You Cultivate, I Farm

"Third-grade spiritual seed!"

Lu Xuan almost exclaimed, quickly concealing his delight on his face.

He hadn't expected that the eerie stone he picked up in the secret realm would turn out to be a third-grade spiritual seed after casually planting it.

Up to this point, among the spiritual plants he cultivated, only the Illusory Smoke Fruit and Dragonvine reached the third-grade stage, both acquired through unconventional means.

"The Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom, feeding on grudges. Be it the name or the cultivation method, it sounds rather ominous."

However, in the face of a third-grade existence, whether it was ominous or not became utterly insignificant.

As he was about to store the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom in his storage bag, his movements suddenly halted.

Retracting his arm, he casually glanced around.

Over a dozen cultivators were discerning normal Dragonvine methods. Three of them were close to Lu Xuan; among them were the two Qi-refining stage practitioners from the Wang family, with Li Jianfeng, bearing a centipede scar on his face, overlooking the rest from a higher vantage point.

Lu Xuan realized clearly that these two, ostensibly guarding the cultivators, were actually monitoring them to prevent any private hoarding or theft of the second-grade Dragonvine from the mountainside.

Realizing this, Lu Xuan disregarded the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom in the crevice and headed elsewhere.

Under the guise of searching for normal Dragonvine, he scoured the area, seeking if there were more Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms to be found.

Surprisingly, after a while, he discovered two more of them. Upon attempting to cultivate them, he found they were in the same dormant state as the earlier one, requiring the awakening of grudges.

Lu Xuan sensed something amiss.

"Logically, the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom's location isn't concealed, and the practitioners from the Wang family have been in this area for a while. It's unlikely they haven't found these mushrooms. So why do they still appear now?"

"There's only one possibility: the Wang family practitioners don't know what this stone with a peculiar face is!"

Likely, the other dozen cultivators present shared the same thought.

The more Lu Xuan pondered, the more he felt it plausible, devising a plan.

"Huh? What's this? Looks so bizarre!"

He suddenly exclaimed, plucking the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom from the crevice.

Nearby cultivators, curious upon hearing his exclamation, glanced over. Li Jianfeng, the scarred practitioner from the Wang family, also cast his gaze upon Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan held the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom, jumping a few times to reach Li Jianfeng.

"Friend Li, I found this peculiar item while discerning Dragonvine. Seems to have a bizarre face."

"The secret realm was discovered and developed by the Wang family, and the Dragonvine here belongs to them. Hence, I've decided to offer it to the Wang family."

Li Jianfeng glanced at the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom in Lu Xuan's hand, casually remarking, "Just a peculiarly shaped stone."

The Wang family practitioners had discovered the existence of this eerie stone upon entering the area. Initially assuming it to be some rare treasure, they brought a few pieces back, conducted extensive research, even consulting an expert from the Hundred Herbs Hall to identify various treasures, but found nothing unusual.

Moreover, the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom, unlike normal spiritual plants, showed no aura while dormant, indistinguishable from other stones on the mountainside. Hence, the Wang family practitioners gradually lost interest, regarding them as merely oddly shaped rocks.

"So that's it. I thought it was some valuable treasure! Turns out it's just junk."

Lu Xuan, upon hearing this, couldn't hide his disappointment, casually tossing the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom to the ground.

The eerie stone rolled on the ground, occasionally revealing its horrifying facial patterns.

The surrounding cultivators, pretending not to eavesdrop, continued busying themselves with discerning Dragonvine.

The entire afternoon passed slowly, progress stagnating. They hadn't found a reliable method to distinguish normal Dragonvine from the mutated one.

During this time, some cultivators continuously used various methods to stimulate the mutated Dragonvine, attempting to identify attacking strands among them.

However, this method consumed significant spiritual power and couldn't guarantee the discovery of all the hidden mutated Dragonvine.

As dusk approached, Wang Ruhai, the elegant scholar who had been out for a while, returned to the camp, carrying the carcass of a wolf-like monster.

"How's it going? Any effective methods found?"

Li Jianfeng shook his head, eyeing the monster carcass in Wang Ruhai's hands.

"I found a second-grade monster outside and took care of it. Also discovered a few first-grade spiritual plants, not bad."

Li Jianfeng nodded.

After the cultivators finished their work of discernment, had their dinner, they each retired to their respective quarters.

Due to the short duration of their stay, the camp was rudimentary, merely serving as a resting place.

In the darkness, it was challenging to discern, and the danger of mutated Dragonvine attacking was significantly higher at night. Therefore, there were no practitioners stationed on the mountainside, except for a mid-level Qi-refining practitioner from the Wang family guarding the perimeter.

Some cultivators were still discussing efficient ways of discernment, while others went back to their rooms to cultivate.

Lu Xuan circulated his energy for a few cycles, took out his Cloud-Stepping Lynx to stretch its legs, and then went to bed early.

Late at night, when all was quiet, Lu Xuan, who had been asleep on the wooden bed for a while, suddenly opened his eyes, alert.

After listening intently for a while, his spiritual awareness detected nothing unusual.

Quietly channeling his energy, he infiltrated the thin, dark-golden Concealing Spirit Robe he wore.

Instantly, the translucent threads within the cloak moved rapidly without a sound, and Lu Xuan's figure disappeared from the bed.

Half a moment later, he stealthily appeared inside the room.

He held a Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.

"Consumed most of my energy to retrieve this so-called worthless junk~!"

He chuckled, taking out a Qi Nourishing Pill from his storage bag, swiftly replenishing his energy.

During the day, using Li Jianfeng's experience as a testimony, Lu Xuan labeled the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom as worthless, completely dispelling any thoughts the practitioners had about the strange stone.

Originally planning to pick it up immediately and store it, out of caution, he chose to take it away in the dead of night, utilizing the Concealing Spirit Robe's invisibility ability to do so discreetly.

To avoid arousing suspicion after taking them all at once, he deliberately only took a more concealed Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom.

The rest, and perhaps any undiscovered ones, he planned to discreetly take away gradually while staying in the area.

"Getting hold of one wasn't easy, but compared to the value of a third-grade spiritual plant, it's worth the effort and thought I've put in."

"However, being a plain, honest cultivator, how can I get hold of some grudges to awaken this Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom?"

Lu Xuan pondered silently, incorporating this plan into his agenda, intending to start cultivating the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom once he left the secret realm.

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