Chapter 9: Qin's Farm

The rings were inlaid with Voidstones; pure Voidstones appeared as transparent silver-gray, becoming clearer and more translucent the purer they were, thus capable of creating larger spaces.

Space rings fell under lifestyle equipment, and since Voidstones weren’t particularly precious, they cost about half as much as combat gear of the same level.

Qin Shu opted for a third-rank ring, which provided thirty cubic meters of space—more than enough for his needs.

“I’ll take this one.”

“Excellent choice! That will be 2,600 spiritual soul coins in total.”

The shop assistant retrieved a card reader.

After swiping his card, Qin Shu’s spiritual soul coins were automatically deducted.

He turned to the female server. “Lead me to the cultivation technique area, please.”

“Certainly, right this way.”

She guided him through the mall until they reached a store called the Spell Arts Pavilion.

The staff at the Money God Shopping Mall were exceptionally attentive, providing Qin Shu with an overview of all available first- to third-rank spells.

In the end, he chose a basic Aerokinesis spell and a speed-enhancing Hurricane Step before departing from the mall.

“Have a safe journey, sir. We look forward to your next visit!”

His total expenditure came to 4,500 spiritual soul coins: 800 for Aerokinesis and 1,100 for Hurricane Step.

With this transaction, the female server who attended him would earn at least a hundred thousand in commission, equivalent to ten spiritual soul coins.

Qin Shu placed two disposable spell jade discs into his space ring and then took a vehicle home.

Upon returning, he seized the opportunity to learn both spells before the jade discs shattered.

The jade discs were now useless, having served their purpose.

Aerokinesis: By sensing the wind’s vital energy with one’s spiritual power and communicating it through personal true qi, one could control the wind.

The potency of Aerokinesis was limitless, directly proportional to the amount of true qi one possessed and their mastery of the technique.

Given Qin Shu’s current strength, he could generate an eighth-level wind.

If he condensed the wind into blades, he could unleash over a dozen wind knives equivalent to the eighth stage of Qi Refinement at once.

Alternatively, he could form a single wind sword, its power nearing the peak of the twelfth stage.

He grasped both techniques effortlessly.

“My comprehension seems rather… supernatural,” he mused.

With a thought, a gentle breeze materialized around him.

He leaped lightly, ascending three floors in a single bound. The surrounding clear wind nullified air resistance, allowing him to land silently on the rooftop.

Next, he began striding across, covering dozens of meters per step as he hopped between buildings at incredible speed.

Hurricane Step: walking like the wind, leaping like the wind.

When perfected, it allowed for flight atop the wind.

Of course, this presupposed sufficient true qi within one’s body.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Qing, Qin Gui, and Qin Hao welcomed their holiday.

Qin Shu began to use Fortune True Qi daily to nourish their bodies.

The Fortune True Qi contained the power of destiny, and Qin Shu could clearly sense that under its influence, the three disciples’ constitutions were gradually improving in a positive direction.

He perceived each person’s specific constitution:

Qin Qing’s constitution leaned towards water, suggesting her awakened spiritual soul would likely be related to water.

Qin Gui was ice.

Qin Hao was also water-based but with a more yang aspect.

Over two months, despite Qin Shu continuously using Fortune True Qi to help the three improve their constitutions, his own cultivation base still reached the eleventh level of Qi Refinement.

It can’t slow down; even after restoring spent true qi, my cultivation base continues to grow.

He felt certain he’d reach Foundation Establishment before school resumed.

As for Aerokinesis and Hurricane Step, he had refined these magics to an extraordinary degree.

He could now channel one point of true qi into ten points of wind energy. At full throttle, this allowed him to generate winds equivalent to a Category 10 hurricane.

Combined with the Cyan Lotus Sword Art, it resulted in an enormous range of sword glares attack.

His mastery of Hurricane Step had become so swift it rivaled flying cars.

Although his strength increased rapidly, Qin Shu’s foundation remained rock-solid without any instability.

Under the influence of the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed, the true qi within his body became exceptionally pure and robust, ensuring no adverse effects on his path as a cultivator.

By this time, Qin Qing, Qin Gui, and Qin Hao had reached the limit of fortune force their bodies could withstand.

Continuing any further would be futile.

Thus, Qin Shu’s cultivation speed once again surged ahead.

In two weeks, he was set to report to Yangzhou Warrior God Academy’s Branch 179.

Before that, he decided to visit his family’s ancestral home with his relatives.

Grandfather Qin Wushang’s farm was just beginning its first harvest season.

Qin Shu mused that “Qin Wushang” sounded like a protagonist from a novel.

Unfortunately, while Grandfather Qin Wushang was merely an ordinary man, albeit slightly stronger than average.

Apart from Qin Shu’s immediate family, eight other uncles lived permanently on the farm.

This single farm spanned an area equivalent to an entire county in his previous life. The plains were cultivated for spirit rice, the hilly regions for spirit fruits, and the lakes housed spirit fish.

Mechanical equipment handled both planting and harvesting uniformly.

Qin Shu wasn’t visiting to help; instead, he came for the family feast held twice a year.

As for the origin of the farm, according to Qin Wei, it seemed to have been passed down from their great-grandfather.

Back then, the great-grandfather had bestowed a favor upon a powerful individual, thus earning this vast tract of land as a reward.

Despite its immense size, ninety percent of the farm had been divided among various stakeholders.

The annual revenue from crops alone was sufficient to ensure the Qin family lived comfortably.

However, over twenty years ago, Qin Wei chose to move to Yangzhou City to provide his children with the best education, voluntarily relinquishing his inheritance rights to the farm.

Qin Wushang drew upon his savings to help Qin Shu’s family settle in Yangzhou.

From then on, Qin Wei had to fend for himself.

He opened a large fruit store, raising seven children.

Food, education, and healthcare were indeed provided at no cost, but improving them required money.

The basic crops within the Nine Provinces Holy Court contained spiritual energy; everyone ate spirit rice and spirit food.

Although the content of spiritual energy wasn’t very high, it ensured that people wouldn’t fall ill easily.

Moreover, the average lifespan of ordinary individuals was over 150 years.

The distance from Yangzhou City to the farm was about three thousand kilometers, and Qin Shu’s family only went twice a year—once during summer vacation and once for the New Year.

Qin Wushang had many descendants. Including Qin Shu’s family, there were more than one hundred people in total.

It was fine when they were young, but as soon as they grew up, they weren’t particularly close anymore.

For example, Qin Shu didn’t know his great-great-grandfather well; he would only go pay respects during the New Year.

This world was like that—even ordinary families were vast.

Traveling three thousand kilometers required hiring a flying vehicle.

Twice a year, the cost wasn’t small either.

Hiring a flying vehicle once cost around 100,000 yuan, which was roughly equivalent to the monthly net profit of the fruit store.

But for safety’s sake, this money had to be spent.

Outside Yangzhou City, it was almost entirely overrun by mythical beasts. The only way to ensure safety from airborne attacks was to rent a flying machine and stick to the designated flight paths.

This method was fast—supersonic travel meant they reached the farm in less than two hours from Yangzhou City.

Qin Family Farm.

After disembarking from their flying machines, the group walked towards the central estate of the farm.

In the distance lay golden fields of rice, gentle breezes creating waves of shimmering yellow.

The air was filled with the comforting scent of ripening grain.

Beyond the mountains were groaning with fruit.

Robotic puppets were busy harvesting crops, painting a picture of bustling agricultural activity.

As they approached the estate, the atmosphere grew somewhat somber.

Two large white flowers hung from the main gate.

“Something’s happened,” Qin Wei remarked.