Chapter 267: Thunder-struck Wood, Spring Rain Sword Intent
Chapter 267: Thunder-struck Wood, Spring Rain Sword Intent
After bidding farewell to Zhong Jingshan, Lu Chen returned to his cave abode.
Though the task of helping to raise the strange insect had taken a considerable amount of time, the rewards he reaped far exceeded his expectations.
Just the three hundred Sword Seals alone were worth the three months of hard work.
After all, three hundred Sword Seals could be exchanged for a fourth-grade spirit herb, not to mention the rare thunder-struck wood.
The fact that this piece of wood retained its vitality despite being subjected to the might of a thunderous downpour was a testament to its extraordinary nature.
Lu Chen couldn't wait to get back to his spirit fields, locating an empty area covered with Wuling soil.
Channeling his spiritual energy, he quietly manipulated the earth with his Earth-Drawing technique, creating a fissure slightly larger than the root system of the thunder-struck wood.
Placing the desiccated wood into the crack, Lu Chen focused his mind, and a thought flashed through his brain.
Thunder-struck Wood: A fourth-grade spirit plant that retains a thread of life even after being subjected to a thunderous downpour. It has a certain attraction to thunder and, when mature, can be used to refine talismans, flying swords, and seals. It naturally carries the aura of thunder, exerting a restraining effect on evil spirits.
Nurtured by the power of natural lightning, Thunder-struck Wood can grow at an incredibly fast rate.
Strike me with all your might! That which does not kill me only makes me stronger!
"Thunder-struck Wood, a fourth-grade spirit plant... Quite a spirited little thing for a mere plant," Lu Chen remarked with a sense of awe. The fact that the Thunder-struck Wood, instead of being destroyed by endless lightning, had its fighting spirit ignited, actively attracting more thunder, caused Lu Chen to view it with newfound respect.
Beneath his feet, the gray tendrils of the Demon Ghost Vine stealthily crept into the spirit soil, eager to leave its unique mark.
As soon as it made contact with the roots of the Thunder-struck Wood, a faint aura of thunderous spiritual energy surged forth from the depths, causing the vine to experience a strong numbing sensation, making it tremble involuntarily.
Paying no heed to the playful Demon Ghost Vine, Lu Chen focused on the Xundlei Sword Pill within his dantian. It began to rotate, shooting out streaks of black sword qi that struck the Thunder-struck Wood.
"Some effect, but not quite there yet," he murmured, gauging the immediate response from the Thunder-struck Wood.
The Xundlei Sword Pill contained innumerable streaks of sword qi, each imbued with the power of wind and thunder. Lu Chen wanted to test if stimulating the Thunder-struck Wood with this sword qi could aid in its cultivation.
The results were mediocre; it couldn't compare to the power of natural lightning.
Next, he untied the Yangxuan Sword Sheath from his waist.
The ancient-looking sword sheath trembled as he drew out the Zidian Sword that had been residing within it.
The Zidian Sword, shaped like a bolt of lightning, had a unique design and, coupled with its innate thunderous power, made it difficult for the sword sheath to contain it.
Lu Chen held the deep purple flying sword in his hand and executed a flourishing sword technique. Instantly, a deep purple bolt of electricity struck the center of the Thunder-struck Wood.
"The thunderous power carried by the Zidian Sword seems to have a better effect," Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction. With the Zidian Sword, he need not worry about the Thunder-struck Wood's growth in the early stages.
After planting the Thunder-struck Wood, he continued his inspection of the spirit fields, checking on the growth of each spirit plant.
Having spent several months in Zhong Jingshan's insect valley, the spirit plants in his fields had grown significantly.
The fourth-grade Misty Sound Bamboo had grown a section of jade-like bamboo. On the slender, verdant bamboo body were countless tiny fissures, each emitting a discordant noise that, when combined, created a chaotic din that irritated the mind.
It was only when the Demon Ghost Vine appeared that all the tiny fissures closed simultaneously, restoring a peaceful silence.
The surroundings became noticeably quieter.
The Primordial Energy Grass that had been sent by the Dan Palace for Lu Chen to cultivate on their behalf had also taken root and sprouted. On the surface, it appeared ordinary and indistinguishable from common wild grass. If not for the detection of the rich spiritual energy deep within the herb through careful probing with his spiritual sense, one might have easily overlooked its significance.
Lu Chen directed his spiritual sense to perceive the changes in spiritual energy within the Five Elements Fruit, channeling the Grand Five Elements Art. A strand of fiery red spiritual energy seeped into the fruit's indistinct leaves and branches.
The Five Elements Fruit's azure light rose and swiftly melted away, its scarlet spiritual energy increasing significantly in a short time.
After using the Five Elements to cultivate the Five Elements Fruit, Lu Chen moved on to the Spirit Nurturing Pine nearby.
From the four Spirit Nurturing Pine plants, he felt a pure wave of thoughts, and the verdant pine needles swayed without wind, creating a rustling sound.
Sensing the dependence of the Spirit Nurturing Pines, Lu Chen smiled slightly and used his spiritual sense to soothe and communicate with the four spiritual plants.
In the other spirit fields, on the first planted fourth-grade Mystic Insect Vine, numerous strange insect-like creatures crawled in and out of what resembled body segments, coordinating harmoniously to establish a symbiotic relationship with the vine.
In the Earthfire Creek, within the fiery red petals of the Earthfire Heart Lotus, tiny lotus pods were forming, containing finger-sized pale red lotus seeds that eagerly absorbed the scorching lava that fell onto the petals.
In the sky, the crimson lotus rooted in the Phoenix Wood had shrunk considerably compared to when it first appeared, but what remained was more condensed. The lotus danced joyfully within the petals.
"In a few days, I'll have to add another Red Lotus Flame."
Lu Chen sighed and walked to the edge of the small lake.
"Hmm? One of the Sword Grasses has matured!"
Perhaps due to the Spring Rain Sword Intent from the Four Seasons Sword Art containing stronger vitality, Lu Chen noticed that the progress bar below one of the Sword Grasses had filled up.
Of the ten Sword Grass spirit seeds left by Shen Ye, eight were being cultivated with the four seasonal sword intents, one with the sword intent nurtured by the Crimson Flame Sword within its sheath, and the last one, a third-grade Wind and Thunder Sword Grass, was cultivated with the Sun Thunder Sword Radiance.
A Spring Rain Sword Intent landed on the mature Sword Grass, and countless minute sword intents shot out from around it, like a continuous gentle rain, endless and dreamlike.
The joints of his hand glowed with a lustrous light as he firmly grasped the sword grass, which resembled a sword blade. Slowly, he pulled it out.
"A natural sword."
During the pulling process, the gentle rain of sword intent quietly merged into the Sword Grass, and Lu Chen couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the straight plant in his hand.
As his mind focused, a thought flashed through his head.
[Sword Grass, a second-grade spiritual plant, shaped like a sword blade, formed after prolonged nurturing with Spring Rain Sword Intent. It is a natural sword.]
"A superior quality Sword Grass, not bad."
After all, the Four Seasons Sword Art was a Foundation Establishment stage technique, far superior to the first-grade Golden Sword Art. Coupled with the richer and purer spiritual energy of the inner sect, even with less attention paid to the Sword Grass, he still managed to obtain a superior quality plant.
Without further delay, Lu Chen turned his attention to a white light group that had appeared in the spirit soil.
He reached out and gently touched the surface of the light group, and it instantly transformed into countless minute sword intents that surged into his body.
A thought emerged in his mind.
[Harvested a second-grade Sword Grass and obtained the Spring Rain Sword Intent.]
As the thought passed, an invisible sword intent flowed into Lu Chen's sea of consciousness, like a gentle spring rain, soft yet concealing a deadly edge.
In an instant, his understanding of the Spring Rain Sword Art from the Four Seasons Sword Art reached an extremely profound level. If he had only comprehended the 'technique' before, after absorbing this sword intent, he could be said to have grasped the 'form' of the art, an intangible existence.
(End of Chapter)
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