You Cultivate, I Farm

As Lu Xuan passed the outer hall of the Agricultural Hall, he didn't see Xia Chen, a familiar face with the countenance of an old farmer.

So, he directly entered the inner hall.

"Brother Lu, you're here? Haven't seen you for a while."

Only inner sect disciples were allowed in the inner hall, making it much more spacious and quiet aside from two fellow sect members guarding the place.

A youth of average appearance and a calm demeanor rose to greet Lu Xuan upon seeing him.

"It's Junior Brother Zhang."

Lu Xuan responded with a smile. The youth, named Zhang Ce, was a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, and the two had met several times within the Agricultural Hall.

"I've come to pick some second-grade spiritual seeds, and I'll need your assistance, Junior Brother Zhang."

"It's no trouble at all. But, Brother Lu, this is quite unexpected of you. I remember you used to exchange for fourth-grade spiritual seeds."

Surprise flashed in the youth's eyes, for his impression of Lu Xuan was indeed profound.

When Lu Xuan was first promoted to an inner sect disciple, it was Zhang Ce who had welcomed him, and later, when exchanging for fourth-grade spiritual seeds, whether through him or heard of, he was well aware of Lu Xuan's rapid growth.

Thus, Lu Xuan's interest in cultivating second-grade spiritual plants caught him off guard.

"Recently, I've been trying my hand at alchemy, so I wanted to cultivate some related spiritual herbs myself to save some costs."

Lu Xuan casually concocted a reason, although cultivating second-grade spiritual plants did have this purpose, the primary aim was the potential experience packages from the luminous orbs.

"I see, Brother Lu, which seeds do you need?"

Zhang Ce pulled out a jade scroll, considerately flipping it open for Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan pointed to a lifelike depiction of a plant on one of the pages.

"Twenty Yellow Cloud plant seeds."

"Each Yellow Cloud plant seed costs thirteen Sword Seals or sixty spirit stones."

"Alright."

Lu Xuan nodded, harboring merely experimental intentions. Although he was quite confident, he feared the unexpected, and twenty seeds should suffice.

"Additionally, I need these second-grade seeds as well, five of each kind."

He continued to browse the jade scroll, pointing at the illustrations of the plants, saying.

The reason for choosing these seeds was primarily to see what rewards the matured plants could yield. If there were experience packages similar to alchemy formulas, it might be worth cultivating them.

Ordinarily, the rewards from second-grade spiritual plants are second or third-grade, and given his current cultivation near the late stage of Foundation Establishment, the rewards might slightly decrease.

After all, having experienced the precedent set by the Water Firefly Grass, Lu Xuan somewhat understood that cultivating plants beyond one's level could yield substantial rewards, whereas downgrading might reduce them.

"Twenty Yellow Cloud plant seeds, totaling two hundred and sixty Sword Seals, plus..."

"All seeds amount to just over eleven hundred Sword Seals."

Zhang Ce looked up and said.

"Okay."

Lu Xuan, unflustered, summoned a large number of Sword Seals from his storage bag, piling up in front of Zhang Ce like a small hill.

"Eighty-five second-grade seeds, all worth less than three fourth-grade seeds, it's a small matter."

He had accumulated quite a number of Sword Seals, receiving a thousand from the sect as a reward upon returning from establishing a blessed land, and even more for cultivating plants for the Pill Hall, making his wealth substantial, with over a thousand Sword Seals not being much of concern.

After Zhang Ce counted the Sword Seals, he went deeper into the inner hall.

Soon after, he returned with a heavy cloth bag for Lu Xuan.

"Brother Lu, these are all the seeds you requested, please check them."

After Lu Xuan scanned them with his spiritual sense to verify the types and quantities, he nodded in confirmation.

"That's correct."

He bid farewell to Zhang Ce and called a Spirit Crane in the square, returning to his cave dwelling.

"Yo, Fatty's back?"

Back in his courtyard, Lu Xuan instantly noticed the plump bird sprawling on the ground, its flesh spreading out widely, covering a large area.

In stark contrast to its previous gloominess, the Wind Falcon seemed rejuvenated, evidently in high spirits.

"How will you deal with that azure-haired Wind Falcon from now on?"

Lu Xuan curiously asked, feeling a tad nervous.

He feared the plump bird might convey a spirit intention.

"Old Deng, hurry and burst some spiritual fruits for Dovey."

Fortunately, the plump bird, having sensed the deference from its kind, awakened successfully and emitted a crisp chirp towards Lu Xuan.

"Just play around with it for now, and use spiritual

fruits to entice it when necessary."

"Fallen, oh how fallen! My once pure Fatty is gone forever!"

Lu Xuan sighed, looking at the increasingly degenerate plump bird, feeling content.

Rewarding the bird with a bottle of Hundred-Fruit Spirit Juice brewed in the Drunken Immortal Gourd, he headed to the spiritual field, finding an empty spot.

"If the heavens had not created Lu Xuan, the path of alchemy would be as perpetual night!"

"Sow!"

As his words fell, twenty Yellow Cloud plant seeds appeared in his hand.

The seeds looked ordinary, dark yellow with a rough surface, resembling small pebbles. Only by delving deep with one's spiritual sense could one feel their surging vitality.

Lu Xuan used the Earth Attraction Technique, subtly altering the soil structure to create numerous small holes.

He placed the Yellow Cloud plant seeds into them, with strands of Spirit Rain falling gently, seeping into the seeds, his mind focused on them.

[Yellow Cloud plant, a second-grade spiritual plant, thrives in shade and can be used as a primary ingredient for Beast Spirit Pills upon maturation.]

[The plant contains components highly attractive to demonic beasts, making it a favorite. To better survive and propagate, Yellow Cloud plant has evolved over generations to blend into the soil, making it extremely hard to detect.]

["You can't see me, you can't see me..."]

In Lu Xuan's spiritual perception, the dark yellow pebbles quietly merged with the soil, easily overlooked if not carefully observed.

"This unique feature of the plant indeed helps avoid many risks."

Thinking this, Lu Xuan casually set up a restriction near the Yellow Cloud plant to prevent it or the eventual sprouts from being eaten by the cave's spiritual beasts or the Demon Ghost Vine.

He then sowed the rest of the seeds, one by one.

These plants were mainly for experimentation. With Lu Xuan's limited attention, he didn't plan to cultivate them meticulously, tending to them occasionally and letting them grow freely in the cave for the rest of the time.

After planting, he returned to the Yellow Cloud plant, summoning a faint green light at his fingertips.

"You wish to grow unnoticed? Unfortunately, I don't have the time to wait for your natural maturation."

"So, get ready, I'm about to speed things up."

With a whisper, Lu Xuan's Green Wood Source Qi divided into twenty thin strands of pale green essence, infiltrating the dark yellow seeds.

The Green Wood Source Qi, derived from the essence of a fifth-grade spiritual beast, the Azure Profound Deer, contained terrifyingly potent vitality, significantly accelerating the growth of the plants and shortening their maturation time.