You Cultivate, I Farm

"Since Junior Brother Lu chose this task, you must be quite adept at the Spirit Rain technique," the graceful woman smiled at Lu Xuan.

"I have some proficiency," Lu Xuan modestly replied.

"Cultivating these Monkey-Faced Orchids usually involves two tasks: using the Spirit Rain technique periodically to nourish them, and timely feeding them spiritual insects."

"These spiritual insects are specially bred by the sect's practitioners. Many varieties of these insects can be used for refining elixirs, techniques, nurturing spirit plants, and feeding spiritual beasts."

Leading Lu Xuan into the valley, the graceful woman introduced him to a plain-looking youth waiting in front of a wooden house.

"This is Junior Brother Yan Ping. Yan Junior Brother, meet Lu Xuan, our Junior Brother," Yao introduced them to each other.

"From now on, it will mainly be the responsibility of you two Junior Brothers to nurture these Monkey-Faced Orchids. I'll stay in the valley; if you have any questions, feel free to ask me," Lu Xuan nodded.

After a brief conversation with Yan Ping, Lu Xuan followed him to choose an empty small wooden house for their regular cultivation and rest.

Nearly half an hour into their rest, Yan Ping came to call him.

"Junior Brother Lu, shall we start using the Spirit Rain on the Monkey-Faced Orchids? How about each of us takes care of a designated area?" Lu Xuan agreed, and he moved to his designated area.

Numerous Monkey-Faced Orchids, each expressing varied emotions, seemed frozen in time.

As Lu Xuan's spiritual energy surged within him, threads of spirit rain descended, dripping onto the petals and roots of the Monkey-Faced Orchids, seeping into them.

"The continuous and precise control of the rain is impressive. Junior Brother Lu, you have a profound mastery of this Spirit Rain technique," observed Yan Ping from a distance, acknowledging Lu Xuan's skill.

"I am primarily a cultivator of spirit plants. With daily practice, even without formal instruction, the more I employ the Spirit Rain, the higher my mastery becomes," Lu Xuan explained.

Due to his meticulous nurturing of spirit plants, even without access to experience-boosting techniques, his mastery of the Spirit Rain had reached a pinnacle.

His speed in casting the technique increased, energy consumption reduced, and he could precisely control the rain's range. He could even slightly adjust the rain's thickness to meet the nuanced requirements of the spirit plants.

After one round of Spirit Rain in the spiritual field, the Monkey-Faced Orchids in the spiritual soil remained expressionless, gazing blankly around.

After a short break, Yan Ping fetched a pot of diverse-shaped insects from the graceful woman.

"These are for feeding the Monkey-Faced Orchids. Just insert them into the petals, and the Orchids will willingly consume and absorb these odd insects."

"Feeding one odd insect to each Monkey-Faced Orchid is sufficient. Overfeeding might not be favorable," Yan Ping explained. Lu Xuan nodded in understanding and took half of the insects.

Compared to the wild Black Sprout Insects encountered previously, these insects were inferior in both attack strength and damage inflicted on spirit plants. These were mass-bred by sect practitioners for various purposes.

Approaching one Monkey-Faced Orchid, its expression seemed particularly angry.

Lu Xuan inserted a slender white insect into the Orchid's petal.

Instantly, countless thorns emerged from the petal's center, piercing the white insect. The petal closed, resembling a bud, quivering noticeably, indicating activity within.

Moments later, the petal reopened, dropping a bug skin devoid of any flesh, resembling a piece of white paper.

"The absorption capacity is impressive," Lu Xuan exclaimed. Even though these insects lacked offensive capabilities, the ease with which they were consumed by a second-tier spirit plant surprised him.

"Even after such a delicious meal, why still glare at me so angrily?" Lu Xuan noticed that despite consuming the white insect, the Monkey-Faced Orchid still held an angry expression.

He chuckled, shook his head, and proceeded to feed other Orchids.

As he finished, preparing to return to rest, Lu Xuan suddenly halted.

His gaze fixed on one Monkey-Faced Orchid whose petal displayed a faint smile.

"If I'm not mistaken, this Orchid is the same one I initially fed with anger. But why the change?" Lu Xuan pondered aloud, "What causes the Orchid's petals to display dynamic emotions instead of static ones?"

Furrowing his brow, Lu Xuan watched the Orchids in the spiritual field, lost in thought.

"Junior Brother Lu, why are you still standing here after finishing?" Yan Ping, passing by on his way back to the resting house, inquired curiously.

"Senior Brother Yan, I have a question about the Monkey-Faced Orchids. As someone experienced in cultivating spirit plants, could you help me understand something?" Lu Xuan asked.

"Please, Junior Brother Lu," Yan Ping agreed.

"Do these emotions manifested in the Orchid petals occur randomly, or is there a specific condition that triggers their change? For instance, even after nourishing them with the Spirit Rain, they still display angry expressions," Lu Xuan explained his quandary.

"Ah, contemplating this, Junior Brother Lu, you're overthinking it," Yan Ping replied. "The first cultivator who planted these Orchids had the same suspicion as you. After conducting experiments, nothing substantial was discovered."

"By following conventional methods to cultivate the Orchids, they mature normally. Hence, it was concluded that these expressions are merely a characteristic of the Monkey-Faced Orchids."

"Junior Brother Lu, even Foundation Establishment seniors in the sect have experimented but found no patterns. This implies there's nothing abnormal about it."

"Therefore, let's continue cultivation as usual and avoid unnecessary speculation," Yan Ping advised solemnly.

"Senior Brother Yan's words are reasonable. I'm just curious and won't let it hinder the growth of the Orchids," Lu Xuan glanced at the indifferent Orchids and returned to the wooden house to rest with Yan Ping.

"Why do these expressions change? Is it related to using the Spirit Rain and feeding the odd insects? If so, why do they still display anger after nourishment?" Lu Xuan pondered while seated, observing the Orchids' varied expressions through the window, lost in thought.

He believed that the changes in expressions were tied to certain factors, yet to be discovered by practitioners.

All living beings possess traits; even ordinary plants exhibit various habits, let alone spirit plants.

Adding the term 'spirit' implied an elevation in the level of life, and peculiar behavior aligned with this logic.

Through his cultivation of numerous spirit plants, Lu Xuan noticed a hint of spirituality in many, particularly higher-tier ones exhibiting stronger attributes.

With increased conviction, he believed the second-tier Monkey-Faced Orchids were similarly endowed, and their changing expressions were not random but harbored hidden secrets.

"It seems I'll have to find an opportunity to dig out one Orchid and experiment," he couldn't help but think.

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