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Chapter 948: An Unexpected Harvest
Chapter 948: An Unexpected Harvest
Following this, Lu Chen accompanied Yu Qiu Shui to her cave abode.
The spiritual plants in her spirit field were not of very high grades, and Lu Chen quickly spotted some minor issues with a few of them.
After resolving the issues, they followed Shang Xiuyuan to the spirit field under his care.
"This way, Brother Lu," Shang Xiuyuan said, leading the way and lifting the restrictions placed around the spirit field.
As they entered, a wave of heat washed over them.
Before them lay a spirit field filled with pale red spirit soil, from which faint crimson spirit energy rose in curling tendrils that lingered in the air.
"Brother Shang, this is the fourth-grade Burning Flame Soil, isn't it? It must have been quite challenging to gather so much," Lu Chen remarked softly, his eyes keenly taking in the sight. He had perused many tomes on spiritual plants, so he instantly recognized the origin of the pale red soil.
"Brother Lu has a sharp eye! It indeed is Burning Flame Soil. Before this, I cultivated quite a number of third-grade fire-attribute spirit fruits. After they matured, I happened to obtain four stalks of fifth-grade Metal Sword Grass, so I planted them in this spirit field," Shang Xiuyuan explained.
"When I first started cultivating them, the Metal Sword Grass was growing normally. But in the past year or two, their growth has slowed, and their vitality seems to be waning," Shang Xiuyuan continued, a hint of worry creeping into his eyes.
The fifth-grade sword grass was hard to come by, and the potential failure of its cultivation would be a significant loss, even for someone of his middle-stage Foundation Establishment realm.
"Metal Sword Grass..." Lu Chen murmured as he approached one of the sword grass stalks.
The grass was a pale golden color, and the surrounding area was filled with faint golden sword energy that danced in the air. As he drew closer, he could sense a sharp aura emanating from the grass, growing more intense by the second.
"Burning Flame Soil... Metal Sword Grass..." Lu Chen had a vague guess, but he dared not be careless, especially when it came to a fifth-grade plant.
He placed his hands gently on the pale red spirit soil, and his Mastery realm Earth Drawing technique quietly came into play. He focused his mind on the pale golden sword grass, and a thought emerged in his mind.
Metal Sword Grass, a fifth-grade spirit plant with a metal attribute. Requires nurturing and cultivation with Metal Sword Qi during growth. When mature, it can contain rich metal-attributed spirit energy, incredibly sharp, capable of easily piercing through most defensive artifacts of the same rank.
Prolonged planting in fire-attributed spirit soil will cause the plant's vitality to decline, resulting in lower quality upon maturity, as well as an increased risk of cultivation failure.
"So it is as I thought," Lu Chen mused. "Metal Sword Grass has a metal attribute, and this Burning Flame Soil is fire-attributed. It's a natural counter to the Metal Sword Grass, so it's no wonder their growth has been hindered."
"The herb masters in the Sword Sect aren't very knowledgeable, it seems," he added inwardly. "They only focus on practicing sword techniques and using sword energy for cultivation, disregarding the principles of the five elements and the concept of mutual antagonism. They just throw in everything they think is useful."
"Brother Lu, how can we resolve the issue with these Metal Sword Grass stalks?" Shang Xiuyuan asked, his expression slightly anxious.
Having witnessed Lu Chen's expertise with spiritual plants, he was completely convinced of his skills.
"Brother Shang, these Metal Sword Grass stalks need to be transplanted to another location," Lu Chen said as he rose to his feet.
"Why? This Burning Flame Soil is the best spirit soil I have in all my spirit fields," Shang Xiuyuan asked, puzzled.
"That's precisely the problem," Lu Chen explained. "Burning Flame Soil is fire-attributed, and Metal Sword Grass is purely metal-attributed. Fire counters metal, so planting them in this soil is detrimental to their growth."
"We all understand the principles of the five elements and their mutual generation and antagonism," Shang Xiuyuan said, a confused expression on his face, mirrored by the other two. "But is there also a counter relationship between spirit soil and spirit plants? I thought all spirit soil was beneficial to the growth of spirit plants."
In their understanding, obtaining the sword grass spirit seeds and planting them in an environment with abundant spirit energy, high-quality spirit soil, and spirit springs, while nurturing them with corresponding sword energy, constituted the entire cultivation process.
"In theory, the higher the grade of spirit soil, the better. But sometimes, it can have the opposite effect."
"The relationship between the spirit plant and the spirit soil, governed by the five elements, may be subtle and not as obvious as with techniques and artifacts, but it is still significant. Over time, the soil can impact the growth of the plant, for better or worse."
"Of course, these are just small details to keep in mind. The most critical factor is still the herb master's meticulous care and cultivation techniques."
Lu Chen smiled as he shared his insights.
"I see. Thank you, Brother Lu, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge. I have learned a great deal," the three disciples expressed their gratitude, bowing respectfully.
The insight Lu Chen offered was indeed a minor trick, but without his clarification, they might never have grasped this concept on their own.
At this moment, all three of them admired Lu Chen sincerely and were secretly relieved that the Jian Peak had gained such an excellent herb master.
Most cultivators usually kept their knowledge to themselves, but Lu Chen was different as he willingly shared his insights and experiences with others.
Thus, the three disciples felt deeply grateful.
"Brother Lu, your expertise in the way of herb mastery is truly admirable," one of them said.
"Indeed, no wonder Master Wen Zhen went out of his way to bring you back from a distant realm," another added.
"Brother Lu, could you tell us how you attained such a profound level of skill in herb mastery?" Yu Qiu Shui asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"It all stems from passion," Lu Chen replied sincerely. "When you devote all your heart and mind to cultivating spiritual plants, they will reward you in kind."
After chatting with them a little while longer, Lu Chen bade them farewell and returned to his cave abode.
"Now that I'm finally back at the Jian Zong, I should pay a visit to the Jian Palace's Herb Hall," he thought. "I wonder what kinds of high-grade spirit plants they have there."
Lu Chen was eager to explore the herb varieties that the Dong Xuan Jian Zong possessed.
As one of the top sects in the multiverse, and with the unique Sword Grass as one of its signature spirit plants, he expected there to be a plethora of high-grade spirit plants.
Additionally, with over ten thousand sword seals in his possession, he was ready to do some 'shopping.'
Riding on a sword light, Lu Chen followed the map and made his way to the Jian Palace.
With his identity plaque, he entered the grand hall of the Jian Palace, where extraordinary sword cultivators came and went. In just a few glances, he spotted more than ten Core Formation cultivators and even a Nascent Soul True Lord among them.
"Truly worthy of the name Dong Xuan Jian Zong," he murmured in admiration before making his way to the Herb Hall.
After inquiring with a Core Formation cultivator, he arrived at a corner of the grand hall.
There, he found a row of white jade steles, their surfaces covered with countless wriggling words like tadpoles.
According to the cultivator, these steles contained detailed information about all the spirit plants of the sixth grade and below that the Jian Zong possessed.
The spirit plants were categorized by grade and variety, and by immersing his spiritual sense into the stele, one could access a catalog of spirit plants. Merely thinking of a particular plant would cause its image and information to appear in one's consciousness.
Of course, to prevent cultivators from biting off more than they could chew, their spiritual sense could only enter steles of grades lower than their cultivation realm.
As Lu Chen was currently at the late Core Formation stage, he was free to access any of the steles without restriction.
Skipping the fourth-grade spirit plants, as the maturity rewards they offered were now somewhat lacking, Lu Chen went straight to the fifth and sixth-grade white jade steles.
He immersed his consciousness into the stele, and in an instant, a stream of spirit plant names began to flow through his mind.
"Hmm? They even have the Yuan Ling Ginseng spirit plant?" Lu Chen's heart leaped with joy as he discovered the very spirit plant he had been longing for.
(End of Chapter)
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