“Is this the Ring of Upholding the Dao?” Fang Qing mused.
“So, by strictly adhering to the Ring of Justice, one can wield the power of the Dao?”
“What other Dao Rings do I need to master?”
“Cultivating the Dao, cultivating the Dao… once one embarks on this Daotujing, what happens if a Ring is broken?”
More questions emerged, giving Fang Qing a headache.
Then, his gaze fell on the last sentence, and he silently recited, “All Cultivators of my Heavenly Heart Dao, those who apply themselves will surely reap rewards.”
After repeating it several times, Fang Qing had an idea.
He picked up the book again and silently recited the scriptures. The unique rhythm of the scriptures quickly calmed his heart like still water.
When he finished reading it once, Fang Qing opened his eyes. Sure enough, he found no changes.
“Since those who apply themselves will surely reap rewards, there must be a change, but it’s too subtle for me to observe,” Fang Qing muttered to himself.
His mind moved with his will, and in his Sea of Consciousness, the mysterious seed began to glow brightly.
“Name: Fang Qing”
“Lifespan: 16 / 262”
“Talent: Niu Mo Change, Strength of One Bull”
“Daotujing: Heavenly Heart Dao — Wen Dao Realm (1 / 10000)”
“Cultivation Technique: None”
“Number of Parasitic Seeds: 3 (778 / 1000)”
“Third Parasitic Seed Repairing (31 / 100)”
Fang Qing rubbed his eyes, looking again and again. That’s right, one ten-thousandth progress in the Wen Dao Realm.
Does that mean reciting it ten thousand times will allow him to enter the Dao?
He instantly became interested and opened the scriptures again, but this time, no matter what, he couldn’t enter the same mental state as before.
After fussing for a cup of tea’s time, Fang Qing understood. So, this was like a basic living allowance?
If it was only one point of progress a day, wouldn’t it take thirty years?
Fang Qing rubbed his teeth. How many thirty years does a person have in their life?
By then, wouldn’t he have already entered… wait, entered what? Youth?
Fang Qing froze. He seemed to have countless thirty years.
“Lifespan: 16 / 262”
Demon Fang Qing’s legacy gave him 200 years of Lifespan, and this was only the beginning. As long as the other Fang Qing worked hard enough, he would have an endless supply of Lifespan!
He scratched his scalp. It didn’t seem entirely unacceptable.
Endless Lifespan was his greatest confidence. As long as he could endure, the advantage was his, Fang Qing mused.
Perhaps, besides the basic allowance, there were other methods to speed up his Cultivation, but this Cultivating the Dao was clearly not something that could be achieved in a short time.
He tossed the Tianxin Heavenly Book aside and pulled out another book from a box under his bed at home.
Three bright characters read “Changchun Gong.”
Hmm, simplified Chinese version.
It came from Dao Tong Fang Qing’s world. That day, Fang Qing, while peeking through the images… cough, inspecting his Clone’s work, coincidentally saw Dao Tong Fang Qing Cultivating and casually copied it down.
Cultivating the Dao is so troublesome, but Cultivating Immortality is much simpler, Fang Qing chuckled and opened the book.
“Changchun Gong, activate!”
Fang Qing didn’t know if he was the first to Cultivate the Five Elements Immortal Dao in this vast world of Dao Cultivation.
But one thing was certain: the Five Elements spiritual energy in this world was as abundant as an undeveloped virgin land.
This simple low-level Cultivation Technique, when Cultivated, progressed much faster than he had imagined.
During his first formal Cultivation, in less than a cup of tea’s time, he sensed the ubiquitous spiritual energy distributed throughout the entire space.
As the Changchun Gong circulated, the green spiritual energy surged towards him like swallows returning to their nest.
Fang Qing opened his eyes in surprise.
He raised his right hand, and with a thought, a faint green energy gathered in his palm.
This was the purest wood spiritual energy, and before its nature was changed and transformed into a spell, it had no destructive power.
Eh, he had entered the Qi Refinement Stage, first layer, just like that?
He had seen Dao Tong Fang Qing’s Cultivation before and had a slight understanding of its difficulty.
Now, such smooth progress surprised him somewhat.
Hmm, Fang Qing glanced at the low-level Cultivation Technique, Changchun Gong, then sensed the mysterious seed faintly glowing in his Sea of Consciousness, and finally looked at himself in the mirror by the bed.
He nodded thoughtfully… Case closed, I am indeed a Cultivation Genius!
Thus, Fang Qing became immersed in Cultivation, unable to extricate himself.
Cultivation makes me happy.jpg
A night passed.
Changchun Gong: Qi Refining First Layer (5 / 100)
Looking at the Cultivation progress feedback from the mysterious seed, Fang Qing was very satisfied. At this rate, he could reach the second layer of Qi Refining in 20 days.
He simply made a bowl of spirit rice porridge, finished breakfast, and then went out to find his Steward supervisor.
Fang Qing had been a handyman for a year, and his superior was Liu Quan, a smiling, portly man.
At this moment, Liu Quan was routinely inspecting the Little Medicine Garden. Seeing Fang Qing approaching, he smiled kindly and said, “Xiao Fangzi, you have already received an immortal destiny. There’s no need to work here anymore. Cultivating the Great Dao as soon as possible is the main priority.”
Fang Qing naturally knew this logic, but he also had his own plans. He cupped his fists and bowed, saying, “To be honest, Steward Liu, I also understand these principles. However, even if I Cultivate the Dao, I still need to solve the problems of food and clothing. I always need a livelihood. I wonder if Steward Liu could arrange for me to continue managing the Little Medicine Garden.”
Liu Quan understood and smiled with satisfaction, “That makes sense.”
He was very fond of this young man. Although he occasionally liked to be lazy, it was all harmless.
There weren’t many young people willing to be down-to-earth nowadays. Everyone thought they could achieve the Dao just by receiving a Heavenly Book, and they were all overly ambitious.
“In that case, you can stay in your original Little Medicine Garden,” Liu Quan said, pulling out a contract. “However, you need to sign this contract now.”
“The garden will be yours to manage. The Sect will collect five-tenths of the harvest as rent each year, and we can provide seeds and some protection. The contract renews every ten years. Are you satisfied?”
Fang Qing looked at the contract in surprise. Such a good deal? He readily agreed, “Satisfied, very satisfied. The Sect’s actions are always just, so I am naturally satisfied.”
Splitting the harvest fifty-fifty with the Sect, with seeds provided and some protection, Fang Qing was truly satisfied. He couldn’t help but sigh, worthy of a Righteous Path Sect, making people feel at ease in all aspects.
Liu Quan looked at the somewhat excited Fang Qing and explained, “This garden was originally going to be listed in the Zhushi Hall for rent. It’s good that you can accept it.”
Fang Qing suppressed his joyful emotions. With the matter resolved, he bid farewell to Steward Liu.
The progress was surprisingly smooth. The problem of establishing himself was solved all at once, and he also gained his own territory where he could safely Cultivate the mysterious seed without fear of exposure.
...
Noon, Little Medicine Garden.
Under the scorching sun, Fang Qing wiped the sweat from his brow, having harvested and sealed a Spirit Medicine.
“Third Parasitic Seed Repairing (97 / 100)”
He stood up and walked towards the next herb.
On a branch of a large tree nearby, Wu Zhaosheng swayed with the branch, watching boredly.
“Fang Qing, you are truly an interesting person. After a year of farm labor, you’re not tired of it and have even leased it for ten more years.”
“Why bother? Even if you lack money and provisions to establish yourself, I can lend them to you. You know my wealth; lending you for decades would be effortless.”
Fang Qing harvested another plant, shaking his head with a smile to decline. He naturally believed in Martial Brother Wu’s abundant wealth, as he was the son of a mortal king, and what he lacked least was money and provisions.
“I appreciate Martial Brother Wu’s kindness. As the saying goes, help in an emergency, but not in poverty. I can borrow for a while, but not for a lifetime. Having a foundation is always good.”
“Furthermore, Martial Brother Wu, you also understand that Cultivation in the Heavenly Heart Dao prioritizes justice above all. What constitutes justice is extremely subjective. Before I understand the boundaries, Junior Brother, I don’t want to owe too many favors.”
This was just the superficial reason. Fang Qing also had his own calculations, and moreover, this Little Medicine Garden was more of a layer of protection for him.
Wu Zhaosheng shook his head and smiled, “You make a good point.”
“However, even so, Fang Qing, you are too hasty. Do you know that the Zhushi Hall is full of all sorts of tasks?”
“All matters in the Heavenly Heart Dao emphasize justice. Whether we want a Senior to explain Dao principles or a Senior needs a Little Fellow to run errands, these tasks are all posted in the Zhushi Hall. There are all kinds of tasks to choose from, many of which are better than planting a Little Medicine Garden.”
“Third Parasitic Seed Repairing (99 / 100)”
Fang Qing glanced at the progress. As he walked towards the last plant, he responded with a smile, “Good or bad, I’ve already signed the contract, so it’s not good to go back on it. Who’s to say this Little Medicine Garden won’t hold the key for me to enter the Dao?”
“Heh~” Someone couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. “If a mere medicine farmer can also enter the Dao, then I’d truly be enlightened!”
It turned out to be Huang Ze, the son of the Giant Whale Gang leader, who had just entered.