Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: Basic Level
“Creak! Creak~”
On the willow tree by the small road, the summer cicadas chirped hoarsely, their calls rising and falling repeatedly.
It was quite irritating.
Under the blazing sun, Wang Chen searched in the spirit fields, yet his mood remained excellent.
Clearing out land rhinoceroses was truly arduous and monotonous work.
This task required complete focus, extreme caution, rich experience, and exceptional skills.
Search, lock on, and kill…
The process repeated time and again, posing a significant challenge to his spirit, mana, and willpower.
What supported Wang Chen in maintaining a positive work mindset, aside from the benefits of defeating the land rhinoceroses, was undoubtedly the increase in his skill and Virtue points!
[Metal Finger Technique: Experience +1]
[Metal Finger Technique (Proficient): 198/200]
198 points!
Wang Chen clenched his fist tightly, trying to contain his excitement.
At the same time, he firmly resisted the impulse to waste a point of mana on using the Metal Finger Technique just to reach the final upgrade specific number.
Mana was precious and should not be wasted.
He took a deep breath, maintaining his focus, and continued searching for the hidden land rhinoceroses in the spirit fields.
Now, Wang Chen was able to resonate more deeply and intricately with the spirit rice in the fields.
This resonance, not belonging to the skill category, allowed him to quickly lock onto his targets.
He could efficiently complete his work.
Moreover, Wang Chen noticed that the longer he resonated with the spirit rice, the sharper and clearer his senses became.
In this wonderfully mysterious state, he discovered another land rhinoceros.
This one was special.
It was not lying on the rice stalks; instead, it was lurking beneath a layer of mud under a spirit rice plant.
Quietly waiting.
This was Wang Chen’s first time discovering a land rhinoceros hidden in the soil.
And this land rhinoceros gave him a sense of threat.
A monsterized land rhinoceros!
Wang Chen’s eyes lit up instantly.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he lifted his right hand and gathered ninety percent of his mana into his sword finger.
He suddenly thrust down towards the ground five steps away!
The sharp energy of the Metal Finger Technique pierced through the soil in an instant, striking the lurking monsterized land rhinoceros.
[Metal Finger Technique: Experience +1]
[Virtue +1]
[Spiritual Awareness +1]
Hmm?
A series of notifications caught Wang Chen off guard.
The increase in the specific number for the Metal Finger Technique and Virtue points was expected.
However, the unexpected addition of 1 point to his Spiritual Awareness was a pleasant surprise.
This unexpected boost filled him with delight!
As he reveled in the surprise, Wang Chen theorized that this increase was likely the result of his continuous stimulation of spiritual awareness and frequent interactions with spirit rice, which had refined his Spiritual Awareness.
It seemed that Spiritual Awareness, much like physical strength, could be enhanced through rigorous training!
His current soul attributes had now reached 3+7 points.
Wang Chen had always been puzzled.
Why was his Spiritual Awareness attribute displayed so distinctively among his four fundamental attributes?
Was it due to his soul transmigration?
He shook his head, deciding not to ponder over it further.
There were more pressing matters at hand.
Time to allocate points!
Licking his dry lips, Wang Chen summoned the Cultivation Panel.
His attention was drawn to the skill bar, where he clicked the plus sign next to [Metal Finger Technique (Proficient): 199/200]!
Instantly, his Virtue points decreased by 1.
[Metal Finger Technique (Basic Level): 0/300]
Hahaha!
Wang Chen felt an urge to burst into laughter.
Such rapid advancement was exhilarating!
As with any spell, the higher the level, the more challenging it becomes to overcome the bottleneck.
Although the Metal Finger Technique is a basic spell, mastered by at least nine out of ten spiritual plant farmers,
only two or three can elevate it to the proficient level—due to constraints in root bone and comprehension!
Wang Chen, with his inferior root bone and low comprehension,
was branded as a "mediocre talent."
In reality, it was talents like him who made up the bulk of the Outer Sect Disciples in the Yunyang Sect.
A few aspiring cultivators, blessed with excellent root bones and outstanding comprehension, either met untimely deaths or were recruited into the inner sect and families.
Who would toil in the fields as spiritual plant farmers?
Moreover, seasoned spiritual plant farmers like Old Sun, to avoid damaging their meridians, dare not easily display their perfected Metal Finger Technique.
If they use it sparingly, how can they improve further?
Without the Cultivation Panel, with Wang Chen’s original talent, the proficient Metal Finger Technique would have been his limit.
Now, effortlessly breaking through to the basic level realm felt like altering fate against all odds!
“Wang Chen? Brother Wang Chen!”
A call from behind brought Wang Chen back to reality.
He turned to wave at a muscular man standing on the field ridge, “Brother Tie Niu, I’m fine.”
This man, named Wang Tie Niu, was a neighbor of the Old Lu family, farming twenty-seven acres of spirit fields.
He was also the second client that Old Sun had brought to Wang Chen.
Wang Tie Niu looked up at the blazing sun and called out, “It’s too hot; let’s take a break and drink some water.”
Wang Tie Niu had a very honest personality.
Although he worried about the pest problem in his fields, he felt too shy to treat Wang Chen like a servant.
He greatly admired Wang Chen’s pest control methods.
Wang Chen thought for a moment and agreed.
He indeed needed to restore some energy and magic power.
After digging out the monsterized land rhinoceros from the soil, Wang Chen found a shady spot by the roadside to rest.
He took out the spiritual rice balls he made last night from his storage bag.
Accompanied by the spring water from his gourd, he wolfed them down.
The homemade rice balls were generously filled with fragrant pan-fried worm meat and chopped pickles.
One bite filled his mouth with oil, the savory and sweet flavors endless.
Since Wang Chen wrapped the rice balls with broad thorny leaves, they also carried a hint of herbal fragrance.
It was ten times better than the free goods Old Sun provided!
Wang Tie Niu watched nearby, unable to resist swallowing hard.
“Brother Tie Niu, you should try one too.”
Wang Chen generously offered him a rice ball.
“Thank you.”
Wang Tie Niu smiled broadly, feeling a great fondness for Wang Chen.
He already knew Wang Chen but had little interaction before.
In Wang Tie Niu’s impression, Wang Chen was just a pitiful, honest, and introverted ordinary boy.
Now, Wang Chen truly impressed him!
A spiritual rice ball quickly shortened the distance between them, and they soon became friendly.
“Brother Wang…”
Wang Tie Niu extended his tongue to roll the rice grains stuck to his lips into his mouth and said, “If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just say my name!”
Wang Chen chuckled, passing him another rice ball, “Sure.”
Friends should share generously.
Wang Tie Niu was tall and strong, having reached the sixth level of Qi Training.
Given his age, he had a good chance of breaking through to a high-level Qi Training.
In the surrounding ten miles, Wang Tie Niu was quite a notable figure.
Wang Chen knew he had a hearty character and was very filial to his mother.
He was a true man worth befriending!
Facing Wang Chen’s offering of another rice ball, Wang Tie Niu, still not full, scratched his head shyly.
However, his right hand reached out unconsciously to take it.
Dingling~
At that moment, a clear sound of a copper bell reached Wang Chen’s ears.
He instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.
There, at the fork in the small path ahead, appeared a traveling merchant carrying a box.
