Zhou Sheng looked at the unfamiliar house and felt as if he were dreaming; no matter how late he played now, he would no longer hear his mother's scolding, and he felt a pang of loss in his heart.
He took out his mustard seed bag, which was hanging at his waist; Senior Brother Zhong said it contained a method for Cultivating, and he couldn't wait to take it out and Cultivate.
Senior Brother Zhong had said that to open the mustard seed bag, one needed to open it with Divine Sense. Ordinary people naturally possess Divine Sense, but it is unexercised and dispersed. As long as the dispersed Divine Sense is concentrated, one can retrieve items from the mustard seed bag.
This was the first hurdle on the path of Cultivation. Zhou Sheng calmed his mind and searched for the ethereal Divine Sense as his Senior Brother had instructed.
It didn't take long before he felt countless light points in his mind, and he worked to gather them. Instantly, he felt the world had changed, becoming clearer. When he looked at the mustard seed bag again, he actually saw the book inside.
He tried to take out the book, and it instantly appeared in his hand. It was indeed the Cultivation method, and on it was written "Basic Breathing Technique." Ever since he met that white-haired Senior Brother Zhong, many pieces of knowledge began to appear in his mind, and he could naturally recognize these characters.
The opening of this Cultivation method stated: "This Basic Breathing Technique has been passed down from ancient times. Later generations have evolved it into countless variations, but all remain true to their origin: absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to transform oneself and become a Spiritual Body. Future Cultivators, you must diligently Cultivate, slay demons and monsters, punish evil and promote good; only then can you be considered to walk the Righteous Path."
Zhou Sheng followed the book's instructions, first sensing the surrounding Spiritual Qi. The Spiritual Qi was active; as long as he calmed his mind, he could feel the lively Spiritual Qi around him. A night passed, but Zhou Sheng didn't feel any Spiritual Qi; instead, he quickly fell asleep.
In the early morning, his stomach began to rumble; he was hungry. He turned over and got out of bed, then began searching, and sure enough, he found a box of pills labeled with the words "Grain Abstinence."
"This should be the Grain Abstinence Pill that Zhang Shixiong mentioned. The Sect, fearing that Disciples would neglect their Cultivation for the sake of livelihood, has prepared ample Grain Abstinence Pills for everyone."
Zhou Sheng took one out and examined it carefully, but couldn't make sense of it. He opened his mouth and ate it.
"It's really that amazing! I don't feel hungry anymore, and I have strength. It's just a bit bland; if it were paired with some pickles, it would be edible."
Zhou Sheng began rummaging through the toolshed. Many of these tools were taller than him, too heavy to lift or too difficult to use. Fortunately, he found a small shovel.
Carrying the small shovel, he went out. He was going to his assigned Spiritual Field, which had long been abandoned, with grass taller than him. He sighed, "Such a large plot of land. No wonder others stay in their rooms Cultivating every day. Just managing this plot alone would take who knows how much time daily."
It took a lot of effort to clear about one square meter of space, which already left Zhou Sheng exhausted on the ground. "Alright, that's enough for today."
He returned to his small house and began to Cultivate. At first, it felt new, but later, he found Cultivation truly boring. Although it seemed like six people lived there, he didn't know any of them except for Senior Brother Zhang Huaiyuan; everyone was busy Cultivating. They would only come out at fixed times to water and de-worm their Spiritual Fields. For those who didn't need frequent watering, they didn't even need to leave their rooms. He had been there for several days and hadn't seen a single person go out.
If it weren't for his mother's instructions, he would have given up by now. He sighed and took out a book on Basic Spiritual Plant Cultivation from his mustard seed bag. This was the book that interested him the most. Spiritual Plants were the foundation for Utility Disciples like them, but due to limited energy, each person could only manage one Spiritual Field.
Every time he saw these Spiritual Plants, Zhou Sheng felt an urge to try his hand at them. Unfortunately, he only had Spirit Valley seeds in his room now. Other more Advanced seeds would require exchanging Spiritual Plants at the Duo Bao Pavilion.
In a few days, a quarter of Zhou Sheng's Spiritual Field had been reclaimed by him. His small body looked at the Spiritual Field he had managed with pride. At this point, he could no longer wait, and he also felt that he might not be able to manage the entire Spiritual Field, so he could already start planting.
The first three days after planting Spirit Valley are especially important. During these three days, every morning, one must water each seed with Spiritual Spring water for three consecutive days for them to germinate.
There were only two Spiritual Springs in the entire Area C, both quite far from Zhou Sheng's Spiritual Field. The buckets were specially made to ensure the Spiritual Qi inside did not dissipate, but Zhou Sheng found it very difficult to carry a full bucket each time.
"Phew, phew~! Oh my goodness, this bucket is too big! The Sect is really unkind; didn't they consider how inconvenient it would be for someone like me to carry a bucket to water the plants?" Zhou Sheng complained, huffing and puffing, as he sat on the field ridge.
After resting, he exerted all his strength to lift the bucket into the Spiritual Field. He used a dipper to water the Spirit Valley seeds little by little. Fortunately, the Spirit Valley didn't require much water at this stage, and this one bucket of Spiritual Spring water was barely enough.
"1, 2, 3... 16." He counted as he watered. These Spirit Valley plants were his lifeblood, and he would count them every time he watered to feel satisfied.