Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Upon his recent arrival in this strange time and place, Wang Chen, who ate his meals of grain rice and pickled vegetables, certainly wasn’t so generous.

Now that he was somewhat well-off, he was willing to pay a small price for the sake of being kind to others.

Although doing good deeds did not earn him any Human Virtue.

But Wang Chen faintly felt that maintaining a bit of kindness in a world rife with Demonic Fiends and human chaos,

might increase his fate a little.

For instance, today his practice of the Mudstone Technique had directly reached Mastery Level.

His success was beyond expectation—could it be without good fortune?

“Aim for the light, never fall into darkness!”

The next morning, Wang Chen, with a Storage Bag full of Spirit Valley, hurried to Cloud Mountain City.

The ten days after summer harvest were the time for tenants and lessees of the Spirit Fields to pay their grain tax to the sect.

Wang Chen had leased ten mu of Outer Sect’s Spirit Fields.

According to the Outer Sect’s rules, he had to pay a total of four thousand five hundred jin of rice annually.

Since the summer harvest yields more than the winter harvest,

the payoff for the first half of the year was two thousand five hundred jin.

Last night, Wang Chen measured at home and found that he could have eight hundred jin left for his pantry.

Of course, if all the Spiritual Rice were ground into White Jade Rice,

there wouldn’t be as much left.

But compared to the same period in previous years, it was still a bit more.

That was very good already!

The Chi Path leading to Cloud Mountain City was bustling with people and carriages; the carriage Wang Chen took was packed to the brim.

Many people, like him, were going to the city to pay their grain tax.

However, most of these Spiritual Plant Farmers had gloomy expressions, laden with heavy thoughts.

Acquaintances from the neighborhood were discussing in hushed tones,

sighing repeatedly.

Recently, there had been a pest infestation.

Although the Golden Core True Person had resolved the calamity,

the production of this year’s Spiritual Rice for many households was substantially reduced, with shortfalls of three to five mu being common.

The sect’s land rent was originally set very high.

Now, everyone was struggling even to meet the required quota,

not to mention keeping enough for themselves!

Moreover, using the excuse of the Superior and True Person taking action, the Main Hall had levied another amount of Spirit Stones.

Those were savings they had scraped together from between their teeth over the years.

Now that the rice yield was insufficient, they would have to cough up more Spirit Stones to make up the difference. How would they manage in the days to come?

As for defaulting on land rent, that was something nobody dared even consider!

All along the way, whines and sighs were heard amidst the clatter of carriages and horses.

Having arrived in Cloud Mountain City,

by the time Wang Chen reached the Spirit Planting Hall, there was already a long line of people waiting to pay their grain tax.

The Spirit Planting Hall, under the jurisdiction of the Outer Sect Main Hall, oversaw all the Spiritual Plant Farmers, as well as the cultivation affairs of the fields and forests.

The place for paying the land rent was called Spreading Gold Square, its size comparable to a small plaza.

The well-swept ground was spotless,

and the large areas of star-gold rock slabs glittered under the morning sun.

In the center of Spreading Gold Square, a granary platform over one zhang high had been erected.

And right in the middle of the granary platform was embedded a square Immeasurable Golden Measure, nine feet on each side.

Every Spiritual Plant Farmer was familiar with this Immeasurable Golden Measure.

This Spiritual Artifact could precisely measure up to one hundred thousand jin of Spirit Valley at once; Cloud Sun Sect had crafted four in total and placed them within the Inner Mountain Gate and the three Outer Sect cities.

Beneath the Immeasurable Golden Measure was also connected a large grain storage bag.

This storage bag also had its own story.

It is said that a hundred years ago, the Sect Leader of Cloud Sun Sect, while passing through Southern Flood Great Marsh, slew a Heaven-Swallowing Giant Toad and took its stomach, refining four Storage Bags capable of holding a million jin of grains each.

These were assigned to the four Immeasurable Golden Measures for the purpose of collecting and storing the grain.

“Yi Four Defense Area, Liang Dacheng, twenty mu of lower fields, paying five thousand jin of grain!”

Next to the granary platform was a table with thick stacks of registries, and a gaunt Executor with a shrewd look held the book with his left hand and a pen in his right, calling out loudly.

His voice was like a capon’s, being throttled, unpleasant to hear.

A middle-aged man called by name stepped onto the grain platform and, under the watchful eyes of two Spirit Planting Hall disciples, opened his Storage Bag to pour out the freshly harvested Spiritual Rice into the Immeasurable Golden Measure.

The golden grains rapidly filled the spiritual artifact.

The Immeasurable Golden Measure could have its capacity controlled by cultivators, and it recorded the information of the person offering the grain.

Providing for the Main Hall and the Inner Sect.

When the grain inside the measure became flush with the top of the mouth, the Immeasurable Golden Measure immediately emitted a low humming sound.

Full amount achieved.

The middle-aged man subconsciously covered the mouth of his Storage Bag, stopping the pour of the rice.

Suddenly, an executor sitting beside the grain platform snorted coldly.

The two Spirit Planting Hall disciples on the platform immediately cast icy glares at the middle-aged man.

One of them emotionlessly said, “Not enough.”

How could it not be enough!

The middle-aged man’s heart bled, and he couldn’t help but clench his fist tightly.

But after struggling for a moment, he still opened his palm and unwrapped the Storage Bag’s mouth.

Continuing to pour Spiritual Rice into the Immeasurable Golden Measure.

The grains began to pile higher and higher.

With time passing, the grains stacked higher, and the middle-aged man’s complexion became uglier, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Yet he dared not stop again.

The gaunt executor watched.

His eyes were full of mocking.

Just as the top of the grain mound in the measure seemed about to collapse,

he casually pinched his mustache and said indifferently, “That’s enough.”

The middle-aged man immediately felt as though he’d received clemency, covered his Storage Bag, wiped off the sweat, and hurriedly ran down from the grain platform.

It was as if he had just stepped off the executioner’s block!

At that moment, a scar-faced cultivator standing on the left side of the grain platform suddenly lashed out with a kick, landing heavily on the bottom of the Immeasurable Golden Measure.

Bang!

His right leg was clearly thicker than his left.

The kick was powerful, making the measure buzz loudly.

The grains at the top immediately vibrated off, rolling into the funnel openings at the sides.

All gathered into a Storage Bag hanging below.

The grains inside the Immeasurable Golden Measure became flush with the opening once more, not a grain over or under!

The scar-faced cultivator licked his lips and extended his palm to pat the body of the measure.

The rice inside instantly poured into the Storage Bag at the bottom.

Not a single grain remained.

“Next!”

The gaunt executor turned a page in the roster, and his piercing voice echoed through Spreading Gold Square.

Unbearably piercing!

Another Spiritual Plant Farmer stepped onto the platform to offer grain, just like the previous one, contributing the full quota and then some more.

But he behaved submissively, and thus was allowed to add a bit less on top.

The others watched, their expressions numb.

Everyone knew this was unreasonable, that the Spirit Planting Hall people were lining their own pockets.

But it had been the same year after year and had become a rule.

Who would dare to resist?

Liang Dacheng had merely hesitated for a moment, and he received a harsh lesson!

He had to add several dozen jin extra.

Actually, Liang Dacheng wasn’t unaware of the rule.

But this year he was unlucky and suffered an insect calamity, which already diminished the harvest, and on top of that, he had to give up extra Spiritual Rice.

How could he willingly comply?

The queue offering grain was silent, shuffling slowly forward.

The rice they had nurtured with their sweat and hard work was being continuously swallowed by the Immeasurable Golden Measure.

“Yi Ten Defense Area, Wang Chen, ten mu of lower fields, offering grain two thousand five hundred jin!”

The first release delivered.