From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 55 Su Liao
In the experimental field of Nongling Temple, several tender shoots broke through the soil, shimmering with a faint iridescent glow in the sunlight.

The young Taoists not far away all turned their heads, their gazes filled with complex emotions as they looked at the seven spiritual seedlings that had already sprouted in Qin Chuan's field.

Compared to the still barren landscape of the other eight participants' fields, this patch of new green stood out starkly.

"How is this possible?!"

Jing Shou frowned, staring at the few tender seedlings and muttering to himself.

They knew from the moment they received the seeds that this assessment was no small matter, and under the guidance of their teacher Feng He, they understood that the key to cultivating the Five-Colored Spirit Valley lay in the balance of the five elements.

To this end, Fenghe specially applied for precious Five Elements essence from the Agricultural Academy and incorporated it into the soil.

Even so, according to Feng He's estimate, it would take at least a month for the spirit grain to sprout.

After all, this Five-Colored Spirit Valley is extraordinary. According to the Agricultural Academy's research, it is not an annual crop and takes more than two years to fully mature. It is clearly "immortal food" carefully cultivated by True Person Xuanji for cultivators.

Qin Chuan managed to get the seeds to sprout within half a month.

"It seems that Qin Chuan is the undisputed winner of the Ling Valley trial."

Teng Qi gripped his Daoist robe tightly, unwilling to accept defeat. "There's only one spot for the Celestial Journey. Falling behind in this round puts us at a disadvantage."

Jing Shou shook his head with a wry smile: "In matters of planting, if your skills are inferior, then you are inferior. Perhaps we can only hope that the next two trials will turn the tide."

"Hoping for something to come?"

Su Liao, who had been silent all along, parted her lips slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with a hint of worry:
"Having spent so much time together and attended several meetings, haven't you all realized it yet? Those spirit talisman formations—are they something an ordinary person could create? This Qin Chuan is exceptionally talented, practically a genius, completely unlike someone a small place like Jiu Chuan could produce. He was able to get the spirit grains to sprout half a month ahead of us; how could he possibly give us any chance in the subsequent two trials?"

"What else can we do?"

Jing Shou sighed, "The assessment was fair to begin with. If we truly fail, we can only accept our fate."

Sensing the defeat in his words, Su Liao gave a soft snort, her beautiful face turning slightly cold:

"You're spineless. Do you even know what this journey to the outer heavens means? Upon your return, a deputy-level position will be within your grasp, along with an eighth-grade Heavenly Talisman for the Foundation Establishment realm, two hundred years of lifespan, and a smooth path to immortality. Such an opportunity is laid out before you; if you give it up so easily, you will surely regret it for the rest of your life."

"Then what do you intend to do?" Teng Qi usually tolerated this junior sister, but now, after being scolded by her, her face turned slightly red, and she couldn't help but ask back.

Su Liao's eyes flickered, and she cast a meaningful glance at the two of them:

"I'm just not willing to give up. If you've all given up, I'll still fight on. Just don't regret it afterwards."

As the undisputed beauty of the Agricultural Academy, she was already used to being surrounded by the admiring gazes of her fellow students.

How could she not know what Teng Qi and Jing Shou were thinking? But in her opinion, with her talent, looks and figure, why should she hastily choose a partner at the Qi Refining stage?
Hearing Su Liao's words, and seeing the way she looked at Qin Chuan.

The two of them couldn't guess what was going on, and a surge of suppressed anger rose within them in an instant.

…………

That day, Qin Chuan finished taking care of Ling Cheng and Gu Miao and was about to go home after his shift. Halfway there, he saw a graceful figure approaching.

He thought she was just an ordinary passerby, but to his surprise, the woman came forward to greet him.
"Junior Brother Qin."

But then Su Liao walked gracefully closer and took the initiative to speak:
"I overheard my teacher criticizing my junior's plan during the class meeting that day, and I thought there were indeed oversights. Now it seems that, out of the four experimental plots, the oranges my junior was tending are growing the best, showing no signs of decay. Unlike ours, where several trees have already shown signs of decline after only half a month of transplanting."

Qin Chuan recalled how these people had moved the spirit oranges without even saying goodbye that day. Now, seeing them making unwarranted attempts to be friendly, he simply replied indifferently:
"Senior sister, you flatter me. I was just doing my duty."

Sensing the distance in his words, Su Liao's eyes shifted slightly, and she subtly smoothed her hair, revealing her slightly reddened earlobes, and said with a hint of shyness:
"To be honest, I followed you here because I have a difficult request. Those few sick and weak orange trees are a result of my negligence. I would like to trouble you, Junior Brother, to use your Wood True Qi to lend a hand. I wonder if you could spare a moment to help? I will certainly repay you."

"Now that the groups have been formed, I fear that my meddling might displease Senior Feng."

Qin Chuan flatly refused, "It's better to stick to the previous rules."

Unexpectedly, he refused so decisively. Su Liao was secretly furious, but still pleaded, "Junior Brother is absolutely right, but... but... if those few spirit oranges aren't saved soon, they'll probably wither and die. Such losses would be detrimental to the entire Spirit Orange Project, and I would also bear responsibility."

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were under a lot of pressure.

Seeing that Qin Chuan remained unmoved, she said softly:

"I understand your predicament, Junior Brother. How about this... I won't ask you to go in person, but would it be alright if you simply bestowed a few spirit talismans upon me?"

Before Qin Chuan could speak, Su Liao interrupted:
"I am willing to pay the price to buy it. Even if my master asks, I will only say that I actively sought to purchase it."

"How much?"

Su Liao was taken aback, then said seriously, "Junior Brother's talismans are exceptionally effective, worth at least one spirit coin each outside. I'm willing to buy ten for ten spirit coins. What do you say, Junior Brother?"

Ten Spiritual Essences!
This is equivalent to two months' salary.

Qin Chuan's heart stirred slightly, but he was also alert: Could this be a trap? On second thought, the talisman was originally formed from his own spiritual power, so it could not be considered as using public property for private purposes.

However, to avoid any awkward situation, he politely declined, saying:

"Since we are both immortals in the Heavenly Court, it is ultimately inappropriate to exchange money. However, if Senior Sister is willing to teach me the skills of the Agricultural Academy, we can exchange ideas, and I wouldn't mind repaying her with a spirit talisman."

Su Liao's expression stiffened slightly; she hadn't expected him to be so cautious.

Even if this exchange of skills were to spread, it would only be a common exchange among fellow farmers.

"If Senior Sister feels this is inappropriate, then please pretend I never mentioned it." Qin Chuan made a move to leave.

He doesn't care anyway.

"Wait a minute."

Su Liao suddenly called out to him, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a few plump seeds from her sleeve:
"This is a 'spiritual knotweed strain' that I cultivated at the Agricultural Academy. Once mature, it emits a calming fragrance that is beneficial to both Taoists and ordinary people. Consider it a small gift to exchange skills with my junior brother."

Qin Chuan took the seeds and examined them closely. He could tell from their subtle observations that the seeds contained spiritual energy and were already worthy of being classified as spiritual medicines. Each seed was worth at least one or two spiritual essences.

He then decisively took out a few talismans and handed them over, saying, "Senior Sister, you're too kind."

"Thank you very much, Junior Brother." Su Liao put away the talisman, her cheeks flushed slightly. "Once Ling Cheng is out of danger, I will definitely repay you handsomely."

She understood the principle that haste makes waste, so after bowing, she gracefully departed.

Qin Chuan stared at her retreating figure for a long time in deep thought, and the next day when he was on duty, he reported the matter to Huo Yuanjue.

As the deputy head of the special task force, the teacher knew his place.

Secondly, reporting anything to the Taoist sect immediately demonstrates his loyalty to Heaven!
I thought the matter was over, but three days later I found a plain note in the farm tool box:
"Thanks to my junior brother's gift of a talisman, the spirit orange has shown signs of life. Tonight, I will host a banquet at the Cloud Mist Pavilion to express my gratitude. If you have the time, I would greatly appreciate your presence. — Su Liao"

After Qin Chuan finished reading, he used his Palm Flame Technique to burn it away and continued with his work.

The next day, as Su Liao finished her shift, she waited by the roadside, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and asked softly, as if casually:

"Junior brother...didn't you see the message I left yesterday?"

"I've seen him." Qin Chuan looked ahead and dusted off his sleeves.

"Then why..." Her eyes were brimming with unspoken words.

Qin Chuan frowned and replied, "Because I don't have time."

(End of this chapter)