You Cultivate, I Farm

"Assisting treasures of the third grade, the Pure Jade..."

Lu Xuan murmured to himself, holding the translucent jade token in his hand.

"Who would've thought that the Red Cloud Pine, a first-grade plant, could produce three-grade treasures," he muttered in surprise. Understanding that while the difference between second and third grade might not sound significant, in reality, it meant a qualitative divergence.

Second-grade treasures were still in the Qi cultivation stage, primarily used by mid to high-level cultivators. However, third-grade treasures belonged to the realm of foundational building.

"Perfect quality likely constitutes a significant factor. But as the grade of the plant rises, obtaining a perfectly matured one becomes increasingly challenging. Still, luck seems to be on my side this time. Among the five Red Cloud Pine seeds, one appears to be of perfect quality," Lu Xuan speculated.

The Pure Jade, a third-grade item, primarily had auxiliary functions, yet its rarity was immensely valuable.

Its ability to resist and repel malevolent forces alone was enough to attract numerous cultivators. In a world fraught with dangers where malevolent forces invaded in myriad ways, this Pure Jade could offer a certain degree of defense against even the most insidious invasions.

Moreover, prolonged wearing of the Pure Jade could enhance a cultivator's spiritual awareness, a trait that seldom increased naturally except during breakthroughs or through exceedingly rare special techniques, high-grade elixirs, or extraordinary natural treasures.

Recently, Lu Xuan had sensed ominous undercurrents in the marketplace, even the enforcer Wang Shan had fallen victim to malevolent poisoning. Now, contaminated and mutated insects and plants were surfacing more frequently.

All signs pointed to the marketplace becoming increasingly vulnerable, swarmed by malevolent cultivators and sinister forces preying on it like leeches.

The appearance of the Pure Jade at least offered Lu Xuan personal protection against malevolent forces. As for the larger issues, he entrusted them to the influential families and forces within the marketplace.

For the current Lu Xuan, cultivating spirit plants held paramount importance.

He fetched a thin red string and tied the translucent jade token around his chest.

A cool and clear sensation spread around his chest, keeping his mind sharp. An invisible radiance from the token dispersed the impurities in his aura.

Having harvested all five Red Cloud Pine seeds produced by the first-grade Red Cloud Pine, the plant had exhausted its purpose.

As per Lu Xuan's knowledge, spirit plants were generally categorized into three types.

The first type matured only once, losing its efficacy afterward. This was common among lower-grade spirit plants, like the previously harvested Firefly Grass, Illusory Smoke Fruit, and the present Red Cloud Pine.

The second type had a certain lifespan during which it periodically produced fruits, leaves, etc. Among Lu Xuan's current plants, he estimated the second-grade Clear Spirit Tea fell into this category.

The last type belonged to the age-based category. The older they were, the stronger their effects. These were usually high-grade spirit plants.

Of course, spirit plants came in diverse forms, and Lu Xuan couldn't guarantee the absence of other types.

He gathered the two Red Cloud Pine seeds with the remaining three, intending to sell them when the opportunity arose.

The seeds brimmed with rich spiritual energy and possessed a unique and delightful flavor, particularly adored by female cultivators. Even the lowest quality among those he held could fetch a good price.

In the following days, apart from nurturing spirit plants, raising the Red Whiskered Carp and nurturing the Cloud-Stepping Lynx, Lu Xuan focused on the Dragonvine and the gradually recovering Blood Spirit Leaves.

The Azure Water Python was indeed a second-grade beast; its blood proved more potent than the Double-Winged Golden Scale Snake he'd previously purchased from the Grand Bounties Pavilion.

After irrigating the Dragonvine with the red and green blood, the intricate patterns took over a day to fade away gradually.

About a pound of Azure Water Python blood could last for over ten days.

Lu Xuan reckoned this might still pose a challenge for Yu Jie's father. Despite their secretive techniques for hunting snake-type beasts, their cultivation at the fifth Qi level didn't make hunting second-grade beasts an easy feat in the long term.

Under Lu Xuan's attentive care, the Blood Spirit Leaves had mostly recovered. Yet, scars resembling blemishes marred the broad leaves, creating an incongruous appearance.

Given its near maturity, Lu Xuan decided to harvest it. As expected, no white radiance appeared after harvesting—the quality of the Blood Spirit Leaves was subpar, a rare occurrence in his spirit field.

He didn't dwell on it, considering its successful recovery a decent outcome since he hadn't invested too much effort or time into its meticulous cultivation.

Having successfully healed the ailing Blood Spirit Leaves, Lu Xuan stored it away eagerly and hurried to the Hundred Herbs Hall.

The hall collaborated with around twenty to thirty spirit plant experts. Lacking Lu Xuan's ability to monitor the plants' conditions regularly, they often found themselves defensively responding to contaminated plants. Consequently, there were numerous instances of plants falling victim to such contamination.

As soon as he entered, Steward He, who was tallying medicinal herbs behind the counter, spotted Lu Xuan.

"Lu lad, everything fine with the spirit plants in your field?" he asked, showing concern.

"Thanks for your concern, Steward He. Everything's normal; none of the plants in my field have shown signs of contamination," Lu Xuan replied, warmed by the thin, elderly man's concern.

"Glad to hear that. What about those two ailing Blood Jade Ginseng and Blood Spirit Leaves? Have you discovered anything new that the Hall hasn't?" Steward He inquired, visibly relieved.

Lu Xuan smiled without speaking, retrieving a spirit plant from his storage bag.

"A newly matured spirit plant. Care to appraise it, sir?"

"This is..." The thin old man's eyes widened.

Though the plant appeared unattractive and of poor quality, his experienced eyes immediately recognized it as a Blood Spirit Leaf.

As far as he knew, Lu Xuan's collaborated plants with the Hundred Herbs Hall were the Firefly Grass and Blood Jade Ginseng, so it all made sense.

"You really managed to restore that severely ailing Blood Spirit Leaf?" He was astonished. After all, while there were several spirit plant experts capable of cultivating third-grade plants in the Hundred Herbs Hall, they often found themselves helpless when faced with contaminated plants.

The two plants Lu Xuan had brought in had suffered severe damage, and despite numerous attempts, none had shown any improvement.

Yet here was Lu Xuan, an independent spirit plant expert, able to restore one of them to normalcy. It was a feat that left him astounded.

"Cough, cough!" He coughed softly, masking his astonishment. "This plant has suffered extensive damage, so its contained spiritual energy is lower than usual."

"For such a low-grade spirit plant, let's say... reluctantly twenty-five spirit stones," he declared casually, trying not to let on his surprise at Lu Xuan's success.

"Haha, thanks a lot, Steward He."

"I was thinking of possibly cooperating with you, but if you don't fancy such low-grade spirit plants, I suppose I'll pass," Lu Xuan remarked teasingly, observing the elderly man's aloofness toward the lower-grade plant.

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