As spring arrived, nature blood with verdant growth and birds took flight.
Fang Xi approached a ticulously prepared acre of spirit field, carefully inspected it, and nodded approvingly. “This spirit field has abundant spiritual energy, suitable for planting various spirit herbs and dicines.”
After further examination, he waved his finger, summoning a streak of sword qi that divided the field into two sections.
“In this half, we’ll plant ‘Blood-Replenishing Grass’, and in the other half, Snake Orchid Fruit!”
Both ‘Blood-Replenishing Grass’ and ‘Snake Orchid Fruit’ serve as primary ingredients for a low-rank first-tier dicinal pill—the ‘Blood-Clotting Pill’.
The ‘Blood-Clotting Pill’ is particularly effective against external wounds and considered one of the cheaper pills available in the market due to its commonality, making their seeds easily accessible.
Turning to Lu Guo beside him, Fang Xi said, “For the first year, I’ll guide you through the planting process; by the second year, you’ll need to manage on your own.”
“Yes, Master.”
Lu Guo attentively watched Fang Xi’s actions, silently morizing each step.
“Master, let assist too!” Soon, another figure joined them at the edge of the field—it was Widow Wang! After tending to her own spirit field, she had co over to help.
Fang Xi didn’t reveal Widow Wang’s subtle intentions, tacitly accepting her assistance. The technique for cultivating specific spirit plants would typically cost a rogue cultivator around one or two spirit stones even in the freelancer market.
In the underground cave, Fang Xi gazed at the Demon Tree now over ten ters tall, falling deep in thought.
With its canopy already reaching the cavern’s ceiling, further growth would beco challenging. He decided to focus on expanding the tree’s root system next.
“An Azure Wood Spirit Body of ten years… it seems I’ll need another ninety years to cultivate the Second Wood Dharma Body?”
This pace was indeed too slow.
Fang Xi did not wish to expend such a significant portion of his longevity here.
“I must speed things up!”
To accelerate the growth of the Demon Tree, Fang Xi turned his attention to Tai Sui.
Currently, Tai Sui’s demonic aura had reached the peak of mid-rank first-tier. If it could ascend one more rank to high-rank first-tier, its flesh would undoubtedly beco even more nourishing!
Additionally, Fang Xi loosened the formation controlling access to the groundwater, allowing the Demon Tree daily outings for fishing as a treat.
“That useless saltwater fish… if it ascends to high-rank first-tier and gains the ability to command fish swarms, we could drive large groups of wild spirit fish to feed the Demon Tree.”
After considering his options, Fang Xi concluded that the most effective approach would be to swiftly cultivate Tai Sui to high-rank first-tier!
Having developed divine sense, he reinforced Tai Sui with an additional divine sense imprint, ensuring the mythical beast wouldn’t cause any unexpected mischief.
“Tai Sui has a solid foundation, just lacking that final push…”
He then headed to the pill refining room, preparing to practice the creation of mid-rank first-tier dicinal pills.
Within the pill refining legacy jade slip, Fang Xi selected a specific spiritual pill called ‘Beast Grain Pellet’!
This pill is highly favored by most spirit beasts, and long-term consumption stimulates their growth and developnt.
If successfully concocted, both Tai Sui and the saltwater fish might have a better chance at advancing their ranks.
As seasons passed from spring to autumn,
the Bloodgrass turned deep crimson across the spirit field, while the Snake Orchids displayed vibrant erald green stems with coiled snake-like branches. Atop each branch hung one or two blueberry-shaped fruits, ranging from single to double clusters.
Fang Xi had ticulously chosen these two types of spirit plants, which were suitable for dicinal use after just one year’s growth. For optimal potency, however, five to ten years would be ideal.
“This harvest, we’ll only take half the spirit herbs and leave the rest to continue growing,” Fang Xi decided upon inspecting them.
“Alright!” Lu Guo and Widow Wang, ard with jade bottles and boxes, carefully harvested the spirit herb fruits using specific techniques. They also employed magical energy to seal in the dicinal properties, ensuring each plant was preserved at its peak perfection.
Wang Xiaohu could not handle such agricultural tasks; his role was limited to gathering rice within the spirit field…
Once the herb field harvest was complete, Fang Xi directly stored the dicinal ingredients into his bag of holding and returned to the mansion to begin pill concoction.
Watching Fang Xi depart, Widow Wang pondered thoughtfully, “Is the Master going to concoct the ‘Blood-Clotting Pill’ now? After investing so many resources over these years, it seems he’s finally making so progress…”
Many cultivators were capable of concocting Fasting Pills.
However, those skilled enough to produce Blood-Clotting Pills were far less common, making them qualified as apprentices in even the best dicinal pill shops at the markets.
Widow Wang was well aware of Fang Xi’s substantial investnts over the years, particularly in his pursuit of pill concoction techniques. She had even purchased spirit coal for him on occasion.
To see these efforts bearing fruit now filled her with unexpected admiration. “Ah… if only I knew earlier, I would have asked Master to take my Little Hu as an apprentice,” she sighed. “Even if not to learn the Everlasting Spring Art, mastering pill concoction would still be imnsely beneficial…”
Hearing this, Lu Guo’s face darkened involuntarily.
By now, he had a clear understanding of the level of cultivation technique the Everlasting Spring Art represented.
Realizing her slip, Widow Wang hastily changed the subject. “Have you heard about the Mu Clan situation?”
“The whole Peach Blossom Island is abuzz with it, of course I have,” Lu Guo replied mildly.
Mu Wen was determined to pledge their family’s spiritual land as collateral to purchase a shop within the Spirit Hollow Market.
Unable to resolve their disputes, the elders finally appealed to Ruan Xingling in anger. Under her arbitration, several acres of spirit fields were divided among them, effectively formalizing the separation of households.
With no further constraints, Mu Wen used his spiritual land as collateral and borrowed a substantial amount of spirit stones from the Feng and Mo Clans. He then invested everything into Spirit Hollow Market, successfully purchasing a shop. Recently, he has been hosting lavish feasts and proclaiming this ‘good news’ far and wide!
“That Mu Clan patriarch is indeed decisive!” Widow Wang couldn’t help but sigh. “Every inch of land within the Spirit Hollow Market is imnsely valuable now. Even renting out a single shop to outsiders could yield a significant number of spirit stones annually. With a bit more effort, repaying the loan wouldn’t be too daunting… After just forty or fifty hardworking years, both the shop and the spiritual land would belong solely to the Mu Clan.”
“Spirit Hollow Market…” Lu Guo murmured, his eyes filled with envy.
He also dread of making his mark there, but unfortunately, his unique status might not allow it. The Island Lord and others may not permit him to leave freely. For now, these aspirations remained confined to his thoughts alone.
In the Pill Concocting Room,
Fang Xi ignited so charcoal and set up a fire control formation nearby.
With these two elents, he now had sufficient spirit flas for Qi Refinent stage dicinal pills.
As for second-order pills? Without access to a Foundation Establishnt cultivator’s intrinsic true fire, it was best to rent earthfla facilities instead.
He retrieved fresh ‘Blood Replenishing Grass’ and ‘Snake Orchid Fruits’, then followed the pill formula instructions ticulously - grinding so into powder or extracting juice from others for later use.
Next, Fang Xi opened the pill furnace, added the ingredients, and began the concoction process.
His divine sense imrsed within the furnace, swiftly tracking every change in the liquid mixture, which greatly accelerated his understanding of the herbs’ properties. For any other Qi Refinent alchemist, they would be left pondering over the pill furnace, relying solely on trial-and-error results to infer improvents. The difference between their thods was imnse and practically incomparable.
Bang!
A subtle explosion resonated from the pill furnace.
Expressionless, Fang Xi opened the furnace and removed several black, foul-slling fragnts.
Undoubtedly, this attempt at pill concoction had failed.
Even with the aid of divine sense, pill concoction remained no easy task!
Unfazed, Fang Xi recorded the lesson learned: “Too hasty in execution, overly focused on maximizing the potency of herbal properties… Continue!”
The spirit fla continued to burn relentlessly.
After three days and nights, Fang Xi focused on the violet copper pill furnace before him, forming a sealing cultivation technique with his hands: “Open!”
Buzz!
The pill furnace lid lifted, releasing a rich dicinal aroma this ti.
Monts later, several pills flew out and landed in Fang Xi’s hand.
Expressionless, he examined them closely. These dicinal pills were pearl-sized, perfectly round, with a flowing crimson surface - totaling seven in number!
However, within an instant, two of the pills rapidly darkened, turning jet black.
Among the remaining five, one displayed a faint gray streak across its surface.
“Seven pills produced from this batch: two duds, one inferior quality…” Fang Xi murmured to himself as he carefully placed the remaining four genuine ‘Blood-Clotting Pills’ into a jade bottle.
Such success rate was comndable for a low-rank first-tier alchemy apprentice.
Having reached this level of practice, he now felt confident enough to tackle the more challenging ‘Beast Grain Pellet’!
Nevertheless, it wasn’t the right ti yet.
After prolonged pill concocting, both his divine sense and physical body were significantly fatigued.
Fang Xi exited the pill refining room, took a bath, changed clothes, and rested thoroughly until he felt refreshed. Revived, he ventured outside once again.
Lu Guo was sitting idly near the fields when he spotted Fang Xi approaching and hastily stood up, “Master!”
“What’s happening over there?” Fang Xi pointed towards Widow Wang’s house.
From within Widow Wang’s ho, Little Hu’s mournful cries echoed continuously.
“Over the past few days, Widow Wang has been in a bad mood. Little Hu happened to misbehave again and got beaten,” Lu Guo explained, his emotions mixed with what seed like envy or sothing akin.
“Hmm, so it’s raining, and she’s taking out her frustration on him since she’s idle anyway… Why is Widow Wang feeling so upset?” Fang Xi stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Widow Wang, seeking more profit, chose not to sell her accumulated spirit rice at Peach Blossom Island’s exchange fair. Instead, she entrusted soone to bring it to the Spirit Hollow Market for sale. There were no issues before, but this ti, it was plundered, leaving her with neither goods nor money…” Lu Guo responded.
“Encountered a plunderer? That’s quite common…”
Fang Xi nodded; it was normal for plunderers to operate around markets, especially bustling ones like the Spirit Hollow Market.
“Yes, several cultivators from Peach Blossom Island also died recently, yet no arrest warrants have been issued,” Lu Guo added.
“That’s peculiar. Any idea who could be responsible?” Fang Xi found it odd. Could this plunderer be exceptionally ruthless, even soone Ruan Xingling fears?
“Apparently, the plunderer wore silver armor and wielded a black iron sword as a magical artifact… Their attack was brutally savage,” Lu Guo recounted all the information he had gathered.
“Silver armor and a black sword?”
Fang Xi drew in a sharp breath. His initial reaction was relief that he hadn’t been involved, but then he felt an overwhelming sense of being unjustly blad!
“You’ve heard of such a person, Master?” Lu Guo’s interest piqued imdiately.
“It was roughly ten years ago, when you were still young…” Fang Xi sighed. “A vicious assailant ambushed the forr great elders and clan heads of the Mo and Feng Clans, severely injuring even Old Monster Goldtooth. At that ti, witnesses saw the attacker wearing silver armor and wielding a black sword… I never expected this fiend to remain hidden for a decade only to reappear causing chaos again!”
As Fang Xi spoke, realization dawned on him.
The silver-armored plunderer’s recent appearance suggested one of two scenarios: either his old enemies were framing him to tarnish his reputation, or…soone was deliberately using his past notoriety to stir up trouble while hiding behind his na!
Either way… soone is deliberately using his past reputation to sow chaos and reap benefits from the confusion!
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