Chapter 289: Third-Tier Spirit Planting Grandmaster

"Many thanks, Daoist Qin, for informing us!"

Upon hearing this, several ancestral founders of the sects were also utterly astonished, never expecting that the Mo Sect had been obstructing matters throughout the series of events.

Once they returned, they would inevitably treat this matter with utmost seriousness and purge their internal ranks.

Otherwise, the fate that befell Lingyun Sect would very likely befall them next.

As evening approached.

The several Jin Dan True Persons had largely finished their exchanges, so they bid farewell to Nalan Xi and departed separately.

Nalan Xi escorted everyone to the outskirts of Canghai Peak.

Qin Mou, however, did not leave immediately; instead, he intended to go to the Spirit Planter Guild within the city to complete the final assessment of the plant illusion realm.

He was not doing this for the sake of reputation, but for the rewards contained within.

The last time he passed as a second-tier upper-grade Spirit Planter, he had not only obtained half a bottle of Ten Thousand Trees Mother Qi but also received the spiritual seed of the Fire-Bathing Golden Lotus.

Had it not been for that, he could never have refined the Core-Forming Pill so quickly.

The third-tier Spirit Planter trial was also the final ultimate test in the Southern Wild Immortal Realm.

When Spirit Planting arts reached this level, one had arrived at the peak.

From this point onward, no further trial assessments were needed; reaching this stage as a Spirit Planter was sufficient proof of one's proficiency.

"Daoist Qin, will you not stay a few more days within Yunze Xiancheng?" Nalan Xi asked Qin Mou after seeing the others off.

Qin Mou said indifferently, "Heh! Since I am already here, Qin Mou intends to complete the plant illusion realm for the third-tier Spirit Planter."

Upon hearing this, Nalan Xi's eyes suddenly brightened, and he exclaimed in surprise, "I never expected Daoist Qin's Spirit Planting arts to also reach perfection; thus, in the future, you shall become a dual Grandmaster of the Hundred Immortal Arts."

"It seems you truly are destined to become the foremost figure in eternity."

"That this humble one can witness this moment is an honor beyond measure."

"Had I known earlier, I would have asked the other ancestral founders to depart later, heh heh!"

Qin Mou smiled slightly and said nothing more.

Subsequently, accompanied by Nalan Xi, the two of them arrived at the Spirit Planter Guild.

Liu Guchang, the guild master of the Spirit Planter Guild, was terrified upon seeing the arrival of two Jin Dan True Persons and immediately summoned everyone to come pay their respects.

"Greetings, City Lord!"

"Greetings, True Person Wangyue!"

Nalan Xi said indifferently, "Rise; Daoist Qin wishes to enter the final third-tier plant illusion realm, so begin the proceedings."

"Ah?! Oh, oh, oh!"

"I shall attend to it immediately; Senior Qin, please enter."

Liu Guchang responded with bowed head and bent waist, feeling deeply emotional; he never expected that after several decades.

In the blink of an eye.

Qin Mou had already become an existence that even he, the guild master of the Spirit Planter Guild, needed to look up to.

The scene of Qin Mou coming here to take the assessment back then remained vividly before his eyes, leaving a profound impression on them all.

And now, upon meeting again today, Qin Mou was about to break through to a higher realm.

The path of the third-tier Spirit Planting Grandmaster was one he would find difficult to reach in his entire lifetime.

Yet, looking at the situation now, it seemed inevitable that True Person Qin would ascend to become a third-tier Spirit Planter.

Half a cup of tea later.

The several individuals arrived before an ancient wooden formation left over from antiquity.

After Liu Guchang activated the formation, a beam of green light fell upon Qin Mou, whereupon his figure vanished.

After a moment of disorientation.

Qin Mou reappeared inside that wooden house; familiar with the routine, he went to the stone stele at the entrance and began selecting the difficulty of the illusion realm.

He once again chose the Grade-A plant illusion realm, which possessed the highest difficulty.

Immediately, he opened the wooden door and walked out.

The trial content for the Grade-A third-tier plant illusion realm required the Spirit Planter to personally comprehend the Spirit Planting Dao Stele, thereby condensing a Spirit Planting Divine Ability.

If one failed to comprehend a Divine Ability within ten years inside the illusion realm, the trial would be deemed a failure.

"A Spirit Planting Divine Ability? I wonder if my Four Seasons Divine Light counts?"

Just as Qin Mou was pondering this, a black obelisk dozens of zhang tall rose from the ground and appeared within his line of sight.

The Dao Stele exuded an ancient air of vicissitudes, as if it had stood there for tens of millions of years.

Furthermore, it emanated a mysterious fluctuation.

"This is the Spirit Planting Dao Stele."

"I wonder which great expert specializing in Spirit Planting created it."

Upon the pitch-black stone stele.

It was densely covered with strange runes, resembling pictographic characters in the shape of spirit plants, which even Qin Mou did not recognize.

Just as he was looking up and carefully studying these runes, suddenly, a strange movement occurred within his flawless Jin Dan in his dantian.

The silver rune bestowed upon him by his life-spirit plant, the Yin-Yang Profound Vine, floated out from within his body and instantly merged into the stone stele.

In that instant, to Qin Mou's astonished gaze, the black Spirit Planting Dao Stele suddenly erupted with spiritual light, emitting beams of silver radiance.

The pictographic characters carved upon it seemed to come alive, swimming about like fish, and broke free from the constraints of the black obelisk.

Before Qin Mou's incredulous eyes, they rushed one after another into his brow.

Suddenly.

Within Qin Mou's sea of consciousness, runes spontaneously surged forth, reorganizing themselves together.

"The withering and flourishing of years, the rotation of the four seasons."

"Green Emperor, Wood Sovereign, all things grow eternally."

Behind Qin Ming, the silver spiritual plant representing his original Ancient Wood Eternal Life spiritual body seemed stimulated and emerged.

Just at this moment.

In the depths of the unseen.

Within his sea of consciousness, countless silver runes completely reorganized, transforming into an entirely new scripture.

"The Green Emperor Art!"

Qin Ming clearly felt that based on the Ancient Wood Eternal Life Art he had originally cultivated, an entirely new cultivation method had evolved.

And it was of the same lineage.

After accomplishing all this, the silver runes of the Yin-Yang Profound Vine flew back into Qin Ming's dantian.

Immediately following this, atop the black obelisk.

A vast, incomparable aura of time, like a silver river, crossed space and time, continuously pouring into Qin Ming's body.

Boom! In an instant.

The ethereal image of the silver spiritual plant behind Qin Ming abruptly began to change, instantly shattering into countless fragments.

Qin Ming immediately sat cross-legged on the spot and began circulating according to the methods within the Green Emperor Art.

Time slowly passed.

Within the illusion realm, a full nine years had elapsed.

From within the originally shattered silver spiritual plant, a speck of green spiritual light was born, shining brightly like a spiritual seed nurturing astonishing Dao rhymes.

Truly miraculous!

"The legendary 'Green Emperor Wood Sovereign Body'! It is accomplished!"

Even though at this moment only the preliminary spiritual body had been refined, still far from true great completion, it counted as successfully taking the first step.

Next, it was to constantly plant trees, cultivating the Green Emperor Wood Sovereign Body to great completion.

Qin Ming formed a profound hand seal with his hands; that speck of green light spiritual seed behind him slowly sprouted two tender shoots, then vanished into his brow center.

In the depths of the unseen, Qin Ming discovered his affinity with plants and trees had reached an unimaginable level.

His comprehension of wood-type spells had also reached the peak tier.

Even his divine ability, Four Seasons Divine Light, had increased from the initial seven strands accumulated to twenty-one strands, with its power greatly surging.

At this moment, were he not within the illusion realm, he should have felt the tremendous change in the efficiency of absorbing external spiritual qi.

Just then.

"Congratulations, Daoist friend! You have passed the Grade A Tier Three Plant Illusion Realm trial."

"I did not expect you to possess a Wood Rune Origin; your opportunity and fortune are truly rare!"

"You are the second Spirit Planter in one hundred thousand years to pass this trial."

Qin Ming stood up and looked toward the source of the voice.

He saw the bare spiritual plant stele suddenly shatter, from which floated the ethereal image of a short, stout old man in silver robes.

Who was smiling warmly at him.

Qin Ming narrowed his eyes, released his divine sense to sweep over the figure, and detected nothing unusual; the other party was clearly a lingering ethereal image.

Yet he still sensibly performed a bow.

"Junior Qin Ming pays his respects to Senior."

"Could it be that Senior was the one who created this Plant Illusion Realm?"

"Hehe! I am Mo Qingshan of the Qingyuan Sect; nowadays, I am merely a lingering thought."

"No need for excessive courtesy."

"I have been here for who knows how many ages, and finally, someone has been able to break through the Grade A trial."

"Young friend Qin is correct; this illusion realm trial was indeed created by this old man."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Qin Ming's body back and forth twice more.

"Strange, indeed strange! Young friend truly possesses profound fortune; even our sect's supreme treasure, the Hooked Jade Jin Guang Mirror, is upon your person!"

Hearing these words, Qin Ming raised an eyebrow, not expecting this Mo Qingshan to be able to sense even the Hooked Jade Jin Guang Mirror.

Then what he said was most likely true.

(End of Chapter)