Listening to the group’s discussions, Han Yu gained a better understanding of the situation—and an inexplicable sense of urgency.

If a full-blown war really erupted between the great sects and Wanchun Valley, what could mere Laborer Disciples like them do?

Wouldn’t their lives hang by a thread, entirely at the mercy of others?

But then, another thought struck him. For such explosive news to spread even among the lowest-ranking Laborer Disciples in just a few days… what did that signify?

If the sect were truly trying to guard a secret, rumors shouldn’t have spread so quickly, right?

Han Yu couldn’t fathom the sect’s strategy. He could only refocus on himself: using the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method to raise his Qi Refining base and the Spirit Root Refining Art to enhance his aptitude.

The Blood Refining Technique was capable of rapidly increasing his Blood Essence. However, because he was using that essence to repair the physical damage caused by the Spirit Root Refining Art, his net gain in Blood Essence had slowed considerably.

To compensate, Han Yu began consuming Spirit Blood Vine to bolster his reserves. This allowed him to shorten the interval for practicing the Spirit Root Refining Art from once every five days to once every four.

Unconsciously, over a month passed.

No war broke out between Wanchun Valley and the other sects. The fervor of the rumors eventually died down, the heated discussions fading into silence as life returned to normal.

Han Yu gradually realized the truth. Wanchun Valley allowed these rumors to circulate freely—even among the laborers—to send a message to any hidden spies: We are prepared. Do not try anything foolish.

It was a deliberate move to startle the enemy into abandoning their plans.

Old Daoist Li and Han Yu had ceased all interaction, becoming like strangers. Han Yu didn’t know how the old man had removed the red hair from his head that day, nor did he know what he had been so frantically busy with lately.

Han Yu could only look after himself. He cultivated continuously, making slow but steady progress day by day.

After repeated sessions of the Spirit Root Refining Art, his Fire Spirit Root had been refined by approximately twenty percent.

His daily limit for absorbing medicinal efficacy and Spirit Breath had noticeably improved. The spiritual seed in his dantian was now more distinct. Although he was still a considerable distance from the third level of Qi Refining, his accumulated daily progress was significantly faster than before.

This improvement in aptitude came at a terrifying cost. If one only looked at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment realms, the trade-off was a massive loss of resources and vitality. Only someone like Han Yu could withstand such a deficit and dare to attempt it.

One morning, as soon as Han Yu stepped out of his hut, he noticed a change in his spirit field.

The Green Grain Spirit Rice stood about half an inch taller than the day before, and spiritual energy was slowly coalescing around the stalks.

It was entering the final harvest stage!

“Junior Brother Han, quick! Enter the spirit field and cultivate!” Sun Kang called out with a smile as he approached. “You have Four Spirit Roots. If you seize this opportunity, you might just break through to the first level of Qi Refining!”

Sun Kang’s words stirred Han Yu’s heart. Right. It is time to ‘officially’ reach the first level of Qi Refining in the public eye and start learning spells.

“Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Sun.”

Han Yu entered the spirit field, sat down cross-legged, and began to cultivate.

Moments later, Old Daoist Li emerged from his hut wearing a bamboo hat.

Sun Kang called out to him as well, “Junior Brother Li, take this chance to cultivate inside the spirit field—”

Old Daoist Li didn’t even break stride. He shook his head. “I have other matters to attend to.”

With a quick glance at Han Yu sitting in the field, he hurried away.

Sun Kang was baffled. “At a time like this? What could possibly be more important than the harvest?”

He turned to Han Yu with a grin. “I originally planned to help both of you, but since Junior Brother Li doesn’t care, I’ll save some energy. I’ll focus on helping you ward off insects and rats.”

Han Yu immediately stood up and bowed. “Thank you, Senior Brother Sun!”

“No need for that. Sit, cultivate. Strive to reach the first level of Qi Refining soon,” Sun Kang replied warmly.

throughout the morning, quite a few Laborer Disciples passed by the fields. Liu Lan, Wei Kunyi, and others stopped to look. Seeing Han Yu meditating diligently while Old Daoist Li was absent during such a critical time left them all quite surprised.

In the afternoon, the notoriously eccentric disciple surnamed Lu came strolling over with a grin. “What a coincidence. Your spirit fields are harvesting, and mine is ready at the same time.”

Sun Kang, who was guarding Han Yu’s field, looked at him in surprise. “You’ve been here for years. Why didn’t you plant your crop with everyone else?”

“I got caught up with… matters… and accidentally delayed it,” the man surnamed Lu laughed.

Sun Kang was rendered speechless. Delayed by ‘matters’? Probably that vulgar habit of his again.

Han Yu didn’t know the man personally, only his reputation for being extremely weird. Their fields harvesting simultaneously was just a coincidence of timing, especially since their plots were far apart.

Han Yu simply nodded in acknowledgment. They exchanged names, and Han Yu learned the man was called Lu Yun.

Not long after Lu Yun left, Han Yu emerged from the spirit field. He told Sun Kang that he felt he was on the verge of breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining.

Sun Kang’s face lit up. “That’s excellent! Once you enter the first level, you’ll be a true cultivator. When you succeed, I’ll take you for a stroll around the Green Grain Market!”

He had no idea Han Yu had already been there.

As they spoke, Old Daoist Li hurried back, still wearing his bamboo hat. Sun Kang raised a hand to greet him, but the old man rushed straight into his stone hut without a word.

Sun Kang didn’t chase after him. He was kind, not a busybody.

“Senior Brother Sun, thank you for guarding my field today,” Han Yu said. “Once I break through tomorrow and learn some spells, I won’t dare delay your cultivation time any further.”

Sun Kang nodded. “The pests didn’t come today, so I didn’t have to do much. Once you learn spells, you can scare off the Spirit Insects and Spirit-Stealing Rats yourself. It should work fine. But if you really can’t handle them, come find me.”

Just then, Wei Kunyi walked over with a bright smile, leading Liu Lan. Sun Kang happily shared the news of Han Yu’s impending breakthrough.

Liu Lan offered her congratulations immediately.

Wei Kunyi’s eyes lit up. “Junior Brother Han, I must truly congratulate you! We are both from the Nanli Kingdom; we really should get closer in the future.”

She then adopted a concerned tone. “You are new here, and young. You might not understand the malice some people harbor. You must be careful.”

“If you succeed, you can tell the world. But you absolutely must not tell anyone before you break through. If someone tries to sabotage you at the critical moment, the consequences would be unthinkable!”

Although Han Yu knew Wei Kunyi had a private relationship with Steward Wang, her advice was sound. He nodded, indicating he understood.

Seeing Han Yu’s potential, Wei Kunyi set aside her slight displeasure from the previous meal invitation. She then led Liu Lan toward Old Daoist Li’s stone hut.

Sun Kang asked, surprised, “What for?”

Wei Kunyi smiled. “The spiritual energy is gathering in the grain. It’s a prime cultivation opportunity, and since Junior Brother Li isn’t using it himself, we shouldn’t let it go to waste. I’m going to ask if he’ll let us sit in his field tomorrow.”