**Chapter 39: Temptation**

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After seeing Cai Laojiu off, 

Qin Ming closed the courtyard gate and began to sink into deep thought. 

He hadn't expected the Spirit Feather Sect's teleportation array to be repaired so quickly. Given the current situation, his position was becoming extremely awkward. 

Qin Ming was now under the thumb of the Spirit Feather Sect, serving as a corvée laborer. He had no control over his life, constantly restricted by the sect's rules. 

The decisions of the sect's upper echelons could change at any moment—today they might send you to the frontlines as cannon fodder, and tomorrow they'd forbid you from selling spirit rice privately. 

In peacetime, they squeezed every ounce of labor out of you; in wartime, they used your life without hesitation! 

These sects didn't treat their spirit farmers as human beings—they treated them like cattle or horses, pure tools for exploitation. 

Moreover, the world of cultivation was unpredictable, with situations changing in the blink of an eye.

Though the Spirit Feather Sect and Golden Cloud Valley appeared harmonious now, who knew when they might turn on each other over resources in the Cloud Marsh Wilderness? A single disagreement could spark war. 

When that happened, the first to suffer would undoubtedly be low-level cultivators like him. 

For years, the frontline camps had been fighting the barbarian cultivators with no progress, no benefits gained, and heavy losses instead. What did this mean? 

It meant that the indigenous tribes deep within the Cloud Marsh Wilderness were not as easy to subdue as the Spirit Feather Sect and Golden Cloud Valley had assumed.

If those natives counterattacked, it would spell disaster. 

"I need to make plans early." 

Qin Ming's eyes flickered as his desire to leave the Spirit Feather Sect grew stronger. 

"Running away directly is unrealistic." 

"I need to find a way to be exempted from corvée labor and regain my freedom." 

He pondered for a while. 

To be exempted from the Spirit Feather Sect's corvée labor, one had to meet one of three conditions set by the sect. 

The first condition was reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Qin Ming immediately dismissed this option—it was impossible for him to achieve such a breakthrough in the short term. 

The second condition was handing over a resource that aided in Foundation Establishment.

This too was out of the question—he didn't possess such rare resources, let alone enough to hand over. 

After much deliberation, Qin Ming decided the third condition was the most feasible: achieving mastery in any one of the hundred arts of cultivation at the second-rank level. 

He was already a mid-rank first-grade spirit planter and estimated that he could ascend to a high-rank first-grade spirit planter by next year.

With the help of his entries, breaking through to a second-rank spirit planter seemed hopeful. 

However, he still wasn't clear on the specific requirements for advancing to a second-rank spirit planter.

He'd have to inquire about it at the Hall of Duties another day. 

With this in mind, Qin Ming's gaze hardened. He had already made a firm decision about his future plans. 

He then began to seriously contemplate how to handle the sale of Beast Tooth Rice next year. 

Time flew by, and more than half a month passed. 

As expected, just as Cai Laojiu had said, during this year's spring plowing, Elder Gu arrived at the spirit fields to announce the prohibition on private sales of spirit rice. 

This was devastating news for the spirit farmers. 

This year, Qin Ming planted Golden Spirit Rice in his three acres of spirit fields as usual. He then cast the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique, summoning a rain of spiritual energy. 

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After finishing his work in the spirit fields, 

Qin Ming returned to the courtyard and resumed his daily grueling cultivation. 

Under the accumulation of a large amount of premium Blood Locust Rice, he had forcefully pushed his body-refining technique, the *Hundred Treasures Glazed Sutra*, to the peak of the sixth layer. 

He had also used up all five [Weak Blood Qi] and two [Abundant Blood Qi] entries in his consciousness sea. 

Even with such an overwhelming accumulation of blood qi, he still couldn't break through to the seventh layer of body refinement. 

One could only imagine the terrifying amount of blood qi-enhancing materials required in the later stages of the *Hundred Treasures Glazed Sutra*. 

As for his magical energy cultivation, 

Qin Ming was now capable of refining Qi Gathering Pills himself. Though these pills weren't as potent as Qi Gathering Pills, his magical energy was steadily growing. 

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One day, 

while Qin Ming was cultivating, the protective formation outside the courtyard gate rippled with fluctuations. 

He stopped his practice, opened his eyes, and walked to the gate to peek outside. 

He recognized the person. 

The visitor wore a wooden crown, a jade belt around his waist, had fair skin, a haughty face, slightly swollen eyes, and kept yawning incessantly. 

He was a cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, slightly short in stature, dressed in the blue inner disciple robes of the Spirit Feather Sect. 

Though clearly from a wealthy family, it was obvious he spent too much time indulging in pleasure houses. 

This was the same short cultivator who had followed Jiang Kun's group on the street that day, snatching treasures from an elder. 

Having followed Jiang Kun for so long, his arrogance matched that of his master. 

Seeing this person, Qin Ming frowned. 

He inwardly cursed his bad luck but still forced himself to open the door, as the man was from the Spirit Feather Sect after all. 

"Oh, you must be Daoist Qin?" 

"I am Chen Zi'ang of the Spirit Feather Sect." 

"I heard that you recently advanced to a mid-rank spirit planter? Congratulations!" 

"Senior Brother Jiang has invited you to drink at the Treasure Pavilion. Daoist Qin, won't you honor us with your presence?" 

Chen Zi'ang smiled warmly and extended the invitation with unusual sincerity. 

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming knew he had no choice but to accept. There was no way he could refuse this time. 

"Since Senior Brother Jiang has invited me, please lead the way, Daoist Chen." 

Green Sun Market was under the jurisdiction of the Spirit Feather Sect. Jiang Kun and his group wouldn't dare do anything too outrageous in public. 

Moreover, the market was a tangled web of various factions, some of which even the core members of the Spirit Feather Sect had to tread carefully around. 

The Mirror Snow Pavilion was one such faction. 

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"Daoist Qin, it's a pleasure to meet you." 

In the private room of the Treasure Pavilion, Jiang Kun, a core disciple of the Spirit Feather Sect clad in a blue robe embroidered with golden threads, examined Qin Ming with a pair of smiling phoenix eyes. 

"Senior Brother Jiang has invited me here for…" 

"No rush, no rush. First, try this fine spirit grain wine." 

Jiang Kun took out two white jade cups and personally poured wine for Qin Ming. 

He then filled his own cup, toasted Qin Ming, and downed it in one gulp. 

Qin Ming was somewhat flattered by this warm reception. 

Without hesitation, he picked up his cup and drank it all in one go. 

His cultivation of the *Hundred Treasures Glazed Sutra* made him immune to poisons, so he wasn't worried about any tricks in the wine. 

The spirit grain wine slid down his throat. Its aroma was rich and smooth, with spiritual energy lingering on his lips and teeth—it truly was excellent wine. 

"Daoist Qin is indeed a straightforward person." 

A trace of unexpected surprise flashed in Jiang Kun's eyes. 

Then, a smile spread across his face. "Speaking of which, there was a bit of a misunderstanding between us last time. That day at the Hall of Duties, I was securing a spot for one of my subordinates and spoke rather harshly in haste. Please don't take it to heart." 

"Hehe, Senior Brother Jiang is joking. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would've forgotten about it entirely," Qin Ming replied with a strained smile, his tone insincere. 

"It seems I've overthought things. Since Daoist Qin is so magnanimous, I should punish myself with a drink." Saying this, Jiang Kun actually filled his cup and drained it in one go. 

Jiang Kun then began chatting with Qin Ming about recent events. 

He praised Qin Ming's achievements in spirit rice cultivation and congratulated him on becoming a mid-rank spirit planter. 

He also brought up how Qin Ming had formed ties with the Mirror Snow Pavilion. 

Qin Ming responded diplomatically, speaking appropriately depending on the situation. He shared what he could and glossed over the rest. 

Had Qin Ming not personally witnessed Jiang Kun's true colors recently, he might have mistaken him for a humble and approachable senior brother. 

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After several rounds of drinks, 

Jiang Kun smiled faintly and retrieved an exquisite jade box from his storage pouch. He gently pushed it toward Qin Ming. 

"A small token of appreciation. I hope Daoist Qin will accept it." 

Qin Ming was momentarily confused by this gesture. 

"Senior Brother Jiang, what is the meaning of this?" 

Curious, Qin Ming opened the jade box. 

What he saw inside left him speechless. 

Five perfectly round spirit stones glimmered with dazzling brilliance, their dense spiritual energy palpable even from a distance. 

They were mid-grade spirit stones! 

Each could be exchanged for a hundred low-grade spirit stones, sometimes even more. 

This amounted to over five hundred spirit stones. 

In addition, the jade box contained an elegant porcelain bottle. 

Qin Ming picked it up and opened it. A refreshing fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted out. 

Inside was a deep cyan-colored pill. 

Qin Ming was all too familiar with this type of pill. He had personally watched Su Yuqing refine it before. 

"It's a Qi Refinement breakthrough pill—a Marrow Cleansing Pill!" 

(End of Chapter) 

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