Chapter 9
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Chapter 9: Cooperation
Old Sun twisted off the bottle cap and poured out a spirit pill the size of a longan.
He used his magical energy to levitate it and presented it to Wang Chen.
Wang Chen was taken aback: "Old Sun, what is this?"
The spirit pill was as smooth as jade and emitted a potent medicinal aroma.
Just the scent alone accelerated the flow of his mana within his body.
"It’s a Qi Recovery Pill," Old Sun said gruffly. "Hurry up and take it so we can get to work!"
Wang Chen chuckled, "This isn’t part of the payment, is it?"
Old Sun clenched his teeth: "It doesn’t count!"
He felt a sharp pang of regret!
A first-tier low-grade Qi Recovery Pill like this would cost one spirit fragment at the elixir shop in Yunshan City.
The primary function of the Qi Recovery Pill is to hasten mana recovery.
Its true purpose isn’t for cultivation but to swiftly replenish mana during combat.
Old Sun had saved a few for emergencies.
Under normal circumstances, he would never willingly give away a Qi Recovery Pill to Wang Chen.
But now, he had no other choice.
If they didn’t quickly clear the land rhinoceroses from the spirit fields, his losses would far exceed the value of one or two spirit stones.
Having already bent his knee, what was one more bow?
Watching Wang Chen gleefully take the spirit pill and pop it into his mouth, Old Sun felt a wave of sorrow wash over him.
Wang Chen held the Qi Recovery Pill in his mouth, allowing the liquid to dissolve, then swallowed the medicinal essence bit by bit.
The medicinal power rapidly transformed into pure spiritual energy, condensing into mana under the influence of the Five Element Technique.
Wang Chen leaped up from the ground and dove back into the spirit fields to continue his pest control mission!
The speed at which the Qi Recovery Pill replenished energy was a hundred times faster than meditating.
A single Qi Recovery Pill would undoubtedly greatly extend his combat endurance.
Speaking of which, the original owner of this body was quite pitiable.
At seventeen years old, after over a decade of cultivation, he had consumed only a handful of elixirs.
Many "second-generation immortals" in the inner sect of the Yunyang Sect treated elixirs as casual snacks.
Even a pig could be fattened into a high-level Qi Training practitioner!
With the continuous support of the Qi Recovery Pill’s medicinal power, Wang Chen accelerated the clearing of the spirit fields.
He became increasingly adept at the task of pest control.
Though limited by his innate root bone and comprehension, he pressed on relentlessly.
But Wang Chen’s intelligence and emotional awareness far surpassed that of the dull original owner.
After advancing the Metal Finger Technique to the proficient level, his mastery of this spell deepened significantly.
Moreover, Wang Chen was adept at summarizing his experiences.
Relying on his heightened perception and his ability to resonate with plants,
he could effortlessly detect the land rhinoceroses concealed within the spirit rice and approach them stealthily.
With a single finger strike, he could dispatch them.
As the number of land rhinoceroses slain by Wang Chen grew, his proficiency in the Metal Finger Technique continued to improve.
Remarkably, the amount of mana he expended actually decreased.
This was because Wang Chen realized that dealing with ordinary land rhinoceroses required no more than ten percent of his finger strength.
If he got close enough, just one percent of his finger strength was sufficient to eliminate a land rhinoceros.
However, getting too close would alert the land rhinoceroses, causing them to flee.
Wang Chen quickly determined the optimal distance.
Consequently, the accuracy of his Metal Finger Technique improved significantly.
In the end, any land rhinoceros targeted by Wang Chen’s spiritual awareness stood no chance of escape.
The success rate of a one-hit kill approached one hundred percent!
In this manner, Wang Chen cleared all thirty acres of Old Sun’s spirit fields in one relentless effort.
He only paused once, during which he consumed his second Qi Recovery Pill.
Old Sun, too, gave it his all.
On the other hand, he was utterly astounded by Wang Chen’s efficiency in pest control.
As a result, the spirit stones in his storage bag dwindled one by one, and he grew numb to the loss!
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Wang Chen gleefully tallied his day’s harvest.
Old Sun’s thirty acres of spirit fields had astonishingly yielded fifty-seven land rhinoceroses for him.
The "yield per acre" of land rhinoceroses was nearly double that of Wang Chen’s own spirit fields!
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of misdeeds this old man had committed.
At the rate of twenty spirit fragments per land rhinoceros, Wang Chen earned eleven spirit fragments and forty spirit stones from Old Sun.
The payment was made in full, with not a single spirit fragment left unpaid.
Additionally, he acquired spoils worth approximately three spirit fragments.
As for the edible insect meat that could still be dug up, it was hardly worth mentioning!
The spirit stones Wang Chen earned today already amounted to twice the savings of the original owner!
He felt his storage bag bulging as never before.
"Wang Chen…"
Old Sun handed the water gourd to Wang Chen, saying, "Have a drink."
This elder cultivator no longer called Wang Chen by his childhood name, and his gaze towards him was complex.
"Thank you."
Wang Chen took the gourd hanging from his waist, saying, "I have my own water."
He noticed the look in Old Sun’s eyes and smiled, "Old Sun, how do you think my pest-extermination skills are?"
Old Sun paused for a moment, then gave a thumbs up, saying, "Impressive!"
It was truly impressive, and it was also truly costly!
Thinking about the spirit stones that had "disappeared" from his storage bag, Old Sun almost cried out.
He never dreamed that there would be so many land rhinoceroses in his fields!
What a financial blow!
"Old Sun."
Wang Chen put down the gourd and said, "Since you think my pest-extermination skills are so high, other families must have suffered from pests as well. How about you introduce me to some business, and I’ll give you a commission?"
On the path of cultivation, wealth is the priority!
The original owner had been too poor to spend resources to break through his bottleneck, leading to his demise.
It ended up benefiting Wang Chen, who had crossed over.
Wang Chen did not want to follow the original owner’s path.
With both his root bone and comprehension being low, spending money was undoubtedly the way forward!
So, Wang Chen wanted to earn spirit stones, and earn even more spirit stones.
Currently, he was just a lowly spiritual plant farmer in the outer sect of the Yunyang Sect, a beginner in Qi Training.
No matter how loud he spoke, others couldn’t hear him and wouldn’t trust him.
Old Sun was different.
Though he was also a low-level spiritual plant farmer, he had been cultivating spirit fields for decades, and his connections and reputation were far beyond what Wang Chen could compare.
With this old cultivator vouching for him, Wang Chen’s pest-extermination business would surely take off smoothly.
"Ten percent."
Wang Chen raised a finger, saying, "I’ll give you a ten percent commission for every family!"
Commission?
Old Sun suddenly felt invigorated.
He swallowed hard, his blurry old eyes shining with excitement, "I want twenty percent!"
"Deal!"
Wang Chen agreed without haggling.
The sudden outbreak of land rhinoceroses was quite rare.
At least in the original owner’s memories, it had never happened before.
With so many spiritual plant farmers in the outer sect of the Yunyang Sect, there were definitely many who mastered the Metal Finger Technique.
Moreover, if the situation became serious, the Spirit Plant Hall above would not remain indifferent; they would surely send experts down to solve it.
If a Purple Palace master personally stepped in, what were mere land rhinoceroses?
So, Wang Chen’s plan to make money actually had a short window of opportunity.
To ensure Old Sun’s enthusiasm for contacting business, it was only right to give him a little extra incentive.
On the other hand, Wang Chen wanted to dissolve any resentment Old Sun might have towards him.
After all, he was his neighbor.
Better to have a close neighbor than a distant relative!
"I’ll go find someone to ask right now!"
Old Sun took off running, moving faster than a rabbit.
Wang Chen chuckled quietly to himself.
He wondered one thing: with so many land rhinoceroses in Old Sun’s fields, why had he never seen a single mystical creature?
