Zhang Deming spoke up, "Alright, that's enough for today. We all have to be up early tomorrow, so let's not keep everyone from their morning chores and roll call."
At his words, everyone said their goodbyes one by one. A moment later, only Zong En remained beside him.
Zhang Deming looked at Zong En and said, "I'm heading inside too. I was so caught up in the excitement that I didn't put anything away. I bet a lot of my stuff got damp. Thankfully, there wasn't too much moisture, so it shouldn't be too bad."
Zong En nodded and said, "Don't forget about tomorrow."
Zhang Deming nodded in reply. "Don't worry. Now that I've mastered the technique, I don't need to do manual labor anymore. It won't be an issue.
"You waited half a year before going to the Outer Sect to claim your reward. Does that mean you've already mastered the Little Cloud Rain Skill?"
Zong En smiled and nodded. "Not exactly. I just wanted to learn a bit more and see what magic to pick next.
"After all, barring any surprises, this is the only chance to get a free technique during the Apprentice Stage. That's why I waited for half a year. What about you?"
Zhang Deming chuckled. "I've been cultivating for eight years now. I've thought about this countless times. I'll probably pick one tomorrow while I'm at it. As for what to choose, I haven't decided yet. I'll figure it out then."
With that, Zhang Deming went into his room.
The quilt in his room had gotten damp, but since there wasn't too much moisture, it wasn't a serious issue. He would just have to dry the cover later.
Many other things around were a little damp, but nothing was damaged.
The only things in the room to worry about were two books, the *Basic Cultivation Technique* and the *Little Cloud Rain Skill*. However, thanks to ten years of experience, he had always been prepared for such an incident.
He always kept his cultivation technique books in a small chest.
The only one he'd taken out, the *Little Cloud Rain Skill* technique manual that might have gotten wet, had disappeared after being used as editing material.
So, Zhang Deming just had to wipe away the moisture from a few surfaces, and his tidying up was more or less complete.
He had his ten years of experience to thank; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy.
After tidying the room, Zhang Deming sat down calmly on his bed once more.
He focused his Heart Spirit, sinking it into his Dantian. Inside his Dantian, apart from a weak Spiritual Energy Group, there was only a single, raindrop-shaped rune gently bobbing up and down.
It represented the Little Cloud Rain Skill!
Gazing at the raindrop rune, Zhang Deming lovingly caressed it with his consciousness for a long time before finally withdrawing.
He summoned the dark editor panel. The inventory was completely empty, and the help section was unchanged.
'Now that my golden finger is active, if I want to get stronger, the first thing I need to do is figure out how to acquire Energy.'
'Second, I need to review all the professional knowledge I've forgotten over the past eighteen years. Otherwise, I'll be stuck writing simple plug-ins, unable to even create a decent script, let alone a full-fledged program.'
Watching the cursor blink incessantly on the editor, Zhang Deming sank into a long, deep contemplation, his thoughts drifting back to his past life, into an endless ocean of code.
...
The next day, for the first time, Zhang Deming didn't wake at the crack of dawn. He slept straight through until morning, only lazily getting out of bed when it was almost time for the Steward's roll call.
Bleary-eyed, he left his room just as Zong En opened his own door. They looked at each other and said, "Morning."
"Morning."
Then, the two of them shared a smile.
By the time the two had washed up and arrived at the small plaza, it was almost time for the morning roll call.
Most of the others had already gathered. Zhang Deming looked at the twenty-some rice farmers in the small plaza. Most of them had woken up in the middle of the night and had already put in half a day's work.
Exhaustion and hunger made them look utterly worn out.
When Zhang Deming and the few others like him arrived at the plaza, sauntering lazily, they were met with gazes full of envy and jealousy.
Looking at their exhausted faces, a sense of superiority welled up inside Zhang Deming. 'No wonder that guy Zong En has been so smug around me for the past six months.'
'This feeling... it's pretty great!'
Suppressing the feeling of superiority, Zhang Deming took his place in the front row of the formation, in the fourth position.
The only way to change one's position in the queue was if someone left, or if one successfully cultivated a technique.
Just as the few of them finished adjusting their positions in the line, Steward Feng Mingyou of the rice paddy courtyard arrived before them.
He first glanced over the line, his eyes lingering on Zhang Deming for a moment, before speaking. "Before today's roll call, I'd first like to congratulate Zhang Deming on his successful mastery of a technique."
"You're an old-timer here, and you haven't brought shame to us servants of the Little Qing Mountain rice paddies."
Zhang Deming smiled. "It is all thanks to Steward Feng's excellent guidance and instruction."
Feng Mingyou smiled and said, "Alright, enough with the flattery. As per the rules, when a servant of the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard succeeds in cultivating their first technique, they are awarded three Spirit Stones and one Magic Order. This allows you to go to the Outer Sect and choose one Low-Level Technique."
As Feng Mingyou finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a small token and three thumb-sized Spirit Stones materialized in his palm.
Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Zhang Deming stepped forward to receive the token and Spirit Stones.
Only after Zhang Deming had put the items away did Feng Mingyou continue, "This reward, the chance to receive a technique, is a one-time opportunity here in the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard.
"Therefore, before you choose, you must carefully consider which technique will be most beneficial to your future.
"Don't make a rash decision. In your ten years here, I imagine you've seen your fair share of cautionary tales.
"Even if you choose the right one, there's no telling when you'll succeed in cultivating it.
"But you need something to strive for. It's what makes these days bearable. Do you understand?"
In response to Steward Feng's advice, Zhang Deming nodded and said, "Thank you, Steward Feng. I understand."
Feng Mingyou nodded with a smile. "Then let's begin today's roll call."
The daily roll call was really just a formality, a headcount to prevent the kind of accident where someone might disappear for days, causing the Spirit Rice to wither and die.
After the roll call was breakfast. The summer breakfasts were especially hearty, a change the cafeteria made to accommodate their work schedule.
After a morning of hard labor, many of them were starving.
The moment the roll call ended, everyone made a mad dash for the cafeteria.
Normally, Zhang Deming would have been one of them. Today, however, he and Zong En ambled leisurely to the cafeteria.
After a slow breakfast, Zhang Deming and Zong En went out to the rice paddies. By then, most of the others had already finished their meal.
They were taking advantage of the cool morning weather, working as hard as they could.
Just as Zong En had done the day before, Zhang Deming and he strolled over to their respective plots of Spirit Rice, hands clasped behind their backs and smiles on their faces. They then picked up two buckets of water each.
Their hands fluttered through a series of signs as they chanted an incantation, activating the Little Cloud Rain Skill.
As two misty clouds formed five or six meters above their heads, the others, who were still hauling water by hand, would invariably stop their work, their faces filled with envy as they watched the fine threads of Spirit Rain drift down.
Everyone watched them, a look of longing on their faces as they saw the ecstatic expressions of the two men releasing their Spiritual Qi.
Year after year they toiled in the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard, year after year they cultivated bitterly, three years and then another three... and for what?
Wasn't it all for the day they would finally master a technique and be able to unleash the power they had stockpiled in their bodies for years?
Wasn't it so they could stand by and smile while everyone else was working themselves to death?