"For me, the cultivation difficulty of the Life-Cutting Finger is actually greater than that of the Annual Ring Skill."

After Zhou Changwang obtained the cultivation method for the Life-Cutting Finger, he naturally began practicing it immediately.

But after two hours had passed, he still couldn’t achieve the entry level.

This wasn’t because the Life-Cutting Finger was more advanced than the Annual Ring Skill, but because when cultivating the Annual Ring Skill, Zhou Changwang had the foundation of the Fertilization Technique, with a rune structure already simplified to the extreme, saving him countless efforts.

But the Life-Cutting Finger was different.

This was a completely unfamiliar magic.

He needed to get acquainted with it bit by bit, sketch it step by step.

Fortunately, Zhou Changwang had considerable experience in cultivating various magical techniques.

By the third hour, he finally reached the entry level.

However, by this time, the night moon hung high, so he abandoned drawing talismans and directly activated the Small Spirit Gathering Array, immersing himself in cultivation.

In a blink, several days passed.

Magic: Annual Ring Skill (Small Success 32/400), Life-Cutting Finger (Small Success 1/400)

Looking at these two magics on the attribute panel,

Zhou Changwang couldn’t help but show a trace of satisfaction on his face.

After this period of diligent practice, he finally cultivated these two magics to the Small Success Realm.

At the Small Success level, the casting time of the Annual Ring Skill was greatly reduced, from the original nine breaths down to the current three breaths, and its effects compared to when he first learned it had also significantly improved.

A single application of the Annual Ring Skill directly equaled fifteen days of normal growth of the Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree.

In other words, one cast of the Annual Ring Skill would deplete the spirit soil around the Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree, making it impossible to cast a second one.

And the Life-Cutting Finger, its effects could be described as terrifying.

During this time, he continually used the Life-Cutting Finger on the weeds and Spirit Grass within the Spirit Field.

One application of the Life-Cutting Finger, and the once lush and vigorously growing weeds and Spirit Grass instantly withered, their vitality cut off.

And in his hand, a drop of emerald green ’Vitality Spiritual Liquid’ would condense.

It’s just a pity.

The weeds around his Spirit Field were nearly all drained by him, but perhaps because the ’vitality’ was too sparse, not much ’Vitality Spiritual Liquid’ could be produced.

So much so that despite having cultivated the Life-Cutting Finger to the Small Success Realm, he still couldn’t fill a bottle of ’Vitality Spiritual Liquid’, with only a shallow layer, equivalent to a third of the bottle.

"To fill an entire bottle of Vitality Spiritual Liquid, it would probably take nearly a thousand uses of the Life-Cutting Finger, and it would need to be on those Spirit Plants with abundant vitality."

Zhou Changwang resisted the urge to use the Life-Cutting Finger on the Spirit Gathering Grass and instead pointed at a slightly crookedly growing Spiritual Bamboo.

With one finger, that Spiritual Bamboo, about three zhangs tall, turned yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the entire stem shriveled and caved in, losing its vitality.

And in his hand, another drop of thumb-sized emerald green Spiritual Liquid condensed.

That was the Vitality Spiritual Liquid.

"Even though this is just the Small Success level of the Life-Cutting Finger, it can completely extinguish the vitality of this Spiritual Bamboo that’s been growing for nearly two years."

Zhou Changwang marveled, then quickly walked to the side of the Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree and gently pointed, activating the Life-Cutting Finger and planting it within.

In an instant, the already lush Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree became even more verdant, as if it was entirely rejuvenated.

Then, Zhou Changwang quickly used the Annual Ring Skill.

Once, twice, thrice...

After a total of five times, the spirit soil under the Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree finally cracked, showing signs of insufficient Spiritual Qi.

Seeing this, Zhou Changwang was not concerned.

Knowing that this was because the Spirit Plant had completely absorbed the earlier ’Vitality Spiritual Liquid,’ the insufficient supply led it to start drawing the Spiritual Qi from the spirit soil again.

Then, while casting the Spirit Rain Skill, he flipped his hand to take out an Elixir Bottle.

This Elixir Bottle contained the Vitality Spiritual Liquid he extracted during this period.

Using the Life Cutting Finger Technique, he extracted all the Spiritual Liquid, about a third of the bottle, and quickly injected it into the Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree.

Perceiving that the Spirit Tea Tree was rapidly absorbing the Vitality Spiritual Liquid, he once again began to cast the Annual Ring Skill.

Once, twice, thrice...

Until after fifteen times, he finally stopped.

By this time, the Vitality Spiritual Liquid within the Spirit Tea Tree had been completely exhausted, prompting it to once again absorb the Spiritual Qi from the spirit soil.

Meanwhile, through his repeated and frantic casting, the half-man-high Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree began to grow rapidly.

Almost as if visible to the naked eye, it shot up, with each branch and leaf spreading open, sprouting tea leaves and tender buds, even extending and strengthening its roots and stems.

Instantly growing up.

Growing into a tall, lush Spirit Tea Tree.

"A total of twenty Small Success level Annual Ring Skills, equivalent to three hundred days of natural growth.

Combined with the previous cultivation time, this Spirit Tea Tree is practically a Spirit Tea Tree with a year of growth."

At this moment, as Zhou Changwang looked at this Spirit Tea Tree, a trace of satisfaction couldn’t help but appear on his face.

A year-old Red Leaf Spirit Tea Tree, the value of its Spirit Tea Leaves was indeed not low.

Harvesting the entire tree, it could yield about ten pounds, and when made into dry tea, it would be two or three pounds, which could sell for around a hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones in the market.

Second-Grade Spirit Tea Tree’s Spirit Tea is sweet, endlessly flavorful, and rich in Spiritual Qi, having the effects of calming the mind, nourishing the spirit, and inducing enlightenment.

Its value is undoubtedly high.

The key is that it can be harvested yearly and reaps yields annually.

Now that it has grown to a year-old, Zhou Changwang directly began harvesting.