Chapter 117 - 115: Spirit Seed

Chapter 117: Chapter 115: Spirit Seed

Tan Hu, who was meditating under an ancient tree on the mountaintop, slowly opened his eyes. His figure blurred into an afterimage and landed in the small courtyard.

"Greetings, Steward." "Greetings, Lord Steward."

Seeing him, Dong Xing and the other two scrambled to their feet, clasping their hands in salute.

Li Changsheng clasped his hands and said, "Senior Brother."

Tan Hu waved his hand dismissively. "No need for such formalities," he said bluntly. Pointing to the sky, he added, "The Steward is back."

Li Changsheng looked up, a happy expression appearing in his eyes.

In the sky, a point of brilliant white light was falling rapidly.

In just a few breaths, the radiant white light enveloping the jade ship came into view.

Li Changsheng and Tan Hu walked out together, with Dong Xing and the other two following behind.

A few moments after they stepped out of the courtyard, the White Jade Flying Ship suddenly vanished, and Lan Cai Shen’s figure slowly drifted down.

"Greetings, Senior Brother." "This subordinate greets the Steward." "This subordinate greets the Lord Steward."

Li Changsheng and the others stepped forward, clasping their hands in greeting.

Lan Cai Shen was all smiles, looking to be in a very good mood. He made a motion with his hand to lift them up. "No need for such ceremony."

With that, he walked over to Li Changsheng and looked him over. After confirming he was all right, he glanced at the small courtyard behind him and chuckled. "Junior Brother, this courtyard of yours is quite unique. Don’t blame your Senior Brother for dropping by often in the future."

"I would be honored if Senior Brother chose to stay."

Li Changsheng replied with a smile and led him back into the courtyard.

After whispering a few words to Dong Xing, the three of them took their seats.

Dong Xing took Xu Li and the other man, turned, and left, heading toward the vegetable garden on the hillside.

Li Changsheng went inside to get a tea set. After pouring a cup of tea for each of them, he asked with a smile, "I see Senior Brother is quite pleased. Does this mean there’s a solution for the Spirit Fields?"

Tan Hu also looked over with curiosity.

It would be for the best if they could properly utilize the Tier Two Spirit Fields. The more resources they harvested, the greater the income for the Stewards in charge of guarding the area.

But Lan Cai Shen shook his head and sighed. "There is only one solution, which is no real solution at all: to continue promoting the legacy of Spirit Plant cultivation in the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land." He then looked at Li Changsheng and smiled. "In the future, we will have to rely heavily on you, Junior Brother."

Li Changsheng shook his head and smiled. "What are you saying, Senior Brother? Isn’t this the very reason Changsheng came here?"

"It is my duty."

Tan Hu’s eyes flickered. He laughed, feigning casualness. "Junior Brother will be very busy, so naturally his harvest will be great once the Spirit Medicines mature." With that, he looked at Lan Cai Shen and said with a chuckle, "Isn’t that right, Lord Steward?"

"From what I’ve heard, the Spirit Plant Masters who cultivate Spirit Medicines for the sect are entitled to thirty percent of the harvest, especially for Tier Two High-grade Spirit Medicines."

Tan Hu gave a wry laugh. "To be honest, Junior Brother, I have yet to even taste a top-grade pill. I’m truly envious."

Hearing this, Lan Cai Shen’s expression changed slightly, and he inwardly groaned.

When he returned to the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak, his father and the other two Elders had come to a decision. First, they would try to develop the Soothing Incense and continue promoting the Spirit Plant legacy, hoping another Li Changsheng might emerge. Second, since Li Changsheng already had his own three mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields, his thirty-percent share from the other fields would be compensated with items of equivalent value, such as Spirit Stones.

Originally, he could have quietly negotiated with Li Changsheng to compensate him with other things, but after Tan Hu brought it up so openly, the matter became much more difficult to handle.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared in Li Changsheng’s eyes as he looked at Lan Cai Shen.

He had thought that the three mu of Tier Two Spirit Fields gifted by the Elders was his entire compensation for cultivating the fields. He never expected this additional, wonderful surprise.

’Thirty percent! A rough estimate puts its value even higher than that of my own three mu of Spirit Fields.’

’Especially Tier Two Middle-grade and High-grade ones—those are resources that can’t be bought even with Spirit Stones.’

Lan Cai Shen looked slightly awkward, his gaze involuntarily shifting elsewhere.

Li Changsheng noticed the change in his expression and frowned slightly.

After a moment of thought, understanding dawned on him.

’That thirty-percent share is probably up in the air.’

Tan Hu winked at him, his lips moving slightly.

A gruff voice transmitted into Li Changsheng’s mind: "Junior Brother, don’t be hasty. Let him speak first."

Li Changsheng nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on the teacup on the table as if it held some profound secret.

After a few breaths of silence, Lan Cai Shen shot a glare at the innocent-looking Tan Hu, pondered for a moment, and said, "Junior Brother, I won’t hide it from you..."

He then tactfully explained the decision of the three Elders from the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak.

The gist was that Li Changsheng couldn’t receive a share of the Spirit Medicines from the Tier Two Spirit Fields, but he would be given other items of equivalent value as compensation.

At the end, Lan Cai Shen added, "If you have any requests, Junior Brother, you can tell me. Whether it’s Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, magical robes, or anything else..."

Li Changsheng’s mind raced as he considered what he wanted for compensation.

Just then, Tan Hu suddenly asked him, "Junior Brother, you’re about to condense your Veins, aren’t you? I wonder what kind of unique spiritual catalyst you plan on refining?" He paused, then sighed dramatically. "Junior Brother, you must be extremely careful. This step determines your future path. A high-quality unique spiritual catalyst that is compatible with your Spirit Vein is incredibly rare."

Li Changsheng’s eyes suddenly lit up.

’That’s right! I’m only at the Qi Cultivation Stage. The most important thing right now is to advance to the Vein Condensation stage. As for the future, with my status as a Spirit Plant Master, will I ever lack for pills?’

’So what if they’re middle-grade or high-grade!’

’Will they give them to others but not to me?’

’Would they rather the Spirit Fields not be planted at all? Are they trying to cut me off at the root?’

’Besides, if I, at the Qi Cultivation Stage, were to possess a large quantity of Tier Two Spirit Medicines, it would be like a child carrying gold through a bustling market.’

Once he figured it out, Li Changsheng couldn’t help but look at Tan Hu with gratitude.

’He really is a good Senior Brother. If I become successful in the future, I will never forget him!’

Then he turned his head to Lan Cai Shen. "This Junior Brother would like a unique spiritual catalyst for advancing my Spirit Vein." He paused, then added, "As for my future share, I will leave it entirely up to Senior Brother to decide."

He heavily emphasized the words "entirely up to Senior Brother to decide."

Hearing this, spiritual light flickered in Lan Cai Shen’s eyes, and a broad smile blossomed on his face. ’Wasn’t this the very reason he had taken on this seemingly pointless errand!’

’Thirty percent of the Spiritual Land’s harvest!’

’Although it isn’t his to keep, it’s his to distribute. By connecting the dots and then turning those lines into a network, it might just pave a wide, long path for his own future!’

’And the cost? Just an old legacy inheritance and a few friendly, intimate words!’

’Resources? It’s not like they’re his to begin with!’

’This is the most profitable deal in the world.’

Countless thoughts flashed through Lan Cai Shen’s mind. He stood up abruptly, clasped his hands, and said, "Since you are being so considerate, Junior Brother, I will certainly not let you down."

Tan Hu watched from the side with envy, but alas, it was only envy. Who could he blame for not having a powerful father backing him?

Li Changsheng quickly stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Senior Brother, you are too kind. Changsheng must thank you for your care."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before sitting down.

Lan Cai Shen flipped his hand, and a square Crystal Stone the size of a baby’s fist with an oval bubble in its center appeared. He placed it on the table.

"Junior Brother, channel a stream of your Spiritual Power into the Pulse Testing Stone."

"First, let’s test the attributes and characteristics of your Spirit Vein. That way, I can help you find a compatible unique spiritual catalyst."

He had seen a Pulse Testing Stone when he first entered the sect, but the one before him now was clearly much more advanced than the one Steward Wu had.

The thought flashed through Li Changsheng’s mind as he reached out, grasped the Pulse Testing Stone, and channeled his Spiritual Power into it.

BUZZ...

As the Spiritual Power flowed in, the Pulse Testing Stone quickly took on a faint golden hue. Inside the central oval bubble, red and black swirled together, yet remained distinctly separate.

A faint, bloody scent and a cold, sinister aura emanated from the Crystal Stone.

"Huh!"

A look of surprise appeared on Tan Hu’s face. The image of a Blood Wolf suddenly flashed in his mind. ’Is it a coincidence?’ he thought.

"A third-class Metal Spirit Vein with a twin attribute—and the rare blood and soul characteristics at that."

Lan Cai Shen looked at the Pulse Testing Stone with surprise and laughed. "It seems Junior Brother is not only talented in the way of Spirit Plants but is also a minor genius when it comes to cultivation."

Li Changsheng put down the Pulse Testing Stone and clasped his hands toward Tan Hu. "I must also thank Senior Brother Tan for the Spirit Vein Fruit he gave me." He paused and added self-deprecatingly, "Otherwise, my aptitude wouldn’t be very good."

"A Spirit Vein Fruit?"

Lan Cai Shen looked at Tan Hu, his gaze a mixture of curiosity and admiration. He exclaimed, "Steward Tan, what boldness!"

Tan Hu, who was still pondering the Blood Wolf, hadn’t expected Li Changsheng to say this right in front of Lan Cai Shen.

While it surprised him, he also couldn’t help but feel a surge of elation. After all, by saying this, Li Changsheng was publicly declaring that he owed Tan Hu a huge favor.

He immediately cast all thoughts of the Blood Wolf to the back of his mind.

Tan Hu suppressed his excitement and waved his hand. "I just saw that Junior Brother had extraordinary talent and didn’t want it to be wasted due to poor aptitude." As he spoke, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curve upward.

’This guy...’

Lan Cai Shen shook his head to himself, put away the Pulse Testing Stone, and said with a smile, "Junior Brother, you just need to wait a little."

"Even if I can’t find a top-grade unique spiritual catalyst, the three Elders of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak will certainly arrange something suitable for you, Junior Brother."

Li Changsheng was overjoyed to hear this and clasped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

The group chatted for a little while.

Lan Cai Shen flipped his hand and took out three jade boxes. He said solemnly, "After discussion, the three Elders have decided that for now, Junior Brother, you will first cultivate three mu of Tier Two Mid-grade Spirit Fields and the High-grade Spirit Fields. If you have any energy left over, you can then plant in the other Low-grade Spirit Fields."

Li Changsheng nodded and looked at the jade boxes curiously. "May I ask what kind of Spirit Plants I’ll be cultivating?"

A curious look also appeared on Tan Hu’s face.

Lan Cai Shen smiled and opened one of the jade boxes. Seeds the size of a thumb, resembling Mutton Fat Jade, came into view.

"These are the seeds of the Jade Ganoderma Fruit, a Tier Two Middle-grade Spirit Medicine. When it matures, the fruit is cyan, warm, and smooth like jade. It contains abundant Spiritual Qi, and its medicinal properties are gentle, having the effect of expanding one’s veins and nourishing the spirit."

"If the fruit touches the ground, it rots. If the stem is separated from the fruit, it decays. It nurtures one to three daughter seeds at its roots."

After speaking, Lan Cai Shen closed the box and, before they could ask, opened another.

Seeds the size of longans appeared, completely black and exuding an earthy smell.

"A Tier Two Spirit Medicine, the Earth Spirit Root. Its fruit grows underground."

"When mature, the fruit is about the size of a thumb, earthen yellow in color, and covered by a hard shell. Inside is a single drop of Earth Spirit Liquid, which contains potent earth-aspected Spiritual Qi. Its medicinal properties are heavy and have the effect of strengthening the body and generating blood."

"Once the fruit is picked, the plant needs to lie dormant for ten years before it will grow again."

Lan Cai Shen paused slightly, then reached out to open the last jade box.

The moment its contents were revealed, Li Changsheng’s heart skipped a beat.