Chapter 77: A Year 

But they had also suffered severe injuries in the process. 

When this news reached He Song, he was momentarily stunned. 

But soon, his expression darkened. 

"Are evil cultivators really this brazen now? They dare to ambush the law enforcement team within the Verdant Wall Immortal City's territory?" 

As this thought crossed his mind, He Song quickly let it go. 

Six years ago, when True Person Bear Mountain was absent, evil cultivators had even besieged the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market. 

Back then, if it hadn't been for Wei Fan's intervention, He Song might still be struggling in the mortal world. 

The reason evil cultivators were called evil cultivators was that, given enough incentive, they were capable of astonishing acts. 

Of course, ordinary cultivators could also turn into evil cultivators at times, engaging in acts of murder and plunder. 

As long as no one found out, no one would pursue them. 

This time, the law enforcement team had eradicated all the evil cultivators in the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market. The evil cultivators couldn't retaliate within the market because a Foundation Establishment expert was stationed there. Any Qi Refining evil cultivator who entered would be killed on sight. 

However, just because they couldn't act within the market didn't mean they couldn't act outside of it. 

The law enforcement team had to leave the market eventually, didn't they? 

Once they left, they would no longer have the protection of the Foundation Establishment expert. 

At that point... 

After a brief moment of thought, He Song understood the situation. 

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. 

It seemed that grudges and vendettas were unavoidable even in the cultivation world. 

The ambush on the law enforcement team by evil cultivators had little to do with He Song. 

Therefore, after hearing about it, he merely reflected on it for a moment before putting it out of his mind. 

He was in the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, where True Person Bear Mountain was stationed. 

As long as he stayed within the market, no matter how fiercely the evil cultivators raged outside, it wouldn't affect him. 

However, in the following days, He Song would occasionally hear news about the Verdant Wall Immortal City's efforts to exterminate evil cultivators and the evil cultivators' retaliatory ambushes on the law enforcement team. 

After losing one late-stage and two mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the ambush, the Verdant Wall Immortal City's law enforcement team was naturally unwilling to let the matter rest. 

Thus, they began a campaign to eradicate evil cultivators within their jurisdiction. 

One day, it would be news of the law enforcement team killing several evil cultivators in a certain location. 

The next day, it would be news of evil cultivators ambushing the law enforcement team, causing casualties. 

Back and forth, neither side showed any signs of stopping, and such news became a regular occurrence. 

And so, the days passed one by one. 

He Song's life remained relatively peaceful. 

It's worth mentioning that, a few months after returning to the market, He Song successfully became a manager in the Medicinal Hall. 

With the help of Wei Fan and Zhao Lin, he also secured the position of herb garden manager. 

From then on, He Song spent his days overseeing the herb garden and cultivating there. 

At night, he returned home to cultivate or study spells within his Spirit Gathering Formation. 

A year passed in the blink of an eye. 

On this day, He Song's Earth Escape Technique had reached a level where he could use it freely without losing its effectiveness. 

As for the Five Elements Formation, after more than a year of study, He Song still hadn't fully mastered it. 

By his estimation, it would take nearly two more years to complete the formation. 

However, even so, with the Earth Escape Technique now at his disposal, He Song shifted his focus from the market to the outside world. 

With the Earth Escape Technique, he could enter and leave the market without being detected. 

Even if he encountered evil cultivators outside the market, he wouldn't have to worry about being discovered. 

After all, He Song would be using both the Earth Escape Technique and the Aura Concealment Art simultaneously. 

Hidden underground and without any detectable aura, it would be extremely difficult for Qi Refining cultivators to track his movements. 

With this in mind, He Song's confidence grew. 

Even though evil cultivators and the law enforcement team were locked in a deadly struggle outside, He Song no longer had to worry about being discovered. 

Given that the Five Elements Formation would be completed within two years, He Song now set his sights on finding one or more plots of land to convert into spirit fields using Spirit Gathering Formations. 

Spirit fields were not ordinary fields. 

Ordinary fields couldn't grow spirit rice. 

Spirit fields required a constant supply of spiritual energy day and night to transform ordinary land into spirit fields over several years. 

By He Song's estimation, setting up a Spirit Gathering Formation and concentrating spiritual energy within a certain area would allow him to convert a plot of land into a spirit field within two years. 

Once that was done, as long as he could successfully set up the Five Elements Formation, he would be able to harvest spirit stones continuously from the spirit fields. 

The only uncertainty was the size of the area he needed to cover. 

If the area was larger, he would need fewer formations. 

If it was smaller, He Song would have to set up more formations to ensure a steady supply of spirit stones in the future. 

Standing up from his meditation mat, He Song glanced around the quiet room. 

Without delay, he dismantled both the Spirit Gathering Formation and the Misty Traversal Formation in the room, storing all the formation bases in his storage bag. 

After a moment of thought, He Song took out a sheet of paper. 

With a surge of spiritual energy from his fingertips, lines of text quickly appeared on the paper. 

"Brother Wei, I need to go into seclusion for a few days. Could you please oversee the herb garden manager duties for me during this time?" 

"—He Song." 

With a flick of his spiritual energy, the paper transformed into a message-carrying paper crane and soared into the sky, heading into the distance. 

The herb garden manager position was crucial, and He Song didn't trust anyone else to handle it. Only Wei Fan could give him peace of mind. 

Therefore, while he went to select a location for the spirit fields, it was best to leave the duties to Wei Fan. 

After all, He Song had previously taken over Wei Fan's duties in the Spirit Construction Pavilion. 

This arrangement wouldn't feel out of place. 

After completing these preparations, He Song didn't immediately use the Earth Escape Technique to leave. Instead, he walked out of his room and headed toward the market's trading area. 

The trading area was as bustling as it had been when He Song first arrived in this world. 

However, as He Song looked around this time, he noticed many unfamiliar faces. 

Some of the familiar faces he had known were gone, replaced by complete strangers. 

Seeing this, He Song sighed inwardly but quickly pushed aside the sense of loss. 

In the trading area, he purchased two bottles of Fasting Pills. 

Each bottle contained ten pills and cost two spirit stones. 

Two bottles cost him a total of four spirit stones. 

A single Fasting Pill could stave off hunger for ten days. To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, He Song decided to buy two bottles before his departure. 

With two bottles of Fasting Pills on hand, he wouldn't need to carry spirit rice with him. 

Spirit rice was delicious and could enhance cultivation, but it took up too much space, which He Song disliked. 

(End of Chapter)