You Cultivate, I Farm

"A set of three mature first-grade Crimson Cloud Pine nuts, a second-grade Lihuo Sword Manual, and the Complete Guide to Basic Talismans."

"The Sword Grass and the Dark Marrow Fungus are both second-grade, unlike the common Crimson Cloud Pine. The rewards from their mature forms are sure to be impressive," thought Lu Xuan to himself.

Over the next two or three days, he kept the Mist Veil Array open, carefully observing the immediate status of numerous spirit plants, ensuring no infiltration of aberrant Gnawing Spirit Insects.

The remaining twenty-six stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass all matured during this time.

Among them, nine were of good quality, thirteen were of superior quality, and the remaining four were of perfect quality.

After harvesting the Spirit Firefly Grass, twenty-six white orbs appeared.

Six were cultivation rewards: three were for six months, two for nine months, and one for a year, granting Lu Xuan a total of four years' worth of cultivation.

Within his meridians and Dantian, spiritual energy surged like tumultuous waves, taking a long while to slowly settle down.

Gaining four years of cultivation out of thin air propelled Lu Xuan's strength significantly forward, nearing the seventh stage of Qi cultivation.

Additionally, twelve white orbs yielded twelve first-grade talismans, mainly Sword Qi and Evil Expulsion talismans, mixed with two or three other talismans like the Explosive Flame talisman.

The quantity of first-grade talismans accumulating in his storage bag was increasing. Lu Xuan estimated that if used collectively, their power wouldn't be inferior to a full-powered strike from a high-level Qi cultivator.

Furthermore, there were four first-grade Primordial Nourishing Pills, two skill experience packets for the Earth Attraction and Wood Growth techniques.

Lu Xuan absorbed them, enhancing his comprehension of the two techniques.

The remaining two white orbs—one revealed the formula for a first-grade Primordial Nourishing Pill, and the other produced a drop of Grass Spirit Essence.

Lu Xuan tucked it into the lump on the head of his straw puppet.

"Let's celebrate your complete recovery. Next, it's back to guarding the spiritual field," he remarked.

In no time, the gray lump on the straw puppet's head swiftly turned green, commencing a new round of patrolling the spiritual field.

Empowered by the Grass Spirit Essence, Lu Xuan felt its strides were now more forceful.

After a few days, the serpent-like monster blood he'd pre-ordered from the Wandering Market arrived as promised.

Lu Xuan spent four spirit stones this time, adding to the three he'd previously paid as a deposit, obtaining a bottle of snake blood from the Grand Bounties Pavilion.

According to the introduction by the elegant maiden, the blood was freshly obtained from a first-grade Double-Winged Golden Scale Snake, its crimson hue shimmering within a transparent jade bottle as if refracted by the setting sun in a blood sea.

Lu Xuan brought those transparent jade bottles to the Dragonvine.

Uncorking the bottle, he poured the shimmering golden blood onto the vines.

Instantly, the vines seemed to come alive, gently writhing like serpents as the golden blood slowly seeped into their core.

Once all the blood was absorbed, Lu Xuan noticed golden patterns on the vine's surface, forming peculiar designs on the deep black Dragonvine.

Lu Xuan focused his mind on the Dragonvine.

"Finally, the long wait pays off!"

"At last, a taste of more delicious and potent snake blood!"

The Dragonvine with golden patterns continued its slow movement, seemingly immersed in the joy of absorbing the blood of the Double-Winged Golden Scale Snake.

About half an hour later, the golden patterns on the Dragonvine began to slowly fade, reverting to a dried and winding vine.

"Last time, after absorbing the blood of a gradeless Black Line Snake, the Dragonvine showed no change. But this time, absorbing the blood of the first-grade Double-Winged Golden Scale Snake caused these golden patterns. Could the quality of snake blood affect different growth states of the Dragonvine?"

Lu Xuan paid a bit more attention, wondering if he could procure large quantities of this kind of snake blood from the Grand Bounties Pavilion. If possible, continuously irrigating the same type of monster blood might accelerate the Dragonvine's growth rate.

He surveyed all the spirit plants in the spiritual field, using techniques to meet their subtle needs. He instructed the Cloud-Stepping Lynx and the straw puppet to watch over the area, opened the Mist Veil Array, and then, carrying a total of thirty-nine stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass, he left the courtyard.

With a hundred stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass all matured, he planned to acquire more seeds from the Hundred Herbs Hall and start a new cycle of cultivation.

Though Spirit Firefly Grass wasn't particularly valuable in terms of value or the rewards brought by its orbs compared to other first and second-grade spirit plants, Lu Xuan had only found cultivation rewards from them so far. Therefore, it was necessary to cultivate a certain quantity to ensure his cultivation could progress.

Spirit Firefly Grass accounted for quantity, Blood Jade Ginseng and Clear Spirit Tea for quality and quantity balance. The unknown sword grass, dark marrow fungus, and illusory smoke fruit ensured quality. Employing this three-pronged approach, he aimed for both quality and quantity.

As he stepped out, Lu Xuan noticed the nearby cultivator named Wu.

Seeing Lu Xuan, Wu greeted him immediately.

"Lu Daoist, where are you headed? Come, taste the spirit wine I've just brewed."

Lu Xuan couldn't refuse his kindness and went to Wu's place.

"Lu Daoist, try this spirit wine of mine."

As soon as he sat down, Wu brought over a jug of deep-yellow brew and poured a cup for each of them.

"I noticed, Lu Daoist, there's been a second-grade defensive formation outside your courtyard. You really spare no expense..." remarked Wu.

Lu Xuan took a sip of the spirit brew, its taste rich and enduring.

"Great wine!" he exclaimed, setting down the cup.

"Wu Daoist, surely you're aware that the market is becoming increasingly dangerous. There have been instances of aberrant cultivators appearing, and recently, they even infiltrated the neighboring market's patrol guard, Wang Shan."

"Considering I encountered cultivator intrusions into my spiritual field long ago, and my entire wealth is tied to the spirit plants within, I've had to invest heavily to protect this foundation."

Lu Xuan casually explained.

Wu nodded. "Indeed, better safe than sorry."

"Here, let's continue drinking. This spirit wine is made from the gallbladder and bones of serpent-like monsters. It's not easy to come by on regular days."

"Is that so?" Lu Xuan picked up the cup, his hand freezing suddenly.

"A spirit wine made from serpent bones and gallbladders would require a large number of serpent-like monsters, right? Where do you get these gallbladders and bones from?" he inquired directly to Wu.

"Wu Daoist, I'd like to ask for advice on this matter. Where do you obtain the serpent bones and gallbladders for your brew? Is it from the Grand Bounties Pavilion or other shops, or perhaps from the independent markets?" he queried.

"None

of those," Wu shook his head.

"It's hard to gather a substantial amount of the same species of serpent-like monsters from the independent markets, and the Grand Bounties Pavilion is too expensive. I acquire these from a good friend of mine."

"A friend?" Lu Xuan's eyes lit up.

"Yes, indeed. We've known each other for years. His family possesses a secret technique passed down through generations, specifically in capturing serpent-like monsters. Despite being at the sixth stage of Qi cultivation, with this secret technique, he can even kill second-grade serpent-like monsters."

"Can you introduce me to him? I urgently need a certain material from serpent-like monsters," Lu Xuan inquired.

"Of course," Wu promptly replied.

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