Chapter 57: Innate Spiritual Farmer's Sacred Physique
"Strange… this little brother Gu Mo seems to have quite a lot of autonomy." Gou Youyu watched Gu Mo leave, his brows slightly furrowed. Throughout the entire negotiation just now, Gu Mo had been making all the decisions directly.
Fifty pounds of Water Spirit Rice—logically, there was no way an errand disciple like Gu Mo could make that call on his own. Even if this deal was a win-win, he should have reported it to some higher authority first.
"Unless…"
Suddenly, a shocking idea popped into Gou Youyu's mind, even making him a little startled. But he quickly shook his head, feeling that his guess was far too outrageous.
In the end, he stopped overthinking it. Right now, his priority was to quickly brew spirit wine using the Water Spirit Rice. This was his first attempt at brewing with it—if he failed, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
---
"That shopkeeper Gou should have figured something out by now." On his way back to the Spiritual Plant Hall, Gu Mo thought to himself.
His behavior during the trade just now had been nothing like a mere errand runner sent by some big shot. The reason was simple—Gu Mo was no longer interested in hiding.
At this point, his strength was no weaker than Gou Youyu's, and the matter of Water Spirit Rice had likely spread throughout the Spiritual Plant Hall. Since the secret was already out, there was no reason for him to keep up the pretense.
Moreover, as their cooperation deepened, many discussions would require him to talk directly with Gou Youyu. For example, if he had questions about the Wine God's Soul Refining Technique, it would be ridiculous to keep pretending to relay messages to some imaginary higher-up, then return days later for more clarification. That would waste too much time.
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"Senior Brother Gu Mo!"
"Junior Brother Gu Mo!"
…
As Gu Mo returned to the Spirit Plantation Hall and headed straight for the Spirit Seed Vault, he was met with an unusual amount of enthusiasm from both errand disciples and outer disciples.
Just as he had expected, word of his success in cultivating Water Spirit Rice had already spread. At first, many found it hard to believe. But after someone went to confirm with Zhao Qiancheng and received his affirmation, they had no choice but to accept the truth.
A mere errand disciple who had only been in the Spirit Plantation Hall for two and a half years had actually managed to cultivate first-grade superior Water Spirit Rice? That was simply…
The disciples of the Spirit Plantation Hall were so shocked that they couldn't even find words to describe Gu Mo's monstrous talent. Eventually, someone came up with a fitting title—Innate Spiritual Farmer's Sacred Physique—and it quickly stuck.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, are you here to collect spirit seeds? Please, step ahead of me." When Gu Mo arrived at the Spirit Seed Vault, several outer disciples were already there, collecting their next season's seeds. Seeing Gu Mo, the one at the front of the line immediately offered to let him go first.
Ever since Gu Mo proved he could cultivate Water Spirit Rice, everyone around him had suddenly turned into generous and kind-hearted individuals.
"Many thanks, Senior Brother!"
Gu Mo accepted the offer without hesitation. Most of the two hundred pounds of Water Spirit Rice he harvested would likely be exchanged by the outer disciples of the Spiritual Plant Hall.
Since this batch was an additional yield, disciples from other halls weren't yet aware of it, meaning there was no outside competition. However, once the Spiritual Plant Hall reported the output, the demand would quickly skyrocket, making it much harder to get.
But as long as they maintained a good relationship with Gu Mo—the only disciple capable of growing Water Spirit Rice—why would they need to worry about securing some?
After smoothly collecting the Water Spirit Rice seeds, Gu Mo left the hall amidst a chorus of enthusiastic farewells and returned to his spirit field cottage.
Once he replanted the Sunflower and Peashooter, Gu Mo began the next cycle of Water Spirit Rice cultivation. His rent exemption for the field depended on it.
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"Hm?"
Just as Gu Mo was about to start planting, the formation outside his field was triggered. The disturbance was brief, indicating that the visitor wasn't trying to force their way in but rather using it as a form of knocking—something people did when they lacked a transmission talisman.
Stopping his work, Gu Mo exited the protective formation and saw an unfamiliar man waiting outside. Judging by his gray robe, he was an errand disciple of the Spiritual Plant Hall. Given his age, he had likely been in the hall for many years.
The reason for his visit was simple—he had come bearing gifts to get acquainted with Gu Mo, hoping to obtain some Water Spirit Rice at a high price.
Gu Mo politely declined, citing his need for the rice to break through to the second level of Qi Refining. However, he promised that if he had any surplus next season, he would set some aside for him.
The older disciple was quite satisfied with this response. After all, Water Spirit Rice was a high-tier spirit grain, completely out of reach for someone like him. Having the opportunity to purchase some in the future—even if he had to wait a year—was already a great deal.
Following that, more and more errand and outer disciples came to visit Gu Mo, making his usually quiet spirit field unexpectedly lively.
It was just as the saying went—A poor man in a bustling city goes unnoticed; a rich man in the deep mountains has distant relatives.
Eventually, Gu Mo put up a "Closed for Cultivation" sign and announced that he would publicly sell a portion of his Water Spirit Rice next season. Only then did his spirit field return to its usual tranquility.
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The days that followed were spent as usual—tending to his crops and cultivating. However, this time, his primary focus was on the Wine God's Soul Refining Technique. Using the spirit wine gifted by Gou Youyu, Gu Mo made considerable progress. This technique was truly exquisite.
By harnessing the intoxication induced by spirit wine, one could temper their soul. The higher the quality of the spirit wine, the better the results. Naturally, this made it a cultivation method that required substantial resources.
As for his overall cultivation progress, it remained stagnant. All of his Solar Essence was being used to upgrade his Sunflower. In another six months, he would have a second-tier Sunflower, something he was eagerly looking forward to.
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"Buzz, buzz!"
One day, while using the Little Cloud Rain Technique to irrigate his field, Gu Mo's transmission talisman suddenly vibrated. At present, there was only one person who could contact him through it.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, you really kept me in the dark! Hurry up and get me a hundred pounds of Water Spirit Rice!"
As Gu Mo opened his formation, a lively and charming figure dashed inside, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Yuan Niya had come to the Spiritual Plant Hall to collect her Inner Disciple benefits when she overheard that an errand disciple had successfully cultivated Water Spirit Rice. Instantly, she thought of Gu Mo—after all, she was well aware that he had been growing it.
She hadn't been sure if he would succeed, but now that it was confirmed, she immediately rushed over.
Water Spirit Rice was precious. Even as an Inner Disciple, Yuan Niya only received a limited quota each year. After all, she wasn't the only Inner Disciple, and supply was scarce.
Now that Gu Mo had successfully cultivated it, didn't that mean she could secure more for herself?
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