Chapter 77: Sixth Senior Sister
Chapter 77: Sixth Senior Sister
After scanning the task listings for a while, Li Yan stepped into the task-receiving formation. Instantly, a blinding white light enveloped his body. As he squinted and looked around, all he could see was a blur of flickering white light, he couldn't make out anything nearby.
Li Yan had no idea what kind of immortal technique this formation employed. Once someone entered, even without being able to see others, they were automatically relocated to an unoccupied spot within the formation. All around him was a sea of white.
However, when he turned around, he could see a dark void behind him, that was likely the exit.
Looking up once more, he saw the massive white jade slab floating silently overhead. Golden characters flickered across its surface. Occasionally, a line would dim into gray, indicating someone had taken the task. Others had numbers that constantly updated, clearly showing the number of participants in a group task.
Li Yan focused his gaze on the section labeled "Spiritual Plant Garden." At the top of that section was a large "2," signifying it corresponded to the path marker with two cracks, matching the route outside. There were around forty tasks listed under it:
"Task Type: 2. Irrigate 50 mu of Dragoncalm Leaf, individual, requires minor accomplishment of 'Mist Breath Technique' and knowledge of the plant's medicinal properties. Must be watered daily at set times. One low-grade spirit stone every three days. Penalty of one stone for each damaged plant…"
"Task Type: 2. Harvest 100 mu of spirit rice, group, flexible mu count. Requires wood-element 'Green Blade Technique' at minor mastery. One spirit stone per 10 mu. Penalty of one spirit stone per 50 damaged plants. Two-month deadline; overdue penalty of one spirit stone per mu…"
"Task Type: 2. Apply Broadsilk Seed over 100 mu, group, flexible mu count. Requires minor mastery of water-element 'Frost-Shedding Art' and understanding of precise timing for medicinal dispersion. Two stones per mu. One-month deadline. Penalty of four stones per damaged mu; late penalty of three stones per mu…"
"…"
Reading down the list, Li Yan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, earning spirit stones was no easy task. Most tasks imposed heavy penalties for damage, sometimes even several times the original reward.
And each task could span several months or even a year or more.
Then again, it made sense. An outer disciple in the Qi Condensation stage typically earned only three low-grade spirit stones a month, just thirty-six a year. In contrast, harvesting 100 mu of rice earned ten stones, still a challenge, considering it was a group task.
Many tasks also had strict requirements for spell mastery and the attribute of the cultivation technique practiced. This, Li Yan understood. Some spirit herbs and plants reacted differently depending on the element used. For instance, the same "Green Blade Technique" imbued with fire might destroy certain herbs outright.
He also noticed that tasks requiring higher-level spells tended to offer better rewards.
After reviewing the listings several times, Li Yan's eyes finally stopped on one particular line:
"Task Type: 2. Irrigate 50 mu of Ink King Bamboo, individual, requires minor mastery of dual-element 'Raincloud Technique' (Water/Wood). Must water once daily for 81 days. One stone every 10 days. Penalty of one stone for every 50 damaged stalks…"
"Ink King Bamboo… Ink King Bamboo… isn't that the same type of bamboo that grows all over Little Bamboo Peak?"
Li Yan pondered for a moment, then quickly raised his head.
"I'll take this one! At least it's a type of bamboo I've actually seen. The rest of these plants, I don't even recognize, there's no way I can be confident with them.
"Anyway, I have to accept a task sooner or later, better to go with my instincts. If it doesn't work out, I can always terminate the task and just pay the penalty!"
Rubbing his chin, Li Yan made up his mind. Without further delay, before someone else snatched it he used his divine sense to connect with the line for the Ink King Bamboo task on the jade slab.
A moment later, a red beam of light shot toward the token at his waist, and the task listing on the jade slab dimmed to gray.
Li Yan directed his divine sense into the token and found a new red dot. As he touched it, a line of text surfaced in his mind:
"Task Type: 2. Irrigate 50 mu of Ink King Bamboo, individual, requires minor mastery of dual-element 'Raincloud Technique'…"
It was the exact same task, no doubt about it.
Exiting the task hall, Li Yan found that Lin Daqiao had already left. Soon, he arrived at the entrance of a small forest path within the mountain. Glancing at the stone marker with two fine cracks by the side of the path, Li Yan chuckled softly and stepped in.
Half a cup of tea's time later, he returned to the same place he had visited years ago. Without pausing, he headed straight into the illusion array concealed within the dense bamboo grove. As light shimmered before his eyes, Li Yan now stood in a wide valley.
The valley stretched across several hundred li. Vegetation of all kinds blanketed the hills and valleys: fields of flowers, patches of medicinal gardens, grain-like crops, and groves of trees. The wind carried a fragrant scent, and even the spiritual energy in the air felt vibrant and lively.
After standing still for a moment, Li Yan set off toward a prominent area: a patch shrouded in floating yellow mist amidst the green grass and flowers.
Soon he arrived. Staring at the swirling yellow mist, Li Yan hesitated, unsure how to proceed.
Lin Daqiao had previously told him that for all three task zones, one needed to locate the overseeing senior brother or sister for task arrangements. He'd also explained the layout of each zone and where to find the issuing disciples. The yellow mist ahead likely concealed such a courtyard.
Just as Li Yan was about to try using the token at his waist, the mist churned and parted, revealing a passageway. Whether triggered by the formation sensing his presence or someone inside detecting him with divine sense, he couldn't tell.
Seeing this, Li Yan set the token aside and stepped forward.
It was a quiet and refined bamboo courtyard, with a single house and a modest yard. Inside were various pieces of equipment: wooden stakes arranged in formations, sandpits scattered across the ground, wooden beams, and even stone weights resting here and there.
Seeing all this, the smile on Li Yan's face faded slightly. He paused, a bit stunned.
This scene looked oddly familiar, remarkably similar to the barracks outside the Strategist's Manor, where soldiers lived and trained.
Over the years, Li Yan had read many books and learned that in the cultivation world, there were not only qi cultivators but also body cultivators…
Cultivators of the qi path focus on cultivating spiritual power and immortal arts. They excel at long-range attacks which are often sharp and deadly, but they generally lack strong defense. As such, they usually rely on protective spiritual tools or talismans for defense.
In contrast, Body Cultivators emphasize tempering the physical body. Their bodies are incredibly durable, and even without the aid of defensive tools or talismans, they can move unhindered through battles against cultivators of the same level. Their close-combat prowess is especially fierce and brutal.
However, what lay before him was quite different from what he had read in books. Weren't cultivators supposed to train their bodies using specific techniques and medicinal support? Why were they training here like ordinary mortals, roughly and using equipment? This was far beyond his expectations.
Although Li Yan was currently a qi cultivator, his physical body was already far sturdier than an average mortal's.
Spiritual energy significantly enhanced one's constitution. Even without using spiritual power, he could lift four to five hundred catties with one hand. As for these training equipments, they were practically useless to him.
As for body cultivators at his level, they could easily lift several thousand catties with one hand while using magical power. To them, this kind of equipment would be even more meaningless.
What shocked him even more and left him blushing was the sight of a tall, short-haired girl standing by a pair of parallel bars, staring at him coldly. He recognized her instantly, it was his Sixth Senior Sister, Gong Chenying.
At the moment, she wore a tight-fitting short-sleeved top and tight shorts. Her tanned, well-shaped calves were fully exposed below the knees, their lines smooth and defined with muscle.
Above her thighs, the tight clothing outlined her ample hips and slim waist. Just above that, her figure sharply curved again to reveal a pair of magnificent peaks, enough to make one's nose bleed. Beads of crystalline sweat trailed down her slender neck.
Li Yan blushed deeply and didn't know what to do. Among the girls he had come in contact with, aside from his elder sister at home, the closest was Zhao Min, who had occasionally sat near him on the platform in recent years.
Every time he accidentally glanced at Zhao Min, his heart would race and his face would flush. The faint fragrance she gave off, along with the glimpse of her swan-like, alabaster neck shimmering under the moonlight like silk, always stirred an urge to reach out and touch.
But the visual impact before him now was far more direct and overwhelming. He stood frozen, unsure whether to retreat or approach.
"You're here for a task?"
The cool-toned, short-haired girl didn't seem to notice Li Yan's awkwardness. She casually picked up a clean white towel and wiped the sweat from her face and neck.
"Ah yes, yes, I am!"
Li Yan finally snapped out of his stupor and nodded quickly, turning his head away as if he were merely puzzled by the strange equipment.
"Hand over your identity token."
After draping the towel over the bars, Gong Chenying walked toward him.
"Yes, Senior Sister!"
Li Yan fumbled as he retrieved his token. By then, Gong Chenying was only three steps away. He suddenly felt a wave of heat rush toward him.
In that moment, he caught a whiff of a familiar fragrance, like the one from Zhao Min but stronger, carried by the warm air. His heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
Gong Chenying's expression remained cold as ever. With a flick of her delicate hand, Li Yan's token flew from his grasp into hers.
She swept her divine sense into it. A moment later, she tossed it back to him.
"You're here for the Ink King Bamboo task. Since you're a mix-spirit root type, you naturally have both water and wood elements. But have you achieved basic mastery of Raincloud Technique?"
"If not, the technique's power will be insufficient. It's not just a matter of being ineffective, you'll be wasting Snow Evening Crystals. Go ahead and cast it now. Otherwise, you'll end up paying more than just a few low-grade spirit stones."
Li Yan only half-understood what she meant. He had no idea what "Snow Evening Crystals" were.
Still, he figured it best to just follow her instructions. He quickly formed a hand seal with both hands at chest level. The next moment, dark clouds began to churn above his head, showing signs of impending rain, though no droplets had fallen yet.
Gong Chenying nodded. This was indeed the level of control expected at minor mastery.
Immortal techniques progressed through three stages: Introductory, Minor Mastery, and Major Mastery.
Over the past three years, aside from Flowing Sand Technique, which he had cultivated to major mastery, the rest of his techniques remained at the minor mastery level. Even so, that was already quite an achievement.
After all, he not only had to cultivate his main cultivation technique but also suppress and harmonize the Fractured Poison Body while practicing immortal spells. To reach this level in just three years was already impressively fast.
But to outsiders, his progress merely looked like the result of the sect pouring resources into him.
Li Yan's Raincloud Technique could now be cast in a single breath, and he had reached the point where the rain could be summoned and held on the verge of falling.
"Wait a moment. I'll take you there."
With that, Gong Chenying turned and walked back into the bamboo house, ignoring him entirely. A while later, she emerged wearing a dark green long robe, her figure graceful and poised.
As they exited the bamboo courtyard, yellow mist once again rolled in to obscure it from view.
Gong Chenying raised her hand, summoning a white jade flying boat into the air. She leaped up gracefully. Seeing it was a magical tool, far superior to his own flying spirit artifact, Li Yan hurriedly jumped aboard.
They flew through the mountain valley for about seventy or eighty li before arriving above a bamboo forest that stretched for some forty li.
The bamboo was planted in neat squares. Some stalks were thin and others thick; the thin ones were a pale inky color, while the thicker ones were a rich, dark green.
Though they resembled the bamboo Li Yan had seen elsewhere, something about them still felt subtly different, though he couldn't quite say what.
They descended near a patch of slender bamboo. Each stalk was no thicker than a thumb, half a person in height, with fine leaves and pale-ink color.
"This is the fifty mu of Ink King Bamboo seedlings that need watering. With the current range of your Raincloud Technique, you can probably water only half a mu at a time.
"But more importantly, during the rain-fall process, you must use wood-element spiritual power to fully dissolve four pieces of Snow Evening Crystal into the falling rain for every half-mu.
"This has to be done in perfect synchronization. If the Snow Evening Crystals haven't fully dissolved by the time the rain hits the ground, it'll destabilize the growth of the Ink King Bamboo.
"If that happens, the affected half-mu will have to be reseeded, and it'll take three days to grow to its current state again.
"For every fifty ruined stalks of Ink King Bamboo, you'll be fined one low-grade spirit stone. For every ten wasted Snow Evening Crystals, another spirit stone. Any shortages will be deducted at market value…"
Li Yan's mind buzzed as he listened, already feeling like spirit stones were flying, flying straight out of his storage pouch, farther and farther away…
(Chapter End)
1 mu ≈ 666.7 square meters
1 acre ≈ 6.07 mu