Chapter 33: Perfect Quality (To Be Continued)
Chapter 33: Perfect Quality (To Be Continued)
Before the break of dawn, a loud and rough howl echoed in Lu Chen's ear, jolting him awake.
As he opened his eyes, he saw the Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub, with its piercing blue eyes, staring coldly at him from a short distance away.
"Was that howl just now from you? It's a bit..."
"...Jarring, to say the least," Lu Chen finished his thought as he gazed at the graceful and majestic cub sitting quietly on the bed. He found it hard to associate the elegant creature before him with the coarse howl he had just heard.
"Can you howl again for me?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
The lynx cub ignored him and leaped lightly to the ground as if stepping on four fluffy clouds.
With a sigh, Lu Chen got out of bed and prepared to wash up for the day. Just then, he heard another attempt at a howl from behind him.
"Ooooowww..."
It was clearly a misfired attempt, and Lu Chen couldn't help but picture a burly man trying his best to act cute.
"That was quite a tune. Don't try it again, though," Lu Chen said casually as he left the room.
After his morning routine, he fed the lynx cub some dried Spinefish meat.
The day before, after purchasing the Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub, Lu Chen had established a simple master-servant contract with it.
This contract ensured a close connection between them, allowing a certain level of mutual understanding. Should the spiritual pet ever harbor ill intentions towards its master, Lu Chen would be able to sense it immediately.
The contract was relatively simple and had fewer restrictions compared to others. It was said that the Beast-Taming Sect possessed even more complex blood pacts, which granted a master absolute control over their pet's life and death with a single thought. If the master were to perish unexpectedly, their spiritual pet would follow suit.
After breakfast, Lu Chen made his way to his spirit fields for his daily inspection.
In the Spirit Spring pond, the Pure Snow Lotus had grown several delicate and pristine white leaves. It stood proudly and gracefully amidst the mist, as if detached from the world.
Lu Chen cast a spell that showered the lotus with icy spiritual energy, enhancing the cold and aloof appearance of the fragile leaves.
A few Blood Jade Ginseng plants were misbehaving, attempting to tangle together during the night while he slept.
Lu Chen even spotted two jade-like spirit ginsengs creeping towards another Blood Jade Ginseng from opposite directions.
"If I hadn't caught you three in the act, who knows what kind of tangled mess you'd end up in," Lu Chen teased mercilessly. He then activated the Earth-Drawing technique to adjust the positions of the wayward ginsengs.
Among the fine red needles of the Crimson Cloud Pine, the five pinecones had grown even larger, their impending ripeness becoming harder to conceal.
In the area where the Spirit Firefly Grass was planted, a hundred plants had entered the final stage of maturation. Each stood about a foot tall, and Lu Chen estimated that several of them would bear light orbs as a reward in the coming days.
After inspecting his entire spirit field, Lu Chen made his way back to the edge of the Spirit Spring, carrying several exotic insects he had dug up.
In the pond, the Three-tailed Red-whiskered Carp swam around the Pure Snow Lotus. They seemed to sense the slight change in the spiritual energy surrounding the lotus leaves.
"In a way, this scene could be described by those four lines of ancient poetry," Lu Chen thought to himself.
"Fish play with lotus leaves in the east,
Fish play with lotus leaves in the west,
Fish play with lotus leaves in the south,
Fish play with lotus leaves in the north."
"However, in the ancient poem, the lotus leaves are described as lush and dense, with fish constantly appearing among them. In my Spirit Spring, the Red-whiskered Carp surrounds the Pure Snow Lotus, occupying all four directions around it," Lu Chen mused as he tossed a plump exotic insect into the spring.
Even before Lu Chen arrived, the Three-tailed Red-whiskered Carp knew that a delicious treat was about to fall, and they positioned themselves below him, their long, thin red whiskers trailing behind them.
As soon as the insect was thrown, six long whiskers shot out simultaneously, aiming to capture the falling treat.
Suddenly, a black and white claw reached out from the edge of the spring, grabbing the six red whiskers in an instant.
The carp's bodies were pulled by the claws, causing them to leap out of the shallow spring water.
Lu Chen glared at the Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub crouching at the edge of the Spirit Spring pond. He sensed that the lynx's instinct had driven it to grab the fish, but it immediately let go, obeying Lu Chen's instructions.
The lynx ignored Lu Chen and tiptoed silently along the edge of the Spirit Spring pond, waiting for another opportunity to pounce.
However, the Red-whiskered Carp had just suffered a big loss and dared not extend its whiskers again.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The wounds on the Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub's body had all scabbed over, and four Spirit Firefly Grass plants in the spirit field had matured.
Perhaps due to the purer and richer spiritual energy in the spirit field, coupled with Lu Chen's careful nurturing from the spirit seed stage, the four matured Spirit Firefly Grass plants gave Lu Chen an unexpected surprise.
Two were of superior quality, and two were of perfect quality.
After harvesting the four Spirit Firefly Grass plants, four faintly glowing white orbs were left in their place.
Lu Chen picked up each of the orbs one by one.
"Harvested a Spirit Firefly Grass, gained nine months of cultivation."
"Harvested a Spirit Firefly Grass, gained one year of cultivation."
Two thoughts flashed through Lu Chen's mind.
The spiritual power within him surged and raged through his meridians.
Lu Chen circulated his cultivation technique, controlling the flow of spiritual power within his body, and after it gradually calmed down, a smile appeared on his face.
During this period, although he had mainly focused on nurturing his spirit plants, he had also cultivated diligently in his spare time. However, the spiritual power within him could barely move, let alone improve.
He wasn't worried, as his talent was evident, and this cultivation speed was already considered normal.
More importantly, with the light orbs rewarded by the Spirit Firefly Grass as a fallback, the gains or losses of spiritual power from his daily cultivation weren't as important anymore.
Indeed, the two Spirit Firefly Grass plants had almost made up for two years of his arduous cultivation.
"I've planted three batches of Spirit Firefly Grass, and it's clear that the quality at maturity greatly affects the rewards of the light orbs."
"If I recall correctly, ordinary quality yields three months of cultivation, good quality yields six months, superior quality yields nine months, and perfect quality yields a year."
He thought to himself as he continued to pick up the third white orb.
"Harvested a Spirit Firefly Grass, gained the Wood Birth Technique."
A thought flashed through his mind.
"Wood Birth Technique, a Wood-type technique, can gather Wood-type spiritual power and accelerate the growth of spirit plants to a certain extent."
"Finally, a new technique has been revealed!"
Following the Earth Drawing Technique and the Metal-element Sword Manual, the Spirit Firefly Grass's light orbs had produced a third technique.
This Wood Birth Technique was similar to the Earth Drawing Technique in that they were both ungraded techniques. While it wasn't as powerful as the Metal-element Sword Manual, it suited Lu Chen better.
"The maturation-inducing effect is barely noticeable right now. But after absorbing more experience orbs from the Wood Birth Technique, I should be able to significantly shorten the growth time of spirit plants."
Lu Chen thought to himself.
The last white orb, brought about by the perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass, disappeared, leaving behind a talisman.
The talisman was different from ordinary ones, seemingly made of metal and iron, with intricate fine sword marks engraved on its surface.
"Sword Qi Myriad Talisman, a second-grade talisman. When cast, it's equivalent to the full force of a high-level Qi Refining cultivator, possessing formidable offensive power."
"A second-grade talisman!"
Lu Chen was delighted. First and second-grade talismans fell within the Qi Refining realm. Most first-grade talismans were equivalent to the full force of a low-level Qi Refining cultivator, with the better ones reaching the might of a mid-level Qi Refining cultivator. On the other hand, second-grade talismans were mostly equivalent to the full force of a high-level Qi Refining cultivator.
For the current Lu Chen, it could be considered a trump card.
(End of Chapter)
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