The gentle mountain breeze blew, rustling the stalks of paddy.
"Look at the paddy! You won't have to worry about starving for years, Senior Brother!"
"Once I start brewing wine with them, you're going to complain they aren't enough."
"You can make wine from them?"
"Of course!"
"The wine you brew will definitely be tasty! I want to drink 800 cups of it!"
Jiang Ming laughed. "Alright!"
"What about the wheat, Senior Brother? What can you do with it?"
"I can make noodles, buns, twisted bread rolls, tutmaq, dumplings, meat buns, wontons, sliced noodles, pulled noodles, braised noodles, minced noodles, noodles with soybean paste, dry noodles with sesame paste, oily noodles, plain noodles… You'll have a different menu every day! There are also soft and fluffy cakes!"
"You can make so many things with it? That's amazing, Senior Brother! I want to eat them all!"
"Sure. I'll make them all for you to try. I'll make sure you grow into a healthy and plump young lady!"
"I don't want to get fat, Senior Brother!"
As the duo chatted, they hovered in the air and launched wind blades to harvest the crops.
…
Meanwhile, Gu Hai looked at his two disciples from a distance. A happy smile could be seen on his face as he stroked his beard.
"My first disciple is in his early 20s, but he's already at the Foundation Establishment Realm. He can be considered a talented disciple of the sect. My second disciple is only 13 years old, but she's already at the Extreme Golden Core Realm, breaking the record in Jiuyang Sect since its founding. With this, who would dare say Chuyang Peak is in a state of decline? Who would dare to say that I don't have any talented disciples? Who would dare to complain that I don't deserve the position of First Seat?"
Gu Hai was extremely pleased. He flicked his sleeve and brought his wine gourd out before taking a few swigs from it.
He sighed in contentment after he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. 'It tastes amazing!'
…
At the same time, Jiang Ming and Zi Linglong continued chatting as they harvested the crop.
"Look at Master, Senior Brother! I wonder what kind of happy thoughts are in his mind right now!"
"That old geezer must be incomparably happy because of how proud you've made him!"
"I think he's thinking about the First Seat of Jiaoyang Peak!"
"Do you know what their relationship is like?"
"I heard the seniors at Taiyang Peak spoke about this before. When First Seat Yin Yue was younger, she was an aloof beauty. She had many admirers, but she never paid much attention to them. She had a good relationship with Master, but Master had always avoided her for some reason."
"Strange!"
"Indeed."
The two disciples continued to harvest the crops as they chatted. It was not even noon yet when they finished harvesting the 100 Mu of paddy, wheat, vegetable, fruits, and the other crops and storing them in the warehouse.
Jiang Ming had just received a notification of the rewards when he saw his master waving him over.
When Jiang Ming approached Gu Hai, Gu Hai said, "The Sect Master just summoned me over to Taiyang Peak. I'll be away for a moment. Guard the mountain well while I'm gone."
Upon hearing this, Linglong said, "Don't worry, Master! I'll destroy the cultivation bases of those who dare to look for trouble with us!"
Gu Hai laughed. "Yes, destroy their cultivation bases!"
Jiang Ming's eyes gleamed as he watched Gu Hai leave. He had an idea why Gu Hai had been summoned to Taiyang Peak.
Following that, Jiang Ming returned to the front courtyard with his junior sister. He decided to check his rewards. He could not help but inhale sharply when he looked at the notification again.
[Ding! Congratulations on harvesting 100 Mu of crops. Reward: 2,000 years' worth of cultivation, 100 Enlightening Tea Leaves (high-grade), 30 Enlightening Stone (rare), a Space Crystal, and the Tyrant Halberd (middle-grade Dao Vessel]
"I didn't expect to receive such wonderful rewards just by harvesting the crops."
Jiang Ming felt as though he was dreaming. The rewards he received daily from preparing meals and chopping wood would only amount to two months' worth of cultivation. This was equivalent to a 60-time increase in his cultivation speed. How could he not be shocked by the 2,000 years of cultivation he was just rewarded with? He could hardly believe this windfall. With 2,000 years of cultivation, he could easily fill his vast sea of consciousness and still have leftovers.
Apart from that, he needed the Enlightening Tea Leaves and Enlightening Stones as well. They would help him gain insight into various Sambodhas at a higher speed and cultivate more Dao Seeds.
When he read the description for the Space crystal, his heart skipped a beat. This object was the result of the crystallization of spatial energy. It held the mysteries of the law of space.
"What if I gain full insight into the Space Sambodha? With that, I'm certain I'll be able to kill Mu Shuiyun!"
This was not a fanciful thought, it was filled with confidence and certainty.
Currently, he was using his Great Akasa Formless Sword Qi and Great Akasa Steps to gain insight into several derivations of the Space Sambodha. With that, he could be considered terrifyingly powerful. What would happen if he gained insight into all of them? He could hardly imagine how much more powerful he would become.
"If only I have a Time Crystal as well." Jiang Ming was beginning to develop an insatiable appetite.
The final item Jiang Ming was rewarded with was a Dao Vessel. Dao Vessels were superior to Artifacts. The Jiuyang Sect might not even have such an item.
While Jiang Ming considered the various happy possibilities, Linglong tilted her head slightly and asked, "Senior Brother, why do you suddenly look so happy?"
"I'm happy because of the harvest!" Jiang Ming replied with a smile. Inwardly, he wondered if he should give some of the rewards to his junior sister. After considering for a moment, he dismissed the idea.
She was still too young, reaching the 9th Extreme Golden Core Realm at 13 years old. Although it was an amazing feat, she was still immature. She should continue to build her character, temper her foundation, and gain knowledge. When she was 17 or 18 years old, he would then help her grow.
"I'm happy as well, Senior Brother!" Linglong said excitedly, "From now on, I'll farm and harvest by your side, Senior Brother!"
Jiang Ming nodded. "I won't be bored with you around. Alright, what do you want for lunch?"
"I want noodles!"
"Alright. I'll make ten kinds of noodles for you. You can eat to your heart's content!"
…
In Taiyang Peak's great hall.
The Sect Master and the eight First Seats were all gathered at this moment.
The Sect Master slowly said, "I received news this morning that Ge Changqing and the disciples who were here yesterday were ambushed by a devil called Luo Hou last night. Almost all of them died. Ge Changqing and Mu Lei didn't survive."
A heavy silence loomed over the great hall as the expressions of the eight First Seats changed.
The expression of Yue Cheng, the First Seat of Zhiyang Peak, underwent the most drastic change. His heart nearly jumped out from his chest when he heard these words. Fortunately, he quickly recovered from the shock and corrected his expression.
The Sect Master continued to say, "I also received news that Mu Shuiyun, Mu Lei's mother, had left the mountain as well. She and a few elders of Qingyun Sect inspected and searched the site of the battle. They found one of the devils' bases. It's on one of the mountains 40,000 miles away from us. The battle there saw the loss of three elders from Qingyun Sect; two of them were Nascent Soul cultivators. Even Mu Shuiyun was injured during the battle. Fortunately, reinforcements from the sect arrived at the nick of time, sparing them from the fate of suffering an even bigger loss."
The eight First Seats exchanged a look. Some of them broke out in cold sweat at this moment.
The base of the devils was only 40,000 miles away from Jiuyang Sect, after all. Those devils could have easily come to Jiuyang Sect. Would Jiuyang Sect be able to fend the devils off if the devils attacked?
At this time, Yue Cheng nearly died from shock. He naturally knew about the base the Sect Master mentioned. The devils stationed at that base were meant to invade Jiuyang Sect. Once the preparations were completed, they would activate a Grand Formation to trap Jiuyang Sect. After that, they would kill, conquer, and replace the members of the sect.
'Have I been exposed?' Yue Cheng wondered inwardly, frightened out of his wits. He felt as though he was sitting on needles at this moment. When Zuo Han and Zou Yizhao's deaths surfaced in his mind again, he was overwhelmed with the urge to flee.
The Sect Master asked, "Why do you think the devils set up camp 40,000 miles away from us? Are they planning to make a comeback?"
The great hall was still silent as everyone tried to process this shocking news.
When the Sect Master saw that no one responded to him, he looked at Yue Cheng as he slowly asked, "Junior Brother Yue Cheng, you've always been calm and resourceful. What do you think about this matter?"
Yue Cheng, who had been stewing in anxiety, instinctively rose to his feet when he was called out. Then, when he realized everyone was staring at him, he quickly removed the shocked expression from his face and replaced it with a bitter smile. "I… In my opinion, the devils must be preparing for something but were discovered by Qingyun Sect and were forced to fight. I'm still shocked by this. Sect Master, I think we can't afford to involve ourselves in this matter. We should just close our gates, and enjoy our lives!"
The Sect Master nodded. "You have a point. However, sometimes, it's impossible to not get involved even if it's what we want. Does anyone have any more ideas on what we should do?"
The atmosphere slowly warmed up.
Yue Cheng participated in the discussion with a smile, but inwardly, he was feeling very restless and uneasy.