Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Great Devourer of Wealth

Opening the book, he was surprised to find that beyond the prescribed movements of the Eight Forms of Heavenly Origin and their accompanying breathing techniques, there were copious annotations written in his father’s hand.

“This makes it much easier for me to learn the Eight Forms of Heavenly Origin,” Zhou Changwang thought, feeling an immediate sense of relief.

After carefully reading through the entire manual, he hurriedly began to practice, following the instructions and coordinating his breath as directed.

“Hm?” Almost immediately, Zhou Changwang’s brow furrowed.

He felt as if an immense pressure from the heavens and earth bore down upon him, slowing his movements and making every gesture feel heavy and resistant. It was as though each motion was a battle against the universe itself, an invisible force constantly obstructing him.

“It is indeed not simple,” Zhou Changwang thought, delighted rather than alarmed. The notes left by his father had already warned him that this was to be expected.

The Eight Forms of Heavenly Origin harmonized with the forces of nature, borrowing the power of heaven and earth to temper the practitioner’s body. The stronger the oppression of these forces, the greater the tempering effect.

Zhou Changwang continued, his movements slow and deliberate. There was no speeding up the Eight Forms; an unseen force pressed against him, growing stronger as he persisted.

Soon, he began to sense wisps and threads of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth flowing toward him, nourishing and refining his physique.

“It truly is a technique for physical cultivation, capable of drawing spiritual energy to temper the body,” Zhou Changwang thought, suddenly enlightened.

This explained why his father, despite lacking a spiritual root and being unable to cultivate immortal arts, could still benefit from the technique. Without a spiritual root, his father could not retain the spiritual energy within his body, but the Eight Forms worked directly upon the flesh, refining the body, with only a small portion of energy entering the dantian for absorption and transformation.

Thus, it naturally enhanced his father’s strength.

As Zhou Changwang marveled, he suddenly felt the pressure dissipate; his breath was disordered and no longer matched his movements, causing the cultivation to fail.

He was not discouraged. After quietly reflecting for some time, he began anew.

Half an hour later, Zhou Changwang ceased his practice.

“The Eight Forms of Heavenly Origin are not so easily mastered,” he sighed, yet his mood remained calm.

Although he had not yet entered the first stage, repeated practice had made him faintly aware that his physical strength had increased somewhat—at least, he felt stronger than before.

After consuming two bowls of spirit rice porridge, the fatigue from morning practice vanished.

He then took his little spirit hound and returned to the backyard.

Crackling sounds echoed as two lightning talismans were cast in succession.

The remaining two thunder spirit rice trees responded to the force of the lightning, dying only to be reborn, their vitality renewed.

Tender shoots quickly sprouted from both trees.

Perhaps because the lightning talismans he had crafted were weaker, the two trees suffered little damage and produced even more shoots.

Delighted, Zhou Changwang hurriedly used the Withered Wood Renewal spell to restore their vitality.

“At last, all three thunder spirit rice trees have entered their second growth, sprouting buds and blooming flowers…” Zhou Changwang felt that his previous efforts had finally borne fruit, filling him with endless motivation.

But he knew well that spirit rice cultivation was never easy—especially with the rare thunder spirit rice trees, which were nearly extinct.

Furthermore, their continued growth required the aid of lightning power.

He needed to experiment and determine how many lightning talismans each tree required daily for optimal growth.

He marked the three trees: the earliest as Number One, the middle as Number Two, and the last as Number Three.

He decided to give Number One one lightning talisman per day, Number Two two talismans, and Number Three three talismans, observing their respective growth.

He drew another lightning talisman for Number One, watching as the flower buds rapidly developed under its influence and new shoots appeared on other branches, bringing him joy.

Then, every three or four hours, he used lightning talismans on Number Two and Number Three.

After another three or four hours, he cast a talisman only on Number Three.

“I’ll try this for three days. After three days, I’ll assess the results,” Zhou Changwang decided.

He then picked up his spirit hoe and began loosening the soil once again.

The day passed in busy labor.

At night, Zhou Changwang continued to paint talismans and cultivate.

Thus, after three days, he examined the three thunder spirit rice trees.

Number One had produced eleven shoots, each bearing eight to twelve flower buds.

Number Two had eighteen shoots, each with ten to fifteen buds, all of which had blossomed—clearly, the more abundant the lightning energy, the better the growth and yield.

Number Three had nineteen shoots, each with ten to twelve buds, but some buds had withered before blooming; the remaining buds had all blossomed, and some of the faster-growing ones revealed tiny grains forming within.

Comparing quietly, Zhou Changwang quickly reached a conclusion.

One lightning talisman per day maintained growth but slowed it and reduced yield.

Two talismans per day were optimal, increasing both growth rate and harvest.

Three talismans did not reduce yield, but excess energy overwhelmed the trees, causing some buds to burn and die, thus indirectly reducing production.

“So, two lightning talismans per day is best,” Zhou Changwang concluded.

Yet, after calculating, he felt a headache coming on.

The cost of cultivating thunder spirit rice trees was immense.

A single lightning talisman sold for one low-grade spirit stone in the market; even among rogue cultivators, one stone could buy at most two talismans, and quality was not guaranteed.

Even at the lowest price, each tree required at least one low-grade spirit stone per day.

Only because he crafted his own talismans was the cost lower; if he scaled up, however…

It would be a money-devouring endeavor.