Chapter 131: Farmer: 9th Grade
Inside his spiritual sea, Xiang Yu immediately noticed the continued expansion of the sea. Without hesitation, he jumped in, allowing the rejuvenating energies to wash away his mental fatigue. As the tension melted from his consciousness, he experienced that rare moment of complete relaxation that had become increasingly precious during his intense cultivation regimen.
His peaceful interlude was interrupted by an unexpected presence. The soul infant, usually dormant and unresponsive, had awakened and was now circling him with surprising vigor. Its tiny form bobbed through the spiritual currents, orbiting him.
"It seems this little guy has matured a bit," Xiang Yu thought with mild amusement.
Before he could contemplate further, the infant abruptly collided with him, the impact sending a sharp "Ouch!" through his awareness. The miniature being began jumping energetically, its small mouth working as it struggled to produce sounds, its frustration evident in its exaggerated movements.
"Are you trying to speak?" Xiang Yu asked, genuinely curious about this development.
The infant continued its frantic gesticulation. Though it couldn’t form words, Xiang Yu felt a peculiar resonance through their connection. Concentrating on this subtle link, he finally understood what the infant was trying to say.
"You’re telling me not to be lazy?" he asked incredulously.
The infant nodded vigorously, its tiny features taking on a serious expression.
Xiang Yu couldn’t help but laugh. He’d only wanted to relax a bit, but it seemed he couldn’t do that.
"Thanks for reminding me," he conceded, patting the infant’s head with gentle affection.
Surrendering to the infant’s persistence, Xiang Yu assumed his meditation posture. To his surprise, the soul infant immediately mimicked him, its diminutive form settling into a perfect replica of his lotus position.
Together, they began circulating energy through harmonized patterns, their synchronized cultivation continuing uninterrupted until Xiang Yu finally opened his eyes when dawn arrived.
"Alright, it’s time for me to leave," he announced, preparing to withdraw from his spiritual sea.
Unlike previous sessions where the infant would collapse from exhaustion, it remained alert despite visible fatigue. It floated upward, tiny hands grasping Xiang Yu’s fingers.
"You don’t want me to go?" he asked.
The infant nodded, its expression plaintive.
"Weren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t be lazy?" Xiang Yu reminded it with a bemused smile. "Just be good. I’ll come back later."
Gently, he placed the infant in its usual resting spot within the spiritual sea. The moment he set it down, the small being instantly fell asleep, its energy finally depleted from their prolonged cultivation.
Watching its peaceful slumber, a strange sentiment washed over Xiang Yu. "Why do I feel like I’ve become a father?" he wondered, shaking his head as he retreated back to his physical form.
Xiang Yu’s eyes snapped open as consciousness returned to his body. Reflecting on the soul infant’s rapid development, he realized he might have underestimated its potential. At this pace, employing it for soul attacks might become viable sooner than anticipated—though using what was essentially a child for combat struck him as somewhat disturbing. But that could wait—he’d cross that bridge when he got there.
With a single fluid movement, he leaped from the spirit spring, and donned fresh robes. His attention turned to the small garden he had nurtured so diligently. After days of careful tending, it was finally time to see if his efforts would bear fruit.
Retrieving a knife from his spatial ring, Xiang Yu approached the herbs, ready to harvest. Each plant required specific harvesting techniques to preserve their medicinal properties—some valued for their leaves, others for flowers, buds, or fruits. The specimens before him needed their buds collected at precisely this stage of growth.
Working with meticulous care, he harvested each bud without damaging the vital parts of the plants as they could grow other buds if the ’root’ is not damaged. This precision wasn’t merely out of concern for these relatively common herbs; he just believed that adhering to textbook protocols would increase his chances of officially gaining the Farmer profession.
After completing the harvest, Xiang Yu settled down and accessed his system interface. Bracing himself for disappointment, he closed one eye, though it was pointless since the system displayed directly in his mind. To his satisfaction, the results weren’t disappointing at all:
[Farmer: 9th Grade (10/100)]
...
Xiang Yu’s face lit up with genuine delight. Obtaining the Farmer profession had been his goal, but seeing it materialize left him pleasantly surprised. As the initial excitement subsided, he tempered his expectations. Though he’d successfully acquired the profession, he’d done so through his own efforts so he didn’t gain the system-assisted insight.
The ninth-grade classification offered limited benefit. He needed to wait until the next reset when his experience would double, granting him the comprehensive understanding that came with system-assisted breakthroughs.
He thought to himself that once he gained those ninth-grade insights, he might finally be able to cultivate herbs at a sustainable pace.
Conscious of the passing minutes, Xiang Yu refocused on his carefully structured schedule. He’d already devoted considerable time to this new profession—time he couldn’t afford to waste with the sect’s precarious situation.
He quickly summoned his alchemy furnace and arranged his workspace.
Since his personal supply of healing pills remained sufficient, he focused on refining ninth-grade pills for the sect. He noticed that he had yet to deliver yesterday’s production since Elder Huang hadn’t collected them as usual. No matter, he would deliver both batches when he installed the protective formations later today.
The pill refining proceeded smoothly, his enhanced success rate allowing him to produce substantial quantities in minimal time. Finished with alchemy, he transitioned seamlessly to weapon crafting. His spiritual energy flowed precisely where needed as metal took form beneath his careful manipulations. By lunchtime, he had refined several hundred high-level magical weapons.
Storing his creations carefully, Xiang Yu departed the spirit vein to prepare lunch. Just as yesterday, only Elder Guo appeared for lunch, the others still occupied with preparations for Li Yao’s imminent departure.
As they settled into their meal, Xiang Yu couldn’t help but notice a peculiar pattern in his master’s endless stories.
"Master, why do all your tales always involve women?" he asked with genuine curiosity. Though undeniably entertaining, each narrative inevitably featured a different female cultivator in distress or alliance. Had his martial aunt been scammed?
"Hmph, what do you know?" Elder Guo responded with mock indignation, his chest puffing slightly. "This elder was quite popular with women back in the day."
Without waiting for Xiang Yu’s reaction, Elder Guo launched into yet another elaborate story. Xiang Yu’s expression suddenly froze—over the elder’s shoulder, he spotted Elder Huang and Li Yao approaching silently, their arrival completely unnoticed by his enthusiastically reminiscing master.
" Cough, cough ," Xiang Yu attempted to alert him discreetly, but Elder Guo continued unabated.
"...at that time, Mei Mei had been poisoned by the qi-eating flower..." the elder continued, completely oblivious to the danger looming behind him.
" Ahem ," Xiang Yu tried again, more forcefully this time, tilting his head significantly toward the approaching women. Still, his master failed to grasp these desperate warnings.
"...the only way to detoxify the poison was through..." Elder Guo continued, clearly heading toward dangerous narrative territory.
Before catastrophe could unfold completely, Xiang Yu abruptly stood, interrupting the tale. "Martial Aunt, you’re here!" he announced with deliberate volume.
Elder Guo finally paused, his storytelling momentum broken. "Junior Sister?" he questioned, slowly turning his neck.
What greeted him wasn’t Elder Huang’s usual pleasant expression but a darkened countenance that promised imminent reckoning. With terrifying gentleness, she placed her hand on his shoulder, gripping with subtle but unmistakable force.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, her tone making it abundantly clear this wasn’t a request but a command. Her fingers tightened imperceptibly, causing Elder Guo to wince slightly.
"Umm, yes," he agreed meekly, rising from his seat with obvious reluctance.
Li Yao observed the situation with concern. "Sect Master, I won’t accompany you anymore. Something just came up," Elder Huang stated flatly, never taking her eyes off Elder Guo.
Li Yao nodded mutely, silently hoping the martial aunt wouldn’t eliminate him completely. The sect truly couldn’t withstand losing another elder so soon.
With ease, Elder Huang grabbed Elder Guo as though he weighed nothing and soared into the sky, his form dangling helplessly in her grasp. As they ascended, the elder shot Xiang Yu a pitiful glance, silently begging for intervention. Xiang Yu deliberately averted his gaze, pretending not to notice this desperate plea for help.
"I tried to warn you," Xiang Yu thought with a mixture of sympathy and self-preservation. "Now all I can do is say a short prayer for you. If you don’t make it, I’ll definitely light some incense in your memory."