Cultivation begins with harvest.

The two thorn bushes only grew to knee height. Their leaves, which were smaller than a fingernail, made them look quite delicate. Their growth was average. Although the current environment was suitable for the thorn bushes, it wasn't particularly good. We'll just let them grow for now.

Without the Heart-Piercing Grass, Chen Guang was indeed much more relaxed. Otherwise, the Thousand-Needle Wrens would be quite a handful, chirping all day long. The eldest was domineering and, being born early, was stronger. When feeding, they would fight over the food. Even if Chen Guang wanted to feed the other Thousand-Needle Wrens, as long as they weren't full, even if their mouths were already stuffed, they would still deliberately squeeze the space of the other Thousand-Needle Wrens until they were full themselves.

It wasn't just the eldest that was like this; the second child was the same. Based on their strength, they would stop fighting over food only after one was thoroughly fed. The fourth child, being the last to be born, would eagerly await each meal.

This situation will last for about three months. Only then will the thousand-needle wren transform from an instinct-driven "beast" into a thinking and rule-abiding "spiritual beast." Although they have opened their eyes and grown fur now, they are still pure babies who expect to be fed. Therefore, Chen Guang has to take great care of them. Otherwise, the third one might still get a few bites, but the fourth one might starve to death.

The fact that they were born one after the other determines who has a better chance of thriving.

In late summer and early autumn, perhaps the spiritual energy array had brought the spirit rice to the most suitable environment, and it was ripe and ready to be harvested. Chen Guang, familiar with the process, quickly harvested it.

This year's output has increased slightly, but the quality improvement is even more significant.

The two mu of Lingmi rice planted a total of 1608 plants, of which only 541 were of ordinary quality, 857 were of excellent quality, and 210 were of good quality. No outstanding quality was found.

A century-old Lingmi (a type of rice)?

Thinking of the exceptional quality of the spirit rice, I couldn't help but smile. Although it sounds a bit frivolous, the hundred-year-old spirit rice is also a kind of hundred-year-old medicinal herb.

I obtained 3515 strands of pure spiritual energy, and a total of 5 complete strands of pure spiritual energy. As for the extra strands of pure spiritual energy, I will use them to replenish the complete pure spiritual energy in my body that has been largely depleted.

Every 999 harvests of Purple Spirit Soil will reward you with a section of Purple Spirit Earth Root. This time, you've obtained 4 more, bringing Chen Guang's total to 8. He's wondering if he can use them in the spirit soil at the bottom of the Mysterious Pattern Bamboo to offset the drawbacks of the bamboo. Currently, the Mysterious Pattern Bamboo is scarce, and Chen Guang plans to try it out once he has more. Also, the Mysterious Pattern Bamboo is nurtured by Black Thistle Soil, so it's still unknown how much effect the Purple Spirit Earth Root will have.

Bringing my thoughts back to the present, this year's dried rice should weigh around 500 jin (250 kg).

Last year, 350 catties of spirit rice were paid, and only 100 catties remained, which Chen Guang almost ate up himself. This year, each mu of spirit land will have to pay 72 catties of spirit rice, which is 504 catties. Starting this year, planting only two mu of spirit rice will not be enough to cover the rent, and he will have to buy spirit rice from the market to eat.

These two acres of spirit rice are the bottom line stipulated by the sect; no matter what, two acres must be used to grow the five grains.

Chen Guang carried the harvested spirit rice home and placed a few ears of rice around the edge of the bird's nest, knowing that the little birds would steal some!

Even if they steal a bite, they have to be able to reach it just by peeking their heads out. If they're hungry, they'll still call out, and it won't affect their performance at all. These ears of grain are like snacks, so they can have something to smack their lips.

Threshing and drying the grain were operations that Chen Guang was very familiar with. He finished these tasks before the sun set. Unfortunately, the straw had already begun to lose moisture, so he could only keep some of the tender parts. The dried parts were even rejected by the ice-tailed shrimp, so he abandoned the idea of ​​collecting them all for feed.

From harvesting to transporting and threshing, the two acres of fertile land can be completed in a single day.

After reaching the first level of body refinement, the advantage of the "Blood Refining Scripture" in its rapid recovery became apparent. He was almost tireless, and Chen Guang even lavishly used the Jade Cutting Blade, easily harvesting two acres of spirit rice with minimal effort. Only then did he understand why Cao Fang was also able to secure a place in the spirit rice harvesting business.

If Chen Guang were willing, he would have finished harvesting the spirit rice much earlier this year and participated in the spirit rice business. He could have pocketed most of the nearly 1,000 catties of spirit rice from a single branch. However, he neither cares about these few hundred catties nor has that much free time.

I took some time to sell Linquan pumpkins, Liexin grass, and cotton fire needles.

The disciples of the Qi Hall who went to conquer Xuefeng have returned less this year. The winter training camp and the summer when it is not so cold are perfect for conquering Xuefeng. Therefore, eight Linquan pumpkins sold for five hundred yuan.

Forty-six stalks of *Ligustrum lucidum* could be sold for 270 yuan.

The Cotton Fire Needle sold for 1,700 coins, but only five were sold. This is the special feature of flying needle magical artifacts: the fewer they are sold, the lower the price. A single flying needle magical artifact has a much narrower range of applications. The shopkeeper of Fanglin Hall was very interested in Chen Guang's Cotton Fire Needle and wanted to ask more, but Chen Guang refused.

Although he doesn't care so much about those trivial matters now, Chen Guang is still unwilling to reveal too many spiritual items in public. Hiding in the market is much better, and he can sell other spiritual items without any scruples.

However, if I were to go there for one night, I wouldn't be able to bring the Thousand Needle Birds back, and they might starve to death by the time I returned. I entrusted them to others, trusting Cao Fang and Wan Longjing, but both of them were very busy at the moment, so I temporarily gave up the idea of ​​selling more Cotton Fire Needles.

Chen Guang went to the market and bought a pound of ice salt, three pounds of fresh amber flowers, three bottles of fresh demon beast bile, ten pounds of spirit plant seeds, and four boxes of frozen spirit insects [black beetles] specifically used to feed other spirit beasts. Freezing them to a certain extent would not kill the black beetles and would keep them fresh, making it convenient to buy and sell them.

Ice salt is really expensive; it costs 2800 yuan per kilogram.

Three catties of amber flowers cost 700 coins, three bottles of demon beast bile cost 900 coins, ten catties of spirit plant seeds cost 1700 coins, and four boxes of black beetles cost 2400 coins. The remaining coins were exchanged for 70 catties of spirit rice, and all the money was spent.

"I've invested a lot in these thousand-needle warblers; I've gone to such lengths, I hope at least two will survive."

Chen Guang was still somewhat uneasy.

I have given them the best possible conditions. Judging from Liu Yige's experience, even though Liu Yige is very knowledgeable, he would rather sell bird eggs than adult thousand-needle wrens. Even though they are precious and cared for during their early years, the mortality rate of these young birds is still alarming.

Back in the building, the Thousand Needle Wren was already starving. The handful of spirit grains that Chen Guang had placed next to the nest had been completely consumed. The Thousand Needle Wren's cries penetrated the bedroom walls and courtyard walls, reaching Chen Guang, who was quite far away.

I took the bird's nest out into the yard, and the warm sunlight made the warbler's calls a little quieter.

For convenience, I first fed them a handful of grass seeds to quiet their noise before opening a magical jade box. Inside were sixty plump, black, somewhat translucent caterpillars. Upon closer inspection, they felt quite hard.

The black beetle possesses hundreds of times more spiritual energy than the ice-tailed shrimp and also has a natural spell, but it has been reduced to food. Four black beetles were taken out, and the warm light spell was used to dispel the ice crystals on the surface of the black beetles. Only then did the black beetles show a slight sign of recovery. The next moment, the warm light spell directly turned into a fire mist spell, which instantly steamed them and sent them to the mouths of four Thousand Needle Wrens.

The thousand-needle, which had just settled down a little, suddenly became restless and swallowed a black beetle whole.

After a while, the eldest of the group let out a joyful and satisfied cry, and soon quieted down, squinting its eyes to enjoy the satisfaction of digesting the black beetle.

"This guy... he's feeding you guys so well, don't disappoint me."

Chen Guang chuckled, watching as the four thousand-needle wrens were satisfied before going to do other things in the spirit field. The black beetles and grass seeds were enough to keep them recovering for two or three hours.

He put the jade box back into the Black Serpent's belt, frowning slightly.

The Black Void Serpent Belt, with its limited space of less than three dimensions, is already feeling somewhat cramped. With more items added, it will become crowded. One storage artifact is no longer sufficient to meet Chen Guang's growing needs.

He took this matter to heart and went to inspect the sacred land again, weeding where needed and watering where necessary.

Another summer is about to end.