Chapter 346: Spirit Field Cultivation, Sorrow of the Sword Pavilion

“A Qing, is this the new Spirit Field you’ve just opened?”

At Half Mountain Small Courtyard, Old Doctor stared at the Spirit Field Lu Qing had cultivated just two days prior, his expression filled with astonishment.

The field spanned nearly two mu, its spiritual aura dense and rich—far more vibrant than when he’d last seen it. Even the adjacent Medicinal Field had undergone a striking transformation; the herbs within had shot up in height, visibly thickened and thriving.

Old Doctor had only just returned from his latest round of free medical consultations. As he stepped into the courtyard, his eyes were immediately drawn to the newly cultivated Spirit Field.

“Hmm, Master, you’re back just in time—I was about to plant these Ling Gu seeds,” Lu Qing said with a smile.

“Good. I’ll help you.”

Old Doctor was no stranger to farming; in fact, he was quite skilled at it.

Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs, ready to join Lu Qing in sowing the spirit-awakened rice seeds.

Xiao Yan, who had been studying quietly in the courtyard, spotted the fun and dashed out to lend a hand. Even Xiao Li, ever curious, crept forward with its claws, scooping up a few seeds and tossing them into the field one by one.

Of course, the little black beast—never fond of water—stayed firmly on the ridges, refusing to step into the mud.

Lu Qing didn’t mind the two mischievous little helpers. He had plenty of spirit-awakened seeds, more than enough for two mu of land. Even if they wasted a few, there’d still be plenty left. Besides, planting wasn’t a complex task—any child could manage it.

Two mu wasn’t much, and with the three of them and Xiao Li working together, the field was soon fully sown.

Lu Qing then flicked a hand, chanting a quick incantation. Instantly, clouds gathered above the field.

After just a dozen breaths, droplets imbued with Qi began to fall—sparse at first, then steadily increasing—gently nourishing the newly planted seeds.

“Master, once the Ling Gu is planted, it must be watered daily with the Spirit Rain Art. The same goes for medicinal herbs. The technique is simple to learn. I’ll carve these cultivation methods onto a Jade Scroll for you?”

“That would be excellent,” Old Doctor replied. “I’ve been meaning to grow some higher-quality herbs lately—this would be a perfect chance to study the art of spirit herb cultivation.”

Lu Qing nodded. “Master, you’ve been treating patients these past few days. Did you encounter any particularly difficult cases?”

Old Doctor’s expression darkened. “Indeed. This time, I noticed something troubling. The villagers’ illnesses have grown far harder to treat than before. Most patients carry a strange, malevolent Qi—what we call ‘disease spirit energy’—a phenomenon I’ve never seen before. Our usual herbs are powerless against it. Increasing the dosage might help, but herbs carry poison by nature. Pushing too hard risks killing the patient outright.”

He paused, his voice heavy. “This time, I relied heavily on acupuncture, and sometimes even had to channel my Qi directly into the body to purge the corruption.”

Lu Qing understood. “So you’re cultivating spirit herbs to counter this new threat?”

Old Doctor nodded. “Even if we can’t grow true spirit herbs, just enhancing the potency of our current herbs would be a great step forward.”

“I’ll return immediately and carve the techniques into a Jade Scroll for you.”

After a final inspection of the Spirit Field, Lu Qing and Old Doctor returned to Xiao Yuan.

With the seeds planted, the rest was simple. Lu Qing would only need to water the field regularly with the Spirit Rain Art, weed it, and guard against pests.

If all went well, he’d harvest the first batch of Ling Gu in about two or three months.

In ordinary cultivation, rice was usually first sown as seedlings before being transplanted. Otherwise, seeds scattered haphazardly in the field often led to uneven growth—sparse here, dense there—and weak root systems, making the plants prone to toppling in the wind.

But for Lu Qing, none of that mattered. This wasn’t ordinary rice. He skipped the seedling stage entirely.

Back in Xiao Yuan, Lu Qing wasted no time. He immediately inscribed the core principles of spirit herb cultivation from the Lihuo Sect onto a Jade Scroll and handed it to Old Doctor.

The moment the scroll was in his hands, Old Doctor retreated to his Jing Shi, eager to study it in depth.

With nothing pressing to do, Lu Qing instructed Xiao Yan not to wander off, then settled down to meditate.

In stillness, he “saw” within his Dantian: the Wuxing Huo—Five Elements Fire—occupied the center, endlessly absorbing and refining the spiritual force he generated through cultivation.

Each cycle refined his Qi by a fraction.

Just a few days had passed, yet Lu Qing could already sense his spiritual force had grown purer by at least ten percent.

Don’t underestimate that. For body cultivators, progress was directly tied to the purity of their spiritual force. The purer the Qi, the stronger the body it forged.

A ten-percent increase meant Lu Qing’s body had also advanced by ten percent.

Focusing inward, he guided the Five Elements Spiritual Power through the cultivation path outlined in the Five Elements Body Cultivation Scripture, refining his body with each pulse of Qi.

As the spiritual force sank deeper into his flesh and bones, his physical form grew stronger—minute by minute.

Yan, ever vigilant, watched him closely.

It marveled at the rapidity of Lu Qing’s progress.

The Five Elements Body Cultivation Scripture was legendary in the Ancient Cultivation Era for being both difficult to master and slow to yield results.

Yet none of that applied to Lu Qing.

In the past days, Yan had observed—Lu Qing was constantly busy. He brewed elixirs, awakened seeds, and even journeyed beyond the courtyard to save lives.

Truly, he spent little time on formal cultivation.

And yet, his progress remained steady, even accelerating.

Based on its calculations, Lu Qing would likely reach the Middle Qi Condensation realm in no time.

Such speed would make even the most celebrated geniuses of the Ancient Era blush with shame.

And considering Lu Qing’s foundational strength, even at Middle Qi Condensation, his true power might rival that of a Zhu Ji Qi cultivator.

No wonder he was the prodigy born from the world’s transformation.

Cultivation truly defied ordinary logic.

Yan sighed, inwardly relieved it had chosen to submit.

Had it not, by the time Lu Qing reached Zhu Ji Qi, it would have been utterly consumed and erased.

Meanwhile, Lu Qing remained deep in meditation, his spirit refining his body.

Ten miles away, atop a towering mountain, a sinister figure crouched within the massive roots of an ancient tree, gazing toward the mist-wreathed Jiu Li Village above.

“Qi gathering… This small village has a protective array. It must be his hidden sanctuary.”

You Chang Lao, the Gray-Clothed Elder, narrowed his eyes, a flicker of dread in his gaze.

To erect such a defense in the world’s earliest days after its rebirth—only someone with a truly ancient and powerful legacy could achieve that.

Possibly the core inheritance of a long-lost immortal sect.

He studied the village for a moment longer, then withdrew.

He would not press forward.

Instead, he memorized the location and slipped away silently.

Once, he’d been confident.

He’d believed, with his strength and the others’, that no place on earth was beyond them.

But that night—Old Doctor’s Fei Jian technique had shattered that illusion.

Had it not been for the artifact bestowed by the Lord, he’d have perished alongside the others in the Wei Family Residence.

Now he understood: the old man who’d faced them was undoubtedly the Master from the intelligence report—the one who’d once trained the legendary disciple who’d nearly destroyed the entire Sheng Cheng.

If the Master was this strong… what could the disciple possibly be?

You Chang Lao had no desire to risk it.

One misstep, one detection, and their mission would be a failure.

But he’d already found what he sought.

That was enough.

He’d report back.

Let the Lord decide what came next.

With one last glance at Jiu Li Village, You Chang Lao activated his movement technique and vanished into the night.

His primary objective had been achieved.

With time still left before the Secret Realm’s scheduled opening, and now free to roam, he had plenty of opportunity to make arrangements for Wu Jian Lou’s affairs.

After leaving Cang County, You Chang Lao began traversing the lands, probing the current state of the world.

Several days later, he reached Ji Zhou, another great region.

That night, as he traveled, a sudden chill ran through him.

Ahead, a palpable, oppressive aura had just stirred in the air.

“Such a heavy Evil Karma Qi… what’s happening up ahead?”

You Chang Lao’s eyes widened in alarm.

He scanned the surroundings. The area was clearly within the territory of a sect known as Qingyun Jian Ge.

He quickly suppressed his aura, letting it fade until it was nearly undetectable—even to a Xian Tian Jing cultivator.

Then, silently, he advanced.

The farther he crept, the more his unease grew.

The Evil Karma Qi ahead was thickening—so dense it almost had a physical presence.

“What kind of atrocity could have created such a level of cursed energy?”

He pressed on, but his hesitation grew.

The aura around him was so heavy, even he—a Wu Jian Lou Elder—felt his body tremble.

Evil Karma Qi didn’t form from mere killing.

Even slaughtering hundreds wouldn’t necessarily generate it.

It only arose from those who died in unimaginable suffering, their souls twisted by endless agony and hatred.

The sheer density of the Qi ahead was unbearable.

You Chang Lao could only imagine what kind of hellish nightmare lay before him.

And what monstrous being could have wrought such a curse?

“Aaaah!!!”

Suddenly, a piercing, inhuman scream shattered the night.

You Chang Lao froze.

He glanced around at the dark, silent forest.

Then, slowly, he touched the object in his pocket—a unique treasure.

In the end, he decided to investigate.

Even if he had to spend another use of his precious artifact, he had to know.

What kind of monster had emerged in the world now?

With the reassurance of his treasure, he moved forward with even greater caution.

At last, guided by the cries, he reached a mountain gate.

He crept closer, then looked down.

His breath caught.

Beyond the gate, in the training ground, torches burned.

And beneath their flickering light, a scene of absolute horror unfolded.

A figure—wild-haired, terrifying in appearance—reached out, gripping a man’s head.

The man screamed in agony.

That was the scream You Chang Lao had heard.

Around them, scattered across the ground, were dozens of human skins—lifeless, pale, and grotesque.

Nearby, seven or eight more people were bound by ropes, their faces frozen in terror, watching helplessly.

“Shi Shu Zu, mercy! Mercy!” the man pleaded, his voice cracking.

But the wild-haired figure didn’t care.

Its massive hand tightened around the man’s skull.

With a thought, streams of crimson light burst from the man’s head—then were sucked into the figure’s body.

As the bloodlight vanished, the man’s screams faded.

His body shrank, withered, until finally, silence.

When it was over, the figure tossed the empty skin aside like trash.

You Chang Lao’s heart sank.

Now he understood.

These skins—these were the remnants left after the creature had drained every drop of bone, flesh, and spirit essence.

What kind of evil cultivation method was this?

To consume and refine human essence—this was far more sinister than anything Wu Jian Lou practiced.

He trembled.

Never had he encountered anything like this.

If discovered, he’d be dead in an instant.

But the figure above showed no sign of sensing him.

After discarding the skin, it turned its gaze toward the bound captives.

“Xiao Jian Wen,” it said slowly, looking at the White Beard Elder, his chest stained with blood, “who should I take next?”

“Monster! Demon!” the Elder spat, voice filled with rage. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance! I never thought you’d turn into this… this abomination! You’re slaughtering your own sect!”

But his voice was weak—clearly wounded.

Even if he’d wanted to strike, he couldn’t.

“Now, now, Xiao Jian Wen,” the figure replied calmly, “don’t be so harsh. You remember, don’t you? You were the one who trapped me in that dark, sunless dungeon. And we had a deal. You promised to free me, and I’d reveal the secret of Tian Di Bian Hua.”

It paused, then smiled.

“And did I break my promise?”

“If I’d known you’d become this monster, I’d have killed you the moment I saw you!” the Elder roared.

“Too bad,” the figure said, voice now cold. “There’s no such thing as regret in this world. You’ve already lost your chance.”

It leaned in, eyes gleaming.

“Now, tell me—where is that thing hidden?”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end