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Chapter 104: Flowing Light Wood, Yin Catalpa
Chapter 104: Flowing Light Wood, Yin Catalpa
The Ministry of Agriculture was established on a spacious flat ground, covering a large area.
Lu Chen entered the main hall, which was relatively quiet, with only a dozen or so high-level Qi Refining cultivators present.
Lu Chen looked around and approached a redwood counter not far from him.
Behind the counter, a external disciple of Tianjian Zong was engrossed in a tattered book, reading with great interest.
This Tianjian Zong cultivator had an ordinary appearance, dark skin, and an aura akin to that of a seasoned farmer—simple and approachable.
"Excuse me, fellow senior," Lu Chen said softly as he stepped forward.
"Feel free to ask me anything, I'll do my best to answer."
The farmer cultivator closed his book and smiled.
"I am Lu Chen, one of the newest external disciples to join the sect. I enjoy tending to flora and fauna, as well as spiritual beasts and birds. However, I am unsure about the planting and cultivation methods within the sect, so I came to inquire about the specifics."
"So you're Lu Chen, just call me Brother Guo."
The farmer cultivator stood up and bowed to Lu Chen, who quickly returned the gesture.
"Before joining the sect, Lu Chen, what grades of Spirit Herbs have you cultivated?"
"If you're a beginner, it's best to take it slow. Don't be too eager for quick success and try to cultivate high-grade Spirit Herbs right away."
"But if you have ample experience, it's simple. I can just recommend the types of Spirit Herbs to you."
Lu Chen pondered for a moment.
"I have cultivated a large number of ungraded Spirit Herbs and several Grade 1 Spirit Herbs, all of which turned out to be of decent quality. Additionally, I'm in the process of cultivating two types of Grade 2 Spirit Herbs, and they're growing quite well."
Lu Chen did not disclose his true level of expertise in herbology, choosing to keep secret the fact that he had cultivated Grade 2 Sword Grass, Dark Marrow Fungus, and was currently cultivating Grade 3 Spirit Herbs.
Even with the information he shared, it was clear that he had extensive experience in cultivating Spirit Herbs.
"Since you have such experience, Lu Chen, I suggest you skip the ungraded Spirit Herbs and start directly with Grade 1 and 2 varieties."
"Oh, right, Lu Chen, since you've only recently joined the sect, you probably don't have any Sword Seals in your identity plaque yet, do you?"
Lu Chen nodded in acknowledgment.
"In that case, there are many types of Spirit Herbs that you won't be able to cultivate."
"The Spirit Herbs offered by the Ministry of Agriculture are divided into three categories. The first can be purchased directly with spirit stones, and the prices are lower than those outside the sect, but it's difficult to acquire high-grade Spirit Seeds this way."
"The second category requires the expenditure of Sword Seals, and these Spirit Seeds are of higher grades and rarer than the first type."
"The third category not only requires Sword Seals but also has additional requirements. The purchaser must meet certain conditions regarding their identity, status, and contributions to the sect."
"For example, you might need to be an internal disciple or even a true disciple of the sect to acquire certain Spirit Seeds."
The farmer cultivator explained in detail the conditions for obtaining Spirit Seeds within the sect.
"I see," Lu Chen nodded, understanding the rationale behind the restrictions on rare and unique Spirit Seeds to reduce the likelihood of them circulating outside the sect.
He was content with the prospect of obtaining Grade 2 Spirit Seeds, and so he smiled at the farmer cultivator and said, "Then I'll choose one or two that can be purchased with spirit stones. I'd appreciate your recommendations."
"It's my duty to help," the farmer cultivator said. He took out two jade catalogs from under the redwood counter and placed them in front of Lu Chen.
"These two jade catalogs contain records of Grade 1 Spirit Herbs that can be purchased with spirit stones, and the other has Grade 2 Spirit Herbs."
"The jade catalogs have specific illustrations of the Spirit Herbs. When the illustration is illuminated, it indicates that the Spirit Seeds are currently available. If it's dim, it means that particular variety is not currently available, and you'll need to make a note and check back later."
There were about two to thirty varieties with illuminated patterns, presenting the spirit herbs vividly before Lu Chen.
He quickly browsed through the catalog and then opened the one containing the second-grade spirit herbs.
The number of spirit herbs listed in this catalog was less than half of the previous one, with only around fifty varieties, and fewer than twenty of them were illuminated. Lu Chen memorized them one by one, silently comparing them in his mind.
Currently, his spirit field contained two hundred stalks of the ungraded Spirit Glow Grass, mainly for cultivation rewards, and twenty-eight stalks of first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng, cultivated using the blood jade ginseng spirit seeds he had refined himself.
Additionally, there were three stalks of second-grade Clearwonder Spirit Tea, five stalks of second-grade Copperbone Bamboo, one third-grade Coiling Vine, and one third-grade Illusory Smoke Raiment Fruit.
As his cultivation base had risen to the higher stages of Qi Refining, the rewards from low-grade spirit herbs were becoming less significant. Thus, Lu Chen decided to eliminate the first-grade options.
As for the second-grade spirit herbs, he intended to choose only two varieties as a transition.
After much deliberation, he finally made his choice: the second-grade Flowing Light Wood and Yin Catalpa.
The bark and leaves of the Flowing Light Wood could be used to refine certain types of talismans and had a wide range of applications.
As for the Yin Catalpa, it could assist in cultivating extremely yin-type techniques and could also be used as a material for refining corresponding pills.
More importantly, as the years progressed, a hundred-year-old Yin Catalpa could nurture yin souls, and a thousand-year-old tree could be refined into high-grade magic weapons, making it a rare treasure in the eyes of ghost cultivators.
Indeed, the Yin Catalpa was the first time-based spirit herb Lu Chen had come across.
The spirit herbs he had cultivated before matured within three months to a year, after which they essentially lost their efficacy.
But with the Yin Catalpa, there was no specific maturity deadline; the longer it grew, the more valuable it became.
Lu Chen was curious about what kind of light sphere reward he would gain from cultivating this type of spirit herb.
He closed the jade catalog and smiled at the farmer-like Guo-surname cultivator, saying, "Then I'll take two Flowing Light Woods and two Yin Catalpas each. Brother Guo, please get them for me."
"Certainly, Brother Lu. Please wait a moment."
The farmer cultivator entered the inner hall of the Ministry of Agriculture. In less than a moment, he returned with a jade dish in his hand and a black cloth bag in the other.
"The jade dish contains two Flowing Light Wood spirit seeds, and the black cloth bag has two Yin Catalpa saplings. The Yin Catalpa needs to grow in a yin-attributed environment, so we use a black cloth bag to shade the saplings from strong light."
"Please take a look, Brother Lu."
Lu Chen carefully examined the two spirit seeds on the jade dish. The Flowing Light Wood seeds were quite large, oval-shaped, and had intricate natural patterns on their surfaces. Spirit light surged within the patterns, causing them to shift subtly.
He then opened the black cloth bag and quickly glanced inside.
Within the bag were two catalpa tree saplings, each about a foot tall. Their roots and stems were wrapped in black spirit soil, and the entire sapling was a deep black, giving off a chillingly yin aura.
"Wonderful. Brother Guo, may I ask the prices of these Flowing Light Wood spirit seeds and Yin Catalpa saplings?"
"Flowing Light Wood is fifty-five spirit stones per seed, and Yin Catalpa is sixty spirit stones per sapling. These are the prices set by the Ministry of Agriculture and are already much cheaper than outside, so we don't entertain haggling. I hope Brother Lu can understand."
The farmer cultivator seemed to have guessed that Lu Chen was an expert bargainer and took the initiative to explain.
Lu Chen swallowed the words that had risen to his throat and took out two hundred and thirty spirit stones, handing them to the farmer cultivator.
(End of Chapter)
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