Chapter 346
"Ah Qing, is this the new spiritual farmland you've opened up?"
In the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, the old doctor looked at the spiritual farmland Lu Qing had recently cultivated and was sowhat amazed.
The nearly two mu of spiritual farmland was filled with dense spiritual energy, a dramatic change from when he had last been out. Even the nearby dicinal field had undergone significant changes. The dicinal herbs had grown noticeably taller.
Over the past two days, the old doctor had finally finished his free consultations. As soon as he returned to the small courtyard, he was imdiately drawn to the new spiritual farmland behind the yard that Lu Qing had opened up.
"Yes, Master. You ca back at just the right ti. I was planning to plant these spiritual grain seeds today," Lu Qing said with a smile.
"Very well, let
help you."
The old doctor was quite adept when it ca to farming.
Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and pant legs, ready to help Lu Qing plant the spiritually infused rice seeds.
Xiao Yan, who had been working on her lessons in the yard, saw what they were doing and imdiately ran over to help. Even Xiao Li curiously grabbed a handful of seeds with its claws and playfully tossed them into the field. Of course, disliking water as always, it stayed safely on the edge of the field and refused to step into the mud.
Lu Qing didn't bother with the two mischievous little ones. After all, he had plenty of spiritually infused rice seeds to plant, enough to easily cover the two mu of spiritual farmland. Even if they wasted a few, it wouldn't be an issue. Besides, planting wasn’t exactly a skilled task — even children could handle it well.
Two mu of farmland wasn’t much, and with the three of them and one beast working together, it didn’t take long before all the seeds were planted.
Lu Qing then perford a hand seal, and soon, clouds began to gather over the spiritual farmland. After about ten breaths, spiritual energy-infused raindrops started to gently fall, nourishing the freshly planted seeds.
"Master, after planting the spiritual grain, you need to use the Spiritual Rain Technique to water it regularly. The sa goes for cultivating spiritual dicine. This technique is easy to learn. Should I inscribe the planting techniques onto a jade slip for you later?"
"That would be good. I've been thinking of cultivating so higher-grade dicinal herbs lately, so learning this Spiritual dicine Cultivation Technique could be quite useful," the old doctor nodded, not refusing the offer.
"Master, did you encounter any difficult ailnts during your consultations?"
Seeing the look on his master's face, Lu Qing knew sothing must have happened.
"Indeed. On this trip, I discovered that the illnesses plaguing the villagers outside have beco much harder to treat compared to before. Most of the patients have an accumulation of a malevolent energy inside them — sothing we’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, our usual herbs are not effective at dispelling this energy.
"Unless the dosage is increased, which could be dangerous since dicine is inherently toxic in large quantities. If the dosage is too high, the patients may not be able to withstand it. As a result, during this round of consultations, I had to rely heavily on acupuncture and, at tis, even use my spiritual energy to aid in the treatnt."
The old doctor’s expression was heavy as he recounted what had happened during his consultations.
"So, that's why you want to cultivate spiritual dicine — to handle this situation?" Lu Qing realized.
The old doctor nodded. "Yes. Even if I can’t cultivate true spiritual dicine, improving the potency of the herbs we currently use would still be extrely beneficial."
"In that case, I’ll inscribe the techniques on a jade slip for you once we’re done."
After inspecting the spiritual farmland and confirming everything was in order, Lu Qing and the old doctor returned to the courtyard. With the rice seeds planted, the rest of the process would be much simpler.
All Lu Qing had to do was regularly water the fields using the Spiritual Rain Technique, clear out any weeds, and keep an eye out for pests. If all went well, they should be able to harvest the first batch of spiritual grain in two or three months.
Typically, when planting rice, it’s necessary to first cultivate the seedlings. After all, directly scattering the seeds across the field often results in uneven growth, with so areas growing sparse and others dense. This could also lead to shallow roots, making the plants prone to being blown over by the wind.
But for Lu Qing, this wasn’t a problem. The rice he was planting wasn’t ordinary, so he skipped that step entirely.
Back in the courtyard, Lu Qing imdiately inscribed the key points of the Li Huo Sect's Spiritual dicine Cultivation Techniques onto a jade slip and handed it to his master.
The old doctor, receiving the jade slip, went straight to his quiet chamber to study it seriously.
With nothing else to do, Lu Qing instructed Xiao Yan not to wander off, then began his cultivation.
Entering a ditative state, Lu Qing "saw" the Five Elents Gourd in his dantian, positioned at the center, continuously absorbing the spiritual energy he was refining. With each cycle, his spiritual power beca slightly more refined.
Even though only a few days had passed, Lu Qing could already feel that his spiritual power had beco at least ten percent more refined than before.
Don’t underestimate that ten percent. One must understand that a body cultivator’s physical progress is closely linked to the refinent of their spiritual power. The more refined the spiritual power, the stronger the body that is forged from it.
Now that Lu Qing’s spiritual power was ten percent more refined, it ant his body could also beco ten percent stronger.
With a calm mind and steady breath, Lu Qing guided the five elents of spiritual energy in his dantian, using the principles of the Five Elents Body Refining Technique to temper his body. As the spiritual energy continuously tempered and rged into his flesh, his physical strength gradually increased.
Yan had been observing Lu Qing’s cultivation and was amazed by the steadily increasing strength of Lu Qing's aura. The Five Elents Body Refining Technique was notoriously difficult to start and slow to progress in the ancient cultivation era, yet these difficulties were entirely absent in Lu Qing’s case. Yan had been watching closely these past few days. Despite Lu Qing having many responsibilities, from crafting to imbuing spiritual energy into rice seeds, and even saving people outside the village, the ti he spent on actual cultivation wasn’t that much. Yet, his cultivation was steadily advancing.
Based on Yan's calculations, at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Lu Qing reached the mid-stage of Qi Refinent. His progress was so fast that it would leave many ancient prodigies ashad. And given his foundation, although he was only in the Qi Refinent stage, his true strength was likely on par with Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
No wonder he caused tribulation clouds to form when the world first changed. His cultivation was truly beyond ordinary comprehension.
Yan once again felt grateful for its decision to submit to Lu Qing. Had it not surrendered, it would have likely been completely refined and obliterated by the ti Lu Qing reached the Foundation Establishnt stage.
While Lu Qing was engrossed in his cultivation, about ten li from Jiuli Village, on a tall mountain, a strange figure was hiding within a giant tree, watching the village covered in mist.
"Spiritual energy is gathering... This small mountain village is actually protected by a formation. It must be the place where that person is in seclusion," Elder You muttered, a look of dread flickering in his eyes.
To be able to set up such a formation so soon after the world’s revival... the inheritance this person possessed must be extraordinary. It could very well be the core inheritance of so powerful ancient sect.
Elder You watched for a while longer, but in the end, he chose not to approach further. Instead, he silently morized the location of Jiuli Village before quietly retreating.
When he had first set out, he was confident that with his group’s cultivation level, there were few places in the world they couldn’t go. However, that night, the old doctor’s Flying Sword Technique had shattered his confidence. If not for the treasure bestowed by the Tower Master, he would have perished alongside the others at the Wei family estate.
Elder You understood that the old man from that night was likely the master ntioned in their intel. If the master was that powerful, how terrifying would the disciple, who had wreaked havoc across the entire Sacred City, be?
That was why Elder You had no intention of taking any further risks. If they were detected, the mission would be a complete failure. He had already confird the location of the seclusion. Now it was up to the Tower Master to decide the next step.
After one last glance in the direction of Jiuli Village, Elder You swiftly departed. The primary objective of this trip had been accomplished.
With so ti left before the secret realm they had planned to explore opened, Elder You decided to use this opportunity to travel and make other arrangents for the Wujian Tower.
Leaving Cang County, he road far and wide, observing the current state of the world. A few days later, he arrived in another major province, Jizhou.
One night, while traveling, Elder You suddenly sensed a malevolent presence up ahead, causing him to shudder.
"What is this heavy resentnt? What happened ahead?"
Fear filled Elder You's eyes as he looked around at the surrounding terrain, realizing that this area fell within the domain of the Qingyun Sword Sect.
After scanning the surroundings a few more tis, Elder You’s aura suddenly beca faint, almost imperceptible, undetectable even by innate experts. Quietly, he crept forward. The further he advanced, the more terrified he beca.
The resentnt energy ahead was growing heavier, almost solidifying.
"What kind of horrific atrocity could have created such intense resentnt?"
After moving forward a bit more, Elder You hesitated. The sheer weight of the resentnt made even a Wujian Tower elder like him tremble.
Resentnt energy doesn’t just form from casual slaughter. Even if tens or hundreds of people are killed, it wouldn’t necessarily produce resentnt energy. Only those who suffer imnse tornt and die in great pain give rise to such energy.
Given the density of the resentnt here, Elder You could hardly imagine what kind of hellish scene lay ahead. And what kind of terrifying demon was behind it all?
“Ah!!”
Just as Elder You was considering retreating, a blood-curdling scream shattered the night.
Hearing the inhuman scream, Elder You froze in place.
After glancing at the night sky and feeling the object in his pocket, he decided to press on cautiously. Worst case, he would use his treasured artifact again.
He had to see for himself what kind of powerful demon was out there.
With the confidence given by the treasure in his possession, Elder You moved even more cautiously as he crept forward.
Finally, guided by the agonized screams, Elder You saw the entrance to a mountain gate. Silently, he climbed up for a better view.
What he saw next made his eyes widen in shock.
Inside the training grounds behind the gate, illuminated by the light of torches, was a scene straight out of a nightmare.
A figure, radiating a terrifying aura, with disheveled hair, was holding soone by the neck. The person being held was letting out heart-wrenching screams of agony.
The screams Elder You had heard earlier had co from this very place.
Surrounding the two, scattered across the ground, were nurous human skins, adding to the horrifying atmosphere.
Not far from them, seven or eight people were tied up with ropes, watching the scene unfold with terror written all over their faces.
"Shishu-zu, spare ! Spare !" The man being held begged for his life between screams.
But the terrifying figure with the disheveled hair remained unmoved. His large hand gripped the man’s head tightly, and with a flicker of his intent, streams of blood-red light erged from the man’s skull, flowing into the terrifying figure’s body.
As the blood-red light continued to stream out, the man’s screams gradually weakened, and his body began to wither. By the ti all the light had been extracted, the man had been reduced to nothing more than a dried-out human skin.
The figure casually tossed the empty skin aside, letting it drift to the ground like a discarded rag.
Elder You’s heart clenched with fear.
Now he understood how the human skins littering the ground had co to be.
The demon below had drained their flesh and blood, leaving only the skins behind.
Elder You had no idea what kind of evil cultivation thod this demon was using, but it was even more wicked and sinister than anything practiced in the Wujian Tower.
Terrified, Elder You suppressed his aura even further, doing everything in his power to avoid detection.
Thankfully, the disheveled figure seed unaware of Elder You’s presence. After discarding the human skin, the demon turned his gaze toward the remaining captives, tied up nearby.
"Xiao Jianwen, tell , whose blood essence should I absorb next?"
The figure, speaking slowly, addressed the white-bearded elder at the center, whose chest was stained with blood.
"Monster! Monster!" the white-bearded elder cried out in fury, "I should never have listened to your lies and set you free! I had no idea you were such a heartless demon, killing even mbers of your own sect!"
But the white-bearded elder’s breath was weak, clearly having sustained severe injuries. Despite his fury, he was powerless to act, unable to even lift his sword against the monster before him.
"Don’t speak so carelessly, Xiao Jianwen," the demon said, his voice unruffled. "Have you forgotten? It was you who ambushed
and locked
in that godforsaken place. Besides, we made a fair deal. I promised to reveal the secrets of the world’s changes to you if you released . Didn’t I keep my word?"
"If I had known you had beco such a demon, I would have killed you with one strike back then!" Xiao Jianwen shouted, his voice filled with regret.
"But there's no dicine for regret in this world," the demon said with a light chuckle. Then his expression turned cold.
"Enough talk. Will you tell
where the item is hidden, or not?"
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