Section 3, Courtyard

Zuo Mo calmly accepted this flattery; Lao Heitou's Linggu was planted solidly. By his estimation, the harvest this year would likely be quite good, with an 80 to 90 percent chance of success. Coupled with his own rainfall efforts, an increase of 20 percent should not be a problem. As compensation, he would receive a 10 percent commission, which is quite substantial

In the vast Xifeng, even a small section of spiritual vein can be found, and one can cultivate spiritual fields by oneself. Such abilities are hardly characteristic of an outer sect disciple

The entire Wukong Mountain is home to only the Wukong Sword Gate, which occupies a vast area. The entire western peak has been designated as the living quarters for outer disciples. One can choose to reside in any size of space, and even build their own. However, most people prefer to occupy the courtyards left behind by former outer disciples, which, although uninhabited for a long time, only require a bit of cleaning to be made livable

Zuo Mo's days have become much better. Although he is an outer disciple, he was picked up by the sect leader, so no one dares to bully him. His talent and comprehension are quite high, and after he comprehended the third layer of the "Xiao Yun Yu Jue," his life has become increasingly prosperous

The location of the mat is surprisingly more infused with spiritual energy than other places

In the dimly lit room, a gaunt man with a wooden, rigid face emitted a series of eerie chuckles that sent shivers down one's spine

However, Zuo Mo usually insists on meditating on the old mat that has been preserved. After such a long time, it has not decayed, perhaps this mat possesses some special quality. That enigmatic and profound senior brother has made him cautious about every item retained in the house, not daring to underestimate any of them

Until this moment, he gradually realized why that unknown senior brother would build such a large courtyard, most likely to conceal this small section of spiritual vein.

All the techniques in the "Geng Jin Jue" are derived from the transformation of Geng Jin's energy. If one cannot condense the Geng Jin energy, they cannot learn any of the techniques within the "Geng Jin Jue".

The entire courtyard is dilapidated and decayed, with cobwebs everywhere, and the furniture has all rotted away. The formation inside the house has also fallen into disrepair over the years and is unable to function, with no one to compete with him.

The rental fee for Ling Tian is calculated in Ling Gu. Each year, it is necessary to pay Ling Gu to obtain sufficient sect contributions in order to maintain eligibility to remain as an outer disciple in the sect. If one wishes to learn new techniques, then one must continue to increase their sect contributions.

The jade tablet includes five types of techniques: the "Little Cloud and Rain Technique," the "Earth Qi Technique," the "Geng Metal Technique," the "Herb and Wood Technique," and the "Crimson Flame Technique." Except for the "Little Cloud and Rain Technique," the other four techniques have not been studied by Zuo Mo.

The fish pond does not require any maintenance; simply using it for bathing in the summer is a delightful experience. The spiritual field is excellent; Zuo Mo is indeed astute, as renting a spiritual field from the sect incurs a rental fee, whereas the spiritual field in this courtyard does not require any payment. In addition, there is a cold spring in the courtyard.

After calculating everything, what can actually be in one's hands is pitifully little. Even the spiritual grain that is grown, Old Black Head is reluctant to eat himself

Old Blackhead has been an outer disciple at Wukong Sword Gate for twenty years. His cultivation is low, and he has spent twenty years planting spirit grains in the sect.

When he first moved in, Zuo Mo searched everywhere for a place to meditate and discovered a quiet room. Upon opening the door to the quiet room, a pungent smell of decay rushed towards him. The floor was strewn with many meditation cushions, which had already rotted into a pile of tangled grass. Only one cushion remained relatively intact.

Feeling refreshed and invigorated, all previous fatigue and exhaustion have vanished

Zuo Mo exerted tremendous effort to clean the quiet room, leaving only this intact mat preserved

No one expected that beneath the abandoned courtyard of the library, there would actually be a spiritual vein

The first thing he learned was the "Geng Jin Jue". Among the Five Elements, metal represents slaughter and destruction, and most metal-related techniques are also associated with killing. The spiritual valley has many natural enemies, which are quite troublesome. For instance, there is a type of aphid known for its diversity; they can burrow into the plants of the spiritual valley to reproduce, and can even hollow out the main stem of the spiritual valley. Ordinary cultivators are generally helpless against them

He turned the pages of the "Geng Jin Jue" word by word, not daring to miss a single detail. The spells he had learned were pitifully few, and as he began to study this entirely new spell, he immediately felt the strain.

The five acres of spiritual fields have all been planted with spiritual grain, which grows to a height of half a person. The edges of the leaves are serrated and quite sharp, making it easy to get cut if one is not careful. These spiritual grains were sown at the same time, resulting in a very uniform height, lush and green, which is quite pleasing to the eye

The "Geng Jin Jue" is indeed a good solution. It allows the power of metal to penetrate into the interior of the spiritual valley, thereby eliminating the pests within the plants. This is the technique that Zuo Mo currently needs the most. In addition to the agreements made with his fellow disciples, he has also rented fifty acres of spiritual fields.

Old Blackhead chuckled and gave a thumbs up: "Mo Ge's technique, the 'Little Cloud and Rain Formula,' truly lives up to its reputation!" After saying this, he squatted down with a beaming face to check the growth of the spiritual valley.

The only regret that Zuo Mo had was that the spiritual field had been neglected for too long, causing its grade to drop by one level, and it was now merely a first-grade spiritual field. It took Zuo Mo countless efforts to restore its vitality. However, to elevate it back to second-grade, time is required

The heart of Xiang Mo raced wildly; at first, he thought it was due to the cushion, but he soon discovered the true reason—a small branch of spiritual vein lay beneath the cushion. This branch of spiritual vein was extremely small, and beyond a step away from the cushion, there was no sensation whatsoever

The mental technique he practiced is the "Ten Right Heart Method." As a widely circulated second-tier mental technique, its characteristics are peace and uprightness, and there is essentially no need to worry about falling into demonic paths. Most outer disciples of the Wukong Sword Sect choose it as their primary mental technique, but if one wishes to establish a foundation, the success rate is very low. Disciples with lofty aspirations must exchange more contributions to the sect for higher-level mental techniques.

Even so, countless people still strive to enter a small sect like the Empty Sword Gate. Although it may be a bit arduous, one can learn valuable skills, which will help secure a decent job in the future. For someone like Old Blackhead, who comes from humble beginnings, this represents a rather stable employment opportunity

Upon learning of the secret regarding the discovery of the spiritual vein, Zuo Mo became increasingly low-key. He understood the principle that wealth should not be flaunted; if this segment of the spiritual vein were to be known by others, it would likely attract schemes against him, and the best outcome would be for it to be reclaimed by the sect.

Having completed his reverie, Zuo Mo began to earnestly study the jade slip in his hand

He took out the jade tablet he bought yesterday. This jade tablet is made of high-quality jade, lush and vibrant, and feels cool and solid in hand

Zuo Mo's courtyard covers a vast area. Although he is frail, he has a preference for large things, which is why he initially chose the largest courtyard on Xifeng. The layout includes seven sets of rooms, a fish pond of half an acre, and about five acres of spiritual fields. The senior brother who originally built this courtyard was undoubtedly a planting enthusiast; the fish pond lacks artificial hills, the courtyard has no flower beds or gardens, and there are no decorations at all. This senior brother transformed everything into spiritual fields.

The zombie-like face appeared expressionless, yet those lively eyes revealed a hint of ruthlessness

In my mind, a mountain of spiritual valleys emerges, and I lie on top of it with immense satisfaction

It becomes somewhat eerie at night

To prevent theft, the surroundings of the courtyard were secured with restrictions set by Zuo Mo. These low-level restrictions are not lethal, but if triggered, they create a significant commotion

With his cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, he is able to sustain himself for three complete cycles each time. He can feel that with every breath he takes, a portion of the spiritual energy he inhales merges with the spiritual energy circulating within his body. The surrounding spiritual energy is abundant, and he absorbs a considerable amount each time. Over the past two years, he has progressed from the third level to the seventh level of Qi Refinement, and this small segment of the spiritual vein is crucial.

This had little effect on Zuo Mo; he preferred to sleep on the roof at night and meditate in the quiet room. The other rooms were left empty or used as storage for some ordinary food. As for the formation, he had someone carve a minor illumination formation for use at night, but he was too lazy to spend money on the rest.

He casually ate something to fill his stomach. Before establishing a foundation, cultivators still require ordinary food. Although ordinary food cannot provide spiritual energy, it is essential for cultivators in the Qi Refining stage. Fortunately, ordinary food is inexpensive, so no one needs to worry about starving.

Zuo Mo seemed to enter a void, with spiritual energy slowly circulating along a fixed path. With each complete cycle, his body became a little lighter.

However, when he saw the reverence and joy on Old Blackhead's face as he gazed at Linggu, for some reason, he felt little happiness.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zuo Mo said expressionlessly: "Alright, I'm exhausted."

Having the opportunity to learn new techniques, Zuo Mo felt quite excited and could not help but take a deep breath

After three weeks of continuous operation, the mind emerged from the void

When Zuo Mo first sat on the mat, he was stunned

An hour passed with no progress. No matter how hard he tried, he could not condense the "Geng Jin Jue" as described in hetushu.com, the Geng Jin Qi Mang.

The outer disciples have it particularly difficult, and Zuo Mo is more aware of this than anyone else

It can be anticipated that for a considerable period of time from now on, he will need to focus his primary efforts on the remaining four techniques.

The application of rain on the fifty acres of spiritual fields is no small task for Zuo Mo, who is at the seventh level of Qi Refinement.

Others have no interest in such a courtyard that lacks any aesthetic appeal, any charm, and has an incomplete formation, yet Luo Mo is extremely fond of it

Sitting on the mat, the rich spiritual energy surrounding him made him feel so comfortable that he almost moaned. He controlled his emotions, focused his mind, and gradually circulated his physical and spiritual energy.

What a desirable life it is

This unknown senior quickly became Zuo Mo's idol

He arranged more than thirty cushions on the floor of the quiet room, and in addition, there were another seventy or eighty cushions piled in the corner. These cushions varied in color and shape, all personally woven by him. The peculiar hobby of weaving cushions is widely known among the outer disciples, especially that of the zombie Xiao Mo. As a result, when some people intended to seek his assistance, they would often buy a few exquisitely designed cushions as gifts. This directly led to an increasing number of cushions, filling the quiet room.

Building a house is a matter of great significance; generally speaking, it is best to construct it on a spiritual vein. Long-term residence in areas rich in spiritual energy accelerates the growth of one's cultivation, which is also the reason why those blessed lands are so expensive. However, places with spiritual veins are inherently scarce, so how could these outer disciples have the opportunity?

As spiritual energy was infused into the jade tablet, numerous characters immediately emerged in his mind

The harvest from these fifty acres of fertile land constitutes a significant portion of his annual income

After finishing his tasks, he leisurely returned to his residence

Zuo Mo had no grand ambitions, and he had no clues about his own background or origins. Apart from living a more comfortable life, he had no other thoughts.