I Can Upgrade My Talent Infinitely-Chapter 42: Before the End of the Year

Fang Yun had broken through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer so quickly despite having Five Spirit Roots.

Tian Ruifeng mentally calculated how many pills Fang Yun must have consumed.

’Such Alchemy Talent!!’

At this moment, Tian Ruifeng’s conviction wavered. Perhaps Fang Yun’s Alchemy Talent was even better than his Planting Talent.

Before this, Tian Ruifeng had always thought Fang Yun’s Planting Talent was exceptionally high. He assumed that even if Fang Yun had some Alchemy Talent, it would pale in comparison.

"Junior Brother Fang, though heaven only gave you Five Spirit Roots, it certainly didn’t skimp on your other talents," Tian Ruifeng said with envy.

"Actually, having Five Spirit Roots isn’t so bad. At least it’s better than having no Spirit Root at all. Without one, you can’t even cultivate, so other talents would be useless."

"Not so bad? Junior Brother, you really know how to look on the bright side."

Tian Ruifeng had never thought to compare himself to mortals with no Spirit Root Talent.

If he thought about it like Fang Yun did, even having just Five Spirit Roots made one luckier than countless others.

Tian Ruifeng didn’t chat with Fang Yun for very long. He had to get back to tending his Purple Crystal Rice.

Purple Corn sold for one Lower Grade Spirit Stone per four pounds. As a mutated version of Purple Corn, Purple Crystal Rice was currently priced within the sect at three Lower Grade Spirit Stones for ten pounds, making it slightly more expensive.

Considering the cost of fertilizer, the price increase was necessary.

Because of its price, it would be difficult for Purple Crystal Rice to completely replace Purple Corn.

The emergence of Purple Crystal Rice could only capture a portion of Purple Corn’s original market. Inner Sect Disciples would be more willing to buy it.

Since Fang Yun had accumulated a large stock of Purple Corn, he had no plans to switch his staple Spirit Rice for now. Besides, most of the Purple Crystal Rice grown by Tian Ruifeng had already been pre-ordered by Inner Sect Disciples.

Based on demand, Purple Crystal Rice would occupy a certain share of the Spirit Rice grown in the Celestial Cloud Sect in the future, and Tian Ruifeng would no longer be the only one planting it.

This was also the outcome Tian Ruifeng hoped for. When future generations planted Purple Crystal Rice, they would learn that he was the one who cultivated it.

The time Fang Yun spent tending to his five mu of Purple Corn was shortened once again.

Returning to his residence, Fang Yun began his first cultivation session after reaching the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

He consumed an Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pill.

Soon, he began refining and absorbing it.

Compared to an Upper Grade Qi Nourishing Pill, the medicinal effects of an Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pill were much more potent, and its energy was far more immense. Refining and absorbing it required more time.

Three and a half hours!

That was how long it took Fang Yun to absorb one Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pill.

Although he hadn’t used a Lower Grade Cyan Jade Pill yet, based on his previous experience absorbing Lower Grade and Upper Grade Qi Nourishing Pills, Fang Yun could estimate how long it would take to absorb a Lower Grade Cyan Jade Pill.

"Refining and absorbing Upper Grade pills just feels amazing," Fang Yun couldn’t help but say.

Of course, feeling amazing came at a price. In the past three and a half hours, he had already consumed twelve Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

His Light Spirit Shoes cost the same amount.

Immediately after, Fang Yun took another Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pill and began to refine and absorb it.

"So satisfying."

In a pleasant mood, Fang Yun counted his current stock of Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pills again.

"One hundred twenty-four."

Before he started cultivating, he had one hundred twenty-six.

’...If I use forty Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pills a month to assist my cultivation, I should be able to reach the peak of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer by the end of the year...’

Fang Yun had already begun to make more concrete plans in his mind.

The Qi Refining Fifth Layer required accumulating much more Spiritual Power than the Fourth Layer, but cultivating with Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pills was faster than with Upper Grade Qi Nourishing Pills.

Converted into Spirit Stones, the cost was three times the resources per month.

’...Mm, it’s settled then!’

To Fang Yun, time was the most precious commodity.

He had to plan for the long term. During the Qi Refining Stage, he couldn’t only think about the Qi Refining Stage; he also had to consider the Foundation Establishment Stage, and even the Core Formation Stage.

The faster he broke through the Qi Refining Stage, the more time he would have for his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage. The same logic applied to the stages that followed.

It was now the twenty-first of September.

To reach the peak of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer before the end of the year, he had to complete his newly set goal within a hundred days.

’I’ll revise the goal slightly. Break through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer before the end of the year.’

Once he reached the peak of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, breaking through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer wouldn’t be difficult, provided he had sufficient resources.

After finishing his cultivation, Fang Yun planned to go to an Alchemy Room on Dan Cloud Peak to refine two batches of Cyan Jade Pills.

After all, the time spent refining two Upper Grade Cyan Jade Pills was considerably longer than for two Upper Grade Qi Nourishing Pills. He would have to make up this time elsewhere, for example, by making one or two fewer trips to Dan Cloud Peak each month.

...

「Late September.」

Today was the day to harvest the five mu of Purple Corn.

Since breaking through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, Fang Yun had visited the Disciple Marketplace twice.

Unfortunately, none of the senior or junior brothers he interacted with at the Disciple Marketplace had probed his cultivation, otherwise news of his breakthrough to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer would have spread.

Considering the time he had spent at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, they would have to re-evaluate his Alchemy Talent, and his reputation would spread even further.

Perhaps before the next settlement, he could increase his influence and gain more Talent Points.

As it was, not many people in the sect knew about his breakthrough to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

The people who knew him well understood his personality and character; they wouldn’t help him spread the news.

For the news to get out, he had to rely on the senior and junior brothers and sisters at the Cultivator Marketplace.

If his reputation didn’t increase his influence, his personality was such that he wouldn’t want to spread this news at all; he would prefer to develop quietly.

But this was something that could speed up his progress.

On his five-mu Spirit Field, Fang Yun began to harvest the Purple Corn.

First mu: one hundred sixteen pounds and three taels.

Second mu: one hundred seventeen pounds and six taels.

Third mu: one hundred sixteen pounds and nine taels.

The fourth and fifth mu yielded one hundred eighteen pounds and seven taels, and one hundred seventeen pounds and four taels, respectively.

Although he hadn’t spent much time tending them, thanks to his upgraded Planting Talent—the effect of a three-star talent—the yield of Purple Corn from each mu was over one hundred fifteen pounds.

This was a significant improvement from before.

If he wanted to exceed one hundred twenty pounds, he would need to spend more time tending them.

In the end, he harvested a little over five hundred eighty-seven pounds.

When weighing, Fang Yun removed the small remainder from each mu’s harvest to round it off.

The portion removed from the five mu was just over one tael.

After harvesting all the Purple Corn, the next step was to turn it in.

He needed to hand over five hundred pounds of Purple Corn, and in return, he would receive thirty-five Lower Grade Spirit Stones and thirty-five Sect Contribution Points.

Fang Yun arrived at the Spirit Field Institute.

"Steward, this is Disciple Fang Yun. Here are five hundred pounds of Purple Corn."

"Mm, let me see."

While flipping through the records, the Steward weighed the five large bags of Purple Corn Fang Yun had provided, naturally subtracting the weight of the bags themselves.

The Steward worked quickly. Before long, Fang Yun’s Spirit Stones and Sect Contribution Points were credited to his account.

"Are there any planting assignments from the sect?" Fang Yun asked. If not, he would just continue growing Purple Corn.

"There are."