I Practice Farming While the Rest Cultivates

by Little Merger

When Lu Xuan woke up, he found himself to be an Ordinary Spirit Plant Master in the Loose Repair Market, scraping by on his three-quarters of an acre Spirit Field in the Cultivation World. Luckily, he made an accidental discovery that whenever a Spirit Plant matures, he would receive an extra reward. For each Sword Grass he harvested, he would receive a Sword Pill. For each Xuan Ch

2. 33

I Practice Farming While the Rest Cultivates #Chapter 33 - 32 Body Says No (Please Follow) _1 - Read I Practice Farming While the Rest Cultivates Chapter 33 - 32 Body Says No (Please Follow) _1 Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 33: Chapter 32 Body Says No (Please Follow) _1

Translator: 549690339

Lu Xuan handed over thirty-two Spirit Stones to the vendor, taking the Cloud Leopard juvenile beast with green pupils from him in exchange.

To prevent the little beast from escaping, the vendor also gave Lu Xuan a Black Rope, tied around the Cloud Leopard's neck.

With one hand holding on to the end of the rope and the other gently holding the Cloud Leopard, Lu Xuan left the market.

Before heading home, he also specifically visited the shop where he bought the Red-bearded Carp.

The Cloud Leopard juvenile beast was riddled with wounds, so it was necessary to heal it. This shop specialises in various spirit pets and also sells healing medicine for spirit beasts.

He bought a small bottle of ointment from the shop, took the Cloud Leopard, and returned to the courtyard.

"Good boy, don't move, I'll untie the rope right now."

While Lu Xuan gently comforted the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast, he untied the Black Rope.

"From now on, this will be your home. Behave yourself and don't go out casually, or you'll be caught by those ill-intentioned bad guys." Lu Xuan scared the Cloud Leopard. The juvenile beast stared at Lu Xuan with its big green eyes, then turned its head to observe the situation indoors. Seeing that the Cloud Leopard was fairly obedient, Lu Xuan was slightly reassured, focusing his consciousness on its black fur.

A thought flashed through his mind.

"Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink, a first-grade Demon Beast, feeds on Demon Bird eggs and Demon Beast meat.

It possesses strange pupils which allow it to see things that are typically hard to notice. It can even see through falsities, revealing true nature."

"This really is a strange species of demon beast, these strange pupils seem to

hold something special."

Lu Xuan exclaimed.

Demon beasts are limited by their bloodline, their strength usually finds it difficult to surpass their own rank. However, this does not include the occasionally seen strange species of demon beasts.

They are far more mysterious than ordinary demon beasts, thus the possibility of breaking through the bloodline constraints is much greater.

"I am a solitary Civet from the North, roaming the boundless wilderness. Despite being covered in wounds, I still enjoy my solitude. Roar-"

This was the current state of Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink.

Lu Xuan looked at the injured but still proud Cloud Leopard and felt a little pity in his heart.

"Come on, let's apply this ointment first."

He pressed down on the head of Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink, gently clamped it with his leg, took out a small amount of ointment, and gently applied it to the Cloud Leopard's wounds.

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In a short while, patches of ointment appeared on the originally black body of the Cloud Leopard, somewhat diminishing its attractiveness.

"OK, don't move around for the next few days to avoid interfering with the formation of scars. After applying the ointment a couple more times, it will be mostly healed."

Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink continued to gaze at Lu Xuan coldly.

"Come here, let me give you a rub."

Lu Xuan sensed the solitude from the Cloud Leopard's current state and got the idea to pet this big cat.

He beckoned to the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink, but the short-tailed mink did not move an inch.

"Oh, not obeying yet."

Lu Xuan stretched out his hand, grabbed it over, stroked its head a few times, and tugged lightly on the clusters of grey-white fur on its pointed ears.

"Roar…"

As he summoned his consciousness to the Cloud Leopard, Lu Xuan seemed to hear a pleased growl from it.

Lowering his head, his eyes met the emotionless green pupils of Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink. It seemed like the thought was just an illusion in Lu Xuan's mind.

Lu Xuan couldn't help but chuckle softly, headed to the kitchen, cut off a piece of wind-dried porcupine meat, tore it into thin strips, and placed them in front of Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink.

"Here, have some porcupine meat. This is something even I don't dare to have often."

The Cloud Leopard, with its emerald eyes, first glanced at the strips of air-dried porcupine meat on the ground. It strolled over as if treading on tiny white clouds and elegantly stuffed a piece into its small mouth.

"Is it tasty?"

Lu Xuan asked quietly.

The Bi Jing Cloud Leopard continued to leisurely eat the porcupine meat on the ground, as if it were merely filling its belly.

However, Lu Xuan noticed its slightly retracted paws, the roundness of its emerald eyes, and the hairs on its ears standing on end.

His attention was entirely focused on it.

"Roar- Who would understand? Today I ate something called porcupine meat,

it really makes it easy for the civet to eat."

"Hahaha!"

Lu Xuan couldn't help but laugh. He had a great understanding of the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast in front of him now.

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On the surface, it seemed proud and aloof, but in fact, it needed love and warmth. It hid everything deep within its heart. If he wasn't able to monitor the real-time status of Spirit Plants and Beasts, he would have found it difficult to discover this characteristic.

"Your body is saying no, but your heart is saying yes, huh!

Lu Xuan laughed, reaching over and patting its head despite the Cloud Leopard Juvenile's resistance.

When the Bi Jing Cloud Leopard had almost finished eating, Lu Xuan went to the Spirit Field again and scooped up a bowl of Spiritual Spring water.

The Bi Jing Cloud Leopard sniffed at the Spirit Spring water and stuck out its pink tongue, lapping at the water lightly.

After it had eaten and drunk its fill, Lu Xuan took it to the Spirit Field.

"These are the Spirit Plants that I've cultivated, each one is very important. When you're playing in the yard, don't harm them, otherwise don't blame me for being unkind."

"Also, don't touch the Three-Tailed Red Whisker Carp in the Spiritual Spring Pool. If one day I find one less, I will hold you responsible.

The Bi Jing Cloud Leopard looked around the courtyard, its head unmoving.

Lu Xuan knew its actual thoughts were not as they appeared on the surface and took it back into the house.

After leaving the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast to rest in the house, Lu Xuan went to the Spirit Field alone, checking all the Spirit Plants and catering to their every tiny need.

He then took out a handful of Spirit Rice and scattered it in the Spiritual Spring Pool. Only after the Red Whisker Carp had eaten all of it did he return home.

By this time, it was already dusk.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw the pair of emerald eyes of the Cloud Leopard Juvenile staring at him. As Lu Xuan came into view, it subtly shifted to one side.

"Come here, sleep in my bed."

Lu Xuan cultivated for multiple cycles before getting ready for bed after washing himself.

He looked at the Bi Jing Cloud Leopard, curled up not too far away, and felt the loneliness and cold inside its heart. He patted the side of his wooden bed, signaling it to jump up.

The Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast closed its eyes and did not move.

Lu Xuan had no choice but to let it be.

He blew out the candle, laid down, and closed his eyes to rest.

After a while, Lu Xuan opened his eyes, and the Cloud Leopard's luminous green eyes were staring back at him.

"This creature seems to be nocturnal. Could it be that it gets more excited as the night deepens?"

Muttering to himself, Lu Xuan got out of bed, picked up the Juvenile Beast from an uninjured spot, and without minding its struggles, put it directly onto one side of his bed.

"Behave yourself and rest!"

After giving this instruction, he closed his eyes.

Not long after, Lu Xuan's breath gradually became long and steady.

The Bi Jing Cloud Leopard felt the warmth emanating from Lu Xuan's side. It looked at Lu Xuan's sleeping face with its green eyes, flicked its short, stout tail, and gently closed its eyes..

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Chapter 34: Chapter 33 Perfect Grade (Request to Read

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Dawn had not yet broken.

"Roar ~ ~"

Lu Xuan was half-asleep when he suddenly heard a coarse roar.

He opened his eyes instantly, wide awake, and saw the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink staring coldly at him from afar.

"Was that roar from you just now? That's a bit…"

"…contrasting, don't you think?"

As Lu Xuan gazed at the gracefully majestic Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast crouching quietly on the bed, he found it difficult to reconcile the graceful image before him with the coarse roar he had heard earlier.

"Could you roar again for me?"

Lu Xuan asked tentatively.

The Cloud Leopard overlooked him, lightly jumping down to the ground, as if stepping on four white clouds.

Helpless, Lu Xuan got up from bed and was about to wash up when he heard another dubious roar from behind him.

"Roar…"

The voice had an obvious tone of compromise. Lu Xuan imagined a brawny robust man trying his utmost to act cute, which seemed weirdly out of place.

"That was a lovely roar, but please don't do it again," Lu Xuan said casually.

After washing, he fed it a few dried porcupine meat strips.

He had established a simple master-servant bond with the Cloud Leopard

Juvenile Beast after purchasing it yesterday.

This contract assured a close connection between the two. Certain empathy was possible, and if the spirit pet intended to harm the cultivator, the cultivator would sense it immediately.

The bond's conditions and restrictions were fairly simple. The Beast Mastery Sect allegedly held a more complex blood pact, once established, a cultivator could determine the spirit pet's life or death in an instant. If the cultivator unexpectedly died, the spirit pet would follow suit.

After breakfast, Lu Xuan headed to the Spirit Field and surveyed every area. In the Spirit Spring Pool, the Pure Snow Lotus had already sprouted several delicate white leaves. It was growing proudly in the mist, marking its place uniquely in the world.

Lu Xuan watered them with the Spirit Rain Technique, which held an icy spiritual power, making the small lotus leaves appear even more pristine and cold.

A few Blood Jade Ginseng roots were misbehaving, trying to mingle while Lu

Xuan was resting during the night.

He even noticed two Jade-like Spirit Ginsengs converging toward a Blood Jade

Ginseng from two different directions.

"If I hadn't discovered you in time, wouldn't you three have been playing a 'triple-ginseng' game?" Lu Xuan mockingly remarked, using the Earth Pulling Technique to correct the positions of the deviated Blood Jade Ginsengs.

Five pine nuts within the Red Cloud Pine's thin, needle-like, red leaves had grown a bit larger, barely concealed and about to burst forth.

In the area planted with Spirit Firefly Grass, a hundred stems had entered their final maturity stage, each about a foot tall. Lu Xuan estimated that a few would yield a light cluster reward in the coming days.

After completing his inspection, he took several strange worms unearthed in the process and headed back to the edge of the Spirit Spring.

In the Spirit Spring Pool, a trio of Three-Tailed Red Whisker Carp swam around the Pure Snow Lotus, seemingly sensing some changes in the spiritual energy surrounding the lotus leaves.

This scene…to some extent, could be summarized by those four lines of

poetry."

"Fish play among lotus leaves in the east, the west, the south, and the north."

"The original poem implies thriving lotus leaves with fish appearing ceaselessly, whereas here in my Spirit Spring Pool, the Red Whisker Carp surround the Pure Snow Lotus, encompassing its four sides.'

Lu Xuan thought to himself before tossing a juicy worm into the Pool.

As soon as Lu Xuan approached the spring, the Three-Tailed Red Whisker Carp knew that food was about to descend. They each drew out a pair of long red whiskers and swam beneath Lu Xuan.

As soon as the worm was thrown in, six long whiskers shot out almost simultaneously, attacking it.

Suddenly, a black and white claw emerged from the edge of the spring, forcibly grabbing the six long red whiskers.

Under the pull of the paw, the body of the Red Whisker Carp jumped out of the shallow spring water.

Before Lu Xuan even had a chance to scold, the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast quickly let go of its black and white paw, allowing the Three-Tailed Red Whisker Carp to fall back into the Spiritual Spring Pool uncontrollably.

After this, the Red Whisker Carp, which had continuously been using its delicate long red whiskers to fish for Strange Worms, became much more well-behaved. It no longer dared to fling out its whiskers in front of Lu Xuan. Only when the Strange Worms fell to the surface of the water would it go to snatch them up.

Lu Xuan glared at the Cloud Leopard juvenile, now nestled at the edge of the Spirit Spring Pool, deducing that the initiative to catch fish was its instinct, while its immediate release was in compliance with his instructions.

The Cloud Leopard ignored Lu Xuan, but its steps were stealthy as it prowled silently around the edge of the Spirit Spring Pool, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

It seems that the Red Whisker Carp, having just suffered a huge loss, no longer dared to shoot out its red whiskers.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The wounds on the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink had all scabbed over, and four stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass in the Spirit Field had matured.

Perhaps the spiritual energy in the Spirit Field was purer and more abundant, coupled with the fact that Lu Xuan had taken great care of them since they were Spiritual Seeds, he was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the matured Spirit Firefly Grass.

Two of them were of Superior Quality and two of Perfect Grade.

After the four Spirit Firefly Grass were harvested, four flickering white light clusters were left in their original spots.

Lu Xuan picked up the light clusters one by one.

"Harvested a Spirit Firefly Grass, gained Nine Months of Cultivation."

"Harvested a Spirit Firefly Grass, gained One Year of Cultivation."

Two ideas flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.

The Spiritual Power in his body surged wildly within his meridians.

Lu Xuan operated his Cultivation Technique, controlling the flow of Spiritual Power within his body. Once it gradually calmed down, a smile appeared on his face, unable to be held back.

During this period, although he mainly focused on growing Spirit Plants, he still practiced hard in his spare time. However, the spiritual energy within his body could be said to be stagnant.

He wasn't in a hurry, his talent was there after all, and such a cultivation speed was normal.

More importantly, with Spirit Firefly Grass light cluster rewards, whether or not his Spiritual Power increased during his daily hard cultivation wasn't that important anymore.

Just like now, two Spirit Firefly Grass almost equaled two years of his hard cultivation.

"I've planted three batches of Spirit Firefly Grass so far. It's clear that the quality at maturity has a huge impact on the light cluster rewards." -From what I remember, the Ordinary Quality gives me Three Months Cultivation, the Good Quality gives me Six Months, the Superior Quality brings Nine Months, and the Perfect Grade provides a full year." Thinking this in his heart, he continues to pick up the third white light cluster. -Harvested a Spirit Firefly Grass, gained Wood Generation Technique."

A thought flashed through his mind.

"Wood Generation Technique, Wood-Based Technique. It can condense Wood energy, and to a certain degree, accelerate the growth of Spirit Plants."

"Finally, a new technique has dropped."

Following the Earth Pulling Technique and Golden Sword Technique, the light cluster from the Spirit Firefly Grass has presented a third technique.

This Wood Generation Technique is similar to the Earth Pulling Technique, both are rank-less techniques. They are not as powerful as the Golden Sword Technique but are more suitable for Lu Xuan.

"Just learned about this technique with its rather minimal ripening effects. If I absorb a few more Wood Generation Technique experience packages, I should be able to reduce the growth time of Spirit Plants considerably.

Lu Xuan secretly pondered this.

Finally, there is the last white light cluster, also brought by the Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass.

The light cluster vanished, replaced by a talisman in Lu Xuan's hand.

The talisman's material was different from ordinary talismans, seemingly crafted from gold-iron alloy, with numerous small sword engravings on it. "Million Swords Qi Talisman, Second Grade Talisman. Activating it equals the full force attack of a High-tier Qi Cultivator, extremely strong offensive power."

"A Second Grade Talisman!"

Lu Xuan's heart surged with joy. The First and Second Grades fall under the scope of Qi Cultivation. Most First Grade Talismans equate to the full-force attack of a Lower Level Qi Cultivator, the better ones can reach the Mid-stage of Qi cultivation. Meanwhile, most Second Grade Talismans are the equivalent of a High-tier Qi Cultivator's attack.

For Lu Xuan at this moment, it's no less than a secret weapon..

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Chapter 35: Chapter 34 Dyeing This Thing Green l

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Lu Xuan tucked the Second-Grade Sword Qi Ten Thousand Talisman into his storage bag and happily returned to his room.

The Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast stared at him with its green eyes, looked at Lu Xuan who was grinning, moved its ears, and then laid down on the ground.

Lu Xuan could roughly guess what the Civet Juvenile was thinking without focusing his mind, walked over to it, and rubbed its fluffy head.

"Meow…"

It was another strained meow.

Unfortunately, its natural condition was evident, and despite its efforts, the grunt still made a gruff sound.

Lu Xuan couldn't help but secretly chuckle; he went into the kitchen, cut a piece of dried cactus meat, tore it into small strips, and placed them in front of the Civet Juvenile.

"The rewards from the perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass are quite good. It seems that my path to meticulous cultivation has not been misguided."

"As for whether plants with ranks like the Red Cloud Pine and Sword Grass can be cultivated to perfect quality, I'm not sure. If that is possible, the rewards should be even more considerable."

"The possibility should be lower than that of Spirit Firefly Grass since their planting conditions are more complex, and it's challenging to make them perfect."

"I'll just do my best."

For the next few days, Lu Xuan stayed at home, cultivating spiritual plants, and raising Red-bearded Carp and Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink.

The Civet Juvenile maintained its cold and aloof temperament in front of Lu Xuan, but its true thoughts were often revealed through occasional glimpses into its inner state.

After the maturing of four Spirit Firefly Grasses which seemed to trigger a chain reaction, five more matured a few days later.

This batch was slightly lesser in quality compared to the first batch. Among the five that matured, one was of good quality, three were of superior quality, and only one was of perfect grade.

"Harvest one Spirit Firefly Grass, and gain nine months of cultivation."

Lu Xuan picked up a white light cluster that had appeared on the ground. Two thoughts flashed in his mind as he did so.

He immediately felt an outburst of powerful spiritual power in his body, wreaking havoc throughout his body.

He closed his eyes, operated his cultivation technique, and tried to control the surging spiritual power within him.

When the spiritual power eventually subsided, Lu Xuan opened his eyes, his eyes clear and radiant.

Now, having added another year and a half of cultivation, he could feel his spiritual power reaching the peak of the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.

Next, as long as he diligently practiced cultivation and a few more Spirit Firefly Grass matured, he would be able to break through to the Qi Practicing Fifth Level.

"Harvest one Spirit Firefly Grass, and receive one first-grade Evil Banishing Talisman."

A talisman carrying an imprisoned evil ghost appeared in Lu Xuan's hand.

Lu Xuan put it into his storage bag, and began a new round of talisman accumulation.

"Harvest one Spirit Firefly Grass and receive the Wood Generation Technique."

The white light cluster entered his mind, and a thought surfaced. Lu Xuan gained an experience package of the Wood Generation Technique.

Immediately, concepts about the principles, execution process, and spiritual power control of the Wood Generation Technique flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

Lu Xuan's comprehension and control of the technique improved even more.

He had advanced from a beginner to proficient in the Wood Generation Technique.

Lu Xuan came to the Red Cloud Pine, operated his spiritual power, and a strand of spiritual power with a faint hint of green drifted into the slender pine leaves of the Red Cloud Pine.

In an instant, he felt the surrounding area of the Red Cloud Pine had a slight aggregation of wood-related spiritual power, full of vibrant vitality, integrating into the body of the spiritual plant.

With his mind focused on the Red Cloud Pine, even though there seemed to be no outward change, the faint woody spiritual power had stimulated growth in the Red Cloud Pine.

Lu Xuan tried out the Wood Generation Technique he just learnt from the experience package and then turned his attention to the last white light cluster.

This white light cluster was bestowed by the only perfect grade Spirit Firefly Grass, which made Lu Xuan have certain expectations for it.

"Harvested Spirit Firefly Grass one, gained Grass Spirit Elixir one drop."

This idea flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.

Suddenly, a drop of green liquid appeared in Lu Xuan's hand.

The liquid was droplet-shaped, about half the size of Lu Xuan's thumb, semi-solid, displaying a lush green color and emitting a vigorous breath of life.

"Grass Spirit Elixir, made from the essence of abundant plants, the elixir contained rich plant spiritual energy. It could be used to feed demon beasts that eat plant spiritual energy, or used in the refining of related elixirs, or fused into magic artifacts, formations, puppets, and other related treasures."

"Grass Spirit Elixir, it sounds quite good, but how should it be used?"

Lu Xuan held the trembling liquid in his hand, which could burst at any moment, and fell into contemplation.

"I got it! Isn't there a ready-made Grass Puppet available? It was refined from the special withered grass and is a woody treasure."

Lu Xuan turned his head and looked at the Grass Puppet that was guarding in the corner.

This Grass Puppet was a secondhand good that he had got from the Loose Cultivation Market. It was rumored to come from the Thousand Mechanism Sect, famous for their puppets, and was programmed with very simple behavior.

When outsiders or demon beasts invaded the spirit field, it would alert Lu Xuan and tried to bind the intruders.

When the Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level cultivator, Qin Ming, tried to sneak attack him, the Grass Puppet intercepted the deadly strike of the spear for Lu Xuan. It was indeed very useful.

"I usually feed you Broken Spirits, today I will feed you something different."

Lu Xuan walked to the Grass Puppet, bent down, and stuffed the Grass Spirit Elixir into the large withered grass lump on its head.

The originally gray lump visibly turned green at an astonishing speed.

"Huh, I just dyed this thing green for you."

Lu Xuan laughed softly, and when he saw that the Grass Puppet showed no reaction, he continued to inspect the spirit plants in the spirit field.

Half a day later, he returned to the corner of the yard and found that the green tint on the head of the Grass Puppet had faded a lot.

After absorbing the drop of Grass Spirit Elixir, there were significant changes in the Grass Puppet.

Before, it always stayed quietly in the corner of the spirit field. If there were no invaders in the spirit field, it would stay in place, motionless.

One was because it inherently lacked mobility, and second, it had no spiritual intelligence and could only perform a few simple instructions.

After digesting the Grass Spirit Elixir, Lu Xuan noticed it produced a trace of faint spiritual intelligence. It began to move its head from side to side of its own accord, observing its surroundings.

When Lu Xuan gave the order to patrol the spirit field, the Grass Puppet seemed to understand and slowly moved around at an extremely slow pace.

At the same time, the dried gray grass on its body also underwent more changes, becoming stronger. It could instantaneously shoot out numerous grass ropes, and also twist and condense a thicker and longer rope.

The only thing that did not change was, its reaction speed was still sluggish, it took quite a while to act after receiving Lu Xuan's instructions.

"Now that the spirit field is bigger, your task is more difficult. Remember to inspect the spirit field when you are free."

Lu Xuan gave a lengthy explanation to the Grass Puppet.

The Grass Puppet remained still, its disproportionately large head and gray grass-wrapped face gazing blankly at Lu Xuan.

When Lu Xuan disappeared from its sight, a faint green light seemed to flash in the gray grass. Then, the Grass Puppet stepped its thin grass legs one after the other, its gray grass head toppling a huge tumor that was still a bit green and walked slowly in the spirit field..

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Chapter 36: Chapter 35: A Familiar Plot 1

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The next day, Lu Xuan inspected the Spirit Field and then cultivated his spiritual plants using various lower-tier formula methods. He then watched as the Grass Puppet continued to move slowly within the field.

"You didn't just walk around in the Spirit Field all night, did you? Stop, stop." The Grass Puppet continued to slowly stretch out its straw-like legs.

It was only when Lu Xuan had returned to the house that it finally reacted and stopped, with its straw head turned towards the Spirit Field.

I m planning to go out for a while; do you want to come along?"

Lu Xuan said to the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink lying on the floor after he entered the house.

"Meow…"

The Mink Juvenile Beast gave a low cry with a suppressed throat, looking indifferent as it walked to the doorway.

Seeing this, Lu Xuan knew that it was just playing hard to get and that it actually couldn't wait to come with him.

Sure enough, when he reached out to touch the Mink's fur, the Juvenile Beast made a symbolic struggle before obediently laying on Lu Xuan's shoulder.

Four white clouds clung to Lu Xuan's clothes like snow, with the Mink's pointed ears standing upright and its grayish-white fur fluttering in the wind. With the dwindling stock of Spirit Beast Meat and Spirit Rice at home, Lu Xuan planned to buy some at the market.

After feeding the Three-Tailed Red Whisker Carp and the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink, the consumption of Spirit Beast Meat and Spirit Rice had greatly increased. Lu Xuan could only hope for better rewards from the light clusters when they matured to satisfy them.

As for the mature Nine Spiritual Firefly Grasses, he didn't plan to sell them to the 'Ba, Cao Tang' just yet. Instead, he kept them in the White Jade Box inside his storage bag, intending to deal with them once he had more.

After arriving at the market, as usual, Lu Xuan scanned around the various stalls, looking to obtain the unknown spiritual seeds, spirit beast eggs, or young beasts he wanted.

Unfortunately, he wasn't lucky enough to find them.

He calmly entered a shop and bought twenty pounds of the lowest grade Spirit Rice and five pounds of Demon Beast Meat, spending a total of over ten spirit stones.

After that, he had about eighty spirit stones left in his hand.

After putting the Spirit Rice and Demon Beast Meat into his storage bag, Lu Xuan was about to leave when suddenly, a huge demonic bird flew across the sky with its wings flapping.

The demonic bird's wingspan was around thirty feet, casting a large shadow on the ground.

"This is the Wang Family's third-rank demonic beast, the Iron-winged eagle. It has been raised for hundreds of years and has the strength equivalent to a Foundation Establishment first-term cultivator."

Looking like this, it's probably carrying a group of cultivators who are returning from a newly opened secret land."

In the market, a cultivator with profound knowledge said in a low voice.

Sure enough, not long after the Iron-winged eagle passed, a variety of demonic birds and flying boats successively flew over the market.

They finally landed in a spacious square hundreds of feet away.

Lu Xuan followed the crowd and watched from a distance.

"That's Wang Wenhong, a high-grade Qi practitioner. Among the young talents of the Wang Family, his cultivation is one of the highest. It's said that he was taken to the wilderness for trial."

One steady-looking youth walked out of the square with a crimson sword in

his hand, emitting a subtle killing aura as he walked.

"I wonder how the development of that new secret land is going? Do we loose cultivators have a chance to go in and get a share of the leftovers?"

"You, with your Qi Cultivation Second Layer, want to enter the new secret land' Not to mention the Wang Family and the loose cultivators who went to reclaim it would scrape the secret land clean; even if there is anything good left, you wouldn't be able to enter the gate of the secret land with your cultivation." "What have these cultivators from the Wang Family been encountering in the secret land? They all look so serious."

"There's no need to be suspicious. This is just a regular return for supplies and rest."

The loose cultivators in the market were abuzz with discussion, while Lu Xuan carefully observed from within the crowd.

In addition to a large group of cultivators from the Wang Family, there were also hundreds of loose cultivators who had returned.

Many loose cultivators didn't carry storage bags; their waists were bulging, showing that they had reaped significant gains.

Every loose cultivator seemed uneasy, showing signs of doubt, retrospect, and heaviness…

Lu Xuan took a quick glance around, but he didn't see Zhang Hong. However, he wasn't too worried about Zhang Hong's safety. After all, it hadn't been long since Zhang Hong's last return. Considering the long journey, he wouldn't waste time going back and forth easily.

He quietly withdrew from the crowd.

With so many cultivators coming back, he presumed that the market would flush out quite a few good items these next few days. He planned to keep a more vigilant watch.

Once back home, he carefully stored the spirit rice and demon beast meat he took out, warning the Cloud Leopard not to sneak into the kitchen for meat, otherwise he would leave it without any treats to eat.

In the afternoon, Wang Shan made a visit.

Right as he stepped in, the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast's jade green eyes fiercely stared at him, growling in a low voice.

"Roar-!"

"This is a demonic beast that I bought from the market some time ago. Its wild nature is not yet tamed, I apologize if it disturbed you, Wang Fellow Daoist," Lu Xuan gently patted the Cloud Leopard's head, signalling it to quiet down as he spoke to Wang Shan with a smile.

"Not at all, Brother Lu has interesting tastes, keeping such a demon beast. However, the eyes of this Cloud Leopard indeed look out of the ordinary " Wang Shan remarked.

"Appearances can be deceiving, there's nothing extraordinary about it," Lu

Xuan replied casually.

"As for taming this little guy, I primarily intended it to guard the house Also living alone for long can get rather boring, so having something to accompany me is certainly better."

"Unlike you, Brother Wang, being constantly in the company of a gentle, fragrant and soft beauty, I daresay you're living in absolute bliss," Lu Xuan teased.

Having not seen each other in a while, Wang Shan's complexion seemed even more radiant than before.

"Hahaha!"

Wang Shan burst out laughing.

"I came here to give Little Brother Lu a friendly reminder."

"Hundreds, perhaps thousands of loose cultivators have returned from a newly discovered secret land in the wilderness, each carrying valuable items. Naturally, this will attract many coveters. This being their most sensitive period, conflicts tend to break out easily."

"Earlier today, two disputes already occurred in the North District, causing the death of three loose cultivators."

"In addition to that, the unpredictable demon envoys in the wilderness could potentially infiltrate the city along with them. Friend Lu, please be extra cautious."

"I appreciate the reminder, Wang Fellow Daoist," Lu Xuan replied gratefully.

No matter how tumultuous the outside world was, he was simply going to stay in his courtyard, cultivating spiritual plants.

If any cultivator dared to disrupt his peaceful farming life, he wouldn't let them off easily.

After a brief conversation, Wang Shan went on to patrol the various streets in the North District.

Lu Xuan firmly locked the door to his courtyard, isolating it from the outside through array formations.

Not long after, a soft voice resounded from outside the courtyard.

"Brother Lu, are you home?"

It was Wang Shan's concubine.

As Lu Xuan opened the courtyard door, the gorgeous Lady Wang quietly stood at the entrance. Her loose robe couldn't hide her curvy figure, her eyes cast downward. Seeing Lu Xuan emerge, she lifted her head, her moving eyes seemed to ripple like water, filled with grace and charm.

"Lady Wang, what brings you here?" Lu Xuan asked.

"Some strange noises have been emanating from my house. I'm scared being by myself. Could Brother Lu come help me check it out?" Lady Wang asked, her demeanor frail, reminiscent of a timid rabbit ready to bolt at any movement.

A strange smile formed on Lu Xuan's lips.

A newly wedded couple with the husband preoccupied with many duties leaving the wife at home with trouble arising and no other option but to seek the help of a young neighbor.

Why did this situation feel so familiar?

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Chapter 37: Chapter 36 – The Female Practitioner Will

Only Affect My Farming Speed_1

Translator: 549690339

It was impossible for Lu Xuan to feel nothing when such a delicate female cultivator stood in front of him, inviting him home with the softest, most soothing voice.

He forcefully suppressed his eagerness, comforting Lady Wang.

"Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. Are you sure there have been strange noises in your house?"

"I've heard it more than once, a very eerie noise, it sounds terrifying. My heart's still pounding non-stop till now."

Lady Wang lowered her eyes, her slender, fair hand held against her chest.

Following her movement, Lu Xuan's gaze fell on a large expanse of plump, white skin.

"…Sister-in-law, are you testing a Spirit Plant Master with this?"

He muttered to himself internally and continued to question Lady Wang.

"Did Big Brother Wang leave you any protective magical artifacts or charms? Did he set up any defensive arrays in the courtyard?"

"Yes, everything is there."

Hearing the woman's words, Lu Xuan's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Since Big Brother Wang left you with protective magical artifacts and charms, as well as defensive arrays, why did you come looking for me?"

'You're at the Second Layer of Qi Cultivation, and I'm at the Third Layer. Plus, I'm just a Spirit Plant Master and not good at combat. Our strengths are about the same."

"I'm sorry I can't help you. I suggest either you go find Big Brother Wang, or you stay home and rely on the array and magic artifacts until Big Brother Wang returns."

Lu Xuan promptly said.

"But…I'm a weak woman, I'm scared to stay at home alone…Brother Lu…"

Lady Wang spoke timidly, her features looking vulnerable and helpless.

"Bang!"

The sound of the courtyard gate closing was her response.

Unwilling to give up, Lady Wang pleaded several more times outside the courtyard. Lu Xuan remained unmoved and directly entered his house.

Soon, the area outside the courtyard returned to peace.

Lu Xuan listened carefully and waited. When he was certain that there was no longer any sound, he finally relaxed.

He could not confirm the truth of Lady Wang's words.

If it was true, and there were strange noises at her house, entering it could potentially cause him to fall into dangerous circumstances. Besides, explaining the situation if Wang Shan returned and found them alone in a room would be difficult.

If her claims were false, then Lady Wang was either trying to seduce him or had nefarious intentions towards him.

Chances are, it was far more likely to be false. After all, it does not make sense that she did not seek help from her Fifth Layer Qi Practicing husband, but instead, sought help from a Third Layer Qi Practicing stranger.

"Huh, female practitioners!"

"They only disrupt my farming speed!"

Lu Xuan sneered, pushing the incident out of his mind.

The next two or three days were quiet and peaceful.

As Lu Xuan observed, both Wang Shan and Lady Wang had no abnormalities, and they did not come looking for him.

He did not know if they had successfully resolved the so-called weird noises, or if the whole thing was a fabrication.

With no one bothering him, Lu Xuan happily indulged in his leisure, cultivating spiritual plants daily and watching the Three-Tailed Red Whisker Carp scramble for Spirit Rice by the Spiritual Spring Pool.

From time to time, he played with the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast. The juvenile occasionally made sounds, still possessing a distinct, crude, and robust tone.

After a few days, under Lu Xuan's careful care, four more stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass matured completely.

Among them, two were of good quality, one was of superior quality, and one was of perfect quality.

According to the growth of the thirteen mature Spirit Firefly Grass plants, Lu Xuan also realized that achieving Spirit Firefly Grass of perfect quality isn't an easy task.

He believes he has done his utmost care and cultivation, but the probability of achieving perfect quality is still quite low.

Four Spirit Firefly Grass plants generated four slightly flickering white light clusters.

"Harvesting one Spirit Firefly Grass, gaining six months of cultivation progress."

With that thought flashing by, Lu Xuan's spiritual power rose sharply, making his cultivation at the Fifth Level of Qi even more stable.

"Harvesting one Spirit Firefly Grass, obtaining the First Grade Explosive Flame Talisman."

As he absorbed the white light cluster, a thought flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.

A red talisman appeared in his hand, the talisman was painted with strange patterns, looking like a burning flame, holding it gave a slight burning sensation.

Lu Xuan put it into his storage bag.

He always welcomed more talismans. Even though a first-grade talisman was only equivalent to the attack of a lower or middle-level qi cultivator and had limited lethality, if there were enough of them and used together, the effect would be extraordinary.

During the previous sneak attack from Qin Ming at the Fourth Level of Qi Cultivation, the numerous talismans he had accumulated played a vital role.

"Harvesting one Spirit Firefly Grass, gaining the Earth Pulling Technique."

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Lu Xuan's understanding of Earth Pulling Technique in terms of principles, casting speed, and control deepened as if he had practiced it hundreds of thousands of times in an instant.

He vaguely felt that his mastery of the Earth Pulling Technique had reached a grand completion stage.

He could accurately change the terrain, even to the size of sand and gravel, and if spiritual power was sufficient, he could even cause crustal movements.

The charms and methods brought by the two superior quality plants were as expected by Lu Xuan.

He looked down at the last white light cluster. This cluster was left by the Spirit Firefly Grass of perfect quality, and Lu Xuan had great expectations for it.

"Harvesting one Spirit Firefly Grass, gain a First Grade Treasure, Thunder Fire Pearl."

As the white light cluster disappeared, a bead about the size of a baby's fist appeared in front of Lu Xuan.

The bead was fire-red, with many dark red patterns on the surface, and a faint flash of lightning could be seen inside.

"The Thunder Fire Pearl, a first-grade treasure, can burst with the force of raging thunder-fire when used."

"The use of the thunder-fire power inside the bead is limited. Once depleted, it can be recharged in some special wind power environments."

"A consumable treasure that can be charged with thunder and fire power, but it looks challenging to find a suitable place to charge."

Lu Xuan looked at the Thunder Fire Pearl in the palm of his hand and thought to himself.

This Thunder Fire Pearl isn't like a usual magic artifact, durable and long-lasting. Although it's consumable, it's different from one-off talismans, as it can be used more times and recharged for repeated use.

That is what makes it much more superior in value compared to talismans of the same rank.

"As expected from a Spirit Plant of perfect quality, a grade-less Spirit Firefly Grass. A treasure such as this is obtained from the cluster inside."

The previous First Grade Slivered Blade was collected after opening numerous Moon Erosion Fruits. The Thunder Fire Pearl in front of him is slightly inferior in value to the Slivered Blade, yet it came from just one mature Spirit Firefly Grass.

This shows the importance of acquiring a Spirit Plant of perfect quality.

In this batch of mature Spirit Firefly Grass, Lu Xuan only got four of perfect quality.

Among them, one gave him a year of cultivation progress, one gave him a Second Grade Sword Qi Talisman, one gave him the Grass Spirit Elixir which was filled with the essence of grass and trees.

The latest one did not disappoint, revealing a Thunder Fire Pearl.

Compared to other qualities of maturing Spirit Firefly Grass, the acquired cultivation progress varies between three, six and nine months depending on the quality, whilst other items primarily consist of First Grade Talismans and low-grade techniques, the best of which is the First Grade Technique, the Golden Sword Technique.

"I must work harder on farming, not for the sake of any perfect level rewards."

"I just want to experience the heavy harvest that comes after hard work."

Lu Xuan put the Thunder Fire Pearl into his storage bag, his resolve unyielding..

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Chapter 38: Chapter 37 Sneaky Level Evil Invasion_l

Translator: 549690339

Thirteen mature Spirit Firefly Grass plants were ready, and any longer on the vine might result in loss of vitality and damage to their quality.

Lu Xuan planned to hand these thirteen plants over to the Bai Cao Tang, and take the opportunity to shop for suitable Spirit Seeds and young beasts at the market.

"Little guy, do you want to come with me?"

Before Lu Xuan's words fell, he felt a slight sinking sensation on his right shoulder. Turning his head, he saw the crisp emerald eyes of a Mysterious Cloud-Civet whose cloud-like paws were lightly stepping on his shoulder.

A couple of aquamarine eyes stared straight ahead, coldly observing the front, seemingly reluctant to acknowledge the turned face of Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan focused his spirit on its body, quickly understanding the excitable feelings inside the young civet's heart.

He didn't find it surprising. After a light laugh, he instructed the now back-to-normal Grass Puppet to take extra good care of the Spirit Field before he took the Cloud-Civet to the market with him.

In the market, there was a noticeable increase in the number of Loose Cultivators compared to before.

The countless materials and Spiritual Medicine that were brought back from the new Secret Land attracted many Cultivators to enter the market.

New and unique items appeared on the stalls, Lu Xuan leisurely strolled around, looking for something that caught his interest.

Suddenly, a group of Cultivators about ten yards away caught his attention.

These Cultivators wore standard Daoist robes. Lu Xuan recognized at a glance that they were Patrol Guards from Linyang Market.

A few Qi Practitioners at the intermediate level were using a black rope to encircle an area, where quite a few strange charms were attached. Within this circle, there was a scorch mark.

Lu Xuan observed a Patrol Guard tossing an Evil Banishing Talisman into the circle. A pure white light flashed, emitting a peaceful sentiment.

At the appearance of the white light, the other guards nervously watched the open space. Only after the white light gradually disappeared did they slightly relax.

Lu Xuan, led by curiosity, moved closer to the crowd and quickly got some information.

"These Patrol Guards are indeed diligent, guarding the place where the Strange Class Cultivator died a day ago, to prevent Evil Spirits from appearing."

"There's no help for it. Everyone knows the horror of Evil Spirits. Better safe than sorry."

"In the North District, at least ten cultivators have died, either attacked and tainted by the Evil Spirits and transformed into monsters or killed by these transformed monsters."

"Don't know if you guys have heard, but rumor has it the large number of Evil Spirits appearing this time in the market has a lot to do with the Wang Family."

"The rumor says they broke open a new formation and stirred up a Trick Level Evil Spirit in the Secret Land, which then followed them back."

"Be prudent with your words, this isn't something we Lower Level Loose Qi Cultivators can discuss at will, lest they bring bad luck."

"What we can do now is just think about how to survive this Evil Spirit invasion."

As the discussion gradually subsided, they slowly moved on to new topics.

"Cultivators transformed to death, Trick Level Evil Spirit Invasion?"

Lu Xuan vaguely picked up two key words.

"I didn't expect so much to happen in just the few days I didn't leave the house."

"Trick Level Evil Spirit…"

He felt a heaviness in his heart.

The classification of Evil Spirits was different from Demon Beasts, divided into four ranks: Strange Class, Trick Level, Disaster Level, and Catastrophe Level.

A Strange Class Evil Spirit already possessed strange and extraordinary abilities, akin to a Qi-Cultivator. A Trick Level Evil Spirit possessed inscrutable abilities, generally comparable to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Even though the Wang Family and other powers in the market were up front, if a regular Loose Cultivator was slightly affected by it, it would result in their death.

With a little attention, Lu Xuan observed that influenced by this rumour, the prices of charms such as Evil Banishing Talismans and Demon Warding Talismans in the market had risen a lot.

"Quickly take a look around the market, if there's none, go to 'Bai Cao Tang' at the fastest speed, deal with these dozen or so Spirit Firefly Grass, and immediately go home," Lu Xuan made up his mind on the spot. As the market became increasingly unstable and unsafe, he planned to stay in the courtyard as much as possible, accompanied by spiritual plants and spirit pets.

Just as he quickened his pace, Lu Xuan suddenly felt his shoulder where the Cloud Leopard was resting become a few pounds heavier.

He turned his head and saw the civet juvenile staring coldly ahead, issuing that strange low growl from its mouth.

"It's making an actual sound. Did it detect something?"

Seeing the civet behave oddly, Lu Xuan slowed down.

The civet's posture made Lu Xuan recall its actions when it lurked at the edge of the Spiritual Spring Pool, ambushing the Red-bearded Carp. This posture meant that the Cloud Leopard entered into attack mode.

"Those strange eyes of the civet seem to be able to see something that's usually hard to detect," Lu Xuan thought, remembering the information he'd received about it when he first started raising the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink.

At this thought, he was suddenly startled. The Slivered Silver Blade on his waist emitted a faint hum, and a Second-Grade Sword Qi Ten Thousand Talisman quietly slid into his sleeve.

"According to my usual behavior and the direction the Cloud Leopard is looking at, the most likely spot a problem would occur is directly in front," he thought.

His expression unchanged, he naturally stopped at the nearest stall, casually pointed at a piece of merchandise, and quietly asked the stall owner about the price.

His body was actually tensed, with his attention entirely on the cultivators around.

"Too expensive, I don't want it," He disregarded the vendor's response, casually leaving a comment and intending to retreat along the same path.

Suddenly, a Loose Cultivator standing two or three feet ahead of him grunted. In an instant, various small and large cracks appeared on his face and neck. Countless red buds shot out from the cracks at a rapid pace, growing rapidly. In a blink of an eye, they became blood-red tentacles, madly attacking cultivators nearby.

"Ah!"

A cultivator near him failed to react, and his head was pierced by a blood-red tentacle.

The moment the red buds appeared, Lu Xuan moved backwards urgently. With a Swift Talisman attached to each of his legs, he was as swift as the wind and floated back.

The surrounding cultivators released all their skills. For a moment, Formula Methods, Magic Artifacts, and Talismans flew everywhere.

The blood-red tentacles grew rapidly, appearing to cover a radius of ten to twenty feet.

Lu Xuan soared out like an arrow, leaving several cultivators behind. Suddenly, a high earth wall appeared in front of him and a few others, blocking Lu Xuan from view.

The moment the earth wall appeared, Lu Xuan noticed a sneering cultivator in the front.

"A bunch of fools, it doesn't matter if I can't outrun the Demon Envoy. As long as I run faster than you guys, I'll be safe," the loose cultivator who had cast the earth wall felt incredibly clever.

Lu Xuan quickly went around the earth wall. The Loose Cultivator had managed to run quite a distance due to the momentary delay.

Feeling frustrated at being used as a human shield, Lu Xuan mobilized his Spiritual Power. He instantaneously released the grand-mastery level Golden Sword Technique, and a golden ray, like lightning amidst chaos, struck the Loose Cultivator's leg precisely, causing blood to gush out and leaving a huge hole in his lower leg.

The Loose Cultivator let out a wailing cry. Reeling in pain, he couldn't help but stop.

Lu Xuan silently passed by him.

"You wanted to see who runs faster? Now I've made it so you can't run at all."

He looked back to see several blood-red tentacles, like giant pythons, attacking the loose cultivator lying on the ground..

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Chapter 39: Chapter 38 – Spiritual Seeds like Smoke and

Fog_l

Translator: 549690339

The reaction speed of the patrol guards in the market was very swift. When the blood-red tentacles were wreaking havoc everywhere, a luminescent green seed was shot out like an arrow, landing around the tentacles.

In an instant, thick vines sprouted from the ground, growing and extending rapidly, continuously splitting and tightly wrapping around the blood-red tentacles.

The blood-red tentacles struggled desperately, wrestling with the robust vines.

In the sky, a crisp birdcall sounded.

Upon hearing the sound, Lu Xuan looked up to see a huge firebird floating in the air. Its wings spread out at least forty to fifty feet, and every flap generated waves of heat.

Immediately, it turned into a red light, surging towards the Metamorphosis Cultivator who had sprouted numerous tentacles.

Wherever it passed, the ground was scorched into black charcoal.

"Ah…."

The Metamorphosis Cultivator, whose body was occupied by the tentacles, let out a painful howl and turned into black ash in the raging fire.

The fire climbed up along the roots of the tentacles, fiercely burning the blood-red tentacles that had spread out everywhere.

On the ground were broken tentacles writhing everywhere, seemingly wanting to invade the bodies of the other cultivators again.

However, the damage caused by the fire was too significant. All the tentacles were burnt to a cinder.

Immediately, a pure white aura emanated from the remains of the Metamorphosis Cultivator, radiating in all directions.

Lu Xuan, as well as the other cultivators in the distance, felt a sense of peace and tranquility as the aura swept over them.

"One can only say that this cultivator turned at the wrong time. Thankfully, there were several Middle-Stage Qi Practitioners patrolling and guarding here. Otherwise, he could've caused a huge commotion among the many Loose Cultivators in the market," Lu Xuan thought, looking at the several Middle-Stage Qi Practitioners who had just been checking the remnants of the Metamorphosis Cultivator for any residual demonic energy. They quickly teamed up to personally eliminate a cultivator who had been contaminated by the demonic forces.

The method was simple and effective. First, the vines temporarily restrained the tentacles to prevent further casualties, then gave their comrades a brief window to employ powerful Formula Methods. The firebird completely incinerated the Metamorphosis Cultivator, followed by a purification technique to inspect the remains of the cultivator and the surrounding Loose Cultivators.

"No wonder they are the patrol guards of the market. Their cooperation is smooth and natural," Lu Xuan thought. With his Grand-mastery Gold Sword Technique, First Grade Special Magical Tool Split Silver Blade, the Second Grade Sword Qi Talisman (equivalent to a full blow from a High-tier Qi Cultivator), and his newly acquired Thunder Fire Pearl, he could have easily dealt with the Metamorphosis Cultivator.

It just wouldn't have been as clean and neat.

"It seems I have to work hard to grow spiritual plants and add as many means to myself as possible," he decided in his heart.

The entire process, from the cultivator's transformation to successful resolution, was extremely short. After a brief chaos in the Loose Cultivation Market, order was restored quickly, as if the Metamorphosis Cultivator had never appeared.

However, the large patch of burnt ground left behind and the corpses of three cultivators attacked by the tentacles reminded everyone present of what just happened.

Among the three was the cultivator who tried to block Lu Xuan with an earth wall. He had been impeded after Lu Xuan used the Golden Sword Technique to pierce his calf and was killed by the blood-red tentacles.

Lu Xuan felt no pity for this. He brought all this on himself. If he hadn't tried to block the tentacles with Lu Xuan, he wouldn't have been targeted.

After this small incident in the market, Lu Xuan no longer felt like leisurely strolling around. He randomly chose a road and headed to 'Bai Cao Tang'.

'Bai Cao Tang' wasn't far from the Loose Cultivation Market. You could see the store just after turning a few corners.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Lu Xuan stopped. His gaze was drawn to a wooden board at a nearby stall.

Eight black characters were written on the board.

"Special spiritual seeds, for sale at a low price."

Lu Xuan scanned the goods on the stall, but he didn't see anything related to spiritual seeds.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, what are the 'special spiritual seeds' mentioned on your board? Could you show them to me?"

"Ah, here it is,"

The merchant was a middle-aged 'Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level', upon hearing Lu Xuan's inquiry, he pointed to an item on the stall.

The item had an oval shape and was faintly white. If you didn't pay close attention, you would easily overlook it. Inside was a wisp of smoke, constantly changing form and transforming into all kinds of bizarre shapes.

"Is this a spiritual seed? You wouldn't be deceiving me, would you?"

Lu Xuan asked curiously. This object that was constantly changing like smoke made it difficult for him to associate it with a spiritual seed.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure if it's a spiritual seed."

"After returning, I consulted with a few of my Spirit Plant Master friends and they weren't able to confirm if its a spiritual seed after taking a look." "However, when I found it, it was within a withered Spirit Plant. It's possible that the Spirit Plant had matured and no one harvested it. As a result, all of its essence condensed to form this spiritual seed."

"My words are truthful. If you sincerely want to buy it, I can swear an oath to what I just said."

Lu Xuan stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.

The shopkeeper was willing to make an oath, which convinced him somewhat. There were various types of oaths between cultivators. If they were broken, one could even face the risk of death.

The way the spiritual seed had condensed didn't surprise him. When a wild Spirit Plant matured, some of them continued to grow, others naturally withered away, and some, due to a combination of circumstances, would condense into a spiritual seed, carrying on in a different form.

Although he didn't know what this item in front of him was, judging by its mystic shape, it was likely to be a rare and unusual spiritual seed.

"If you really can make a Heart Demon Oath, I might be somewhat interested. How much do you wish to sell it for?"

Lu Xuan asked the shopkeeper.

"I spent a lot of time and effort to obtain this spiritual seed from a new Secret Land. If you want it, you can have it for fifteen spirit stones."

The shopkeeper was pleasantly surprised when he saw that Lu Xuan was genuinely interested.

This item could indeed be a spiritual seed, but during his few days at the Loose Cultivation Market, only a few people had asked about it and then they were scared off by the price.

After all, buying an unknown category, with an unknown planting method spiritual seed for fifteen spirit stones was exorbitantly expensive.

Lu Xuan, being subtle, caught the change in the shopkeeper's expression and slowly sighed.

"My friend, aren't you being a bit too ruthless with your price? For an item which we still can't confirm as a spiritual seed, yet you're asking for a price far higher than a first-grade spiritual seed. With fifteen spirit stones, I could buy three to four first-grade spiritual seeds."

He shook his head continuously, seeming to be dissatisfied with the price.

"Then, how much do you propose?"

"Seven spirit stones, and I'll take it off your hands immediately. This price is already quite higher than an ordinary first-grade spiritual seed."

Lu Xuan cut the price by more than half right away.

"No! At least ten spirit stones. Look at its magic shape, it's likely to be a second-rank or even higher spiritual seed."

The shopkeeper argued, his face reddened.

"A second-rank spiritual seed, when I don't know how to plant it, is of what use exactly? Should I keep it in the storage bag and let it waste away?"

Lu Xuan countered.

"Alright, I am willing to take a loss. Eight spirit stones. That's all the spirit stones I have on me. I can't afford any more."

"And add another fifty Broken Spirit, then it's all yours."

The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and said.

"Deal!"

Lu Xuan promptly agreed..

Chapter 40: Chapter 39 The Quality of This Batch of Goods is Good 1

Translator: 549690339

The two reached an agreement, and Lu Xuan, the booth owner, made a vow. He gave him 8 spirit stones and 50 fragments in exchange for the spiritual seed with wispy smoke.

With the transaction complete, he felt delighted as he made his way to Bai Cao Tang.

Manager He saw him from afar and jogged over.

"You little fellow, why are you here today?"

"I heard there was a Metamorphosis Cultivator at the Loose Cultivation Market who caused several casualties, you didn't run into him, did you?"

Once he had Lu Xuan safely in Bai Cao Tang, he relaxed slightly.

"Unfortunately, I did encounter him, but I managed to escape in time and was not affected."

Lu Xuan replied.

"I don't know whether to say you're lucky or unlucky. It's rare for you to come out, and you end up running into this dangerous situation. It's good that you did not get hurt."

The thin old man sighed.

"In a short time, the market has become extremely unstable, cultivators are dying everywhere, and the demons keep appearing."

"You might as well become a full-time Spirit Plant Master at the hall. Once you're in, you'll be protected by high-grade Qi Practitioners, and you won't have to worry about similar incidents happening again."

Manager He extended an invitation to Lu Xuan again, trying to persuade him to join Bai Cao Tang and be under the protection of the higher rank cultivators of the hall.

Lu Xuan knew Manager He meant well, and he was worried about his safety but the cultivation of Spirit Field Spirit Plants involved too much. He did not want to be dependent on others and be restricted in every way.

"Manager He, I appreciate your kindness. But I'm used to freedom and lazy to be tied down by various rules. I'll just stay in my yard."

"Anyway, I hardly ever go out. I just want to stay at home and grow spiritual plants peacefully. That should help me avoid most of the dangers."

"Fine, do as you wish then. You came here today because your Spirit Firefly Grasses have matured, right?"

Seeing that Lu Xuan had made up his mind, the thin old man did not try to persuade him further. He changed the topic and asked him.

"Exactly, 13 Spirit Firefly Grasses have already matured early. Why don't you, respected elder, check it out and see the quality?"

Lu Xuan said with a light laugh.

"Judging by your triumph, I'm guessing it's good quality. Bring it out for this old man to see."

Curious at Lu Xuan's expression, Manager He asked him to show the plants. With a flicker of his thoughts, Lu Xuan pulled out thirteen Spirit Firefly Grasses from his storage bag and placed them in front of Manager He. "Superior Quality Spirit Firefly Grass."

"Another Superior Quality."

"What? This one is… Perfect Quality?"

The thin old man looked up, surprised, and stared at Lu Xuan, with an expression of surprise in his eyes.

He regained his composure and focused on the Spirit Firefly Grass in front of him.

"This one is Good Quality."

"Superior Quality."

"Perfect Quality again?"

Over time, the appearance of four Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grasses turned Manager He's initial shock into numbness.

The quality of this batch is very good."

"Unexpectedly, you can actually cultivate Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass. I'm a bit surprised."

Out of the thirteen Spirit Firefly Grasses, four were of Perfect Quality The thin old man remembered that even the experienced senior Spirit Plant Masters in Bai Cao Tang were not sure they could achieve this ratio.

Especially considering that Bai Cao Tang has richer and purer spiritual energy in their spirit fields.

Wouldn't Lu Xuan's chances of producing Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass be even greater if he planted in Bai Cao Tang's fields?

With this thought, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. If his earlier invitation was out of concern for Lu Xuan's safety, then now he regretted that Bai Cao Tang was unable to have such a talented Spirit Plant Master as Lu Xuan.

"I was just lucky. My success is simply because I devote the time others use for cultivation to growing my spirit plants," Lu Xuan laughed and said.

"Haha, every effort will be rewarded," Manager He laughed heartily. "Come, let's settle the accounts! The purchase price is the same as before, three spirit stones and fifty fragments for each Good Quality one, an extra twenty spirit fragments for each Superior Quality and four spirit stones each for ones of Perfect Quality."

"The total is… forty-eight spirit stones and seventy spirit fragments."

Lu Xuan calculated and confirmed it was correct, then accepted the spirit stones handed to him by the thin old man.

With this, his wealth again exceeded a hundred, with more than a hundred and twenty spirit stones in hand.

Although Bai Cao Tang provided Lu Xuan with Spirit Firefly Grass seeds at a price 10-20 percent lower than the market, the purchase price for matured Spirit Plants was at market rate according to their agreement.

Bai Cao Tang offered the Spirit Seeds to Lu Xuan and other spirit plant cultivators at a low price in exchange for the right of first refusal once the spiritual medicines matured.

In other words, they sacrificed some profit from the spirit seeds to secure a steady and high-quality supply of spiritual medicine.

"If the Spirit Firefly Grass you bring in the future maintains this quality, 1 can put in a good word for you in front of the young lady and apply for other first grade and even second-grade spiritual seeds for you," Manager He told Lu Xuan seriously.

Second grade Spiritual Seeds?" Lu Xuan said, somewhat surprised. When he came last time, because they had just established a cooperative relationship, and he hadn't had an impressive track record, the young female cultivator in charge of Bai Cao Tang didn't trust him fully. Thus, she only provided him with a hundred Spirit Firefly Grass seeds and twenty Blood Jade Ginseng Spirit Seeds.

"You can rely on the quality. As for the rest, I will trouble you, respected elder.

I'll bring you a bag of spirit tea leaves another day," he said gratefully to the thin old man.

"That won't be necessary. If you can cultivate high-quality spiritual medicines for the hall, I, as the recommender, will naturally benefit as well," Manager He said with a smile.

After selling the Spirit Firefly Grass, Lu Xuan was careful to keep alert on his way back home without lingering at the Hall. On arriving home, he closed the door, activated the formation, and took out an Evil Banishing Talisman from his storage bag.

Under his spiritual power, a pure white light appeared. It scanned around Lu

Xuan, but detected nothing amiss.

Only then did Lu Xuan relax completely and settle down the Cloud Leopard who had been quietly resting on his shoulder.

"You did a good job today. Thanks to your warning, I'll reward you with two dried pork sticks later."

If it weren't for the Cloud Leopard's green eyes that detected something wrong at the Loose Cultivation Market, even with his talismans and charm, Lu Xuan might have been injured.

Thinking about this, he gently stroked the two small tufts of fur on the Cloud

Leopard's ear tips and spoke softly.

The Cloud Leopard looked at Lu Xuan with its pale green eyes, letting him stroke its head.

"Rawr- Dried meat, my favorite-"

Lu Xuan imagined a lively and cute spirit inside the Cloud leopard's cold and aloof body, jumping around excitedly, its four little fluffy paws skimming over the clouds.

But as soon as he remembered the Cloud Leopard's hoarse roar, the small figure inside its body instantly disappeared.

"Rawr-"

Feeling the hand on its head stop moving, the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink tried to make a low sound..

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Chapter 41: Chapter 40 Phantom Smoke Luo Fruit l

Translator: 549690339

After rewarding the Cloud Leopard, Lu Xuan took out the mist-like special spiritual seed from his storage bag.

He found a vacant area in his Spirit Field, used the Earth Pulling Technique so that the spirit soil formed a suitable crack, and placed the misty spiritual seed into it.

Then, his spiritual sense converged on the seed within the spirit soil.

An idea appeared in his mind.

"Phantom Smoke Fruit, a third-grade Spirit Plant. Once matured, its spirit fruit can quicken the speed of Illusion Technique cultivation and enhance the power of formula methods."

"It can also be used to feed demon beasts with related abilities or concoct certain special elixirs."

"During the growth process of the Spirit Plant, it will continuously produce smoke. After a long period, it may even form a low-level Illusion Realm, with the Spirit Plant hiding within it, making its location difficult to discern."

"I am right before your eyes, why can't you find me?"

Details about the spiritual seed and its current state flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.

"A third-grade spirit plant, I've hit the jackpot this time!"

Lu Xuan happily processed the information that appeared in his mind.

A Third Grade, that would be entering the Foundation Establishment Category.

Up until now, the best Spirit Plants in the Spirit Field are two second grade ones, which are Sword Grass and Dark Marrow Mushroom.

Other Spirit Plants like the Blood Jade Ginseng, Red Cloud Pine, and Pure Snow Lotus are first grade, and there are even dozens of Spontaneous Grass which are of no rank.

The two second-grade spirit plants and the Phantom Smoke Fruit were acquired in the same way. They are unknown spiritual seeds that were screened out and successfully planted with the assistance of information revealed by their current states.

If it wasn't for this magical ability, even if he acquired unknown spiritual seeds, he would be at a loss, not knowing what to do.

After implanting the Phantom Smoke Fruit spiritual seed, Lu Xuan's spiritual sense perceives threads of extremely faint smoke seeping out of the seed, too faint for the naked eye to see clearly.

"Once it grows a bit bigger and produces more smoke, it will probably play hide and seek with me, but since I can see the real-time state of the Spirit Plant, I don't need to worry about not finding it."

Lu Xuan used the Spirit Rain Technique towards the spiritual seed, secretly considering this.

After planting the Phantom Smoke Fruit spiritual seed and learning its characteristics, Lu Xuan went to other areas in the Spirit Field to examine the growth conditions of the various Spirit Plants.

In the Red Cloud Pine, the size of the five pine nuts has grown by a bit, steadily approaching maturity.

Lu Xuan held considerable expectations for this first-grade Spirit Plant. He didn't know what kind of light cluster reward a first-grade Spirit Plant like the Spirit Firefly Grass or Moon Erosion Fruit, which were of no rank, could bring.

The Sword Grass and Dark Marrow Mushroom are also growing well, but it seems that they are still a long way from maturity.

The spirit soil around the Sword Grass has been plowed into many small trenches by the sword intent, making it even more edgy.

The dark red hyphae extended from the Dark Marrow Mushroom has thoroughly enveloped the decayed spiritual wood, absorbing nutrients from the decayed wood at a noticeably faster speed than before. Lu Xuan estimated it wouldn't take long before he would need to replace the decayed wood again.

The Pure Snow Lotus is proud and upright in the Spiritual Spring Pond; several pieces of its leaves, pure as jade, have quietly bloomed unlike their tender state when they just sprouted.

After more than ten Spirit Firefly Grass matured initially, they rapidly entered the fast maturing stage.

Lu Xuan examined them all and collected ten completely mature Spirit Firefly Grass.

The remaining dozens can also be picked, but they have not fully matured. Afraid to impact the light cluster rewards, Lu Xuan decided to leave them be for now.

Among the ten Spirit Firefly Grass, two were of perfect grade quality, five of good quality, and three of superior quality.

"Harvest a Spirit Firefly Grass, earn six months of cultivation progress."*!

"Harvest a Spirit Firefly Grass, earn nine months of cultivation progress."

"Harvest a Spirit Firefly Grass, earn a year of cultivation progress."

Among the ten, four white light clusters brought cultivational progress rewards.

One wave after another, spiritual power soared in Lu Xuan's body. He quickly circulated it, controlling the spiritual power until it gradually subsided.

"An increase of nearly three years worth of cultivation in an instant, farming is indeed fascinating…"

Lu Xuan sighed leisurely.

"Harvest a Spirit Firefly Grass, earn a First Grade Talisman Sword Qi."*3

"Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass, obtained a First Grade Evil Banishing Talisman."

"Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass, obtained the Wood Generation Technique."

Four talismans successively appeared in Lu Xuan's hand.

Though a First Grade Talisman is only effective against mid- to lower-level Qi Cultivators, and will hardly threaten high-level Qi Cultivators, with enough quantity and power, it's not impossible to eliminate a high-level Qi Cultivator.

After absorbing the White Light Group containing the Wood Generation Technique, Lu Xuan's understanding of it deepened, as if he had used it hundreds of times in an instant, he could now perform with more ease and grace.

The last White Light Group was left by a piece of Perfect Grade Spirit Firefly Grass.

Lu Xuan picked it up and the Light Group turned into countless points of light, pouring into his Spiritual Sense.

Suddenly, a thought emerged from his Spiritual Sense.

"Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass, obtained a prescription for the First Grade Qi-Nourishing Pill."

"Another elixir recipe."

Lu Xuan savored the information of the elixir recipe appearing in his mind, and instantly grasped the method of its concoction.

The types of materials, their quantity, how to process them, how to control the fire, the exact time to take out of the furnace…

Although he has yet to practice, he already has extensive experience in refining this First Grade Qi-Nourishing Pill.

"Added to the previous Yuan Cultivating Pill recipe, I now have two elixir recipes."

"If I manage to absorb another Light Group that has an elixir recipe, to improve my brewing level to proficient or even masterful, I can try to make it in my spare time."

Lu Xuan placed the ten harvested Spirit Firefly Grass into the jade box and put it into his Storage Bag.

According to the current maturity speed of the Spirit Firefly Grass, he estimated that he should return to 'Bai Cao Tang' in two or three days.

After checking his Spirit Field, Lu Xuan planned to return to his room for cultivation.

Upon seeing this, the Cloud Leopard from the side stopped playing with the red-bearded carp in the Spiritual Spring Pool, and it lightly tapped its foot on the ground like a fluff of cotton, elegantly tagging along behind Lu Xuan.

"Fellow Daoist, may we ask if you're at home? We are deacons from the market."

"The market has been infested with Demon Envoy, for the purpose of maintaining order, we are performing routine inspections, and we hope you would understand."

Not long after, a voice echoed outside of the courtyard.

"Market deacons are conducting an inspection?"

Lu Xuan knew it was ill-advised to refuse, so, filled with uncertainty, he opened the yard door.

Outside the courtyard, stood three cultivators, all of them solemn; one was a Qi-Practising Fifth Level and the other two were at the Third Level.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Among the three men, the Qi Practicing Fifth Level Cultivator stood out, he greeted Lu Xuan as he appeared.

Lu Xuan nodded in acknowledgement, his expression solemn.

"I was wondering how the fellow Daoists will conduct the inspection?"

"We will use a magic artifact to search your premises, and at the same time cast an Exorcism Technique on you. We ask for your understanding."

One of the Third Level Cultivators explained from behind.

"Casting the Exorcism Technique is acceptable, but a detailed search of my residence would be very inconvenient, after all, no one wants their privacy invaded."

Lu Xuan gently refused. He didn't mind the exorcism technique being cast on him, but he was not comfortable with them searching his residence, after all, he didn't want others to see the rare spirit plants in his Spirit Field.

If there really was a Demon Envoy, an exorcism technique would be enough to detect it, there's absolutely no need to search the house. Whether it's the big families and powers in the market, or even his neighbour Wang Shan, Lu Xuan was sure that none of them would conduct a detailed search of their homes.

"The predicaments of being a Loose Cultivator…"

"If it really comes to that, I have no choice but to resort to this."

Lu Xuan sighed softly and reached into his sleeve.

The three of them, seeing this, reacted as if facing a formidable enemy..

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Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Report If You Can't Fight Back 1

Translator: 549690339 A

In the midst of their tense demeanor, Lu Xuan took out a Spirit Stone from his sleeve and excitedly handed it over to the Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level cultivator.

Dear friends, you've worked hard on your journey here. This is a little gift of Spirit Stones, please accept it as a token of respect and treat yourselves to some Spiritual Tea," Lu Xuan said with his most sincere and warm smile.

The leading Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level cultivator could not refuse and consequently accepted it. He weighed the Spirit Stone on his hand and instantly knew its approximate quantity. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Seeing him accept the Spirit Stone, Lu Xuan slightly relaxed.

He did not want these three people to enter his Spirit Field and notice the Sword Grass, Dark Marrow Mushroom, and other rare and valuable spirit plants, in case they arouse envy and invite trouble.

If he were to refuse through force, he was confident that he could instantly eliminate the three men with his Qi Practicing Fifth Level Cultivation Level Special Magical Tool-Split Silver Blade, Second-Grade Sword Qi Talisman,' and Thunder Fire Pearl.

However, he would not be able to bear the consequences that would ensue afterward. After all, there are many witnesses around, and it wouldn't be possible to dispose of the three men unnoticed.

If this didn't work, he could only resort to bribery. Twenty Spirit Stones to ward off the potential trouble was still acceptable.

Keeping up a facade smile on his face, he quietly took note of these three people in his mind, particularly the leading Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner, vowing to seize any opportunity to get his money's worth back.

The Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner skillfully put all twenty Spirit Stones into his storage bag. The two Qi Cultivation Third Level cultivators at his side pretended not to notice anything and went along as usual.

"Looking at you, Friend Lu, you're obviously a man of talent and integrity. I'm sure you wouldn't have any connection with the Demon Envoy. How about you let my two subordinates take a look around your courtyard as a formality?" the Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner said with a smile to Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan was taken aback, he understood the undertone in his words and instantly felt the rise of anger in his heart.

'Tve already given you twenty Spirit Stones, and you holding onto them all by yourself is already outrageous enough, yet you still want me to satisfy your subordinates? Aren't you afraid that this will fill your stomach beyond capacity?"

Lu Xuan was merely planning on getting even, but after hearing the Mid-stage Qi Practitioner's words, Lu Xuan began to entertain hard-line thoughts of murdering the three men.

He then led the two Third Level Qi Cultivators into the courtyard and slipped each of them five Spirit Stones. After a casual glance, they left satisfied.

"My Spirit stones aren't that easy to come by."

Lu Xuan followed the two men out of the courtyard, watching their departing figures with a cold sneer in his heart.

Just as the three of them were about to go to another courtyard, Wang Shan came out of his house.

Seeing the Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner, his eyes lit up.

"Brother Tan, why have you come over here? You didn't even visit me when you arrived," a jovial Wang Shan approached, beaming.

"Didn't you know I have a mission? And there's so much official business to attend to. With the sporadic emergence of Demon Envoy figures in the market, I had to come out to check more frequently."

"It has been so long since we last met, Brother Wang Shan, your cultivation level has deepened greatly," the Mid-Stage Qi Practitioner replied with a smile.

"I see. Friend Lu is my neighbour, and he loves cultivating spirit plants most of all. He is simple and honest. Brother Tan, I hope you didn't give him any hard time?"

"Not at all. On the contrary, Little Brother Lu is very upright and couldn't possibly be associated with the Demon Envoy," the cultivator surnamed Tan said, omitting the fact that he had just received twenty Spirit Stones from Lu Xuan.

"I'm glad to hear that. Let me introduce you to each other," Wang Shan decided to introduce both parties.

"This is Friend Lu Xuan. He is at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation and is a Spirit Plant Master."

"And this is Tan Xiao Dong, who is in charge of the market's safety. He is deeply cultivated and has been at the Fifth Layer of Qi Cultivation for many years. He's sort of my senior brother," Wang Shan introduced both parties to each other.

"Nice to meet you. Officer Tan is impartial and dedicated. Having such a strong professional guarding the marketplace is a blessing for all cultivators," Lu Xuan said ironically.

"Why didn't you come out earlier, Wang Shan? If you had come out a bit earlier, I might've been able to save those dozens of Spirit Stones, and your senior brother's life could've been spared."

He couldn't help but grumble in his heart, lamenting the loss of his thirty Spirit Stones.

"Roar—!!"

In the courtyard, upon seeing Wang Shan come in, the Cloud Leopard that had been quietly waiting in the corner suddenly growled.

"Quiet!"

Lu Xuan gently patted its ash-gray fur on the sharp ears.

The Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast stared coldly at Wang Shan and the others With its pair of emerald eyes, no longer roaring, but its teeth were bared.

After a few exchanges, Wang Shan and the three others left together. After the figures of the few men disappeared, the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast finally calmed down, regaining its elegant posture. With a gentle leap, four white clouds landed on Lu Xuan's shoulder.

"Don't bark at will in the future, understand?"

Lu Xuan picked it up, put it on the ground, and gently pulled its ear-tufted hair.

"Roar "

The Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink pinched its throat, trying hard to make a falsetto sound.

"Huh?"

Lu Xuan suddenly sensed something was not right.

He clearly remembered that when Wang Shan had just come in, the civet juvenile's roar was not as pretending as it is now, but straight and harsh.

Besides roaring once in front of him for the first time, it growled like this only three times.

Twice when Wang Shan entered his courtyard and once when he discovered the Metamorphosis Cultivator in the market.

His expression suddenly turned grim. The time at the market, when the civet juvenile discovered something unusual about that cultivator. The two times it roared upon seeing Wang Shan, did it discover anything?

"Did you discover something irregular about that neighbor?"

Lu Xuan thought of the peculiarities of the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink's emerald eyes and asked it.

The Cloud Treading Leopard was a Different Species Demon Beast with high spiritual intelligence. With its round eyes, it nodded its small head.

"Like the Metamorphosis Cultivator in the market?"

Lu Xuan continued to ask.

The juvenile beast first nodded and then shook its head.

"What does nodding and shaking the head mean?"

"Yes, the event with the cultivator at the market occurred after the multitude of cultivators returned from the cultivation of Secret Land and the Demon Envoy broke out. But the Mink gave me a warning growl the first time it saw Wang Shan."

"Does nodding mean that Wang Shan's body is carrying the Demon Envoy or other abnormalities, and shaking the head indicate that there's some difference between him and the cultivator at the market?"

Lu Xuan roughly guessed.

"What should I do about a ticking time bomb nearby? Should I just wait and watch, or pre-emptively attack?"

"Remaining idle seems too passive, as there's a saying that you can only attempt robbery for a thousand days, not safeguard against it for a thousand days."

"But if I attack first, will I be able to beat him?"

"If it's just Wang Shan with his Qi Cultivating Fifth Level power, then things would still look hopeful. But when the unpredictable Demon Envoy inside is added into the equation, it becomes impossible to predict."

"Moreover, Wang Shan is a minor leader of the patrol guards in the market with an official background. It would be easy to get entangled with more affairs."

"More importantly, I don't know what eerie Demon Envoy could be lurking behind him."

Lu Xuan fell into a dilemma. If he doesn't solve it, he will always have to worry as he lives near Wang Shan. Moving out is unrealistic, after all, he has paid so much rent for this courtyard.

But, if he chooses to solve it, it might put him at risk too.

"Is there a safe and effective method?"

Lu Xuan was deep in thought.

"Doesn't Linyang Market carry out a large-scale purge of Demon Envoy recently? Why not take this opportunity to solve this from within?"

"If I can't beat him, I can report!"

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Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Grass Puppet: Defense of the Spirit Fieldl

Translator: 549690339

"I just want to live a peaceful life, farming my land. Why does it always get disrupted?"

After obtaining the special light cluster from his Spirit Field, Lu Xuan adopted a detached approach to life.

He stopped striving and jostling for opportunities among the countless Loose Cultivators.

That was why he had previously declined the invitation from Zhang Hong and the Spirit Plant Master from Bai Cao Tang to explore the Secret Land.

Usually, he would act kindly towards others and seldom go out.

Wang Shan was possessed by a Demon Envoy, which was highly likely to disrupt his peaceful life. Hence, Lu Xuan had no choice but to solve it proactively.

"Who should I report Wang Shan to then?"

"The person must be obviously stronger than him and shouldn't be close to him."

Lu Xuan pondered a while before recalling that Wang Shan had once bad-mouthed one of his superiors while they were drinking together.

Initially, he considered solving the problem through Bai Cao Tang's connections, but eventually gave up. After all, he had only just started working with Bai Cao Tang, held no significant achievements, and didn't know any people with real power. The only person he knew well, Manager He, wasn't of a high status either.

"Another point to note is that my identity must be well concealed, lest this reporting not only ends in failure but also implicates myself."

After deciding who to report to, Lu Xuan began to secretly investigate and prepare for action.

Linyang Market, North District Enforcement Hall.

A massive building occupying an area of over 10 acres was rife with spiritual energy and teeming with strange and rare plants.

Ling Peng was sitting at his desk, flipping through a book on artifact crafting.

Usually a quiet person, he selected a courtyard office on the side of the Enforcement Hall. A lush Spirit Wood was planted outside the window which he would gaze at for relaxation.

One of the high-tier Qi Cultivators from the Enforcement Hall, he usually remained in the Hall, only stepping in during large-scale Demon Envoy invasions.

Suddenly, he made a soft yelp, and a shield covered with gray-black scales flashed out from his storage bag, circling around him.

The moment the gray-black shield appeared, a golden light streak, like a sharp arrow, shot into the room.

'Ding'

To Ling Peng's surprise, the golden light streak didn't aim at him, but shot directly at the room's beam, lingering there.

"Who's so audacious to attack an Enforcement Hall Cultivator?"

A streak of anger surfaced on Ling Peng's face as the shield automatically circulated him, his spiritual power operating at its maximum.

Several breaths later, there was no movement outside.

Ling Peng, puzzled, looked at the golden Sword Qi on the beam.

"To have this Sword Qi last for so long, the cultivator behind all this must possess extraordinary accomplishments in Sword Dao."

Ling Peng exclaimed and noticed a palm-sized white paper pinned to the beam by the golden Sword Qj.

He dispersed the golden Sword Qi and used the Object Manipulation Technique to let the paper float towards him.

The white paper contained two lines of shoddy handwriting that were obviously added intentionally.

"Wang Shan may be corrupted by the Demon Envoy. Patrol in-charge, Tan Xiao Dong, is very likely to be covering it up intentionally."

Ling Peng read the text softly.

A cluster of dark red flames suddenly appeared beneath the paper, leaving it slightly charred.

"Is the information true or just a prank?"

"I remember Wang Shan being a Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner in the Enforcement Hall, a Qi Cultivator of the Fifth Level, occupying a middle-tier position. If even he is corrupted by the Demon Envoy, then some calamity is likely to happen in the Enforcement Hall."

"The possibility of this being a prank is too low."

He looked at the faint trace left by the golden Sword Qi on the beam, contemplating.

"The Sword Qi unleashed by the people behind it was silent and undetectable, even my advanced-level Spiritual Sense could only discover it when close by. The Sword Qi lingered, its momentum was overwhelming, yet it only left a faint trace."

"This suggests that he has been immersed in Sword Dao for at least ten years, and his mastery of Sword Qi has reached a minor completion, or even grand completion. Hence, his cultivation level is most likely advanced Qi Cultivation as it would be extremely difficult for a mid-stage Qi practitioner to possess such Sword Dao skills."

"Therefore, I must keep an eye on those two."

Ling Peng quietly made a decision.

He leapt onto a crimson flying sword and circled around the Enforcement Hall without spotting any suspicious characters.

Not far away on a street, Lu Xuan slowly walked down the bluestone road. Not too long after, a surging Spiritual Sense swept over him.

With the help of the Concealment Method, Lu Xuan only revealed the Third Level Qi Cultivation at this moment. The Spiritual Sense didn't find anything unusual and disappeared in an instant.

Lu Xuan continued to walk at a normal pace, without displaying any panic.

"By sending this message with the Grand-mastery Gold Sword Technique, the high-level Qi Cultivator who is suspected to have a close relationship with Wang Shan would surely scrutinize my warning. At least, he would keep a closer watch on Wang Shan."

"As for Tan Xiao Dong who swallowed my Spirit Stone and is still not satisfied, I'll trip him up along the way. When the opportunity arises, I'll settle the score when my strength can crush him."

Lu Xuan reviewed his reporting action.

With the help of the Concealment Method, he silently approached the target cultivator without attracting any attention, applied the Grand-mastery Gold Sword Technique to deliver the warning, then disguised himself as a Third Layer Qi Cultivator to evade any possible inspection.

"Let's see if it works."

At this point, whether Wang Shan's contamination by the Demon Envoy is detected or not, all Lu Xuan could do is to respond to changes without changing his plan and watch how things unfold.

"Spirit Firefly Grass, Red Cloud Pine, Sword Grass, quickly mature."

He returned to the courtyard and looked at dozens of the nearly mature Spirit Firefly Grass in the Spirit Field, as well as five Red Cloud Pine that were growing increasing in size and deepening in color, and the Sword Grass that stood straight like a sword blade. He felt reassured.

"As long as the Spirit Plants mature, I can continue to accumulate strength. Then, even if the Demon Envoy inside Wang Shan wants to harm me, I can solve it myself."

At the edge of the Spiritual Spring Pool, the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink dug out a strange worm from an unknown place.

While it put the strange worm down and three Red-bearded Carps from the Spiritual Spring Pool emerged to fight for it, it quickly snatched the strange worm back into its paw, at the same time grabbing the whiskers and yanking the Red-bearded Carp out.

The long whiskers contracted and expanded in mid-air, causing the Red-bearded Carp below to constantly bounce up and down.

"I told you not to go fishing, why didn't you listen? Asking for a beating, aren't you?!"

Seeing this, Lu Xuan couldn't help but smack the sharp ears of the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast.

The Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast with its indifferent gaze put the Red-bearded Carp back into the Spiritual Spring Pool, walked to the side, and started tampering with the dying strange worm in the furrows of the Spirit Field.

Lu Xuan was worried that it would be upset about being hit, so he focused his thoughts on it.

"Rawr- Master stroked me again today-"

"This little guy…"

Lu Xuan was left speechless, realizing that the Civet caught the Red-bearded Carp to attract his attention, where even a smack was better than not being touched all day.

On a whim, he walked over to the Grass Puppet who was patrolling the Spirit Field.

The Grass Puppet slowly circled the Spirit Field with the same steps.

"The Grass Puppet has undergone significant changes after absorbing the Grass Nourishing Elixir, even showing some degree of Spiritual Intelligence. I wonder what its current state would be like."

Curious, Lu Xuan focused his spiritual mind on the dark body of the Grass Puppet.

"Guard the Spirit Field!"

"Guard the Spirit Field!"

"Guard the Spirit Field!"

The same phrase echoed repeatedly in Lu Xuan's mind..

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Chapter 44: 43 Aroma Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea 1

Translator: 549690339 r —

"Such dedication to guard the Spirit Field, truly a good servant of mine…"

Lu Xuan, feeling the same phrase echoing in his mind, couldn't help but sigh as he watched the Grass Puppet that kept patrolling.

"I must reward it greatly!"

He made up his mind, called the Grass Puppet over, fumbled in his arms for a moment, and took out a Broken Spirit.

He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out another one and stuffed them into the grey grass tumours on the Grass Puppet's massive head.

Then, his mind gathered on the Grass Puppet's body.

"Guard the Spirit Field!"

"Guard the Spirit Field!"

The acquired words were still repeating, but Lu Xuan felt a hint of joy in the Grass Puppet's heart compared to before he fed it the Broken Spirits.

In the next two days, Lu Xuan remained vigilant, the Slivered Silver Blade and the Million Swords Qi Talisman were almost inseparable from his hand, but there were no movements at all, everything was as usual.

As if the report two days ago had never appeared.

The Spirit Firefly Grass in the Spirit Field has matured in large quantities, and Lu Xuan has harvested twelve strains.

Among the twelve strains, two were of perfect grade, six of superior quality, and the other four were of good quality.

Harvest lead Spirit Firefly Grass, gain six months of cultivation progress."*!

Harvest Spirit Firefly Grass, obtain nine months of cultivation."*!

Of the twelve white light clusters, four were cultivation rewards, bringing Lu Xuan a total of two and a half years of cultivation progress.

Lu Xuan had four thoughts flashing in his mind, waves of spiritual power emerged in his body, surging and rushing, impacting the meridians and dantian in his body.

After a long time, the violent spiritual power gradually calmed down.

Lu Xuan gently circulated it, feeling the thick spiritual power filling his bones, and a sense of peace naturally emerged.

His cultivation level had progressed further, and if he had a direct conflict with the Demon Envoy behind Wang Shan, he would have a greater chance of success.

"Harvest Spirit Firefly Grass, get First Grade Talisman Sword Qi."*!

"Harvest Spirit Firefly Grass, get First Grade Ice Sting Talisman."

"Harvest Spirit Firefly Grass, get First Grade Exorcism Talisman."

Flashes of thought, four different talismans appeared in Lu Xuan's hand one after another.

Although they are only First Grade Talismans, they can be fatal to the middle-stage Qi cultivator, but as long as there are enough numbers, they can also have a good effect when they are all fired together.

After consuming most of his talismans during the attack by Qin Ming, Lu Xuan has collected dozens of First Grade Talismans during this period.

"Harvest Spirit Firefly Grass, get First Grade Yang Metal Sword Art."

"Harvest Spirit Firefly Grass, get Tree Life Spell."*!

In the remaining four white light clusters, three of them had Technique Experience Packages, which helped Lu Xuan understand the Yang Metal Sword Art and the Tree Life Spell more thoroughly.

The Yang Metal Sword Art was already faintly touching the threshold of the grandmaster realm, increasing the speed of the technique, the lethality, and the control ability.

The Tree Life Spell has reached the Mastery Realm. When casting it, you can see a faint green spiritual power converging on the branches and leaves of the Spirit Plant. Compared with the beginning, the progress is rapid.

Lu Xuan gently picked up the last white light cluster.

The light cluster turned into countless light spots, sinking into Lu Xuan's body, and a thought flashed in his mind.

Harvest Spirit Firefly Grass, get Second Grade Sword Qi Talisman."

A talisman with countless delicate sword marks appeared in Lu Xuan's hand.

The sword Qi was sharp, as if it could pierce the body at any time.

One of the two Spirit Firefly Grass with perfect grades has yielded a Second Grade Sword Qi Talisman, and the other one don't know if it's a First Grade Talisman or the Yang Metal Sword Art. That's not bad either."

Lu Xuan put away the talisman and packed the Spirit Firefly Grass in a jade box.

Now he has collected 23 mature Spirit Firefly Grass. To prevent loss of vitality, he has to take it to the Bai Cao Tang for processing.

Lu Xuan activated the formation in the courtyard, instructed the Grass Puppet to pay close attention, then took the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink and went out.

With the transformations cultivators appearing outside from time to time, having the young Civet by his side would make things a little safer.

In Bai Cao Tang, the hall was filled with a strong medicinal fragrance. Manager

He was not in sight, there were only a few attendants handling herbs.

Brother Lu, you're here, Manager He is dealing with some matters inside, sit down first, I'll make you a pot of hot tea."

An observant medicinal attendant who was over ten years old saw Lu Xuan coming in, and quickly called out. He moved a redwood chair to Lu Xuan's side and quickly brought him a cup of steaming Spiritual Tea.

"Thank you."

Lu Xuan sat down and took the Spiritual Tea.

He could feel that compared to his first visit to Bai Cao Tang, the attendants' attitudes towards him had changed substantially.

When he first came, he was just a Qi Cultivation Second Layer loose cultivator, bringing a few stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass of ordinary quality, brazenly asking Manager He to take them. The few attendants in the hall barely gave him a second glance.

Gradually, as his visits to Bai Cao Tang increased, only one or two of the attendants would greet him with a nod.

But after he establish a cooperative relationship with Bai Cao Tang, the attendants suddenly became passionate. They greeted him proactively, treating him like an old friend.

After continuously selling Perfect Grade Spirit Firefly Grass, they were even more enthusiastic, offering him tea and water, sparing no effort in providing for his needs.

Lu Xuan understood clearly that this striking change was due to his ability to cultivate a constant supply of high-quality Spirit Plants.

He appreciated this realization, further understanding the value of the timely assistance provided by Manager He and Zhang Hong.

Before he finished his tea, Manager He rushed in.

"Kid Lu, you're here?"

"How many stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass did you bring this time? How is the quality?"

The thin and lean old man asked curiously.

"I brought twenty-two stalks, the quality will definitely not disappoint you."

Lu Xuan replied with a smile.

He took out more than twenty stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass from his storage bag and placed them on the counter.

"Nine of Good Quality, nine of Superior Quality, and four of Perfect Grade."

Manager He carefully inspected each one, his gaze complex as he looked at Lu Xuan and sighed.

"You're growing up too fast, kid. So many Spirit Firefly Grass, not a single one of ordinary quality. The lowest quality is good, and the probability of perfect quality is also not low."

"It seems like those Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass you brought in earlier were no accident."

"Being able to guarantee such a planting efficiency, you've already surpassed most of the Spirit Planters in Bai Cao Tang. Keep in mind, they spend twice or even several times more effort on Spirit Plants than you."

'I also know that I'm quite amazing, so how many Spirit Stones can I get for these Spirit Firefly Grass?"

Lu Xuan, with his chin in his hand, smiled at Manager He, who was still sighing.

"You money-grubbing kid."

Same old price, let me calculate, it adds up to seventy-seven Spirit Stones and thirty Broken Spirits, do you agree?"

"I'm sure your calculations are correct, Old He."

Lu Xuan took the seventy-plus Spirit Stones handed to him, swept through them with his spirit, and put them into his storage bag.

"Do you remember what I told you before? As long as you can steadily cultivate high-quality Spirit Plants, you will have an opportunity."

There are several Spirit Plants in the hall entrusted to me. I was tasked to find someone among the cooperating Spirit Plant Masters. Seeing your good performance, I plan to reserve half of them for you."

"Oh? Which Spirit Plants?" Lu Xuan asked curiously.

"Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea."

"Second Grade."

Manager He said with a smile..

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Chapter 45: Chapter 44 The Untold Secret 1

Translator: 549690339

"Second Grade Spirit Plant?"

Hearing what the thin old man said, Lu Xuan couldn't help sitting up straight, his expression serious.

"Correct, Second Grade Qingmiao Spirit Tea seedlings. The tea leaves plucked after they mature have a clear and enlightening effect. To a certain extent, it can resist the invasion and pollution of many types of Demon Envoys, very welcomed by the 'Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level1 and High-Order Cultivators."

"I have six seedlings in my hand, and I have to give three to other spirit plant masters in the hall. If you're willing, I can give you the remaining three at a low price."

"Of course, I'm willing."

Lu Xuan immediately responded.

"Thank you, Old He, for delivering this opportunity to me."

He rose and bowed to the thin old man.

"This is all that you have strived for. If I didn't see your stable production of high-quality spirit plants, I wouldn't have given them to you."

Manager He looked at Lu Xuan with a tinge of satisfaction in his eyes.

Before I give them to you, I need to confirm a minor detail."

"Can your Spirit Field handle the spiritual energy levels and area that you own? Qingmiao Spirit Tea is somewhat overbearing, it doesn't allow other spirit plants around it, and the demand for spiritual energy is also relatively high." "No problem."

Lu Xuan responded decisively.

The spiritual field in the yard had a small part vacant. It should be no problem to plant three second-level spirit plants. The spiritual energy was richer and purer than the initial spiritual field, and there is a Spiritual Spring for irrigation.

The more important thing is that he can grasp the state of the spirit plant at any time and make minor adjustments according to its needs and fulfill them.

With the accumulation of these different factors, naturally, it is not difficult to plant three Second Grade Spirit Plants.

"If there's no problem, you wait here for a while, and I'll be right back."

Innder courtyard of the 'Bai Cao Tang'.

In a spacious and bright room, three Spirit Plant Masters were sitting on wooden chairs, moving around from time to time, showing that they were not really calm.

"Why is Manager He so stubborn? For three Qingmiao Spirit Tea seedlings, he keeps holding onto them."

"Friend Zhou, calm down. There aren't many in 'Bai Cao Tang' who are more suitable than us for planting Qingmiao Spirit Tea."

"That's right. We've been cooperating with 'Bai Cao Tang' for many years and every one of us is very experienced in cultivating spirit plants. If he doesn't give them to us, who will Manager He give them to? He's just waiting for a better offer and wants some benefits."

The three comforted each other, drank a sip of the cold spiritual tea in the cup, forcibly calming themselves.

Not much later, Manager He entered the room.

"Old He!" *3

The three of them stood up unanimously and greeted enthusiastically. "The three of you, please go back. I've told you before that there's a suitable candidate for the Qingmiao Spirit Tea. Why are you making things difficult for me?"

The three men's faces turned serious upon hearing this.

After a long pause, a dark-skinned middle-aged cultivator asked Manager He. "I wonder, Manager He, who you intend to give Qingmiao Spirit Tea to? Is it Old Shen from the west district? He does have a lot of experience, but he is old and has declined in physical strength. I'm afraid it will be hard for him to successfully cultivate the spirit tea."

"No, it's a young man, not even twenty, full of strength."

"Pfft!"

A cultivator next to him could not help but spit out the cold tea that he hadn't swallowed yet.

"Old He, could you be senile? You're giving such an important second-grade spirit plant to a young man not even twenty years old?"

"Isn't this a waste, losing three precious Second Grade Spirit Plant seedlings?"

The thin old man sneered at their words.

"The three of you have been cooperating with 'Bai Cao Tang' for quite some time. Can you tell me how many years you've been cultivating spiritual medicine?"

"Twenty years."

' I'm two years less, eighteen years."

"Merely, I have been for twenty-five years."

The last cultivator spoke with a smile, proudly.

"So, when you're planting Spirit Firefly Grass, which is in the highest demand in 'Bai Cao Tang', how many of the matured Spirit Grass is of high quality?" "I did some rough calculations, of the Spirit Firefly Grass I cultivate, about 30% is of ordinary quality, around 50% is of good quality, and the rest, about 20%, is of superior quality."

The results spoke by the other two were similar to his.

"What about Perfect Grade?"

Manager He asked calmly.

"How could Perfect Grade be that simple? The requirements for the spirit plant master and the spiritual energy of the spirit field are too high. For a No-Organization Spirit Plant Master, it's a matter of chance."

"Oh, really?"

The thin old man cornered the tip of his mouth in disdain.

"But that young man, who has been in contact with spirit plant cultivation for less than three years, recently brought over less than forty strains of Spirit Firefly Grass. The lowest quality was good, and there were even eight Perfect Quality ones."

"How is that possible?!"

The words slipped from the lips of the dark-skinned middle-aged cultivator, his tone full of shock.

"Why isn't it possible? I personally checked all the Spirit Firefly Grass. Are you saying that there's a problem with my eyesight?"

Manager He's brow furrowed, his words piercing.

The dark-skinned middle-aged cultivator stumbled over his words but didn't retort in the end.

User 2: The words from Manager He were too unimaginable for him. As a Spirit Plant Master who had been cultivating for more than 20 years, he knew how rare it was to cultivate a Spirit Plant of Perfect Quality.

But that young man cultivated eight Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grasses from

a mere thirty or so strains. How could he accept that in such a short time?

But Manager He spoke so confidently, making him have to believe it.

The three of them glanced at each other, and they each read the doubts and helplessness in each other's eyes.

"I don't know if Manager He can introduce the young spirit plant master to us."

One of them asked with his head lowered.

"He's here in 'Bai Cao Tang' right now. If you have any doubts, you can go and see for yourselves."

Seeing the three of their attitudes, Manager He knew they had mostly believed him. He then had the idea of introducing Lu Xuan to the three of them, so he could make more acquaintance with the Spirit Plant Masters.

After hearing this, the three of them hurriedly came to the lobby and noticed the calm, handsome young man by the edge of the wooden cabinet at first sight.

"May I ask if you are Friend Lu?"

The dark-skinned middle-aged cultivator came to the young man's side and asked with a bow.

"Yes, it's me."

Lu Xuan returned the bow and said.

"No wonder you are a cut above the rest. It makes sense that you can plant

Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass."

The middle-aged cultivator scanned over the wooden cabinet and saw more than twenty Spirit Firefly Grass of excellent quality, and his last doubt vanished.

"You flatter me, I got lucky. I still need to ask all the fellow daoists on how to plant spirit plants."

Many hands make light work, Lu Xuan replied modestly.

The three looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

"Friend Lu, you mustn't joke with us. You're a Spirit Plant Master who can grow

Perfect Grade spirit plants. Where would you need to learn from us?"

After a pause, one of them asked in a low voice.

"Friend Lu, if I may be so bold, how did you cultivate Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass?"

"How to cultivate Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass?"

Lu Xuan looked troubled, his right thumb and forefinger lightly touching each

other, and in the end, it turned into a sigh.

"This is a secret that cannot be shared, and it's really not convenient for me to tell others.."

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Chapter 46: Chapter 45 Do You Really Think I'm Lying

Down?_l

Translator: 549690339

Seeing the hand movement of Lu Xuan, the three individuals mutually understood. They shared a glance and retreated to a corner of the lobby.

"This young man is always talking about some kind of secret knowledge that he refuses to share. It's clear that he just wants Spirit Stones. What do you think?"

"In my opinion, we should give it a try. If his methods do indeed work, we stand to gain a lot. If we can truly grow Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass, we'll gain significant reputation and Spirit Stones.

Moreover, if we can grow Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass, it is possible to cultivate Perfect Quality First or even Second-Level Spirit Plants."

"I'm just worried that what he is saying won't work, and we end up wasting our Spirit Stones for nothing."

"In any case, he is also a Herbalist of Hundred Herbs Hall. If we get scammed, we can still find him through the Hall."

The three quietly discussed for a moment, then approached Lu Xuan again.

"Friend Lu, we three have decided to offer sixty Spirit Stones in exchange for your method of growing Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass. What do you think?"

"Inasmuch as teaching one's methods should not be taken lightly, the method to cultivate Perfect Quality Spirit Plants involves a lot. I hope the three of you will understand."

Lu Xuan's tone gradually relaxed, shifting from the initial 'nonetheless it's a secret' to the present 'teaching one's methods should not be taken lightly'.

The meaning behind his words was also very clear:

He wanted more money.

The three returned to the corner, debated in muted voices, and eventually came back to Lu Xuan.

"One hundred Spirit Stones, and not a single one more. My friend Lu, you should understand better than anyone that Spirit Stones are hard to come by as a No-Organization Spirit Plant Master. This is the most that we can pool together."

The swarthy middle-aged cultivator said with a regretful expression.

As for the three men's wealth, Lu Xuan had no interest in knowing. He just knew that one hundred Spirit Stones was indeed not a small sum.

One should know, Perfect Quality Spirit Firefly Grass, compared to other qualities, doesn't have a substantial price increase. Making a profit would require cultivating many high-quality Spirit Firefly Grass.

"Methods should be passed down to those with a connection. Being able to meet the three of you here means we have strong karma. I will tell you the cultivation methods."

"The principle is very simple, according to the growth needs of the Spirit Plants, change from large-scale formula methods to precise application of these methods, such as the Spirit Rain Technique, the Earth Pulling Technique, the Tree Life Spell, etc, extending these to the Spirit Plants when most apt. Only in this way can they achieve optimal growth."

"As for when to apply these precise methods, that's something the three of you will have to figure out."

"That's how it is!"

The three suddenly came to understand.

"Every Spirit Plant, during the course of its growth, has different needs. Even if the differences are very slight, they accumulate over time and ultimately affect the quality of the plant when it matures."

"And nurturing the Spirit Plants carefully will indeed address these problems to the fullest."

"My friend, I understand!"

The expressions of the three of them showed their gratitude. The method Lu Xuan spoke of was indeed very simple, but there aren't many Spirit Plant Masters who are willing to do it this way.

After all, for most cultivators, cultivating Spirit Plants is just one of many cultivation skills, no different from Alchemy and Tool refining. Cultivation is the most important thing.

Immediately, the three of them realized the problem.

"If we really do as Friend Lu suggests, wouldn't that mean we spend most of our energy on cultivating Spirit Plants, leaving little time for cultivation of ourselves?" The swarthy middle-aged cultivator asked doubtfully.

"Indeed, that's how it is."

Lu Xuan nodded.

"I know my talents are average, and I have no hope in cultivation. Hence, I chose to give up on cultivation all together, spending all my time and effort on cultivating Spirit Plants, and have thus obtained a bit of insignificant results."

"As for the three of you, whether you want to work hard in cultivation, improving your cultivation level, or you want to cultivate more high-quality Spirit Plants and earn more Spirit Stones, that's up to your personal choices."

The three men left with lots of thoughts in their heads.

Lu Xuan watched the backs of the three departing men, satisfied, he put the hundred spirit stones he'd obtained into his storage bag.

He took these hundred Spirit Stones without any guilt.

The method he told the three was indeed effective. After careful cultivation of Spirit Plants, the quality of the plants they grow will definitely improve to some extent, thus allowing them to earn more Spirit Stones.

However, what Lu Xuan didn't mention, the most crucial point, was that he is able to understand and control the real-time status of the Spirit Plants. He can adjust according to their needs at any time.

The three of them couldn't do this; they can only find out by trial and error and approximate estimation. They can't achieve perfect cultivation, and it's very difficult to get perfect quality Spirit Plants.

Moreover, if they chose to cultivate Spirit Plants carefully, they have basically given up cultivation. They are not like Lu Xuan, who has rewards from the White Light Grp; they can get all kinds of treasures and cultivation levels.

"You think I'm really laying down and taking it easy?"

Lu Xuan chuckled softly to himself.

"In fact, I'm stealing all your thunder."

"You boy, not only are you good at cultivating Spirit Plants, but you're also not bad at earning Spirit Stones."

The thin old man approached Lu Xuan, who didn't notice when he came. He laughed softly as he spoke.

"Isn't that right?"

Lu Xuan smiled smugly.

"With three sentences, I got three Spirit Plant Masters to spend a hundred Spirit Stones. This level is ok, isn't it?"

"Earning one hundred Spirit Stones is quite good, but if you let your unique method be known, then it won't be worth the loss."

Manager He showed some dissatisfaction, seemingly blaming Lu Xuan for leaking the method of growing Perfect Grade Spirit plants for the sake of a little profit.

"Manager He, rest assured, it's not that simple. The method is are as I described, but whether one can do it or not is another matter.

Otherwise, with so many Spirit Plant Masters, why hasn't anyone discovered that careful cultivation can uplift the quality of Spirit Plants? But do you see how many Spirit Plant Masters can cultivate perfect quality ones?"

Lu Xuan said calmly.

The lean elder nodded, feeling slightly reassured.

"Come here, take those three Qingmiao Spirit Tea seedlings."

Lu Xuan followed the elder into a room. The room was filled with a sweet fragrance. In the center was a wooden shelf with three flower pots marked with strange patterns.

Within the flower pots, were three tea tree seedlings.

Though these seedlings were only about five inches tall, their branches were twisted and knotty, which exuded a strange contrast between being delicate and powerful.

On these branches, were a few tiny green tea leaves, which were slightly shaking under the breeze. Despite their fragile appearance, one could feel a strong vitality from them.

"These are the three seedlings of Second Grade Qingmiao Spirit Tea."

"This is not some Non-grade Spirit Plant like the Spirit Firefly Grass. It is much more expensive. You have to take great care of it and make sure you don't fail."

Manager He looked stern as he instructed Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan nodded gravely.

"How many Spirit Stones do these three Qingmiao Spirit Tea seedlings cost?"

"On the market, each recorded buying of Qingmiao Spirit Tea seedling is usually thirty spirit stones apiece. The price is a result of the seedlings scarcity and the preciousness of the tea leaves. Although you have a deal with Bai Cao Tang, you can get them at a lower price. The three seedlings, you can take away for sixty Spirit Stones."

With the price being reduced by more than 30%, Lu Xuan felt even more fortunate that he'd established such a relatively free partnership with Bai Cao Tang and felt even more grateful to the old man who'd brought him in..

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Chapter 47: Chapter 46 Hexaptera Parasite (Please continue reading) !

Translator: 549690339

"Come down."

Lu Xuan returned to the courtyard with three Qingmiao spirit tea seedlings and spoke to the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast that was perched on his shoulder.

The Cloud Leopard, its blue-green eyes coldly regarding Lu Xuan, gently descended to the ground and headed straight for the spiritual spring pool.

Lu Xuan went to a corner of the spirit field, sectioned off a large part of the virgin spirit soil, and using the Earth Pulling Technique, created three small pits in the spirit field. He gently placed the three Qingmiao spirit tea seedlings in the pits.

After planting the Qingmiao spirit tea, his attention was focused on the small tea seedlings.

"Only the purest water can engender the most delicate tea."

"To water the tea seedlings with spirit spring water would be even better."

"Qingmiao spirit tea embodies a clear spirit in its branches and leaves. You cannot let nefarious beings or filthy objects linger around the tea seedlings for too long, or they will affect the growth of the tea seedlings."

An insight flashed through Lu Xuan's mind as he instantly understood the needs of the Qingmiao spirit tea seedlings and precautions to take.

"Water with spirit spring… That's not difficult. There just so happens to be a pool of a spiritual spring in this courtyard, and a small amount of spring water is constantly seeping from the earth, which is more than enough to nourish the three Qingmiao spirit tea seedlings."

"As for the nefarious, filthy things, I, Lu Xuan, am clean and innocent, filled with righteous Qi; naturally, I can't be infected by those things."

"Hmm, from now on, I should try to prevent the Wang Mountain Couple from entering the courtyard as much as possible, so as not to pollute my spiritual tea."

After using the Spirit Rain Technique to lavish the Qingmiao Spirit Tea seedlings, he proceeded to another corner of the Spirit field.

In the corner of the Spirit Field, there was a fog cluster about half a meter in length and width.

The mist was hazy and hard to see clearly, even with his spiritual sense felt slightly stagnant.

The third-grade Fantasy Smoke Fruit seemed to transform into a smoky mist, merging with the lingering fumes.

"Oh, you're playing hide-and-seek with me."

Lu Xuan focused his mind in the mist, constantly seeking, and soon learned the location of the Fantasy Smoke Fruit.

After applying the Spirit Rain Technique, the faint mist gently churned then condensed, revealing the seedling of the Fantasy Smoke Fruit.

After nourishing the Fantasy Smoke Fruit, Lu Xuan made another round in the Spirit Field, confirming each spirit plant was growing well, then returned to his house.

Once back, he sat at the table, tallying up the spirit stones he had in hand.

The twenty-two Spirit Firefly Grass plants he took with him were exchanged for seventy-seven spirit stones. The three Qingmiao Spirit Tea seedlings cost sixty spirit stones. Fortunately, three Spirit Plant Masters voluntarily offered a hundred spirit stones, making a net gain of about a hundred and twenty spirit stones.

In addition to what was in his hand, his total wealth was over two hundred spirit stones.

"Over two hundred spirit stones, plus the Spirit Firefly Grass is maturing quickly, and the Red Cloud Pine will mature soon. My wealth is about to surge." Lu Xuan gazed at the small heap of spirit stones overflowing with spiritual energy on the table, thinking exuberantly.

"Little Brother Lu, are you home? My wife has prepared a feast. Why not come over and join me for a drink?"

The call came from outside the courtyard. It came from Wang Shan.

Lu Xuan was not sure whether it was his perception at play, but the voice sounded somewhat eager.

With his hair standing on end, the Slivered Silver Blade quietly split into dozens of silver fragments, and a Second-Grade Sword Qi Ten Thousand Talisman slipped into his palm.

"Big Brother Wang, I am a bit tired from cultivating spiritual plants today and have a headache. I won't come over today. I'll taste your wife's cooking another time."

Wang Shan listened to Lu Xuan's words, then left.

At the Wang Family home,

There was a mahogany table in the center of the hall with more than ten dishes on it, including rare ingredients like Demon Beast Meat. Wang Shan's concubine sits at the table quietly with her head down.

"Lu Xuan isn't feeling well and couldn't make it. So it'll be just the two of us eating."

"Yes, as you wish, master."

Lady Wang replied softly before standing up to serve Wang Shan his meal.

"Thank you, my lady."

Watching the pale, soft feet that extended towards him, Wang Shan felt content.

When he initially bought this concubine from the black market, he only wanted to alleviate his loneliness. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

After bringing this concubine home, her gentleness and charm brought Wang Shan extreme pleasure. He became so engrossed that he hardly visited the pleasure house lately.

Importantly, he had an inkling that he might soon break through to the sixth level of Qi Cultivation.

His fondness increased for the concubine. Enjoying her company day and night, he couldn't get enough.

"My lady, you've worked hard."

He gently stroked her tender, fair hand and spoke softly.

"Would master be unwilling to let me work so hard?"

Lady Wang raised her head, her eyes shimmering with allure, enhanced by a mole near the corner of her eye.

Of course, I cherish you. How can I bear seeing you work so hard?"

"Then, what if I'm pregnant? I've heard that pregnancy is very painful and tormenting."

Lady Wang asked pitifully.

"Hmm…"

While Wang Shan hesitated, Lady Wang subtly pulled her hand away, revealing a faint smile.

"Why don't you have the baby for me!"

Barely pondering a refusal, Wang Shan suddenly felt a peculiar yearning within him as if something inside him wants to breed.

"Sure!"

This longing was so potent that it overwhelmed his thoughts and spiritual sense, causing him to unconsciously agree.

As the words left his lips, his stomach started to rumble. His belly started growing at a visible rate while his limbs, chest, and back shrank.

In a short span, his belly inflated like a large sphere. Wang Shan's eyes sunk into sockets, revealing a hint of madness. His body had become incredibly shrivelled with nothing but a layer of skin draped over his bones.

"My lord, have my baby for me!"

Lady Wang's face flushed, and she stared obsessively at Wang Shan's enormous belly.

At the same time, just as Wang Shan started to change, a nearly translucent parasite shot out from a cracked Spirit Wood in the yard.

The parasite was about two inches long with six wings that were as delicate as cicada wings, decorated with faint patterns.

Currently, the patterns on the wings turned black as Wang Shan transformed, causing the Hexaptera Parasite to whimper nervously.

Located miles away, at the Enforcement Hall.

Ling Peng, a high-grade Qi practitioner, watched the restless Hexaptera

Parasite with a grave expression.

"It's finally shown up."

The Hexaptera Parasite in front of him was known for its excellent concealment capabilities. It would start to change and produce intense reactions when it detected Evil Spite Qi nearby.

The stronger the Evil Spite Qi, the more significant the reaction would be.

After learning about the possibility of Wang Shan being possessed by a Demon Envoy, he quietly conducted an investigation but gained nothing. Thus, he left a Hexaptera Parasite in the Wang Family's yard to monitor the state of the Wang Family constantly.

After waiting for a few days, he finally witnessed the Demon Envoy's appearance.

Senior Brother, I'm afraid I don't have full assurances to deal with it by myself.

Will you please accompany me? Judging by the worm's reaction, it's going to be tough."

He turned to look at a young cultivator next to him, a lightning scar centered on his forehead flickered occasionally with electric flashes..

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Chapter 48: Chapter 47 Thunderstorm (Seeking Follow-up Reading)!

Translator: 549690339

The young cultivator was called Lei Yin, with the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi training, just a hair's breadth from achieving perfect Qi training. He excelled in Thunder Method.

He was the highest-level cultivator in the Enforcement Hall, commonly known for exterminating countless Demon Envoys, his formidable reputation was infamous.

His eyes were a golden yellow, full of domineering presence. He coldly looked at the Hexaptera Parasite struggling in Ling Peng's hand and said:

"Heretic monsters, daring to reach out to our cultivators from the Enforcement Hall, whether it's intentional or unintentional, I'll make sure they pay a heavy price!"

"Let's go!"

The moment his words fell, Lei Yin rode on a flying sword, shooting out. Ling Peng quickly followed.

Wang Family.

In the grand hall, Wang Shan's belly had swelled into a large ball. This huge ball swelled and contracted like a beating heart.

His entire body had become like a dried corpse. His drooping skin continuously cracked, exposing bleached bones underneath.

"Ah… It's about to be born…"

Lady Wang looked at the incessantly throbbing large ball, her face showing a hint of maternal glow. Her hands were cradling her abdomen, ready to catch the baby about to burst out.

"Where does this Demon Envoy come from? Daring to act wildly in Linyang Market, meet your doom!"

As his words fell, a gigantic fire dragon, several dozen feet long, rushed in swiftly, charging straight towards Wang Shan's swollen belly.

"Wa!"

A baby's cry came from Wang Shan's belly. The cry carried endless resentment, a wall of grey-black spiritual energy instantly solidified, protecting the large ball from the rapidly advancing fire dragon.

The fire dragon collided with the grey-black wall, instantly turning into countless flames, falling on the furniture inside the house, burning furiously.

Ling Peng flew above the house, coldly observing the two people inside the house in a bizarre state through the large hole opened by the fire dragon.

He looked at the increasingly rapidly throbbing large ball, as well as the woman with a frantic expression, knowing that there was no time to lose, he let out a cold snort.

A small fire lotus flew out from his body.

The fire lotus was three-colored: the stems were dark red with numerous thin lines, the petals were fire red with flowing traces of magma, and the lotus flowers were light red, transparent as jade.

The three-colored fire lotus split into three, growing rapidly in size, directly piercing through the grey-black spiritual energy wall, and was about to land on the large ball in Wang Shan's abdomen.

The large ball seemed to sense the threat of the three-colored fire lotus, a huge crack rapidly appeared, with two small black arms lying on either side of the crack.

The thing inside couldn't wait to hatch normally, and was about to prematurely encounter the world.

The woman next to him, her abdomen also had the same large crack, her insides were all empty, filled only with pure resentment.

The baby's arms lay on the edge of the crack, all of a sudden, a more resentful baby's cry rang out, numerous grey-black baby palm print appeared on the three-colored fire lotus, the magma flowing in the petals slowed down almost instantly.

"Still struggling in vain, meet your death!"

A harsh voice rang out.

Above Wang's residence, it suddenly became pitch white, the cultivators who were watching instantly losing any vision, a loud rumbling sound echoed, thunder descended, the entire Wang residence turning into an ocean of lightning.

When everything calmed down, Wang residence had turned into a black and grey area. The large ball in Wang Shan's abdomen along with Lady Wang, under the might of the thunderbolt, turned into dust.

After the two swept their spiritual sense around the courtyard and its surrounding areas, confirming that there was nothing abnormal, they descended.

"Junior Brother Ling, after some time, have someone come and inspect the surroundings again, to ensure no Demon Envoys are overlooked."

" The cultivators from the Enforcement Hall who conduct the inspections must strictly perform their duties, they can't affect the normal life of the surrounding cultivators, nor can they pass it off sloppily, too casually."

"Yes, Senior Brother Lei, I'll personally supervise it, ensuring that no Demon Envoys are missed."

Ling Peng nodded heavily.

Not far away, Lu Xuan was staring at the Wang Family compound with intensity in his gaze.

He noticed the moment thunder appeared but didn't look at it directly, leaving his eyes unaffected.

The Enforcement Hall Cultivator who released such a powerfully potent formula method didn't involve Lu Xuan's small courtyard, showing his superb control of spiritual power.

Lu Xuan was ready for combat, with talisman tools nearby in his hands.

Fortunately, the cultivator who came to deal with the demon envoy was powerful and left no stray remnants of the demon envoy to infiltrate Lu Xuan's courtyard.

"The reporting magic technique is really the best…"

Lu Xuan breathed a sigh. He had been aware of the baby's scream. Even though he wasn't the primary target of the scream, he couldn't help but feel his head swell and his movements slow.

If he had to face it directly, he could not guarantee he could deal with the demon envoy easily.

Luckily, he previously invoked the reporting magic technique, using others' force against themselves, and lured out two high-tier Qi Practitioners from the Enforcement Hall who took care of Wang Shan, who was contaminated by the demon envoy.

"When I reported it, I mentioned that Wang Shan was abnormal and said in passing that Tan Xiao Dong might deliberately be covering for him."

"Now that Wang Shan has been proven to be infiltrated by the demon envoy, Tan Xiao Dong has no excuse. Even if he eventually proves irrelevant to the demon envoy, he cannot escape being accused of negligence."

Lu Xuan sat at the table, motionless.

Wang Shan and the demon envoy had just been dealt with, and it was a sensitive period. As a neighbor, he was naturally the subject of much attention, so it was best not to make any movements for the time being and stay at home.

As expected, within half an hour, three middle-stage Qi Practitioners came to his home to inspect.

"Apologies for the disturbance, fellow cultivator. Tonight, the Enforcement Hall found a powerful demon envoy nearby. After the solution, to avoid the possibility of its hidden access to cultivators' homes, and to ensure all cultivators' safety, we must do a detailed check. We kindly seek your understanding," said the leader with a smile to Lu Xuan.

"Three middle-stage Qi practitioners. What a mighty force."

Lu Xuan exclaimed quietly to himself and replied,

"It's not a problem. Let this cultivator be at ease to do the inspection. I have no objections."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

The leader made a hand gesture towards Lu Xuan and took out a white jade Buddha statue from his storage bag.

The Buddha statue stood about three inches tall, smiled gently, and had a layer of hazy spiritual light emitting from it.

The cultivator manipulated the spiritual energy in his body, cast a spell, and whipped a wave of spiritual power onto the surface of the Buddha statue.

In an instant, the hazy spiritual light suddenly flourished. Like ripples, it swept across Lu Xuan and his courtyard.

As the faint spiritual light swept over, Lu Xuan felt himself becoming immaculate and clear-minded in an instant, untainted by dust.

After sweeping over the entire courtyard, the spiritual light receded back into the Buddha statue. The Buddha statue was still emitting a hazy spiritual light and showed no abnormalities.

"It's done. We didn't detect any anomalies. We apologize for the disturbance."

The leader tucked away the white jade Buddha statue, and together with the other two, rushed towards the next house.

"Did they finish?"

Lu Xuan was perplexed in his heart. He had initially prepared for the likelihood of the spirit plants in his spirit field being exposed. He didn't expect the Enforcement Hall Cultivator's inspection technique to be this simple.

"It seems that Tan Xiao Dong indeed had the intention to swindle me the last time."

"He thought I was just a third layer Qi Cultivation no-organization Spirit Plant Master and wanted to thoroughly search under the premise of performing an inspection."

"But he probably didn't anticipate the price he would pay for a few spirit stones."

Lu Xuan laughed and returned inside his house..

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Chapter 49: Chapter 48: When the Pine Nuts Ripen_l

Translator: 549690339

In the heart of Linyang Market.

In a dimly lit room, seven or eight babies were scrambling around.

The babies had an abnormal bluish-black hue, with dark energy seeping out from their bodies occasionally. Their tiny limbs, sharp teeth, and protruding eyes gave them a fierce appearance.

They possessed agility and speed that didn't match their physical form. Whenever they ran into each other, they'd engage in brutal bites, emitting venomous screams of pain that could induce a throbbing headache.

In the corner of the room, two pretty young girls sat quietly. They said nothing, yet a slight smile on their faces conveyed a kind of maternal radiance.

Both girls sported erupted bellies, much like big leather balls. The belly of one girl was highlighted with a huge crack, through which an a bulging, greyish-white eyeball would occasionally glance at the outside world, seemingly ready to crawl out from the stomach.

"Who? Who canned my beloved Demon Baby?"

A cultivator sat upright on a bed made of ice in the room, enveloped in a dense cloud of resentment. From time to time, faced etched in pain silently wailed as they emerged from this cloud.

The seven or eight babies who were originally brawling in the room instantly quieted down, still as cicadas in winter, seemingly terrified by this person.

The two women in the corner still maintained their smiles, motionless, as the greyish-white eyeball slowly retreated back inside the cracked abdomen.

"With this, the odds of me successfully refining the Demon Baby Pill have decreased. Damn."

The cultivator's cloud of resentment continued to rise, echoing his anger.

He'd been at the Perfect Qi Training stage for quite some time and had attempted to break through the Foundation Establishment phase twice, but both attempts ended in failure.

By chance, from a secret land, he discovered an evil method to refine Demon Baby Pills. After ingesting the pills that were made, the chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage would increase by one or two percent.

Following the procedures recorded in the evil method, he collected hundreds of resentful spirits, condensed them into a Demon Baby Fetus, then found more than ten young girls. Through a secret technique, he controlled them and implanted the Demon Baby Fetus into their bodies.

Then, by various means, he sold them off. When a target cultivator indulged in a moment of pleasure, the Demon Baby Fetus would silently integrate into their bodies.

Because the Demon Baby Fetus is a peculiar treasure, the fusion process enhances the cultivator's internal spiritual energy, giving them the illusion of massive cultivation growth, thus making them even more committed to dual cultivation.

Once the Baby Demon Fetus completely fuses with the cultivator, it seizes an appropriate opportunity to absorb all of the cultivator's spiritual power and essence, turning into a Demon Baby.

After reducing the cultivator to a dry corpse, the Demon Baby would break out of the body and return to the young girl's body, using her to conceal the evil aura and secretly return to his residence.

The entire process remains extremely covert. When the Demon Baby Fetus merges into the cultivator's body, ordinary Evil Banishing Talisman and magic artifacts struggle to detect anomalies. Only in the brief moment when it breaks out of the body does it emit a tiny bit of qi.

Unless someone is constantly vigilant, this small abnormality usually goes unnoticed.

However, despite his caution, a Demon Baby was discovered and killed, which decreased his chances of successfully condensing a Demon Baby Pill and made his advancement to the Foundation Establishment Stage more difficult.

For him, this is akin to a deep hatred.

"It seems I need to find a few more young female Qi Practitioners, implant the Demon Baby Fetus in their bodies, and release them into the black market to be bought by cultivators."

"But with a Demon Baby being discovered, it probably won't be as smooth as the first time."

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a burning rage. His resentment seemed to take a physical form, frightening the seven or eight Demon Babies into immobility.

In the courtyard.

With the threat of Wang Shan's evil spirit gone, Lu Xuan felt much more at ease, focusing entirely on nurturing the numerous spirit plants in his Spirit Field.

After the unexpected emergence of the evil spirit, the Enforcement Hall has been extremely strict in monitoring his area, frequently performing inspections and being very cautious about the entry and

exit of cultivators in the region.

However, this doesn't greatly affect Lu Xuan. After all, he mostly stays in the courtyard, cultivating spiritual plants and occasionally playing with the Cloud Leopard and Red-bearded Carp.

He paid slight attention to the cultivators from the Enforcement Hall who came for inspections. Among the ten or more middle-stage Qi Practitioners, Tan Xiao Dong was noticeably absent. Lu Xuan concluded that he was probably implicated due to the information disclosed in the last report.

At this thought, his mood elevated, planting in the Spirit Field gave him a sense of utmost satisfaction.

In the early morning, the thin layer of mist had yet to disperse.

A three-foot-tall Grass Puppet emerged from the mist after patrolling the Spirit Field tirelessly all night, with its wispy dry grass slightly dampened from the mist.

"What a wonderful worker you are…"

Lu Xuan, carrying a white jade thin neck bottle, exclaimed leisurely and then entered the Spirit Field, stopping at the edge of the Spirit Spring.

Seeing his familiar figure, the three fat, red-bearded carps, thinking they were about to feed on strange worms, flapped their tails and swam over to him.

With their six long, red whiskers trailing along like six red ribbons, bouncing along in the Spiritual Spring Pool.

Lu Xuan, after scattering a handful of Spirit Rice, left them unattended and proceeded to fill the white jade thin neck bottle with half a bottle of Spirit Spring Water.

A dark shadow flashed by.

A Cloud Leopard juvenile beast leaped into the air, its paws, as white as clouds, stepped on the surface of the water, catching a red-bearded carp by the whiskers, and pulled it out of the water.

The juvenile beast skimmed across the surface, leaving only the red-bearded carp flipping in mid-air, then, in its frantic struggle, it dropped back into the spirituality pool, causing ripples to spread out.

The other two red-bearded carps, startled by this sudden event, swiftly dived to the bottom of the Spirit Spring Pool. Their frantically fast movement made the ripples on the water surface all the more intense and apparent.

In the center of the Spirit Spring Pool, the Pure Snow Lotus was swayed gently by the impact of the water waves. The delicate white lotus leaves illustrated a scene of fragility struggling against the wind.

"You rascal, causing some much trouble by catching fishes is fine, but disturbing the growth of my Pure Snow Lotus. I'll deduct a dried porcupinefish from your lunch."

Witnessing the scene, Lu Xuan from the side, reached out to pat the sharp ears of the Cloud Leopard juvenile and threatened.

"Roar—"

Hearing that his favorite food was being deducted, the snooty juvenile beast couldn't help but let out a low growl.

If it hadn't made a sound, it would have been fine. But the moment it squeaked in that coy falsetto, Lu Xuan became more determined to deduct its dried meat.

Afterwards, he brought the Spirit Spring Water to the three Qingmiao Spirit Tea saplings, controlled the water through his spiritual power, transforming it into thin streams that flowed into the tea saplings.

Having watered the Qingmiao Tea saplings, he continued his inspection around the Spirit Field.

Separating twenty Blood Jade Ginsengs from each other which were trying to twist together.

With the rapid growth of Blood Jade Ginseng, their eagerness to be close to each other had also strengthened. This time, if Lu Xuan hadn't stopped it, a dozen of the Blood Jade Ginseng could have tangled together.

A large scale group ginseng movement had almost taken place.

After separating the Blood Jade Ginseng, he cast two Golden Sword Techniques on the Sword Grass, encouraging it to absorb the sharpness and intent of the sword.

Under the wooden shed was the Dark Marrow Mushroom. He adjusted the position of the decayed spiritual wood, so it was better able to absorb the decayed spiritual power within it.

Next, he located the Phantom Smoke Fruit hidden in the dense white fog. Over the past few days, the range of smoke around it had expanded somewhat.

In the end, he arrived in front of the soon-to-be ripe Red Cloud Pine, focusing his mind on its branches and leaves.

"Huh, one of the pine nuts is matured?"

A thought flashed through his mind, Lu Xuan exclaimed in surprise..

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Chapter 50: Chapter 49 Fire Departing Sword l

Translator: 549690339

In the thick and thriving slender red pine leaves, five pine nuts were half hidden, with one of them already ripe.

The outer red pine cone looks like fish scales, wrapping up the pine nuts from bottom to top, layer by layer.

The number of pine nuts at most central part is not much, just over twenty, fingertip-sized, similar to pomegranate seeds.

They appear pale red, crystal clear, overflowing with a delicate fragrance that tempts one to start salivating.

Focusing his mind on the ripe Red Cloud Pine Nut, Lu Xuan immediately received detailed information about it.

"Red Cloud Pine Nut, derived from the First Grade Spirit Plant Red Cloud Pine. It contains abundant spiritual power, which can slightly improve the cultivation level of lower-middle level Qi cultivators."

"Its taste is sweet and refreshing, with a lingering aftertaste, deeply welcomed by many female cultivators.'1

Lu Xuan plucked this ripe Red Cloud Pine Nut and placed it into a specialized vessel, which was painted with related runes to ensure the freshness of the pine nut to the greatest extent.

While plucking the pine nut, he also learned that this pine nut was of good quality.

Where he had picked the Red Cloud Pine appeared a white light cluster, flickering faintly.

Lu Xuan was stirred with emotion; this was his first harvest of a mature First Grade Spirit Plant.

Previously, whether it was Spirit Firefly Grass or Moon Erosion Fruit, they were all non-grade Spirit Plants, their value much lower than Red Cloud Pine.

"Harvested a Red Cloud Pine Nut, received a Second-Grade Flying Sword, Fire Separation Sword."

The white light cluster turned into countless light spots that flowed into Lu Xuan's body, next, an idea flashed through his mind.

A flying sword quietly appeared in his hand.

The flying sword was about three feet long, had a light physique, was a fiery red color, with dark red veins on the blade, small flames flew out from the blade when it quivered.

"A Second Grade Flying Sword!"

Lu Xuan couldn't help but exclaim, this was the first Second Grade Magic Artifact he had received in his cultivation career.

Before he had obtained the Spirit Field, he wanted to buy one Sword Qi Talisman, and he had to save up for quite a while to afford it.

But now, not only does he have treasures like the Slivered Silver Blade and the Thunder Fire Pearl.

He has many talismans; previously hard-to-get Sword Qi Talismans and Evil Banishing Talismans have piled up in abundance. He now even owns two Second-Grade Sword Qi Ten Thousand Talisman.

Now he has received another Second Grade Magic Artifact, a Fire Separating Sword.

"Planting a Spirit Field brings many opportunities."

"I don't love exploring secret lands, I don't like fighting for treasures, I just like cultivating flowers and plants."

The appearance of the Second Grade Fire Separation Sword made Lu Xuan anticipate the remaining four Red Cloud Pine Nuts even more and moreover, it strengthened his determination to quietly cultivate his field.

He kept the Fire Separation Sword in his storage bag and arrived at the Spirit Firefly Grass area.

Out of the hundred Spirit Firefly Grasses, sixty-five remained, and they had entered the accelerating maturity phase. Tiny points of light were flickering on its slender leaves, very eye-catching even in daylight.

Lu Xuan harvested fourteen mature Spirit Firefly Grasses at once.

Among these, four were of good quality, seven of superior quality, and the remaining three of perfect grade. There were none of ordinary quality.

He put the fourteen mature Spirit Firefly Grasses into a White Jade Box to prevent their vitality from dissipating.

Looking at the Spirit Field, fourteen white light clusters quietly appeared.

"Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass, gained six months of cultivation progress."*!

"Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass, gained nine months of cultivation progress."

"Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass, gained one year of cultivation progress." Four of the white light clusters brought cultivation rewards, totaling three years of cultivation progress.

Ideas flashed through his mind and wave after wave of dense spiritual power appeared within Lu Xuan's body.

In his Dantian and meridians, a wild surge was wreaking havoc. His teeth clenched tightly, he desperately operated his cultivation technique.

A moment later, the spiritual power within his body gradually calmed down.

After days of bitter cultivation, combined with the slight cultivation rewards from earlier, Lu Xuan had finally managed to break through to the sixth level of Qi cultivation.

"Heaven rewards those who toil hard. It is not in vain that I strove to cultivate in every spare moment, planting in the spirit field. Achieving such success today is inseparable from my hard work and diligence."

Lu Xuan sighed quietly to himself.

"Collect one Spirit Firefly Grass, receive one first-grade Sword Qi Talisman."*3 "Collect one Spirit Firefly Grass, receive one first-grade Evil-Banishing Talisman."*!

Among them, the five white light clusters brought rewards of first-grade talismans, making the storage bag full of talisman even fuller.

"Collecting one Spirit Firefly Grass, receive one first-grade Yuan Cultivating Pill."*3

"Collecting one Spirit Firefly Grass, receive one Qi Cultivating Pill Recipe."

"Collect one Spirit Firefly Grass, receive one drop of Grass Spirit Elixir."

Out of the remaining five white light clusters, three produced Yuan Cultivation Pills. As for the other two, possibly due to the perfect quality of the Spirit Firefly Grass, one yielded a pill recipe while the other presented a precious Grass Spirit Elixir.

When Lu Xuan absorbed the Yuan Cultivating Pill recipe, his understanding of pill concocting deepened considerably. The processing of materials, doses, fire control during concoction, the timing of pill formation… all replenished significantly.

Despite not having real-life experience in concocting pills, he was already a theoretical expert.

A drop of semi-solid green liquid appeared in Lu Xuan's hand. It was the Grass Spirit Elixir, rich in plant essences.

Lu Xuan summoned the Grass Puppet, pushing the green liquid into the gray grass lump on its head.

Not long after it was injected, the grey grass lump turned bright green at a visibly rapid pace. It looked like a old tree sprouting fresh buds, exuding delightfully vibrant energy.

"After a full meal, you'll have more strength to guard the Spirit Field."

Lu Xuan looked at the Grass Puppet, its head now adorned with bright green, and said with a laugh.

"Friend Lu, Friend Lu, are you there?"

From outside the house, a somewhat familiar voice came. After a brief moment of recollection, Lu Xuan recognized it as a local Cultivator surnamed Wu. Wu was quite old, and fond of drinking. He had previously visited Lu Xuan's yard to ask if Lu had planted any Spirit Plants that were suitable for making wine. "Daoist Wu, I'm here. What can I do for you?"

"It's nothing big, just that the bootlicking officers from the Enforcement Hall have finally withdrawn these past few days. Feeling joyful, I thought I would find someone to share a drink with, and that's when your name, Little friend Lu, came to mind."

Lu Xuan opened the courtyard door, smiling as he spoke to the Cultivator surnamed Wu.

"Great, let me tidy up a bit, and then I will join you for a drink."

The old man surnamed Wu nodded and left.

Returning to the house, being cautious, Lu Xuan stowed away the Thunder Fire Pearl and the Sword Qi Million Talisman inside his clothes.

Mister Wu was a Cultivator of the fourth Qi cultivation level. Just in case he had malevolent intentions, even if he tried to cover it up, Lu Xuan felt confident that with his array of talisman tools, he would be able to handle it.

After thinking for a moment, he also summoned Cloud Leopard.

The young civet, with an expressionless face and verdant eyes, joyfully jumped onto Lu Xuan's shoulder, clutching tightly onto his robe.

Now, Lu Xuan was completely reassured. With Cloud Leopard's Divine Mysterious Pupils, regular Cultivators couldn't detect any wicked beings. This gave Lu Xuan an extra layer of security potential attacks.

Accompanied by the young civet, he activated the formation, and headed towards the residence of the Wu cultivator.

Moreover, he also had some questions that he wanted to ask the old Mr. Wu.

It was difficult to find unknown spiritual seeds on the Loose Cultivation Market. As for those big shops, although there were many variety of seeds, most of them were costly and weren't high-ranking, basically first grade or non-graded, which could not satisfy the increasingly picky Lu Xuan.

Therefore, he had the idea of visiting the mysterious black market in the market city and, at the same time, wanted to get rid of some items he had on hand.

Since the Cultivator surnamed Wu had good cultivation and had been in the marketplace for a long time, Lu Xuan thought that he must know a lot about the black market..

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Chapter 51: Chapter 50 Paper Kite l

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"Come on, Friend Lu, try this aged brew of mine. It's been maturing for nearly a

decade."

In the home of Daoist Wu, the two were, deep in their cups.

Lu Xuan swirled the golden ling wine in his silver glass. As he moved, the heaviness and richness of the wine aroma drifted out.

"I can hardly believe that our neighbor, Wang Shan, a patrol guard from the Enforcement Hall, was actually corrupted by a demon envoy. Luckily, it was discovered early, and it didn't affect us neighbors."

Putting down his wine glass and thinking of the possible consequences, Daoist

Wu shivered.

"Yes, if the demon envoy hadn't been promptly discovered and annihilated, it would be hard for us living nearby to ensure our own safety."

Lu Xuan echoed.

"These worthless Enforcement Hall guards. They've been watching our area, making it inconvenient for us to do anything.

"They couldn't even protect their own, and allowed a demon envoy to invade. What good can they do for us? They'd better conduct a thorough investigation within their ranks-they might even uncover a few more!"

The Wu older man, slightly drunk, had a vague look in his eyes.

"Friend Lu, why don't you grow those spirit plants suitable for brewing spiritual wine? If you grow them, I'll buy as much as you have!

Before he knew it, Daoist Wu had shifted the conversation towards Lu Xuan.

"I have been considering it recently, but the spirit field in my yard is too small and there's no extra space to plant other spirit plants. For now, I also lack the energy to cultivate other spirit plants.

"If I decide to do so, I'll definitely come to you, Friend Wu, for cooperation.

The two continued to drink.

"By the way, Daoist Wu, do you know of the black market in Linyang Market?

Lu Xuan asked the old man.

"The black market? Why, are you thinking of going in?

"I do have such an idea, but since I've never been there before, I don't know much about it. And you, Friend Wu, are skilled in cultivation and have spent a lot of time in the market. Therefore, I want to ask you about it."

Lu Xuan smiled.

"I've indeed been in a few times, with the most recent being about two years

ago."

The old man sobered up a bit, showing a reflective expression.

"The black market is located at the center of the market. It is rumored to be managed by several underground forces in the market, but I suspect there are one or more of the major families in the market behind it."

"The market was originally built on an abandoned secret land, the black market sits in a natural maze, which can only be accessed by purchasing a guiding talisman with a few spirit stones."

"Named the 'Black Market', it differs significantly from the Loose Cultivation Market and those big shops. Most of the goods there are things that can't stand the light of day, and the cultivators who come there generally hide their faces and cultivation levels."

"The goods inside are similarly like that, and there are quite a few treasures that you can't see in the market or shops. Some are obtained under unknown circumstances, which makes them difficult to sell normally, and others are various strange and bizarre materials, often involving demon envoy related items."

Lu Xuan occasionally nodded.

"Then do regular loose cultivators have safety guarantees when they enter the black market?"

"It'S definitely safe inside, with powerful cultivators standing guard, and it's rare to hear of anyone making trouble inside."

"As for the outside, it's not under the jurisdiction of the black market. Among the cultivators who come and go in the black market, there are many vicious and wicked individuals, or evil cultivators practicing sinister cultivation techniques. So the safety is much lower than inside, and occasionally, there are incidents of robbery and murder."

"Normally, it's still safe. After all, the black market is located in the central area of the market. Anyway, I've been there more than once during my low-level Qi cultivation period, and I've never encountered any accidents."

"If you truly wish to enter, just be cautious. If you're really terrified, you can enter with a familiar cultivator."

"I'm grateful for this important information, thank you Daoist Wu."

The older man with the surname Wu waved his hand.

"None of that was particularly significant, you'll leant more if you ask around outside."

The two weren't very close, so he did not ask Lu Xuan about his intention to enter the black market.

Lu Xuan stayed a while longer, then returned home with the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast who had been quietly sitting on his shoulder the entire time. He pondered for a moment, then decided to make a trip to the Black Market. According to the older man with the surname Wu, many odd and curious things appear on the black market, so the possibility of finding an unknown spiritual seed is greater there than at the Loose Cultivation Market. Moreover, entering and exiting the black market is generally safe. Lu Xuan felt that as long as he does not expose his wealth or provoke any trouble, he can leave unscathed.

Furthermore, he has complete confidence in his current strength.

With level six Qi cultivation, nearly grandmaster level Golden Sword Technique, a first-grade special magical tool (the Split Silver Blade), two grade two Million Swords Qi Talismans, a grade two Flying Sword – Fire Departing Sword, a first-grade treasure – Thunder Fire Pearl, and numerous charms… Even if he went up against a high-tier Qi cultivator, Lu Xuan has quite a bit of confidence in defeating them.

The next day, Lu Xuan inspected his Spirit Field and ensured that all his spirit plants were in optimal condition. Then, according to the location provided by the older man with the surname Wu, he headed to the black market.

Because the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast is too conspicuous, and there was no appropriate means to conceal it, Lu Xuan decided to leave it at home.

Upon learning that it couldn't accompany Lu Xuan outside, the Cloud Leopard stared at Lu Xuan with it's emerald eyes, as if it was so afraid that Lu Xuan would abandon it, filled with helplessness and fear.

This almost caused Lu Xuan's heart to soften. However, after considering the potential risk of revealing his true identity, he comforted the creature and left some dried meat strips for the Cloud Leopard before setting out alone.

About an hour later, Lu Xuan arrived outside the black market.

Although the black market is near the center of the market, the surroundings are very desolate, devoid of courtyards or residences. A few cultivators, who seemed wary of each other, were hurrying along the road.

The entire blackmarket is enveloped by a dense black fog. When spiritual sense probes into the fog, it feels as if it is blocked by something, and can't advance a single step.

Lu Xuan, with a simple mask on his face, approached the cultivator who was guarding the entrance of the black market.

Along the way, he noticed that almost all cultivators were dressed similarly, wearing masks or cloth on their faces while a few used special magical devices to conceal their identities. Some didn't seem to care, showing their true faces, although whether they were their real faces or not, Lu Xuan couldn't tell.

He observed how the cultivators ahead of him paid three spirit stones to a cultivator shrouded in black fog at the entrance.

Shortly after, he received a guiding talisman with black runes drawn on it, with a slightly moving black arrow on it.

Once inside the black fog, his surroundings became hazy. The black arrow on the talisman flickered and continually adjusted its direction, leading Lu Xuan forward through the fog.

Awhile later, Lu Xuan felt a sudden refreshment as he passed through the black fog and arrived inside the black market.

The black market was more spacious than he had imagined, with around one to two hundred cultivators in sight. The atmosphere was relatively quiet, with only soft murmurs of discussion.

Overhead, it seemed as if a thick black cloud was covering the black market, and in the high skies, about ten black kites were slowly flying.

At first glance, the kites seemed to be made of beast skin, floating in the sky. As they flew over Lu Xuan's head, he could feel a malevolent thought sweeping over him, causing goosebumps to appear on his skin..

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Chapter 52: Chapter 51 Flood Dragon Vine l

Translator: 549690339

Lu Xuan quickly lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact with the black paper kites, and the sinister thought that skimmed his body soon disappeared.

"What the hell is that!"

He cursed silently to himself, becoming more cautious about the forces behind the black market.

The idea that around a dozen of such eerie paper kites could be patrolling the black market hinted at the terrifying power of the forces behind it.

As he slowly walked, he was vigilant about his surroundings.

"There are more cultivators in the black market than I imagined. Two hundred people, each paying an entrance fee of three spirit stones, that's at least six hundred spirit stones. This is quite the moneymaker!"

"The spiritual energy inside the black market is denser than outside. I wonder how long I can stay with three spirit stones. If there is no time limit, I might as well remain in the black market and cultivate, taking advantage of this spiritual energy."

He thought to himself, but he didn't actually attempt it. After all, he didn't know what the consequences would be.

The goal of those in control of the black market is to make spirit stones; there's no way they'd allow the cultivators to take advantage of them.

The management of the entire black market was quite lax. Cultivators who came in could randomly set up stalls. As long as they didn't invade others' stalls or cause other conflicts, the black market's managers would not intervene.

Lu Xuan carefully observed the items on the stalls.

His main purpose in coming this time was to find rare or unknown spiritual seeds, saplings, or young creatures of demon beasts, demon bird eggs, and so on.

Secondly, he was looking for a defensive array that is stronger. The defensive array in his courtyard was the one left behind by the Tooth Row, which he had only a limited time to use. With the number of spirit plants in the spirit field increasing and their ranks becoming higher and higher, the current array was proving to be somewhat insufficient.

Next, he was looking for a cultivation technique suitable for him. He had not yet come across any cultivation techniques in the light clusters rewarded by mature spirit plants. Although he hadn't been cultivating for a long time, if he could find a profound technique, Lu Xuan thought it might be worth acquiring.

Lastly, he was looking for a defensive magic artifact. Whether it was the Slivered Silver Blade, the Fire Departing Sword, or the Thunder Fire Pearl, they were all offensive. Lu Xuan thought it necessary to compensate for his own shortcomings.

However, with the backing of the white light cluster and four Red Cloud Pine nuts about to mature, he was not in urgent need of a magic artifact.

The items he wanted to sell included the First Grade Flying Sword left by Qin Ming. Having been kept in his storage bag occupying space for so long, and now that he was in the black market, he had nothing to worry about.

If the price is right, he would consider selling the Red Cloud Pine nuts as well, along with the second-class Fire Departing Sword, which somewhat conflicts with the Slivered Silver Blade.

Although the latter is only a first-grade, because it can split into many fragments, it can have an unexpected effect. Lu Xuan finds it more handy.

The stalls were full of bizarre goods. Lu Xuan even saw several ominous paper dolls displayed on a stand.

Pale paper bodies, two vivid red circles on their cheeks, an eerie smile hanging in the corners of their mouths.

The owner of the stall looked peculiar, thin, and not much thicker than paper, appearing fragile in his loose red and green robe, which was horribly ominous at first glance.

There were also stalls displaying a variety of strange materials from monster beasts, parts of Demon Envoy's bodies, and some items of unknown origin.

A large, self-mobile eyeball, a weird monster beast with a conjoined body, a hairy ball with countless slender tentacles swaying like seaweed in the wind…

"Huh?"

As he passed by a stall, Lu Xuan found himself involuntarily stopping.

On the stall sat several attractive female cultivators bound firmly by black ropes, each with a cultivation level of lower level Qi cultivation stage one or two. Their figures were all the more highlighted. An urge to torment them cruelly couldn't help but arise in the hearts of some.

There was a black sign in front of them that read:

"Furnace for sale at a low price, Lower Level Qi Cultivation."

"Friend, do you want to test the quality?"

Behind the stall, a masked, thin cultivator spoke roughly to Lu Xuan.

"No, thank you. My cultivation technique requires my primal energy to remain intact before reaching Foundation Establishment."

Lu Xuan casually made up an excuse and bypassed the stall.

His eyebrows creased, his mind filled with thoughts.

As far as he was aware, Wang Shan had bought a Qi Cultivation Second Layer female cultivator in the black market before being contaminated by the Demon Envoy. He had even shown off to Lu Xuan about it at the time.

After his purchase, Cultivator Wang Shan sang joyfully all the way, his cultivation level skyrocketing rapidly.

In retrospect, Lu Xuan had noticed something was off. Being able to rapidly increase one's cultivation level through pleasurable experiences with others… what kind of good thing could that be in this world? Perhaps, the encounter with the demon envoy had a close connection with that Qi Cultivation Second Layer female cultivator.

Thinking about this, Lu Xuan unconsciously quickened his pace.

He arrived at a stall run by a female cultivator. Her aura was faintly discernible and she was clearly not weakly cultivated; she was at least a Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner, and she was possibly of high-level Qi cultivation.

The items displayed at her stall were mostly spiritual medicines and spirit plants, the lowest of them being First Grade Spirit Plant, and many varieties that Lu Xuan hadn't even seen before.

Lu Xuan presumptuously selected a few things on the stall, eventually picking up a vine about half a foot long.

The vine was dark black in color, twisted and gnarled like the sinuous body of a black snake.

"Dao friend, can you tell me what kind of plant this vine comes from?"

He asked the female cultivator.

"This a Flood Dragon Vine, a third-grade Spiritual Plant, which can be used to forge whip-type or rope-type Magic Artifacts, or one could grind it into a powder and add it into the ingredients of some elixirs."

The female cultivator responded neutrally.

"I recall vine type Spiritual Plants can be propagated by cuttings. Can this vine do so?"

Lu Xuan asked curiously.

"In theory, it can. However, I advise you not to entertain wild fantasies. Even the Spirit Plant Masters of the Great Sects can't easily propagate it."

"Only those Flood Dragon Vines that have undergone special treatment, along with an exclusive cultivation method, can possibly grow into a complete vine." "Is that so? It seems I was indeed daydreaming."

Lu Xuan sighed for a moment, failing to hide his disappointment.

"I am a little interested in this piece of Flood Dragon Vine and intend to take it back to forge into a rope-type Magic Artifact, Dao friend, you name the price!"

"A third-grade Spiritual Plant, good quality, only a little short. Dao friend, if you truly want it, you can have it for two hundred Spiritual Stones."

Although the female cultivator recognized Lu Xuan's cultivation level at a glance, she did not show any contempt at all. After all, in the black market, cultivation level was the least respectable thing.

"Two hundred Spiritual Stones, that's too expensive."

Lu Xuan immediately shook his head. His total fortune was just over two hundred spirit stones, so naturally, he found it hard to decide all at once.

He hesitated for a moment, glanced around, saw that no one was paying attention to them, took out a second-class Fire Separating Sword from his storage bag.

"Dao friend, what do you think about this second-grade Flying Sword? Can it be exchanged for your Flood Dragon Vine?"

The female cultivator took the flying sword from Lu Xuan's hand, channeled some spiritual energy into it, and fiery flames burst out of the red blade immediately.

"The flying sword is not bad, how about this, if you add thirty spirit stones, you can take the Flood Dragon Vine."

"Dao friend, the short length of your Flood Dragon Vine greatly restricts the artifacts that can be forged from it. It is somewhat unessential when refining elixirs."

"Moreover, materials are usually the cheaper part of any item, my flying sword should be more than enough to trade for it."

"Twenty Spiritual Stones."

"Still too expensive, ten Spiritual Stones, and I'll take the Flood Dragon Vine right away."

The female cultivator hesitated.

The value of this piece of Flood Dragon Vine was indeed greatly affected due to its shortness, and it had been in her possession for quite some time.

She was very fond of Lu Xuan's second-grade flying sword and directly nodded her head after considering it.

"Alright.."

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Bathed in Blood 1

Translator: 549690339

After Lu Xuan exchanged a piece of Third-Grade Jiao Vine from a female cultivator with his Second-Class Fire Separating Sword, he continued to stroll around in the black market.

After searching around, not finding anything resembling unknown spiritual seeds, he found an empty spot and hung up the First Grade Flying Sword that he got from Qin Ming.

Finally, he successfully sold it for the price of thirty-five Spirit Stones.

He couldn't find any specially satisfactory protective arrays in the black market, and the ranks of the few cultivation techniques he saw were not so high either, so Lu Xuan had to give up.

After weighing his options, he spent thirty-two Spirit Stones to buy a First Grade Shield named Iron Scale Shield, which has densely packed black scales on its surface. It's protection level is pretty good among First Grade artifacts. The items most abundant in the black market are strange materials from Demon Beasts, and mature spiritual plants, followed by charms and elixirs. Lu Xuan had no interest in these, so he activated the Guiding Talisman with his spiritual power, and followed the black arrow, walking out from the dense black fog that seemed solid.

The moment he got out, the cultivator guarding the entrance took back the Guiding Talisman.

Lu Xuan remained vigilant, glanced around, and quickly left the periphery of the black market.

On the way back, nothing unexpected happened. Nobody in the black market targeted him, a Qi practicing young cultivator who appeared to be quite ordinary in terms of cultivation level and wealth.

More than half an hour later, he returned to the courtyard.

The formation was still functioning well, without any traces of being touched or intruded upon.

Lu Xuan felt slightly relieved. He knew that in the Spirit Field behind the courtyard, there were a multitude of rare spiritual plants.

The First Grade Blood Jade Ginseng, Pure Snow Lotus, Red Cloud Pine, second-level Sword Grass, Dark Marrow Mushroom, Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea, Third-grade Fantasy Smoke Fruit-

Even without considering the light clusters rewarded when they mature, their intrinsic value alone could tempt any Qi-Cultivator to take risks.

After opening the courtyard gate, Lu Xuan saw a streak of black light flash past him towards the back of the yard.

He was startled at first, but then he recognized the black figure as the Bi Jing Cloud-Treading Civet which he had reluctantly left at home.

'Could it be that this little guy has been waiting outside the door for me to come back all along?"

Lu Xuan went to the back of the yard, where the Civet Juvenile was lying at the edge of the Spiritual Spring Pool, its emerald green eyes fixed on the Red-bearded Carp swimming leisurely inside.

It seemed not to have noticed that Lu Xuan had already returned.

"I'm home!"

Lu Xuan shouted towards the other side. The Grass Puppet Gray Grass, who was on guard, turned its head a hundred and eighty degrees. Its two hollow eyes looked in the direction of the voice, and its steps didn't stop as it kept patrolling.

The Cloud Leopard ignored him and kept staring at the Red-bearded Carp in the Spiritual Spring Pool.

With sharp eyes, Lu Xuan noticed that the civet's two ears, with a tuft of gray hair on them, were gently trembling, revealing its inner joy and excitement.

Lu Xuan went straight into the room.

Only then did the civet tum its head and look at Lu Xuan's retreating figure.

The hair on the tips of its ears shook gently. Sensing Lu Xuan's footstep getting closer, it quickly turned its head back.

With a "plop," a fat strip of porcupine meat was thrown in front of the civet.

"Meow —"

The civet made a shy cry, its paws as white as clouds grabbed the strip of meat, and stuffed it into its mouth.

Lu Xuan let out a soft laugh and went back into the room.

This time, he went to the black market to dispose of the newly acquired Second-Class Fire Separating Sword as well as the First Grade Magical Instrument left by Qin Ming in his storage bag for a long time. In return he procured a piece of Third-Grade Jiao Vine and a First-Grade defensive Magic Artifact, the Iron Scale Shield.

The spirit stones were neither lost nor gained. He rented the Guiding Talisman for three spirit stones, which just happened to offset the three spirit stones he earned from reselling the flying sword and shield.

He took out the piece of Jiao Vine from his storage bag.

The deep black vine was about half a foot long. If you wanted to refine it into a whip or rope-like magical instrument, it was indeed a bit short.

However, this didn't affect Lu Xuan too much. He paid a huge price to buy it mainly for cultivation and planting.

Holding this python-like section, he came to an empty spot in the Spirit Field. Each Spirit Plant requires a certain amount of space, which suggests that the Spirit Field of over one mu (equivalent to 0.66 acres) is somewhat insufficient. Therefore, he currently plans to opt for the quality over quantity strategy. The Spirit Firefly Grass, Blood Jade Ginseng and other numerous Spirit Plants were supplied by 'Bai Cao Tang', the other rare and higher-ranked ones depended on whether he gets an opportunity from other channels.

Lu Xuan used the Earth Pulling Technique, and the spirit soil quietly changed, revealing a small crack.

He inserted the half-foot-long Jiao Vine into the crack, leaving about two-thirds of its length outside. Bits of Spirit Rain fell down, landing on the deep black and dry vine, seeping into the surrounding Spirit Soil.

The Spirit Soil gradually became moist, and the energetic atmosphere slowly permeated into the interior of the vine through its skin.

Lu Xuan's heart and mind were focused on the deep black twisting vine.

A thought flashed through his mind.

"Jiao Vine, a Third-Grade Spirit Plant, can be used to cultivate and nourish the flood dragon demon beast when mature. After special treatment, it can also be used to refine whip or rope-like instruments, or it can serve as the main ingredient for certain rare elixirs."

"When cultivating Jiao Vine, nourishing it with the blood of snake-type demonic beasts, or flood dragon-type monsters can promote its rapid growth. The higher the quality of related blood, the faster the vine grows."

"I crave for the blood containing potent power…"

Lu Xuan instantly understood its cultivation method through the real-time status of the Jiao Vine he just planted.

"It needs the nourishment of snake-type demonic beasts, or flood dragon-type monsters. Generally, after cultivators hunt snake-type demonic beasts, they pay more attention to snake skin, poison fangs, poison juice, etc, and don't value the blood highly."

"Looks like, I still have to go to the market to find it, if I could find the best if not…"

Then I'll use spirit stones to commission the cultivator to help me get fresh blood from the demonic snake."

Lu Xuan thought to himself.

Let him go to the wilderness, or mystical places to hunt demonic snakes and get fresh snake blood?

That's impossible. He'd rather spend a bit more spirit stones to hire a cultivator, rather than risking leaving the many rare Spirit Plants in his Spirit Field for an external adventure.

As for Flood Dragon Monster, he dare not even think about it. Even the weakest Flood Dragon Monster is at least equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, so Lu Xuan doesn't have any hope of obtaining Flood Dragon blood. "For now, let's plant it in the Spirit Field. When I find the blood of a snake-type demonic beast, I will come back to cultivate it properly."

"Right now, although the Spirit Rain Technique and Tree Life Spell can sustain its vitality, if it continues like this, the growth will be extremely slow. It isn't a long-term solution."

After planting the Jiao Vine in the Spirit Field, Lu Xuan inspected the many Spirit Plants within.

Third-grade Spirit Plants really are more troublesome. The first and second grades only require specific growing environments and special spiritual power, but the third-grade ones seem to have their own personalities."

"The two third-grade Spirit Plants in the field, like the mischievous Phantom Smoke Fruit, set up their own space. If others can't find it, they won't be able to cultivate it."

"This Jiao Vine is even more demanding. A single vine needs to bathe in snake blood or even Dragon Blood. If I really had Dragon Blood, I'd rather use it on myself!"

Lu Xuan looked at the increasingly large fog cluster formed by the Phantom Smoke Fruit in front of him, and he couldn't help sighing..

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Chapter 54: Chapter 53 Doubt_l

Translator: 549690339

"Spirit Firefly Grass remains reliable. It's easy to grow in large amounts, requiring a simple cultivation method, and most importantly, it awards cultivation points."

Lu Xuan looked around his spiritual field. Each spirit plant had its own unique properties: the second-grade Sword Grass known as Iron Straight Grass, the first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng that desired to reside in darkness and decay, the second-grade Dark Marrow Mushroom that only needed spiritual spring water for irrigation, and others…

In this regard, Spirit Firefly Grass is quite low-maintenance.

Lu Xuan made a round in the area where the Spirit Firefly Grass grew, harvesting twelve mature plants.

Among them, four were of good quality, six were of superior quality, and the remaining two were of perfect grade.

More than half of the Spirit Firefly Grass in the field has been harvested. From a total of one hundred, only thirty-nine plants were left, and they are nearing maturity.

Among the twelve white light clusters that appeared, four were cultivation rewards: two granting six months of cultivation progress, and two granting nine months, amounting to two and a half years of cultivation progress in total.

"TWO and a half years again, seems like I have some affinity with this number." Lu Xuan remembered that this was not the first time he received a reward of two and a half years of cultivation progress.

He channeled his spiritual power, softening the surging energy to further solidify his Cultivation Qi Level Six.

The three white light clusters contained three first-grade talismans: a Sword Qi Talisman, an Evil Banishing Talisman, and an Explosion Flame Talisman. Lu Xuan stored all of them in his storage bag.

Three low-grade formula methods emerged from a different set of three white light clusters: two Tree Life Spells and one Earth Pulling Technique.

Lu Xuan absorbed them and gained a deeper understanding of both methods. His knowledge of the Earth Pulling Technique reached the minor proficiency boundary, while his Tree Life spell had reached the mastery realm, allowing him to accumulate Wood-element spiritual power more quickly and in larger quantities, improving the effects of nurturing spirit plants.

The two white light clusters that resulted from the two perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass contained a first-grade Golden Sword Technique, and after the cluster merged with Lu Xuan, he had an epiphany, deepening his understanding of this sword technique.

With a thought, a golden sword qi flew from his fingertip. The sword qi, as if alive, whirled around Lu Xuan, the speed increasing with each round, leaving a trail of golden phantom images, almost as though a golden shield had been raised with Lu Xuan standing at its heart.

After a dozen or so breaths, the sword qi gradually dissipated, and the golden phantoms left behind faded and vanished.

"Not only is the casting speed almost instantaneous, but I also have more control over the sword qi, able to manipulate it as easily as flexing my arm. Moreover, the sword qi can remain in the outside world for a longer time," Lu Xuan said, reflecting on the changes brought about by the increased understanding of the Golden Sword Technique.

The other white cluster gave him another first-grade Qi Cultivating Pill recipe, improving his understanding of how to concoct this pill.

"Perhaps I should save up a few more pill formula experience packages. Once I begin concocting pills, I will be able to produce those with the highest success rate and best quality," Lu Xuan suggested, thinking that since he had already consumed several pill formulas, a few more wouldn't hurt.

With twenty-six mature Spirit Firefly Grasses in his storage bag and running out of jade boxes to store them, Lu Xuan decided to pay a visit to 'Bai Cao Tang' and check if there was any snake-type demonic beast blood available at the Loose Cultivation Market.

In the aromatic Bai Cao Tang grand hall, Manager He saw Lu Xuan approaching from a distance and set aside his current affairs. "Kid Lu, you're here? How's the quality of your herbs this time?" "The quality is, of course, excellent. It's just a matter of how many spirit stones you have at your disposal," Lu Xuan said, slapping his palm on the wooden counter before Manager He and raising an eyebrow.

"Are you saying that your spirit plants are going to drain 'Bai Cao Tang' of its spirit stones? One percent? Or one thousandth?'

"Old He, 'Bai Cao Tang' must be quite wealthy," Lu Xuan said, a beaming smile on his face as he accepted a cup of hot spiritual tea from the attendant.

"Please, have some tea."

"At least you have some tact," Manager He conceded.

"Could you show me the Spirit Firefly Grass you brought?"

Lu Xuan lost his smile, straightened his face, and took out the twenty-six mature Spirit Firefly Grass he had.

The Red Cloud Pine Nut was not particularly suitable for refining elixirs, so Lu Xuan decided to keep it first and sell it to other cultivators at the right time.

"Top grade, top grade, perfect…"

The thin old man kept nodding, examining the Spirit Firefly Grass while counting and classifying them according to their different qualities.

"In total, we have twenty-six Spirit Firefly Grass plants, of which eight are of good quality, thirteen are of superior quality, and five are of perfect grade." His familiarity with Lu Xuan's performance meant he no longer found it surprising. After glancing at Lu Xuan and seeing no objection, he continued. "The price remains the same. For each Grass of good quality, three Spirit Stones and fifty Broken Spirits; for each of superior quality, an additional twenty Broken Spirits; and for each perfect grade, an additional thirty Broken Spirits."

"So, the total amount is ninety-six Spirit Stones and ten Broken Spirits, right?" "Your mind is sharp, there's no mistake, of course.

Lu Xuan took the ninety-plus Spirit Stones given by the old man, gave them a quick glance with his Spiritual Sense, and put them into his storage bag. After a brief conversation with the thin old man, he planned to leave.

"Friend Lu, please wait a moment."

just as he walked out the door of 'Bai Cao Tang', a somewhat familiar voice called Lu Xuan.

As Lu Xuan turned back, a middle-aged cultivator of the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer was waiting by the door, looking somewhat anxious.

It was one of the three Spirit Plant Masters who had previously bought the high-grade Spirit Plant cultivation method from Lu Xuan.

"Friend Zhou, do you need something?"

Lu Xuan asked.

"Friend Lu, I saw the Spirit Firefly Grass you just gave to Manager He, and the quality was indeed brilliant, with the lowest grade being good, and even several of perfect grade."

The middle-aged cultivator said with a sheepish smile.

"If you have something to say, please speak straightly.'

Lu Xuan noticed something unusual in his tone and said, unperturbed.

"Here'S the thing, after I and my two friends learned your planting method last time, we devoted most of our cultivation time to cultivating the Spirit Firefly Grass."

'just recently, a batch of Spirit Firefly Grass matured, but the results seem quite limited, far from your quality."

"How many Spirit Firefly Grass did you harvest? It hasn't been long since you started intensive cultivation, right?"

"Twenty plants were harvested at once. As for intensive cultivation as you instructed, it's been less than seven days."

"Twenty plants of Spirit Firefly Grass isn't much, so it doesn't prove anything. Of course, the main reason is that you've been cultivating intensively for too short a time."

-When I cultivate Spirit Plants, I use that method from the moment the seed enters the Spirit Soil until it matures. That takes about two to three months. You, Friend Zhou, have only been doing it for seven days. It seems you are a bit too anxious."

Lu Xuan indifferently said.

"But… the quality of my Spirit Firefly Grass compared to yours is far inferior!" "More than half of yours are of superior quality, and there are quite a few of perfect grade as well, while my superior grade ones are rare." The middle-aged cultivator mumbled for a while, and then said.

"So, you suspect that I'm hiding something? Not telling you everything?"

Lu Xuan's face turned cold..

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Chapter 55: Chapter 54 Prolonged Drought_l

Translator: 549690339

"Of course, I wouldn't doubt you, Friend Lu."

The middle-aged cultivator took two steps back under Lu Xuan's piercing gaze.

"I just want to understand more about your planting methods. After all, I did spend over thirty spirit stones on it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan scoffed.

"Okay, let me ask you? Has the quality of the twenty Spirit Firefly Grass plants you picked improved?"

"Compared to before, there are two or three more of good quality, but the superior quality ones remain unchanged.

The middle-aged cultivator answered truthfully.

"Then isn't that it?"

"There are two or three more plants of ordinary quality turned good quality. This is with only a short time of meticulous cultivation. Given more time, the average quality will improve further."

"Three more plants of good quality means you can earn nearly one more spirit stone. If you plant tens or hundreds of Spirit Firefly Grass, you can earn several spirit stones."

-The Spirit Firefly Grass is a non-grade Spirit Plant which matures quickly. You can get three or four harvests a year. This way, you can recover the spirit stones you spent in just a few years."

"Moreover, this method is effective for other spirit plants as well."

"So, Friend Zhou, do you have any more doubts?"

After finishing his words, Lu Xuan paid no further attention to the middle-aged cultivator and left.

Not far away, he was stopped by him.

"Did I give up most of my cultivation time and spend so many spirit stones just to earn that little bit of spirit stones?"

"You must tell me the secret today. Otherwise, I won't let it go."

He said fiercely, a hint of threat in his tone.

During this time, he hadn't been cultivating much. He had been focusing all his time on meticulously cultivating spirit plants.

He originally thought that he would get high-quality Spirit Firefly Grass. But the result disappointed him greatly, as the improvement was minimal.

A huge gap between expectations and reality led him to subconsciously believe that Lu Xuan had hidden something from him. Unable to hold back, he waited at Bai Cao Tang for Lu Xuan, hoping to pry the cultivating key out of him.

"I have explained everything clearly."

Lu Xuan shook off his hand, subtly sliding a Million Swords Qi Talisman onto

his wrist.

"Giving up your cultivation time was your choice.

"I can assure you that my method is correct and effective. If you follow my instructions and meticulously cultivate the spirit plants over a long period of time, the average quality of your spirit plants will definitely improve."

"As for whether you can get perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass or other spirit plants, that depends on a Spirit Plant Master's individual talent and level of effort."

"I gave up cultivation, focused all my energy on cultivating spirit plants, and had a strong natural affinity for spirit plants. This has allowed me to accurately sense the needs of the spirit plants and cultivate perfect quality ones."

"AU has been said. If you continue to pester me, Friend Zhou, don't blame me for being impolite."

Lu Xuan warned the middle-aged cultivator and left without acknowledging his relentless questioning.

"You…"

"You will be repaid for this!"

Behind him, the angry voice of the middle-aged cultivator echoed. Lu Xuan found it amusing. He felt that he had been true to his conscience. The method he told this No-Organization Spirit Plant Master was indeed effective, and could slightly improve the quality of the spirit plants he planted.

The only and greatest difference between the two was that Lu Xuan could clearly master the real-time status of the spirit plants, able to meet their delicate needs at any time. The appearance of the white light cluster made him no longer worry about stagnation in cultivation or lack of treasures.

As long as that spirit plant master could calm down and meticulously cultivate the spirit plants in the way Lu Xuan had explained, it wouldn't take long before he could earn back the spent spirit stones.

But he was clearly impatient for results, and after seeing the quality of the spirit plants that Lu Xuan had grown, he became somewhat off-balance, acting out of turn.

As for his mention of retribution? Lu Xuan, considering his deep cultivation, multiple magic artifacts, and charms, didn't take his words to heart.

He arrived at the loose cultivation market.

Since cultivators were continually mutating into monstrous creatures, the number of Enforcement Hall cultivators in the market was noticeably greater than before.

The cultivators were also constantly vigilant.

Lu Xuan, in this heavy atmosphere, quickly moved, his eyes passing over the stalls on both sides.

At the stalls, many cultivators were selling demon beast materials, mostly from wastelands and secret lands, and a few were self-reared, among which demon beast meat was the majority.

After all, eating demon beast meat could slightly enhance the spiritual power in a cultivator's body and was considered a daily consumable.

Secondly, there were those special parts that could be used to refine magic artifacts, such as the fur, scale armor, skeleton, and so on of some demon beasts.

Occasionally, Lu Xuan came across stalls selling demon beast blood as well. Expectantly, he inquired about the species of the demon beasts. Unfortunately, none of it was snake-devil beast blood.

Finally, he found a vial of python's blood at a stall run by a young cultivator in the first level of Qi cultivation.

The python, known as the black line snake, was un-ranked. According to the teenager, he and his companions had together killed the snake. Since he had contributed the least, he didn't get the python's skin or fangs, but only a small vial of black line snake blood, which he put up for sale at the stall with an excited mentality.

Lu Xuan spent seventy spirit fragments and bought that small vial of black line snake blood from the young man.

The young man, who thought that the snake blood would go wasted in his hands, hadn't expected to accidently receive seventy spirit fragments and hurriedly bowed to Lu Xuan to express his gratitude.

Lu Xuan returned to his yard with the snake blood.

Upon entering the spirit field, everything was as usual; the half-human-tall grass puppet was still tirelessly patrolling the spirit field.

As it passed Lu Xuan, its feet didn't stop, its giant gray grass head looked stupidly towards Lu Xuan's location, moved nearly one hundred and eighty degrees, then returned to its original position.

'After absorbing two drops of the grass spirit elixir, the grass puppet's spiritual intelligence has clearly improved. From being a lifeless puppet, it has now become like a one or two-year-old baby."

"What doesn't change is its perseverance in defending the spirit field." Lu Xuan sighed, feeling fortunate that he had such a devoted tool under him. He looked around the spirit field. The growth status of all the spirit plants was normal. For those that needed nurturing, he accordingly implemented the Spirit Rain Technique or the Tree Life Spell, ensuring that they could get the maximum satisfaction.

At the end, he approached the area with the Flood Dragon Vine.

He couldn't wait to take out the small vial of black line snake blood, remove the stopper, and carefully pour the snake blood onto the twisting vine.

When poured onto the Flood Dragon vine, the bright red blood did not drop but was tightly absorbed onto the surface of the vine.

Then, it slowly seeped into the vine.

The originally dark vine turned black and red after absorbing black line snake blood. If observed closely, the winding and twisting, knotty vine seemed like a small snake that had been in hibernation all winter and was awakening and moving slowly.

It only stopped after a few breaths.

Lu Xuan focused his attention on the Flood Dragon vine.

"It felt like something good entered its body, but it disappeared before it could really taste it…"

It had a thirsty look, as though it wanted to enjoy the sweet ram after a long drought, but ended up with only two or three drops..

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Chapter 56: Chapter 55 Attack_l

Translator: 549690339

The Flood Dragon Vine was a third-grade spiritual plant, and Lu Xuan naturally didn't believe that a small bottle of the rank-less Black Line Snake blood could satisfy its growth requirements.

His main intention was to see what changes the Flood Dragon Vine could undergo after bathing in snake blood.

The result was satisfactory. Even if the bottle of Black Line Snake blood didn't quench its thirst at all, the Flood Dragon Vine still underwent a delightful transformation and was no longer in its previous withered state.

"It seems that I need to find a way to obtain snake demonic beast blood with a larger volume and a higher-grade in the future," Lu Xuan said, contemplating while feeling the noticeably increased vitality within the Flood Dragon Vine that still maintained its dark red color.

In the following three days, Lu Xuan stayed tranquilly in his courtyard, allocating all his energies to cultivating spiritual plants and rearing spiritual beasts.

There was spirit rice and demon beast meat ready in the house, among other common supplies, which could meet his needs for a while, so he didn't have to worry about livelihood issues.

During these three days, thirteen of the remaining thirty-nine Spirit Firefly Grasses had fully matured.

Among them, five were of good quality, six were of superior quality, and two were perfect grade.

Planting led to rewards. The thirteen white light clusters brought Lu Xuan thirteen awards.

His cultivation level increased by a total of two years, further consolidating Lu Xuan's Qi Cultivation Level Six strength. Additionally, he received four First Grade Talismans, three Technique Experience Packages which were the Earth Pulling Technique, the Tree Life Spell, and the Golden Sword Technique.

He also absorbed two Cultivation Pill Prescriptions, which significantly added to his theoretical knowledge of concocting the Yuan Cultivating Pill.

There are two more Red Cloud Pine Nuts on the Red Cloud Pine which should be about to reach full maturity.

Of course, picking them now wouldn't be a bad decision since they appear no different from the first Red Cloud Pine nut that he had previously harvested.

It was just that Lu Xuan, being able to perceive the subtle status of the spirit plant at all times, knew the nuts hadn't reached their peak maturation period.

Picking them either too early or too late might slightly affect the quality of the pine nuts, thereby affecting the awards brought by the white light clusters.

Thus, he could only harvest them at the most optimal moment.

Lu Xuan decided to leave the two pine nuts for now and come back to check on them the next morning.

That night, under the cover of darkness and the tranquil world, the spiritual field lay dormant under a thin spiritual aura shield. Only the Grass Puppet, dragging its slender gray grass legs, continued to patrol slowly between the furrows of the spiritual field.

A figure as intangible as clouds and mist floated to the front of the formation. The figure paused, and out of the darkness emerged a cultivator dressed in night-walker clothes, with his face covered, silently looking at the thin spiritual aura protector.

"This should be the place."

"I have no idea what Friend Zhou was thinking. A loose cultivator at the third level of Qi cultivation couldn't even muster full confidence to come by himself and even spent spirit stones to hire me."

"It seems that he spent too much time planting spiritual plants. Being with those flowers and plants every day probably wore down his sharp edge." "However, according to him, this no-organization spirit plant master is highly valued in the Bai Cao Tang. Many rare spiritual medicines are planted in his spiritual field. Once he's eliminated, everything will be mine." As these thoughts ran through his mind, the figure drew a shining talisman from his storage bag.

"To avoid startling the other cultivators and attracting the patrol guards from the Enforcement Hall, I'm going to have to use this second-grade Breaking Spirit Talisman."

There were generally three ways for a cultivator to break a formation.

The first one was to have an array master with a deep understanding of formations break the formation from its roots.

The second was to use talismans or magic artifacts related to breaking formations to achieve a rapid breakdown of the formation.

In the end, it was solved by brute force. No matter how exquisite the formation, I would plow through it with sheer strength.

For him, who was at the fifth layer of Qi cultivation, breaking through the first-grade array with brute force wasn't difficult. It would, however, cause a lot of commotion and was likely to stir up disturbance.

With no other choice, the masked cultivator reluctantly used a second-grade spirit-breaking talisman.

No matter the formation, each had its own way of circulating spiritual power. The higher the rank, the more complex and variable the spiritual power, with other peculiar characteristics simultaneously present.

The second-grade spirit-breaking talisman in his hand could quickly find the mode of spiritual power circulation in a first-grade or ungraded formation, hence revealing the weakness, thereby quickly resolving the formation and saving a significant amount of time.

The spiritual light on the spirit-breaking talisman became increasingly vigorous, finally merging into the thin spiritual aura shield. Soon, threads of spiritual power emerged on the round spiritual aura shield, flowing in a mysterious and complex pattern.

The eyes of the masked cultivator brightened as he swiftly found a flaw in the first-grade protective formation.

A few tens of breaths later, he easily broke through the formation and entered the Spirit Field.

In the hazy night, what entered his sight was a large patch of Spiritual Firefly Grass, with their slender leaves twinkling like stars.

"Two or three dozen mature Spiritual Firefly Grass, just the value of these alone is way beyond the price of the spirit-breaking talisman I just used." The masked cultivator darted about in the Spirit Field as light as a swallow. While charging towards the house not far away, he was also scanning the spirit plants in the Spirit Field nearby.

The other party was just a third layer Qi cultivation loose cultivator, so he didn't take him seriously. His attention was more focused on the numerous spirit plants in the Spirit Field, considering them as his bagged catch. "There are about twenty first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng, and their quality seems pretty good too. I can exchange them for quite a few spirit stones at Friend Zhou's. After all, he promised that he only wants the Book Jade Slip on this loose cultivator."

"These three should be the second-grade Clear and Wonderful Spirit Team he mentioned. Heh, judging by his previous complaints, it seems he couldn't compete with this third-layer Qi cultivation small loose cultivator."

"Eh, what is this?"

The masked cultivator slowed down, his attention drawn to a Spirit Grass right before his eyes.

The spirit grass was about two feet long, pitch-black in color, standing upright in the Spirit Soil, shaped like a sword. Around it strands of faint sword intent were swirling in the Spirit Soil.

Such an unusual Spirit Grass was a rarity, even for him who had never planted spirit plants before.

"And this vine, at first glance, I thought it was a dead snake.

A snake-like vine, a sword-like Spirit Grass, plenty of Spiritual Firefly Grass, Blood Jade Ginseng, and three precious Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea seedlings…

"This trip is totally worth it…"

The masked cultivator was pleased. The quantity and rank of the spirit plants in this loose cultivator's Spirit Field had brought him unexpected joy.

"Once that Little Loose Cultivator is taken care of, all these will be mine." He sped up by three-fold, a short jet-black blade appearing in front of him. The blade shimmered slightly as though ready to shoot out at any moment, piercing through the wall and directly through the cultivator's body.

"Uh?"

Suddenly, several strands of thin grass ropes sprang out from the Spirit Field behind him, wrapping around his ankles and arms like a stubborn disease. The jet-black blade turned into a streak of black light, circling around the grass ropes, slicing them apart.

Under the cultivator's direction, it traced back following the direction of the grass ropes, directly severing the limbs of the grass puppet made from Gray Grass.

"So it's just a straw puppet, though a bit more aggressive.

Seeing that he had severed the limbs of the grass puppet, the masked cultivator relaxed..

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Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Are You Awake? 1

Translator: 549690339

Just as he was about to step forward and completely exterminate the Grass Puppet.

Suddenly, a golden Sword Qi shot out like a lightning, reaching the Masked Cultivator in the blink of an eye.

"What kind of Sword Technique is this?!"

The Sword Technique was so sudden and swift that the Masked Cultivator didn't have enough time to deploy his defense magic artifact.

In a desperate moment, he had no choice but to barely turn his body. There was a whoosh.

The golden Sword Qi pierced straight through his shoulder, instantly causing blood to gush out and stain the Spirit Field.

The momentum of the Sword Qi didn't diminish, piercing into the wall of the courtyard behind him.

"Run away quickly!"

Despite the excruciating pain coursing through his wounded shoulder the Masked Cultivator had a thought flash across his mind-he must escape this Spirit Field.

With his wealth of experience, he knew that such a Sword Technique was not something a Small Loose Cultivator of the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation could unleash.

With a few more similar Sword Techniques, or even just one more, he would risk dying here.

A gust of wind came from behind, as a Silver White Blade swiftly followed him. The Masked Cultivator's thoughts moved quickly, his Spiritual Energy circulating rapidly. A wall of ice materialized mid-air, just in time to block the Silver White Blade heading towards him.

Unexpectedly, just before the blade collided with the ice wall, the Silver White Short Blade silently split into dozens of thin fragments, which attacked the Masked Cultivator from all directions like silver butterflies.

This unexpected attack method threw the Masked Cultivator into chaos, with fragments piercing his limbs, shoulder, and chest.

Before he could react, a nimble black Spirit Beast materialized in front of him, its emerald-green pupils coldly watching the Masked Cultivator. Its bewitching gaze left him momentarily dazed.

Before he could regain his senses, the Spirit Beast raised its thick white paw and landed a blow on his head, knocking the cultivator to the ground. After rolling around a few times, he passed out from the pain.

The Masked Cultivator consciousness slowly emerged from unfathomable darkness.

Rather than opening his eyes to survey his surroundings immediately, he carefully sensed the current state of his body.

The situation was dire. As he tried to circulate his internal spiritual power, it felt like he was throwing stones into the sea-the Qi Sea in his Dantian was destroyed, and his cultivation level was completely lost.

At the same time, his body was tied up and unable to move. Wounds on his limbs were exposed to the air, causing waves of intense pain.

His throat, heart, and lower body areas felt a distinct cold sharpness. It seemed that any slight movement would allow these sharp chilly feelings to invade his body.

"Are you awake?"

A gentle voice sounded not far from him.

The cultivator remained with his eyes closed, as if still in deep slumber. "If you don't really wake up, then I'll make sure you never wake up again." The soft voice casually spoke.

With no other option, the Masked Cultivator opened his eyes. His pupils moved, taking in the entire situation.

He was in a simply furnished room, bound by grey-black grass ropes. The silver fragments that had once threatened his life were right before his vulnerable points.

A young cultivator was standing in front of him, his eyes clear and bright. I didn't expect you, a No-Organization Spirit Plant Master, to hide so deep." "That Sword Technique… it's almost at the level of a grandmaster. Even the experienced swordsmen I've met before seldom have such superb swordsmanship."

"Moreover, you're still so young."

"And your cultivation level… It's definitely way beyond the Third Layer." The more the Masked Cultivator thought about it, the more regretful he became. Initially, he thought taking down a Small Loose Cultivator of Qi Cultivation would be a piece of cake. But he didn't anticipate that he would meet with such a disaster, and now he was severely injured and easily captured.

"Speak, why did you enter my mansion and try to harm me?"

Lu Xuan ignored the masked cultivator and asked with a smile.

"I was just passing by and wanted to sneak into your spirit field to steal a few spirit plants. I didn't expect to run into trouble."

The masked cultivator casually made up a reason, attempting to bluff his way out.

"Do you think I would believe that?"

Lu Xuan found it amusing. His expression turned cold, and the remnant piece hovering in front of the cultivator's throat sank a bit deeper, piercing his skin and letting out a drop of dark red blood.

"Just say who sent you."

The masked cultivator fell silent.

"Actually, whether you speak or not, I have a pretty good idea who it is."

"I am usually a recluse and we do good deeds. Anyone who wants to provoke

me to the point of wanting me dead- think about it for yourself."

"But if you won't speak, the ending will be very different. This magic artifact in front of you will cut you into thin slices and try its best not to kill you." "When you are barely breathing, I will then send you to the black market. There, many evil cultivators buy cultivator's souls. You, a middle-stage Qi practitioner, should fetch a good price."

Lu Xuan spoke coldly.

'If I talk, would you let me go?"

"If you talk, I will give you a clean end. If not, you will have to endure the endless torment of both your body and soul. You can choose for yourself." "It was Zhou Hai Wen, a Spirit Plant Master. He promised me a spirit stone to come and kill you. He promised me all the spirit plants in your spirit field, as long as I give him the book jade slip from you."

Without any more hesitation, the masked cultivator laid out everything.

"Indeed, it's the relentless Spirit Plant Master. He probably wants to glean the

method for planting perfect quality spirit plants from me."

Lu Xuan had suspected all along. After hearing the masked cultivator's answer,

he was completely certain.

"Tell me his address, and don't attempt to lie to me. You know that he and I are both Spirit Plant Architects hired by the Hall of Hundreds of Grasses, it's not difficult for me to get his information."

"Fine, I'll tell."

After revealing the information about the Spirit Plant Master, the masked cultivator no longer had any reservations, laying out everything he knew, holding onto the slim hope that Lu Xuan might spare him.

"Alright, you can rest now."

Lu Xuan softly whispered, the thin piece in front of the cultivator's throat suddenly lunged forward, piercing deeply into his throat.

After killing the cultivator, Lu Xuan circulated his spiritual power, and a fireball the size of a head appeared above the cultivator's corpse.

Then, it turned into sparks of fire, falling onto his corpse. Within a few breaths, it turned him into black ash.

Lu Xuan took out an Evil Banishing Talisman, a layer of white light centered on

the black ashes, rippled outward.

Without any anomalies occurring.

Only then did he completely relax, sweeping the thick layer of black ash on the ground and scattering it in the soil of the spirit field.

"You guys dodged a bullet today, here's some good fertilizer for you to make

up."

After Qin Ming, another cultivator has ended up in his spirit field, his body crushed into ashes and turned into a fertilizer.

Lu Xuan briefly cleaned up the courtyard, scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense, left the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink to guard the mansion, and silently moved outside.

There are cultivators patrolling day and night within the market, but the strength of the protection in each area varies.

In the outer areas of the North District where Lu Xuan previously lived, it was a mixed bag with virtually non-existent security.

The courtyard he now resides in is slightly closer to the center and has considerably increased security, but it's generally only a handful of low-level Qi cultivators patrolling for show.

Only the core area has middle and even high-ranking Qi cultivators providing proper protection to prevent evil cultivators or demon envoys from invading. A moment later, Lu Xuan arrived at his destination, outside the courtyard of the surnamed Zhou Spirit Plant Master..

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Chapter 58: Chapter 57 'Fundamentals of Rune Making' l

Translator: 549690339

Zhou Hai Wen lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep for a long time.

Thinking of how he was about to obtain a method to cultivate Perfect Quality Spirit Plants, his spirit became excited and couldn't calm down one bit.

On the day when Lu Xuan refused to pass on his secret method for cultivating Perfect Quality Spirit Plants, Zhou Hai Wen returned home, becoming increasingly angry and experiencing an escalating greed. Finally, he invited a fellow cultivator he knew from the Flower Spirit Stone, planning to forcibly snatch Lu Xuan's secret.

Although his cultivation of spirit plants improved after meticulous care, he was not satisfied with these small progresses. After seeing Lu Xuan's result, he coveted nothing less than growing Perfect Quality Spirit Plants.

"It's been over a time system now, they should be almost back."

He lay on the bed, estimating the time when his friend might return.

After another while, there was still no movement.

"I wonder if there's been an accident?"

Zhou Hai Wen's brow wrinkled slightly with worry.

"There can't have been any accidents. That kid's just a Third Layer Qi Cultivation loose cultivitor with no time to cultivate spiritual power and techniques. Even if I were to go, I'd have an absolute certainty. Let alone a more skillful Cultivator with the Fifth Layer of Qi Cultivation."

"It must have taken him some time after he killed him. After all, collecting spirit plants and handling the aftermath, all require quite some time."

"I hired him using the Flower Spirit Stone, with the promise of giving him all the spirit plants. If he only wants any cultivation books or jade slips on that kid, since the former isn't a Spirit Plant Master, he wouldn't consider ingesting the cultivation methods."

Zhou Hai Wen, the middle-aged cultivator, optimistically analyzed as if he already saw himself receiving the cultivation method, growing Perfect Quality Spirit Plants, and being valued by Bai Cao Tang and even major Market families…

His future was absolutely bright.

While he was indulging in daydreams, his eyes certainly shone intensely.

Suddenly, a sparking Sword Qi arrived. Just as it was about to pierce the body of the middle-aged cultivator laying down, it swiftly turned and moved towards the cultivator's forehead at extreme speed, drilling into his mind and giving a violent twist.

The last thing seen by the middle-aged cultivator was the bright golden light brought by the Sword Qi.

Lu Xuan, light as a feather, floated into the room and took away the storage bag from the cultivator's waist.

After that, two First Grade Explosive Talismans respectively activated and set the cultivator's remains and the furniture inside the room continuously ablaze, thoroughly eliminating the hole on the "heaven's spirit cover" left by the sword technique as well as any trace of Lu Xuan's presence in the room.

By the time the big fire caused a commotion, Lu Xuan had already departed far away.

He safely returned home, meticulously reviewing his actions of the night.

After arriving at the courtyard where the Spirit Plant Master lived, he easily managed to enter.

Outside the yard, there was only a First Rank Protective Formation to block strange beasts and worms from invading the Spirit Field. Lu Xuan forcefully broke the formation effortlessly.

Under the First Grade Golden Sword Technique who was nearly at the Grandmaster Realm and the unexpected Slivered Silver Blade, both the Masked Cultivator and the Spirit Plant Master were eliminated smoothly without any disturbances.

He did not pick any spirit plants from the middle-aged cultivator's spirit field, firstly because they were still growing and couldn't be directly exchanged for spirit stones, and secondly because picking them takes a certain amount of time, so to avoid more troubles in the night, he directly took the storage bag and left.

On the wooden table, two storage bags and a glossy black flying sword were laid out.

The flying sword was a First Grade Magical Instrument left by the Masked Cultivator.

Firstly, he used his spiritual power to open the bag of the Masked Cultivator, who had a slightly higher cultivation level.

There weren't many things inside; over a ten First Grade Talismans, two bottles of elixir, one was a Yuan Cultivating Pill which could quickly supplement spiritual power and the other, Blood Activating Pills, that could treat some simple injuries.

Apart from these, there were about eighty spirit stones, thereby raising Lu Xuan's property to around three hundred and sixty spirit stones.

After plundering all the things in the Masked Cultivator's bag, he then shifted his focus to the bag of the middle-aged Spirit Plant Master.

One bottle of elixir, uncapped, contains only five Yuan Cultivating Pills, slyly rolling around at the bottom.

Six spiritual seeds, their rank and species unknown.

"How destitute. Disgracing us, the Spirit Plant Masters."

Lu Xuan complains.

After becoming a Spirit Plant Master, he never systematically studied the cultivation of spirit plants.

He started crudely with the cultivation of Spirit Firefly Grass, and after receiving peculiar light clusters within his spirit field, he gained deep understanding of the spirit plants he himself cultivated, but remained ignorant about the rest.

For the moment, he didn't plan on hastily planting these six spiritual seeds. After all, his Spirit Field, a little over an acre, already had plenty of spirit plants.

The numerous Spirit Firefly Grass and Blood Jade Ginseng-there's still twenty-six stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass about to mature, while there are twenty stalks of Blood Jade Ginseng.

The lesser in quantity but stable in value First Grade Red Cloud Pine and Second Grade Qingmiao Spirit Tea are present too, with the former having four pine nuts left and the latter having three seedlings growing vigorously.

As for the rare and mysterious types-there are the First Grade Pure Snow Lotus, Second Grade Dark Marrow Mushroom, Second Grade Sword Grass, Third-grade Fantasy Smoke Fruit, and Third-grade Flood Dragon Vine, most of which he successfully cultivated by relying on his grasp of the current state of spirit plants.

In order to maximize the rewards of the light clusters, he adopted refined cultivation methods, necessitating the daily casting of techniques such as Spirit Rain Technique, Tree Life Spell, etc. Furthermore, plants like Sword Grass and Fantasy Smoke Fruit had additional requirements.

Restrictions of the Spirit Field's area, limited time and energy, coupled with the frequent consumption of spiritual power, made it impossible for him to plant large quantities of spirit plants. He could only roughly manage the number and variety of spirit plants.

After checking this harvest, Lu Xuan shifted his attention to the formation outside the courtyard.

The invasion of the Masked Cultivator made his intent to change formation more urgent.

With his cultivation level improving more and more quickly, the number and quality of spirit plants in the Spirit Field growing higher, the First Grade Protective Array left behind from Tooth Row was gradually falling short.

First and second rank formations correspond to Qi-Cultivators, and a first-rank protective array had limited protection against a Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner. If a Second Rank Spirit Breaking Talisman was added, it could easily penetrate the formation.

He had over three hundred Spirit Stones on hand, more than enough to install a Second-rank Protective Array.

Without him realizing, dawn had broken. Lu Xuan didn't continue resting, and ran towards the Spirit Field to check on the state of the spirit plants.

He was quite lucky. The fight with the Masked Cultivator last night didn't affect the spirit plants in the Spirit Field.

After his patrol, the condition of the spirit plants was all pretty satisfactory, especially the Dark Marrow Mushroom. Perhaps due to the special fertilizer in the spirit soil, it seemed like more dark red mycelium had spread.

On the Red Cloud Pine, among the fine red pine needles, two Red Cloud Pine Nuts had fully matured.

Lu Xuan picked the first one. The pine nut was of superior quality, slightly better than the first pine nut he had harvested before.

A white light cluster appeared where the Red Cloud Pine Nut was harvested.

Lu Xuan absorbed it, and the light cluster turned into countless light spots flowing into his body.

A thought flashed through his mind.

"Harvesting one Red Cloud Pine Nut gives a copy of the 'Fundamentals of Rune Making.'"

Countless knowledge about runes poured into Lu Xuan's consciousness, almost making his head burst.

The book recorded the methods of making dozens of commonly seen first-grade runes, the types of materials required, the way to process them, the drawing of the rune diagrams, etc.

"The reward brought about by the maturing of a first-grade spirit plant is really different. I remember the fully grown, perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass would yield a First Grade Qi Cultivating Pill Recipe, while the Red Cloud Pine Nut directly gave a book of rune making methods, teaching dozens of first-grade runes all at once."

Lu Xuan made a comparison and stared at the other mature Red Cloud Pine Nut in expectancy..

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Chapter 59: Chapter 58 Red Threaded Needle l

Translator: 549690339

The second Red Cloud Pine Nut was picked.

It was also of superior quality.

Lu Xuan put it into his storage bag and looked at the white light cluster shimmering on the Red Cloud Pine.

The light cluster transformed into countless light spots and flowed into his body. A thought emerged in his mind.

"Harvested one Red Cloud Pine Nut and earned a Second Grade Magical Tool Red Line Needle."

A long, thin, red needle appeared in Lu Xuan's hand.

The red needle was about three inches long and extremely light. Holding it between his fingers felt like holding nothing.

Lu Xuan infused a trace of spiritual power, moved with his spiritual sense, and with a whistle, the red needle instantaneously disappeared from his hand.

Following a weak sense, he found the red needle embedded in the middle of the wall. The needle had completely penetrated the thick stone wall.

Under his spiritual control, the red needle flew out of the stone wall, rotating around Lu Xuan at an incredible speed, creating countless red thread illusions.

"Needle-type artifacts are rather rare. This red needle has excellent concealment and is slightly faster than the Slivered Silver Blade. Coupled with its terrifying piercing ability, it is an excellent tool for sneak attacks."

Due to the small size of the red needle, Lu Xuan first placed it in a jade box before putting it into his storage bag.

"Two Red Cloud Pine Nuts, both of superior quality. One yielded a copy of the 'Fundamentals of Rune Making,' detailing the refining methods of dozens of commonly used First Grade charms. The other produced a Second Grade needle-type artifact, a red needle."

"As expected of a First Grade Spirit Plant, the rewards are much more plentiful than those of the spontaneous Spirit Firefly Grass and the Moon Erosion Fruit."

Lu Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

With his current Cultivation Qi Level Six, the First Grade talismans from grinding the Spirit Firefly Grass and the spontaneous Formula Methods are somewhat unappealing. Still, it's the only thing that can yield cultivation rewards at present.

Hence, before discovering a new Spirit Plant that can provide cultivation rewards, he still needed to plant a large number of Spirit Firefly Grass.

After harvesting two mature Red Cloud Pine Nuts, Lu Xuan approached the Grass Puppet.

Half of the Grass Puppet's limbs were removed by the masked cultivator at midnight, leaving behind only its oversized head and gray grass torso, which looked quite strange.

At the moment, from the enormous gray grass lump on its head, countless strands of gray, black, withered grass were extending, merging at the spot where an arm used to be, slowly weaving itself together.

It was a perfect embodiment of the phrase 'Undeterred even with a broken body.'

Unfortunately, the progress was too slow. After such a long time, only a small section had been woven at the shoulder.

Lu Xuan, who usually only fed it Broken Spirit, generously took out a Spirit Stone from his storage bag

and stuffed it into the grass lump on the Grass Puppet's head.

"You did well last night. Here's a Spirit Stone as a reward. After you finish weaving your limbs, continue helping me guard the Spirit Field."

"Guard the Spirit Field! Guard the Spirit Field!"

When concentrated, Lu Xuan sensed the Grass Puppet's innermost persistence.

"What a touching and dedicated employee for a Spirit Plant Master…"

With the Spirit Stone providing spiritual power, a few more strands of withered grass emerged from the gray lump, though the speed was still slow.

Lu Xuan had to leave it alone to slowly recover.

After only a few steps, suddenly, a coarse struggling cry came from beneath his feet.

"Ooh—"

Lu Xuan followed the sound and saw the Cloud Leopard Juvenile beast stepping on its thick cloud-like paws, passing under his feet.

It walked with grace, looking leisurely. Its green eyes seemed to disregard Lu Xuan entirely.

Having already known its true identity, Lu Xuan looked at the Cloud Leopard and couldn't help but laugh.

"All right, all right, you performed quite well last night, I'll reward you with two dried hedgehog meats at noon."

The Cloud Leopard seemed not to have heard, it calmly strutted about, the slight trembling of its fur on its pointy ears revealing its inner excitement.

After dealing with the Grass Puppet and the Cloud Leopard, Lu Xuan took out a handful of Spirit Rice and threw it into the Spiritual Spring Pool. The three Red-bearded Carps fought over it, stirring up layers of ripples in the spring water, making the Pure Snow Lotus's snowy leaves sway gently under the onslaught of the ripples.

Taking advantage of the mist that had not yet dissipated, Lu Xuan began his day's work as a Spirit Plant Master.

According to the needs of each Spirit Plant, Lu Xuan controlled the range, capacity, and duration of the Spirit Rain Technique, providing them with thorough irrigation.

Incidentally, he also ruthlessly separated a clump of First Grade Blood Jade Ginseng that had grown entangled together. A single Blood Jade Ginseng was surrounded by eight others, intertwined from all sides.

"To deal with eight Blood Jade Ginsengs at once, I'd like to crown you the king of Ginseng."

Lu Xuan carefully isolated them with spiritual power, to prevent the Blood Jade Ginseng in the middle from being directly drained by the other eight.

He also imparted a Sword Technique to the Sword Grass, allowing it to be nourished by Sword Qi.

The smoke produced by the Phantom Smoke Luo Fruit multiplied, obstructing any Spiritual Sense from permeating it, leaving Lu Xuan to carefully navigate to find its location.

For the rapidly growing plants, he used the Tree Life Spell, to urge them to mature quickly.

It was both simple and dull, busy, yet fulfilling.

After finishing all his tasks, half a day had passed. Lu Xuan returned beneath the eaves, looking at the flourishing Spirit Plants in the Spirit Field. Wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, he revealed a satisfied smile.

He looked every bit the Spirit Plant Master, who was passionate about planting. It was hard to imagine that not long ago he had killed two Middle-Level Qi Practitioners.

After a short rest, Lu Xuan decided to go to the Loose Cultivation Market, to see if he could find a good Second Grade Defense Array and snake-type demon beast blood.

He would also stop by at Bai Cao Tang to see how the death of the Zhou-surnamed Spirit Plant Master might have affected things.

He adjusted his Concealment Method, revealing the power of a Fourth Level Qi Cultivator.

By projecting an intermediate Qi Cultivation level instead of his actual lower Qi Cultivation level, he could avoid unnecessary troubles.

When he first rented this Spirit Field, he appeared as a Third Level Qi Cultivator. In less than a year, he had broken through to the Fourth Level. Although this rapid improvement was still within reason for a loose cultivator, it would still draw attention.

As for revealing his actual Sixth Level Qi Cultivation, he dared not do so.

The difference between cultivating from the Third Level to the Fourth Level and cultivating from the Third Level to the Sixth Level was enormous. A discerning person would know that there is a serious problem with such a rapid increase and it would easily arouse the jealousy and scrutiny of other cultivators.

In Bai Cao Tang, everything was as usual. The death of the Zhou-surnamed Spirit Plant Master had not caused much disturbance.

Only occasionally would one hear an attendant who dealt with medicinal herbs mention it.

It was understandable, although the Enforcement Hall cultivators patrolled the markets, they couldn't prevent all cultivators from being mysteriously killed, especially on the outskirts of the market where all sorts of people mingled. It was not uncommon for familiar cultivators to suddenly disappear or mysteriously die.

Moreover, like Lu Xuan, the Zhou-surnamed Spirit Plant Master was also under the second type of cooperation with Bai Cao Tang and did not accept its protection. Therefore, the attendants in Bai Cao Tang couldn't empathize or worry about their own safety.

After Lu Xuan sat for a while, Manager He came out from inside.

"Kid Lu, are you here to hand in the Spirit Firefly Grass so soon?"

"Not really, I just wanted to go to the market to buy some things and I was passing by, so I thought I'd drop in and see you."

"I intend to sell the remaining Spirit Firefly Grass to the Hall after all of them have matured. However, next time I may want to get more Spirit Firefly Grass seeds from you."

"A hundred Spirit Firefl Grasses are not enough for you? If you want more, can your small amount of spiritual power handle it?"

Lu Xuan only laughed in response and took a sip from the cup of tea in his hand.

Seeing Lu Xuan in this state, the thin old man formed a guess in his mind. His spiritual sense swept over Lu Xuan's body, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Have you broken through to the Fourth Level of Qi Cultivation?"

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Chapter 60: Chapter 59'- Hidden Fog Maze Array_l

Translator: 549690339

"These past two days, I've had some minor achievements and have by a fluke ascended to the ranks of Middle-Stage Qi Practitioners.'

Lu Xuan said with a proud smile.

"You're doing well, lad."

The thin old man praised, before immediately changing the topic.

"With the cultivation of the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, the spiritual power in your body can nonetheless meet the requirements for planting more Spirit

Firefly Grass."

At that time, I will put in a good word for you, so you can get more Spirit

Firefly Grass or other spirit plant seeds."

"Many thanks, Old He."

Lu Xuan expressed his gratitude cheerfully to the thin old man.

"That's based on your own merit. If you didn't have that ability to cultivate high-quality spiritual plants, and if your cultivation wasn't at the intermediate stage of Qi cultivation, then no matter what I said, it would be impossible."

"However, your growth really surprised me a bit.

"I remember when you first entered Bai Cao Tang, you were just a Second-grade Loose Cultivator. After breaking through to the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation, your talent in cultivating spiritual plants began to show, and now you have become a Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner.

Manager He seemed thoughtful, his expression serious.

"Your rapid breakthrough in cultivation proves that you have some talent in cultivation. What's more, with your current status as a Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner, you can enter some of those low-level secret lands with certain

safety assurance."

"in that case, you might have a chance to come across some opportunities and make a meteoric rise."

"Therefore, do you want to continue being satisfied being a Spirit Plant Master, or do you want to make full use of this talent, work hard in cultivation and compete for opportunities?"

Lu Xuan gave a wry smile.

"Manager He, I do understand myself."

"Being able to break through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation so quickly doesn't mean I have a great talent for cultivation, I just took a shortcut."

"In order to enrich the spiritual power in my body so that I can deploy more techniques for cultivating spiritual plants, I used all the spirit stones I got from selling spiritual plants to buy First Grade Elixirs that could accelerate my cultivation."

"It was only by taking them consecutively for a considerable period of time that

I was able to break through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation."

"The higher you go, the less effective First Grade Elixirs become, so the speed of future cultivation increase will slow down."

"Moreover, I have spiritual power in my body, but I'm not skilled in methods and I don't have a reliable magic artifact. Going to the secret lands, I don't have the means to compete with others for opportunities.

The White Light Group involved too many aspects, making it hard to explain clearly, so even though he trusted Manager He a great deal, he did not reveal his true strength.

"That's a bit of a pity."

"I was hoping that since you're still young and your future should not be figured out in one glance, it would be good to get out there and see the world." -Now it seems, honestly dedicating yourself to growing spiritual plants and living a safe life can also be a good choice."

Upon hearing this, Manager He sighed, expressing his regret for Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan kept the old man's concern for him in his heart, stayed for a while longer, then took his leave.

In the marketplace street.

Buildings stood close together on both sides, with all kinds of shops offering everything, creating a bustling scene.

Lu Xuan arrived in front of one of the tallest buildings.

The building was four stories high, constructed from Sky-reaching Spirit Trees. Its roof was covered with green glazed tiles, and in the middle were three big words written with a calligraphic flourish: Wanbao Building. This was the most famous shop in the marketplace, where all kinds of cultivation treasures could be found. As long as you had enough spirit stones, even items required by Foundation Establishment Cultivators could be purchased.

Lu Xuan followed the cultivators in front of him into the building.

There were twenty or thirty cultivators in the hall. The counter was filled with an array of items – magic artifacts, charms, elixirs and so on, making people dazzled.

Seeing Lu Xuan looking around after entering, a pretty young girl came over to greet him.

"Hello, fellow practitioner, is this one of your first few visits to the Wanbao Building? If you need anything, you can tell me, and I can take you to have a

look."

"Sure, no problem. Lead me to the formation section, please." Lu Xuan nodded, acknowledging that it was his first time in the Wanbao Building.

During his previous stage as a Qi Cultivation Second Layer small Loose Cultivator, he never considered entering Wanbao Building due to his financial constraints.

Later, when the miraculous white light group appeared in his spirit field and his financial status fluctuated, Bai Cao Tang provided the spiritual seeds he needed. Since the Wanbao Building wouldn't have any unknown spiritual seeds, he didn't enter the building until he decided to purchase a higher-quality defensive array.

"Fellow Daoist, this is the formation counter in the first floor lobby. Here, we have dozens of formations with various functions, such as attack arrays, maze arrays, concealment arrays, defense arrays, and so on," said the beautiful young girl, leading Lu Xuan to a relatively secluded spot with a warm smile.

"Show me some defensive arrays," Lu Xuan instructed.

"Defensive arrays. Are you looking for first-grade or second-grade ones, Fellow Daoist?" She asked.

"Second-grade."

First-grade arrays are pretty effective for low-rank Qi Cultivating Monks, but they become average against a Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner. If the cultivator also has a Formation-breaking Charm or a magic artifact, the array would be significantly fragile.

"Okay."

The beautiful young girl's smile grew even wider. Not many cultivators have a great demand for arrays. If she could sell a second-grade array, she would receive a handsome commission.

"This is the Chaotic Stone Array, known for its defense. If a cultivator intrudes, you can even control the giant stones in the array to attack the intruder." "This is the Wood Cage Array. It needs to be arranged in an environment with special Spirit Trees. It can trap and block cultivators from entering the array." -This is the Hidden Fog Maze Array. Its defensive power is relatively strong among the second-grade arrays. Moreover, it includes a maze. Once a cultivator enters, their spiritual sense will be affected by the fog in the array, making it easy for them to be trapped within."

"This one is…"

The beautiful young girl pointed at the array plates and array flags in the counter, providing Lu Xuan with detailed introductions.

"The Chaotic Stone Array has some attack power, but it requires a cultivator to actively control it from the rear. As for the Wood Cage Array, it demands a high level of environmental conditions, which makes it unsuitable to be set up outside a yard."

Lu Xuan weighed his options and pointed to one of the array plates surrounded by fog, asking, "How much is this Hidden Fog Maze Array?"

"One hundred sixty-five spirit stones," she responded.

"What about one hundred thirty spirit stones?" Lu Xuan knew that this price was already quite reasonable, but he had long been accustomed to bargaining and habitually knocked off a big chunk.

The beautiful young girl shook her head politely, declining his offer.

in the end, after a tough negotiation, Lu Xuan managed to knock off ten spirit stones and purchased the Hidden Fog Maze Array for one hundred fifty-five spirit stones.

"Luckily, that Masked Cultivator sent over eighty spirit stones in time. Otherwise, my wealth would have dwindled by more than half," Lu Xuan thought, glancing at the remaining almost two hundred spirit stones in his storage bag. He felt more grateful to the Masked Cultivator, who had already integrated with the Spirit Soil.

"Oh, do you have the blood of snake-type or Dragon-type Monsters, preferably fresh?" After paying for the spirit stones, Lu Xuan asked the beautiful young girl.

"As for demon beast blood… it's usually extracted from species that have peculiar existences in their blood. As for snake-type demonic beasts, materials like snake skin, scale armor, snake venom, and such are commonly sold. I don't recall having snake-type demonic beast blood," The beautiful young girl responded apologetically after a short contemplation.

"Fellow Daoist, hold on. If you have an urgent need, you could reserve some spirit stones at Wanbao Building. We will then try to mobilize resources from other cities and markets to find what you need," she offered when she saw Lu Xuan was about to leave.

"However, you might have to spend ten to twenty percent more spirit stones compared to direct purchases.

"If we can't bring the items to you within the stipulated time, we will refund all the spirit stones you've deposited with us." Sensing Lu Xuan's intention to leave, she hurriedly called out to him, offering a suggestion for his consideration..

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Chapter 61: Chapter 60: Mutated Gnawing Spirit Bugs l

Translator: 549690339

The credibility of Wanbao Building in the market was exceedingly reliable. Lu Xuan took the advice of the delicate young girl, gave three spirit stones as earnest money, and left his identity information.

According to the girl, it would take approximately five to ten days for the blood of the snake devil beast to be transported from other branches of Wanbao Building. However, Lu Xuan could pick up the goods himself and cover the remaining spirit stones based on the quality of the delivered demonic beast blood.

Then, Lu Xuan took the Fog Concealing Array Disk back to his courtyard.

Upon his return, Grass Puppet was still in the corner of the Spirit Field. Several grey-black leaves sprouted from the gray grass lump on its massive head, slowly and meticulously weaving its limbs.

Within half a day, it had only managed to weave two arms, with the elbows nowhere in sight.

As it sensed the presence of Lu Xuan, the Grass Puppet slightly paused its movements and retreated into the lump on its head. It turned its head slightly, seemingly greeting Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan returned to his house and retrieved the Fog Concealing Array Disk.

The Array Disk was grey-white, emblazoned with numerous complex and obscure symbols. A feeble mist seeped out from both sides of the symbols, persistently lingering above the Array Disk.

"A second-grade defense formation, it also carries a bit of maze function. Even for a high-tier qi cultivator, breaking the formation is by no means an easy task."

The formation outside the courtyard was set up by Tooth Row and can be counted as an invisible benefit that came with Lu Xuan renting the Spirit Field at enormous cost. As a first-grade formation, its defensive power can, at best, be considered ordinary.

Now, having transferred to a second-grade Hidden Fog Maze Array, Lu Xuan felt more at ease, without worrying about the Spirit Plants in his Spirit Field being coveted by others.

He manipulated his spiritual power into the Array Disk, slowly triggering the Array Disk according to a specific routine.

The numerous symbols on the Array Disk lit up, the faint mist above it, as if fanned by a gentle breeze, dissipated in all directions.

Subsequently, a semi-transparent Spiritual Energy Shield appeared outside the courtyard. Lu Xuan adjusted it continually until it perfectly covered the entire courtyard.

Simultaneously, a wave of pale fog rose from somewhere and soon enveloped the whole courtyard. If one looked down at the Spirit Field from above, they could only see a thick white fog. Whether it be the Spirit Plants or the manor, nothing could be seen clearly. Even if Spiritual Sense penetrated in, it would only get lost in the dense fog.

Lu Xuan manipulated the symbols continuously, and the fog curtains outside the courtyard moved accordingly, as though an invisible hand manipulated them.

"Alright, the second-grade formation is set up. As for the first-grade formation placed by Tooth Row, if I find time one day, I should return it to them."

Lu Xuan stood in the Spirit Field, looking outside the courtyard.

Under his control, the Spirit Field was not affected by the fog at all.

After the array was set up, Lu Xuan took a brief rest and began checking the state of the Spirit Plants in the Spirit Field.

Concentrating his mind on the Spirit Plants, he quickly discovered their immediate status.

Whenever he encountered a requirement, he would cast a Spirit Rain Technique or Tree Life Spell to meet every tiny need of the Spirit Plants.

"The roots seem a little heavy, not like the heaviness of roots growing upon roots. It's as if something is forcibly sucking the roots."

While passing through the area of the Blood Jade Ginseng, Lu Xuan suddenly noticed something odd about one of them.

Even though it maintained a safe distance from the other Blood Jade Ginseng, it showcased an unusual condition.

Based on the immediate state of the Blood Jade Ginseng, he slowly extended his Spiritual Sense into the Spirit Soil.

Under Lu Xuan's spiritual sense, he discovered a dark-colored object attached to the root buried deep in the Spirit Soil of the Blood Jade Ginseng.

It looked as if a swelling had grown on the roots of the Blood Jade Ginseng. On closer inspection, he could sense that the pale black lump was made up of hundreds of tiny insect-like creatures.

These insects were deeply buried in the soil, unmoving, drawing the life force from the Blood Jade Ginseng. If it weren't for the slight abnormality in its status, it would have been difficult to detect them until they'd infiltrated the roots of the Blood Jade Ginseng.

"It looks like they're Gnawing Spirit Bugs. I just don't know when they got into my Spirit Field and started damaging my Spirit Plants,"

Lu Xuan's expression softened. This type of strange worm was recorded in the family's book, "Common Harmful Monsters and Solutions".

They move in the soil, like to bite and devour the roots of spirit plants, and in the early stages of their biting, their traces are generally hard to find.

The entry method of the Gnawing Spirit Bugs into the Spirit Field was unknown. After all, the previous defense was only First Grade and had limited protection. The array wasn't opened twelve hours a day, the Gnawing Spirit Bugs themselves were very small, exceedingly hard to block completely, let alone when they were moving in the soil, which was even harder to guard against.

Of course, there might also be some possibility that eggs of the Gnawing Spirit Bug were left deep in the soil, and after they hatched, they found the Blood Jade Ginseng roots.

Although Lu Xuan occasionally cleaned the insect eggs in the Spirit Field, it was hard to guarantee that he had completely cleaned them.

He operated his spiritual power and used the Earth Pulling Technique.

Although there were fewer experience packages for the Earth Pulling Technique that burst out from the white light group than the Golden Sword Technique, Lu Xuan had also reached the Minor Proficiency Boundary with this method.

Under his delicate control, the Spirit Soil moved quietly, without disturbing the Gnawing Spirit Bugs attached to the Blood Jade Ginseng roots.

He waited until the root was exposed to the light, and only then did they react.

In an instant, the pale black tumor split into hundreds of small black insects, like a black mist, emitting a sharp cry, and swarming towards Lu Xuan from all directions.

With a wave of his left hand, a slender Red Needle transformed into a phantom and stung the Gnawing Spirit Bugs. It twirled wantonly among the bugs, leaving red streaks of illusion.

A few moments later, the Red Threaded Needle returned to the front of Lu Xuan, from the needle head right down, stabbing hundreds of tiny Gnawing Spirit Bugs.

"These Gnawing Spirit Bugs seem a bit off, very different from what is recorded in the book. I remember it saying that their aggression is not strong."

"But the ones in the Spirit Field can morph into black mist and attack in groups, quite different from normal Gnawing Spirit Bugs."

Lu Xuan looked at the Red Needle in his hand, with a movement of his spiritual power, deep red flames erupted from the slender body of the needle, and the pierced tiny Gnawing Spirit Bugs were instantly turned into black ash.

"Looking at their mobility, they're probably not the eggs of the Gnawing Spirit Bugs that were left behind in the Spirit Soil earlier, otherwise, I would have found out right away whenever they attempted to harm the spirit plants."

"So it's most likely an external invasion. I just don't know what influence they encountered, that led to such a significant transformation."

Considering the continuous appearance of Metamorphosis Cultivators in the market recently, Lu Xuan felt something was not quite right.

"What sort of demon envoy did the Wang Family provoke in that new Secret Land? What did they get? The entire market feels unsafe."

Lu Xuan immediately thought of the scene when the Wang Family Cultivators and many Loose Cultivators returned. From the discussions of the cultivators next to him, it seemed they had stolen some treasure in the process of opening up the new Secret Land, attracting the demon envoy. This made the market uneasy for a long time.

"I hope I'm overthinking."

Lu Xuan felt heavy-hearted and carefully searched every Spirit Plant in the Spirit Field. Fortunately, he did not find any more traces of the mutated Gnawing Spirit Bugs.

Living in this perilous Cultivation World, Lu Xuan just wanted to plant his Spirit Plants quietly, but even this small request seemed hard to fulfill.

Looking at the Two Grade Sword Grass and Dark Marrow Mushroom that had been planted in the Spirit Field for almost half a year, the hope for them to mature quickly became more urgent..

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Chapter 62: Chapter 61: The Snake Catcher 1

Translator: 549690339 —

"Three mature red cloud pine nuts produced three different second-class Fire Separating Swords, a 'Fundamentals of Rune Making1, and a second-grade Red Threaded Needle."

"The sword grass and dark marrow mushroom were both second grade. Unlike the common red cloud pine, the glowing rewards that came when they matured would definitely not disappoint me."

Lu Xuan thought to himself.

Over the next two or three days, he activated the Hidden Fog Maze Array, carefully observing the instantaneous states of the many spirit plants everyday to ensure that there were no invasions from the Gnawing Spirit Bugs. The remaining twenty-six Spirit Glow Grasses all matured in these few days. Among them, nine were of good quality, thirteen were of superior grade, and the remaining four were of perfect grade.

After the Spirit Firefly Grass was harvested, twenty-six white light clusters appeared.

Six of them were cultivation rewards, three of them worth a half year's cultivation, two worth nine months, and one worth a year, bringing a total of four years of cultivation benefits to Lu Xuan.

The spiritual energy within his meridians and dantian surged tumultuously, battering like a furious tide for a long time before gradually calming down. The sudden increase of four years of cultivation significantly advanced Lu Xuan's strength, leaving him not far from the Qi Cultivating Seventh Layer. There were also twelve white light clusters that produced twelve first-grade talismans, primarily Sword Qi Talismans and Evil Banishing Talismans, mixed with a few Explosion Flame Talismans and others.

The number of first-grade talismans accumulating in his storage bag was increasing. If used all at once, Lu Xuan speculated that it would compare to a full strength attack from a high-tier Qi Cultivator.

In addition, there were four first-grade Qi Cultivation Pills, and two technique experience packages, the Earth Pulling Technique and Tree Life Spell.

Lu Xuan absorbed them, slightly enhancing his understanding of these two methods.

The last two white light clusters produced a first-grade Qi Cultivation Pill formula and a drop of Grass Spirit Elixir.

Lu Xuan poured it into the grass puppet's head.

"Let's celebrate your full recovery. You still need to continue taking good care of the Spirit Field-"

Soon, the gray lump on the grass puppet's head quickly turned green, and it began a new round of patrolling the Spirit Field.

With the power provided by the Grass Spirit Elixir, Lu Xuan noticed that its steps seemed to be stronger.

After a few days, the snake type demonic beasts blood that was pre-ordered from the Wanbao Building arrived as promised.

Lu Xuan spent another four spirit stones, on top of the three spirit stone deposit he'd already paid, to get a bottle of snake blood from the Wanbao Building.

According to the clear and beautiful girl who introduced it, this bottle of snake blood was freshly extracted not long ago, and it was still quite fresh. The blood was taken from a type of demon beast called the Twin Wing Gold Scale Snake, which was first-grade.

The blood was held in a transparent jade bottle. The fine golden glow in the bright red blood was like the sunset reflected in a sea of blood.

Holding the transparent jade bottle, Lu Xuan came to the Flood Dragon Vine.

He opened the cap and poured the glittering blood onto the vine.

Suddenly, the vine seemed to come alive instantly, gently twisting like a snake.

The golden blood slowly seeped into the interior of the vine.

After all the blood was absorbed, Lu Xuan saw that the vine's surface had golden lines. It formed bizarre patterns on the black vine.

Lu Xuan's attention was wholly focused on the Flood Dragon Vine.

"After waiting so long, today has finally arrived!"

"For the first time, it has tasted more delicious and invigorating snake blood!" The vine with gold lines still slowly wriggled, seemingly still immersed in the joy after absorbing the Double Winged Golden Scale Snake's blood.

About half an hour later, the golden lines on the vine's surface disappeared slowly, returning to its original old and gnarled form.

"Last time when it absorbed the black line snake's rankless blood, there were no changes. This time, after absorbing the Twin Winged Golden Scale Snake's blood, the vine showed golden lines. Could it be that the advancement of the snake's blood quality affects the different growth status of the vine?" Lu Xuan noted down a little bit. He inspected whether he could get a large amount of this kind of snake's blood from the Wanbao Building. If possible, constantly irrigating the vine with blood from the same type of demonic beast might make the vine grow faster.

He went around and checked all the spirit plants in the Spirit Field, applied the right methods to each according to their unique needs, told the Grass Puppet and Cloud Leopard to guard the house well, activated the Hidden Fog Maze Array, and then took the total of thirty-nine spirit firefly grasses and left the yard.

All one hundred plants of Spirit Firefly Grass were fully matured, and he planned to go back to the 'Bai Cao Tang' to pick up some more Spirit Firefly Grass Seeds, to start a new round of planting.

Though the Spirit Firefly Grass, be it in value or reward from the light cluster, isn't much when compared to other first and second-grade spirit plants.

However, so far, he had only discovered that the Spirit Firefly Grass carried a cultivation reward, so he had to maintain a certain quantity of the plant in order to ensure the improvement of his cultivation level.

Volume was covered by Firefly Grass, quality and quantity balance was taken care of by Blood Jade Ginseng and Clear Wonderful Spirit Tea, while Sword Grass, Dark Marrow Mushroom, and Phantom Smoke Fruit acquired from the Unknown Spirit Seeds guaranteed quality. Three sectors, quality, and quantity both covered.

Just as Lu Xuan left his house, he noticed the cultivator with the surname Wu in the neighborhood not too far away.

After seeing Lu Xuan, he greeted him right away.

"Friend Lu, where are you off to? Come to have a taste of the spiritual wine I've recently brewed."

Unable to refuse his kindness, Lu Xuan headed towards the house of the cultivator surnamed Wu.

"Friend Lu, come try out my spiritual wine."

As soon as they sat down, the cultivator surnamed Wu poured a cup of deep yellow spirit brew each for himself and Lu Xuan.

"I noticed, Friend Lu, that there's a second-grade defensive formation outside your yard these past few days. You really are willing to make an investment huh."

Lu Xuan took the brew from his hand and had a sip. The taste was rich and lingering.

"Such good wine!"

He praised then put down his wine cup.

"Daoist Wu must know well that the market is getting more and more dangerous these days, with quite a few metamorphosis cultivators appearing and even penetrating into the market patrol guard Wang Shan in the neighborhood."

"On top of that, I once witnessed a cultivator invading the spirit field a while ago and as all my wealth lies in the spirit plants within the field, it's a must for me to make a hard-hitting investment in order to keep this base foundation." Lu Xuan casually brushed the topic off.

The cultivator surnamed Wu nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. There's nothing wrong being careful."

"Come, let's continue drinking. This spiritual wine was brewed using the gallbladder and bones of snake-type demonic beasts. It's rarity makes it difficult to find on regular days."

"Is that so?"

Just as Lu Xuan had picked up his wine cup, his action paused abruptly.

"Wine brewed using snake bone and gallbladder, doesn't it require a large quantity of snake-type demonic beasts? Where do those snake gallbladders and bones come from?"

Upon this thought, Lu Xuan directly asked Wu.

"Daoist Wu, I would like to consult something with you, would you tell me where did you get these snake bones and gallbladders from? Was it from Wanbao Building, other shops or the loose cultivator market?"

"None of the above."

The cultivator, Wu, shook his head.

"It's hard to gather a substantial quantity of the same species of snake-type demonic beasts in the loose cultivation market, and those in Wanbao Building are a bit expensive and not very cost-effective."

"All these are obtained from a friend of mine."

"A friend?" A glint appeared in Lu Xuan's eyes.

"Yes, a friend who I have known for many years. His family has inherited a secret technique that shows extraordinary prowess in discovering and capturing snake demons."

"He is currently in the sixth layer of Qi cultivation. With this secret technique, he can even kill the second-grade snake-type demonic beasts."

"Could you introduce him to me? I am in urgent need of a certain material from the bodies of snake-type demonic beasts."

"Sure."

The cultivator, Wu, immediately replied..

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Chapter 63: Chapter 62: Reservation for Azure Water

Python Blood _1

Translator: 549690339

"There's no time to waste. Daoist Wu, how about you take me to your good friend's house now?"

Lu Xuan put down the wine glass he was holding and looked at Wu with expectant eyes.

"I'm not sure if he's home right now… But seeing your urgency, Friend Lu, it seems you have an important matter at hand. I'll take you there then."

Seeing that Lu Xuan was so eager, and having plenty of free time on his own, Wu then took Lu Xuan with him, heading towards the home of the snake-catching Cultivator.

After approximately two quarters of an hour, the two arrived at a house made from gray-black stone.

The house was quite spacious. However, as they approached, they could feel a chilling aura.

As Lu Xuan followed Wu into the stone house, the cold ambience made his skin prick up involuntarily as if covered in goosebumps.

Upon entering, a blue-green python sprang out. It paused not far from the duo, hissing, its forked tongue flickering in and out.

"Little Green, return, it's Uncle Wu."

A slightly childish voice rang out from inside the stone house. Immediately afterwards, the voice shifted into a hissing whisper, the blue-green python in front of Lu Xuan turned into a streak of green light and zipped back the way it came.

A boy of around thirteen or fourteen years old walked out from the stone house. The python immediately slid into the boy's sleeve.

Although the python was large, there was no sign that a python was hidden within the skinny body of the boy from the outside. It was as if the two were integrated as one.

Only then did Lu Xuan get a clear look at the boy. He was skinny, pale, his eyes squinted into thin slits, with unusually thin lips. When he smiled at the Wu surname cultivator, his slightly sharp teeth were revealed.

"Uncle Wu, my dad's out, only grandpa and I are home."

"I know. I came today for another matter."

The cultivator surnamed Wu introduced Lu Xuan and the boy, allowing Lu Xuan to learn that the boy's name was Yu Jie. The three generations of Yu family were living together, with the father often away, hunting snake-type demonic beasts for a living.

"Grandpa is in the backyard, keeping an eye on the young snakes!"

Yu Jie, as curious as he was, glanced over at Lu Xuan and diligently walked into the backyard to call out for his grandfather.

"Uncle Yu Tong, this is my neighbor, a Spirit Plant Master, named Lu Xuan."

"Friend Lu, this old man is my good friend's father, Elder Yu Tong."

Lu Xuan greeted and paid his respects.

After following the old man into the house to sit, Yu Jie came in with three cups of hot tea and then carefully sat in the corner without making a sound. Looked at Lu Xuan with curiosity every now and then.

He regarded him with an expression that made Lu Xuan feel quite peculiar – it was akin to being observed by a poisonous snake. But there was no ill intent, just pure curiosity.

When he caught Lu Xuan looking back at him, he shyly lowered his head.

"Uncle Yu Tong, Yu Jie's father is away, right?"

"Indeed. He went to the wilderness. When he returns, don't forget to come and take the fresh snake bones and gallbladders."

The elder replied slowly.

"There's no need to hurry about that. This time, I brought my neighbor, a cultivator, here to visit Uncle Tong for another reason."

The surnamed Wu revealed their purpose for the visit.

"I heard that Uncle Tong and his family have been snake catchers for generations, practicing unique secret techniques to hunt snake-like demonic beasts."

"I want to ask, how do you usually deal with the blood of the slain snake demons?"

"Snake-like demonic beast blood?"

"Its use is not that widespread. Only when we encounter a cultivator with special needs or when the blood of the slain snake beast has certain value, do we bring the snake blood back."

Lu Xuan nodded.

The old man continued to speak.

"Because the blood needs to be kept as fresh as possible and can't be stored for a long time, we don't bring it back often."

"Usually, it is used by Alchemists as a material for making some special elixirs, or occasionally some cultivators will need snake devil beast blood for their cultivation practices."

"What rank are the snake demons you usually hunt? Can you guarantee a stable supply?"

"Most are unranked or first-grade snake-type demonic beasts, and there are second-grade snake-type demonic beasts as well. As for the quantity, you don't need to worry about that, we know a few snake habitats in the wilderness, where human traces are rare, and there are a lot of snakes."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan nodded and felt reassured.

"That's right, I need a regular supply of snake blood, preferably first-grade or above, second-grade would be even better."

As for the third-grade, it's not even worth thinking about. A third-grade snake demon is equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Even if one is found in the wilderness, the cultivator at Qi Cultivation Level Six who hunts it would just end up being fodder.

"For the second-grade snake-type demonic beasts, let me think, there's one called the Azure Water Python. Its blood is red with a hint of green, it can be used to make a certain detoxifying elixir. What do you think?"

Yu Tong contemplated for a moment, then said to Lu Xuan.

"As long as you can provide it long-term, there should be no problem."

After being watered with snake blood, the Flood Dragon Vine shows signs of change. Lu Xuan speculated that if he used a certain type of snake blood with a special property to cultivate it over a long period of time, besides promoting the rapid growth of the Flood Dragon Vine, it could also bring about unexpected changes.

"I can provide it long term, but the quantity won't be particularly large. After all, there aren't a lot of second-grade Azure Water Pythons and they're a bit difficult to handle."

"How much will it cost?"

Lu Xuan asked curiously.

"Ten spirit stones per catty, what do you think?" the old man asked tentatively.

Lu Xuan almost couldn't control his expression. Not long ago, he bought a small bottle of Double-Winged Golden-Scaled Snake Blood from the Wanbao building for a whopping seven spirit stones.

Although the price was slightly inflated due to the reservation, buying less than a catty of first-grade snake blood for seven spirit stones versus buying a catty of second-grade snake demon blood for ten spirit stones, it's clear which one is more cost-effective.

"The middlemen sure do make a killing…"

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The snake blood had a very low inherent value, but after going through Wanbao Building's hands, the price skyrocketed.

Buying raw materials directly from the producer, the Yu family, would save him a lot of spirit stones compared to purchasing through other channels. Moreover, the second-grade snake blood could be supplied consistently, which even made the normally stingy Lu Xuan unusually generous.

"Alright, that's acceptable."

He agreed directly.

The pleased smiles that broke out on the faces of Yu Tong and the young Yu Jie sitting next to him couldn't be hidden.

When they hunted snake-type demonic beasts in the past, unless a cultivator specifically requested it, the returned snake blood usually didn't fetch a good price. It often wound up unsold and had to be discarded. Only first-grade or second-grade blood could fetch a decent price.

Getting ten spirit stones a catty for second-grade Azure Water Python blood was a big increase in earnings compared to before. The small risk that came with hunting second-grade snake demons didn't amount to much in the face of the benefit from the spirit stones.

Plus, with the valuable snake skin, snake bones, gall bladder, and venom of the second-grade Azure Water Python…

Even the ageing Yu Tong couldn't help but want to return to his prime and take another stab at hunting second-grade snake demons.

The two parties struck a simple agreement. The Yu family currently did not have any Azure Water Python blood. Lu Xuan left five spirit stones as a deposit, and once Yu Jie's father returned, he would bring the Azure Water Python blood and Lu Xuan would pay the remaining spirit stones.

Before leaving, the old man, Yu Tong, went into the courtyard and personally retrieved an unranked demon snake. He killed it on the spot and filled a whole bottle with its blood, insisting that Lu Xuan had to take it with him.

Despite Lu Xuan's protests, he couldn't refuse and wound up taking the bottle of snake blood..

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Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Diseased Spiritual Plant l

Translator: 549690339

After leaving the Yu family, Lu Xuan went separate ways with the cultivator surnamed Wu and headed to Bai Cao Tang.

Inside Bai Cao Tang.

The rich scent of medicine permeated every corner, giving a refreshingly cool sensation as soon as one stepped in.

"Kid Lu, you're finally here! I've been looking for you for a long time."

Manager He swiftly grabbed Lu Xuan's arm, sounding rushed.

"I just sent an attendant to your house, but couldn't find you. It's good that you came here yourself."

"Old He, did something happen?"

Lu Xuan's expression hardened, he knew the old man wouldn't send someone to look for him at home unless something urgent had occurred.

"Has anything unusual happened in your Spirit Field recently?"

The slender old man looked around, saw no one paying attention and asked softly.

"A few days back as I was tending to the spiritual plants, I found some Gnawing Spirit Bugs which were significantly different from those described in the books. I suspected some change had occurred."

Lu Xuan relayed the situation faithfully.

"It's exactly this issue. Not just your Spirit Field, but also those of other Spirit Plant Masters in Bai Cao Tang, even the entire market have been experiencing this."

"Some people hypothesised that too many strong Demon Envoys have entered the market and unnoticed, contaminated the Spirit Vein, causing the Spiritual Energy to become extremely murky, which led to the bugs' metamorphosis."

"The alchemist from this hall decided to gather all the Spirit Plant Masters who cooperate with Bai Cao Tang to discuss a solution, in order to minimise losses."

The words from the slender old man made Lu Xuan's face grave.

"No need to worry, this is a matter closely related to all Spirit Plant Masters and even all cultivators in the market. They will not leave it unattended, you just need to follow their actions."

Seeing Lu Xuan's worried facial expression, Manager He attempted to console him.

"When is the meeting beginning?"

"In a bit, so please wait here for a while."

Lu Xuan nodded. Once his emotions had calmed, he handed over the thirty-nine mature Spirit Firefly Grass to the slender old man.

The rate was still the same, three Spirit Stones and fifty Broken Spirits for a Good Quality yield, plus twenty Broken Spirits for each Superior Quality yield, and one Spirit Stone each for a Perfect Grade yield.

Fourteen were of Good Quality, nineteen were of Superior Quality, and six were of Perfect Quality, earning him a total of one hundred and forty-three Spirit Stones and thirty Broken Spirits.

Lu Xuan's wealth rebounded to over three hundred again.

Seeing more and more Spirit Plant Masters heading into the inner hall, he followed suit.

In the spacious hall, about twenty Spirit Plant Masters who had cooperative relations with Bai Cao Tang were seated there. Most were strangers to Lu Xuan, and only few he had had some dealings with before.

Lu Xuan's arrival was noticed by some cultivators, as he was significantly younger.

To become a decent Spirit Plant Master, one must have abundant planting experience.

Among the cultivators present, whether they were Spirit Plant Masters who exclusively cultivated Spiritual Plants for Bai Cao Tang or those with relatively open cooperation, the youngest was over forty. Lu Xuan sitting amongst them stood out like a crane amongst a flock of chickens.

There were cultivators who had heard of Lu Xuan's reputation. They knew that although he mainly cultivated Spontaneous Grass and First Grade Blood Jade Ginseng for Bai Cao Tang, the resulting quality was extremely high, with a significant Superior Quality yield, and even Perfect Grade Spiritual Plants were not a rarity.

Therefore, some cultivators came over to start a conversation and get acquainted.

It wasn't long before all the Spirit Plant Masters had arrived. A Cultivator, dressed in a green robe with a long beard, made his way through.

His gaze swept over all the Spirit Plant Masters present, and when it passed over Lu Xuan, he paused slightly.

"I am He Zongguang, an ordinary Alchemist from Bai Cao Tang. I believe you all have heard of me."

"Whether you are officially partnered with the hall or freelancing, your presence here means that you are elites among Spirit Plant Masters. I have brought you all here because there is a significant matter concerning the interests of all Spirit Plant Masters."

Seeing that all the Spirit Plant Masters' attention was on him, the bearded Cultivator nodded and continued.

"As you may have heard or seen, there have been some unknown changes in the Spirit Plants we cultivate."

"As the number of Metamorphosis Cultivators continues to increase, and Demon Envoy becomes more rampant and domineering in the markets, unfavorable changes are slowly appearing in the Spirit Fields."

"The Demon Insects seeping into the Spirit Fields are becoming more aggressive and destructive. There are also cases of unexplainable diseases occurring in some Spirit Plants, like these two."

The bearded Cultivator took out two abnormal Spirit Plants from his robe.

One of them was a Blood Jade Ginseng that Lu Xuan had previously cultivated. On its body, the formerly clear and transparent sections were now grayish areas that looked like countless tiny sand particles piled up.

The bearded Cultivator lightly touched a grayish area, and suddenly, the gray area on the Blood Jade Ginseng silently split open, turning into fine sand that fell onto the ground.

The other Spirit Plant was one Lu Xuan hadn't seen before, its main body was a blood-red leaf.

At this moment, there were patches of black fuzz growing on the leaf. The countless fuzz patches were swaying gently, like clusters of mold.

"These are two examples of diseased Spiritual Plants. The cause is unknown, and the diseased areas cause irreversible damage to the plants."

"And moreover, the disease could potentially be contagious. If one plant gets infected, it could be a disaster for the entire Spirit field."

The bearded Cultivator said with a serious face.

"To avoid any harm to the Spirit Plants you are cultivating, which would ultimately affect the alchemy of Bai Cao Tang, I suggest two measures."

"First, be vigilant and strengthen your preventative measures."

"You could set up defensively arrays to keep the Metamorphosis Demon Insects out of the Spirit Fields, and you could also monitor the growth of Spirit Plants using corresponding Formula Methods. It's best to observe them several times a day to avoid contamination or mutation."

"The second suggestion is to pool our wisdom and power to find a way to cure the diseased Spiritual Plants."

"You all have unique methods in cultivating Spiritual Plants, so it should be easier for you to find ways to prevent or cure the disease. If your method is proven effective, Bai Cao Tang will surely offer you generous rewards."

Some Spirit Plant Masters closed their eyes in deliberation, while others openly discussed and proposed several potential solutions. However, these were all temporary fixes, none could solve the problem at its root.

Lu Xuan sat in a corner, his mind filled with thoughts and a strange idea emerging.

"I wonder if I could bring a diseased plant back and plant it in my Spirit field.

Could I then observe the real-time status of the Spirit plant?"

The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Each time he planted Spiritual Seeds or saplings in his Spirit field and cultivated them into maturity to obtain the white light group rewards.

Several factors could affect the rewards from the light groups, including whether Lu Xuan was present throughout the growth of the Spirit Plant, the rank of the Spirit Plant itself, and the quality of the plant after it matured.

If he could bring back a diseased plant, successfully plant it, and then be able to see its real-time status, that would be fantastic.

This would allow him to cultivate it to maturity. Even though he wouldn't have to do much during the growth process and might not get any reward or only some basic rewards from the light groups, the Spirit Plant itself, when restored, would be very valuable.

"I must get a couple of diseased Spiritual Plants and conduct some experiments with them in my own Spirit field."

Lu Xuan thought to himself..

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