Reborn as Xu Xuan, Plundering Perks & Flooding the Mountain Ling

Chapter 3: Upgrade Rush! Farming Makes Me Happy~

“Such resilience! Excellent! What a fine statement, ‘A sharp sword is forged through grinding, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter winter! Since your determination to seek the path is so firm, I naturally cannot stand in your way.’”

The Daoist steward repeatedly praised him, his admiration evident.

“Take my token and report to the miscellaneous duties office, tell them I have assigned you to cultivate the farmland and medicinal fields!”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan froze. He had assumed the elder’s delight would earn him an easy task, but in the end, he couldn’t escape the fate of ploughing fields and planting vegetables.

Farming isn’t so bad after all!

In the blink of an eye, Xu Xuan had already spent three months on Mount Longhu. Apart from morning and evening cultivation sessions, his days were filled with ploughing, weeding, watering, and carrying manure. If not for his cultivation reaching the Fifth Level of the Body Refining Realm and the enhancement of [Herculean Strength], Xu Xuan estimated he wouldn’t have lasted even a month before fleeing!

At the same time, he realized that the Daoist steward had indeed taken care of him—compared to other miscellaneous duties, farming was quite easy! In these three months, he had not been without gains.

On the contrary, his harvest far exceeded his expectations.

First, after joining Mount Longhu for a month, he received a Qi-nurturing technique specifically prepared for outer disciples. Though this technique was mediocre and could not compare with the Golden Light Incantation, it was stable and gentle, making it perfect for a complete novice like Xu Xuan.

Secondly, his understanding of the system had improved. He discovered that the system’s so-called “defeating opponents” did not necessarily require physical combat. For example, in arm wrestling, meditation, or even farming, as long as he could get an opponent to agree to a competition and win, he could obtain random abilities from them.

[Host: Xu Xuan]

[Race: Human]

[Realm: Seventh Level of the Body Refining]

[Cultivation Method: Longhu Qi-Nurturing Technique]

[Abilities: Benevolent Man of 20 lifetimes (Gold), Herculean Strength (Green), Beginner Fist Techniques (White), Beginner Leg Techniques (White), Poison Brewing (White), Expert Pharmacist (White), Skilled Farmer (White), Some Literary Talent (White)]

Fusion Chances: 1

Luck: 89

Generate attributes now?

Looking at the long list of abilities, Xu Xuan felt immense satisfaction—they were like the crops he had harvested himself. After admiring them for a moment, Xu Xuan exhaled deeply.

“System, fuse abilities!”

Under his mental command, dozens of white-tier abilities quickly merged. [Beginner Fist Techniques] and [Beginner Leg Techniques] fused together. [Poison Brewing], [Tranquilizer Crafting], and [Expert Pharmacist] combined into one. As for [Skilled Farmer], [Good Appetite and Sleep], [Muscular Build]…he merged them all into [Herculean Strength].

Soon, three new abilities were formed, flickering in bold green text:

Proficient Martial Arts (Green): Mastery of basic fist and leg techniques.

Expert Pharmacist (Green): Skilled in crafting various medicines and understanding their principles.

Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers (Green): Possesses the strength of nine strong oxen and two fierce tigers.

Seeing his new abilities, Xu Xuan was very pleased. [Proficient Martial Arts] and [Expert Pharmacist] were self-explanatory. But [Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers], despite being green-tier, was clearly superior to [Herculean Strength]. Not only had his strength more than doubled, but his stamina and endurance had also significantly increased.

“In just three months, I have advanced from an ordinary mortal to the Seventh Level of the Body Refining. I now possess immense strength, martial skills, and pharmaceutical expertise. A little more time and suppressing Fahai will be effortless!”

The thought of beating up Fahai filled Xu Xuan with excitement, making even his usual chores feel more enjoyable. Unfortunately, the peaceful days didn’t last long. Once others confirmed that Xu Xuan had no significant background, trouble soon found its way to him.

“Junior Brother Xu, not busy today? I have something to do. Could you carry some manure for me?”

At that moment, Xu Xuan appeared to be hoeing the ground. In reality, most of his focus was on refining his fist techniques. Hearing the voice, he looked up and saw a burly man, fat and heavy. Despite wearing a Daoist robe, the man lacked any semblance of serenity. Instead, he resembled a mountain bandit who had taken control of a fortress.

“First of all, I am busy right now! Secondly, even if I wasn’t, I still wouldn’t help you! Lastly, I joined before you, so technically, you should be calling me Senior Brother!”

The burly man grinned.

“I’m calling you Junior Brother out of courtesy! Carry the manure without fuss if you know what’s good for you. Otherwise, my fists will do the talking!”

Seeing the name above his round head, Xu Xuan raised his head again, examining the man carefully—as if looking at a rare treasure.

[Fan Rui • Demon King]

[Realm: Sixth Level of the Body Refining]

[Abilities: Earthly Star (Locked), Phantom Technique (Green), Master of Hidden Weapons (Green)] [Beginner Swordsmanship (White)]

“Demon King Fan Rui?”

Fan Rui paused.

“Demon King? That’s a pretty good title! In honour of that name, I’ll spare you a punch. Just obediently carry the manure and help with the farming from now on. If you do that, I’ll let your earlier rudeness slide…”

Xu Xuan had no intention of indulging him. If he was afraid of someone like Fan Rui, then all his effort in learning these skills would be meaningless.

“Get lost—”

Fan Rui’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You brat, refusing to respect me, huh?!”

He stepped forward to make his move, but several other outer disciples intervened. A few held back Fan Rui, while others tried to persuade Xu Xuan.

“Junior Brother Xu, why are you so stubborn?”

“A wise man knows when to back down.”

“Just agree for now, then report him later…”

Xu Xuan chuckled without responding, but his face clearly said: Why should I?

“You don’t understand! Fan Rui is different from us.”

“We joined because we had nowhere else to go, just hoping for a meal. I know you’re strong, but you’ve never learned real martial arts.”

“Fan Rui, on the other hand, comes from a wealthy family and has trained since childhood. Once, three disciples stood up to him together, but he took them down in just a few moves!”

“I saw it with my own eyes—he’s truly ruthless…”

As everyone whispered, one disciple added mysteriously: “Besides martial arts, Fan Rui might also know spells!”

“Spells? What do you mean?”

“Last time, one of the disciples who had been beaten was my fellow townsman… He said that when he leapt forward, he grabbed Fan Rui, but in the end, he caught nothing but air. Instead, he got a solid kick in the back…”