive influx of cultivators, severely disrupting the city's security. Even Bitter Bamboo Daoist, the Core Formation cultivator, had to emerge from seclusion to quell the unrest."
"Could it be that Core Formation cultivators are also interested in this inheritance?"
"Who knows?"