Chapter 142: Chapter 141: Dragon Tooth Rice

"This old man greets you, Elder Bai."

Elder Tong hadn’t changed much over the years, with his salt-and-pepper hair, goatee, and the Daoist Robe of a Sect Steward.

’I remember he only had a Third-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation back then. To reach the Qi Refining Sixth Layer at his age, he must have consumed a great number of Spirit Pills.’

"Rise. We are old acquaintances, after all."

Bai Zichen couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. The four people who had sat at the same table in the teahouse outside the Mountain Gate back then had now reunited within the Qingfeng Sect.

"This old man has always worked the fields, but I’ve heard of your thunderous reputation, Elder... One of my grandsons has reached the age for Cultivation, and I wish for him to study under you."

Elder Tong remained kneeling on the ground and kowtowed twice more.

"This is a small gift I’ve prepared for his apprenticeship. I ask that you take a look, Elder Bai."

"I have no intention of taking a disciple, so let’s drop the matter... As Outer Sect Disciples, they are still taught by Stewards. That’s how everyone gets their start."

Bai Zichen had expected this request, so his refusal came naturally.

"This old man knows your standards are high, Elder Bai. An ordinary person certainly wouldn’t be qualified. My grandson only asks for the status of a Registered Disciple. I’ve been a Spirit Farmer my whole life with no hope of Foundation Establishment. I only pray that he can change his fate... Please, just look at this apprenticeship gift."

Elder Tong seemed possessed, convinced that his grandson’s only chance at a bright future was to become Bai Zichen’s disciple.

With a sigh of resignation, Bai Zichen used his magic to pull over the brocade pouch that Elder Tong was holding above his head. It was bulging, as if packed with many things.

’Is this an improved, large-grain Spirit Rice? It doesn’t look like Blood Ginseng Rice...’

He opened the pouch and tilted it slightly, and a handful of plump, slender grains of rice slid into his palm.

This Spirit Rice was brimming with vigorous life force. Each grain was the length of a finger, having already surpassed the shape of a normal rice grain.

Just a single whiff of its clean fragrance was enough to make one’s appetite surge.

This was definitely a Spirit Rice that could have a significant effect even on Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Rice, Dragon Tooth Rice!"

Elder Tong enunciated each word, staring intently at the brocade pouch with bloodshot eyes, as if it were a priceless treasure.

"I found a wild Spirit Plant while surveying the terrain for Spirit Fields near Feiyue Lake. According to Sect rules, I have full rights to accidental resources that I discover personally. I’ve already secretly planted one round and harvested thirty jin of Dragon Tooth Rice. All of it can be used as the next batch of Spirit Rice Seeds!"

"With this as my little grandson’s apprenticeship gift, is it enough?"

Bai Zichen’s mouth twitched. Elder Tong’s persistence was truly baffling.

He was certain that Dragon Tooth Rice was not among the types of Spirit Rice passed down within the Sect.

Ever since he began cultivating the Five Crystal Glaze Body, he had become very interested in all kinds of Body Refining Elixirs and Spirit Rice, and had read through a great deal of information.

The Qingfeng Sect had only one type of Tier Two Spirit Rice that it had traditionally cultivated long-term, and its grade was far from that of the Dragon Tooth Rice.

What Elder Tong had just said was very likely true.

Wild Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Rice Seeds—and from the sound of it, Elder Tong had already successfully cultivated them once.

In that case, this apprenticeship gift was far too valuable.

The Dragon Tooth Rice Seeds, along with their unique cultivation method, could probably even move a Core Formation True Man to accept a Registered Disciple.

"Why don’t you just give it to the Sect and request that an Elder take your grandson as a Direct Disciple? The Sect would probably agree."

Bai Zichen poured the Dragon Tooth Rice back into the pouch and began to seriously consider the matter.

"My grandson has Three Spiritual Roots, just like you, Elder Bai. Ever since he was little, he’s loved waving a wooden sword around... Only by studying under you will he have a chance to succeed."

Thinking of his grandson, Elder Tong’s eyes filled with doting affection.

"Please rest assured, as long as you are willing to accept my grandson, even just as a Registered Disciple for now, I will hand over all the Dragon Tooth Rice Seeds and the complete cultivation method."

"But what use would I have for Dragon Tooth Rice? I can’t just find a Spirit Field and plant it myself... This kind of thing can only realize its true potential in the hands of a major power. A plot of two or three mu wouldn’t even be enough for my own use."

Bai Zichen tapped his fingers on the table. If he consumed Dragon Tooth Rice daily, he could increase his physical strength even further over the years.

More importantly, this was a Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Rice that had never appeared on the market in Black Mountain. Once it was released, it would surely be snapped up by eager buyers.

"You probably don’t know this yet, but at the last Sect meeting, Sect Leader Gu said he wants to take bigger steps... He’s planning to allow Elders to contract Tier One and Tier Two Spirit Fields at Feiyue Lake, as long as they turn in a corresponding amount of Spirit Rice each year."

Bai Zichen hadn’t heard this news that Elder Tong revealed; it was likely still in the discussion phase.

It seemed quite possible. Even if the number of disciples in the Spirit Plant Hall had multiplied several times, the number of new Spirit Fields at Feiyue Lake alone was many times greater than the number of new disciples.

The biggest project for Elder Tong and that Honored Guest Elder from the Shennong Sect was the Tier Three Spirit Field; they only hoped to achieve a major breakthrough within a few years.

They wanted to cultivate Tier Three Spirit Rice and break the monopoly held by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, from which every single grain of Tier Three Spirit Rice had to be purchased.

The remaining Spirit Plant Hall disciples had a low success rate for reliably developing Tier Two Spirit Fields, so their main targets were the Tier One Spirit Fields.

Therefore, to motivate the disciples, the tentative plan was that each Elder could contract five hundred mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields and five thousand mu of Tier One Spirit Fields.

They would need to turn in five thousand jin of Tier Two Spirit Rice and fifty thousand jin of Tier One Spirit Rice annually.

The contract period could not exceed thirty years at most.

If an Elder failed to meet the minimum required Spirit Rice delivery for a given year, they would have to cover the shortfall themselves.

As soon as Bai Zichen heard this proposal, he realized it was clearly designed to favor the six Elders at Feiyue Lake.

Besides the six of them, the other Elders were stationed thousands of miles away. They wouldn’t have suitable people to oversee the Spirit Fields’ output and would have to bear an even greater risk.

’Dragon Tooth Rice yields once a year, and according to Elder Tong, each mu can produce thirty jin of Spirit Rice... This business is completely doable.’

A quick calculation revealed that once this Spirit Rice business was scaled up, the profits would be exorbitant.

"This contracting proposal, did Senior Brother Gu say when it would be submitted?"

"Sect Leader Gu said it would be next week. There will be several proposals to vote on then."

"When it comes to understanding the Spirit Fields at Feiyue Lake, I’m second to none... When the time comes, I can help you pick a contiguous plot, Elder Bai. I know exactly where the fields are most fertile and where the harvests are most abundant."

Elder Tong was anxious, his heart unsettled as he had yet to hear a reply regarding his grandson.

"Next month. What’s your grandson’s name?"

’With the right personnel and proper management, I could earn tens of thousands of Spirit Stones a year.’

Bai Zichen had been worrying about his lack of Spirit Stones, even considering forming a merchant caravan.

This was a case of someone delivering a pillow just as he was getting sleepy. How could he possibly let this opportunity go?

"Tong Huan... To answer your question, Elder Bai, his name is Tong Huan."

His wish granted, Elder Tong’s voice was halting with excitement.

"Let’s go. We’ll go see right now which area of Spirit Land is most suitable for planting Dragon Tooth Rice."

Acting on his thought, Bai Zichen summoned his Colorful Cloud Robe and flew into the sky with Elder Tong.

The entire Feiyue Lake water region had been divided into three areas suitable for cultivating Spirit Fields.

According to Elder Tong, the cultivation of Dragon Tooth Rice required an extremely high amount of water; it had to be watered twenty-four times a day.

To achieve this, one either had to hire a large number of disciples to get up in the middle of the night and cast the Cloud Formation and Rainfall Technique every hour...

...or one had to choose a location by the lake, build special irrigation tools, and draw water from Feiyue Lake, which would then automatically spray the fields at regular intervals.

"Here, here, and here... all are suitable for planting Dragon Tooth Rice. Elder Bai, you can start recruiting a batch of Spirit Plant Masters now. Once this news is announced, Spirit Plant Masters will be in even higher demand."

High in the air, Elder Tong drew on his years of farming experience, pointing out several locations.

The Spirit Plant Hall’s progress toward its goal was slow; of the eight thousand mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields, not even a third had been reclaimed and planted with Spirit Rice.

Bai Zichen silently committed it all to memory. He was just waiting for the resolution to allow Elders to contract Spirit Fields to pass before he applied for the Tier Two Spirit Fields. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

As for the Tier One Spirit Fields, that would depend on the number of Spirit Plant Masters he could recruit in the meantime.

Bai Zichen sent Elder Tong back. The bag of Dragon Tooth Rice remained with him. As for the specific cultivation techniques, Elder Tong would only impart them in their entirety after Tong Huan was formally accepted as his disciple.

Returning to the White Jade Tower, Bai Zichen summoned Lu Song and Cai Heng before him.

"I have only one task for you. For the next month, I want you to frantically search for disciples with experience as Spirit Plant Masters. Once you find them, do your utmost to pull them into our team."

"You can even spread a rumor that I might take the most outstanding performer as a Registered Disciple..."

’For the five hundred mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields alone, with Elder Tong overseeing the general direction, I’ll need one Spirit Plant Master for every twenty-five mu. That’s a total of twenty Spirit Plant Masters just to manage them.’

’And for the five thousand mu of Tier One Spirit Fields, even if one Spirit Plant Master can tend to one hundred mu, I’ll still need fifty more.’

’No wonder Gu Xisheng wants to introduce this system for Elders to contract Spirit Fields. With the Sect’s power alone, even after another hundred years of development, they wouldn’t have the strength to cultivate all of it. It’s better to stimulate the potential of each Elder, letting them invest their private resources. For every mu they develop, the Sect gets a little more in return.’

Bai Zichen decided that if he was still short on manpower, he would select a few people from the Bai Clan Members to come over.

The Ink Bamboo Bai Family was famous for cultivating Spiritual Bamboo, but growing Spirit Rice was also an important source of income for them.

Therefore, many of the Bai Family’s younger generation were skilled farmers. And with the Wood God Skill at their disposal, the Spirit Fields they tended always yielded twenty to thirty percent more than others.

Of course, Lu Song and Cai Heng didn’t dare question Bai Zichen’s reasons. They immediately split up to handle the task.

Cai Heng first went to the docks at Feiyue Lake. This was a gathering place for servant disciples. Those without a fixed position treated it as a social hub.

He himself had come up from the ranks of servant disciples and was an expert at dealing with such people. He quickly blended in and started mingling with a large group of unfamiliar servant disciples.

Lu Song, on the other hand, went to the Feiyue Lake branch of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and posted an Elder’s task in Bai Zichen’s name.

It was a recruitment for Spirit Plant Masters of Tier One Mid Grade or higher for a half-year work contract. The number of positions was unlimited, and the reward was a personal guidance session from Elder Bai Zichen to resolve a Cultivation difficulty.

A few days later, his Elder Token began to vibrate urgently, indicating an important matter that required the evaluation of all Elders.

’I have to go this time. The proposal for Elders to contract Spirit Fields will probably be on the agenda. I hope nothing goes wrong.’

Bai Zichen boarded his Colorful Cloud Robe and leisurely drifted back to the Mountain Gate, which he hadn’t seen in a long time.