The Programmer Cultivator

Yue Mengsheng said, ”Who knows? After all, he’s a Tier Three Mastery Level Spirit Nurturing Master, stronger than us by a wide margin. Let’s just keep watching.” With that, the three fell silent again and turned their gazes back outside.

Outside, as the white clouds tumbled across the sky, they descended to about twenty or thirty meters, blanketing the entire Fourth Flower Sea. Yet, not a single drop of rain fell from them.

At this moment, Zhang Deming raised a hand. A stream of clear, vibrant water emerged from his palm as a creature, part-snake and part-dragon, materialized and coiled around him.

The vibrant stream of water flowed into the top of the Water Dragon’s head. The Water Dragon shot up into the sky, plunged into the clouds, and began to swim within them.

After the Water Dragon joined them, a subtle change came over the clouds, which now pulsed with Spirituality.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming spoke again, ”Rainfall!”

A fine, wispy drizzle began to drift down from the clouds. The rain was so light it wouldn’t even dampen one’s hair, more like a mist, but it was exceptionally vibrant.

Once the rain had finished falling, he spoke again, ”All things, grow!”

Following his final words, the entire Fourth Flower Sea began to stir in unison—not just the Flower Wood, but even the ordinary Demon Flowers.

CLAP, CLAP...

Behind him, Yue Mengsheng and the other two had already stood up and come to the edge of the balcony, applauding as they watched Zhang Deming.

”Truly worthy of a Tier Three Mastery Level Spirit Nurturing Master. I’ve learned a great deal,” Gan Zili said.

”You flatter me!” Zhang Deming replied, snapping out of his concentration. He stepped onto the flowers and walked toward the corner tower.

”From start to finish, Junior Brother used nothing but a combination of Tier One and Tier Two Techniques, yet the effect was even more pronounced than our Tier Four Techniques.”

”If that’s something to be embarrassed about, we might as well just slit our own throats,” Gu Liancai said.

The other two stared at him, unsure if he was just being contrary or trying to offer some awkward flattery.

Seeing them staring, he said, ”What? Did I say something wrong?”

Gan Zili shook his head. ’My mistake. I actually thought you had changed and were offering some timely praise, but it turns out you’re still just being contrary!’

Yue Mengsheng also spoke up, ”Using the Tier One and Tier Two Little Cloud Rain Skill and Spirit Water Technique, plus the Tier One Growth Technique, to achieve a Water Wood Combined Dao and nurture all living things.”

”Moreover, this approach is perfectly suited to the Extreme Wood Bloodline of the Cyan Wood Flower Demon clan.”

”Junior Brother’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Nurturing are truly worthy of his rank as a Tier Three Mastery Level Spirit Nurturing Master. I have genuinely learned a great deal.”

Gan Zili nodded as well. ”Yes. I still remember when I was studying, an ancestor from the Holy Land taught us that in the Dao of Spirit Nurturing, the Technique’s level isn’t what’s crucial. Compatibility and intent are the true keys.”

”Today, I’ve seen a true example of that. A Tier One Technique achieving a more significant effect than our Tier Four Techniques.”

Zhang Deming smiled faintly. ”Alright, Senior Brothers, any more praise and I’ll float away.”

”Haha...”

Hearing this, the two of them exchanged a smile and said, ”We’re just telling the truth.”

Zhang Deming just smiled and didn’t reply, instead looking out at the fine drizzle drifting by.

’Of course the effect is strong. I used the Spirit Nurturing Technique as my major and the Spirit Water Technique as my minor to drive the Little Cloud Rain Skill and Growth Technique, initiating the nurturing process.’

’In terms of professional specialization, it’s a perfect match.’

’But Yue Mengsheng and the others were using Tier Four Techniques as their major and the Spirit Nurturing Technique as their minor.’

’They wanted a supplementary technique—the Spirit Nurturing Technique—to achieve the primary effect. Isn’t that a classic bait-and-switch, and then expecting people to praise the quality of the mutton?’

’On top of that, the Cyan Wood Flower Demons have a trace of the Extreme Wood Bloodline. When the Attributes aren’t compatible, of course you get twice the effort for half the result.’

’Their displays were each more grandiose than the last, but the results were each more frustratingly weak.’

’This isn’t Magical Combat, so what’s the point of all those special effects?!’

Of course, his method was impossible for them to replicate.

Because Zhang Deming majored in the Spirit Nurturing Technique, he could use his Rune Core as a foundation to imbue any technique he had mastered with a Spirit Nurturing effect.

However, they majored in other techniques and only minored in the Spirit Nurturing Technique.

They could only achieve the effect when using their major techniques supplemented by the Spirit Nurturing Technique; their other techniques couldn’t do it.

And it was precisely because they didn’t know how he did it that they felt Zhang Deming’s professional skill was so exquisite.

After all, when they couldn’t even learn what looked like a simple, ordinary, minor skill, that was the mark of a true expert.

The Dao of Spirit Nurturing wasn’t about Magical Combat. As long as you could nurture spirits and create high-quality Spirit Nurturing Beads, even if you only knew a Tier One little skill, you were still an expert.

”The Awakening Skill is now complete. After today’s initial nurturing, you can try for a Spirit Awakening tomorrow.”

”So, let me be the first to wish Junior Brother Zhang a bountiful harvest,” Gan Zili said with a blessing.

”Then I shall borrow my Senior Brothers’ auspicious words,” Zhang Deming replied with a slight bow.

At the same time, the aura around him began to recede, not stopping until it returned to the level of Tai Chi Second Life.

However, the effects of the Growth Technique and the Little Cloud Rain Skill did not cease.

With Zhang Deming’s current Cultivation, maintaining them was quite easy—completely stress-free, in fact. After all, the entire Secret Realm had the effect of a One-Star Spirit Vein, and his automated cultivation wasn’t just for show.

The three of them chatted idly for a long while longer. Drinking tea, talking, and discussing the Dao in a relaxed manner seemed to be their normal state, something Zhang Deming had noticed over their few short encounters.

These three from Spirit Nurturing Peak were less like Cultivators and more like scholars.

’Hmm... the very nerdy, reclusive type of scholars. Scholars with distinct personalities.’

Among them, even Yue Mengsheng, the one with the highest Cultivation, didn’t have the typical air of a Cultivator. Furthermore, from what Zhang Deming understood, these three had been lazing around on Spirit Nurturing Peak for several centuries at least.

After a Spirit Nurturing Master reached Enlightenment Dao, aside from important Sect matters—like the previous search for the source of the demonic disturbance on the back mountain—they rarely left the Sect gates, or even Spirit Nurturing Peak.