Nanming Domain, Qingyuan Sword Sect

July

The summer heat was scorching, the sun directly overhead.

It had just passed noon, and the sun was at its most venomous. Lin Jing was slowly pushing a cart along the dirt road beside the fields.

The cart was loaded with several bulging sacks that seemed quite heavy, making the cart creak under the weight.

Soon, when he passed under some shade, Lin Jing stopped.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and then took out a gourd hanging from his waist, opened the stopper, and began to drink heartily.

He downed more than half the gourd in one breath before reluctantly putting the water bottle away.

He dared not drink it all in one go, as there was still a long way to go.

After drinking, Lin Jing sat on the edge of the cart to rest. The intense heat of summer made even the breeze feel warm, only under the shade of the trees could one find a hint of coolness.

Looking up, the field in front of him was a golden sea; the Spirit Rice was ripe and would be ready for harvest in a few days.

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Jing felt slightly dazed and couldn't help but think back to his childhood days on Blue Star.

His hometown had looked just like this, where he used to play in the fields with his friends and work alongside his grandparents.

Thinking back, life then had been so nostalgic...

But everyone has to grow up.

Latter on, as his studies and responsibilities grew, he became busier, just like everyone else.

Schooling, exams, graduation, jobs...

Until the burdens of life were suffocating, he gradually forgot that small village where he had spent the happiest times of his life.

However, a sudden car accident brought him to this world.

Initially, besides being a bit stunned, he was quite excited.

The world of cultivation, flying with swords.

In his previous life, he had read a lot about it in novels.

But once he actually arrived here, he realized that the world of cultivation was not as wonderful as he had imagined.

In this martial-oriented world of cultivation...

Being weak was a sin.

Especially when he had first arrived, his cultivation was only at the Qi Refinement first level.

With both parents dead and no one to rely on, if not for the protection of his identity as a Spirit Farmer of the Qingyuan Sword Sect, he might have already been dead.

"Can't go back now…"

Lin Jing couldn't help but lament.

......

At this moment, a voice came from behind.

"Yo! Isn't that Brother Lin?"

"Brother Lin, why are you sitting here alone? Could it be that the Spirit Rice you owe this year is insufficient? Afraid to meet Steward Li?"

Lin Jing turned around and saw a young man about twenty-three or twenty-four sitting on a cattle cart, looking in his direction with undisguised contempt,

"Yuan Bo."

Lin Jing's expression remained calm, "That seems to be none of your business."

The young man named Yuan Bo did not get angry, but instead spoke leisurely, "It seems someone is going to be expelled from Qingyuan Sword Sect…"

The mockery was clear and unabashedly displayed.

The cattle cart slowly moved on, and when passing by Lin Jing, Yuan Bo sneered coldly, "I hope you can be this tough when you see Steward Li."

Then he continued on the road ahead, not even looking back.

Yuan Bo was actually his neighbor, and due to reasons concerning their parents, the two had always been on bad terms, even hostile, which is why they acted this way upon meeting.

Lin Jing looked at the ox cart ahead, its sacks were at least double those on his cart.

Looking back at the sacks on his own cart, this was all the Spirit Rice he had to pay to the Qingyuan Sword Sect for the year.

However, it was far from enough because just before the harvest, someone had destroyed half of his Spirit Field.

Lin Jing had reason to suspect that Yuan Bo was behind this.

Because he had appeared at the scene first after the incident.

But he had no evidence, even calling upon Steward Li to investigate had yielded no results, and in the end, the issue was dropped.

Without any outcome, naturally, the responsibility fell on him. If the Spirit Rice was insufficient, he was likely to be expelled from the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

But for now, he could only take it one step at a time; he would first submit the Spirit Rice and then see what the steward would decide.

......

After resting sufficiently, Lin Jing continued on his way.

Only about an hour later did Lin Jing arrive at Spirit Farmer Village, where only those who cultivated Superior Spirit Fields were eligible to reside.

And he, among those who cultivated Low Grade Spirit Fields, could only live in thatched cottages by the fields.

At this moment, in front of a large courtyard with blue brick and black tiles in the village, many Spirit Farmers, some pushing carts and others driving ox carts, lined up, waiting to enter the yard to submit their Spirit Rice.

This courtyard is the residence of the steward.

Lin Jing glanced at the long queue, noting that these people had considerably more Spirit Rice than he had on his cart.

Seeing the scant amount of Spirit Rice on Lin Jing's cart, some nearby onlookers cast surprised glances.

People began to whisper:

"Busy all year and harvested so little Spirit Rice? He must have been slacking off."

"Indeed."

"That's nowhere near enough to meet the quota, he's bound to be punished."

At this moment, Yuan Bo, who was ahead in line, spoke up in defense:

"I know he hasn't been lazy."

"Not lazy?"

"How could he have so little Spirit Rice if he wasn't lazy?"

"He must have encountered a disaster."

"He was doing well, but just as the Spirit Rice was about to mature, someone destroyed half of his Spirit Field, completely washing away a year's worth of labor."

"I'm not far from his Spirit Field, even went to take a look myself, that scene... tsk tsk... truly dreadful."

"Someone tampered with the Spirit Field, and Steward Li didn't know about this?"

"He manages this whole area, so of course he knew. He went to investigate the day it happened, but I heard he hasn't found any leads even now."

"Now, with so little Spirit Rice, he's not meeting the quota, he's likely to take the blame."

"Indeed!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, he's probably going to be expelled from the sect."

As these words were spoken, the tone of voice raised slightly, causing the crowd around to look towards Lin Jing.

After Yuan Bo finished, he provocatively glanced at Lin Jing.

Many nearby heard the conversation and couldn't help but sigh.

"What a pity...!"

"Once out of the sect, where could he find such good conditions? So careless."

"What the fellow Daoist said is true," Yuan Bo agreed.

"Once out of the sect, such good conditions are hard to come by."

Having said that, he just stared at Lin Jing, his schadenfreude glaringly evident.

Ignoring Yuan Bo's provocation, Lin Jing silently moved to the end of the line, waiting to offer his Spirit Rice, as well as for the final outcome of the event.

The line moved quickly, and in just half an hour, it was Lin Jing's turn.

Entering the courtyard, he immediately felt refreshed. The spiritual energy here was much denser than outside, indicating the presence of a minor Gathering Spirit formation.

Lin Jing looked ahead; Steward Li was standing there, smiling, talking to a young man next to him.

From the young man's attire, he appeared to be the Inner Sect Disciple assigned by the sect to supervise the Spirit Rice offering this time.

Looking at the young man's age, he seemed to be around thirty years old.

An Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyuan Sword Sect required at least the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and this young man, so young, already being an Inner Sect Disciple, surely had exceptional cultivation talent.

In contrast, the Steward Li next to him was already over fifty years old, yet only had the cultivation of Qi Refinement Level Five.

People always say the gap between individuals is greater than that between a person and a dog. Since coming here, Lin Jing has truly realized this.

However, compared to Lin Jing, calling Steward Li a genius wouldn't be an overstatement.

Because Lin Jing's Spiritual Root...

was considered a useless Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root.

His previous ability to reach the first level of Qi Refinement was due only to over a decade of relentless cultivation and the help of his father, just barely managing it.

If it were someone else with this type of Spiritual Root, they might have given up on cultivation long ago and honestly lived as a mortal.

......

Pushing the cart over to the weighing area, Lin Jing unloaded the Spirit Rice, and someone immediately came over with a sack to start weighing.

"Five hundred and thirty jin, not up to standard."

Steward Li heard the announcement, his brows furrowed, and he turned his head towards this side.

Upon seeing it was Lin Jing, his furrowed brow eased slightly, but his expression remained grave.

"It's you," Steward Li started saying, "I've looked into the matter. It was outsiders, vagrants from beyond the mountains; I have already executed them by law."

"However..."

At this point, Steward Li became serious.

"Because of your negligence, the Spirit Field was destroyed. You can't escape blame for this."

"I have reported this matter to the sect."

"The sect has decided."

"Effective immediately, you are expelled from the Qingyuan Sword Sect."