I Practice Farming While the Rest Cultivates

Lu Xuan thought to himself.

He was already being quite open by presenting nine Tortoise-Crane Primordial Pills this time. If he took out more, it would be difficult to explain to others.

For an ordinary Mid Nascent Soul Cultivator, even taking out one is extremely rare. More than ten would surely catch the eyes of those with intentions, leading to unnecessary trouble.

Previously, when he first took out a Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pill, an Elder of the Pill Palace wanted to seize the elixir recipe. Fortunately, Jian Huanzhen approached the sword attendant directly to stop that action.

Now, although he is already a True Sword Disciple, with the Sword Sect’s foundation, he can’t guarantee how many Late Nascent Soul or even Nascent Soul Perfection old monsters are hidden, so it’s better to keep a low profile.

He then examined the treasures prepared by his fellow sect members.

This time, with ample preparation time, a few fellow sect members prepared fairly abundant treasures, including extremely rare Seventh Grade Spiritual Seeds and Seventh Grade Accelerated Spiritual Objects, showing considerable effort.

Unfortunately, Lu Xuan’s standards were becoming increasingly picky, and now that he was at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, most of the Light Cluster rewards from Seventh Grade Spirit Plants were somewhat insignificant, except for certain special Spirit Plants.

As for Seventh Grade Accelerated Spiritual Objects, he could already consistently produce Wood Elf Juice and the Plant Spirit Aura from the Divine Wood Green Pot, so the demand was not very high.

Occasionally coming across something tempting, he could only keep it as a backup, and politely declined the rest.

“Lu Xuan greets Senior Brother Chen.”

He approached the Taoist with a jade-like face.

“Junior Brother Lu, when I was traveling in the Outer Domains, I’ve heard tales about you more than once. Seeing you today, you’re even more outstanding than I imagined.”

Chen Shoujing bowed and said.

“Senior Brother, you’re too kind. I just have a bit of Spirit Plant Talent, coupled with some good luck, and managed to nurture a few kinds of Sword Grass. In terms of contribution to the sect, I’m nowhere near your level.”

Lu Xuan said modestly.

“Hahaha, it’s easy to find someone with high cultivation, but a logistics master like Junior Brother Lu is a rarity seen once in ten thousand years.”

Chen Shoujing laughed heartily.

“I heard that Junior Brother is searching for High Rank Accelerated Spiritual Objects. I happen to have an Ancient Strange Object in hand and have reached an age where I wish to prolong my life, so I made a special trip back.”

He said gently, giving off a warm and comforting feeling.

“What kind of treasure does Senior Brother Chen have?”

Lu Xuan asked curiously.

The Taoist in front of him was the former Qingwei Sword Master, who had entered the Nascent Soul Realm for at least a thousand years and was only a step away from Divinity Transformation. The treasures in his possession must be extraordinary.

“It’s this item.”

Chen Shoujing casually set up a prohibition to prevent others from prying, and a peculiar object appeared in his hand.

A section of grass roughly five inches long.

The grass was of an azure-green color, surrounded by faint spiritual auras, its surface old and mottled, as if it had endured endless years.

“What is this?”

Suppressing the urge to touch it, Lu Xuan asked softly.

“This piece of grass is called the Green Emperor’s Beard, which I found by chance in an Ancient Cave Heaven.”

“It is said that in ancient times, there was a great power named the Green Emperor, possessing near-Immortal cultivation, capable of altering the heavens and earth and causing stars to fall with a mere gesture.”

“According to ancient records, there are two legends about this Green Emperor’s Beard. One says that the Green Emperor’s true form was an Innate Spirit Root, and this was just a small branch or leaf that fell from it.”

“Another says that the Green Emperor’s body was destroyed when besieged by a formidable enemy, and a wisp of his aura was sealed within this grass, forming a special spiritual object.”

“The specifics are not verifiable, but this Green Emperor’s Beard is certainly a rather excellent Ninth Grade Treasure, containing rare Plant Spirit Aura that can rapidly mature High Rank Spirit Plants and is also a superior strange treasure for cultivating Wood Attribute Divine Secret Techniques.”

Chen Shoujing explained slowly.

“Ninth Grade Green Emperor’s Beard! From Senior Brother Chen’s description, its value should surpass the All Things Ultimate Mother Spirit Essence previously awarded by the Sword Sect.”

Lu Xuan was secretly delighted.

“How many Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pills does Senior Brother Chen want in exchange?”

He asked with a slightly tense expression, fearing that the remaining five might not be enough and he would have to dip into his stock.

“How many do you have left, Junior Brother Lu?”

“Only five remaining.”

Lu Xuan replied truthfully.

“Five will suffice. Haggling over one or two more is unnecessary.”

“Consider it fostering a good relationship.”

Chen Shoujing said with a smile.

“You’re magnanimous, Senior Brother Chen! Then I’ll humbly accept it!”

Lu Xuan quickly replied, afraid the other might change his mind.

During the last exchange gathering, he traded three Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pills for a Ninth Grade Spiritual Seed, a Nine-Orifice Ginseng Fruit, from Ling Xiaozi.

But although both are Ninth Grade, the Nine-Orifice Ginseng Fruit is just a Spiritual Seed that takes unknown years to mature, and its vitality has mostly dissipated, greatly diminishing its value.

The Green Emperor’s Beard, on the other hand, is inherently far more valuable than the Nine-Orifice Ginseng Fruit. Owning it is equivalent to being able to rapidly mature a Ninth Grade Spirit Plant and reap the Light Cluster rewards from it. Being able to exchange five Seventh Grade Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pills for it, Lu Xuan couldn’t help but feel lucky.

“Senior Brother Chen, here are five Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pills.”

He handed over five Spirit Pills, shrouded in the illusory shadows of a Spirit Turtle and Spirit Crane, to the Taoist.

“Superb quality, very nice. I may seek advice from Junior Brother Lu on alchemy if there’s an opportunity.”

Chen Shoujing, being skilled in alchemy himself, immediately recognized the exceptional quality of the Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pills and nodded approvingly.

“I wouldn’t dare to profess giving instruction; exchanging insights would be delightful.”

Lu Xuan, having a good impression of the Taoist before him, said with a smile.

When the Taoist lifted the prohibition, his gaze swept over the crowd.

The people below instantly felt a sense of foreboding.

Lu Xuan pondered for a moment, and his clear voice resonated in the ears of each sect mate.

“Fellow sect members, I’ve completed the exchange of all nine Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pills. Congratulations to those who successfully traded for the Spirit Pill. To the others, I must express my apologies.”

“Why was it so quick?”

“What kind of treasure could equal nine Life Prolonging Spirit Pills?!”

“Junior Brother Lu, I beg you, I only have a few decades of life left. Please trade a Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pill with me; I’ll do anything for you!”

An elder, with vacant eyes, muttered to himself.

Having meticulously prepared for so long but unable to trade for the vital Spirit Pill left his state of mind unstable.

“Senior Brother, I truly apologize, but the quantity of Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pills is limited and must follow the previously established rules for exchange.”

“Everyone else here is facing similar circumstances to yours. Breaking the rules to trade the Spirit Pill with you would be unfair to both those who just exchanged and those who did not get to.”

Seeing the elder in such a state, although Lu Xuan felt uneasy, he steeled himself to refuse.

Opening this precedent would only invite endless harassment and trouble.

Jian Huanzhen arrived behind him at the perfect moment, with the two Silver White Flying Swords on his back poised to spring.

The elder opened his mouth, a myriad of thoughts flashed through his sea of consciousness, but ultimately he sighed and left silently.

The other sect members inside the room, though reluctant, dared not act beyond bounds as Jian Huanzhen maintained order, and they were within the Sword Sect. Helplessly, they too left.

Soon, only Lu Xuan and Jian Huanzhen remained.

“Junior Brother Lu, you must have noticed, most of the sect members who came today did not get what they wanted.”

“Although there is camaraderie among sect members, in the face of the great fear of life and death, one can’t guarantee some won’t harbour abnormal thoughts towards fellow members.”

“You must be extra vigilant during this time to avoid falling into any traps set by others.”

Jian Huanzhen said seriously.

“Rest assured, Senior Brother. I rarely leave the sect, and even when I do, I only stroll around the three nearby affiliated cities, not giving anyone a chance.”

Lu Xuan said with a laugh.

“True, I was overthinking. Someone like Junior Brother, who stays in the Cave Abode and seldom goes out, will not easily give others the opportunity to rob or harm.”

Jian Huanzhen chuckled, knowing his Spirit Plant Master junior brother’s habits.

Lu Xuan took his leave and returned to his Cave Abode.

While he sympathized with the fellow sect members who didn’t obtain a Tortoise-Crane Yuan Pill, he had no intention of blindly offering charity.

“Opportunities, once missed, are one’s own issue, not mine.”

“Should there be ingratitude leading to murder for treasure, though I’m not adept at fighting, I’m not easy prey either.”

Lu Xuan thought to himself.

He felt lucky to possess such an extraordinary existence as the Light Cluster, sparing him from the dilemmas faced by his fellow sect members in the future.