Chapter 180 Planting Spirit Trees

Azure Dragon Wood is a spiritual plant of the wood element, named for the fish-scale-like pattern on its bark.

Its seeds are the size of eggs, with a thick, dark green outer shell covered with dark spots and fish-scale-like patterns.

Ji An unleashed his Azure Wood Transformation Technique, and the vibrant green light, imbued with the breath of life, engulfed the seed and continuously seeped into it.

Spells can nurture the life force of a seed to its most perfect state. Now that the Azure Wood Transformation Divine Art has reached the Great Perfection level, I wonder if it can enhance the seed's potential from its source.

If possible, it would be a godsend for farmers.

The seed quickly reached its limit and could no longer absorb any more emerald green light.

Ji An put away the seeds and summoned the gray-feathered sand geese to search for a suitable location in the emerald mulberry forest.

Since there is no spare land, the only option to plant new spirit trees is to cut down some spirit mulberry trees; there is no other choice at this point.

The Azure Dragon Wood has a higher potential than the Jade Leaf Mulberry, so he plans to plant it in this most fertile mulberry field.

However, the Azure Dragon Tree has a greater need for spiritual energy, so its planting density is destined to be much lower than that of mulberry trees.

Finally, Ji An decided to plant the Azure Dragon Tree in a location relatively close to the Cold Pool.

He landed on the ground and unleashed a golden light spell.

A crescent-shaped golden blade of light was unleashed, carrying a sharp and cold aura, easily severing the top-grade Jade Leaf Mulberry close to its root.

"Feihu, you guys come here and dig out the roots of the mulberry tree."

Ji An shouted, "The roots of the spirit tree are very deep in the ground, and it is difficult to kill it completely with the Flame Spell."

Huang Feihu, Huang Xuan, and the others came over with tools and quickly dug out the roots and collected the branches and roots together.

Ji An took out a purple fire gourd, released flames that burned the mulberry tree, and then said:

“Scatter these ashes according to my markings.”

High-grade spirit wood, when burned, becomes a rare and excellent fertilizer.

“Okay,” Huang Feihu replied, dividing the ashes into ten portions and scattering them in the corresponding locations.

Ji An made a hand seal to release the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra, planting a seed, and then released the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Mantra.

Earth (己) and Water (癸) can maximize the vitality of seeds, and this stimulation is gentle and harmless.

As the rain fell, a mist began to fill the open space.

The saplings of the Azure Dragon Tree sprouted from the soil, their bark a pale gray color, with light green lines outlining fish-scale patterns.

The clouds dispersed, the fog lifted, the wind stopped, and the rain ceased. The sapling had grown to a foot tall and had sprouted four or five leaves the size of a child's palm.

Huang Xuan grinned and said:

"Watching my master plant is a pleasure. If one day I can reach half of his level, I'll be laughing in my dreams."

He also cultivated several acres of spiritual fields outside Crimson Flame Peak, planting yellow sprout rice, which would sprout in three or four days.

My uncle planted a spirit tree, which grew to knee-high in just a quarter of an hour. There's no harm in comparison.

He is now very curious about how long it would take for his uncle to grow yellow sprout rice.

Huang Feihu chuckled:

"Then you'd better work hard. Your master's ability in planting is unmatched in the sect."

Along the way, he witnessed countless miracles that no other cultivator in Ji'an could achieve.

Putting aside everything else, when they first moved into Crimson Flame Peak, their master planted three thousand acres of spirit trees all by himself.

At that time, the opponent had only broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage a few months ago, but his understanding of planting spells was comparable to that of veteran Foundation Establishment practitioners.

Ji An said:

"You can't say that outside."

He had reached the Great Perfection level in all three Foundation Establishment stage planting techniques, and he believed that no one in the sect could match his spiritual farmer.

However, one should be humble. The so-called honor of being number one has no real benefits and may even arouse the jealousy of some people.

He has never encountered envious and petty people before, but that doesn't mean he won't in the future.

The sunset glow resembled either a range of mountains or a giant centipede.

Despite the setting sun, Crimson Flame Peak was teeming with life.

The golden-red mist on the mountaintop had dissipated, and the spiritual atmosphere had become comfortable and pleasant.

Firetooth Rabbit emerged from its burrow and darted through the forest in search of food. Various insects, which had disappeared during the day, also came out to join in the fun, emitting clear chirps.

The glow of the sunset draped a red veil over the cold pool and bamboo forest. Liang Qiu and the Xia sisters were busy in the kitchen, while Wei Songnian led Huang Feihu and others to greet the guests.

"I'll have to start calling you Senior Brother Ji now. Congratulations!"

Zhang Yuanshan cupped his hands in greeting, with Yue Rong, who had met Ji An once before, by his side.

"Congratulations! Please take your seats."

Ji An smiled and said that among the people who came out of the Taoist academy, Chu He and Zhao Mengyao were still carrying out a mission in the Mingfeng Mountain area and could not come back.

"Senior Brother Liu, it's unexpected that you're in the sect."

Liu Yu smiled gently:

"The rankings at Mingfeng Mountain have been closed. I'm returning to my sect to adjust my condition and await the Three Sects Competition a few months from now."

"Junior brother, we'll sit here. You go and greet the others."

As he spoke, he sat down and grabbed a handful of pine nuts to eat.

Du Huaiyuan said:

"Qingwan and Lingyu are still at Mingfeng Mountain and won't be back for another six months. They won't be able to make it back in time."

"You two have both broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, which puts a lot of pressure on me."

He had only been at the third level of Foundation Establishment for two years, just catching up with the others, but unexpectedly, he was left behind again.

Liu Yu shook his head and lowered his voice:

"You're just too carefree. Among us, you're the last one to break through to the third level of Foundation Establishment."

If we don't hurry, Qingwan and Lingyu will also break through soon.

Zeng Rui, Jiang Wanrong, and Wu Yan came together. Wu Yan is the person in charge of the Beast Taming Hall branch.

Ye Changqing, Zhao Lei, and Liu Suyun arrived together, followed by Mo Shan and Han Qingshan.

Once everyone had arrived, Ji An gave the instructions:

"Fellow Daoist Liang, let's begin the banquet."

This is the network of connections he has built up over many years in the sect. There aren't many people, but among them are five late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The food was plentiful, and the wine was plentiful. The moon rose over the eastern mountains, its serene light blending with the glow of the luminous pearl. A gentle evening breeze blew as everyone drank heartily.

After the guests and hosts had enjoyed themselves to the fullest, the music ended and everyone dispersed. Liu Suyun and Du Huaiyuan stayed behind, while the others left one by one.

The next day.

Ji An finished his cultivation and flew back to the stone house.

Liu Suyun stood by the cold pool, hands behind her back, and said:

"Junior brother has just broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. He can absorb both wood and water elemental energy by circulating his cultivation technique. He has a bright future ahead of him."

"In a few years, I'll be here to celebrate my junior brother's advancement to the late Foundation Establishment stage."

She's been here for a while now and can see the movements of the other person while they're cultivating.

However, due to the angle, she did not discover the third inspiration.

"Senior sister, you flatter me. Your praise makes me feel like I'm floating on air."

Liu Suyun smiled:

"Junior brother, there's no need to be so modest."

As the two were talking, Du Huaiyuan flew back from afar in his flying shuttle, his face beaming with joy:

"I took a closer look, and the pine cones are ready to be harvested."

Those second-order red pine trees are laden with fruit; their average yield is sure to exceed that of previous years.

It's that time of year again to brew pine nut wine, and his happy time is just around the corner.

Ji An nodded:

"Flying Tiger found the right people a few days ago, and the warehouse and distillery have been thoroughly cleaned. We can start harvesting pine cones today."

"Okay, I'll make a list of materials and send someone to purchase them later."

After everyone had breakfast, Du Huaiyuan and the others got busy, while Ji An and the other two headed towards the underground cave.

How many fruits were there this year?

Liu Suyun asked with a smile, feeling that her luck had improved since she met Junior Brother Ji.

The supply of copper-patterned mulberry was sufficient, and the supply of earth spirit fruit was gradually able to meet the demand.

What made her even happier was that the growth cycle of the Earth Spirit Fruit had been shortened by a full six months, which was fantastic news.

"There are 175 in total. I plan to keep 18. All the Earth Spirit Fruits not covered by the agreement can be sold to my senior sister."

However, I have a request: I'd like to prioritize selecting the best-looking ones, because I'm also planning to plant Earth Spirit Fruit trees.

The agreement stipulates that each tree must hand over 30 fruits to the owner, leaving Ji An with 55 fruits to dispose of.

"No problem, I agree."

Everything we have now is thanks to my junior brother; I've already benefited greatly.

Liu Suyun readily agreed, but whether she could cultivate a top-quality Earth Spirit Fruit Tree if she was still the one planting it was another matter.

There are now four top-grade spirit trees, far exceeding her expectations.

She paused, then said:

"Junior brother, according to the agreement, two more plants have been cultivated into top-grade ones, and I need to pay you four catties of top-grade spider silk. I can give it to you now."

Ji An waved his hand:

"Senior sister, let's convert it into spirit stones."

For him, top-tier resources no longer held any appeal.

"Oh well."

The two arrived at the bottom of the cave, where a narrow, winding tunnel had appeared on the stone wall, unlike before.

The golden retriever was seen crouching alertly under the spirit tree, with seven or eight earth spirit fruits beside it.

The skin of the Earth Spirit Fruit is yellowish, crystal clear like jade, and has a subtle shimmering luster.

It is obvious that some fruits have naturally ripened and fallen during this period.

Sensing someone's arrival, the golden retriever turned its head to look and barked ingratiatingly:

"Squeak squeak".

Liu Suyun was somewhat taken aback when she saw that only a few dozen fruits were sparsely hanging on the spirit tree:

"These fruits ripened so quickly?"

A few days ago, she received a message from the talisman sword, learning that Ji An was going to hold a celebration and that the fruit was beginning to ripen.

Only three or four days have passed, and there are already very few fruits left hanging on the trees.

Ji An nodded and said:

"I don't know why, but the Earth Spirit Fruits ripened in large quantities in just a few days. I guess it has something to do with my level of magic."

As he spoke, he made a hand seal to release the "Returning to the Origin of the Earth" spell.

As the yellow spiritual light and the essence of Dharma spread, more than a dozen fruits fell one after another.

Based on past experience, it takes about half a month from the first fruit falling to the last.

But this season's fruit will ripen in seven or eight days at most.

"The Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra has been practiced to its fullest extent. I now completely understand the divine meaning of the mantra, and my comprehension of the Way of the Earth has deepened considerably."

"Squeak squeak".

The golden retriever barked happily, caught the fruit, placed it in the pile of fruit, and continued to look up and wait.

Liu Suyun remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

"Junior brother, have you ever thought about this? How would the other spirit farmers feel if they knew your current level of magic?"

She deciphered the meaning behind the other person's words, realizing that the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra must have reached its peak much earlier.

Some spiritual farmers have already reached the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment stage, but have not yet mastered any Foundation Establishment spell to its fullest extent.

(End of this chapter)