Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 16: The Minor Cloud and Rain Technique

Gu Mo's doubts remained unanswered, but his immediate priority was to master a spell as quickly as possible. Out of the five available options, he only needed to grasp one to pass the assessment and secure his own spiritual farmland.

As for which spell to choose, Gu Mo had already made his decision after reviewing the descriptions—Minor Cloud and Rain Technique.

This spell was the most frequently used in daily farming management. If he didn't master it, he would be forced to manually fetch spiritual spring water to irrigate his land every day—an extremely inefficient method.

With that in mind, Gu Mo turned to the page detailing the Minor Cloud and Rain Technique. Compared to the rudimentary Cleaning Spell, which wasn't even classified, this first-tier spell was on a completely different level of difficulty.

However, this wasn't an issue. Thanks to his prior knowledge from his past life, Gu Mo had discovered some key insights into the spell.

The Minor Cloud and Rain Technique worked by channeling a cultivator's spiritual energy into tiny particles and dispersing them into the sky. These particles then absorbed moisture from the air, condensing into droplets that ultimately fell as rain infused with spiritual power.

Now that he understood the spell's fundamental principles, there were no bottlenecks in his learning process—only the need for time to practice the incantations. And if he had one thing in abundance, it was time. If anything remained unclear, he could always attend lectures at the Hall of Teachings.

---

"Minor Cloud and Rain Technique!"

Gu Mo quickly formed a series of hand seals. Instantly, a small dark cloud, formed from condensed water vapor, appeared in his room. Moments later, a drizzle began to fall, soaking everything inside.

But Gu Mo paid no mind to the mess. After a month of effort, he had finally succeeded in learning the Minor Cloud and Rain Technique, a first-tier spell. He had officially become a Spiritual Farmer.

Mastering a first-tier spell in just one month was considered an extraordinary feat for a menial disciple. Even among inner sect disciples, such talent would be considered top-tier.

However, Gu Mo knew that his rapid progress was due to his past-life knowledge. He had comprehended the essence of the spell—something native cultivators would struggle with, as understanding the formation of rain was no easy task for them.

That being said, when it came to practicing the spell itself, Gu Mo had no inherent advantage. That required hard work—something he was more than willing to put in.

Now that he had mastered the Minor Cloud and Rain Technique, all he needed to do was demonstrate it to pass the assessment and secure his farmland.

But Fan Shaoming's example served as a warning. A menial disciple mastering a first-tier spell in just one month was bound to attract attention.

Of course, talent alone couldn't be stolen, but Gu Mo did possess a great secret—his Sunflower's mysterious properties. If he drew too much attention, he risked exposing its existence.

"Should I learn another spell?"

Since he couldn't reveal his progress immediately, he couldn't afford to waste time either. All five spiritual farming spells were useful, so the more he mastered, the better.

After all, once he secured his farmland, he would have to handle everything on his own. Unlike the outer sect senior brothers, who had numerous menial disciples assisting them, Gu Mo would have no help.

---

"Yunfa, how did the menial disciple recruitment go this time?"

Zhao Qiancheng asked as Mai Yunfa returned from his assignment.

While Gu Mo was diligently practicing his spells, the one-year recruitment period had quietly passed. By now, all sect peaks had completed their selection process.

Anyone who still hadn't joined a specific peak had lost their right to choose. The sect would now forcibly assign them to fill vacancies based on need.

"This time, only Gu Mo voluntarily joined," Mai Yunfa replied with a helpless shrug.

"I see..."

Zhao Qiancheng sighed. When Gu Mo first joined, he had hoped this year would mark a turning point for the Spiritual Farming Hall. But in the end, they only got one willing recruit.

One person wasn't nearly enough. The Spiritual Farming Hall was always short on manpower. Other peaks filled their quotas early, while this hall always had vacancies. As a result, most of the unwanted menial disciples were forcibly assigned here.

Zhao Qiancheng would have preferred to reject them, but having mediocre workers was still better than having none. The hall's main task was to provide the sect with a sufficient supply of spiritual rice. If they failed, their resources would be cut.

"By the way, how is Gu Mo progressing?"

Since Gu Mo was the only one who had voluntarily joined, Zhao Qiancheng figured it was worth checking in on him. He wanted to show that the Spiritual Farming Hall valued those who actively chose to join. If word got out, perhaps more disciples would willingly sign up in the future.

"I'll go check on him now!"

Truthfully, Mai Yunfa had barely paid any attention to Gu Mo after bringing him in. After all, he was just a menial disciple—what was there to monitor? But since the steward was asking, he had no choice but to follow up.

Zhao Qiancheng waved his hand dismissively, feeling somewhat exasperated. If Mai Yunfa weren't distantly related to him, he would have kicked him out long ago.

---

"Buzz!!"

Gu Mo brought his index and middle fingers together. A sharp white light flickered at his fingertips, emitting a faint humming sound. Seeing this, a small smile appeared on his lips.

He had successfully mastered the Minor Gengjin Sword Qi.

Unlike the Minor Cloud and Rain Technique, this spell had taken him two months to master. Even so, his speed was still astonishingly fast.

Dismissing the sword energy, Gu Mo picked up his flower pot—only to find that his Sunflower was gone. Not long ago, the pot's spiritual energy had completely run dry, causing the plant to revert to seed form. As a result, he hadn't been able to harvest any solar essence for the past few days.

"I need to get my farmland—now."

Though only three months had passed since he joined the Spiritual Farming Hall, Gu Mo knew he couldn't delay any longer. He needed to secure farmland as soon as possible, plant his Sunflower, and start producing solar essence again.

Only then could he accumulate enough essence to purchase new Sunflower seeds.

Of course, mastering a first-tier spell in three months was still impressive for a menial disciple. But compared to doing it in one month, it would draw far less unwanted attention.

---

"Gu Mo, are you there?"

Just as Gu Mo was weighing his options, he heard Mai Yunfa's voice from outside. Without hesitation, he got up and opened the door.

"Senior Brother Mai, what brings you here?"

Gu Mo greeted him enthusiastically and invited him inside. However, he soon realized an awkward truth—he had nothing to offer as hospitality.

Mai Yunfa didn't mind. "You're new here. I wouldn't expect you to have anything."

Then he got straight to the point. "Gu Mo, Steward Zhao sent me to check on your cultivation progress."

"I was fortunate enough to just master the Minor Cloud and Rain Technique," Gu Mo replied without hesitation.

"Wait, what?"

Mai Yunfa had been thinking about how to encourage Gu Mo to train harder, so he could set an example for future recruits. But upon hearing that Gu Mo had already mastered a spell, he was momentarily stunned.