Ning was led out of the main hall along with the others who had passed, into a quiet side chamber carved into the rock wall. The elder had vanished immediately after announcing the results, instructing everyone to come find him afterward.

  “Now, everyone enter one after another,” the attendant said.

  “Alright,” Everyone replied.

  "First, Ni Luoxia. Please enter." The attendant announced and stepped aside the door.

  To be honest, Ning was quite tired of waiting in lines. But bureaucratic procedures were the same even in his past life, so he had long since grown used to them.

  When it was finally his turn, Ning stepped inside.

  The room was simple. A stone table, a single oil lamp, and a jade plaque resting neatly at the center. Behind the table sat a middle-aged man in plain robes, the elder himself.

  “Ji Ning,” the elder said calmly. “Step forward.”

  Ning bowed and approached.

  “This is your First-Tier Spiritual Plant Certificate,” the elder said, sliding the jade plaque toward him. “Effective immediately.”

  When Ning took it, the jade warmed slightly in his palm, the runes shimmering before settling. These runes were made so that they could authenticate this certificate and were quite complex, coming from the alliance itself.

  “So,” the elder continued, “you should also understand what changes from today onward.”

  “The sect will no longer take seventy-five percent of your harvest. Instead, you will pay a fixed quota, determined by plant grade.”

  “Every certified spiritual farmer must submit a fixed quota once every three months,” Elder continued. “This quota is assessed per acre and varies by plant grade.”

  He gestured toward the stone board beside him.

  “For low-grade first-tier spiritual grain, the quota is forty-five kilograms per acre per quarter.”

  Ning’s eyes flicked briefly to the numbers, already calculating.

  “Mid-grade grain, thirty kilograms.”

  “High-grade grain, Frozen Breath Grain included, eighteen kilograms per acre.”

  “And tier-grade first-tier plants,” Elder finished, “fifteen kilograms.”

  The elder’s voice was calm, as if he had said the same line many times. He probably had done so in his long life.

  But to Ning, every number carried weight.

  Five acres of low-grade grain, two hundred and twenty-five kilograms every three months.

  One acre of Frozen Breath Grain, eighteen kilograms.

  The pieces fell neatly into place.

  “As for herbs and specialty plants,” The elder added, “the quota is lighter. Thirty, twenty, twelve, and ten kilograms, respectively.”

  He turned to face Ning. “Fail once, and you receive a warning. Fail twice, and your certificate is suspended. A third failure…” He shrugged. “You return to the old system.”

  Seventy-five percent. That was left unsaid.

  "Yes, elder." Ning nodded.

  “Good,” the elder spoke, leaning back slightly. “My name is Luo Hong. Remember it.”

  “Yes, elder Luo,” Ning replied.

  Luo Hong studied Ning for a moment, then spoke again, his tone turning more deliberate.

  “Now that you have access to spells beyond the five basic farming spells,” he asked, “have you decided which ones you wish to learn?”

  Ning did have a few ideas, but since the elder had brought it up, it was obvious he intended to offer guidance.

  “No, Elder,” Ning answered honestly. “Please guide me.”

  Luo Hong nodded.

  “First, understand this,” he said. “Farming spells are not inferior spells.”

  Ning listened intently.

  “Most cultivators believe farming techniques are slow, passive, and weak,” Luo Hong continued. “That belief is born from ignorance.”

  He raised a finger.

  “Take the Sprouting and Nurturing Technique. To the careless eye, it merely hastens growth. In truth, it governs life initiation. If you can nurture a seed, you can also determine what grows, and where it grows.”

  “Seeds, spores, root fragments, prepared in advance, can be induced to germinate instantly. This principle applies to plants, fungi, and anything that draws vitality from its surroundings.”

  Ning nodded in comprehension.

  “The Sweet Dew Rain Spell works the same way,” Luo Hong said calmly. “What flows with the water depends entirely on preparation.”

  “Medicine. Nutrients. Or substances that cripple growth.”

  There was no need to elaborate further.

  “And the Spirit Forging Earth-Shaking Technique,” Luo Hong concluded, “is not a digging art. It is a method of force transmission.”

  He looked directly at Ning.

  “Spells are not weak. Only users are.”

  Ning nodded.

  If he were being honest, he did have plans to learn new spells eventually, but his current spell set was sufficient for now. Moreover, while these farming spells had combat applications, pure combat techniques naturally held an advantage.

  Still, he kept those thoughts to himself.

  After all, Elder Luo was clearly an advocate of making farming great again.

  “This disciple will remember,” Ning said, bowing deeply.

  Luo Hong nodded once, satisfied. “Good. Learn these spells properly. When mastered, they will carry you further than flashy techniques ever could.”

  When Ning stepped out of the side chamber, the noise of the hall had already died down. Most disciples were dispersing in small groups, some animated, others silent.

  One figure lingered near the stone steps.

  “Ji Ning.”

  Ning turned.

  Xin Fu stood there, hands clasped behind his back. His expression was complicated. After all, he did fall one spot less at the end.

  “Congratulations,” Xin Fu said after a pause. “Second place. And the certificate.”

  Ning inclined his head. “Thank you.”

  Xin Fu exhaled slowly. “I didn’t qualify. I was close,” he continued. “But not close enough.”

  Ning studied him for a moment. Xin Fu wasn’t seeking comfort, but rather he was venting.

  “Your spell control isn’t bad,” Ning said. “But your theoretical grounding seems poor.”

  Xin Fu blinked. “Yes. I was mostly taught just to learn spells and apply them, rather than theory.”

  Ning thought for a moment, then said, “Go to the Spirit Hall library. Start with Foundations of Spiritual Botany, Volume One. Then read Annotated Growth Cycles of First-Tier Plants. Don’t skip the footnotes.”

  Xin Fu raised an eyebrow. “Footnotes?”

  “That’s where the real explanations are,” Ning replied matter-of-factly.

  There was a brief silence.

  “…You’re really recommending books to someone who just lost,” Xin Fu said.

  Ning shrugged. “You didn’t lose because you’re bad. You lost because you’re incomplete.”

  Incomplete. It was a word that fit just right. It was neither condescending nor too pitying.

  Xin Fu stared at him, then chuckled, this time genuinely. “Figures. Next year I will try again and pass.”

  He cupped his fists. “I’ll remember it. Thank you."

  Ning returned the gesture. “Good luck next year.”

  With the belief that having one more friend meant having one more path, he gave the man a heads-up. What happened afterward didn’t affect him much.

  On the way, Ning found himself thinking again.

  Now that he held the certificate, he would have to carefully min-max his planting choices.

  Fortunately, he had timed the certificate just right. The next harvest was just in a couple of days, and this time he would probably earn much more.

  Ning looked forward to it.

  ...

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  The outer city was where most early- and mid-stage Qi cultivators lived, people scraping by on commissions, hunting, or low-end crafts. Life there was practical, cramped, and perpetually tense.

  The inner city, on the other hand, was different.

  Not only did many Foundation Building cultivators reside there, but even late-stage Qi cultivators who lived within its walls also possessed some form of recognized craft, alchemy, talismans, formations, forging, or specialized trade.

  For Ning, this was his first time entering the inner city.

  The reason was simple.

  He had never needed to.

  All of his loot had always been sold in the outer city. Most of the time, after returning from a hunt, he was too exhausted to even consider wandering further. Spending spirit stones in the inner city without a clear purpose had always felt wasteful.

  But today was different.

  Ning approached the inner city gate, where two guards stood watch.

  Both were clearly in the mid-stage of Qi cultivation, though their aged faces and weathered expressions suggested decades of experience.

  One of them stepped forward, his voice stern enough to discourage anyone with ill intentions.

  “State your purpose. Do you wish to enter the inner city?”

  Ning nodded calmly.

  “Yes.”

  He retrieved his jade token and held it out. “Outer sect disciple. Ji Ning.”

  The moment the guard saw the token, the tension drained from his posture.

  “So it’s a disciple of the Pure Qi Sect,” the guard said, his tone turning respectful. “You may enter. The entry fee is two spirit stones.”

  Ning nodded again.

  Entering the inner city normally required five spirit stones, unless one purchased permanent residency. Fortunately, outer sect disciples received a discount, while inner sect disciples were allowed to enter freely.

  “Understood,” Ning said, handing over the stones.

  The gate opened.

  The moment Ning stepped inside, the atmosphere changed.

  At a glance, the inner city felt far more vibrant than the outer district. Streets were wider, buildings taller, and spiritual energy noticeably denser. Compared to the outer city, where cultivators were focused almost entirely on survival, this place was clearly built for convenience and comfort.

  Shops lined the streets, their signboards etched with spiritual qi signatures. Cultivators walked openly, some wearing refined robes, others carrying artifacts without bothering to conceal them.

  Before Ning could take more than a few steps, a voice called out eagerly.

  “Guest! Guest!”

  Ning turned.

  A boy about his age hurried toward him, eyes bright and posture attentive.

  “Do you want to hire a guide?” the boy said quickly. “I know the inner city very well, shops, markets, workshops, all of it! I can help you find anything you need immediately. Just one spirit stone, and I’ll guide you for the whole day!”

  Ning blinked, momentarily surprised. So even guides had their own market here.

  The inner city really was different.

  Ning studied the boy for a brief moment.

  The guide stood straight, eyes alert, clearly practiced in reading faces. A spirit stone for a day’s work wasn’t unreasonable, but Ning came with his own purpose.

  “Sorry,” Ning said, shaking his head. “I already have plans.”

  The boy didn’t argue or press further. He simply nodded, disappointment flashing across his face for an instant before professionalism took over.

  “Understood. If you change your mind, I’ll be around,” he said, stepping aside and melting back into the flow of people.

  Ning watched him go, then exhaled softly.

  Guides were useful, but being used to save every spirit stone, he didn't have much need for them.

  He had barely taken a few steps when a familiar voice rang out from across the street.

  “You’re finally here!”

  Ning turned.

  Sun Jing strode toward him with long, energetic steps, robes trimmed with thin golden stripes that caught the light as he moved.

  “I am,” Ning replied. “Still, I didn’t expect you to call me straight into the inner city.”

  Sun Jing waved a hand dismissively. “Details, details. You were bound to come sooner or later.”

  Ning didn’t comment, though inwardly he recalled the so-called compensation Sun Jing had promised earlier.

  To be honest, Ning had already assumed he’d been quietly fleeced. The man hadn’t sent a single message for nearly a month.

  So imagine his surprise when, just as Ning was preparing to overhaul his fields, a message arrived.

  Ning glanced around at the bustling streets. “Since we’re already here, why don’t you show me around?”

  Truthfully, Ning was curious.

  Before today, he had never bothered entering the inner city. There simply hadn’t been a reason. But now that he was here, it felt like unlocking a new area after meeting the level requirement.

  It would be a waste not to explore.

  Sun Jing’s face lit up instantly.

  “Of course! Leave it to me!” He patted his chest proudly. “I practically grew up here. I know which shops are honest, which ones overcharge, and which ones smile while selling you trash.”

  “…That’s reassuring,” Ning said.

  “First rule of the inner city,” Sun Jing continued without pause. “Never buy the first thing you see. Second rule, a lot of place exaggerates. Third...”

  “Sun Jing,” Ning interrupted mildly as the boy excitedly chattered on.

  “Ah. Right.” Sun Jing grinned. “Walking first. Talking later.”

  They moved through the streets, Sun Jing narrating the entire way.

  “That’s a formation shop, don’t go in unless you want to lose spirit stones. Over there? Alchemy materials. Smells awful, works great. That inn?” He leaned closer. “Food’s amazing, rooms are terrible.”

  Ning listened quietly, committing the layout to memory. The inner city really was different, more refined, more specialized, and far more expensive.

  Eventually, Sun Jing stopped in front of a shop with a deep-red signboard carved with flowing talisman runes.

  “This is it,” he announced. “Best talisman shop on this street.”

  The moment they stepped inside, a man behind the counter looked up and froze.

  “Ah, Young Master Sun!”

  The shopkeeper hurried out from behind the counter, his earlier laziness vanishing in an instant. His smile was wide, practiced, and genuine all at once. It was clear he saw a big spending customer.

  “It’s been a while!” the shopkeeper said warmly. “I was wondering when you’d come back.”

  Sun Jing laughed. “Ran out, obviously. Business has been good.”

  “As expected, as expected.” The shopkeeper clapped his hands. “Please, take a look. I’ve got fresh stock, defensive talismans, alarm talismans, even a few rare stabilization ones.”

  Sun Jing immediately dove in, enthusiasm overflowing.

  “Yes,” Sun Jing muttered, rubbing his temples. “I’d already finished my talismans in the previous mission, before the next one even properly started. I suffered greatly because of that.”

  Ning glanced at Sun Jing’s expression.

  For some reason, an image surfaced in his mind, those distant, hollow eyes people got after surviving something they really didn’t want to remember.

  A proper flashback face, Ning thought.

  This guy had clearly seen things.

  “So,” Ning asked calmly, “what exactly happened after we parted?”

  Sun Jing let out a long breath.

  “My mission was simple on paper,” he began. “Retrieve a jade plaque from the Fan family in Blue Rock Village, east of Redhorn Village.”

  “So far, normal,” Ning said.

  “That’s what I thought,” Sun Jing replied grimly. “But I stopped at Redhorn Village to rest, and that’s where I ran into Xiao Fan.”

  Ning nodded. Of course you did.

  “And then,” Sun Jing continued, voice speeding up, “we somehow ended up fighting a bandit who claimed to be the younger brother of the bandit leader we’d already dealt with earlier.”

  “…That escalated quickly.”

  “They outnumbered us four to one,” Sun Jing said. “We barely escaped. Barely. Then, while fleeing, we stumbled straight into the lair of a Foundation Building monster.”

  Ning paused mid-step. “You ran into a what?”

  “Yes,” Sun Jing said flatly. “A foundation building bull.”

  “And you survived?”

  “Ran. Again.” Sun Jing gestured wildly. “Somehow we escaped again. Then we finally reached Blue Rock Village, retrieved the plaque, and thought, finally, it was over.”

  Ning waited.

  “…It was not over,” Sun Jing said.

  On the way back, they ran into the bandits again. The same group.

  “This time,” Sun Jing continued, “Xiao Fan’s martial arts had improved. Like, noticeably. Enough that we actually managed to defeat the bandit leader’s brother.”

  He fell silent.

  The shop’s lantern flickered softly between them.

  “…Then we returned,” Sun Jing finished. “That’s it.”

  Ning stared at him for a moment.

  "That's rough, buddy."

  Sun Jing nodded, "That's true. It felt as if heaven itself was opposing how much we had to go through.”

  Ning nodded to himself.

  As expected of a cultivation world, once you defeat someone, their relatives show up instantly. If you defeat one, you need to defeat their entire lineage. A classic.

  He sighed inwardly.

  “Next time,” Ning said, “bring more talismans.”

  Sun Jin’s shoulders slumped. “Believe me. I learned that lesson.”

  From the look on his face, Ning suspected Sun Jing wouldn’t forget it anytime soon. After all, meeting with the protagonist when doing a mission certainly leads to character growth.

  "So, which talismans do you want to buy?” Ning asked.

  Talismans, like most things, were divided into tiers. The escape talisman and the evil-repelling talisman were both mid-grade talismans.

  “I want to buy another Fire–Lightning Blast Talisman,” Sun Jing said. There was a certain look on his face. “As long as I have enough firepower, I don’t believe I’ll end up in that situation again.”

  Ning thought for a moment before replying. “I think you should balance your collection more. While a top-tier talisman can give you attack power far beyond your own cultivation, it takes time to activate because it’s so far above your level.”

  He continued calmly, “The real advantage of talismans is speed. They’re faster than spells, much faster. If you use talismans that are closer to your own cultivation level, you can release them almost instantly.”

  Sun Jing was clearly the type to prioritize power over speed.

  That wasn’t wrong, but in a one-on-one situation, it was undeniably foolish.

  Sun Jing nodded slowly. “That makes sense. But the solution is easy.”

  He grinned. “I’ll just buy a full set of mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade talismans at once. Then I don’t believe I’ll lose again.”

  Ning paused.

  Even an ordinary mid-grade talisman costs around twenty-five spirit stones. A basic set: attack, defense, and escape meant three talismans per tier. By that measure alone, the amount Sun Jing was talking about spending was absurd.

  “Is something wrong?” Sun Jing asked, noticing Ning’s slightly blank expression.

  “Nothing,” Ning replied flatly.

  Earlier, he had been wondering whether he should refuse such a heavy reward.

  Now, he was absolutely certain he shouldn’t.

  ...

  After purchasing the talisman, Sun Jing led Ning to wander around.

  “Ah,” he said, stopping in front of a familiar storefront. “Here.”

  Ning followed his gaze and froze.

  The signboard above the shop read, in bold, time-worn characters:

  Golden Bell Armory

  Ning stared. Then stared harder.

  “…That name,” he said slowly. “Isn’t that the same one as the armory inside the sect?”

  Sun Jing grinned. “Yep.”

  “So that means-”

  “Our family business,” Sun Jing said proudly, chest puffing out. “One of them, anyway. We’ve got a few branches."

  Ning looked at the shop again, reevaluating it entirely.

  “I bought my bow from here,” Ning said. “A low-grade one. But it was surprisingly sturdy.”

  Sun Jin’s grin widened. “Of course it was.”

  He leaned closer, lowering his voice like he was sharing a great secret. “Our refining focuses on structure first, effects second. Even low-grade weapons won’t fail at the worst moment. That’s our rule.”

  That explained a lot.

  Ning had abused that bow far more than he probably should have, and it had never cracked, warped, or lost tension.

  “…Impressive,” Ning admitted.

  Sun Jing beamed. “Right?”

  They stepped inside.

  The interior was spacious, with weapon racks lining the walls, swords, spears, sabers, hammers, bows, and stranger things besides. The air smelled faintly of metal and heated wood.

  The shopkeeper looked upand instantly straightened.

  “Young Master Sun!” he exclaimed, hurrying forward. “You’re back!”

  “Of course I am,” Sun Jing said cheerfully, "You check things here, then I will bring out the reward soon".

  Saying that he walked inside the inner chamber in haste.

  The shopkeeper personally led Ning toward the counter while Sun Jing disappeared into the back room, muttering something about “inventory” and “boots".

  “So,” the shopkeeper said with a warm smile, pouring tea, “Young Master Sun brought a friend today.”

  Ning accepted the cup. “He did.”

  Small talks were always kind of awkward. Ning mostly listened to the shopkeeper talk about the history of the shop and such.

  One thing he did notice was that Ling Yao, the senior sister he had met earlier, was also a relative of Sun Jin.

  The surnames were different; there might be a story there, but Ning didn't think about it much.

  Soon, Sun Jing emerged, holding a pair of boots aloft.

  “Found it!” he declared proudly.

  The boots were sleek, cloud-gray in color, with faint wind-patterned inscriptions etched along the sides. Even at a glance, Ning could tell they weren’t ordinary.

  “Movement-enhancing Wind Cloud Boots,” Sun Jing said cheerfully. “First-tier, high-grade. This is my reward.”

  The shopkeeper nodded approvingly. He knew that Ning had been promised a reward from the young master. “A good choice. They amplify burst movement and reduce qi consumption during rapid steps.”

  "Thanks." Ning, having decided to take the treasure, was naturally not hesitant.

  Movement equipment was always welcome, especially one of such high grade.

  "Now, we wait. I had called another guy as well, to reward him." Sun Jing spoke.

  Before Ning could ask who he meant, a familiar figure approached from the opposite direction.

  “Over here!”

  Xiao Fan walked toward them, his expression calm as ever.

  Sun Jing waved enthusiastically. “You’re late!”

  “You should’ve been clearer about the directions,” Xiao Fan replied evenly. Then he turned to Ning. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

  Ning nodded. “Same.”

  Damn. Sun Jing even called the protagonist without saying a word.

  Sun Jin, completely oblivious to Ning’s thoughts, laughed and tossed a small bundle toward Xiao Fan. “Here. Compensation for helping with my mission.”

  Xiao Fan caught it instinctively, then paused as he unwrapped it.

  Inside was a pair of boots, simpler than Ning’s, darker in color, but etched with the same flowing wind-pattern inscriptions.

  “…Movement boots?” Xiao Fan asked.

  “Yes,” Sun Jing said.

  With the reward-giving session over, Sun Jing clapped his hands together.

  “So,” he said brightly, looking between the two of them, “where to next?”

  Ning thought for a moment.

  Where can I go with a protagonist in tow?

  His thoughts clicked into place almost instantly.

  Then he said calmly, “Gambling.”

  ...

  Thanks for reading~