You Cultivate, I Farm

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the cloud-stepping lynx, perched on Lu Xuan's shoulder, leaped down swiftly without a glance back, reaching the edge of the spiritual spring pool, fixating its gaze on the lone sapling of the Red Whiskered Carp within.

Lu Xuan scanned the surroundings of the spiritual field; everything appeared as usual. The grass puppets dutifully patrolled the entire expanse of the field.

Moving to the area where he had previously cultivated the diseased spiritual plants, he extracted five saplings of the copper bone bamboo.

Employing the Earth Attraction Technique, the structure of the spiritual soil underwent a silent transformation, revealing a crack that seamlessly melded with the roots of the young copper bone bamboo, leaving no gaps.

Once all five saplings of the copper bone bamboo were planted, Lu Xuan concentrated his mental energy on the purple-red bamboo. Instantly, information about the copper bone bamboo flooded into his consciousness.

"Copper Bone Bamboo, second-grade spiritual plant. Exceptionally resilient bamboo cultivated for crafting artifacts, especially suitable for forging flying swords. It can also serve as material for certain special elixirs."

"Incorporating copper and iron ores during cultivation enhances the growth rate of the copper bone bamboo. The smaller the volume of the ore, the faster the absorption rate by the bamboo."

"As for strengthening the body of the copper bone, how can it be achieved?"

"Requires copper and iron ores for better effects."

"Though the cultivation conditions are somewhat peculiar, fortunately, the difficulty is not high, much easier compared to the third-grade dragon vine."

Copper and iron spiritual ores were relatively common in the freelance market, with a reasonable price tag.

Lu Xuan first performed a round of the Spirit Rain Technique, letting threads of spiritual raindrops fall and merge into the spiritual soil near the copper bone bamboo, absorbed by its roots.

He planned to let the copper bone bamboo acclimate to the spiritual soil environment before purchasing the spiritual ores to expedite its growth in a few days.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Lu Xuan inspected the spiritual field when he heard a call from Wu Wenjing next door.

"Friend Lu, come have a drink!"

Lu Xuan shook his head with a smile, retrieved a piece of dried demon beast meat from the kitchen, and, accompanied by the cloud-stepping lynx, headed to the home of Wu, a fellow cultivator.

"Wu, is something troubling you?"

After a few cups of warm spiritual wine, noticing the elder's distracted demeanor, Lu Xuan inquired.

"Do you know what's been happening in the market lately?"

"I've been at home taking care of cultivating spiritual plants; I haven't been out in these past few days."

Lu Xuan shook his head indicating his lack of knowledge.

"Lu, you're truly devoted to nurturing spiritual plants, oblivious to the external world..."

Wu sighed and continued, "Rumors abound that the group of cultivators from the Wang family who were exploring the secret realm have reached its core. They've invited other influential families and forces from the market to assist because the restrictions are hard to break."

"The periphery of the secret realm has consequently opened up, enticing many independent cultivators eager to explore and seek fortunes."

"So, Wu, not content with staying put, are you considering dipping your toes in troubled waters?"

Lu Xuan looked at Wu, his expression ambiguous.

"Yes, I'm indeed somewhat tempted."

Wu sighed bitterly.

"The outer regions have mostly been cleared of demonic beasts and malevolent spirits during the Wang family's exploration, and it's also the time of abundant resources. Hence, many cultivators want to see what's there."

"But I have no such intentions."

Lu Xuan sensed Wu's inclination to invite him to venture into the outer periphery of the new secret realm, clearly stating his stance.

"Even if there are hardly any demonic beasts or malevolent spirits in the outer regions, does Wu have the confidence to seize cultivation resources from other cultivators?"

"Friend, with your extensive experience, you must know that sometimes kinfolk can be more terrifying than demonic beasts or malevolent spirits."

Upon hearing this, Wu's face alternated between pale and flushed, exhaling deeply after a while.

"Thank you for the reminder, it was my lapse in judgment."

"For these past decades, I'd managed to maintain a calm state of mind, not thinking about treasures or opportunities. But encountering such an opportunity, my mind couldn't help but wander."

"As the end approaches, one is inevitably reluctant."

Lu Xuan remained silent, unsure of how to offer advice. He empathized with Wu's predicament; for a Qi cultivator, surpassing a lifespan of a hundred years was inconceivable.

If he hadn't received the reward of the white light orbs for cultivating spiritual plants, he might have been like Wu, tossed around in the tempestuous sea of cultivation, unable to withstand the buffeting of life's challenges.

"I'd better stay put in the market. With old age, declining strength, and having lagged behind in cultivation for many years, entering the secret realm might result in any cultivator of similar rank easily overcoming me."

The elder spoke with a bitter smile, his gaze melancholic.

Lu Xuan remained silent, raising his wine cup.

Wu clinked his cup against Lu Xuan's, gazing at him.

"Sometimes, I don't know how to judge you. So young yet so much like an old man compared to this old man."

"To maintain such composure in the face of such a great opportunity and not be swayed; you're far more stable than I am."

"Haha, being desireless is just like that."

"I'm content being an ordinary spiritual plant cultivator."

Lu Xuan adeptly maintained his persona.

After a satisfying meal and drink, Lu Xuan returned home to continue cultivating spiritual plants, meticulously caring for them by constantly monitoring their real-time conditions.

Another five days flew by.

During this time, Lu Xuan purchased a pound of unranked ore from the independent market to experiment with mixing it into the copper bone bamboo to observe its effects.

In this period, among the nine blood jade ginseng plants left behind, five matured: three of good quality and two of superior quality.

This also resulted in the appearance of five white light orbs, bringing forth rewards.

"Harvested one blood jade ginseng, obtained a second-grade elixir: Blood Essence Pill." (x3)

"Harvested one blood jade ginseng, obtained a second-grade technique: Blood Ignition Arrow." (x2)

With these five light orbs, Lu Xuan acquired three Blood Essence Pills and held them in his storage bag, awaiting the opportune moment to use the Blood Ignition Arrow.

After absorbing the experience from the two Blood Ignition Arrows, his comprehension of this technique further deepened.

Despite not having employed it yet due to its blood consumption, Lu Xuan felt the increase in the technique's release speed and power.

As for the remaining four blood jade ginseng, he intended to try cultivating them into blood jade ginseng seeds.

Once matured, if unpicked, naturally grown spiritual plants sometimes wither away, merging back into the earth and heavens.

Some concentrate their spiritual essence, forming seeds that spread through various means. When encountering abundant spiritual energy and suitable environments, they sprout into new spiritual plants.

Naturally formed

 seeds vary in quality and are fewer in quantity, not always guaranteeing successful cultivation.

The method passed down by the Hundred Herbs Hall, which Lu Xuan intended to test, aims to condense more numerous and higher-quality seeds, ensuring a higher success rate for cultivation.

Keeping four blood jade ginseng plants, he wished to verify the viability of the seed condensation method bestowed upon him by the Hundred Herbs Hall.

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