Chapter 89: Medicinal Farmer and Lifespan Increase
Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Medicinal Farmer and Lifespan Increase
Chen Mo let out a long breath.
Slow as it might be, there were advantages to taking things slowly.
As a Spirit Plant Cultivator, his talent was inherently poor, and his resources could not even begin to compare with those of the Cyan Yang Sect’s disciples. Under such circumstances, the longer he lived, the more opportunities he would have.
He stood up, stretched his limbs, and walked from the study to the living room before pushing open the door leading outside.
For several consecutive days, he had been focused entirely on changing his Cultivation Technique. Chen Mo felt as if he had lost track of time altogether.
Outside, the world was already blanketed in pristine white snow. Another winter had arrived, bringing a deathly stillness to the foot of Purple Cloud Peak. Small wooden cabins dotted the edges of the fields. Inside, the Spirit Plant Cultivators were burying themselves in bitter cultivation this winter, hoping to achieve some new insight or breakthrough.
A figure darted out.
Kang spread its wings, attempting to embrace him, but Chen Mo easily dodged it.
"CLUCK! CLUCK CLUCK!"
It sounded rather dissatisfied.
"How’s the egg-hatching coming along?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.
He shouldn’t have asked. The moment the question left his lips, Kang became visibly irritated. It gave a light leap back into the chicken coop, approached a squatting rooster, and began smacking the other bird on the head with its wing, over and over.
The battered rooster didn’t dare retaliate. It could only stare at Chen Mo with a pitiful, wronged expression.
It wasn’t its fault the eggs wouldn’t hatch!
"Alright, alright. Any more smacking and you’ll turn its brain to mush," Chen Mo intervened to stop the abuse.
However, Kang was too accustomed to throwing its weight around in the chicken hierarchy and completely ignored him.
After a few more words of idle chatter, Chen Mo returned inside.
Now that he had forcibly transitioned his Cultivation Technique from the Qi Cultivation Technique to the Huai Mountain Qi Cultivation Technique, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility. He wondered if it was a side effect of the technique itself.
Having finished his cultivation session, Chen Mo first cooked himself a bowl of Spirit Rice and brewed a cup of Immortal Peak tea. After eating and drinking his fill, he took out the two Magic manuals from his Storage Ring, both of which he had purchased at a high price.
"Cicada Concealment Technique"—a Breath Concealment Technique. When cultivated to the extreme, it could completely erase one’s presence, making it impossible for enemies to detect them.
Of course, the higher the opponent’s Cultivation, the weaker the Magic’s effect. Additionally, it could also hide one’s Cultivation level. A cultivator at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer could disguise themselves as being at the Qi Refining Third Layer or Second Layer. In short, it was very convenient for launching sneak attacks.
However, Cultivators who practiced this Magic rarely used it to hide their Cultivation. After all, strength represented status. If one constantly presented themselves as being in the Qi Refining Early Stage, their status wouldn’t amount to much!
The reason it was worth a Low Grade Spirit Stone was entirely due to its utility in Breath Concealment and assassination!
The other Magic manual was the "Poison Relief Technique."
After flipping through it, Chen Mo memorized the Seven-Tasting Poison Flower and Poisonous Grasses recorded within. By using them as Spiritual Medicine to brew a Corpse-Dissolving Poison, and then combining it with the Antidote Technique, one could easily dissolve a person until nothing remained but a puddle of bloody water.
It was countless times better than destroying corpses and erasing traces with his Flaming Palm!
Logically speaking, the utility of this Magic was not at all weaker than the "Cicada Concealment Technique." However, because of those seven Poisonous Grasses, it was very difficult for cultivators to concoct the corresponding poison.
"Burning Leaf Grass, Black Blood Flower..."
Chen Mo had seen these poisonous flowers and Poisonous Grasses in the "Spirit Plant Atlas." Their uses went far beyond just Refining poisons. Take the Burning Leaf Grass, for example. Not only could it be used to refine poison, but it was also a crucial auxiliary ingredient for Refining the Fire Technique Pill. When ground into a juice, it could even be used as ink for Talisman Painting!
The other Medicinal Herbs similarly had various distinct effects.
Chen Mo had previously asked around and learned that there were Spirit Plant Cultivators on Purple Cloud Peak who specialized in growing Medicinal Herbs. This was another specialized branch aside from Breeders—the Medicinal Farmer.
Unlike rice, which could simply be planted and largely left alone save for daily Weeding and watering, a Medicinal Farmer had to monitor the growth of their Medicinal Herbs constantly. The slightest negligence could ruin all their previous efforts!
Chen Mo didn’t know if his [Increased Production], [Rapid Maturation], and [Gathering Spirit] Talents would be effective on them. However, since he was a Spirit Plant Cultivator, he would have to plant Medicinal Herbs sooner or later!
Having made up his mind, he planned to visit the Marketplace the following spring to purchase a batch of Spirit Medicine Seeds and seedlings. He would attempt to grow something other than Spirit Yellow Rice!
He spent another three days practicing the "Cicada Concealment Technique" and "Poison Relief Technique," barely getting a general grasp of them, though he had yet to reach the entry-level for either. The former barely allowed him to weaken a portion of his aura, while for the latter, he had only familiarized himself with the qi circulation routes. There was still a massive gap before he could truly apply them in actual combat.
However, as far as Magic was concerned, it was just a matter of grinding things out for Chen Mo. As long as he had the time, he would eventually improve.
The snow outside stopped. Chen Mo opened the window to let in some fresh air.
Kang was still lying by the windowsill, looking spirited as it peered eagerly inside. The little hen hadn’t grown up yet, and the Pentagonal Heavy Lizard eggs hadn’t hatched. Day in and day out, it really didn’t know what to do with itself.
"Are you getting bored too?" Chen Mo asked.
Like many Spirit Plant Cultivators, Kang was confined to a palm-sized area day after day. Its lifetime travel radius would likely not exceed a hundred miles. Even though Cultivators practiced the dao, many were merely just surviving.
"CLUCK... CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK."
Chen Mo smiled warmly and leaped out of the window.
He sat cross-legged on the pure white snow and began combing the feathers of the chickens, one by one. The flock of chickens, which had been idling about with nothing to do, now lined up neatly. Once a chicken had its feathers combed, it would consciously run to the back of the line to wait for its next turn.
Fortunately, Chen Mo kept count, preventing the flock from succeeding in their devious scheme.
The life of a Spirit Plant Cultivator was just this dry and boring.
After combing this batch, Chen Mo had no choice but to return inside to continue his Cultivation...
Bored out of its mind, Kang paced back and forth in the chicken coop. It occasionally raised its head, occasionally lowered it, seemingly pondering the meaning of life.
In a flash, a month passed.
In that month, his Huai Mountain Qi Cultivation Technique had only gained 7 experience points. At this rate, it would truly take over five years to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. The progress was more than just a little slow.
The good news, however, was that the effects of this Cultivation Technique had finally begun to show!
[Name: Chen Mo]
[Professions: Spirit Plant Cultivator (Unlocked), Spirit Nurturer (Unlocked), Spirit Fisherman (Locked)...]
[Lifespan: 34/86]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining Fourth Layer]
[Cultivation Technique: Huai Mountain Qi Cultivation Technique (7/400)]
[Spirit Root:]
[Metal Spirit Root (Tier One): 73/100]
[Magic:]
[Rainfall Technique (Minor Achievement): 492/800]
[Qi Crossing Technique (Minor Achievement): 33/800]
[Vitality Technique (Mastery): 366/400]
[Flaming Palm (Great Success): 1/1600]
[Geng Metal Finger (Great Success): 1/1600]
[Spirit Snake Body Technique (Great Success): 1/1600]
[Cicada Concealment Technique (Not entry-level): 22/50]
[Poison Relief Technique (Not entry-level): 13/50]
[Talents:]
[Spirit Plant Cultivator: Increased Production (Purple), Breeding (Purple), Rapid Maturation (Green), Gathering Spirit (Green)]
[Spirit Nurturer: Sturdy (Blue)]
When he broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer earlier in the year, Chen Mo’s maximum lifespan had jumped from 80 to 85 years. Now, after cultivating this new technique for a mere month, it had already granted him an additional year of life.
At this rate, for every year that passed, Chen Mo’s lifespan would increase by 12 years! And that didn’t even account for the massive leap in lifespan he would receive with every realm breakthrough!
Of course, Chen Mo knew his lifespan couldn’t grow infinitely, but being able to live a few more years was always a good thing, wasn’t it?