Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

On the other side of the court, Senior Brother Zhang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Senior Sister Su makes it sound so easy," he sneered. "What about the actual operation? How do you 'add some gold'? How do you 'smooth it up'? With just words?"

"Then let's take a ready-made example." Su Wanqing raised her hand, and a phantom appeared in her palm—it was pitch black with rotten petals, just like the Yin Soul Flower in plot number seventy-three.

The whole place fell silent.

Everyone recognized this flower—the infamous "Dead Land" in Medicine Valley, the deadly Ghost Flower, whose existence had long been known.

"The Yin Soul Flower is purely Yin in nature. According to the theory of the Array Court, it should be set up as a 'Pure Yin Array' and infused with 'Yin Spirit Liquid,' right?" Su Wanqing asked.

"That's right." Senior Brother Zhang raised his head. "The Yin Sha Formation destroyed three pillars, so this flower should have died half a month ago. It's already a miracle that it's still alive—but it won't live for more than ten days."

"Is that so?" Su Wanqing tapped her finger lightly, and five-colored light spots suddenly appeared on the black petals of the illusory plant—not the five elements, but five different types of yin energy: cold yin, turbid yin, dark yin, evil yin, and death yin.

"There are five kinds of Yin energy," she said. "When your formation is arranged, you mix these five kinds of Yin energy together and pour them into the flowers—it's like throwing a person into a swamp, where mud, water, grass, and decaying leaves are all mixed together, forcing the person to struggle on their own."

She pointed her finger again, and the five-colored yin energy separated, forming five small cycles that flowed slowly around the petals.

"What I do is separate these five types of Yin energy and let them be injected as needed—cold Yin to moisten the roots, turbid Yin to strengthen the stems, dark Yin to nourish the leaves, dead Yin to promote flowering, and death Yin... to fight against external evils."

On the illusory petals, the festering sores healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Impossible!" Senior Brother Zhang exclaimed. "Separating and infusing five types of Yin energy? This requires an extremely refined level of control over Yin energy! It's simply impossible for someone at the Foundation Establishment stage!"

"So you think it's impossible just because you can't do it." Su Wanqing put away the illusory image and looked at him. "Junior Brother Zhang, this is the biggest problem with the Array Academy—you treat arrays as a universal key, but forget that keys are for people to use. If the people are not good, even the best key is just scrap metal."

That's a really harsh statement.

Senior Brother Zhang was trembling with rage, pointing at Su Wanqing: "You...you have insulted the thousand-year-old tradition of the Array Academy!"

"What I'm insulting is stagnation," Su Wanqing said calmly. "Three hundred years ago, the founding master of the Array Academy created the 'Yin-Yang Harmony Array,' with the aim of 'using arrays to assist the Dao, and using the Dao to control arrays.' And now? You treat arrays as 'the Dao,' and spiritual plants as 'materials'—who is truly insulting the founding master?"

The audience was deathly silent.

Even Elder Chuanfa opened his eyes and gave Su Wanqing a deep look.

Senior Brother Zhang opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find the words. Because what Su Wanqing said... was true. In recent years, the Array Court has indeed become increasingly focused on "technique" and less on "principle."

"Fine...fine!" he gritted his teeth. "Senior Sister Su has a whole repertoire of profound principles, so how about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?"

"Let's bet on this Ghost Flower!" Senior Brother Zhang pointed to the spot where the illusory image had vanished. "You said you could revive it, make it bloom and bear fruit—how long? A year? Two years?"

"Three months," Su Wanqing said.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Even the disciples from Medicine Valley were stunned—three months? Those flowers are almost dead!

"Great!" Senior Brother Zhang's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline. "If this flower dies in three months, or fails to bloom or bear fruit—Senior Sister Su publicly acknowledges that the methods of the Array Court are the true path, and volunteers to spend three years in solitary meditation on the back mountain, how about that?"

That's a ruthless bet.

Three years of solitary meditation is equivalent to three years of stagnation in cultivation. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, three years can create a huge gap in their progress.

Everyone looked at Su Wanqing.

She remained silent for three breaths.

Then, say:

"If it dies in three months, I will voluntarily retreat to the back mountain for three years of solitary meditation. If it lives, the outcome is decided—the Formation Court will have to consult with Medicine Valley before setting up any formations there in the future. Furthermore, you must publicly apologize to me for your 'talking the talk' today."

Senior Brother Zhang's expression changed.

The latter is irrelevant; it's just an apology. But the former... making the Array Court consult Medicine Valley before deploying its formations is tantamount to taking away the Array Court's say in Medicine Valley.

He dared not agree.

"What, you don't dare?" Su Wanqing asked.

All eyes in the audience were focused on Senior Brother Zhang.

He was caught in a dilemma, and gritted his teeth: "Fine, I'll gamble! But I'll add one condition—during this period, you can't use any extraordinary means; you must use the 'Five Elements Balance' method you mentioned today to save the situation!"

He wanted to cut off Su Wanqing's escape route—what if she used some secret treasure or technique?

Su Wanqing nodded: "Okay. But your sect court can't secretly sabotage us—if Hua dies, I will ask the Dharma Elder to personally investigate the cause of death. If it's man-made, it will be dealt with according to the sect rules."

This is for everyone to hear.

Senior Brother Zhang's face paled, then he sneered, "The Array Academy acts with integrity and uprightness, unlike some people who only know how to talk big."

The bet has been made.

The atmosphere in the room was so heavy it felt like water was about to drip from it.

Chen Yuan sat on the edge of the medicine valley area, his palms sweaty.

He looked at Su Wanqing on the high platform, at that aloof face, and suddenly understood something—

Her lecture today was not just a casual remark.

From the very beginning, she had her sights set on the court.

But Chen Yuan didn't really listen to what followed.

Su Wanqing's words echoed repeatedly in his mind: "If it dies three months later, I will request to go to the back mountain to meditate for three years."

Three months.

The Yin Soul Flower is currently clinging to life with five affixes, but the affix effects only last for three months. After three months, if the flower cannot survive naturally, Su Wanqing will have to go and reflect on her actions.

And what will become of Chen Yuan, the person in charge of this land?

Being expelled from Medicine Valley is the least of their worries.

They might use this as an excuse to cripple their cultivation and expel them from the sect.

The pressure came down like a mountain.

---

The sermon lasted for an hour.

It was nearly noon when it ended. The disciples gradually dispersed, and Chen Yuan got up to leave, but Zhou Ming stopped him.

"Senior Brother Chen," Zhou Ming whispered, "look over there."

Chen Yuan followed his gaze—on the west side of the Listening Platform, the group from the Array Academy hadn't left; they were gathered together, whispering something. Senior Brother Zhang stood in the middle, his face grim, glancing towards the Medicine Valley from time to time.

"They're definitely plotting how to deal with Master Su," Zhou Ming said. "Those people from the Array Academy are the most vengeful. Last time, a senior brother from the Alchemy Hall questioned their Fire Gathering Array, and as a result, for the next six months, all the arrays in the Alchemy Hall had all sorts of problems with maintenance."

Chen Yuan remained silent.

He recalled the faces of Zhao San and Senior Brother Zhang at the market yesterday.

Thinking back to today, Su Wanqing made a bet in front of everyone to protect that flower.

"Oh, right," Zhou Ming suddenly remembered something, "Senior Brother Chen, did you know that our Flying Feather Sect can only be considered a second-rate sect in the Qingyang Mountains area?"

Chen Yuan turned to look at him: "What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says." Zhou Ming lowered his voice. "I heard from an inner sect senior brother that three thousand miles east of the Qingyang Mountains, there is a 'Heavenly Sword Sect,' a first-class sect with a Nascent Soul ancestor in charge. Two thousand miles north, there is a 'Mysterious Yin Sect,' also a first-class sect that specializes in ghost cultivation; it's extremely evil."

He counted on his fingers:

"Our Flying Feather Sect's highest combat strength is a sect leader at the late Golden Core stage, so we're considered second-tier. This area also has 'Flowing Cloud Valley,' 'Blazing Fire Sect,' and 'Cold Water Palace,' all second-tier. There are even more third-tier sects, over a dozen."

Chen Yuan was startled.

He had been living in a shantytown for five years after his time travel, only knowing that the Flying Feather Sect was a behemoth. Now he realized that there were even more powerful forces above the Flying Feather Sect.

"And among these sects..." he asked.

"On the surface, it's peaceful, but underneath, the fighting is fierce," Zhou Ming said. "Take last year for example, a small spirit stone mine was discovered in Liuyun Valley, but three months later, the mine was blown up by an 'unknown force'—everyone suspects it was done by the Liehuo Sect, but there's no evidence."

He paused:

"So, Senior Sister Su's public challenge to the Array Court today was actually quite dangerous. Elder Liu of the Array Court is only at the early Golden Core stage and has a lot of influence within the sect. What if he..."

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was clear.

Chen Yuan looked towards the high platform—Su Wanqing was talking to the Dharma Transmission Elder, her profile was cold and expressionless.

But he noticed that her right hand was always tucked into her sleeve.

---

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), Chen Yuan returned to the Medicine Valley.

He didn't go to plot number seventy-three, but went directly to Su Wanqing's bamboo house.

The bamboo house door was open, and Su Wanqing was sitting in the hall, brewing tea. The tea had a refreshing aroma with a faint herbal scent.

"Come in." She didn't look up.

Chen Yuan went in and stood in front of the table.

"Sit down." Su Wanqing poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards you. "Did you understand today's lecture?"

"I understand," Chen Yuan said, sitting down. "But I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"I don't understand why Master Su would gamble so much." Chen Yuan looked into her eyes. "Is it worth it for a low-grade, second-rank Yin Soul Flower?"

Su Wanqing picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Then, she extended her right hand and placed it on the table.

Palms facing upwards.

Chen Yuan's pupils contracted.

On Su Wanqing's right palm, there was also a dark purple line—fader than his, but definitely present. It extended from her palm to her wrist, like the roots of a tree.

"A ley line imprint," Su Wanqing said. "Left three years ago. At that time, I tried to save a fourth-grade spiritual plant using the 'ley line diversion' method, but I failed, so I left this behind."

She withdrew her hand:

"So I know the cost of disturbing the earth's veins, and I also know how rigid the array formations of the Array Academy are."

Chen Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "That flower..."

"I know you're clinging to life by your secret technique," Su Wanqing said, "but you also know that the effect only lasts for a few months."

She looked up at Chen Yuan:

"So in these three months, you have to bring it to life. Not through secret methods, but through your own skill."

"Me?" Chen Yuan was stunned.

"Yes, you," Su Wanqing said, "Since you have the secret method to bring spiritual plants back to life, you should have the ability to make them truly survive. Otherwise, your secret method is nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst."

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the Valley of Medicines:

"Chen Yuan, the rules of Medicine Valley don't concern you with your origins or methods. But you need to be clear about yourself—do you want to be a rogue cultivator who relies on secret techniques to eke out a living, or do you want to be a true spirit plant master?"

Chen Yuan sat there, surrounded by the aroma of tea.

He thought of the eight acres of land in the shantytown, the spiritual plants that thrived thanks to the entries, and how his first reaction whenever he encountered a problem was to look for entries and fragments.

Su Wanqing is right.

He relied too much on the system.

"I understand." Chen Yuan stood up. "Within three months, I will bring that flower back to life."

"How will you survive?" Su Wanqing turned to look at him.

"Use the method you described today," Chen Yuan said, "to balance the five elements and harmonize the earth's veins."

Su Wanqing looked at him for three breaths, then smiled.

This time, the smile had a bit of warmth to it.

"Okay," she said. "I'll wait and see."

---

After leaving the bamboo house, Chen Yuan did not return to his residence, but went directly to the library.

This time, instead of looking at the books on formations, he found a bunch of basic classics on "Five Elements Theory," "Earth Vein Theory," and "Spiritual Plant Physiology," and carried them to a corner, flipping through them one by one.

He wanted to figure out how to make a Yin-attribute spiritual plant truly survive without using any entries.

Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening.

One by one, the oil lamps in the library were lit.

Chen Yuan sat under the lamp, the pages of his book turning softly.

The dark purple pattern on the palm of his right hand was faintly visible under the light.

-