Chapter 12: Qi Refining Third Layer
Chapter 12: Qi Refining Third Layer
Just like when he cultivated other spells in the past, Chu Ning first rehearsed the incantation in his mind, channeled his qi, and performed the hand seals. Then, he pointed towards the sky.
There was no sound nor movement in the air. Chu Ning was stunned. If he hadn't clearly felt the depletion of his qi, he would have thought that he hadn't cast the spell at all.
"This spell consumes significantly more qi than the Cleansing Art, yet I still failed to cast it successfully?"
Chu Ning, undeterred, tried again, but still to no avail. After several attempts, he finally accepted a fact—without the enhancement of the Yin Wood Spirit Body, his talent was indeed very mediocre.
A Water-type spell, Sweet Rain Art, had easily stumped him.
"It seems that, for now, my best bet is to cultivate Wood-type spells. Cultivating spells of other attributes is too exhausting and progresses too slowly. I wonder if I'll unlock more talent rewards as I continue to break through."
Once again, Chu Ning immersed his mind into the system.
[Greenwood Eternal Spring Art (Low-grade Yellow Tier), First Layer (62/300)]
The Greenwood Eternal Spring Art had increased by 1 point of proficiency due to last night's cultivation, but the Cleansing Art, Incitation Art, and Sweet Rain Art that he had practiced earlier still did not appear.
By now, Chu Ning had a vague idea about something.
His proficiency only seemed to affect the cultivation of martial arts, not spells.
Additionally, Chu Ning vaguely felt that even for martial arts cultivation, there were probably certain restrictions.
Otherwise, if he could practice other random martial arts and get rewards, this cheat-like ability wouldn't have such loopholes.
"If the Nine Yin Body Tempering Art can be rewarded, does that mean that body tempering martial arts are also useful?"
Chu Ning made a mental note of this and planned to test it out later when he found a suitable body tempering art.
For now, his top priority was to continue cultivating the Greenwood Eternal Spring Art, improving his proficiency while also advancing his cultivation base.
Thus, in the following days, Chu Ning returned to his previous routine.
He cultivated the martial art in his residence during the mornings and evenings, and during the day, he went to the fields as instructed by Cao Dongxin to chase away insects and birds, and remove weeds.
Because he used it frequently, his proficiency in the Cleansing Art also improved rapidly.
Of course, he also became more adept at the Greenwood Spring Art, as he used this spell daily, and with its help, he swiftly enhanced his Greenwood Eternal Spring Art.
Chu Ning also cultivated the Incitation Art and Sweet Rain Art. The Incitation Art was progressing well, but the Sweet Rain Art was indeed a bit slow. Chu Ning could cast it, but neither the amount of rainfall nor the qi consumption met his expectations.
This made Chu Ning reluctantly accept the fact that aside from Wood-type martial arts and spells, he was mediocre in everything else.
In the blink of an eye, three months had almost passed since Chu Ning arrived at Qingxi Sect.
These past months had been extremely regimented for him.
He rose with the sun and rested when it set.
During the day, he worked in the fields while also cultivating, and in the evenings, he cultivated and rested.
Then, every half month, he went to the Transmission Hall to learn spells and some basic knowledge about spirit plants.
After several visits, Chu Ning learned the incantations for Blade Art, Repulsion Art, and Wind Riding Art from Shi Yao.
Blade Art had a certain degree of offensive capability, but it was mainly used for harvesting spirit plants.
Repulsion Art was a fairly common spell in the cultivation world and had some utility in the daily process of planting spirit plants, such as sowing and harvesting, so it was considered a basic spell.
However, when Chu Ning asked Shi Yao to teach him more spell incantations, Shi Yao refused, saying that greed would lead to indigestion, and that Chu Ning should focus on cultivating his martial arts.
Chu Ning was no longer a novice when it came to farming. He knew that while Cao Dongxin treasured these grains, they were actually of low grade among spirit plants.
Rarely would cultivators of the Qingxi Sect, aside from the lowly chore disciples, consume this type of red spirit rice.
It was primarily used as a coarse grain, with a significant portion being made into food for spirit beasts.
While ordinary blades could be used to harvest this rice, it was a slow process. Thus, the two of them employed the Blade Art.
The Sweet Rain Art was one of the spells Chu Ning had previously demonstrated before Cao Dongxin, and he chose to showcase it again now as it was the spell he was least proficient in.
Now, Chu Ning performed the Blade Art in front of Cao Dongxin.
Cao Dongxin cast the Blade Art towards a row of rice stalks, and they fell neatly in response to his spell. With a swift use of the Cleansing Art and Repulsion Art, he separated the grains from the stalks, letting them fall into a basket.
Then, he turned to look at Chu Ning. Seeing that Chu Ning's Blade Art had only cut down a few stalks, a slight smile appeared on his face.
Previously, Chu Ning had completed the Qi Infusion in a short amount of time, which had left Cao Dongxin feeling rather disgruntled.
But now, witnessing Chu Ning's attempt at the Blade Art and realizing that he wasn't much better than himself, Cao Dongxin felt a sense of balance restored.
After Cao Dongxin finished harvesting his portion for the day, he said to Chu Ning, "Make sure to finish harvesting this entire patch today. Remember, it must be done by the end of the day."
With that, Cao Dongxin strolled away, his hands clasped behind his back.
Although Chu Ning had achieved Qi Infusion quickly, his cultivation level hadn't progressed much in the three months since then.
Seeing that Chu Ning's Sweet Rain Art and Blade Art were not very proficient, it was unlikely that his Incitation Art and Cleansing Art would be any better.
With only the first layer of Qi Refining cultivation and inadequate spell training, the sect wouldn't assign Chu Ning any significant or extensive fields to tend to, and the quality of the land wouldn't be superior either.
The thought of Chu Ning struggling in the coming days, perhaps even more so than himself, brought a mysterious sense of satisfaction to Cao Dongxin.
After Cao Dongxin left, Chu Ning continued to practice the Blade Art, not just to fulfill Cao Dongxin's request but also because he genuinely wanted to improve this spell for his future farming endeavors.
After all, it was a Metal-type spell, and for Chu Ning, there were no shortcuts when it came to mastering it.
However, Chu Ning's current proficiency with the Blade Art was noticeably better than what Cao Dongxin had witnessed earlier.
With the support of his Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation, even though his skill in the Blade Art wasn't exceptional, it was more than sufficient for harvesting the Chilingmi rice.
Yes, after two months of diligent cultivation, Chu Ning had indeed reached the Qi Refining Third Layer.
Once his proficiency in the Greenwood Eternal Spring Art First Layer surpassed 100, he entered the second layer, and upon breaking through 200, he advanced to the third layer.
At this moment, with a slight concentration of his mind, Chu Ning could visualize his cultivation progress.
[Greenwood Eternal Spring Art (Low-grade Yellow Tier), First Layer (299/300)]
After two months of cultivation, with only ten days left until the three-month assessment, Chu Ning's proficiency in the Greenwood Eternal Spring Art First Layer was nearing perfection.
Chu Ning intended to push through and complete that final point of proficiency tonight.
Previously, when he had perfected the Nine Yin Body Tempering Art, his talent was refreshed, and he obtained the Yin Wood Spirit Body.
He wondered what new changes would come about once he perfected the first layer of the Greenwood Eternal Spring Art.
(End of Chapter)
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