Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 353 Accelerating the Growth of Spiritual Plants

"You dare to show off your meager skills before an expert?" The black-robed soul cultivator sneered, his mid-stage Core Formation divine sense fully open.

The next moment, within the range of divine sense, the aura of Li Ji'an who had disappeared into the green leaves was detected.

After all, Li Ji'an's "Illusory Leaf Clone" technique was only cultivated to the peak of the second level, which could not be hidden from the divine sense of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

"Get out here!" The soul cultivator's eyes narrowed, and he unleashed a soul slash at one of the falling leaves.

The strike at the level of the soul does not harm the physical body; it is only effective against Li Ji'an's sea of ​​consciousness.

If one's soul is weaker than that of a soul cultivator, not only will it be difficult to withstand, but it will also be difficult to perceive in time, resulting in great damage to the soul.

The black-robed soul cultivator, confident in his mid-stage Core Formation divine sense, didn't take ordinary cultivators below the mid-stage Core Formation seriously.

He was confident that this attack would leave them nowhere to hide.

"Whoosh~"

However, the next moment, his soul strike pierced through the leaf, but the green leaf was not affected in the slightest and continued to fall gracefully.

"Hmm?" The soul cultivator frowned.

"How could he evade my soul attack? What kind of technique is this?" He scanned the area again with his divine sense and was shocked to find that Li Ji'an was hiding in another patch of green leaves.

"Pfft~" Another soul-slaying attack was unleashed.

Based on his understanding of the Tiancang Domain, the Wanfa Palace, in order to maintain control, had self-censored the path of cultivating the soul, resulting in cultivators in this domain having no separate method for refining their souls and having to rely on their magical power cultivation to simultaneously increase their spiritual consciousness.

That's why he was so fearless when he saw that the other party was a native True Core cultivator from the Tiancang Domain.

He simply did not believe that the other party's spiritual sense could be stronger than his own.

"Whoosh~" However, the attack missed again, and the green leaf was unharmed. Li Ji'an's aura reappeared in another green leaf.

"How is that possible?" This time, his expression finally changed.

"Execute!" In the next instant, Li Ji'an had already moved to a patch of green leaves in front of the soul cultivator, suddenly revealing his figure.

At the same time, a verdant magic sword formed from magical power slashed down towards the soul cultivator!

"Impossible!" The soul cultivator was shocked. He concentrated his divine soul with all his might and slashed at Li Ji'an's sea of ​​consciousness, which had already revealed its true form.

The divine soul attack is at will, and its speed is incomparable to the physical energy of magic cultivators and body cultivators. As long as he annihilates Li Ji'an's divine soul before the emerald magic sword falls, the magic sword will naturally disappear without a trace.

"Buzz~" This time, his soul slash was accurate and reached Li Ji'an's sea of ​​consciousness.

However, just when he thought he would be invincible as usual, a buzzing sound rippled out from Li Ji'an's sea of ​​consciousness, which actually blocked his soul strike.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of soul power even stronger than his own soul began to flow in.

"A divine sense comparable to a Core Formation cultivator? You..."

The soul cultivator was dumbfounded, but before he could recover, another soul thorn struck.

"Pfft~" Its power was stronger and its speed was faster than his Divine Soul Slash.

In an instant, the Soul Thorn pierced his sea of ​​consciousness, causing it to shatter.

At the same time, the verdant magic sword was already upon him.

His body, which was cultivated to a minor level, was separated from its head like tofu.

The next moment, countless souls surged out of his body and fled.

Li Ji'an quickly used the Faceless Mask to collect a wisp of the soul and essence of the person before turning to look at the people inside the Strange Stone Forest Formation.

"Killed?"

"Just one glance!"

"He... Master Li, at the early stage of True Core Realm, was able to ignore that villain's soul attack?"

In an instant, everyone in the formation was filled with a mixture of joy and surprise.

"Senior Sister, Aunt Tan!"

"Ping... Liu Qiao greets Master Li!" Xiao Qiao was filled with excitement, but she restrained her impulse to step forward and immediately led the Qishilin gang to bow respectfully to Li Ji'an.

"Thank you, Master Li, for saving our lives!" The other members of the Qishi Forest were all excited as they sensed the True Core aura emanating from Li Ji'an. Most importantly, this True Core Master was the junior brother of Chief Qiao.

The cultivation world in Cangyun Prefecture is in chaos. Although some demonic cultivators look down on True Core Realm Masters of Tiancang Domain, they are only a very small minority. Most demonic cultivators can only bow down when they see True Core Realm Masters.

With the protection of True Immortal Zhendan, the people of Qishilin felt much more at ease.

Li Ji'an stood high above everyone, receiving their respects before being ushered into Xiao Qiao's garden dojo.

"Ping An, congratulations on forming your True Core!" Xiao Qiao congratulated him with a third-order array compass that she had crafted over the years.

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Li Ji'an was very impressed with Xiao Qiao's array formation skills, especially since they were very convenient and effective when setting up temporary dojos.

Li Ji'an had already used a lot of it when he was in Wan Shang Yu, and now there is not much left in stock.

At this time, Xiao Qiao gave him a third-order array compass, which was suitable for his current identity.

Xiao Qiao then inquired about his situation over the years with concern, showing only care rather than prying into his privacy.

He was also told about the current situation in the Tiancang Domain.

Most of their understanding was similar to Li Ji'an's, but there were some minor details that Li Ji'an was unaware of.

For example, the Liu family, one of the five major families in Cangyun Prefecture, was determined a few years ago not to be purged, but was attacked by demonic cultivators. Most of the family members were killed or injured, their sacred beast was taken away, and their territory was occupied.

Now, a small group of clansmen have fled and are barely surviving by seizing the second-tier spiritual vein of another minor Foundation Establishment family.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji'an's first reaction was that this matter must be related to Wu Weixiong.

Then, the current situation in the wasteland was mentioned, which made Li Ji'an's heart sink.

The Fallen Dragon Ridge wilderness, where Li Ji'an first entered the cultivation world, underwent a major change a few years ago. First, countless demonic cultivators poured into Fallen Dragon Ridge, where many of the Yin Veins and Evil Lands were the demonic resources that demonic cultivators dreamed of.

With the massive influx of demonic cultivators, the Yan family, the original rulers of the wasteland, were the first to be seized by the demonic cultivators, while the other families fled at the first sign of trouble.

The wasteland has now become a no-man's land, a gathering place for demonic cultivators and rogue cultivators.

What Li Ji'an cared about most was that Yan Qingwan had died peacefully before the Yan family was destroyed.

At 266 years old, his lifespan was already quite long in the early stages of Foundation Establishment. If he hadn't devoted himself to his family and been repeatedly conscripted for war, he might have lived another 10 or 20 years.

As the person Li Ji'an has known the longest since he first entered the cultivation world, his significance to Li Ji'an is incomparable to that of others.

However, Li Ji'an had anticipated this scene and had experienced it far too many times before.

There wasn't much sadness, though.

He had long been accustomed to the separation and death of his old friends.

The Supreme Virtue Master, Senior Brother Liu Deshan, Old Huang Tou... Zhao Shuyao, Zhang Tiezhu, Jade Elixir Master... even the little Qiao in front of us, and many more old friends will disappear into the long river of history in the future.

Having the supernatural ability to "rejuvenate" is something that cannot be avoided; one can only face it with equanimity.

"Where are Ping An, Guagua, and Xiao Huo?" After discussing the situation, Xiao Qiao asked with a touch of nostalgia.

Li Ji'an immediately released Guagua and Little Fire Spirit. "A third-tier great demon!" The moment Xiao Qiao saw Guagua, her beautiful eyes were even more surprised than when she saw Li Ji'an condense his true core.

“This…” She looked at Li Ji’an in disbelief.

"Ping An, how...how did you do that?"

When Xiao Qiao first met Li Ping'an, things weren't going well for her.

That is, Li Ji'an handed over Guagua and Xiaohuoling to Li Ping'an.

She spent half her life with Guagua and Xiaohuoling, and logically speaking, besides Li Ji'an, she was the most suitable candidate in the world.

Therefore, she had a slight resentment towards this junior brother Ping An back then.

But at this moment, seeing that the frog demon with the inferior bloodline had actually become a third-tier demon king, he suddenly had a sudden realization.

"Does Uncle Li know that Guagua can only have a chance to advance further by following his junior brother?"

In an instant, Xiao Qiao looked at Li Ping'an with a hint of respect.

Not only did she achieve true core cultivation herself, but she also nurtured a low-grade spirit pet into a third-tier great demon. Such strength was beyond her reach.

"Croak~" Croak hopped in front of Xiao Qiao and rubbed its head against her, showing its usual affection.

"You're amazing!" Xiao Qiao stroked the frog's head affectionately, her eyes filled with surprise and affection, but also a hint of melancholy.

She is now in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and whether she can form a Core is something she never dared to think about before, since only the Biyun Sect and the five major families in Cangyun Prefecture have the hope of forming a Core.

But seeing that Guagua, who was just as untalented as herself, had already advanced to the third-tier great demon, she was somewhat moved.

"Croak~" Hearing Xiao Qiao's praise, Guagua became even more proud and opened its mouth to spit out its demon core.

Boom~
As a demon core with a trace of golden Daoist aura appeared, Xiao Qiao's expression changed drastically!
"Golden elixir!"

"Not only did he advance to the third rank, but he also formed a Golden Core!"

The aura of the third-tier great demon that had just appeared had already astonished her, and now it was even more overwhelming.

Li Ji'an immediately glared at Guagua.

"Senior sister, Guagua was able to condense a golden core thanks to Little Fire." She then released Little Fire Spirit.

Sensing the surge in spiritual flame power from the little fire spirit, Xiao Qiao was both pleased and completely convinced.

If Uncle Li had truly entrusted Guagua and Xiaohuoling to her back then, they would most likely have remained stagnant and eventually passed away alongside her.

Now, both little ones have endless possibilities.

Li Ji'an then gave them time to reunite after a long separation, and went to the back garden alone.

When he saw the spirit field in the back garden, he couldn't help but nod in approval. The spirit field that had been taken from the tomb in the Blackwater Swamp had been transplanted here by Xiao Qiao very well. The spirit field was connected to the earth veins, its grade was intact, and it had even slightly improved.

Xiao Qiao has already planted a variety of precious medicinal herbs in the twenty square meters of Grade 3 spiritual fields.

Half of them were third-tier spiritual herbs.

Moreover, Li Ji'an immediately recognized the four ingredients for the Crystal Condensation Pill.

Previously in the Wanshang Domain, taking advantage of the convenience of trade, he had accumulated a lot of Crystal Condensation Pill herbs, as well as some seedlings and seeds. Now, without hesitation, he planted them all on this spiritual field.

Aside from some special attribute spiritual plants, a third-grade spiritual field can theoretically cultivate third-grade superior spiritual materials.

With the addition of Xiao Qiao's unique abilities as a geomancer, the effect might be even better.

Then Li Ji'an saw a special Flame Iron Tree in the spirit field. It was a superior material for a third-tier Explosive Flame Talisman, but it had special requirements regarding the age of the tree.

Only those aged fifty years or more are suitable; if they are less than or more than this age, their internal inflammation mechanism will be inadequate.

Not all spiritual plants are better the older they are. Like humans, they also have growth cycles, and they experience rise and fall, life and death.

After carefully sensing for a moment, Li Ji'an determined that this Flame Iron Tree was only eight years old, and it would take another forty-two years before it could be used to make talismans.

The cultivation world is ever-changing, and he couldn't be sure if he would still have a chance at that time.

After a while, Xiao Qiao came out to catch up with the two little ones.

“Ping An, there’s a Flame Iron Tree in the Spirit Field. I found it by chance and planted it especially for you.” Xiao Qiao said as she saw Li Ji’an squatting by the Spirit Field from afar.

Although Li Ping'an never demonstrated his talisman-making skills in front of her, Xiao Qiao knew about Li Ji'an's talisman-making skills in her previous life.

Since Li Ping'an possessed wood-based magic, she was certain that Uncle Li had passed on his talisman-making skills to him.

"Thank you, Senior Sister. However, this tree needs to grow for several more decades before it can be harvested." Li Ji'an didn't try to hide anything from Xiao Qiao.

"Don't worry, junior brother, I won't keep you waiting that long," Xiao Qiao said confidently.

"Oh?" Li Ji'an was slightly surprised.

Xiao Qiao looked at Li Ji'an, then smiled freely: "Junior brother, actually, senior sister also has another kind of supernatural ability!"

Xiao Qiao had been following Uncle Li's advice not to reveal her supernatural abilities as a geomancer, so as not to attract unnecessary trouble and crisis. However, now that she was facing Li Ping'an, she decided to be open and honest.

Because Li Ping'an did not hide from him the secret of Guagua forming a core, a fact that would be unbelievable to almost everyone.

Moreover, if it weren't for her junior brother's timely rescue, countless followers of hers in the Strange Stone Forest would have been killed or injured.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Qiao openly and honestly told Li Ji'an that she was a third-level Earth Spirit Master.

Li Ji'an looked surprised and clicked his tongue in amazement, showing great cooperation.

However, the secret that Xiao Qiao revealed next truly shocked him.

"It was only after successfully settling this spiritual field that my master gave me that I discovered that irrigating the spiritual field with the energy of the earth's veins could not only maintain the spiritual field's grade but also accelerate the growth of the spiritual plants within it," Xiao Qiao said solemnly.

"Accelerate the growth rate of spiritual plants?" Even Li Ji'an, with his calm and composed mind, was inevitably shocked at this moment.

His first thought was of Han Tianzun's little green bottle.

Han Tianzun was able to stand at the pinnacle of the immortal realm simply by using the miraculous ability of spiritual plants to accelerate growth. This demonstrates not only his unwavering pursuit of the Dao, but also the extraordinary nature of this ability.

"Senior sister, is it possible to confirm the acceleration factor?"

"This method is extremely taxing on my mental energy. I can only manage a 50% improvement by watering it for one hour a day at most. If I disregard the mental energy drain, two hours a day might yield double the effect," Xiao Qiao frankly admitted.

Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow subconsciously. If the speed were doubled, one year could be used as two years. This Flame Iron Tree would only need twenty-one years to be harvested.

Although it still can't compare to Han Tianzun's little green bottle, it's already quite remarkable.

With this spiritual field, and with Xiao Qiao's accelerated cultivation of spiritual plants, perhaps one day we will achieve freedom in producing third-tier pills and talisman materials, especially some spiritual plants that are almost extinct in the outside world.

"By the way, Ping An, do you still have that piece of dead wood that Master used to have with you?" After talking about the acceleration of the spirit field and spirit plants, Xiao Qiao suddenly remembered something and asked expectantly.

"Yes, do you know what that dead branch is?" Li Ji'an's curiosity was piqued again.

More than a hundred years have passed since the dead branch that Duanmu Qin and Duanmu Qin discovered in the ancient sect ruins cave at the foot of the Eighteen Spirit Village was found, but its species has still not been determined.

Whether it was searching in the Tiancang Domain using the sect's convenience, or consulting numerous ancient books and spiritual plant catalogs in the Wanshang Domain, no matching records were found.

However, ever since he was able to sense the spiritual essence of the Heavenly Dao after cultivating the Divine Treasure Body Forging Technique, he first sensed the spiritual essence on the red stone and wood where the little fire spirit was born, and then sensed the spiritual essence on the withered tree branch, which shows that he is not simple.

(End of this chapter)