Chapter 157: Chapter 156: Season of Harvest
"Junior Martial Uncle Bai, the Dragon Tooth Rice will be ripe in the latter half of this month. Based on how things look, the harvest should be good... Also, a few disciples have asked when they might be able to seek your guidance."
Cai Heng summarized recent matters concerning the Spirit Fields, seizing the rare opportunity to report.
Bai Zichen was holding Genggeng. He hadn’t seen the little creature in over half a year. Its size hadn’t changed much, but it had gained dozens of pounds.
The moment it saw its master, it rolled right onto him, showing no hesitation at all.
"So soon? In that case, tally up how many people meet the requirements. Find out how many want to ask about difficulties in their Cultivation and how many want guidance on their Swordsmanship. I’ll set aside a day to get it all done."
Although the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror had fallen dormant, its Divine Capturing Treasure Mirror ability could still be used, so it didn’t prevent him from acting as a Preaching Elder again.
That was why Bai Zichen felt perfectly confident about the disciples who came to him for guidance.
’It’s just moonlighting as a Preaching Elder. A piece of cake.’
"I’ll go tally them up right away."
Cai Heng was now dedicating all her energy to the Spirit Fields.
Five hundred mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields and five thousand mu of Tier One Spirit Fields... Even with over sixty Spirit Plant Masters helping, she was so busy every day her feet barely touched the ground.
"This time, we’re only harvesting the five hundred mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields, so we have enough people... But for the next harvest from the five thousand mu of Tier One Spirit Land, our current numbers might not be enough."
"The Sect has already decided to relocate five hundred disciples to Feiyue Lake every year. This will both relieve the pressure on the main mountain and accelerate the development of Feiyue Lake."
Even though Bai Zichen was not on the main mountain, he was always notified of the decisions from the Elders’ council meetings right away.
And the information came from more than one source.
"The five of us Elders guarding Feiyue Lake have a certain degree of authority to mobilize these disciples. When the time comes, I’ll just issue a task and get three hundred people for you to handle the Spirit Rice harvest."
With her worries assuaged, Cai Heng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
「Over half a month later.」
Cai Heng came to the White Jade Tower again to invite Bai Zichen to personally witness the harvest of the Tier Two Spirit Rice.
The cultivation of these Spirit Fields was linked to Bai Zichen’s grand plan for acquiring Spirit Stones, and he had already invested considerable effort into it.
He had no choice but to take it seriously, so he immediately and gladly went.
All the Spirit Plant Masters in Bai Zichen’s employ had gathered before the five hundred mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields. The few Tier Two Spirit Plant Masters, including Elder Tong, were also present.
"Greetings, Elder Bai."
"Pay me no mind. Just harvest the Spirit Rice as you normally would. I’m only here to observe."
Bai Zichen waved his hand, motioning for everyone to continue with their work.
Elder Tong picked up a stalk, heavy with twelve grains of Dragon Tooth Rice. "Please look, sir. Every grain in this batch of Dragon Tooth Rice is plump and round, brimming with Spiritual Qi, and overflowing with fragrance... I’ve been a farmer my entire life and have never grown such perfect Spirit Rice!"
Bai Zichen plucked off a grain. Its shape truly did resemble a large tooth. When he squeezed it between his fingers, it was full of resilience.
"Patriarch Jiangg, I asked you to contact the nearby Cultivation Families. Have they expressed any interest?"
"Using your calling card, I visited three Cultivation Families and six other Cultivation Families, and all of them are very interested in the Dragon Tooth Rice. However, they have limited Spirit Stones on hand and probably can’t purchase such a large amount."
Elder Jiangg stood behind him, bent at the waist with a humble expression.
Ever since receiving Lu Songx’s notice that Bai Zichen wished to see him, Elder Jiangg had abandoned his merchant caravan business and waited at Feiyue Lake for three whole months.
Then, following Bai Zichen’s instructions, he had gauged the purchasing interest of the nearby families.
As a Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Rice, Dragon Tooth Rice was too extravagant for Qi Refining Cultivators. However, long-term consumption could effectively enhance the physical strength of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
According to the price Elder Tong had learned from that Honored Guest Elder of the Shennong Sect, Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Rice normally sold for ten Spirit Stones per pound.
Ideally, each mu of a Tier Two Spirit Field could produce thirty pounds of Dragon Tooth Rice. After handing over the ten pounds per mu required by the Sect, he would be left with a total of ten thousand pounds.
Elder Tong had already made his calculations. The losses from these five hundred mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields were small, with very few empty husks or spoiled grains. The total yield wouldn’t deviate by more than five hundred pounds.
"It’s fine. These families have two or three Foundation Establishment Cultivators at most. Even if they wanted to buy more, they wouldn’t be able to use much."
Bai Zichen was unconcerned. His goal in marketing to these Cultivation Families wasn’t simply sales volume.
"As long as we build a reputation for the Dragon Tooth Rice, it’ll be a success if we can attract other Foundation Establishment Cultivators to purchase it next year. Any surplus this year can just be resold to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion."
The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion could easily buy up several thousand pounds of Tier Two Spirit Rice, even several times that amount.
It was just that the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion drove the price extremely low for any items it bought back. For a large-scale purchase of Spirit Rice, they would only offer eighty percent of the market price.
He only viewed the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion as a last resort, an option for whatever he couldn’t sell.
With so many Spirit Plant Masters on the job, harvesting the five hundred mu of Spirit Fields took only half a day. The grains piled up like a small mountain in a pre-prepared clearing.
"Reporting, Elder Bai! We have harvested a total of over fourteen thousand six hundred pounds of Dragon Tooth Rice... We have not failed the task you entrusted to us!"
Elder Tong’s face was glowing. Although his primary motivation was his grandson’s future, as a Spirit Farmer, seeing the fields under his care produce such a bountiful harvest filled him with pride and satisfaction.
"Good. Several of you are Stewards from the Spirit Field Hall. This is a perfect time for you to bear witness and collect the portion that must be handed over to the Sect."
Bai Zichen gazed at the vast mounds of grain, his heart soaring with delight.
Gu Xisheng’s proposal had proven truly effective, greatly accelerating the Sect’s development of its Spirit Fields.
Without any upfront cost, the Sect had essentially leased the Spirit Fields to several Elders and just had to wait to collect rent at year’s end.
However, Bai Zichen’s bountiful harvest was due to more than just having a larger staff of Spirit Plant Masters than the other Elders; the high-yield nature of Dragon Tooth Rice also played a significant part.
He believed the other Elders, despite having the same area of Spirit Fields, would likely only achieve a little more than half his harvest.
After deducting the rent for the Sect’s fields and all other costs, they would barely make any profit in Spirit Stones.
Of the remaining nine thousand six hundred pounds of Dragon Tooth Rice, he set aside one hundred pounds for seeds and another one hundred to eat himself.
Although he had already achieved the Glazed Body, he wasn’t sure if this Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Rice would still have any effect on him.
In addition, he planned to pack up a portion for each of his senior martial brothers—Liang Yu, Dai Hui, Peng Chong, and Pei Dongyong—and send them as gifts.
’Another hundred pounds for the Bai Clan... that leaves exactly nine thousand pounds of Dragon Tooth Rice available for sale.’
Bai Zichen did a quick calculation. After deducting the salaries for all the Spirit Plant Masters and other costs from the cultivation process, his final profit would be nearly forty thousand Spirit Stones.
’Who knew farming could be such a profitable venture!’
Bai Zichen’s eyes gleamed. As he gazed at the five hundred mu of Spirit Fields, it was as if he were looking at a Treasure Basin.
He knew, however, that his situation was a special case.
The yield for normal Tier Two Spirit Rice would not exceed twenty pounds per mu.
Factoring in the differences in the number and dedication of their Spirit Plant Masters, as well as normal losses, the other Elders would likely harvest eight thousand pounds of Tier Two Spirit Rice at most from an identical five-hundred-mu plot.
The five thousand pounds of Spirit Rice owed to the Sect was a fixed amount. After subtracting that and other expenses, their actual profit would range from a few thousand Spirit Stones to barely breaking even.
The exact result would depend on the cost-control skills of the person in charge.
’For the sake of this Dragon Tooth Rice alone, I have to treat his grandson well.’ He looked at Elder Tong, his gaze softening.
’At the very least, I should nurture Tong Huan to the Great Perfection stage of Qi Refining and give him a chance to attempt his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.’
"Patriarch Jiangg, take one thousand pounds of Dragon Tooth Rice and sell it as you travel... I hope that by next year, you’ll be able to sell three thousand pounds for me."
Bai Zichen set aside the one-thousand-pound share of Spirit Rice, storing the rest in his storage bag.
’A business with an annual income of forty thousand Spirit Stones is too conspicuous...’
After the initial joy, a faint sense of unease crept over Bai Zichen. The profits from the Dragon Tooth Rice were simply too great.
So great that, even with his current status in the Sect, he worried if he could monopolize them all himself.
The first couple of years might be fine, but eventually, there would undoubtedly be more and more envious eyes on him.
This was especially true when contrasted with the other four Elders at Feiyue Lake, who had also leased Spirit Fields but would end up with negligible profits in Spirit Stones.
’The most likely outcome is that I’ll be forced to hand over the Dragon Tooth Rice Spirit Seeds for everyone to share... Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. As long as the compensation is adequate, it’s not unacceptable.’
Once the supply of Dragon Tooth Rice exploded, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion would surely slash its acquisition price.
At that point, Bai Zichen’s annual profits would naturally shrink as well.
After some thought, Bai Zichen added his senior martial brother, Yingg Zhong, to the gift list and doubled the portion for each person.
’Earning a few thousand fewer Spirit Stones to bind a few more senior martial brothers to my side is definitely a worthy trade-off.’
If not for the fact that the two Core Formation Ancestors would surely look down on mere Tier Two Spirit Rice, he would have sent a thousand pounds of Dragon Tooth Rice to Ancestor Yangg’s island to start.
The harvest of the five hundred mu of Spirit Fields was complete, and a brief period of rest began.
According to Elder Tong, Dragon Tooth Rice was extremely demanding in terms of water and Earth Power. Cultivating it for one year severely depleted a Spirit Field’s Spiritual Power.
The fields needed to lie fallow for about half a year to rest and recover before they could be planted on again.
「The next day.」
Bai Zichen began to fulfill his promise, offering either answers to cultivation questions or guidance in Swordsmanship, depending on each Spirit Plant Master’s choice.
Nearly eighty Spirit Plant Masters had all worked for more than half a year, but many of them had not yet been there for a full year and wanted to save their opportunity to request guidance on Swordsmanship.
In the end, just over forty people applied, split about evenly between those seeking answers to their cultivation problems and those wanting guidance on their Swordsmanship.
Bai Zichen had all the disciples seeking answers for their cultivation difficulties form a line, and he finished with them in just half a day.
At first, some disciples suspected Bai Zichen was just going through the motions. After all, how could a guidance session on a cultivation technique be over in less than a quarter of an hour?
That was barely enough time for a disciple to finish explaining their situation, never mind for a Preaching Elder to even begin their analysis.
But as they watched each disciple emerge looking fulfilled, their faces filled with awe and gratitude, it didn’t seem like anyone was being scammed.
When their own turn finally came, they understood why the sessions were so brief.
After taking a drop of their Essence Blood, this Elder Bai didn’t even need to hear their explanation. He could analyze them with complete clarity and then offer a single, perfectly incisive piece of advice.
He did it all without a moment’s pause for thought. It was terrifyingly effective.
The only thought in the minds of these Spirit Plant Master disciples as they left was, ’If a person like him can’t achieve Core Formation, then who in this world possibly can?’
’This is pretty efficient,’ Bai Zichen thought. ’This damn mirror is only good for this one thing, at least...’
Bai Zichen glanced at the list. Only one disciple remained.
It was a good thing his reputation was so high. Essence Blood was a vital substance for any Cultivator, and under normal circumstances, no one would allow it to fall into the hands of another.
To think that no one had objected to his unreasonable demand to provide a drop of Essence Blood before their questions would be answered. At most, they had hesitated for a moment before complying.
