Chapter 947: Senior Brother, Please Have a Look
Chapter 947: Senior Brother, Please Have a Look
"Senior Brother Lu is too humble."
"Your ability to improve the Sword Grass and cultivate the Nourishing Sword Gourd to a fourth-grade level is truly admirable. We can't help but feel inferior."
Shang Xiuyuan quickly added.
"I won't hide it from you, Senior Brother. The three of us have limited talent in the way of spiritual herbs. The Sword Grass we cultivate has more or less some issues. Could you trouble yourself to come with us and have a look?"
He extended an invitation to Lu Chen.
A smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.
He could clearly sense the veiled criticism in Shang Xiuyuan's words.
He understood their reaction. After all, the three of them were initially the leading spiritual herbologists of Huan Zhen Jian Feng, but with Lu Chen's arrival, their status and treatment had decreased.
For instance, if not for Lu Chen, they would have likely divided those dozens of Sword Grass spirit seeds among themselves.
There was also this spacious and spirit-rich superior cave near the Heart Sword Lake pathway that they might have coveted.
Therefore, even though they were fully aware of Lu Chen's exceptional talent in spiritual herbology, they still had some misgivings.
However, there was no other way. The capable reaped more rewards, and who could blame Lu Chen for possessing unparalleled talent in spiritual herbology?
"The invitation to examine the spiritual herb issue is not false, but there is probably an intention to test my abilities as well."
"Oh well, this is just the right time to eradicate your petty thoughts."
"Let me show you what professionalism looks like."
Lu Chen thought to himself, his confidence bolstered by the countless high-quality Sword Grass he had cultivated, and his thorough understanding of the potential issues that could arise during the growth process.
"Alright, then I shall go with my junior brothers and sister to have a look."
"But I can't guarantee that I will definitely find the problem with the Sword Grass's growth."
He nodded in agreement.
Subsequently, he followed the three of them to a cave.
"Indeed, whether it's the area, the concentration of spiritual energy, or its purity, it falls far short of my own cave."
Lu Chen secretly marveled.
"Senior Brother Lu, over here."
The old farmer-xiu led Lu Chen and the others to a spiritual field.
Surrounding the spiritual field, sword energy danced wildly, and within it were several Sword Grass plants.
Among them, a Sword Grass resembling a blooming blue lotus caught Lu Chen's attention.
It was the fourth-grade Blue Lotus Sword Grass that he had cultivated before, but with subtle differences from the one he had grown initially.
The sword energy surrounding the Sword Grass appeared chaotic and disorderly, and the slender sword-shaped petals seemed scattered, giving Lu Chen a sense of disharmony.
On one of the pale blue petals, a faint crack had even formed.
"Senior Brother Lu, this is the fourth-grade Blue Lotus Sword Grass. It's quite rare among Sword Grass of the same grade, and the cultivation difficulty is relatively high as well."
"I've been cultivating it for several years now, but recently, I've noticed something amiss. When I nourish it with sword energy, the Sword Grass doesn't absorb it completely, and cracks even appear in some places."
"I've consulted numerous fellow disciples in the Sword Peak, and even sought advice from a Nascent Soul stage senior brother who's proficient in spiritual herbology, but none of them could identify the issue."
A hint of sorrow flashed across the old farmer's face.
Although the Blue Lotus Sword Grass was only fourth-grade, cultivating it to maturity and combining it with one's cultivated sword technique would yield a value not inferior to some ordinary fifth-grade magical artifacts. If the cultivation failed, it would indeed be a significant loss for him.
"Please allow me to examine it."
Lu Chen crouched down, disregarding the countless strands of sword energy dancing around him, and carefully observed this Blue Lotus Sword Grass in its growth stage.
"Junior Brother Guo, did you start cultivating the Blue Lotus Sword Technique after obtaining the Blue Lotus Sword Grass spirit seed?"
He asked solemnly, his expression stern.
"Indeed, could it be because my sword technique is not refined enough?"
The old farmer-xiu was initially startled, but a hopeful expression soon replaced the previous one.
As they spoke, Shang Xiuyuan and Yu Qiushui listened intently.
"There is some correlation, but that is not the main reason," Lu Chen said thoughtfully, after a moment of silence.
"If I'm not mistaken, you've been overdoing it with the sword qi when nurturing your sword grass these past few years, haven't you?" Lu Chen asked.
"Brother Lu is truly remarkable!" Guo Shan exclaimed in admiration.
"After cultivating this Qinglian Sword Grass, I noticed its slow growth, so I released more sword qi to nourish it," Guo Shan explained.
"Could this be the root cause of the sword grass's problem?" he asked Lu Chen, his voice laced with anticipation.
"Imperfect sword qi will have a diminished nourishing effect on the sword grass," Lu Chen replied. "However, Brother Guo, you are a bit impatient. Instead of diligently practicing your sword techniques, you chose to increase the amount of sword qi, attempting to make up for it with quantity."
"But that only made things worse," Lu Chen continued. "Among all spiritual herbs, the sword grass is one of the most challenging to cultivate. Firstly, the spiritual herbologist must be proficient in sword techniques, and secondly, the herb itself is unique. When nourishing it with sword qi, one must be extremely precise in gauging the right amount. Too much sword qi will be detrimental, and too little will hinder its growth."
"In your case, Brother Guo, your imperfect sword techniques, coupled with the prolonged exposure of the Qinglian Sword Grass to excessive sword qi, have made it increasingly difficult for the herb to absorb and digest the qi. Over time, the harmful sword qi accumulated and damaged the sword grass's foundation." Lu Chen, with his hands clasped behind his back, spoke with conviction.
"So that's the reason..." Guo Shan stood still, deep in thought.
"Brother Lu's mastery of spiritual herbology is truly extraordinary. To be able to detect such a subtle problem is remarkable," Shang Xiuyuan couldn't help but admire.
Of the three, his thoughts were the most complex. He was delighted that an exceptional spiritual herbologist had joined their peak, but he also felt resentful that Lu Chen had absorbed a large portion of their resources. However, witnessing Lu Chen's actual skill in spiritual herbology, any resentment he felt dissipated.
"Brother Lu, with your keen perception, even for the tiniest of problems, do your sword grasses have a 100% success rate?" Yu Qiushui asked curiously.
Lu Chen responded with a smile but didn't elaborate.
"Brother Lu, what should I do now to save this Qinglian Sword Grass? Please share your wisdom!" Guo Shan asked, his head lowered in a respectful manner, his tone pleading.
"It's simple," Lu Chen said. "Temporarily reduce the amount of sword qi you release, and instead, use spiritual rain and gentle spiritual springwater to nourish the sword grass. After some time, the Qinglian Sword Grass will gradually recover."
"Of course, it would be even better if you could improve your sword techniques," Lu Chen added gently.
"I'm ashamed of my lack of skill," Guo Shan said, his face reddening. "I'm grateful for your help, Brother Lu. I won't forget this."
"It was no trouble at all," Lu Chen replied nonchalantly, appearing unconcerned.
He had long since passed the stage of relying on his unique ability for every spiritual herb issue.
The problem with this Qinglian Sword Grass was too obvious, and he didn't need to resort to his secret method just yet.
His casual demeanor, however, only served to impress the three disciples further, solidifying their perception of him as a true master.
"Brother Lu, I have a few spiritual herbs in my cave abode that aren't doing so well. Could you take a look at them?" Yu Qiushui asked, his voice soft and gentle.
"Please help me, too, Brother Lu," Shang Xiuyuan said through gritted teeth, his tone slightly forced.
(End of Chapter)
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