Chapter 607: Thunder Blade Grass
Chapter 607: Thunder Blade Grass
"Do you have confidence in cultivating this so-called Thunder Blade Grass, Brother Lu?" The tall elder asked doubtfully. After all, this was a significant sixth-grade spirit herb, and Lu Xuan was only a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Despite his profound knowledge of herbology, the gap between them seemed insurmountable.
"If I can recognize this spirit herb, I certainly have some confidence in cultivating it," Lu Xuan replied confidently. "As long as I study and explore it thoroughly, I'm highly likely to succeed in cultivating it, if not absolutely certain."
However, in the elder's opinion, this was already the pinnacle of arrogance.
"It's not impossible to let you cultivate this spirit herb, but you must fulfill two conditions," the elder said. "First, you must make a Heart Demon Oath, pledging to cultivate the spirit herb with all your heart. During the cultivation process, I reserve the right to check on the herb's condition at any time."
"Also, as this sixth-grade spirit herb is extremely precious to me, you must offer a fifth-grade treasure as collateral."
"Once the spirit herb matures, the fifth-grade treasure will be returned to you, and I will express my gratitude with additional rewards." The elder paused for a moment before continuing.
"No problem," Lu Xuan agreed readily, then hesitated for a moment before taking out a pitch-black arrowhead from his storage bag. Ethereal black energy swirled around the arrow, constantly shifting as if it had a life of its own. The arrowhead appeared to be embedded in a semi-transparent face, though the features were blurred and indistinct.
"This item is called the Nailhead Arrow, a fifth-grade treasure imbued with a trace of an extremely powerful curse. It's a heirloom passed down in my family," Lu Xuan explained. "I was so captivated by this sixth-grade spirit herb that I'm willing to offer this as collateral. I hope you'll also make an oath to return it to me when the time comes."
The two men exchanged Heart Demon Oaths and took possession of each other's treasures.
"I've successfully obtained this sixth-grade aberrant spirit herb," Lu Xuan rejoiced inwardly. He already had several fifth-grade aberrant spirit herbs in his Underworld Spirit Field, but sixth-grade ones were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
"I wonder what kind of light group reward it will yield when it matures," he thought eagerly.
As Lu Xuan strode out of the Tianxing Cave branch of the Hailou Commerce Guild, he felt invigorated.
He had gained a lot from this trip. With just ten Sword Talismans, he had acquired a large number of spirit stones. He had also traded a Earth Travel Pearl for a top-grade killing weapon from Monk Mu. Moreover, he had learned about the Yuan Magnetic Spirit Vein, and the most delightful surprise was obtaining the Thunder Blade Grass, a sixth-grade aberrant spirit herb!
"After obtaining so many Sword Nourishing Gourds recently, selling a few to the Hailou Commerce Guild won't earn me many spirit stones. Selling too many might arouse suspicion, as I'm just a solitary cultivator. Having too many treasures flowing out from me will bring unnecessary trouble," Lu Xuan mused as he walked along the spacious cobblestone street.
"There's still some time before the auction, and I already have sufficient spirit stones, so there's no rush to sell the fifth-grade treasures," he continued his train of thought. "However, there's one problem that must be solved."
"I have too many second and third-grade treasures."
Because he cultivated Water Glow Grass, Fiery Flame Fruit, Ice Lotus Fruit, and other spirit herbs in bulk, most of the light group rewards he received were second and third-grade treasures, which were somewhat lackluster for Lu Xuan. As a result, he had accumulated quite a collection of them.
"Perhaps I can open a small shop and find a relatively trustworthy cultivator to manage it. They can help me sell some of the lower-grade treasures and also collect spirit herbs on my behalf," he contemplated.
Upon returning to his cave abode, Lu Chen eagerly made his way to the core spirit herb field.
Amidst the howling winds, he located an empty aerial spirit field and planted the Skull Sphere within the Dark Mud Flesh Spirit Soil.
Petals of ethereal spirit rain fell, seeping into the countless intertwined cracks of the white bones.
"Fortunately, I've hunted and purchased many demonic beasts, so I have plenty of skeletons to support the initial growth of this Skull Demon Plant."
A faint smile appeared on Lu Chen's face as he took out a piece of Frostbite Skull from his Gluttonous Worm Pouch and carefully placed it above the Skull Demon Plant.
Through his spiritual sense, he perceived that the Skull Sphere seemed to be attracted to the exquisite aroma of the skull. Countless crystalline small bones wriggled slightly, like a mass of writhing insects, rushing towards the demonic beast skull.
A faint rustling sound emanated from within the skull.
After a moment, various mottled marks appeared on the once-smooth skull, as if something had devoured all the essence within it.
The elongated bones of the Skull Demon Plant gradually withdrew, reconverging into a Skull Sphere once more.
"Looks like it's full for now," Lu Chen remarked as he sensed the state of the spirit herb.
"However, it's a sixth-grade aberrant spirit herb after all. It won't be so easy for it to take root and sprout with just a single demonic beast skull. I'll need to tend to it diligently in the days to come."
He thought patiently, well aware of the challenges ahead.
After tending to the Skull Demon Plant, Lu Chen retrieved the bronze halberd and placed it near the Fiendish Yuan Fruit spirit seed.
The fruit, having been starved for a long time, sensed the dense fiendish energy nearby, and a powerful suction force emerged from within the spirit seed, drawing the grayish-red mixture of fiendish energy like a small stream into its core.
With the Fiendish Yuan Fruit's cultivation issue resolved, Lu Chen felt content and returned to the courtyard.
He entered a small room and took out the Yang Xuan Sword Sheath.
The sword sheath, sensing the presence of the Peacock Monarch Sword at Lu Chen's waist, widened its top slit slightly, as if yearning for the massive golden sword body to be inserted within it.
"The thickest and most powerful Peacock Monarch Sword is what you truly desire, isn't it?" Lu Chen asked, observing the insatiable Yang Xuan Sword Sheath, which now housed numerous flying swords.
At that moment, a sword grass spirit seed slid out from within the sheath.
"Hmm? What's this?" Lu Chen exclaimed softly, immediately noticing the changes in the second-grade sword grass spirit seed.
On the surface of the slender and desiccated spirit seed, which resembled a sword, faint silver-white lightning patterns appeared. The lightning patterns extended like antlers, seamlessly merging with the seed, as if random streaks of lightning had been imprinted on it.
Lu Chen placed the sword grass spirit seed back into the enigmatic Yang Xuan Sword Sheath and infused it with the spiritual lightning he had obtained from the Lightning Sea, along with the wind and lightning sword qi manifested through the Wind and Lightning Sword Scripture. After nurturing it for a period, he finally succeeded in improving the seed.
He then planted the sword grass spirit seed imbued with silver-white lightning patterns into the spirit soil and focused his mental energy on it.
Suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind.
Unknown Sword Grass, a third-grade spirit herb. Place the sword grass spirit seed into the mysterious sword sheath and induce improvements using spiritual lightning and lightning-attributed sword qi. During cultivation, stimulate it with lightning sword radiance. Upon maturity, the sword grass will be a natural sword artifact, imbued with the power of lightning.
"Lightning Sword Grass, I shall name you Lei Mang Jian Cao (Thunderblade Grass)
," Lu Chen decided, giving a name to the newly discovered sword grass quality.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
