The Heavenly Book version of the Spirit Rain Spell wasn't long, but it was a bit obscure and difficult to understand.
However, once he truly understood it, he felt it wasn't quite right. After pondering for a long time, he could finally get started and barely operate it. It was just that the Cultivation Technique's operational route was much more complex than what he was currently learning!
He still had poison in his body, and after Cultivating for a long time, his head would ache severely, so he stopped for now!
Seeing the finger techniques again, he was a little curious. Could finger techniques influence spells?
Si Qinghe began to practice the finger techniques. This stuff was even more troublesome; it felt even harder to learn!
For a moment, he felt a bit deflated. Could it be that I truly have no Aptitude for Cultivation?
Stopping his attempts, he quietly thought for a moment.
After adding spiritual soil, the spiritual rice's growth began to improve slowly. Si Qinghe estimated that the Spiritual Qi in the spiritual soil could last for about five days, after which he would need to dig up more spiritual soil to bring back.
Having temporarily solved the spiritual rice problem, he still needed to find an antidote pill. Someone had poisoned him, and the most critical thing was that he didn't even know who the poisoner was!
An antidote pill cost twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. He had to earn twenty Spirit Stones first and detoxify himself before he could consider anything else!
Si Qinghe thought of the Hall of External Affairs. The Hall of External Affairs was where Outer Sect Disciples received tasks. For example, in his current spiritual rice crisis, if he couldn't think of a solution, he could post a task in the Hall of External Affairs and pay Spirit Stones to hire someone to solve it.
He wanted to try his Luck to see if there were any suitable tasks for him to take.
The Nine Heavens Talisman Palace covered an extremely vast area. Outer Sect Disciples all stayed in the section near the Sect's edge. Si Qinghe applied a divine travel talisman and walked for a quarter of an hour before arriving at the Hall of External Affairs!
His Cultivation was too low, he couldn't use sword-flight, nor could he afford a flying Spirit Beast, so he could only honestly walk!
The Hall of External Affairs was bustling. Outer Sect Disciples liked to come here to wander around whether they had something to do or not. Firstly, to see if there were any suitable tasks, and secondly, to meet some friends and build connections.
His predecessor had a reclusive personality and rarely came here. He wasn't outstanding in any aspect, nor did he have any special skills. In fact, it was useless for him to come here; he wouldn't get any tasks!
Si Qinghe was truly desperate, which was why he thought of coming to take tasks. Simple ones, people wouldn't pay to hire someone, and difficult ones, he couldn't do!
As expected, Si Qinghe's heart slowly sank as he looked at the task list!
There wasn't a single task he could take!
He only knew how to plant spiritual rice, and his Five Elements Technique was only the most rudimentary first Rank. Even if he barely took on a task, he would only waste time and Spiritual Qi, and simply wouldn't meet the requirements!
There were actually tasks related to Spiritual Plant here, and quite a lot of them.
Besides Outer Sect Disciples planting spiritual fields, those True Disciples and even Elders, they all had their own separate peaks, and there were spiritual fields on their mountains.
These mountain peaks usually had various chores, and sometimes if problems arose that couldn't be solved or their technique Rank wasn't high enough, they would come to the Hall of External Affairs to post tasks and hire people.
However, the requirements for these were also correspondingly higher. The Five Elements Technique had to reach at least the second Rank for them to be wanted!
Some rain-making tasks for Advanced-Rank spiritual fields required the Spirit Rain Spell to reach above the third Rank. Such tasks were rarely taken because very few in the Sect had the Spirit Rain Spell at the third Rank, and those at the fourth Rank were even rarer, only a handful of people!
Reaching the fourth Rank in three Spiritual Plant techniques meant becoming a Spiritual Plant Master!
They wouldn't come to take tasks; they were all treasures of the Sect and would be arranged to oversee Advanced Spiritual Plant!
His original body had been struggling to survive here, repeatedly teetering on the brink of being expelled from the Sect, barely managing to stay. He had no extra money to learn higher-Rank techniques!
Without Spirit Stones, he couldn't learn Advanced techniques, and without learning Advanced techniques, he couldn't earn Spirit Stones! This was a vicious cycle that tightly bound him!
"I'd better learn the Spirit Rain Spell as quickly as possible before coming back! These people are too unfriendly!" Si Qinghe returned dejectedly. The first pot of gold was always somewhat difficult to earn!
The mountain peak he lived on looked like it was patched all over, with simple thatched huts everywhere. Each small hut was just enough to accommodate one person. Buying a small Restriction was the temporary abode for Outer Sect Disciples like them!
For Outer Sect Disciples to stand out, besides reaching Foundation Establishment and advancing to the inner Sect, if they were favored by the Elders and True Disciples of various peaks and became attendant Disciples, that was also a very good way out!
As long as they pleased the Peak Master, the Spirit Stones rewarded each year would be enough to quickly improve their Cultivation. If they could even obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, that would be tantamount to ascending to heaven in one step!
But Elders and True Disciples all preferred female Disciples, especially beautiful female Disciples. Someone like him, a struggling commoner, was unwanted!
Gathering his thoughts, Si Qinghe, who had returned after hitting a wall, focused on Cultivating the finger technique called "Qingteng Yinmai Hand." This finger technique didn't have many movements, only about ten gestures, but the finger movements were incredibly obscure!
He could perform individual gestures, but when linked together, it was as uncomfortable as eating a fly; it always felt wrong!
Si Qinghe became determined. Wasn't it just a set of finger techniques? If others could learn it, so could he!
The spiritual field didn't need tending for now, so Si Qinghe simply stayed indoors, not even leaving his room, to Cultivate the Qingteng Yinmai Hand. This finger technique had no other trick; it was purely about practice making perfect!
As he practiced more times, some skills naturally emerged, and the transitions between hand seals became much smoother!
After practicing continuously indoors for two days, he could finally perform the entire set of finger techniques smoothly from beginning to end!
Having not left his room for two days, others thought he was sick again. Zhao Hu came to check again: "You little bastard, are you still alive?"
Si Qinghe, whose practice was interrupted, was furious but had to suppress his anger. He forced a smile and opened the door.
"Greetings, Steward. I was Cultivating at home. The spiritual rice is fine now. I'm about to go tend to it!"
Zhao Hu had also heard about him finding spiritual soil to save the spiritual rice. He was mainly worried that Si Qinghe would play dead again, and he knew about Si Qinghe's poisoning.
Seeing that he was fine and didn't look like he was about to die from the poison, Zhao Hu leisurely walked away.
He couldn't be bothered with the struggles between individuals!
His finger technique practice was interrupted, so he decided to pause for a bit. He hadn't checked on the spiritual field for two days and was a bit worried, so he decided to go see the spiritual field first!
Si Qinghe arrived at the spiritual field. The spiritual rice was growing well, but compared to others', it was still slightly inferior!
After all, only a layer of soil covered the surface; the deeper roots couldn't absorb much Spiritual Qi. It would be good enough if he could barely meet the Sect's quota this season!
Si Qinghe recalled the Heavenly Book version of the Spirit Rain Spell. He had barely gotten started, and his hand techniques were almost practiced enough, so it was a good time to try it out!
These Five Elements Technique primarily involved Spiritual Qi circulation routes, coupled with hand techniques. Getting started itself wasn't difficult, but to master them, besides extensive practice, one also needed Comprehension Ability!
Following the new Spirit Rain Spell Cultivation Technique route, Si Qinghe performed the accompanying hand techniques. As his fingers and palms flew, the surrounding area began to stir with wind, and the Spiritual Qi mist in the air began to gather towards him!
It's working!
This time, not only the mist but also the Spiritual Qi could be clearly felt gathering towards him!
Si Qinghe's spirit was invigorated. He concentrated on the Mind-Cultivation Technique and finger techniques!
As the Spirit Rain Spell technique was completed, the rapidly gathering mist above the spiritual field condensed into a cloud. The surrounding Spiritual Qi also rushed in as if a Spirit Gathering Formation had been set up, and when the mist reached its critical point, fine, drizzling rain began to fall in the spiritual field!
He could control the range and direction of the rain he brought down with his technique. This rain fell only within the spiritual field, not a single drop outside!
Inside the spiritual field, white mist swirled, and the rain continued. The Spiritual Qi suddenly became several times more abundant. Each seedling was vibrantly green, washed clean of dust by the rain and invigorated by the Spiritual Qi!
Si Qinghe reached out and caught a few drops of rainwater, concentrating to feel them. They truly contained a trace of Spiritual Qi!
A few drops of rainwater's Spiritual Qi might not seem like much, but how many raindrops were in this one rain shower!
Unlike the dug-up spiritual soil, which only covered the surface, the rainwater would penetrate deep into the soil, slowly moistening it and remaining within the soil!
This Spiritual Qi would also remain in the soil, absorbed by the roots of the spiritual rice. Had the problem of the spiritual field's depleted Spiritual Vein been solved like this?
It seemed he wouldn't even need to dig for spiritual soil anymore!