Chapter 134
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Chapter 134: Decay and Flourish Technique
Under the midday sun, as Wang Chen hoed the rice, his sweat dripped onto the soil beneath the crops. Who could understand that each grain of rice in the bowl is the fruit of toil and hardship?
Wang Chen rolled up his sleeves, his gaze fixed on the wild weeds that flourished unchecked in the spirit fields, his eyes ablaze with killing intent.
You weeds, you are my sworn enemies!
Within his newly acquired estate, Wang Chen had cultivated a total of fifty acres of mid-tier spirit fields.
As per the directives of the Administrative Hall, Wang Chen was currently restricted to planting only spiritual rice and black sesame in these fields.
Both spiritual rice and black sesame are classified as mid-tier grains. The former is rich in spiritual energy, known for its calming effects on the mind and spirit.
Black sesame, on the other hand, fortifies the body and enhances Qi and blood, though it contains slightly less spiritual energy than spiritual rice.
The prices for both types of spiritual rice are nearly identical.
Since this was Wang Chen’s first venture into cultivating mid-tier spirit fields, he purchased seeds for both varieties, intending to plant twenty-five acres of each and adjust his strategy based on the yield.
With the rice seeds and Spirit Fertilizer at hand, and having mastered the basics of the fertilization technique and growth technique, everything was in place.
All that remained was to clear the weeds before sowing the seeds.
He was determined to catch the tail end of the autumn planting season!
However, this was no simple task.
Fifty acres of spirit fields represented five times the area Wang Chen had previously cultivated in the outer sect.
Moreover, these mid-tier spirit fields had lain fallow for some time, allowing a variety of weeds to grow taller than a man.
Their roots were deeply embedded in the soil, densely intertwined and tangled.
Plowing and weeding would require immense effort!
And it would be time-consuming.
As a distinguished practitioner at the Qi Training seventh level, Wang Chen could not merely toil like a common farmer.
He intended to make these weeds understand that he was not to be underestimated!
The mountain breeze swept through, rustling the thick clusters of wild grass.
Trembling under Wang Chen’s killing intent, some weeds shivered in fear, while others whimpered for mercy.
They clearly sensed their impending doom.
Yet, some remained defiant, showing no fear and even taunting Wang Chen with their insolence.
Bring it on, who’s afraid of whom!
Weeds!
Instantly enraged, flames of fury ignited in Wang Chen’s eyes.
In the next moment, he formed a spell with his hands, arms outstretched, as dantian’s power surged and gathered in his palms.
With the rising flames, vividly lifelike Fire Crows spread their wings and swiftly soared from Wang Chen’s palms, darting toward the spirit fields ahead.
In one breath, Wang Chen conjured six Fire Crows!
The manifested Fire Crows grew rapidly in the wind, swiftly reaching the size of falcons, their blazing wings spanning over seven feet, as they surged forward with scorching flames toward the weeds.
Though the weeds invading the spirit fields were tougher and more resilient than ordinary ones, they turned to ash the Instant they touched the flames, utterly defenseless.
More weeds were ignited by the intense heat that swept through with the mountain breeze.
The fire spread in all directions, driven by the wind!
Wang Chen sneered viciously, advancing step by step.
Six Fire Crows circled and dove around him, obliterating more of the wild grass.
The flames had already formed a sweeping, unstoppable force!
With the formidable control granted by the master-level Fire Crow Technique, Wang Chen resembled a terrifying overlord descending upon a novice village, wielding his fiery scythe of death to mercilessly harvest the lowly flowers and grasses.
The surviving weeds and flowers wept helplessly, clinging to one another, their frail forms attempting to resist the raging flames.
But it was futile; unable to flee, they were doomed to become ash, destined to nourish the fertile fields!
In truth, countless insects hiding within the grass and soil were equally unfortunate. When the inferno swept through, they had no chance to escape, perishing alongside the weeds, reduced to ash.
A light drizzle began to fall.
The raindrops extinguished the lingering embers in the spirit fields and cooled the scorching heat left by the fire.
The rain mixed the thick layers of ash into a black slurry, creating an excellent Spirit Fertilizer.
Serves you right!
Having just employed the Rain Summoning Technique to quell the flames, Wang Chen gazed with satisfaction at the vast expanse of charred spirit fields before him.
Every last weed had been eradicated.
The entire operation had taken only a moment!
Wang Chen felt he had earned the honorary title of "Weed Destroyer."
Yet he knew well that, as a spiritual plant farmer, his battle against the weeds was far from over.
Though the surface weeds had been reduced to ash, their roots remained buried deep within the soil. With the nourishment of rain, new shoots would inevitably sprout.
Fierce flames may not burn everything away; rain and clouds can bring new life!
The weeds that dared to defy him relied on this very resilience.
As long as a single root survived, they could rise again!
Was there truly no way to eradicate them completely?
Wang Chen believed there was, but the cost would undoubtedly be exorbitant, making it hardly worthwhile.
If only he could concoct a celestial realm version of herbicide!
After a moment of contemplation, Wang Chen reached down and plucked a blade of grass growing by the field’s edge.
This little plant had narrowly escaped the fiery devastation, only to find itself in the clutches of the overlord.
It trembled and bent low, exuding an air of desperate flattery toward Wang Chen.
What an intriguing little thing.
When Wang Chen first crossed into this world and assumed the role of a spiritual plant farmer, he discovered that he could keenly sense the emotions of plants, especially spirit rice.
The saying "plants have no feelings" clearly didn’t hold true in this world.
But Wang Chen felt that this ability was likely a hidden talent of his own!
In his next life, he would choose to be a person.
With a focused mindset, Wang Chen gently pinched his fingers, activating the Decay and Flourish Technique.
The little grass stuck in the mud grew at an astonishing speed in an instant.
Its stem climbed upward steadily, and its leaves spread wide.
The fine roots that continuously sprouted from its base wrapped tightly around Wang Chen’s fingers, even attempting to burrow into his skin!
However, in a heartbeat, this wild grass lost all its vitality.
It withered and turned to ash, falling away in flakes.
[Decay and Flourish Technique · Experience +1]
Wang Chen always thought that the Decay and Flourish Technique was a marvelous spell.
Although its rank was low and could be mastered by any ordinary spiritual plant farmer or cultivator, Wang Chen had only spent five spirit stones to learn it.
Yet the Decay and Flourish Technique was very special.
It could greatly accelerate the growth speed of plants and could condense a plant’s entire life into just a few breaths.
Life and death, decay and flourish, all in a thought!
Although this spell could not be used to grow spirit rice, spiritual herbs, or spiritual materials, the Dao rhythm it contained surpassed the spell’s own level.
Wang Chen called up the Cultivation Panel to check his skill bar.
[Decay and Flourish Technique (Proficient): 25/200]
He had casually increased the proficiency of this skill before.
For instance, when plowing the fields, if he saw a particularly annoying weed, he would simply cast the Decay and Flourish Technique to turn it to ash.
The effect of weeding was quite good.
But it held no real significance.
Using the Decay and Flourish Technique not only affected his daily cultivation but also consumed a fair amount of magical energy.
There were so many weeds in the spirit fields.
Moreover, the mountain winds and birds and beasts would bring in new seeds.
So no spiritual plant farmer would use the Decay and Flourish Technique to solve the problem of weeds.
That was akin to using a cannon to shoot a mosquito!
But Wang Chen was determined to give it a try.
With the spirit fields yet to be plowed and the rice seeds still unsown, it was undoubtedly the perfect opportunity.
The key was to elevate the Decay and Flourish Technique to a level capable of addressing the issue.
Advanced level? Mastery? Perfect mastery?
At present, Wang Chen’s Virtue points were just sufficient for three upgrades!
He settled down by the field’s edge, drawing in one weed after another.
[Decay and Flourish Technique · Experience +1]
[Decay and Flourish Technique · Experience +1]
…
Once he immersed himself fully, his skill proficiency soared!
As the magical energy in Wang Chen’s dantian neared depletion, he swiftly extracted spiritual energy from the Exorcising Net wrapped around his arm.
He converted it into pure magical energy.
“Ying ying!”
Just as Wang Chen was hitting his stride, Little Yuan Yuan darted along the field and leaped onto him.
Since settling into their new home, Wang Chen had allowed the little guy to roam freely.
He let it frolic at will within the estate.
The inner mountain gate was significantly safer than the outer mountain gate.
Here, there were neither wild monsters nor Evil Spirits, and the threat of bandit invasion was nonexistent.
Wang Chen gently stroked the little guy and said, “Go play by yourself; Daddy is quite busy at the moment.”
Yuan Yuan nodded obediently before hopping down to the ground.
In an instant, it vanished into the soil.
Wang Chen harbored no concern.
He shared a spiritual bond with Yuan Yuan; as long as the little guy didn’t stray too far, he could always sense its condition and summon it back.
He drew in another blade of grass and resumed honing the Decay and Flourish Technique.
