The jade slip contained five types of five-element techniques, all related to planting, including Little Cloud Rain Technique. When he saw this, a weight was lifted from his heart—it was worth it! The explanation of Little Cloud Rain Technique in the jade slip was even more comprehensive and profound than what he had comprehended on his own.

James Foster was right; specializing in one technique is indeed more practical.

However, Brian Carter had his own ideas.

If he could master all five five-element techniques and reach the third level in three of them, he could become a spiritual planter. If Little Cloud Rain Technique hadn’t broken through to the third level, he wouldn’t have considered this. But since he managed to comprehend the third level of Little Cloud Rain Technique, it showed he had a decent talent for five-element techniques.

If he handed in these spirit grains, the sect contribution he’d receive could get him a decent sword technique.

But he didn’t do that—what would he need a sword technique for? Chopping firewood?

By comparison, planting techniques were much more practical. Even if he couldn’t master them all, the more he learned, the better his planting skills would be. The sect had no shortage of things, except that there were abandoned spirit fields everywhere that no one tended. With enough spirit fields, he could grow more spirit grains and get more spirit stones...

The more he thought about it, the clearer Brian Carter’s mind became, and all sleepiness vanished.

He sat up, stretched out his hand, and touched his own face. The muscles on his face were stiff, hard as wood, which was why he always struggled to show any other expression.

He didn’t care about looks; he cared about something else.

Faint starlight filled the courtyard, reflecting a silvery glow, like the cold night mist slowly rising. In the eyes of the expressionless Brian Carter, a trace of sadness appeared.

Two years ago, the head of the Wukong Sword Sect found the unconscious Brian Carter on the way back to the sect and brought him back. From the moment he woke up, he discovered his memory was a complete blank. In these two years, he had tried everything but couldn’t find any trace of memories from before.

He discovered something unusual about himself—his face, stiff as stone, unable to make any expression. The sect leader said it might be a rare strange illness. Because of this face, he wasn’t well-liked by his fellow disciples at first and suffered many grievances.

But he didn’t hate this face; it was one of the only two clues he had found. Maybe one day, this wooden face would remind him.

Who am I... Where is my home...

The other clue was that recurring dream. Whose voice was that? What was it telling him not to forget?

Yet he had forgotten everything!

He sighed inwardly, shook his head, as if trying to shake these thoughts out of his mind. He casually picked up the sound jade beside him and infused it with spiritual power.

The sound jade was one of the most popular magical tools in the cultivation world, consisting of a base and a round jade disk, set with a rune array that could receive transmissions from large-scale arrays. Brian Carter’s sound jade was the simplest grade-one type: a square nanmu base holding a palm-sized upright round jade disk. After infusing spiritual power, the surface of the jade disk flickered with light and changing colors, and a melodious voice came from within.

“The Dutian Blood Realm has erupted in violent conflict again. Twelve cultivator camps were simultaneously attacked by large-scale demon assaults, with heavy casualties.”

“Zhou Ding Sword Sect has discovered another new realm. Initial exploration has found a large number of crystal mines. Reportedly, more than fifteen other sects have also sent senior cultivators. Moreover, due to the large number of natives in this realm, some industry insiders predict this may cause a significant drop in the market price of slave cultivators...”

“After slaying the famous demon expert Ximoda, the Xishang Sword Sect of the Xishang Realm intended to refine his natal feather into a flying sword. Today, the sword was finally completed. It’s said that when it was forged, sword energy swept across ten miles. Experts from artifact-refining sects estimate that this Golden Feather Sword will reach an astonishing grade seven! The Xishang Sword Sect has gained another powerful weapon!”

...

Under the starlight, Brian Carter listened quietly. When he had just woken up, this crude sound jade had helped him gradually understand this world.

It was also from that time that he developed the habit of listening to the sound jade every day.

Whenever he felt troubled, he would turn on the sound jade and listen quietly, and his mood would gradually calm down.

The night was like water, the sky dotted with stars. A zombie sat quietly on the rooftop, lost in thought as he listened to the sound jade.

Section Three: The Small Courtyard

Watering fifty acres of spirit fields was no small task for Brian Carter, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Brian Carter said expressionlessly, “Alright, I’m exhausted.”

Old Black grinned and gave a thumbs up. “Mr. Carter, your Little Cloud Rain Technique is truly something else—its reputation is well deserved!” With that, he squatted down, face full of joy, to check the growth of the spirit grains.

Brian Carter accepted the flattery calmly. Old Black’s spirit grains were planted solidly; by his estimation, this year’s harvest would be quite good, eight or nine times out of ten. With his own watering, increasing the yield by twenty percent shouldn’t be a problem. As payment, he would get a ten percent cut, which was considerable.

But when he saw the reverence and joy on Old Black’s face as he looked at the spirit grains, for some reason, he didn’t feel much happiness.

Old Black had been an outer disciple at Wukong Sword Sect for twenty years. With low cultivation, he had been planting spirit grains in the sect for twenty years.