Creating a paradise in an ant nest

Chapter 12 is, of course, about making money!

Waishan Forest Farm.

late at night.

A furtive figure sneaked into the forest area that Liu He was guarding.

Feng Zhe looked around furtively, but didn't see Sun Yan.

"Sun Yan is probably hiding in some corner, slacking off and taking a nap."

he thought.

This was his third time coming here, and he hadn't run into Sun Yan even once.

"Let's take this century-old camphor pine. These are the few most valuable timber trees in Liu He's forest area."

He came to a tall and straight pine tree and opened the earthenware jar, about the size of a bowl, that he had brought with him.

"By the time you discovered it, the camphor pine was already ruined."

He poured the contents of the earthenware jar next to the roots of the pine tree.

Tiny white ants crawled toward the tree.

It was a group of termites.

Feng Zhe brought in a swarm of termites as a covert revenge against Liu He.

His cunning idea was to harm people without them even realizing it.

The trees in the forest are, after all, the sect's property. If he were to destroy them directly, it would be easily discovered, and the consequences would be severe.

But by using termites, it's done without anyone knowing.

Even if they are discovered, it can only be blamed on Liu He and Sun Yan for their inadequate supervision.

This was his third visit, and he had already introduced termites into about ten of the most valuable century-old trees in Liuhelin District.

This colony of termites includes many reproductive termites and robust worker termites, and they develop extremely quickly.

A termite queen can lay 10,000 to 20,000 eggs per day, making her reproductive capacity terrifying.

Moreover, termites are not easily detected at first, and by the time they are discovered, the trees are already riddled with holes and have become useless.

"All the most valuable century-old trees in the forest area have become waste, which will give you a headache for a while."

Feng Zhe thought darkly to himself.

Not only Liu He, but also Li Liangtian's nearby forest area was also infested with several nests of termites by him.

He didn't actually have much of a grudge against Liu He, but he was narrow-minded and jealous of their luck, so he did this despicable thing that harmed others without benefiting himself.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Qixia Peak.

evening.

Liu He returned with the brand-new official robes he had received.

He has already changed his jade token from a trial laborer to a full-fledged laborer.

A first-grade low-rank robe, which the sect provides free of charge after a servant is promoted to a full-fledged official.

The low-grade robes have few uses, but they are warm in winter and cool in summer, and they come with a cleansing spell: they can be made brand new and clean by injecting spiritual energy, without the need for washing.

In terms of defense, it can withstand the swords and spears of mortals and has a slight resistance to magical attacks.

"Liu He~~"

A warm greeting rang out.

It was Ma Guanming, who lived next door to Liu He.

When people are happy, they are in high spirits. He was wearing a monk's robe, his face was radiant, and he held a writing brush in his hand.

"Ma Guanming, you've been promoted? Congratulations!"

"Haha, I successfully cultivated my Qi the day before yesterday, and I just went to get another talisman brush."

Ma Guanming let out a hearty laugh.

He broke through to the Qi Refining stage with the help of two Qi Opening Pills, and he bought those spirit stones with silver.

Compared to other trial repairmen, his family was exceptionally wealthy.

He ate his fill of the five-tael silver bowl of spirit rice every day.

He could buy one spirit stone for a thousand taels of silver, and he managed to collect twenty spirit stones.

Even with his family background, he still felt a pang of regret at such an expense.

In his view, "taking the lead one step ahead means taking the lead every step of the way." If he could break through to the Qi Refining stage two months earlier and become a formal handyman, he could receive the monthly salary of a formal handyman sooner and enjoy the benefits of a formal handyman.

Having finally succeeded in cultivating his Qi, leaving his fellow trainees far behind, he couldn't help but feel a bit proud and boastful.

So what if you rely on your family background?

Family background is also a part of one's own strength.

Money power is also a power.

"Are you planning to develop your skills in talismans?"

Liu He had just noticed that the brush in Ma Guanming's hand was unusual; it turned out to be a magical talisman brush.

Ma Guanming shrugged: "There's nothing I can do. Everyone's scrambling to get into Wanqi Peak, the competition is too fierce. I chose talisman drawing, the competition is less. I don't even know if I have any talent for talismans."

The Qian Yuan Holy Sect is most famous for its weapon-refining techniques, so Wanqi Peak is the best choice in terms of treatment and future prospects.

"Indeed, the competition at Wanqi Peak is fierce. Talisman drawing is relatively simpler, you can definitely master it."

"Then I'll take your kind words. That's all for now, I'm going back to my room to cultivate. Oh, and don't forget to change how you address me next time, haha..."

As he spoke, he turned to go inside.

The "change of address" he mentioned refers to Liu He calling him by his name earlier.

He was in a good mood and didn't mind Liu He's rudeness, even though he should have been addressed as "senior brother".

"This...this is the robe I just received."

Liu He did not forget to change his address.

"What?"

Ma Guanming was stunned for a moment, then noticed the standard-issue robe in Liu He's hand, and his face instantly turned red: "You...you've been promoted too?"

"Hmm, I broke through by luck. I just got my new identity token and received my robe."

"..."

Ma Guanming was so embarrassed he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground; he had been too busy showing off.

"Congratulations! From now on, we're fellow disciples in the sect. Let's keep in touch."

He adjusted his mindset.

He was able to break through to the Qi Refining stage so quickly because he had a lot of money.

So what did Liu He rely on?

It can only be attributed to talent.

There are many different kinds of talents in cultivation. The classification of spiritual roots into low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, and even top-grade spiritual roots is just the most basic kind of talent classification.

In addition, there are various special physical constitutions and talents in various arts and crafts related to cultivation.

Even among those with the same level of spiritual root, there are differences, sometimes even "vast differences".

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After saying goodbye to Ma Guanming, Liu He returned to his room.

He changed into a brand-new standard robe.

"Wearing this robe, I feel like an immortal."

The robe he chose was light blue, and its material was not cotton, making it quite different from ordinary clothes.

Afterwards, he took his identity jade token and headed to the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion.

Previously, he was a trial worker, and only knew the Qi-inducing chapter of the "Gathering Spirit and Qi Technique".

Now you can learn the initial stage of Qi cultivation in this exercise.

The Gongfa Pavilion is located on the summit of Qixia Peak and is a magnificent five-story hall.

This cultivation technique pavilion contains cultivation techniques for the early stages of Qi Refining. Disciples can enter freely with their identity tokens.

The Qian Yuan Holy Sect treats its formal disciples very well.

These techniques might be worth some spirit stones outside, but within the Qian Yuan Holy Sect, they can be viewed and learned at will.

You can find the Five Elements magic, the secret arts of wind and thunder, body cultivation techniques, sword cultivation moves, and even all the arts of immortal cultivation here.

However, the path to immortality is vast and complex, and cultivators at the Qi Refining stage only have a lifespan of a few years. How could they possibly learn everything?

It's better to specialize in one thing and then learn two or three as secondary skills than to try to learn everything in a haphazard way.

This is a well-known truth.

"First learn the Qi Refining stage of the Spirit Gathering Technique, then study the Dao of Elixir, Talisman, and Weapon."

Liu He thought to himself.

You definitely need to learn the basic breathing techniques.

In addition, he needs to choose a way to make money.

It wasn't that he made that choice; it was that everyone made that choice.

For a disciple engaged in menial tasks, how much spiritual energy does one have in the early stages of Qi Refining? Moreover, their control over spiritual energy is extremely low.

A battle of wits?

What kind of fighting is this?

Even the strongest Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator will be instantly killed by a Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator.

In the Qian Yuan Holy Sect, even the menial disciples do not learn techniques to enhance their combat power.

Sword cultivators, body cultivators, and Five Elements magic—all of that has to step aside.

Making money is the top priority, of course!