Chapter 79: Stand Tall with a Straight Back

The main steward from the Lingyu Sect who came this time to collect spiritual rice had changed to Du Haifu.

However, Elder Gu had also come along.

Du Haifu stepped down from the dharma boat.

Gazing at Qin Ming's spiritual fields, his eyes held nothing but shock.

He had never expected that the small spiritual farmer, who in the past could not even guarantee his next meal, was now on the verge of advancing to a second-tier spiritual planter.

He had already reached a height that even Du Haifu had to look up to.

Elder Gu stood atop the dharma boat, likewise silently observing Qin Ming's spiritual fields, his expression gloomy and deep, unknown what he was thinking.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, let us begin then," Du Haifu seemed to have words he wished to say to Qin Ming, but constrained by Elder Gu's presence, he ultimately did not speak them aloud.

Next, Qin Ming and Du Haifu both swung their spiritual sickles and began harvesting three mu of five-colored spiritual rice.

In no time, Qin Ming alone had finished harvesting two mu.

But over on Du Haifu's side, progress was slow; panting heavily, after much effort he had only cut a small clump.

The roots and stems of the second-tier five-colored spiritual rice were exceptionally tough; given Du Haifu's cultivation, his efficiency was truly worrisome.

Half an incense stick later.

Qin Ming finished harvesting the remaining half-mu of five-colored spiritual rice as well.

After threshing all the five-colored spiritual rice, he also stored the rice straw into his storage bag.

This stuff could be used to make high-grade woven rush cushions, or burned to serve as excellent fertilizer.

At this moment.

Li Yan and his group from the nearby spiritual fields had just finished paying their spiritual rice tax and were walking over this way.

It seemed they also wanted to see exactly how Qin Ming's harvest had turned out.

"Fellow Daoist Li Yan, this year your yield of jade-crystal rice is a full fifty jin; you should surely take first place, yes?"

"Needless to say, this second-tier spiritual rice is extremely difficult to cultivate, and moreover, its yield is exceedingly low."

"To get fifty jin of jade-crystal rice from just two mu shows that Fellow Daoist Li has put in tremendous effort!"

"Cough! Just so-so, it's acceptable."

Having said this, Li Yan led a group of spiritual planters to Qin Ming's spiritual fields, arriving just in time to witness Du Haifu weighing the five-colored spiritual rice.

Before Qin Ming, five large sacks of five-colored spiritual rice were neatly arranged.

After Du Haifu took out a large-scale dharma artifact and weighed them one by one, he said with a trembling voice, "Second-tier five-colored spiritual rice, h-harvested five... five hundred and twenty jin."

"The tax due is thirty-five percent, which is... one hundred and eighty-two jin."

After paying the spiritual rice tax, Qin Ming deftly stored the remaining three hundred-plus jin of five-colored spiritual rice into his own storage bag.

Not far away.

The atmosphere in the air was somewhat quiet.

After a long while, someone finally broke the silence first.

"How much?"

"Five hundred and twenty jin?"

"Did I hear wrong? That's second-tier spiritual rice!"

Li Yan's face turned the color of an overturned sauce vat; without saying a word, he turned and left this place.

The other spiritual planters were also sensible enough to follow suit and depart one after another.

Over on Qin Ming's side.

Du Haifu finished collecting the spiritual rice tax and returned to the dharma boat to report to Elder Gu.

Elder Gu had naturally watched the entire process just now.

He took out a single grain of five-colored spiritual rice from the bag, observed it slightly, and his eyes flickered incessantly.

Subsequently.

Elder Gu leaped down from the dharma boat and landed directly before Qin Ming.

His rigid face showed no sign of joy or anger, yet he still forced out a slight smile and asked, "I wonder, could Fellow Daoist Qin sell a portion of this five-colored spiritual rice to this old man?"

He was extremely envious of this batch of second-tier spiritual rice, but now Qin Ming's status was not what it used to be; he was no longer a bottom-tier spiritual farmer whom Elder Gu could exploit at will.

"Apologies, Elder Gu, I have my own uses for this batch of spiritual rice and do not wish to sell it," Qin Ming rejected directly, giving the other party no face whatsoever.

Qin Ming had long known that the other party was secretly targeting him; nowadays, there was no need to stand on ceremony.

He had already marked the other party down in his little notebook.

Upon hearing this, Elder Gu's facial skin twitched repeatedly; though inwardly furious, he did not explode on the spot.

"Good! Good!"

He cast a meaningful glance at Qin Ming, filled with a threatening implication.

Then, without saying more, he turned and boarded the dharma boat.

Nowadays, Qin Ming possessed numerous trump cards and could speak with his back straight; naturally, he did not fear a newly promoted Foundation Establishment elder like him.

Next, he harvested the two mu of crimson-silver yellow flax as well. Ten days later.

Qin Ming took the quota wooden talisman he had obtained from Chen Qiaoling and headed to the Lingyu Sect to participate in the trial assessment.

By the time he arrived, almost everyone had already gathered.

There were roughly a dozen or so upper-grade spiritual planters participating in this trial assessment.

Li Yan was among them.

Some were brimming with confidence, while others looked nervous.

Nearly all of the Lingyu Sect's several elders had come to watch.

When Elder Gu saw that Qin Ming had actually appeared in the assessment lineup, he frowned tightly and questioned an old man with a goatee standing beside him, "Elder Liu, was it not agreed that we would not give this brat a chance? How did you give away the last quota?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Liu looked embarrassed, laughed it off, and replied, "Sigh! I didn't want to either, but someone came knocking, and I happen to owe her a favor."

Upon hearing this, Elder Gu's expression shifted, but he said nothing more.

"Sigh! If this youth can truly pass the assessment, then it means fate has destined it so; let him be!" Elder Zhuang sighed, making his stance clear.

In truth, he had always admired Qin Ming's talent for spiritual plants and indeed wished to take him as a disciple.

It was just that Qin Ming had not the slightest intention of joining the Spirit Feather Sect.

The affinity between master and disciple had not yet arrived... A moment later.

Several elders led the dozen or so named high-grade spiritual plantists participating in this assessment into a forbidden zone.

Here, ancient trees soared to the sky, and strange rocks stood jagged and uneven.

Eventually, the group arrived before a grassy field, in the center of which stood seven massive wooden steles, each over ten zhang tall.

"This place is where you all will undergo the Plant Illusion Realm trial assessment."

"In a moment, use the quota wooden talismans in your hands to enter the illusion realm; as for the specific trial illusion each person encounters, you will know once you enter."

"But regardless of what content the illusion trial holds, the person with the shortest time will rank highest."

After introducing everything to the crowd, Elder Zhuang waved his large hand, shooting out a streak of white light that fell into the array of wooden steles.

In an instant.

The wooden array was activated, emitting a shimmering green radiance that shot straight into the sky, appearing quite miraculous.

Under the gaze of everyone, Li Yan stepped forward, crushed the wooden talisman in his hand, and the wooden array immediately showered a patch of green light, wrapping around his figure and making him vanish in a flash.

Watching all this, Qin Ming thought that the other party seemed quite familiar with the process, likely having been here before.

Immediately, the other spiritual plantists followed suit one after another.

One figure after another vanished under the coverage of the green light.

Qin Ming also stepped forward, took a deep breath, and crushed the wooden talisman in his hand.

In that split second.

He felt only a blur before his eyes; after a spell of dizziness where heaven and earth seemed to spin, when he opened his eyes again, he found himself inside a wooden house.

Qin Ming's gaze fell upon a stone stele at the entrance of the wooden house.

He scrutinized it carefully for a long time.

Only then did he realize that this so-called 'Plant Illusion Realm Trial' was created by a high-order spiritual plantist of astonishing talent.

This kind of wooden array capable of entering an illusion realm existed not only within the Spirit Feather Sect.

Other larger spiritual plant sects also retained such wooden arrays.

The results of the trial assessment were universally recognized throughout the entire Southern Wild Immortal Realm.

For spiritual plantists.

Even if one did not pass the assessment, whether regarding comprehension of the path of spiritual plants or other aspects, one could still gain immense benefits within it.

Therefore, the quotas appeared exceptionally precious.

Just after Qin Ming finished viewing the introduction to the illusion realm.

A line of text suddenly appeared on the stone stele before his eyes:

【Please select the difficulty level for this illusion realm trial】

【Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng】

Qin Ming's expression froze. "One can actually choose the difficulty level voluntarily?"

"The higher the difficulty, the greater the benefits?"

He thought for a moment; since he held the entry in his hand, he felt no panic at all, and thus tapped on 'Jia Grade Difficulty'.

Creak!

As Qin Ming finished his selection, the wooden door of this house opened automatically.

The scene outside made Qin Ming's mouth gape open in shock.

"Holy crap!"

(End of Chapter)