Chapter 341
"Alright, I'll plant this Spirit Grain first."
Upon hearing that Spirit Grain could help Xiao Yan build a solid foundation, Lu Qing imdiately made his decision.
"But Senior, how should I go about planting this Spirit Grain? I don't have any Spirit Grain seeds."
At this point, spiritual energy had only just begun to revive, and none of the spiritual plants in the world had yet been nurtured. To plant Spirit Grain, one needed seeds, but those were not yet available.
"No Spirit Grain seeds? You can cultivate them yourself, though it's a bit of a hassle. During the ancient era of immortal cultivation, there were many varieties of spiritual materials, and not all of them grew naturally. Many were cultivated by cultivators themselves. In the inheritance you received from the Li Huo Sect, does it contain the Spirit Activation thod?"
Lu Qing searched through his mind and nodded. "Yes, it does."
"Yan" paused for a mont. It had asked casually, not expecting Lu Qing to actually know the Spirit Activation thod. Now it was even more curious about which individual had left behind the Li Huo Sect's inheritance that Lu Qing had obtained, especially since it even included a technique like the Spirit Activation thod.
However, "Yan" didn’t press for more details, instead saying, "Since you know the Spirit Activation thod, things will be much easier. This technique is a thod for transforming the mundane into the spiritual. Essentially, it gathers the spiritual aura of heaven and earth and infuses it into ordinary things. As long as the activation is done properly, you can turn the mundane into the spiritual, potentially transforming ordinary materials into spiritual ones. Find so high-quality rice seeds and see if you can use the Spirit Activation thod to transform them into Spirit Grain seeds. It's said that those with profound cultivation could even transform a simple stone into a spirit within it. However, such god-like abilities are beyond the reach of even a Nascent Soul Cultivator. In the nearly ten thousand years of Li Huo Sect's history, no one like that has ever appeared. But you should only need to activate a bit of Spirit Grain, which shouldn't be difficult."
While "Yan" explained, Lu Qing was also reflecting on the Spirit Activation thod found in his inheritance. When he initially received the inheritance from the Li Huo Cauldron, it was vast and complex. As a result, he had only skimd through most of it and had not yet cultivated many techniques. Now, upon further contemplation, he realized that the Spirit Activation thod was indeed as "Yan" had described—a technique for transforming the mundane into the spiritual. Moreover, this technique was primarily practiced by cultivators who specialized in Wood Elent Techniques. The wood elent is associated with vitality, and cultivators of wood-based techniques have a greater ability to control the energy of life than other cultivators. Thus, they are particularly adept at nurturing spiritual plants, and the Spirit Activation thod is a fundantal technique for them.
"You need high-quality rice seeds, right? That's easy."
With that, Lu Qing imdiately descended the mountain and returned to the village, heading to Grandfather Zhang’s house.
As luck would have it, Grandfather Zhang was ho. Upon seeing Lu Qing arrive, he was overjoyed. "Ah Qing, what brings you here? Co in, co in!"
Since Lu Qing had returned, he had been busy with various matters and spent most of his ti in the small courtyard halfway up the mountain. As a result, Grandfather Zhang had hardly seen him.
"Grandfather Zhang, I’ve co to ask for so help from everyone in the village."
Lu Qing sat down and spoke politely.
"What do you need?"
Grandfather Zhang was puzzled, unable to imagine what Lu Qing might need help with from the villagers.
"I need so high-quality rice seeds, and I was hoping everyone in the village could pitch in a little. Of course, I’ll pay for them."
Lu Qing knew that rural villagers usually kept their own rice seeds and rarely bought them from elsewhere. Just recently, the village had had a good harvest of rice, so most people likely had so seeds stored at ho.
"Ah, there’s no need to be so formal! It’s just so rice seeds. Alright, I’ll go around the village and let everyone know. We’ll see who’s already stored so seeds."
Grandfather Zhang agreed without hesitation, even though he didn’t know what Lu Qing needed the seeds for.
"Grandfather Zhang, please make sure they’re of good quality. I have a big use for them," Lu Qing reminded him.
"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they bring out the best seeds they have," Grandfather Zhang said, patting his chest confidently.
"Then I'll head back up the mountain. Once you’ve gathered the seeds, just let
know. I don’t need too many—about ten pounds should be enough."
"Alright, you go ahead. Once we’ve collected enough, I’ll have soone deliver them to you."
After Lu Qing left, Grandfather Zhang thought for a mont. First, he instructed his daughter-in-law to prepare the best rice seeds from their own supply. Then, he went out and started visiting the other villagers. His first stop was the ho of an old friend.
"Old Wang, Old Wang, are you ho?"
"Who’s there?" A young man erged from the house, and upon seeing Grandfather Zhang, his expression beca respectful. "Oh, it’s Grandfather Zhang. My grandfather is ho. Please co in."
Grandfather Zhang entered and sat down. "Where’s your grandfather?"
"He’s napping inside. I’ll go wake him."
Shortly after, a man about the sa age as Grandfather Zhang ca out of the house, still a bit groggy. "Old Zhang, it’s rare for you to co by. What’s the occasion?"
"What, I can’t just drop by for a visit?" Grandfather Zhang laughed.
"Nonsense. It’s the middle of a hot day, and you co all the way here? You must be up to sothing."
Old Wang glared, clearly not believing Grandfather Zhang’s words. After all these years, he knew his friend’s personality well.
"Hehe, alright, I won’t beat around the bush. The truth is, Ah Qing ca to see
earlier."
"Ah Qing ca to see you? What for?"
Old Wang's expression imdiately grew serious. It wasn’t unusual for Lu Qing to visit Grandfather Zhang, who lived next door, but if his friend was making a big deal out of it, it must be sothing important.
"Ah Qing said he’s gathering so high-quality rice seeds for a special purpose. He wants to know which families in the village have good seeds stored away, and he’s willing to buy so. I rember that your family’s rice was among the best this year. Did you keep any seeds?"
"Of course I did! I saved plenty. A few families have already asked to trade seeds with , including my in-laws. I set aside two bags just for that."
Hearing Grandfather Zhang praise his family’s rice, Old Wang bead with pride. But soon, a look of confusion crossed his face. "But what does Ah Qing need rice seeds for? Is he planning to plant them?"
"I don’t know either, but Ah Qing is a man with big plans. If he needs rice seeds, I’m sure it’s for sothing important. Since it’s rare for him to ask for our help, we should do our best not to hold him back."
"Of course. If Ah Qing needs help, there’s no question about it. I’ll have Aqiu take both bags of seeds over to your place."
"Aren’t you going to save any for yourself? What about your in-laws?"
Grandfather Zhang widened his eyes in surprise.
"When it cos to Ah Qing, this is nothing. I can always save so from our eating rice for planting next year. As for my in-laws, I’ll explain the situation to them. It’ll be fine."
Old Wang waved it off as if it were no big deal.
As for the other villagers, he was sure that once they knew the seeds were for Ah Qing, they wouldn’t object either.
"Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing. Have Aqiu bring the seeds over to my place, and I’ll visit the rest of the villagers. We’ll send everything to the mountain in one trip."
For the rest of the day, Grandfather Zhang visited every household that had grown rice that year.
Upon hearing that the rice seeds were for Lu Qing, none of the villagers hesitated. They imdiately brought out their best seeds and gathered them at Grandfather Zhang’s house, ready to be delivered to the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.
"Old Zhang, Old Zhang!"
Just as they were preparing to head up the mountain, an elderly man about the sa age as Grandfather Zhang ca running in from outside.
"Are you heading up the mountain to deliver rice seeds?"
"Yes. Why? Old Lin, do you want to co too? I don’t recall you planting any rice this year."
Grandfather Zhang was puzzled.
"My family didn’t plant rice, but we planted wheat last year. You should ask Ah Qing if he needs wheat seeds."
"Wheat seeds?" Grandfather Zhang hesitated. "Ah Qing only ntioned rice seeds."
"How would you know unless you ask him? Maybe Ah Qing also wants wheat seeds," Old Lin said earnestly.
Soone nearby couldn’t resist teasing him, "Old Lin, you’re usually so stingy you’d pluck feathers from a passing rooster. What’s made you so generous today, offering your wheat seeds?"
"Ha! Old Chen, you’re even stingier than I am. Don’t think we didn’t notice you stealing chicken manure from your neighbor’s farm to fertilize your field!"
Old Lin jumped up and angrily jabbed a finger at the man who had mocked him.
"And besides, this is about Ah Qing! He’s got big plans. If he needs seeds, I’ll gladly empty my whole stock for him!"
Old Chen, embarrassed by Old Lin’s retort, was about to respond when Grandfather Zhang interrupted with a cough.
"Alright, enough of this bickering. Old Lin, why don’t you co with us? You can ask Ah Qing yourself whether he needs wheat seeds."
"Fine by . I’ll ask him myself. I’ve got a feeling he’ll want them too."
After this brief exchange, the group finally set off. Each family brought their rice seeds up to the small courtyard on the mountainside. So, afraid they wouldn’t have enough, even brought two full sacks of rice along.
During the trek up the mountain, soone quietly spoke to Old Chen, "Why did you provoke Old Lin? You know he’s sharp-tongued. You were just asking for trouble."
"Hmph! Do you think I’m afraid of him?" Old Chen stubbornly replied.
"I know you and Old Lin don’t get along, but rember, it was Ah Qing who cured his leg problem not long ago. If you mock him now, of course, he’ll get upset."
Old Chen said nothing. In truth, he regretted his words. His decades-long rivalry with Old Lin had prompted him to tease, but he hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.
By the ti they reached the small courtyard, there was quite a crowd. Nearly every household that had stored rice seeds had brought so to the mountain. When Lu Qing saw the villagers arriving with large and small sacks of rice seeds, he was taken aback.
"Ah Qing, everyone brought their seeds. Take a look and choose the ones you want!"
Grandfather Zhang was the first to place his rice seeds in front of Lu Qing.
Lu Qing snapped out of his surprise, glancing at the nearly thousand pounds of rice seeds laid out before him. He couldn’t help but smile wryly.
"Grandfather Zhang, didn’t you tell them? I only need about ten pounds of rice seeds. There’s no way I can use this much."
The problem was that his cultivation was limited, and he couldn’t activate that many seeds all at once.
"I did tell them, but everyone figured that since you were selecting the best rice seeds, they didn’t know exactly what you needed. So they brought everything to give you plenty of options," Grandfather Zhang explained.
Lu Qing smiled helplessly but, seeing the villagers’ earnest expressions, he couldn’t help but feel a warm sense of gratitude.
"Thank you, everyone," he said, smiling.
"No need to thank us. It’s nothing," one villager replied.
"Yes, without your help, Ah Qing, the village wouldn’t be where it is today," another chid in.
"It’s just so rice seeds. They’re not worth much."
The villagers all spoke up.
"Alright, Ah Qing. Take a look and see if there are any seeds here that et your needs," Grandfather Zhang urged.
"Okay."
Knowing it would dampen their spirits if he declined, Lu Qing decided not to refuse. He began opening the bags and carefully inspecting the rice seeds.
However, his thod of selecting seeds wasn’t simply based on appearance. He concentrated, gathering a strand of green energy in his hand, and lightly brushed it over the rice seeds. This green energy was a manifestation of the Spirit Activation Technique.
While Grandfather Zhang was busy gathering rice seeds in the village, Lu Qing had been using the ti to cultivate and comprehend the Spirit Activation Technique. Surprisingly, it hadn’t taken him long to fully master the thod. "Yan" had been stunned by his rapid progress. While the Spirit Activation Technique wasn’t particularly advanced, it was still a fundantal spell for any cultivator of wood-elent spiritual power. Yet Lu Qing had grasped it perfectly in such a short ti, demonstrating an extraordinary level of understanding and talent that "Yan" had never seen before.
As the green glow from Lu Qing’s hand covered the seeds in the bag, he effortlessly discerned which seeds contained the strongest life force and the most abundant vital energy. With a simple thought, the plumpest seeds slowly rose from the bag and gently landed in the finely woven bamboo basket he had prepared.
The sight of this miraculous process left the villagers utterly speechless.
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