Chapter 164: Cultivating Hualing Yao Cao

"Hehe! If Fellow Daoist Wei needs it, then naturally it is possible." A richer smile spread across Qin Ming's face.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Hmm, let's do this: if Fellow Daoist Wei has wood-attribute spiritual soil, seeds of second-rank upper-grade spiritual plants, or other spiritual materials of equivalent value, Qin Mou is willing to trade for them."

"What does Fellow Daoist Wei think?"

Qin Ming knew that as a top talent of Lei Yuanzong, Wei Wuya held an extraordinary status and surely carried many good treasures in his pockets, making the title 'mobile treasure vault' entirely fitting.

With such an opportunity, of course, he should take the chance to search for what he currently lacked.

After hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Wei Wuya's face; he then patted his storage bag, took out a jade box, and handed it to Qin Ming, saying, "Fellow Daoist Qin, please see if this item is acceptable?"

"Now that you mention it, it is truly coincidental; I obtained this spiritual soil some days ago while suppressing demonic beasts on Qianye Lingdao."

Qin Ming took the jade box and opened it, revealing inside a square foot of greenish spiritual soil emitting a dense mist of wood-attribute energy.

"Second-rank upper-grade Xun Wood Spiritual Soil!" Qin Ming exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

Truly, after searching everywhere in vain, it arrived without any effort at all!

He had long heard from Aunt Long that spiritual soil would appear at the trading assembly on Qianye Lingdao, but before he could wait for the transaction, the island suffered a great calamity; he never expected the spiritual soil to go around in a circle and end up in his hands.

With this Xun Wood Spiritual Soil, Qin Ming could now plant the third-rank spiritual plant 'Hualing Yao Cao' that Nalan Xi had given him.

Qin Ming immediately replied, "Fellow Daoist Wei, using this spiritual soil as an exchange is already more than sufficient."

"Let's do this: I will not take advantage of Fellow Daoist Wei; this square foot of second-rank upper-grade spiritual soil is of considerable value."

"I will trade two jars of Spiritual Fire Wine for it."

Wei Wuya's eyes lit up, and he said with great joy, "That is excellent, deal!"

Qin Ming also acted on the principle of goodwill; a figure like Wei Wuya was worth befriending if possible, as he might obtain other important information from him someday.

Because he could also sense that Wei Wuya's attitude toward him was quite friendly; otherwise, he would not have easily taken out second-rank upper-grade Xun Wood Spiritual Soil to trade for spirit wine.

The exchange completed, both parties obtained what they needed, and both were fully satisfied.

Wei Wuya then stood up to take his leave, saying, "Fellow Daoist Qin's residence here is serene and detached from the mundane, accompanied by fine wine; truly, this trip was not in vain!"

"However, I must rush back to my sect to report, so I will take my leave first; if Fellow Daoist Qin has time, please visit Lei Yuanzong for a sit; Wei Mou would welcome you with open arms."

"At that time, I will also let Fellow Daoist Qin taste my treasured spirit wine, hehe!"

Qin Ming also stood up, smiling politely, and cupped his hands in response, saying, "Certainly, certainly!"

"Since Fellow Daoist Wei has urgent matters to attend to, I will not detain you further."

"Please!"

Subsequently, Qin Ming activated the Mist Illusion Realm and escorted Wei Wuya away from Wangyue Island.

"Phew~"

"I never expected that Wei Wuya would be such a lucky star for me; first he gifted a Demon Ape, and now he has helped me obtain the urgently needed spiritual soil."

"This person has a straightforward nature, without the scheming calculations of Zhao Wuji; he is indeed worth befriending."

Now possessing the Xun Wood Spiritual Soil, Qin Ming immediately began preparing to plant the third-rank spiritual plant Hualing Yao Cao.

"Hmm, the spiritual soil is secured."

"According to the records in that third-rank spiritual planter inheritance, cultivating Hualing Yao Cao in its early stages also requires an auxiliary spiritual material."

"That is the eggshell of the second-rank flying beast, the Flame-tailed Warbler."

Qin Ming held an ancient-looking jade slip in his hand, examining it carefully.

"This item can probably only be found in Canghai Xiancheng, but it should not be too difficult to obtain."

Recently, Qin Ming still had to care for his two spiritual pets to heal their injuries; every few days, he needed to personally use Ancient Wood Longevity magic power to heal them, so he was unable to leave for the time being; thus, he summoned Wu Jiang, intending to have him run an errand.

A moment later.

Wu Jiang arrived before Qin Ming, his gaze drifting as he looked around cautiously, and asked in a hushed tone, "Fellow Daoist Qin, has Senior Wei left?"

He knew that a major figure like Wei Wuya coming to Wangyue Island must be related to the disturbances on the island a few days ago.

Qin Ming nodded, then told him, "Fellow Daoist Wei has already left; additionally, Fellow Daoist Wu, I need you to go to Canghai Xiancheng to handle a matter for me."

Upon hearing that Wei Wuya had visited yet nothing happened, Wu Jiang couldn't help but show a look of astonishment; but when he heard that Qin Ming had another task for him, a beaming smile immediately spread across his face, "Hehe! Fellow Daoist Qin, just give the orders, I will definitely get it done for you!"

Qin Ming said, "I need some eggshells from the second-rank middle-grade beast, the Flame-tailed Warbler; please help me purchase some."

Having said this, Qin Ming took a small bag of spirit stones from his storage bag and tossed it to Wu Jiang.

"These spirit stones should be enough."

Wu Jiang took the bag of spirit stones, but his face showed difficulty; originally, he thought Qin Ming was sending him out to gather intelligence or something similar.

Instead, he was asked to procure materials from a second-rank middle-grade beast, which was slightly beyond the capabilities of a Qi Refining cultivator like himself.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, with second-rank materials, others might not welcome me if I go..." Wu Jiang explained hesitantly.

Only then did Qin Ming remember that second-rank middle-grade materials were already classified as restricted resources by major merchant halls; those large shops in Canghai Xiancheng would prioritize selling only to major clients.

He pondered for a moment, then took out a token and handed it to Wu Jiang, saying, "First, go ask Gu Qingzhao of the Mirror Snow Pavilion; if she doesn't have it, use this token to find Executive Liang of Canghai Xiancheng."

Wu Jiang took the gold-stamped token and saw the seal script characters 'Canghai' engraved upon it, startling him so much that his hand trembled and he nearly dropped it.

"Canghai Token!" Clearly, he had heard of this token before and knew what it signified.

The Canghai Token had always been issued personally by True Person Canghai, representing the recognition of the Xiancheng, and their quantity was extremely limited.

More importantly, possessing this token allowed one to freely enter and exit the core area of Canghai Xiancheng.

'I never expected Fellow Daoist Qin to have even met True Person Canghai and received a Canghai Token; he is truly too low-key.'

'We are both scattered cultivators, so why is he so outstanding?'

Subsequently.

Wu Jiang happily took the token and went out to handle the affair.

Qin Ming, meanwhile, went beneath his innate spiritual plant, the Longevity Vine, placed his two beast pets underneath it again, and continued to let the essence of wood and grass heal and nourish them.

"The injuries you both sustained this time are indeed severe, even damaging your very origin; to fully recover will take at least several more years."

"But, hehe!"

As he spoke, Qin Ming, right before his two spirit pets, pulled out an exquisite long jade box.

He broke the seal, and in an instant, a ginseng-shaped spirit plant radiating an earthy yellow spiritual aura appeared before his eyes.

"With this item, not only will you two heal quickly, but you might even gain a new lease on life."

Beneath the Longevity Vine, the Profound Water Crocodile and the Silver-Winged Frost Bee, who had previously been half-dead, suddenly perked up the moment they saw the Hualing Yao Cao appear, their weak bodies trembling with excitement.

The two beasts fixed their gazes intently on the Hualing Yao Cao, drool already dripping from their mouths.

"Hehe! I said I would reward you handsomely, but there's no rush; wait until I cultivate this herb." Seeing his two spirit beasts' reactions, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile wryly.

"This third-rank Hualing Yao Cao truly holds a fatal attraction for demonic beasts."

Next, Qin Ming first cleared an area beneath his innate spirit plant, the Longevity Vine, and evenly poured in one square foot of Xun Wood Qingkong Lingrang.

Then, he applied a 【Regenerative Spirit Seed】 attribute to the Hualing Yao Cao, whose roots had been injured.

In an instant, a cluster of purple spores appeared, enveloping the Hualing Yao Cao that had been leaking spiritual energy; the wounds at its roots began to heal rapidly, and soon the entire spirit plant burst forth with vigorous vitality once more.

Qin Ming's face lit up with joy; he then took out the Hualing Yao Cao, planted it in the Xun Wood Qingkong Lingrang, formed hand seals, and invoked the Great Five Elements Art to water it thoroughly.

Finally, all that remained was to wait for Wu Jiang to purchase the second-rank demonic beast eggshells; once they were brought back, crushed, and spread evenly over the Xun Wood Qingkong Lingrang, the task would be complete.

The greatest function of these second-rank Whistling Warbler eggshells was to maintain a constant temperature for the Xun Wood Qingkong Lingrang and prevent the spiritual energy within the soil from dissipating into the surrounding ordinary spirit earth.

Furthermore, they would provide a certain increase in the fruit-bearing rate once the demonic herb matured.

This was precisely the secret formula contained within that third-rank spirit planter inheritance.

After finishing these steps, Qin Ming used another 【Enhanced Adaptation】 attribute, applying it to the Hualing Yao Cao.

After all, as a third-rank spirit plant, the Hualing Yao Cao found it difficult to grow normally in the second-rank mid-grade spiritual vein environment of Wangyue Island.

(End of Chapter)