Cultivation begins with harvest.

During his three-day stay in Xingfeng Market, Chen Guang also visited some friends.

He naturally still had friends. Besides his neighbors, he also met a cultivator from the Qi Hall. However, Qi Hall cultivators were always in a hurry, and as expected, Chen Guang was unable to meet him in person. In fact, the other party found Chen Guang several times when he met his friend.

Seeing this, Chen Guang obediently returned to the inn. He went to the first floor of the Sutra Repository to look up information and broaden his knowledge, and also went to the market to buy some seeds.

What kind of seeds are worth considering.

When it comes to best-selling items, spirit rice is both currency and a necessity, so it is naturally the most popular. Among all spirit plants, it has a considerable profit margin, since you can get as much as you grow.

The income of cultivators who grow spirit rice can be estimated. A cultivator's annual yield is nearly 300 catties per mu, while that of ordinary people is no more than 150 catties.

However, planting other spiritual plants is different. They don't offer the same direct and clear profits as spiritual rice, and their prices are not stable, heavily reliant on the market.

The yield of spiritual vegetables is only about 60 to 70 catties of spiritual rice per mu per season. The advantage is that there are different varieties in each season, the planting time is short, and multiple seasons can be planted in a year. With proper management and price fluctuations, the annual profit can be around 250 catties of spiritual rice.

The market for other medicinal herbs and plants is not as stable.

"But this is my first year cultivating my own spiritual field. Maybe I shouldn't be so stubborn. I should choose some other kinds of spiritual plants to enjoy. I have the ability to see the detailed information of spiritual plants, so there might be better options."

Chen Guang had made a calculation in his mind, and immediately began to try them one by one. With a little circulation of his magic power, he immediately received a response.

Some are small stalls, some are shops. The shops have a wide variety of items, but they are all quite common. Many of the stalls and vendors sell items on behalf of disciples of the Qitang sect who go out to explore. You might be able to find a bargain, or you might be deceived and buy something of poor quality. All of this is within the reasonable range allowed by the market.

Pure counterfeiting and deception are not allowed. Poor quality is a different matter. After all, cheap goods can be sold cheaply, and it is one's own business if one is too blind to recognize them as high-quality.

On the first day, Chen Guang did not gain anything.

It wasn't until the next day that they finally made some discoveries at the stall of a burly, bald man.

Spiritual Plant: [Linquan Pumpkin]

Grade: Tier 1 Top Quality

Attributes: Water/Fruit/Seasonal/Herbal

Description: After maturity, the pumpkin naturally forms a first-tier premium [Lin Quan] inside. It has very little flesh, strong vitality, and a moderate fruit set rate. It has high water requirements and slightly higher light requirements. It can naturally kill most weeds by crowding out space. It is not suitable for cultivation with other spiritual plants. Planting it in late spring can greatly increase the germination and survival rate. Using moist [Black Thistle Soil] during cultivation can increase the number of fruits.

Related description (Lin Quan): A first-grade, top-quality spiritual liquid rich in spiritual energy. Direct consumption can heal injuries and restore magical power.

Unlock the next level of cultivation content: 0/50 (Number of mature Linquan Pumpkins)

Chen Guang's heart stirred.

The artifacts and spiritual plants corresponding to the Qi Refining realm are all of the first rank. The common first rank spiritual plants are the characteristic of most of them, representing their upper limit. Only a very small number can be called top-grade. Since they are top-grade, they naturally have their unique features.

The Linquan Pumpkin truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier Tier 1 item. The Linquan spring it nurtures has healing and mana-restoring effects. The specific effects are still unclear, but being a top-tier Tier 1 item is exciting to even think about.

Secondly, Linquan is also a kind of spiritual spring water, which can be used to soak the seeds of spiritual rice to improve the quality of spiritual rice and indirectly increase production and efficiency.

"This is my first year as a cultivator, but the three-year exam is at the end of the year. I don't expect to become a big fat man overnight, so this year can be used to lay the groundwork for my future farming career."

Chen Guang estimated that the bag on the stall contained about a dozen seeds, all of good quality, enough for about half an acre of spiritual land.

Moreover, it looks almost identical to ordinary pumpkin cultivation; at least Chen Guang himself couldn't see any difference.

However, Chen Guang suppressed his excitement and pretended to look at the other spiritual plant seeds.

After looking around, I settled on the [Swallowtail Grass]. This spiritual plant is only a first-tier common one, but the demand is not low. Many of the spirit cranes in Xingfeng Hall, as well as other spirit beasts, can be directly fed with Swallowtail Grass. Spirit beasts fed with Swallowtail Grass can grow faster to a certain extent. However, the economic benefits of Swallowtail Grass are average. If only half an acre is planted, the benefit will only be about 100 catties of spirit rice.

Furthermore, considering the exclusivity of the Yaolinquan pumpkin, the planting area for swallowtail grass needs to be slightly reduced, which is not a big deal.

"How much are your swallowtail grass seeds?" Chen Guang asked after looking them over.

"One pack is 55, two packs are 100, and three packs are 135." The bald man glanced at Chen Guang, nodded, and said rather kindly.

"It's expensive. The scallion greens are selling well, but we're not making much money," Chen Guang said bluntly.

With spirit rice and spirit vegetables as the dividing line, anything below that is not profitable, and anything above that is profitable. Everyone has this tacit understanding. Cultivators are not ordinary people who only need to eat spirit rice to fill their stomachs. To cultivate and make progress, they also need to make considerable expenditures.

Without hesitation, the bald man said, "But swallowtail grass can be used to establish connections with the disciples of Xingfeng Hall who raise spirit beasts. This is a hidden benefit. It's up to you. If you think it's too expensive, you can buy more. The more you buy, the cheaper it will be."

Raising spirit beasts and getting them stronger will reward the disciples who raise them. However, since swallowtail grass is planted in large patches and its effects are not immediately noticeable, the benefits are only so-so. While disciples who raise spirit beasts want it, most spirit farmers are not willing to plant it.

"What about these vegetables?" Chen Guang changed the subject, pointing in the direction where the Linquan pumpkins were, and asked.

"They're all eggplants, pumpkins, peppers..." the bald man explained.

Chen Guang was overjoyed. After hearing the price, he said, "How about 70 catties of spirit rice, a bag of swallowtail grass seeds, and some vegetable seeds as well? You don't have many vegetable seeds."

The bald man glanced at the seeds of eggplants, pumpkins, and the like. There weren't many of them. Vegetables were selling well, and the price of seeds wouldn't be high. He had sold too many. He would need to buy seven or eight portions of the seeds on his stall to plant one acre of spiritual field. So he didn't argue any further: "Add five more pounds. You can choose three kinds of vegetable seeds."

"Alright then." Chen Guang readily handed over 75 yuan to the bald man, selected chili pumpkin and swallowtail grass seeds, and considered his mission accomplished.

The bald man didn't recognize Lin Quan Pumpkin, which was within his expectations. After confirming it, he was still secretly pleased.

With only 5 coins left in his pocket, Chen Guang stopped wandering around the market and returned to the inn. He exchanged the 5 coins for 5 catties of spirit rice, finished practicing his magic, and rode a spirit crane back to his spirit field that same day.

Each person has one free opportunity to ride a spirit crane per month, and after that, each ride requires 10 catties of spirit rice.

Back at the branch building, I happened to see Wan Longjing feeding the cranes.

Chen Guang immediately held up the swallowtail grass seeds and smiled at Wan Longjing, "Senior Brother Wan, if you don't mind, I plan to plant some swallowtail grass this year."

Wan Longjing glanced at it and his smile deepened: "Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother. If you don't mind, I'll reserve it with you and we can pay a little more than the market price."

"I only plan to plant half an acre of swallowtail grass and half an acre of pumpkins," Chen Guang said sincerely and directly.

Wan Longjing was taken aback, but not surprised. Instead, he praised, "This is a wise move. Pumpkins are easy to store and sell well, holding their value much better than swallowtail grass. Come on, junior brother, let me show you where your new two acres of spirit fields are."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Brother." Chen Guang was trying to get closer to Wan Longjing, since the other was a disciple of a branch building, and maintaining a good relationship would be helpful to him.

The two walked for several miles and arrived around Chen Guang's yard. Wan Longjing pointed out the exact location of the new two acres of spiritual fields and the route of the irrigation canal to Chen Guang, and then they walked back.

When I returned, I saw that in one of Chen Guang's one mu of spiritual fields, there were some red-veined heart-shaped vines growing on the edge of the field, about one fen of land. However, they were not growing very well.

This is the [Blood Polygonum multiflorum] that Chen Guang planted in his first year here. He obtained the seed by chance after traveling thousands of miles. He only learned that it was a first-grade top-quality seed after being enlightened by a disciple of the Qingheng Sect. He refused other people's offers to buy it, thinking he would make a fortune. As a result, it took two years to bear fruit, and the quality was also worrying. It is the product of Chen Guang's first failed choice.

If the quality of spiritual plants is substandard, they often won't fetch a good price.

This is the risk of farming: if the quality is substandard, it can only be sold at a low price.

"Although Blood Polygonum multiflorum can mature in two or three years, if the quality is not ideal, it can still be cultivated for another seven or eight years without any problem. Watering it with the fresh blood of some demonic beasts will definitely improve the quality," Wan Longjing suggested.

Chen Guang was taken aback, because several of the blood-shouwu plants were floating with a white ball of light, shining brightly even in broad daylight.