Chapter 53: Ambitions

Now that his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, He Song's financial situation was still tight. In the coming years, unless his combat strength reached a certain level, He Song was unlikely to invest his spirit stones into furthering his cultivation.

Spirit talismans.

Spells.

Magical artifacts.

These three methods of self-protection were what He Song urgently needed at the moment.

Thus, the speed at which the Spirit Gathering Array could enhance his cultivation became particularly important.

By cultivating daily within the Spirit Gathering Array, He Song should be able to match the cultivation speed of other four-spiritual-root cultivators who used spirit stones and pills.

In fact, compared to those four-spiritual-root cultivators with limited resources, He Song's cultivation speed might even be faster.

After all, He Song was cultivating within the Spirit Gathering Array every day, while those who relied on spirit stones or pills didn't have access to such resources daily.

This way, He Song's cultivation speed would remain within a normal range.

He wouldn't be seen as an outlier by other four-spiritual-root cultivators.

Nor would he attract unwanted attention.

To others, He Song would appear as an ordinary four-spiritual-root cultivator.

Under such circumstances, who would pay attention to an ordinary four-spiritual-root cultivator?

After making this decision, He Song took out five spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them into the Spirit Gathering Array.

The Spirit Gathering Array.

It also required spirit stones to operate.

To keep the Spirit Gathering Array running continuously, five spirit stones were needed each year. After a year, the spirit stones would need to be replaced to maintain the array's operation.

After placing the spirit stones, He Song began his meditation and cultivation.

It's worth noting.

The effectiveness of the Spirit Gathering Array wasn't particularly strong right after it was set up.

After cultivating for a night, He Song only felt a slight increase in the spiritual energy within his body compared to when the array wasn't active.

However, He Song wasn't concerned.

This was something described in the beginner's guide to array studies.

After being set up, the Spirit Gathering Array would take about ten days to reach its maximum efficiency.

By then, the concentration of spiritual energy within the array would be significantly higher than the surrounding area.

Even if the array were set up in a mundane location, the spiritual energy concentration within it could rival that of a cultivation market.

In other words.

If you were an array master, you could establish your own cultivation market.

However, whether the sect controlling the region would cause trouble for you.

Or whether the rogue cultivators in the area would raid your market.

That was unknown.

Moreover, to cover an area as large as the Bamboo Mountain Cultivation Market, a single Spirit Gathering Array wouldn't be enough.

At the very least, ten or eight Spirit Gathering Arrays would be needed to cover such a large area.

He Song had no intention of establishing his own cultivation market.

But.

Establishing one or even several private spirit fields was something He Song had long planned to do.

Becoming an array master was only the first step in He Song's plan.

Because only by becoming an array master could he set up a Spirit Gathering Array.

Only by setting up a Spirit Gathering Array could he use the gathered spiritual energy to nourish the land, turning it into spirit fields.

Once the land was transformed into spirit fields, He Song could plant spirit rice in them.

When harvest time came, he could sell the rice at a high price, earning a substantial amount of spirit stones.

Establishing his own spirit fields outside the cultivation market had always been part of He Song's plan.

Being a spirit farmer in the cultivation market held no future.

Only by farming his own land could he earn more spirit stones and make his cultivation path smoother.

In other words.

He Song had never considered his role as a spirit farmer in the cultivation market as his true profession.

It was merely a stepping stone in the early stages.

To truly obtain abundant resources, he had to rely on his own efforts, rather than spending years farming for others in the cultivation market.

"Sigh, establishing spirit fields will require careful planning. At the very least, I need to master the Misty Illusion Array and the Five Elements Array from the beginner's guide before I can truly start establishing my own spirit fields."

The beginner's guide to array studies included three arrays to learn.

First, the Spirit Gathering Array, which gathered spiritual energy to nourish oneself or spirit fields. He Song had already set it up and mastered it.

Second, the Misty Illusion Array, which created mist to obscure reality, confuse the mind, and cause mortals or even cultivators to unknowingly bypass the area. This was the most crucial part of hiding spirit fields. He Song had yet to study it.

Third, the Five Elements Array, which combined offense and defense, capable of both killing enemies and blocking their advances. With the five elements in harmony, it provided endless power. This was He Song's means of defending against or escaping from enemies if his spirit fields were discovered. He Song had also not studied this yet.

Only by mastering and successfully setting up these three arrays could He Song truly establish his own spirit fields.

The three arrays were interconnected.

The Spirit Gathering Array nourished the spirit fields, the Misty Illusion Array concealed them, and the Five Elements Array provided offense and defense. Only then would He Song be safe enough to establish his own spirit fields.

As his plans flashed through his mind, He Song shook his head and stood up, leaving the room.

Now wasn't the time to think about these things.

He could consider them once his strength had improved.

Leaving his home.

He Song soon arrived at the spirit fields he managed.

After leisurely casting the Spirit Rain Technique for half an hour, He Song didn't head to the Spirit Construction Pavilion. Instead, he made his way to the market district.

The market district of the cultivation market.

He Song hadn't been here in a long time.

Having lived in the Bamboo Mountain Cultivation Market for nearly ten years, He Song had already explored every corner of the market and knew there were no hidden treasures to be found in the market district.

He wasn't some chosen one, just an ordinary cultivator.

Naturally, after realizing there were no treasures to be found, he stopped visiting the market district to try his luck.

As he walked through the streets of the market district.

He Song's gaze swept across the surroundings, and he noticed that some familiar faces had disappeared, replaced by new ones.

For example, the old man he had met when he first arrived in this world, who had sold him rice, was no longer there.

In place of the rice stall was a burly middle-aged man.

He Song paused to observe for a moment.

But in the end, he shook his head and continued walking.

That old man.

He didn't know if the man had passed away or was enjoying his retirement at home.

If He Song remembered correctly, he had once envied the old man for owning a storage bag.

But now.

He Song also had a storage bag.

Yet the old man from back then was nowhere to be seen.

A faint, unnameable emotion flickered in He Song's heart as he quickened his pace, soon arriving at his destination.

The Spirit Technique Pavilion.

As soon as He Song stepped into the Spirit Technique Pavilion, he felt someone approach him.

At the same time, a fragrant breeze brushed past him.

"Fellow Daoist He, it's been three years. Congratulations on your progress in cultivation. Foundation Establishment is within reach."

(End of Chapter)