You Cultivate, I Farm

Chapter 164

Yao Qing benefited greatly from these two missions. Although the immediate gains weren't substantial, she gained more trust from the foundation-building cultivators behind the scenes.

Therefore, she had full confidence in Lu Xuan and rushed over to meet him at the earliest opportunity.

"Yao Senior Sister, what's the matter exactly?" Lu Xuan asked with confusion.

"Do you know anything about improving spirit plant varieties?" Yao Qing inquired.

Lu Xuan shook his head. Despite his unconventional background, upon entering the sect, he diligently studied spirit plants and creatures. However, his knowledge was still limited.

For instance, he only mastered the cultivation method of two kinds of spirit plants: the Firefly Grass and Blood Jade Ginseng. As for improving spirit plant varieties, he had no exposure to that.

However, with the numerous spirit plants he was now nurturing, he gradually touched upon this aspect.

In the market of Linyin Fang, due to the intrusion of evil spirits, numerous spirit plants within Hundred Herbs Hall underwent mutations, which Lu Xuan handled.

But upon reflection, he wondered: if the mutated spirit plants survived, could they become entirely new species of spirit plants? Additionally, there was a senior sister in the sect who adored spirit fruits. Due to environmental influences, the Flame Fruit she cultivated required only Yin Fire nourishment. In the long run, the effects of the spirit fruits it bore might differ from normal Flame Fruits.

Furthermore, that mixed-blood Black-scaled dragon—since demonic beasts could interbreed and produce mixed-blood Black-scaled dragon, did it mean it was easier to manipulate spirit plants too?

Seeing his expression, Yao Qing hurriedly explained, "Steward He recently cultivated a batch of variant spirit plants and has planted them. She's busy, with limited energy. Currently, she needs an experienced spirit plant cultivator to nurture these variant spirit plants daily, monitor their growth, and report any abnormalities promptly."

Lu Xuan nodded and inquired, "Yao Senior Sister, will I be the only one nurturing these spirit plants, or are there other fellow disciples involved?"

"If you agree, then yes, you'll be the only one. After all, there aren't many variant spirit plants, and one cultivator is enough," Yao Qing replied.

"How much freedom will I have?" Lu Xuan pondered, asking.

Yao Qing considered for a moment and replied, "As long as you nurture those variant spirit plants well, Steward He won't mind what you do with your other time."

"That's good. I'm used to being lazy and can't stand too many constraints. I hope you'll forgive me, Senior Sister," Lu Xuan said.

Lu Xuan needed time in his own abode to nurture and tend to the spirit plants. After all, that was the foundation of his current standing. Additionally, he didn't like being constrained. His ability to exhibit excellent skills in spirit plant cultivation was due to his understanding of the detailed conditions of the plants after the 'planting' process. If someone kept monitoring him, it wouldn't be conducive to his work.

After confirming a few details with Yao Qing and ensuring there were no issues, he agreed happily.

After tidying up his abode briefly, the two of them rode spirit cranes and landed after a while in a picturesque mountain peak.

"Why don't you need to pay spirit stones to ride the spirit crane, Lu Xuan?" Yao Qing couldn't help asking as they navigated through various exotic spirit woods.

"Because I have a slight relationship with the sect's spirit crane flock. I've tried giving them spirit stones, but they refuse. After a few attempts, they just let it be," Lu Xuan explained while surveying the tall spirit woods around.

"This is where Steward He usually resides. She excels in making talismans, so there are many spirit woods here suitable for making talisman materials," Yao Qing explained when she noticed Lu Xuan's curiosity.

The two soon arrived at an elegant small pavilion. The pavilion was surrounded by dense dark-green bamboo, tightly enclosing it.

Yao Qing took out her identity token, waved it in front of the bamboo, and a wooden door appeared in front of them.

Entering the courtyard, Lu Xuan saw a gentle female cultivator meditating there. She was dressed simply, and various exotic flowers and plants faintly flickered behind her.

Sensing the arrival of the two, the unusual sight behind her vanished instantly, leaving a lingering fragrance. The gentle female cultivator opened her eyes, calmly gazing at them.

"He, Senior Uncle, this is Lu Xuan, a junior brother with remarkable achievements in spirit plant cultivation," Yao Qing bowed and introduced Lu Xuan to the gentle female cultivator.

"He, Senior Uncle, greetings," Lu Xuan hurriedly paid his respects.

"Lu nephew, I've heard about you from Xiao Qing more than once. Originally, I wanted to announce a task at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. She suggested giving you a try, so I called you over to have a look first," the gentle female cultivator smiled.

"Thank you, Senior Uncle and Senior Sister Yao, for your favor. I'll do my best to nurture and take care of those variant spirit plants for Senior Uncle," Lu Xuan replied.

"Good. I trust you," the gentle female cultivator smiled even more.

"Let's go see the spirit fields first," she suggested, leading the way with Lu Xuan and Yao Qing following through the towering spirit woods.

"Lu nephew, how much do you know about improving spirit plant varieties?" the gentle female cultivator asked on the way.

"Not much. I hope Senior Uncle can enlighten me," Lu Xuan replied.

"There are mainly two methods for improvement. One is stimulating changes within seeds during the gestation or storage phase using special methods to induce transformations and cultivate new species of spirit plants," she explained.

"The other method involves altering the spirit plant's growth process by changing their spiritual power environment and growing conditions. This enables the spirit plants to constantly adapt and slowly adjust, leading to new changes in the plants."

"Both cultivation methods require a considerable consumption of spirit seeds or spirit plants. Even at my current mid-stage foundation-building realm, I can't frequently experiment," she elaborated patiently.

"And, changes induced by stimulating spirit seeds are unpredictable. You won't know how to cultivate the new spirit plant, its effects after maturation, or what grade it will be. Many times, using this method results in total failure, or the cultivated spirit plants fall far below expectations compared to the original ones."

"As for using extreme methods to stimulate changes, it's easy to severely damage the spirit plants. It also requires substantial financial support," the gentle female cultivator patiently explained.

"Thank you, Senior Uncle," Lu Xuan nodded, thoughts churning inside him.

"The first method of stimulating spirit seeds doesn't seem like a problem for me. As long as I plant the seeds, I'll know their grade, effects, and cultivation methods. I can easily screen out low-grade or ineffective spirit seeds without wasting energy on them."

"As for the second method, that's even easier. If extreme methods cause damage, I can assess the extent of the damage through the plant's immediate condition and provide targeted treatment."

"So, I seem well-suited for improving spirit plant varieties," Lu Xuan nodded to himself.

"But the biggest problem is, I don't have spirit stones!" Without the means, all his potential contributions would likely come to naught.

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