"After every type of spiritual plant matures, the things that come out of the white light orb are all different."
After harvesting two different types of spiritual plants, Lu Xuan gradually discovered some patterns. When Spirit Firefly Grass matures, the orb contains various levels of cultivation, low-tier spells, and first-grade talismans. In contrast, the Moon-Eroding Fruit mainly produces fragments of artifacts, pills, talismans, and occasionally, recipes.
"Maybe I can adjust the types of spiritual plants I grow based on my needs in the future."
However, the most pressing issue now is to find a larger spiritual field with richer spiritual energy and a more complex environment that can support the growth of various types of spiritual plants. Additionally, he urgently needs a storage bag. After all, as his wealth grows, so does the number of talismans and pills he carries. He can’t just keep everything in his pockets every time he goes out.
With this in mind, Lu Xuan looked at the twenty-eight Moon-Eroding Fruits piled up in his room and decided to sell them for spiritual stones. He packed them into a cloth bag and headed straight to his destination, Hundred Herbs Hall, without stopping along the way.
Inside the room filled with the rich scent of medicine, Steward He’s sharp eyes spotted Lu Xuan and the bulging bag he was carrying.
"Lu kid, it’s been a while. What spiritual plants have matured this time?"
"There are two Moon-Eroding Trees that have reached maturity, so I brought some fruits to visit you, old man," Lu Xuan replied with a smile.
"Visiting me is just an excuse; you really came to see the spiritual stones at Hundred Herbs Hall, didn’t you?" The thin old man said with a half-smile.
"Show me what you’ve got."
Lu Xuan placed the bag on the wooden cabinet.
"There are twenty-eight Moon-Eroding Fruits. One is of high quality, and the rest are of good quality."
"Almost all of them are good quality? Have you finally gotten the hang of it?" Steward He said, surprised. Previously, when Lu Xuan brought Spirit Firefly Grass, there were some good and high-quality plants, but there were also many ordinary ones. This time, however, all were at least good quality, which left him astonished.
"Yes, they are all at least good quality."
Steward He examined each Moon-Eroding Fruit, judging their quality based on their size and roundness.
"Three days apart, and you’ve really improved…" The thin old man looked at Lu Xuan, feeling emotional. He remembered when this teenager first entered Hundred Herbs Hall, he pulled out a few ordinary Spirit Firefly Grasses and wanted to sell them.
Hundred Herbs Hall already had its stable supply channels and usually didn’t accept plants from small cultivators like him. But seeing the boy’s determined face, the old man felt a pang of sympathy and agreed to the boy’s request to sell.
Now, the boy had become a Spiritual Plant Cultivator who could grow high-quality spiritual medicines at any time.
The thin old man felt a rush of emotions, but Lu Xuan’s next words brought him back to reality.
"Steward He, what are you daydreaming about? Are you thinking of how to take advantage of me?"
"You little rascal!" Steward He laughed and scolded him.
"Good quality Moon-Eroding Fruits are worth one spiritual stone and ten spirit fragments each. The high-quality one will cost an extra twenty spirit fragments."
"Sounds good."
Lu Xuan had already compared prices with other shops and knew this was a fair deal, so he agreed readily.
The price of Moon-Eroding Fruits was lower than that of Spirit Firefly Grass, but each Moon-Eroding Tree could produce over twenty fruits, making their total value much higher than that of Spirit Firefly Grass.
Steward He handed over a total of thirty-two low-grade spiritual stones to Lu Xuan and curiously asked, "Lu kid, tell me honestly, has your planting skill improved a lot? Producing so many good-quality fruits isn’t just luck."
"It has indeed improved."
"But that’s also due to a lot of sacrifices."
"I’ve just spent the time other cultivators use for training and exploring secret realms on growing spiritual plants."
"To grow higher quality spiritual plants, I’ve completely given up on the naive idea of becoming a powerful cultivator. Now, I just want to grow spiritual plants well and live a simple life as a spiritual plant cultivator."
Lu Xuan stared blankly, trying to maintain his image as an ordinary spiritual plant cultivator.
"Having such thoughts is good. At least it’s relatively safe. You won’t have to fight others for that little chance; who knows, you might live longer than them."
"And if you keep making progress, you can gain a high status as a spiritual plant cultivator."
The thin old man empathized and comforted Lu Xuan.
He paused for a moment and continued, "I told you before, if you keep this level of planting skill, I’ll give you a chance."
"You know there’s an alchemist at Hundred Herbs Hall who is one of the best in Linyang Market Town, and he has many medicine boys working under him."
"So, there’s a high demand for various medicinal materials, and there are several large spiritual fields hiring spiritual plant cultivators to grow related spiritual medicines."
"Though my status isn’t high, I can still speak up at Hundred Herbs Hall and recommend you for cooperation."
"What kind of cooperation?" Lu Xuan asked curiously.
"Generally, there are two types. The first is to directly hire spiritual plant cultivators to grow spiritual medicines for Hundred Herbs Hall. The ownership of the grown spiritual medicines belongs to Hundred Herbs Hall, and the cultivators are paid a certain amount."
"The better the quality of the spiritual medicines, the more rewards they will receive."
"This type of cooperation provides you with a more stable growing environment, allowing you to focus on cultivation without worrying about anything else."
"The second type is much simpler. We sell spiritual seeds at a low price to those who want to cooperate, and we agree that when the spiritual plants mature, Hundred Herbs Hall has the right to buy them first. The risks and benefits are solely borne by the spiritual plant cultivator."
"Of course, this priority won’t be abused. If the price differs too much from other buyers, the cultivator can make their own choice."
Lu Xuan nodded; both cooperation methods had their pros and cons.
The first one is more stable, ensuring the safety of both himself and the spiritual field, but it is relatively less free.
The second one carries higher risks but could yield greater benefits. If he truly wanted to live a simple life as an ordinary spiritual plant cultivator, the first option would be more secure.
However, Lu Xuan had never liked being restricted, and due to the white light orb in the spiritual field, having freedom was especially important to him.
"Steward He, I’m used to being lazy and not accustomed to being managed. So if we’re going to cooperate, I’ll choose the second option."
Lu Xuan was more than happy to have someone provide him with spiritual seeds.
"Alright, I’ll go discuss this with the higher-ups. Once it’s confirmed, I’ll let you know when you can come over."
"Thanks a lot, Steward He."
Lu Xuan cupped his hands in gratitude to the thin old man.
He could feel the old man’s kindness deep in his heart.
"Now, the most urgent thing is to find a larger and better spiritual field."
This thought became even clearer and more pressing in his mind.
(End of Chapter)