2: Mutant Spirit Rice

Lin Yan rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

“Is it dizziness from losing too much blood?”

He walked closer for a careful look, confirming it wasn't an illusion. Above each stalk of Spirit Rice was a small, glowing panel resembling a holographic projection.

“Could this be the legendary System? How do I use it?”

Lin Yan enthusiastically began his research.

There were many panels—each Spirit Rice had its own—but each panel was also quite simple.

Apart from the name of the spirit plant, there was only the growth progress and growth status.

“growth progress must be a quantification of the entire growth and maturation process of the Spirit Rice.”

Generally speaking, Spirit Rice is a first-tier spirit plant. Planted on first-tier spirit fields, it matures once a year.

Lin Yan's one acre of Spirit Rice had been sown half a year ago. With meticulous care and the occasional application of the Azure Wood Technique to catalyze growth, it had now begun to head and fill grains, with the growth progress past the halfway point.

“The growth progress of this batch of Spirit Rice is seventy percent, which seems about right,” Lin Yan estimated.

“What does this growth status mean? experience +1...”

The System's phrasing reminded Lin Yan of some internet slang from his past life.

“Can I actually add experience to the Spirit Rice?”

He subconsciously reached out and tapped the “+1” position on the panel.

The panel glowed faintly as the text “Absorbing sunlight and rain, experience +1” gradually faded away.

The information on this Spirit Rice's panel changed:

【spirit plant Name: Spirit Rice】

【growth progress: 71/100】

【Growth Status: Ingested a small amount of spirit fertilizer, experience +2;】

Absorbed trace amounts of Spiritual Qi, experience +2.】

The growth progress value changed from the previous 70 to 71.

He tapped twice more in succession.

“Ingested a small amount of spirit fertilizer, experience +2;”

“Absorbed trace amounts of Spiritual Qi, experience +2.”

As the two lines of text quickly faded, the Spirit Rice's growth progress increased accordingly:

【spirit plant Name: Spirit Rice】

【growth progress: 75/100】

【Growth Status: None】

...

“So that's how it is. experience can be converted into growth progress!” Lin Yan felt a small thrill of excitement.

He also noticed that not only did the numerical values change, but the Spirit Rice itself was rapidly undergoing subtle transformations.

The previously shriveled grains on the rice panicle swelled slightly, becoming noticeably fuller.

As a full-time farming Utility Disciple, Lin Yan could clearly sense that the grain-filling process of the Spirit Rice had suddenly accelerated a notch.

The central leaves of the rice stalk rapidly unfurled, visibly growing an inch taller.

The entire Spirit Rice plant seemed infused with powerful vitality, standing noticeably more upright.

The changes in the panel's values were synchronized with the actual growth progress of the Spirit Rice.

“Amazing.”

Immediately, another question arose in his mind: where did this experience for the Spirit Rice come from?

Could it be that the System had been withholding the Spirit Rice's growth progress before?

“My Spirit Rice was planted in the same batch as everyone else's. The growth progress is nearly identical, all having just begun to head.”

In other words, the Spirit Rice's inherent growth progress was normal. The experience added by the System represented *extra* growth progress!

“Excellent! With this System, my efficiency in growing Spirit Rice will increase dramatically. It's like having an Innate, saintly body for farming!”

In the future, even as a Utility Disciple, he would have more prospects than the average farming Utility Disciple.

“Absorbing sunlight and rain, experience +1”

“Ingested a small amount of spirit fertilizer, experience +2”

“Absorbed trace amounts of Spiritual Qi, experience +2”

...

Lin Yan couldn't help but grin as he tapped the experience values on the panels.

Stalk by stalk, the Spirit Rice rapidly filled its grains, the kernels visibly plumping up.

The verdant rice plants also seemed to take on a deeper shade of green, their vigorous growth looking exceptionally pleasing.

Lin Yan was happily busy in the field, even forgetting to eat lunch.

In the afternoon, Zhao Qiyang and the other two also emerged from the small wooden hut and began working in their spirit fields.

Four acres of spirit fields had been cultivated in this valley. Lin Yan and the other three were Disciples who took the assessment in the same batch, each assigned one acre.

Among the four, Zhao Qiyang's Spirit Rice grew the most luxuriantly, followed by Lin Yan's, with Xu Shuangyuan and the other person's fields lagging behind.

This was because Xu Shuangyuan and the other person usually followed Zhao Qiyang's orders. Whenever they had free time, they tended to Zhao Qiyang's Spirit Rice, causing their own fields to fall behind.

At this moment, Zhao Qiyang led Xu Shuangyuan and the other person in tending his own spirit field.

Seeing Lin Yan darting around his field, a cold glint flashed in Zhao Qiyang's eyes.

Little Fatty Xu Shuangyuan looked at Lin Yan, a trace of worry in his gaze, wondering what Lin Yan was up to. He seemed a bit like he'd gone mad.

Seeing Zhao Qiyang displeased, the other person chimed in with a mocking tone to curry favor:

“Has this Lin Yan gone crazy? I thought he wasn't right earlier. Who smiles with a bloody, broken head?

Serves him right. Brother Yang kindly invited him to join, but he was ungrateful and repeatedly contradicted Brother Yang. Someone like him still wants to become an Outer Sect Disciple? Dream on!”

This person was named Tu Lei. His tone was ingratiating and fawning, and he deliberately raised his voice so Lin Yan in the adjacent field could hear.

Lin Yan found this utterly exasperating, feeling this person was truly beyond redemption.

The four of them took the assessment together, usually suffering Zhao Qiyang's bullying.

The limited amount of spirit fertilizer distributed by the Sect was also forcibly taken by Zhao Qiyang through trickery and coercion.

Clearly, Lin Yan was striving for his own rights, which would indirectly benefit Tu Lei as well, yet Tu Lei viewed Lin Yan with hostility.

Don't think that submitting to Zhao Qiyang would spare one from bullying.

On the contrary, Zhao Qiyang was domineering and tyrannical. On ordinary days, he scolded and hit Tu Lei and Xu Shuangyuan even more often and more harshly!

Otherwise, why would Little Fatty Xu Shuangyuan carry Golden Sore Medicine with him?

Lin Yan felt human nature was far too complex.

Xu Shuangyuan was merely weak, but Tu Lei was hopeless, completely tamed.

Ignoring Tu Lei, Lin Yan just wanted to focus on farming.

At that moment, a slightly different panel caught his attention.

【spirit plant Name: Spirit Rice】

【growth progress: 68/100】

【mutation progress: 1%】

【Growth Status: Absorbing sunlight and rain, experience +1;】

【Ingested a small amount of spirit fertilizer, experience +2;】

【Absorbed trace amounts of Spiritual Qi, experience +2.】

...

Typically, panels only had three entries: spirit plant Name, growth progress, and Growth Status.

This panel, however, had an extra “mutation progress.”

“Could this be... Mutated Spirit Rice?!”

Lin Yan's face revealed unconcealable joy. If Zhao Qiyang and the other two weren't nearby, he would have shouted out loud.

Mutated Spirit Rice!

The standard for the Outer Sect Disciple assessment was to cultivate one stalk of Mutated Spirit Rice within a year!

“mutation progress is 1%. Does that mean it's just beginning to mutate?”

After the initial excitement, Lin Yan gradually calmed down.

He carefully observed this particular Spirit Rice stalk. The stem was upright, the plant a verdant green.

Its growth condition was excellent, but its appearance was indistinguishable from the other Spirit Rice.

Generally speaking, Mutated Spirit Rice always looks somewhat different from ordinary Spirit Rice in appearance.

In other words, this stalk wasn't truly Mutated Spirit Rice in the full sense yet.

“It's only starting to mutate. I shouldn't celebrate too early,” Lin Yan thought.

But this discovery was still extremely valuable!

If the System wasn't mistaken, it meant that Spirit Rice in the Early Stages of mutation showed no external characteristics.

By the time external characteristic changes appeared in the Spirit Rice, the true, essential mutation was already complete.

And the System could screen out Spirit Rice with a tendency to mutate.

“So that's it!”

Lin Yan felt this was a groundbreaking discovery, giving him a deeper understanding of spirit plant mutation.

From now on, he could tailor his approach, focus his cultivation efforts, and greatly increase the probability of producing Mutated Spirit Rice!

Ordinary Cultivators cultivating Spirit Rice could only treat all plants equally or rely on luck.

Whether applying fertilizer or catalyzing growth, it was entirely based on feeling, like a lottery.

Lin Yan, however, could concentrate resources, apply fertilizer precisely, and catalyze growth with precision!

If he still couldn't cultivate Mutated Rice with this advantage, he might as well find a straw rope and hang himself.

...

In the adjacent spirit field, Zhao Qiyang and the other two were drawn by Lin Yan's sudden, excited movements.

The three of them watched Lin Yan with varying expressions.

“What madness has struck Lin Yan now?” Tu Lei mocked. “Should we fetch a Spirit Medicine pharmacist from the medicine garden to treat his head?”

Zhao Qiyang sneered, “Just a clueless bumpkin from outside the mountains. He's not worth the effort of a pharmacist from the medicine garden.”

Tu Lei quickly agreed, “Right, the medicine garden is staffed by elites from our Sword Pavilion's Wood Lineage. Lin Yan isn't worthy!”