Chapter 122: Ancient Wood, Everlasting Green

Gu Qingzhao stayed at Qin Ming's place for a full day.

The two of them had pretty much finished their exchange.

As she was leaving, she took out a jade slip and a small bundle of items from her storage bag, handed them to Qin Ming, and said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, these are the letter and items that Master Su asked our pavilion to deliver to you."

A look of surprise crossed Qin Ming's face as he took the jade slip and the items.

He immersed his divine sense to examine the jade slip.

"Brother Qin, hope this letter finds you well. Recently I've been researching an ancient-tier pill, the second-tier upper-grade Jade Essence Pill. They say this pill can reshape one's physical body and strengthen the root bone, but I'm lacking its main ingredient—the second-tier supreme-grade spirit plant 'Jade Essence Spirit Lotus Root.' This thing is truly hard to come by. I've only managed to get my hands on some spirit seeds of the Jade Essence Spirit Lotus, and I'd like to entrust you with growing them. Given Brother Qin's skill with spirit plants, I imagine this shouldn't be too difficult for you."

"In exchange, I'm willing to share the pill formula and refining method of the Jade Essence Pill with you."

"Additionally, I've already touched the threshold of a third-tier pill master. If you get the chance, come find me in the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, and we'll drink and chat to our hearts' content again."

After reading it, Qin Ming couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

That last line of the other party's still revealed a thick streak of pride.

This Su Yuqing has already begun researching ancient-tier pill formulas.

Then he recalled something, took out a blank jade slip, and wrote a reply on it.

Mainly he told him about his recent situation, and took the opportunity to give a vivid, detailed account of refining a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Second, he consulted with Su Yuqing about pill formulas that could be refined using Mist Illusion Mushrooms, as well as high-grade Spirit Nurturing Pill formulas that could help demon beasts raise their cultivation and strength.

Having a relationship with such a big-shot alchemist, no point letting it go to waste.

Afterwards.

Qin Ming thought for a moment, then took out another hundred jin of Spirit Rest Rice, two Rice Flower Spirit Fish, and ten jin of Gathering Spirit Tea, entrusting Gu Qingzhao to send them along with the letter to Su Yuqing.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, you really are generous." Gu Qingzhao took the items Qin Ming handed over and teased.

Qin Ming smiled at her words, then took out two more jars of Gathering Spirit Tea and two more Rice Flower Spirit Fish and gave them to Gu Qingzhao and her companion.

The visit came to an end.

Gu Qingzhao and her companion left Moon-Watching Island under Qin Ming's seeing-off.

……

Next.

Qin Ming returned to his days of farming and cultivating.

He had originally assumed that second-tier upper-grade and supreme-grade spirit seeds would be very hard to come by.

He hadn't expected that, by a twist of fate, he'd obtained spirit seeds of two second-tier supreme-grade spirit plants.

Qin Ming picked out a fine spirit field near the spirit spring beneath Moon-Watching Island's main peak.

He opened up a spirit water pool and planted the Jade Essence Spirit Lotus in it.

As for the Mist Illusion Mushrooms, they needed to be grown on the rotten wood of second-tier spirit trees. Coincidentally, he still had the branches he'd used to grow the second-tier Divine Origin Fruit and Red Silver Yellow Hemp back then.

Qin Ming processed them with spirit spring water and turned them into second-tier rotten wood.

Afterwards, he used his divine sense to transplant the spirit seed spores stored within the Mysterious Yin Black Wood onto the prepared rotten wood.

When Mist Illusion Mushrooms grow, they release hallucinogenic smoke, so Qin Ming simply moved all this wood to the back mountain.

There were over a hundred pieces of rotten wood planted with Mist Illusion Mushrooms, large and small.

He'd make further plans once the mushrooms grew out.

After arranging the rotten wood.

Qin Ming then raised his hand and pointed at the sky, and a massive blue thundercloud gathered overhead.

Under the pull of Qin Ming's spell technique, the spiritual energy within the second-tier spirit vein flowed backward like a curtain into the spirit cloud.

Just.

The spiritual energy mobilized this time was completely different from the usual multicolored spiritual energy when Qin Ming used his high-grade Spirit Rain Art.

Instead, it took on a pure blue hue.

This was the latest spirit-plant spell 【Great Five Elements Art】 that Qin Ming had learned after using the entry, which could, according to the different spiritual energy requirements of various spirit plants, bring down corresponding five-element spiritual energy rain, greatly boosting the efficiency of spirit plant growth.

This method was truly one of a kind; even within spirit-plant sects there was no such profound spirit-plant spell.

Mist Illusion Mushrooms had a high demand for water spiritual energy, so Qin Ming drew extra water spiritual energy from the spirit vein.

In no time, thunder and lightning flashed within the cloud mass.

A hazy blue spirit rain drifted down, watering the over a hundred pieces of rotten wood planted with Mist Illusion Mushroom spores.

After finishing all this.

He went to tend his three mu of spirit water fields once more, and planted the Spirit Rest Rice again.

After all, Spirit Rest Rice and Rice Flower Spirit Fish could greatly boost his current stage of magic power cultivation.

Qin Ming also made a trip to the Spirit Gu Zhishi Guild at Chu Tianhe Market, and brought the recording official in charge of assessments to log his planting records.

That old spirit plant master, seeing that Qin Ming was once again about to attempt the second-tier upper-grade spirit plant master exam after just a few short years.

Gazed at him with eyes full of admiration and respect.

One had to know that second-tier upper-grade spirit plant masters were few and far between even within the entire Wei Nation's Immortal Realm.

Qin Ming, however, cared nothing for such empty fame; what he mainly cared about was the 'Ten Thousand Wood Mother Qi' within the plant illusion realm.

All the spirit plants were pretty much planted.

As for the other high-grade spirit plants, if he got the chance to gather their seeds, he also planned to plant more of them.

After that, Qin Ming returned once more to his bland, peaceful days of farming, alchemy, cultivation, and beast-raising.

On this day.

Qin Ming sat cross-legged beneath his natal spirit plant, the Longevity Vine, cultivating the "Ancient Wood Longevity Art."

The Mysterious Water Crocodile lay quietly beside him, greedily absorbing the wood essence qi that overflowed as Qin Ming cultivated.

This was something Qin Ming had only recently discovered.

He found that this fellow, after absorbing this wood essence qi, grew even faster—faster even than when he fed it Spirit Nurturing Pills, by quite a margin.

Truly worthy of the talent bestowed by an Earth-grade bloodline.

The aura emanating from the Profound Water Crocodile grew even more ferocious; during this period, its massive body had also grown to a size of seven or eight zhang.

It had already become a dominant force in Wangyue Lake, and with its formidable defensive capabilities combined with its overbearing strength, few demonic beasts could match it.

Ever since it began guarding the home, no aquatic demonic beast dared approach Wangyue Island.

Several shichen later.

Qin Ming awakened from his state of cultivation.

Looking at the Profound Water Crocodile, which was still absorbing the essential qi of plants and trees, he patted its head and said, "Hurry up and break through to become a second-rank great demon, or else you're wasting all these good things I gave you."

The Profound Water Crocodile understood and immediately began shaking its head and wagging its tail with eager diligence.

Just at this moment.

Perhaps influenced by Qin Ming's recent breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

Many purple spiritual runes began flickering across the surface of the Longevity Vine's tendrils, and a purple talisman emitted from the vine, merging into Qin Ming's body.

The green talisman between his eyebrows lit up, and the Supreme Wood Dharma Body involuntarily activated and manifested behind him.

A torrent of information surged into Qin Ming's mind.

"Spiritual Body Advancement: Ancient Wood Yu Changqing Body!"

A method for cultivating a spiritual body far more profound than the Supreme Wood Dharma Body suddenly appeared in Qin Ming's heart.

To cultivate the 'Ancient Wood Yu Changqing Body' to completion required absorbing tens of times more essential qi of plants and trees and power of the years than the Supreme Wood Dharma Body.

Yet once fully cultivated, it would grant an acquired spiritual body comparable to the aptitude of a 'Heavenly Spiritual Root'.

The cultivation technique for the 'Ancient Wood Yu Changqing Body' also began to gradually emerge in the later chapters of the 'Ancient Wood Longevity Art'.

Qin Ming opened his eyes, an expression of excitement appearing on his face!

"As long as I cultivate the 'Ancient Wood Yu Changqing Body' to completion, there is hope for reaching the Jin Dan!"

The Profound Water Crocodile beside him seemed to sense that some change had occurred in its master and became excited along with him.

(End of Chapter)