Chapter 235: Chapter 5: Sacred Pilgrimage
June 29, 2015. 12:05 PM.
South Sea, Golden Beach.
The sound of nearby waves filled his ears, along with the distinct, briny smell of the sea. The scorching sun and the cool sea breeze washed over him simultaneously—the quintessential seaside atmosphere.
"I never thought I’d see the day I’d be on a government-paid vacation."
Lying on a beach chair with his hands behind his head, Chen Zhicheng—the former fruit and vegetable shop owner, now a man in his thirties approaching forty—closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief unlike any he had in the past thirty years. "So this is what a vacation feels like... It’s so relaxing!"
"Relaxing!"
Just then, a cheerful voice echoed from above Chen Zhicheng’s head. A tiny, petal-like humanoid figure was buzzing around his head like a bee, basking in the bright sunlight and chirping, "Relaxing!"
Opening his eyes, the first things Chen Zhicheng saw were the vast blue sky and the flower fairy he had named Xialan.
It had been almost a year since he had his Awakening, discovered his Cultivation Talent, and met Xialan. It had also been almost a year since he became a Cultivator for the country’s General Environmental Administration.
Xialan had been born from a light purple Cymbidium orchid. Its color was very similar to a violet sunset glow, and on the day he named her, Xialan herself seemed to adore that image, so Chen Zhicheng gave her that name.
Over the past year, Chen Zhicheng had sold his old fruit and flower shop, become a civil servant, and spent his days traveling all over the country with the General Environmental Administration’s special operations team.
His mission was to use his Wood Attribute affinity and the flower fairy’s sensitivity to Spirit Plants to find all sorts of rare Spirit Plants, then transplant them back to the National Rare Plant Breeding Center in the Celestial Capital Suburbs.
There, more Wood Attribute Cultivators—and even the Agricultural Saint, a Holy Seat himself—worked diligently, attempting to mass-cultivate many of the rare and valuable Spirit Plants. They also selected promising specimens to crossbreed with various crops like rice, potatoes, and wheat, aiming to develop a near-Extraordinary food source that was a cross between a Spirit Plant and a regular crop.
With the entire population becoming Extraordinary, the nation’s food consumption had skyrocketed. Even the most common Spirit Awakening Cultivator had an appetite about one and a half times that of an ordinary person. The higher a Cultivator’s level, the more they could eat if they let themselves go.
This meant that Zhengguo’s grain production had to be at least one and a half times higher than before just to maintain stability. If they couldn’t overcome this hurdle, the so-called "Cultivation for all" would be nothing more than a self-deceiving lie, destined to collapse one day.
And the key to breaking through this barrier lay with Spirit Plants.
A single bowl of Half-Spirit Rice, which contained Spiritual Qi, was equivalent to four or five bowls of regular rice.
"Food is the foundation of a nation, but in the era of the Spiritual Energy Revival, Spiritual Food is the foundation of an Extraordinary superpower!"
The aged Agricultural Saint’s words were firm and resonant. Even Chen Zhicheng, who had no grand ambitions and just wanted to earn the respect of others, had been fired up by them. He worked with the team without complaint through spring, summer, fall, and winter, traveling all across the land.
Of course, Xialan was never mistreated. As the team’s true core member, the flower fairy enjoyed the full VIP treatment, complete with a dedicated Small Spirit Gathering Array and Spirit Bee Honey to restore her energy.
After a year of this, Xialan’s intelligence had increased significantly. Now, she could not only understand many words with ease but also occasionally speak a sentence or two.
As for why Chen Zhicheng and Xialan, who should have been busy working, were here on a government-paid vacation, the answer was simple.
A short while ago, the successful cultivation of Hybrid Rice No. 27 was announced. Although this Half-Spirit Plant crop had a lower yield than normal rice, it contained extremely precious Spiritual Qi that could be easily absorbed by ordinary people!
If it were widely cultivated, its effect would be equivalent to more than doubling the nation’s food production! This would greatly alleviate the pressure on the food supply caused by the entire population becoming Extraordinary.
As it happened, the Spirit Plant used for Hybrid Rice No. 27’s crossbreeding was discovered by Chen Zhicheng. As a reward, he not only received various Cultivation Materials and a Cultivation Technique but also a twenty-day paid vacation and a ticket to the South Sea.
"Hot... sleepy~"
"Had enough sun? Let’s head back then."
After basking for a little longer, Chen Zhicheng noticed Xialan wasn’t flying as cheerfully as before. He immediately knew that the flower fairy had absorbed enough sunlight for the day and was ready to rest.
Without hesitation, Chen Zhicheng packed up the beach chair, let Xialan rest on top of his head, and prepared to go back to the hotel.
On the way back, he asked with a smile, "So today, do you want Spiritual Maple Sugar or Hundred Flowers Spiritual Honey?"
"Maple sugar! Maple sugar!" the flower fairy’s cheers could be heard.
Back at the hotel, Chen Zhicheng noticed that the couple in the next room had also just returned. They seemed to be arguing, and their voices were a bit loud.
"This stuff is all a scam!" a man’s voice said, tinged with helplessness. "Little Yun, you can’t improve your Talent by taking these weird medicines... Your Talent might not be high, but it’s not bad either. It’s 11%. As long as you follow the proper steps in your Cultivation, you’ll definitely have your Spirit Awakening."
"But Sister Liu and Ashi are both taking it, and they’re about to have their Awakening... And isn’t your friend, Brother Wang—the one who plays basketball—taking it too?"
