Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

77 Spiritual Field Courtyard.

Big Stupid Deer accompanied Ning Daoran as they dashed back home like a bolt of lightning, and only upon stepping into the courtyard did Ning feel a sense of safety.

The Cultivation World was truly too dangerous; who would have thought that on his first mission down the mountain, he would encounter Qi Refinement Realm bandits?

It seemed that in the future he should stay on the mountain if at all possible—after all, he could get stronger by simply farming up there!

"Old Lu, are you alright?" he turned to look at Big Stupid Deer.

"Ao~~~"

Big Stupid Deer, who was chewing on lush green grass, raised its head and called out, indicating it was fine.

Ning Daoran no longer concerned himself with that matter and began to check the loot from the bodies.

The two ordinary bandits had only a few scattered silver coins, while that "Third Master" had a more substantial fortune, tucking away a full five Spirit Stones in his bosom, along with a gray, dusty book.

The moment Ning Daoran picked up that worn book, the system actually directly recorded it—

[Concealing Breath Technique, Lower Yellow Grade (Uninitialized)]

...

From what he'd learned over these days, the Cultivation Techniques in the Cultivation World were ranked from high to low in the following order: Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Yellow, each Rank being divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower Grades.

The basic techniques cultivated by Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment and even Golden Core Stage cultivators were mostly Second-rank Xuan and Yellow; to break through to Nascent Soul or even Divinity Transformation, one must cultivate Earth Rank or Heaven Rank techniques to have a chance of success.

The rarity of cultivation techniques was unimaginable, which was why the Cultivation World valued "technique, wealth, and land," with technique being the most important!

Previously, Ning Daoran had obtained the Body Tempering Technique, Rain Transformation Technique, and now this Concealing Breath Technique, all of which were of the lowest grade "Lower Yellow Grade."

This Lower Yellow Grade belonged to the lowest level among those with a grade; anything lower would be those "ungraded" techniques, and those "trivial skills" were also widely circulated in the Cultivation World.

But they were mostly considered useless, either too weak in power or too poor in effect, simply not catching the eye of a regular Cultivator.

"This..."

Ning Daoran pondered for a moment, the corners of his mouth gradually curling up—this was really a case of getting what he just so happened to need. He had just been worried about his rapid advancement arousing suspicion, and now he'd chanced upon a Concealing Breath Technique that could suppress his cultivation aura!

Even though it was only a Lower Yellow Grade, if he were to cultivate it to Perfection or even a higher level, it would certainly be more than enough to hide his cultivation.

He looked up to see that the three patches of Spirit Rice in the yard were nearing maturity, and soon another batch of Refining Time earnings would be in. He should prioritize cultivating the Concealing Breath Technique, for the better he could hide himself, the longer he could live!

Afternoon.

"Old Lu, it's time to harvest the rice!"

A man and a deer took up their sickles and went out, bustlingly reaping in the courtyard!

Before long, he had once again harvested two hundred and eight points of Refining Time, and together with the four years he had not used from last time, there were now two hundred and twelve years remaining!

He returned to the hut, sat cross-legged, poured the Refining Time into the Concealing Breath Technique, and began to cultivate!

[First year, you feel the rhythm of your own breath and gain some new understanding and mastery over controlling it]

[Concealing Breath Technique, Lower Yellow Grade (Entry-level)]

"Eh?"

Ning Daoran was surprised. He had entered the threshold so quickly; could it be that his aptitude for the Concealing Breath Technique was so high?

Continue cultivating!

[Fifth year, observing the fish in the pond flicking their tails, seeing the locust flowers fall silently, you heave a sigh, never having thought the Concealing Breath Technique would also be so difficult to cultivate]

[Sixteenth year, watching the silent ripples on the lake's surface, you suddenly have an epiphany]

[Concealing Breath Technique, Lower Yellow Grade (Small Accomplishment)]

[Thirty-first year, you're still pondering over the higher meaning of the Concealing Breath Technique, your temples beginning to show signs of white, your concubine complains about the little time you spend with her]

[Seventy-second year, you feel lost in this mortal world, ever seeking the greater heights of the Concealing Breath Technique. Upon returning to your room, you find it empty, your favorite concubine leaving behind a letter, having gone with a Foundation Establishment Expert]

[You suddenly realize the most important thing in the world is oneself, not others; love is but like a breeze that rises, and like ripples on the water, it will eventually return to calm]

[Concealing Breath Technique, Lower Yellow Grade (Great Success)]

[Refining Time remaining: one hundred and forty years]

"Whew..."

Ning Daoran couldn't help but take a deep breath, his eyes slightly moist, unexpectedly moved by the emotions felt during the Refining Time.

Actually, the appearance of that concubine just happened to be his type...

But the sadness was only momentary, as he quickly recovered his elation—his cultivation of the Concealing Breath Technique had reached Great Success in one go, and he still had plenty of Refining Time left. Could he try to break through to Perfection?

He slowly closed his eyes and once again immersed himself in the cultivation of Refining Time.

[One hundred seventieth year, the cultivation of the Concealing Breath Technique seems to have reached an unknown bottleneck. You sit dryly in the courtyard every day, wandering like the ancient poets, but with few gains]

[With disheveled hair, your mental state is in a precarious condition]

[One hundred ninety-second year, life is short, and as your end nears, sitting on the stone bridge, you suddenly recall the running under the sunset when you were just a Qi Refining First Level cultivator, so nostalgic]

[Your breath is calm, and your heart suddenly becomes enlightened]

[Concealing Breath Technique, Lower Yellow Grade (Perfect)]

[Refining Time remaining: twenty years]

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...

Concealing Breath Technique perfected!

Ning Daoran stopped his diligent practice of Refining Time and let out a gentle breath, feeling his breath long and profound, far beyond what it was before.

He quietly sensed how the Spiritual Power flowed through his meridians and how every pore in his body could now open and close at will.

At this moment, his control and mastery of his own breath had reached an unimaginable level!

Although the Concealing Breath Technique was only a Lower Grade Yellow Technique, throughout history, how many were able to perfect it?

Cultivation time is precious—who in their right mind would spend nearly two hundred years perfecting a Concealing Breath Technique?

Ning Daoran gently furrowed his brows, beginning to analyze the deeper rules of Refining Time.

Having brought his Body Tempering Technique to Great Success, he had risen by three minor realms, but having practiced the Concealing Breath Technique up to perfection in one go, his realm hadn't fluctuated in the slightest, not even his mana had made half a step of progress.

It seemed that not all cultivation techniques were the same.

The Body Tempering Technique belonged to those that washed the marrow and changed the meridians, strengthening the physical body, which could in turn feed back to oneself, thereby increasing both mana and realm.

The Concealing Breath Technique, on the other hand, leaned towards "skill," belonging to those that enhanced one's foundation, but didn't contribute much to the promotion of cultivation.

But that was fine—having many skills wouldn't weigh one down!

Ning Daoran's mentality was excellent now. He didn't chase after higher grade techniques; if he could cultivate a full set of perfect level Lower Yellow Grade Techniques, wouldn't he still walk unrivaled amongst his peers?

Feeling absolutely delighted, he sensed the rhythm of his own breath and then circulated the Concealing Breath Technique, reducing his outward release of breath from the Qi Refining Fourth Level to the Qi Refining Second Layer.

All right, now he could finally relax. Even a Golden Core old monster might not be able to discern his true cultivation.

"Old Lu!"

His blood boiling with excitement again, he picked up the Spiritual Hoe and walked out of the cottage, smiling, "Time for reseeding, let's continue planting Spirit Rice!"

Big Stupid Deer leaped up with a roar, also starting to help with the busy work—drying the green rice plants, tilling the soil, planting, and transplanting—it was now adept at everything.

After bustling about all afternoon, the three-part field was once more covered in green seedlings, swaying in the wind.

Inside the cottage, Ning Daoran laid out a mat to rest for a moment.

Big Stupid Deer sat by his side, its ears turned over, enjoying the quiet of the afternoon.

"Old Lu, there's been a lot going on lately, and we've been a bit busy—you've worked hard too."

"Ao~~"

Big Stupid Deer nuzzled his arm with its large head, indicating it wasn't hard at all.

Actually, it was scared that Ning Daoran might suddenly not want it anymore, and it was even more frightened of the terrifying phrases like "stewed deer tendon" or "stewed deer meat" that Ning Daoran had joked about before—those were the stuff of nightmares for Big Stupid Deer.

Ning Daoran had a contract with it and knew what it was thinking. He couldn't help but laugh and pet its head, "Stop overthinking, without you, how lonely would I be, watching over such a big estate alone!"

Big Stupid Deer immediately felt at ease, rubbing its bald head affectionately against Ning Daoran.

...

As evening fell, the setting sun dangled over the distant mountains, like a giant fireball ready to fall at any moment.

The summer evening was cool, and Ning Daoran started to cook.

He was frying vegetables he had grown himself—green peppers with potatoes for one dish, and green peppers with eggplants for another. Although there was no meat, all were eaten with authentic Spirit Rice.

Two large bowls of rice, each grain gleaming and transparent. The flavor of this Spirit Rice was naturally fragrant, and after eating, it could provide the body with a certain amount of Spiritual Energy—truly an essential for any Immortal's household.

"Dinner's ready!"

Ning Daoran grinned, picked up the chopsticks, and started digging in with Big Stupid Deer.

After eating the Spirit Rice, a warm feeling immediately emerged, followed by a supply of continuous Spiritual Energy for the body, a process that would last about three two-hour periods.

After dinner and washing up, Ning Daoran started practicing the Body Tempering Pile in the courtyard.

He thought it through very clearly. Unlike the Concealing Breath Technique, the Body Tempering Technique required more Refining Time, and he was worried that if not enough Refining Time was invested in one go to "advance to the next level," it might result in a "reset" during the next practice, which would waste Refining Time.

Therefore, Ning Daoran decided not to rush to use Refining Time to practice the Body Tempering Technique. He would focus on planting Spirit Rice first and wait until the end of the year to accumulate enough Refining Time to invest in practice all at once!

As for the Rain Transformation Technique, there was even less of a hurry for that.

He had already found out that the Rain Transformation Technique was infinitely useful for a Spirit farmer. As the name implies, Spring Breeze and Rain, Silent Nourishment, it could manipulate Water Attribute Spiritual Energy to nourish crops, significantly increasing the yield.

It was said that after reaching the Fourth layer of the Rain Transformation Technique, one could plant Second-tier Green Bamboo Spirit Rice, and after the Seventh layer, one could even grow the legendary Third-tier Purple Jade Spirit Rice.

Purple Jade Spirit Rice—that was High-level Spirit Rice that even a Golden Core Stage cultivator would benefit greatly from eating!

But Ning Daoran had just joined the Sect and was not yet fully fledged. He believed the most important thing was to keep a low profile and be cautious, to better protect himself and appear as if he didn't exist at all in the Sect.

Those who lacked presence naturally had a greater chance of survival. Once he improved his skills with the Rain Transformation Technique, even if he could grow Second-tier Spirit Rice, it would likely attract envy or unwanted attention.

The Immortal road is long, and with a Divine-level Talent such as the Grass and Tree Holy Spirit, there is no need to vie for supremacy.

...

"Fellow Daoist Ning, are you home?"

Just as Ning Daoran was practicing with the Body Tempering Pile, an elder's voice came from outside.

It was Old Lu, who was responsible for planting the 81st Spirit field, a true Spirit farmer.

"Ah, it's Fellow Daoist Lu, what can I do for you?"

Ning Daoran opened the door and came out, with Big Stupid Deer following by his side.

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