Immortal Mystery Sequence: I Establish a Divine Duty for Heaven and Earth

From this infinite height, Jiang Tu looked down upon the vicissitudes of life below, lost in thought, carefully processing what he had just witnessed.

Most importantly, they were plagued by inner demons. The death of Li Shitou and the failure of the serf rebellion always hung over Luo Jin and Luo Dazhuang's minds.

Luo Dazhuang's crippled body cannot break through the realm; if it does, he will surely die.

Luo Jin was plagued by inner demons and his serious illness persisted for many days.

In this situation, he quickly grasped an important piece of information!

In the early stages of agricultural cultivation, there may not be much talk about the foundation of one's Dao heart. However, as one's realm gradually improves, the importance of one's Dao heart becomes increasingly apparent. Stabilizing one's Dao heart may be more crucial than diligent farming!

If one's resolve is not firm, how can the Great Dao exist?

In his future pursuit of spiritual cultivation, he must also be vigilant, avoid inner demons, and firmly guard his true nature.

However, after being trapped in Shennong Valley for more than ten years, Luo Jin finally stepped out, and his inner demons were mostly blurred. He naturally comprehended the third type of seventh-grade technique, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. At least his predicament had changed drastically.

When people are trapped in the old place, it's like being trapped in the old stories. When the world changes, their minds naturally open up!

The previous depression has been largely dispelled in one fell swoop, which is gratifying!

Hmm... The sixth-grade realm mentioned by Luo Dazhuang also aroused his anticipation. Luo Jin has comprehended the three major seventh-grade techniques, so he should not be too far from perfection. Based on his experience reading novels in his previous life, such a grade milestone often represents a qualitative change in realm!

The ninth rank is a hasty entry into the field, the eighth rank is a glimpse into the path, and the seventh rank is the establishment of one's own path.

What about the sixth rank? Will it touch upon a higher level of power? Some kind of ability that directly reaches the essence of agriculture?

A faint sense of anticipation arose in his heart, hoping to see if Luo Jin could completely overcome his inner demons and break through to the sixth rank, which would determine the ultimate direction of the 001 evolution line!

……

……

[Year 50]

June.

Outside Shennong Valley, the sun blazes overhead.

The pale green figures stood in neat rows to welcome the hall master. They scattered into grass clippings in a short while, but the shock of that moment was hard to calm down for a long time.

The crowd was shaken, each person marveling at the spectacle.

"Master! Was that a magical technique just now?!"

"These are merely techniques from the third realm; how can they be considered immortal arts?"

"No, no, no, this is clearly divine magic! He can casually pluck a wild grass and transform it into a human. The third realm possesses such profound abilities! My path to the Great Dao of Agriculture is truly promising!"

"Master... what is this technique? Can we master it?"

"Scattering beans to create soldiers."

Luo Jin silently sensed the details of this new technique, and after a moment, he roughly grasped its essence.

"Scattering beans to form an army" means, as the name suggests, that one can scatter beans and grass to temporarily transform into an army of plants and trees, but this effect is temporary.

There are two methods of stimulation.

The first type is refined aged soybeans.

One must select the finest beans and nurture them for a long time with one's own agricultural cultivation and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The longer the beans are nurtured, the more abundant the power they contain. When casting spells, the soldiers that are transformed into them can be sustained for a longer time and will also have a certain ability to fight and kill.

After the spell's effect ends, the bean will not dissipate; it can be recycled and nurtured, becoming more powerful with age.

After ten or eight years of refinement and cultivation, one's physical strength can rival that of a martial artist; after thirty or fifty years, one may be no less than that of a Buddhist disciple or grandson.

The second type is wild grass and grain.

Rice ears, cardamom, flowers and trees picked casually by the roadside, if they are fresh, can be used to summon soldiers. However, the straw men summoned in this way will disintegrate on their own when the time comes and cannot be retrieved. The effect also depends on the quality of the wild items and varies. Most of them can be used for farming, but if used for combat, they may not provide effective combat power.

Its advantage lies in its availability; no prior preparation is required.

Nowadays, the art of turning beans into soldiers can only be used once a day, and at most lasts for the time it takes to burn two incense sticks.

"Not bad at all!"

With this technique by my side, I will have more help when farming in the future, and I will also have some ability to protect myself when I encounter danger. Although it is difficult to face the enemy head-on, it is enough to use it to bluff and buy time.

[Year 52]

The expansion of Ruixuetang's branch halls is happening faster than Luo Jin had anticipated.

They did not actually occupy Xinping City. Their strategy was to besiege the city first and then enter it, using the surrounding villages and towns to encircle the city and gradually erode and infiltrate it.

The branches were scattered around Xinping City, with each stronghold separated by a distance of several miles. They communicated with each other using insect spirits and earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or magic), without interfering with each other yet responding to each other, gradually forming a dense network surrounding Xinping City.

After the scouts were dispatched to gather information, Luo Jin soon received news that surprised him.

"Master, there are actually quite a few farmers with awakened wisdom hidden around Xinping City."

How many people?

"Roughly estimated, there are three to five hundred people! They all emerged one after another after the serfdom uprising. No one taught or passed on their knowledge, but they secretly explored the path of Taoism. They usually kept it very well hidden and were extremely careful not to let the Buddhist and Taoist sects know about it."

Luo Jin was greatly pleased.

After the serfdom revolution, the old peasant hall was almost completely uprooted. He thought that the way of farming had almost disappeared in Xinping City, but he did not expect that the blood and flesh of those who sacrificed themselves seeped into the earth and took root in the soil, and their way continued endlessly.

"Send someone to make contact... Don't rush. First, let them know that there are others on the same path outside. Teach those who are willing to come the real skills, and don't force those who are unwilling. Take it step by step and proceed slowly. Don't be too hasty!"

The first few months did not go smoothly.

Those farmers who had been hiding there avoided Ruixuetang like the plague when it came to their door. The purge of Buddhism and Taoism more than a decade ago was still fresh in their minds. Who knew if this was bait? A test? A sting operation?

As time went on, people gradually discovered that the agricultural knowledge transmitted by Ruixuetang was indeed useful, with each and every point hitting the nail on the head. A little learning could greatly increase local yields, and following along to study and practice could even improve one's cultivation and show signs of breaking through to higher realms.

The principle that the transmission of knowledge is the root of agricultural wisdom has taken deep root in people's hearts! Ten years of trial and error by one person is not as valuable as one year of mutual teaching between two people!

Gradually, the news spread rapidly among the lower levels.

The first to join were slaves, the lowest in status, homeless, jobless, and without any ties. They were least afraid of losing anything, so they had no reason to refuse...

Then came the farmers at the bottom of society, followed by the herbalists, and later even porters and peddlers became interested in farming, voluntarily joining to learn the methods of farming, hoping to gain wisdom in the future.

In just a few short years.

The number of farmers in Ruixuetang has exceeded 1,500 and is steadily moving towards the 2,000 mark.

The eighth-rank official, Tian Jun, broke one hundred.

Twenty-five officials were appointed as seventh-rank herbalists.

Their sphere of influence expanded from the area around Xinping City to the two adjacent large cities, along the river, and Wangqiu.

During this time, Luo Jin also discovered something.

The conflict between Buddhism and Taoism was not limited to Xinping City; in almost every city, the two forces were vying for power both openly and covertly.

The core of the dispute vaguely points to the same thing—the inheritance of the ancient Dao!

"This group of people are also bullies among themselves... The Great Migration and establishment of Ruizhou has been less than 60 years. Before they have a firm foothold and are beset by internal and external troubles, the calamities could return at any time. So they have started fighting among themselves first."

Luo Jin was indifferent, but he also knew very well that if the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism had not intensified, Ruixuetang would never have been able to expand to three cities in just a few years. The more the two sides fought each other, the more opportunities there were for the development of agriculture!

[Year 56]

Within Ruixue Hall, various branches and sects developed rapidly. With the development of agriculture, numerous local spirits emerged and spread throughout the land.

The insect spirits shuttled back and forth, gradually forming a meticulous intelligence network.

A Buddhist temple in a certain city transferred another batch of staff, a Taoist temple in a certain place suffered heavy losses, and Buddhist and Taoist practitioners in a certain place fought in the street, resulting in death and bloodshed on the spot... and so on, intertwined and overlapping.

As Luo Jin saw that his intelligence network was growing stronger, he kept thinking of one person.

Back then, he went his own way and only cared about slaves.

It was Li Shitou's boldness and meticulousness that allowed him to secretly contact farmers and merchants to build an intelligence network for Lao Nong Tang, which also broadened his network of informants. Now, Rui Xue Tang's intelligence network covers three cities. People at the grassroots level spread messages, merchants handle the distribution of goods, herbalists collect herbs, and even several small landowners have accepted their bribes and secretly tipped them off.

This approach was what Li Shitou did back then, but unfortunately he didn't live to see the prosperity of agriculture today.

Local spirits sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and insect spirits were no longer a rarity; almost every branch and its subordinate strongholds had more than a dozen of them.

Carp spirits appear in waterways across the land, rat spirits enter granaries to protect grain seeds, bird spirits circle in the sky and sing loudly to invigorate the spirits, snake spirits roam the fields to drive away the five pests, and rabbit spirits burrow into holes to bestow gifts.

The more kinds of land spirits a city has, the more abundant the foundation of its agricultural system.

They do not speak or fight, but they themselves are a sanctuary, providing shelter and protecting the land.

During this period, the blessing of "Population Prosperity" continues to take effect, subtly increasing the internal population growth. The number of newborn ninth-rank farmers is gradually increasing, and the agricultural path is showing signs of great prosperity!

[Year 60]

Ruixuetang's influence has expanded to five cities, and its main branch has exceeded 80,000 members.

There are over four thousand agricultural practitioners, more than five hundred field supervisors, and sixty herbalists.

Luo Jin's cultivation level rose in tandem, and the continuous feedback pushed him to the edge of the seventh rank perfection, but he still could not sense the existence of the sixth rank gate, and there was always a slight difference between the two.

It's like trying to see flowers through the fog or trying to catch the moon's reflection in water—it's all just like that.

He knew exactly where the problem lay.

The inner demons must be eliminated, and the nightmares will not dissipate.

He led his team out of the valley and rapidly expanded Ruixuetang, but he still dared not enter the city.

He had been planning and maneuvering outside the city for more than ten years, and five major cities were constantly being surrounded right under his nose, yet he never issued the order to enter the city.

He was afraid! Fear was ever-present!

This is why he has never been able to truly reach the seventh rank of perfection, nor has he been able to touch the sixth rank.

[Year 62]

Inside Ruixue Hall, the wind gradually changed, and people's hearts were restless.

"How many years have we been developing and planning outside the major cities? Five cities are already surrounded, our army is at the gates, why haven't we entered? Isn't this the perfect opportunity? Everything is ready!"

"That's right... The Buddhist and Taoist sects are currently locked in a fierce battle, making this the perfect time to enter the city! Once their conflict is resolved, what opportunity will there be for our Agricultural Sect to take root and develop here? If we continue to stagnate, I fear there will be no further development!"

"Does the sect leader have some concerns?"

"Of course we have concerns, but ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the world has changed dramatically. If we wait any longer, and either Buddhism or Taoism seizes that so-called ancient inheritance, will we still have a chance?"

Within each of the various shrines, opinions varied widely.

Luo Jin naturally heard this as well, and his mind was clear as a mirror. Now, the people in Ruixue Hall were becoming restless. They had followed him out of the valley and learned real skills as he expanded the territory. All they wanted was to live an upright and honorable life.

How could one not think of what the people want?

After decades of experience, he is no longer a stubborn person, but good at gathering ideas from all sides.

On that day, he summoned all the herbalists to an underground council chamber to discuss the matter of entering the city. The meeting lasted for three days, with Xu Lin taking the lead in advocating for development in the city.

"Master! Ruixue Hall now boasts over 100,000 members, including 5,000 cultivators and 60 at the Third Realm! This strength is not to be underestimated; it is not what it used to be. Perhaps we are unaware of the Buddhist and Taoist foundations, but given Ruixue Hall's current situation, if we stagnate and remain content with our corner of the world, won't we be discovered by the Buddhist and Taoist sects in the future, and perhaps even wiped out as soon as possible!"

"If we don't enter the city, there's no immediate threat, but once the Buddhist and Taoist sects settle down, it will inevitably be the end for my Ruixue Hall!"

"If we were to develop in the city, our agricultural sect could feign a strategic retreat while secretly undermining the Buddhist and Taoist sects, developing extensively while remaining hidden beneath the city walls, observing the conflict from the sidelines and reaping the benefits! Perhaps this could be a way to break the deadlock!"

Almost everyone else shared her opinion.

After much deliberation, Luo Jin finally made up his mind.

"Enter the city! But resolutely avoid any direct confrontation with the Buddhist and Taoist sects..."

"By operating covertly and developing in secret, we will gather more people to gradually infiltrate the agricultural path, aiming to strike at its root... Compared to the near-collapse of the Buddhist and Taoist traditions, the greatest advantage of our agricultural path is that everyone can cultivate it, and everyone can succeed!"

"Yes! This disciple is willing to personally enter Xinping City and secretly oversee the overall situation—!"

Looking at Xu Lin, Luo Jin suddenly realized that the woman in front of him was somewhat similar to Li Shitou from back then... with the same enthusiasm and the courage to think and act.

If all disciples of the agricultural path were like this, how could we not eradicate the scourge of Buddhism and Taoism and transform the world?!