Chapter 4: Testing Out The System
"How was Bai Zian able to remain undetected under the radar of Senior Brother and Valley Master? Could he have used some Energy Masking technique that was discussed in the Basic Cultivation Manual?"
"Thank God, Feng Liang is like me, untalented."
Qing Chen did not look any longer so as not to arouse suspicion.
He continued harvesting the spiritual herbs; his speed had increased, but he slowed it down and worked like a normal mortal.
Qing Chen carefully tended to the herb patches. He would inspect the Azure Vein Vines for pests, ensure the soil around the Silverdew Flowers was rich in spiritual essence, and prune the overgrown leaves of Flame Lotus Roots. Each task required precision and care, as spiritual herbs were notoriously temperamental.
By mid-morning, the warm sun bathed the valley, and Qing Chen moved to the storage hut, where freshly harvested herbs were sorted. As he worked, Bai Zian, the diligent and mysterious prince, was often nearby, offering quiet assistance. In contrast, Feng Liang usually lounged under a tree, pretending to oversee their work while munching on a stolen spirit fruit.
“Qing Chen, you work too hard,” Feng Liang drawled, tossing a fruit pit into the grass. “Why not take a break? The herbs aren’t going anywhere.”
Qing Chen ignored him, focused on extracting the nectar from a Golden-leaf Vine, a process that required steady hands and unwavering concentration.
[+2 Harmony Points for perfectly extracting Golden-leaf Nectar.]
By midday, Qing Chen would retreat to a quiet corner of the valley, where a small creek flowed over smooth stones, its gentle babbling a soothing backdrop for meditation. Sitting cross-legged beneath an ancient Spiritwood Tree, he would close his eyes and let the natural energy of the valley flow into him.
Spiritual energy flowed through his veins, filling up the gaps that had appeared after working non-stop in the fields. Harvesting did not require the use of spiritual energy, but what they were dealing with were spiritual herbs that required more energy.
During these moments, Qing Chen often reflected on his unusual life. From an office worker on Earth to a servant in this mystical world, he had no grand ambitions to become a powerful cultivator or a hero. All he wanted was to live a peaceful life, free from conflict. Yet, the more he immersed himself in the valley, the more he felt a quiet strength growing within him.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, Qing Chen returned to his duties. He would prepare fertilizers infused with spiritual energy, grind dried herbs into powders.
Sometimes, Bai Zian would join him, the two exchanging sparse but meaningful words about their tasks. Feng Liang, on the other hand, would occasionally show up with a half-hearted attempt to help, only to disappear when the work grew tedious.
"Brother Bai, I have already tried cultivating, and it seems I am not talented enough. So I was thinking that it was better to do more work in the field, and I might have some motivation to cultivate. In the meantime, you can cultivate."
"Hmm... Your suggestion is not bad. But will you be able to handle all that work?"
"No worries... I really like doing this work. As you know, I have been a servant my whole life; I have become used to it now."
...
As Qing Chen lay on his simple cot that night, the soft hum of crickets outside lulling him to sleep, he felt a sense of quiet fulfillment. He might not wield swords that could split mountains or possess techniques that could shatter the heavens, but he was growing stronger in his own way, a way that felt harmonious with the world around him.
“Tomorrow,” he thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips, “I’ll try to harvest that Spirit Willow Bark without damaging it. Maybe that’s worth another point or two.”
Little did he know, the seeds of his humble life were sowing something far greater than he could imagine.
A week passed harvesting herbs. Qing Chen had also become used to living here. Although it still felt like something was not right and he was missing something, slowly this feeling was fading away.
Qing Chen also tried doing good deeds in the meantime that thankfully counted as Harmony Points, and he now had one more source of accumulating points.
After he had taken over the work of Bai Zian, Feng Liang also came to him to order him to take over his work too. Maybe, because he thought Qing Chen was weaker than Bai Zian, he was chosen. Well, not that Qing Chen minded. He happily took over his duties, and Feng Liang felt that he had punched cotton. Although this was the best outcome, Qing Chen accepting it so readily surprised him.
"Here, these are the books sent by Senior Zhao Ling." A servant disciple was walking up the valley.
"Send my thanks to Senior Brother." Qing Chen had requested some history books from his Senior Brother. Although doing the work of harvesting and good deeds motivated him to keep going, it was still easy to lose motivation after repeating the same thing daily.
In this world with no phones and internet, and with the addition of the tag of servant, he was not allowed to leave Herbs Valley unless the Valley Master allowed. Without the system, he might be trapped here in this valley for most of his life.
Stolen novel; please report.
Qing Chen did not waste time. He went back to his room and started sorting out the books. There were all types of topics: History of the Kingdom, Continent, Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spiritual Beasts, and some miscellaneous information on other sects and the standing of the Azure Sky Sect in the world.
Although he had already gathered a lot of Harmony Points, he still avoided increasing his strength because he did not have Bai Zian's technique to mask his cultivation.
He opened the book titled History of the Continent. On the very first page, there was a rough map of the continent drawn. He read the names of places marked on it. He was thankful to the Liang Clan because servants or generally commoners did not know how to read and write and could only speak. But as a servant from one of the top clans of the kingdom, even the servants were a way of showing off to other clans, like saying, “See that even their servants are much smarter than your clan's young masters.”
It did not matter how they were treated in their own clan, but outside they carried themselves with arrogance.
History of the Continent: No one knows who or when this continent was created...
Qing Chen read the first line written above the map of the continent. There was no name for the continent, and it was only called the "Mortal World." It was written that because it had been millions of years since the last immortal appeared on the continent, many people assumed that immortality was just a legend or myth. This was why this continent was termed the Mortal World, as it did not have the resources to give continuous rise to immortals or half-immortals.
On this continent, there were a total of nine kingdoms, and war was a common occurrence. Even among the mortal armies, there were cultivators involved.
The kingdom Qing Chen was in was thankfully in the middle, far from the sea as well.
There used to be a tenth kingdom, but it was conquered by the demons, and the other kingdoms and sects had to join forces to suppress them. But now and then, some weak demons were able to avoid detection by powerful cultivators and enter into the other kingdoms’ territory, slaughtering villages. After being reported, the sect responsible for that area would decide if they wanted to take action or not.
"How did the sects even allow such information to remain in the books?"
Qing Chen was surprised by the new information in the book.
He closed the Continent's History book, stood up, and dusted his buttocks. His Harmony Points were still waiting to be harvested.
He picked up a pouch, tied it to his waist, and walked out.
Today was Seeds Planting Day, and the pouch tied to Qing Chen's waist was filled with seeds.
As this was not difficult work, he decided to do it alone. Nowadays, Bai Zian and Feng Liang were both busy doing something else instead of harvesting. The Valley Master and Zhao Ling did not seem to mind, so Qing Chen also did not act like a busybody and continued his work honestly. As he was getting paid to do this work, his conscience would prick him if he took the salary without working for it.
The soft morning breeze carried the faint scent of spiritual herbs, and the sun cast gentle rays over the Herbs Valley. Qing Chen knelt on the rich, dark soil, a small pouch of seeds in his hands. Each seed glimmered faintly with spiritual energy, imbued with potential that could flourish into rare and precious herbs under the right care.
He dipped his fingers into the soil, creating shallow wells with practiced precision. His hands moved steadily, their rhythm almost meditative. With each seed he placed into the earth, he whispered softly, as though the seeds could hear him.
“Grow strong,” he murmured, covering them with soil and patting it down gently. “The sect depends on you.”
The spiritual water bucket rested beside him, shimmering faintly under the sunlight. Drawn from the Ever-flowing Spring, the water was said to nourish not just plants but the soul itself. Qing Chen lifted the ladle, careful not to spill a single drop. The spiritual water was a treasure of the valley, and even the smallest amount wasted would invite reprimand.
As he poured the water over the freshly planted seeds, the soil seemed to hum, absorbing the water like a parched traveller in a desert. Qing Chen closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the faint resonance of spiritual energy merging with the earth.
> [+2 Harmony Points earned for sowing seeds with care.]
> [+1 Harmony Point for using spiritual water to nurture the soil.]
He smiled faintly at the familiar chime in his mind. These moments brought him peace—a rare gift in a world where most people chased power and immortality with reckless abandon.
As he worked, a soft rustling sound caught his attention. He turned his head to see a small, fluffy creature—a Moonlight Hare—watching him from the edge of the field. The hare’s silver fur shimmered faintly, and its large eyes were fixed on the seeds he had just planted.
“You’re not planning to dig these up, are you?” Qing Chen asked, his tone light but firm.
The hare twitched its nose, as if in reply. Smiling, Qing Chen reached into his robe and pulled out a small spirit fruit he had saved from breakfast. He broke it in half and tossed a piece toward the hare.
“Here, take this instead.”
The hare sniffed the fruit cautiously before nibbling on it, its soft munching sounds filling the quiet air. Qing Chen chuckled softly and returned to his work.
> [+3 Harmony Points for kindness to a spiritual creature.]
When this creature first appeared suddenly in-front of him, Qing Chen started running away in fear and this little creature started following him. Qing Chen ran harder but the Little Creature was able to easily keep up with his speed. Later it was Senior Brother Zhao Ling who helped him and told him that the creature was not following him but was instead following the scent of spiritual fruit he had on him. And also that this creature was alone in this world as its parents had unfortunately perished due to some disease that was quite rare among the spiritual beasts. Later it was known that it was the doing of a spy from one of the demonic sects that wanted to weaken the sect.
With the last seed planted and watered, Qing Chen stood and stretched, his muscles aching slightly from hours of crouching. He looked over the freshly sown field, feeling a quiet sense of accomplishment. The seeds would take weeks to sprout and even longer to mature into the valuable herbs the sect relied on, but for now, his part was done.
He picked up the bucket of spiritual water and walked to a small Spiritwood Tree at the edge of the field. Setting the bucket down, he knelt and poured the last of the water at the tree’s base. The tree’s leaves trembled faintly, as though in thanks, and Qing Chen felt a soft warmth spread through him.
> [+5 Harmony Points for harmonizing with the Spiritwood Tree.]
As the sun climbed higher, Qing Chen wiped his hands on his robe and picked up his tools. He still had other tasks to complete—sorting herbs, preparing fertilizers, and maybe even helping Bai Zian with his own work—but for now, he allowed himself a moment to rest.
Sitting under the Spiritwood Tree, he closed his eyes and let the valley’s energy flow through him.
“Perhaps,” he thought with a faint smile, “this is enough for today.”
But deep down, Qing Chen knew that every seed he planted and every drop of water he poured was not just for the herbs or the sect—but for himself, for the strength and peace he sought in this strange, new world.