Chapter 26: The Koi Fish
Chapter 26: The Koi Fish
Using the Sleeve Universe Technique, Gu Mo tossed the red koi fish along with its basin into the Black Mist Space. Without lingering, he left the marketplace immediately. He didn't have many spirit stones left and needed to save some for activating the formation disk, so he couldn't spend them all.
Once outside the marketplace, the no-flight restriction disappeared. Gu Mo took out the newly purchased paper crane and injected his spiritual power into it. The paper crane transformed into a white celestial crane, about the height of a person.
Leaping onto the crane, Gu Mo channeled his spiritual power. The crane flapped its wings and soared into the sky. While its speed wasn't as fast as a flying sword—like the difference between a bullet train and an electric scooter—it was still an improvement.
"Having a ride really makes a difference." Sitting atop the crane, Gu Mo soon spotted the valley where the Spiritual Plant Hall was located.
His visit to the Spiritual Plant Hall was to collect the seeds for the next season. He didn't keep seeds from his previous harvest for two reasons: first, he had three years of free seeds available; second, and more importantly, the Spiritual Plant Hall provided specially cultivated seeds that ensured the best yield.
If he were to use his own saved seeds, the yield would decrease, and the growth rate would slow down.
For this second season of spiritual farming, Gu Mo once again chose Spirit Jade Rice. Having already gained experience from the first season, he was confident that he could achieve an even higher yield this time. He also had access to five exclusive farming spells, though he had yet to master the Minor Rejuvenation Technique. He planned to cultivate higher-grade spiritual plants only after mastering all five spells.
Higher-grade spiritual plants would greatly accelerate his accumulation of sect contribution points, allowing him to exchange for the Hidden Breath Technique sooner.
However, the higher the grade of the spiritual plant, the harder it was to grow. A single mistake could waste an entire season's effort.
Thus, Gu Mo wasn't in a rush to attempt them. He decided to wait until he had fully mastered all his farming techniques.
Upon returning to his small house in the spiritual fields, Gu Mo first replanted the three Sunflowers from his Black Mist Space. Then, he placed the red koi fish in a water tank. Once the new season's seeds were planted, he planned to use the koi fish to test the effects of Sun Essence.
"Alright, time to start planting the new season of spiritual rice."
Standing before his field, Gu Mo formed a hand seal and cast Flame Wave, burning all the leftover stalks from the previous season. The ashes enriched the soil and eliminated any lingering insect eggs.
During the first season, his field had been largely free of pests—a benefit of planting in an unused spiritual field. However, for this second season, Gu Mo needed to take pest control seriously.
Preventing pests is key to ensuring a good yield.
"Minor Earth Dragon Technique!"
After burning the stalks, Gu Mo formed another seal and pointed toward the field. A moment later, a giant earthworm, as thick as a washbasin, emerged and began tunneling through the soil. Within moments, the entire field had been plowed—far more efficient than using a hoe.
The earthworm also helped channel spiritual energy through the soil, creating a better environment for plant growth.
With the field prepared, Gu Mo took out the Spirit Jade Rice seeds and scattered them in an orderly pattern.
"Minor Cloud Rain Technique!"
After sowing the seeds, he cast another spell. Dark clouds gathered over the field, and soon, a gentle spiritual rain began to fall, watering the soil.
"Done!"
Gu Mo exhaled deeply. Casting three spiritual farming spells in a row was draining. If not for his spiritual power being three times that of a typical cultivator at his level, he wouldn't have been able to sustain the effort.
However, the efficiency of using farming spells was undeniable. In just a few minutes, he had completed what would take an ordinary spiritual farmer several days—and with far better results.
With the planting finished, Gu Mo took out the damaged formation disk. He removed the formation stones from it and buried them around the field according to the disk's instructions.
Once that was done, he embedded eighteen spirit stones into the disk to power it. The cost pained him—eighteen spirit stones just to activate a single formation. Ordinary first-tier formation disks only required nine stones.
Fortunately, the formation could remain in a low-power standby mode when not needed, consuming minimal energy. Only when fully activated would it rapidly deplete the spirit stones.
The damaged formation disk contained two formations: an Illusion Formation and a Defense Formation. Gu Mo chose the Illusion Formation, as it consumed fewer spirit stones compared to the Defense Formation, which would drain energy at an alarming rate if attacked.
After placing the formation disk in the field, Gu Mo took the control talisman and returned to his small house. He then turned his attention to the red koi fish in the water tank.
Sensing his gaze, the koi surfaced and smacked its lips as if asking for food.
Seeing this, Gu Mo retrieved a Sun Essence from his Black Mist Space and placed it in the fish's mouth. The moment the koi swallowed it, it flipped onto its back, belly up.
"Uh… is it dead?"
Startled, Gu Mo quickly reached in and touched its belly. Fortunately, it was still alive—just unconscious.
After observing it for a while and seeing no further changes, Gu Mo shifted his focus back to mastering the Minor Rejuvenation Technique, aiming to complete his spiritual farming spell set as soon as possible.
The next morning, as he got up to water the field, his gaze naturally fell on the water tank. The koi was now swimming peacefully.
Seeing it recover, Gu Mo approached and examined it. The koi had swallowed a portion of Sun Essence, but had it undergone any changes?
Lifting the fish from the tank, Gu Mo was surprised that it didn't resist at all. It simply let him hold it.
"Hmm?"
His eyes scanned the fish, and soon, he noticed something unusual. Three of its scales had turned golden—a radiant, sun-like gold.
A change had occurred, but what did it mean?
The koi smacked its lips, looking expectantly at him. Gu Mo sighed and tossed it back into the tank. Unlike cats or dogs, fish were far less intelligent, making it difficult to gain any meaningful insight from them.
Still, the Sun Essence had clearly triggered an unknown effect on the koi.
If he continued feeding it Sun Essence, the effects might become more apparent. However, his priority now was to save up for more Sunflowers.
In just 16 days, he could afford his fourth Sunflower. After that, he would only need 12 days to buy a fifth. The more Sunflowers he had, the faster he could acquire more.
That said, given his current strength and status, there was a limit to how many Sunflowers he could safely own. If their secret was discovered, he would be in grave danger.
Gu Mo estimated that owning five Sunflowers was still within a safe range. If he activated the Illusion Formation in his field, he might be able to handle up to ten.
However, keeping the formation running required a steady supply of spirit stones. To reach that point, he first needed to accumulate enough wealth to maintain it.
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