Chapter 138: Harvest and Advancement

Outside Wangyue Island.

Watching Zhao Wuji's wretched flight, everyone was utterly stunned.

Just moments ago, they had seen him enter the outer edge of the mist, only to suddenly begin dancing wildly and screaming, behaving as if insane.

The noble image once held by Young Master Zhao vanished without a trace, replaced by an utterly shameful display.

They then turned their gaze back to the pink mist, deep dread and fear rising in their eyes.

"W-what exactly is this?"

"Could it be that Wangyue Island has already been swallowed by this mist?"

Zhao Wuji also showed a look of lingering terror, saying, "Such a bizarre illusory mist; it can actually generate such a deadly illusion realm."

"If not for the life-protecting talisman gifted by Yunxi Laozu just now, I would have perished here."

"This fellow Qin is indeed not as simple as he appears."

Having experienced the power of the mist's illusion realm, Zhao Wuji knew it was impossible for him to break through; he straightened his appearance, then led his group away with a gloomy expression.

On Wangyue Island.

Qin Ming had long since discovered what was happening outside.

He flew into the air, waved a single hand, and two blood beads shot out from within the mist's illusion realm, landing precisely in his palm.

Qin Ming then swept his divine sense over the corpses of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, and their two storage pouches found their way into his pocket.

"Consider yourself lucky, Young Master Zhao," Qin Ming thought silently, standing in place and watching the direction in which Zhao Wuji and his group had fled in panic.

Immediately after, he returned to the island and tossed those two blood beads to his innate spiritual plant, the Longevity Vine.

The black vines danced, absorbing the blood beads completely, and many new branches sprouted forth.

The Longevity Vine stretched its vines, joyfully emitting waves of qi that continuously flowed into Qin Ming's body.

After this incident.

Within the scope of the spiritual energy Archipelago, a strange tale gradually began to circulate.

It was said that Wangyue Island was shrouded in a pink mist, whose illusory mist realm was so formidable that even a Jin Dan old ancestor had to retreat three paces.

"Alas! What a pity for Master Qin! A genius of his generation!"

"Our spiritual energy Archipelago had finally produced a spiritual plant master capable of cultivating spiritual energy Rice, only for him to be lost like this."

"Not necessarily; perhaps nothing has happened on the island?"

"With such a bizarre mist, comparable to the mysterious gray fog of the Northern Great Marsh, even a Jin Dan old ancestor cannot survive, let alone Island Lord Qin?"

"."

More and more rumors spread, splitting into several different versions.

Just like the bizarre mist that had appeared suddenly, it added an aura of mystery to Wangyue Lake.

Wangyue Island was also classified as one of the dangerous forbidden zones within the spiritual energy Archipelago.

Should any cultivator rashly venture in, they would surely go but never return.

This news likewise reached the Jingxue Pavilion in Canghai Yunze Xiancheng.

Both Gu Qingzhao and the Shopkeeper were shocked.

"What?!"

"Fellow Daoist Qin's Wangyue Island has been submerged by a bizarre mist?"

"T-this... Gu Gezhu, what are we to do?"

The Shopkeeper also wore a face full of worry; the Jingxue Pavilion's previous large-scale auction had been extremely successful, and under its continuing influence, current revenue was skyrocketing.

The adults at headquarters had spoken highly of them.

This was entirely due to the Foundation Establishment Pills refined by Fellow Daoist Qin, as well as numerous rare spiritual plants.

If anything happened to Qin Ming, the impact on them would be significant.

Beyond that, there were also factors of personal affection involved.

Just then.

From outside the room came the shop boy's report: "Reporting to the Gu Gezhu and the Shopkeeper, a cultivator surnamed Wu is outside requesting an audience, saying he has come to sell spiritual rice."

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhao's previously furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and she hurriedly instructed, "Quickly invite him in."

A moment later.

Wu Jiang entered the private room with a smile, stepped forward, and clasped his fists to greet the two.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, what exactly is going on on Wangyue Island?" the Shopkeeper asked impatiently.

Gu Qingzhao also looked at him, her heart equally filled with confusion.

However, seeing Wu Jiang, who resided on Wangyue Island, appear here safe and sound.

She could easily guess that nothing serious had occurred on the island.

"Hehe! There is no need for you two fellow daoists to worry; Wangyue Island is currently safe and sound."

"With the current turmoil in the spiritual energy Archipelago, Fellow Daoist Qin, in order to protect Wangyue Island from the spread of war and the encroachment of various forces..."

"... was forced to arrange this mist illusion realm to enhance defensive measures; as for the island itself, everything remains as usual. Fellow Daoist Qin also specifically asked me to inform you both and to sell some spiritual rice while purchasing certain supplies."

After Wu Jiang finished explaining, Gu Qingzhao and the Shopkeeper looked even more astonished, saying, "This mist capable of blocking a Jin Dan old ancestor was created by Fellow Daoist Qin?"

Wu Jiang nodded neither affirming nor denying.

To tell the truth, when Fellow Daoist Qin had first arranged the mist, he too had endured over a month in trembling fear.

He then recounted all the details to the two from the Jingxue Pavilion.

"Come, come! Fellow Daoist Wu coming to sell spiritual rice is something our pavilion has been longing for."

"Look, we were so occupied asking about matters on the spiritual island that we forgot to serve tea to Fellow Daoist Wu; truly, we have been negligent."

After hearing Wu Jiang's account, the worries Gu Qingzhao and the other had harbored vanished instantly, leaving them greatly relieved.

Shopkeeper Liao's face piled up with a professional smile once more as he invited Wu Jiang to take a seat, then proceeded to brew spiritual tea for him.

After returning to Moon Gazing Island.

Wu Jiang recounted all the various rumors from the outside world to Qin Ming.

"Heh, it's just right for achieving some peace and quiet; let them be as they wish." Upon hearing this, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile.

From now on, Moon Gazing Island truly became a place isolated from the world.

Next.

Qin Ming began his tedious daily cultivation routine; aside from cultivating each day, he devoted his time to studying the inheritance of the third-tier Spirit Planter and the Miao family's "Thousand Mechanisms Puppet Art."

Since he had just advanced to the upper grade of the second-tier Spirit Planter, he now needed to find a way to break through to the third tier.

Practicing the puppet art also placed extremely high demands on a cultivator's divine soul; this high-grade puppet art of the Miao family was exquisitely crafted.

It even included the method of 'Splitting Spirit and Transforming Thoughts' for controlling puppets, which for Qin Ming was like adding flowers to brocade or giving wings to a tiger.

Given that his current strength of divine sense was comparable to that of the late Foundation Establishment stage, he precisely lacked such a marvelous technique for utilizing divine sense.

After studying for merely half a month, he used spirit plants to refine several straw-man puppets possessing the strength of the Qi Refining middle stage.

Those few straw-man puppets were currently outside in the spirit fields, helping him dig and loosen the soil.

Time slowly passed.

Three months later.

Qin Ming's three mu of top-grade Spirit Perching Rice had fully ripened.

Holding his spirit sickle, he approached the spirit water field; like a farmer, he smiled as he gazed upon the crops he had painstakingly cultivated, and a surge of harvest joy welled up in his heart.

The eighty Rice Flower Spirit Fish in the spirit water field this time were even plumper than before; each one was stout, with three tiger stripes born upon their backs, the smallest weighing seven or eight jin, while the larger ones reached up to twenty jin.

Qin Ming casually peeled open a grain of top-grade Spirit Perching Rice, and a dazzling Ziyou Xuanmu spiritual halo instantly met his eyes, revealing a grain of spirit rice as transparent as glass in his hand.

A startling fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated from within the top-grade Spirit Perching Rice.

Sensing the rich fluctuation of spiritual energy within the spirit rice, a smile appeared on the corner of Qin Ming's mouth.

Then he rolled up his sleeves and began harvesting the spirit rice, causing the spirit fish in the paddy to leap about vigorously.

After working hard all afternoon, Qin Ming harvested three dan of top-grade Spirit Perching Rice, enough to last him for a very long time.

In addition, he also obtained two blue attribute leaves:

【Magic Power Crystal】 x5 【Space-Time Leaf】 x5 That evening, Qin Ming caught a ten-jin Rice Flower Spirit Fish and cooked a pot of top-grade Spirit Perching Rice.

Within the cave dwelling, a mist of spiritual food permeated the air, lingering with an intoxicating fragrance.

These two items, if placed in the outside Immortal Realm, would undoubtedly cause a tremendous sensation.

Gazing at the spirit rice and spirit fish before him, Qin Ming's appetite surged, and he began to devour them like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds.

Surging waves of immense spiritual energy continuously poured into his body.

After finishing his meal, he immediately walked over to his innate spirit plant, the Longevity Vine, and began cultivating the "Ancient Wood Longevity Art."

Feeling that the timing was about right.

Qin Ming consumed all five of the 【Magic Power Crystal】 items.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The cyan liquid magic power within his body gathered more and more, flowing along his meridians like a trickling stream until it merged into his dantian sea of qi.

In an instant, his cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment stage began to climb rapidly.

It only slowed to a halt once it reached the peak of the early stage.

His current reserve of liquid magic power had already surpassed that of ordinary mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, exceeding twice that of peers at the same level.

Qin Ming concluded his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes, a flash of cyan light flickering and vanishing within his gaze.

The Longevity Vine was still continuously injecting him with energy of years and essence of vegetation.

The silver rune within his body was also gradually being outlined in small part.

This signified that Qin Ming's cultivation of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Body had begun to make progress.

After sensing the immensely abundant cyan liquid magic power within his body, Qin Ming revealed a satisfied smile.

"If things continue developing along this trend, and I keep lying low on the island farming for a few more years, the late Foundation Establishment stage won't be far off."

(End of Chapter)