Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

The Great Jin Kingdom, Yunzhou, Qingmu Sect.

It was the height of summer, the blazing sun hanging high in the azure sky, unleashing its intense heat. But when this heat reached the rolling green waves of the spiritual fields surrounding the Green Wood Sect, it seemed to be somewhat swallowed up.

Lingtian District, No. 4, Bingzi.

Gu An straightened up and wiped the sweat dripping from his chin with the coarse linen cloth hanging around his neck. The sweat wasn't salty, but rather carried a very faint earthy and bitter smell—a sign that impurities in his body were being expelled with the sweat. However, for Gu An, who was at the second level of Qi Refining, this detoxification effect was negligible.

He didn't rush to rest, but instead squinted at the three acres of spiritual fields in front of him.

The rice planted in the field is "Yellow Sprout Rice," a basic first-grade low-level spiritual grain in the cultivation world. At this moment, these rice plants, which are half a person tall, have already sprouted ears of rice. The heavy ears of rice have a faint yellow color and emit a faint spiritual energy fluctuation.

"There are only two weeks left until the harvest. This is going to be tough."

Gu An sighed, his eyes revealing a weariness and anxiety beyond his years.

He has been in this world for three years.

In his previous life, he was an ordinary office worker on Earth who died from overwork and whose soul transmigrated into the body of a young man named Gu An. The original owner was the illegitimate son of a small landowner in the mortal world. By chance, he discovered his spiritual root and was taken back to the sect by a passing deacon of the Qingmu Sect.

He thought it was a divine destiny descending upon him, and from then on, he rode his sword and soared into the wind, vanquishing demons across the land.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

The four spiritual roots are metal, wood, water, and fire, but earth is missing, and the sensitivity of the spiritual roots is extremely low. In a cultivation sect that values ​​efficiency, such a person is considered a standard consumable.

He was assigned to the menial labor section and became a spiritual farmer.

The Qingmu Sect stipulates that each of the miscellaneous spirit farmers is responsible for three mu of spirit fields, with a harvest every six months. If the yield per mu does not reach two hundred jin of spirit grain, not only will they be fined and have their spirit stones confiscated, but if they fail to meet the standard twice in a row, they will be demoted to mining slaves and sent to dark and sunless mines to dig for spirit stones—it is said that the mines are filled with malevolent energy, and few low-level Qi Refining cultivators who go there survive for more than three years.

"The black nematode infestation is really bad lately. Old Zhang next door had a little over half of his two acres of land destroyed by the infestation yesterday. He probably won't be able to pay the rent this month."

Gu An squatted down and carefully parted the roots of a rice stalk. On the once lush green stem, several tiny black dots, the size of pinholes, were faintly visible.

These are the eggs of black threadworms, which specifically feed on the spiritual essence of spirit grains. Once hatched, they can drain a stalk of spirit grain into withered grass within three days.

If he were an inner disciple, he could easily solve the problem by throwing out an insect-repelling talisman or casting a high-level spell. But Gu An didn't have the money to buy talismans, and his magical power was also weak.

He could only rely on the most basic method—using magic to catch the insects.

Gu An took a deep breath, held his breath, and the wisp of spiritual energy within his body began to slowly circulate in his meridians. He formed hand seals, his movements slow and even somewhat clumsy, each bend of his fingers appearing extremely solemn.

"Geng metal finger, go!"

With a low shout, a faint golden light shone from his fingertips.

The light did not shoot out, but rather condensed and did not disperse. Gu An's finger shot out like lightning, precisely pointing at the black spot on the rice stalk.

"puff."

With a soft popping sound, the insect egg turned into a wisp of black smoke and dissipated.

Then came the second strike, the third strike...

Gu An's movements became faster and faster, and sweat poured down his forehead. The total spiritual energy at the second level of Qi Refining is extremely limited, and this kind of meticulous operation consumes a great deal of both spiritual energy and mental power.

After an incense stick has burned.

Gu An swayed and landed hard on the edge of the field, his face as pale as paper. His spiritual energy had dried up, and a sharp, empty pain emanated from his dantian.

"A total of 42 plants were cleared, but there are still at least several thousand plants in the three acres that are at risk of pest infestation..."

A sense of despair grew wildly in my heart like weeds.

At this rate, the insect infestation will break out before he finishes clearing them. If production is reduced and he can't meet his quota of 600 jin (300 kg), he'll face whippings, humiliation, and even certain death in the mine.

Just then, Gu An's vision suddenly blurred.

A line of pale blue, semi-transparent text appeared on my retina like floaters:

[Geng Metal indicates +1 experience]

Then, an appallingly rudimentary panel unfolded before him:

Name: Gu An

Lifespan: 19/78

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Level 2 (45/100)]

[Technique: Evergreen Spring Technique (Level 1: 89/100)]

[Spell:]

[Small Cloud Rain Technique: Proficient (188/200)]

[Geng Metal refers to: Entry-level (99/100)]

Looking at the panel, Gu An finally managed a bitter smile on his pale face.

This is his cheat code, a panel that shows proficiency levels.

Its sole function is to present Gu An's every practice and every training session in a data-driven manner.

As long as you practice, you will make progress.

Once the progress bar is full, a breakthrough can be achieved.

In this world of cultivation, the so-called bottlenecks, enlightenments, and inner demons are all simplified into a tedious but reassuring progress bar for Gu An.

Gu An stared at the "99/100" after the [Gengjin Finger].

It was so close.

If you can successfully perform it just once more, you can break through from "beginner" to "proficient".

The levels of magical abilities are divided into: beginner, proficient, master, advanced, and perfect.

The beginner-level Gengjin Finger technique has low power, high energy consumption, and a long casting animation. This is why Gu An had such a hard time cleaning up earlier.

"Let's give it our all!"

Gu An pulled out a small cloth bag he had hidden close to his body and poured out a shriveled, blackened pill—a low-quality Qi-restoring pill. This was a perk that menial disciples could only receive every three months; the pill was highly toxic, but Gu An couldn't care less at the moment.

He swallowed the pill in one gulp, and a warm current rose in his abdomen, slightly moisturizing his parched dantian.

He recovered about 10% of his spiritual power.

Gu An stood up again and walked to a rice stalk with insect eggs.

Make a hand seal and concentrate your energy.

This time, his mind was more focused than ever before, his eyes fixed on that black dot, as if it were the shackles of his fate.

"break!"

A flash of golden light appeared at the fingertips.

This time, the light was three times brighter than before, and it was also more refined and sharp.

"Pfft!"

The insect eggs were instantly crushed, without even damaging the rice stalk's outer layer; the force was controlled with exquisite precision.

At the same time, the panel in front of me suddenly jumped and emitted a pleasant glow.

[Geng Metal indicates +1 experience]

Congratulations! Geng Metal Finger has broken through to: Proficient (1/400)

Gu An felt a cool sensation in his mind, and countless techniques for using Gengjin spiritual power appeared out of thin air, as if his body had practiced this spell thousands of times and formed muscle memory.

He subconsciously raised his hand again, without needing to concentrate at all; golden light instantly leaped from his fingertips, moving as if they were his own arms.

"This is the realm of mastery..."

A hint of joy flashed in Gu An's eyes. If before he was chopping wood with a dull knife, now he was wielding a sharp axe. His casting speed had doubled, while his spiritual energy consumption had decreased by 30%!

"There's hope!"

Gu An wasted no time celebrating. While the effects of the Qi-restoring pill were still present, he quickly began to wander through the fields.

Golden light flashed frequently, and with each strike, an insect egg perished.

This busy period lasted from the blazing sun to the moon rising above the willow branches.

When Gu An dragged his exhausted body back to the thatched hut by the field, although he was too tired to even move his fingers, his eyes were bright.

Half of the three acres of land, particularly the key pest-infested areas, have been cleared.

At this rate, the pest infestation can be completely resolved within three days, and... this year's yellow sprout rice yield may be 10% higher than in previous years.

In this cannibalistic sect, this one percent of production is his means of survival.

Gu An lay on the hard wooden bed, listening to the chirping of insects outside, looking at the simple yet real control panel in front of him, and muttered to himself:

"So what if I'm not naturally gifted? As long as I have time, as long as I can grind for proficiency... one day, I'll be able to achieve my goal."

As night deepened, Gu An quickly drifted off to sleep. In his dream, he was no longer that lowly servant, but a true immortal standing on the clouds, looking down upon all living beings.