Chapter 349: Lianqi Great Completion – Harvesting the Ling Gu

Deep within the Ten Million Great Mountain, inside the Jade Transformation Cave Chamber, Lu Qing sat cross-legged, meditating as he had done countless times before.

Qi swirled around him, rapidly drawn into his body. Thanks to the Ancient Great Array embedded in this chamber, the flow of Qi was abundant—something that would have been impossible in Jiu Li Village, where even his simple array could barely sustain his current cultivation pace.

He inhaled vast quantities of Qi, transforming it into Five Elements Spiritual Power. Then, within his Dantian, the Wuxing Huo refined and purified it, layer by layer.

Time passed—how long, he did not know.

Suddenly, the suction in his Dantian surged. The entire chamber trembled as all the surrounding Qi was sucked in, overwhelming the array. For a moment, the Great Array faltered, struggling to replenish.

Then, Lu Qing’s body shuddered.

A radiant, white light burst from his frame, glowing like a celestial aura.

A phantom figure suddenly emerged from the small tripod hanging around his neck, hovering in midair.

“Yan,” it murmured, its gaze fixed on the luminous aura enveloping Lu Qing. Its voice held a mix of awe and wonder.

“Another breakthrough… Just months ago, you were at the initial stage of Qi Condensation. Now, you’ve reached Lianqi Great Completion. Such cultivation talent… it’s terrifying.”

Inside its mind, Yan felt both stunned and amazed.

It had watched Lu Qing’s cultivation firsthand over the past few months.

To be honest, Lu Qing’s efforts weren’t exactly diligent. Each day was filled with distractions—tending to the Spirit Field, supervising Xiao Yan and Xiao Li’s studies, cooking meals for everyone, or even helping Old Doctor treat villagers who came seeking medical aid.

He’d even go fishing outside the village with Xiao Li, sometimes staying out for half a day.

The time he spent on actual cultivation was minimal—so little, in fact, that one could easily call it lazy.

Back in the old days, at the Lihuo Sect, a disciple like Lu Qing would have been severely punished, or worse—expelled outright.

Yet, despite this carefree attitude, Yan had watched in disbelief as Lu Qing advanced from Qi Condensation Initial Stage to Middle Stage in just over a month.

Now, after nearly two months, he had broken through to Lianqi Great Completion.

Even more astonishing was that he was cultivating the ancient, notoriously slow-paced Five Elements Body Cultivation Scripture—a technique from the Ancient Cultivation Era.

For most, even a month wouldn’t be enough to master the basics of such a technique.

And yet, during these past few months, Yan had never once seen Lu Qing struggle or hesitate. His cultivation never stagnated. Even with so little time dedicated to training, Yan could feel clearly that Lu Qing was growing stronger—every single moment.

The more time he spent with Lu Qing, the more he realized: the potential buried deep within this young man was as vast as the sea, bottomless and unfathomable.

Slowly, Yan began to believe… that perhaps, one day, it might truly break free from its prison.

After a while, the white radiance faded, and Lu Qing’s aura gently receded. His eyes opened—soft and clear like jade, deep and calm as the ocean.

“Congratulations, Young Master. You’ve successfully broken through to the peak of Qi Condensation.”

Yan bowed respectfully.

“Just a minor breakthrough. Nothing to boast about,” Lu Qing said calmly.

He had the Wuxing Huo as his true essence, constantly refining his Spiritual Force. Though he appeared to do little in terms of cultivation, his progress was relentless—uninterrupted, day and night.

Add to that the Heavenly Tribulation’s baptism, and the profound foundation laid by the Nine Benyuan Qi, and breaking through two small realms in just a few months was, in his eyes, entirely natural.

Yan nodded. “Though it’s only a minor breakthrough, your Body Talent is extraordinary. With such a solid foundation, reaching Lianqi Great Completion and already emitting a radiant aura—most Zhu Ji Qi experts of the same realm would be no match for you.”

It wasn’t flattery.

Lu Qing was still in the Qi Condensation stage, yet his body radiated a thick, luminous white light—so powerful that it rivaled even those of full Zhu Ji Qi cultivators.

In a pure physical battle, even without using any Treasures or techniques, he could likely defeat most Zhu Ji Qi practitioners just with raw strength.

Lu Qing shook his head, silent.

Zhu Ji Qi cultivators had begun to grasp the rules of Heaven and Earth. They wielded far more varied and powerful abilities than Qi Condensation cultivators.

While Lu Qing’s strength was great, his realm was still too low.

If he faced a true expert of that stage, his body alone wouldn’t guarantee victory.

“Master,” Lu Qing asked, “how long was I in seclusion?”

“Not long—only three days.”

“Three days?” Lu Qing nodded. “Before I came in, the Ling Gu in the Spirit Field was almost fully mature. Now that I’m back, I can harvest it.”

Indeed, the batch of Ling Gu he had planted months ago—nurtured with care—had finally reached peak ripeness.

He had intended to harvest it three days ago, but suddenly sensed a breakthrough opportunity. So he’d decided to delay it, retreating into the mountain for a brief cultivation retreat.

Now, as he thought of it, his heart stirred with anticipation.

He left the Jade Transformation Cave Chamber, exited the valley, and began sprinting toward the village.

Along the way, he sensed the changes in the mountain’s Qi.

Over the months, the Qi had grown denser. The vegetation flourished—trees that had once been tall now stood even taller, their trunks thickened, their leaves shimmering with vitality.

Even the Poisonous Insects and Snakes had evolved. Their venom grew stronger, their bodies larger—some even grotesquely mutated.

As he walked, he spotted colorful, face-sized venomous spiders clinging to tree trunks. Only Lu Qing’s high cultivation and aura kept them at bay. A weaker martial artist would have been overwhelmed, swarmed by a dozen deadly creatures.

"This Ten Million Great Mountain... it's becoming a true human forbidden zone. Unless you're a powerful cultivator, entering here is certain death."

Lu Qing felt a chill. He resolved to warn the villagers again once he returned—no one should enter the mountain lightly.

With his current speed, it didn’t take long to reach Jiu Li Village.

He first checked the array—nothing seemed amiss—then made his way directly to the Half Mountain Small Courtyard.

There, he found Master, Zhang Da Ye, and several other elders standing by the Spirit Field, frowning as they stared at the Ling Gu.

“Master, Zhang Ye Ye, Chen Ye Ye…” Lu Qing greeted them with a bow.

“A Qing! You’ve emerged from seclusion?” Old Doctor turned, his face lighting up in surprise. “I was just worried—should I harvest the Ling Gu now? You’re back at the perfect time!”

“Is the Ling Gu fully ripe?” Lu Qing asked.

“Absolutely ripe. I just asked Zhang Lao Zhang and the others—they confirmed it’s still at peak maturity. If we wait much longer, the grains will fall to the soil and be lost.”

That was exactly why Old Doctor had been so troubled. The Ling Gu was Lu Qing’s, and now that the time had come, he had vanished into seclusion.

If not harvested in time, it would be a terrible waste—especially since each grain was a precious spirit material.

But now, Lu Qing had returned just in time.

“Yes, A Qing,” Zhang Da Ye said. “If you don’t harvest it, we’ll lose a lot.”

Lu Qing stepped forward and looked at the field.

Each stalk stood heavy with golden, lustrous grain—plump, radiant, and perfectly mature.

“Zhang Ye Ye is right,” Lu Qing said. “It’s time to harvest.”

“Then let’s not wait. I’ll go get the sickle!” Old Doctor said, already turning.

“We’ll help too!” Zhang Da Ye and the others began rolling up their sleeves.

But Lu Qing quickly stopped them.

“Master, Zhang Ye Ye, no need for all this trouble. I have a better way—no sickle needed.”

“A better way?” Old Doctor blinked.

“How can you harvest rice without a sickle?” Zhang Da Ye and the others looked utterly confused.

“Watch,” Lu Qing said with a smile. He unslung the Qiankun Yiqi Dai from his waist and tossed it into the air.

With a thought, the bag expanded—growing rapidly until it was nearly half the size of a room.

Then, the mouth faced downward. A stream of emerald light burst from the opening, sweeping across the Spirit Field.

Wherever it touched, the Ling Gu detached from the stalks and floated upward, sucked into the bag.

The light moved like a wave, harvesting grain after grain.

In mere moments, the entire two-mu field had been swept clean—every grain collected inside the Qiankun Yiqi Dai.

Then, Lu Qing flicked his fingers. A flurry of green wind blades shot out from the bag, slicing through the remaining stalks.

Swish, swish, swish—

In an instant, the rice stalks fell cleanly, neatly stacked in the field.

Finally, Lu Qing snapped his fingers. The bag shrank back to its original size and floated into his hand.

The entire process took less than a minute.

The elders stood frozen in shock.

They had never imagined that harvesting rice could be done so effortlessly—so magically.

In normal times, it took their entire family days to harvest two mu of rice. And that was just the first step—then came threshing, transport, drying, and storage. Each task was backbreaking.

And now, here was Lu Qing, doing it all in seconds.

Their eyes burned with admiration as they stared at the Qiankun Yiqi Dai.

“A Qing… what kind of Treasure Artifact is that? It’s incredible—how does it harvest rice like that?”

Lu Qing smiled. “Zhang Ye Ye, this is the Qiankun Yiqi Dai. I found it by chance. It’s a space-containing treasure, capable of storing anything.”

“Amazing! Truly amazing!” The elders gasped.

“By the way, Zhang Ye Ye,” Lu Qing added, “when I returned from my travels, I mentioned I’d treat the villagers to a meal. But I never found the right moment. Now that the Ling Gu is ripe, how about tomorrow—let me cook everyone a bowl of Ling Mi rice?”

“Wait—” Zhang Da Ye nearly jumped. “You’re going to use Ling Mi to feed the whole village?”

He didn’t know what the Ling Mi could do, but he’d seen Lu Qing use magic every morning to tend the field.

Rice grown with divine techniques—how could it not be priceless?

“Yes,” Lu Qing said. “These seeds came from the villagers themselves. Now that the harvest is ready, it’s only fair we share it with everyone.”

“True enough,” Zhang Da Ye mused. “Then I’ll tell the others after this.”

Seeing Zhang Da Ye agree, the others had no objections. And besides, they were all curious—after seeing the golden, flawless grains, they couldn’t help but wonder what the rice would taste like.

“By the way, A Qing,” one elder asked suddenly, “what will you do with the rice stalks after harvesting?”

“Burn them?” he added.

“No,” Lu Qing smiled. “These stalks have great use. Burning them would be a waste. Mu Ye Ye… you’ve been eyeing them, haven’t you?”

The elder hesitated. “Well… I just thought it’d be a shame to burn such fine stalks.”

“I know you’re good at weaving,” Lu Qing said. “I’d like to ask you to turn these stalks into mats or pillows.”

“Easy!” Mu Ye Ye said, slapping his chest. “Leave it to me. No one in ten miles has better weaving skills than me!”

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands,” Lu Qing said with a smile.

These rice stalks had absorbed celestial Qi during growth—they carried a subtle spiritual essence. If woven into mats or cushions, sleeping on them long-term could nourish the body and calm the spirit.

A true treasure, not to be wasted.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end