Cultivation begins with harvest.

Please invite Dongfang Lieming to sit in the courtyard. The tea and fruit served are all mundane things. Although we can't afford to serve you with spiritual fruits and tea now that our pockets are full, we are no longer stingy with such basic courtesy.

Dongfang Lieming politely took a sip of tea before saying, "Senior brother may not know, although the Dongfang clan is wealthy, it is still just a family of rogue cultivators. It is not even comparable to the Dongdu Zhao clan, let alone ordinary family members like us. The internal competition for resources has always been fierce. In addition, the clan is not perfect in every way. My parents clearly had merits, but before their bodies were even cold, I was wronged and humiliated, so my elder brother and I went to Qingheng Sect."

Chen Guang remained silent, instead picking up a cup of tea and slowly savoring it while pondering the purpose behind Dongfang Lieming's extensive explanation.

The resource shortage faced by ordinary independent cultivator families is actually quite terrifying, because theoretically, as long as a person does not die young, they are basically capable of cultivation, meaning they possess all five elements, or at the very least, four spiritual root attributes. Otherwise, they are severely deficient innately, which is extremely obvious.

However, having the qualifications to practice does not mean that one has the value of practicing.

Cultivation depends on resources and aptitude.

Half of the mortals in the world are not as talented as me, and it may take half a lifetime to even have the chance to take the first step of sensing the Qi.

Take aptitude as an example. Although Chen Guang is classified as a weakling, he is actually the fourth of the ten aptitude levels. There are ten levels in total: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. Starting from Geng level, there is a possibility of cultivating to the Foundation Establishment stage, but that is under the condition of abundant resources.

Even with limited resources, it's possible for us to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage, requiring complete focus and detachment from external affairs. However, such a path is extremely rare, with only one in ten thousand. Considering the time wasted on other matters during the growth process, coupled with the possibility of death, even a one in ten thousand chance doesn't fully reflect the expected value of our potential to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Chen Guang's "weak Ding" grade was actually considered to be a slightly lower-middle level of cultivation aptitude. He was slow compared to other cultivators in the Qingheng Sect. Under the Qingheng Sect's three-year minor examination system, those with aptitude below Ding grade could hardly survive in the Qingheng Sect for long.

Let alone the independent cultivation families, even the Qingheng Sect cannot withstand the exaggerated resource consumption of a nationwide cultivation movement. Moreover, the future of most cultivators is worrying, because most mortals can only reach the first or second level of Qi Refining in their entire lives, and at best, the third level. Very few can break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining. Not to mention the Qingheng Sect doesn't care about cultivators of this level, even the higher-ups of the independent cultivation families are hesitant about whether to provide them with resources.

The weaker one's aptitude, the more dependent one is on resources for cultivation, and the lower the cost-effectiveness.

This is the dilemma and natural, unavoidable contradiction of rogue cultivator families. Not many family members are willing to give up their right to cultivate, since being able to cultivate to the third level of Qi Refining means being able to live for a hundred years, right?

This conflict is difficult to resolve.

The clans of rogue cultivators have always "planned their births." Only those with good aptitude and sufficient contributions from the previous generation can have more children. Otherwise, they either have to leave the clan to seek immortal opportunities or accept arrangements to live in the Eastern Mortal City Middle School, where they can also contribute to the formation of high-quality popularity in the mortal realm.

As far as Chen Guang knew, among the rogue cultivator families, only the Zhao family of Dongdu had a reasonably decent internal atmosphere. Above that, only the aristocratic families still had a family-like atmosphere. The internal atmosphere of ordinary rogue cultivator families was far from commendable. Seniority-based ranking and factional intrigues were all hidden under the guise of blood ties. Therefore, it was not unusual for a weak rogue cultivator family to split up three times in a year.

However, on the other hand, Dongfang Lieming also has an older brother—the fact that she could give birth to two children shows that her parents had made great contributions; being able to join the Qingheng Sect means that the siblings were at least of weak and unfit aptitude.

Even so, the two siblings were still bullied after their parents died.

It's either one side of the story or the truth, but it only states the result, not the reason.

"Fellow Daoist Dongfang, has your elder brother also joined the Qingheng Sect?" Chen Guang asked.

"Yes, brother, you have joined the Flame Hall and become a medicine apprentice," Dongfang Lieming said, glancing at Chen Guang's unchanged expression, and then explained, "This unsolicited visit is actually to deliver some good news to you, senior brother."

As Dongfang Lieming spoke, he stumbled over his words and stiffly took out an exquisite wooden box, placed it on the stone table, and pushed it toward Chen Guang.

Chen Guang didn't touch it, but instead looked at Dongfang Lieming.

After taking out the item, Dongfang Lieming seemed relaxed and explained smoothly, "This is a Zhan Yang flower. I heard that many spirit farmers in the Qingheng Sect raise Thousand Needle Wrens. The Zhan Yang flower and the Thousand Needle Wren are a perfect match."

Chen Guang's expression finally changed.

The Golden Sun Flower, Golden Valley, and Royal Scaled Sparrow can enhance the Golden Beak of the Thousand Needle Wren; the Cranberry can enhance the Cloud Eyes. However, all four of these spiritual items are top-grade first-tier items. Only the Golden Valley is relatively easy to find, and one must wait until the mid-stage of Qi Refining to be qualified to apply to the sect for seeds. Ordinary shops do not have seeds of this spiritual valley.

The Zhan Yang Flower grows in the open air where the sun is at its brightest. In such areas, most spiritual plants cannot survive, and even if its seeds are collected, it is difficult to replicate the environment to make it grow.

Moreover, such places of extreme yang energy are either controlled by powerful forces or are extremely hidden spiritual lands guarded by demonic beasts. Although they are only first-tier spiritual plants, they are hard to find on the market and are of a higher grade than the Skywing Butterfly Scale Powder. Even if it's not that those shops are hiding them, even the Purple Spirit Pavilion opened by Purple Spirit Peak will only have one or two Zhan Yang flowers appearing once in a long time.

"If you can guide me on how to cultivate the spirit field for three years, and allow me to observe how you plant spirit plants within those three years, then this Zhan Yang Flower will belong to you," Dongfang Lieming said earnestly.

Chen Guang opened a corner of the wooden box and took a look. The golden, flame-like petals emitted light and heat, like a small sun. The entire spiritual plant was only two inches tall, but its spiritual energy was quite astonishing.

It is undoubtedly a jasmine flower.

It has flowers, stems, leaves, and roots.

Chen Guang suppressed the budding thoughts in his heart and closed the wooden box: "Is that all?"

"If you do your best, Senior Brother, this Zhan Yang Flower will be presented to you within a year, and even... three years later, another Zhan Yang Flower will be given to you," Dongfang Lieming said without hesitation.

As the saying goes, one should not flaunt one's wealth.

But when Dongfang Lie clearly stated that he had many more Zhanyang flowers and that "my elder brother and I have a miraculous encounter that allows us to live well on our own, detached from the Dongfang clan," Chen Guang was truly moved.

As expected of the indigenous people, their understanding of rules and regulations is more thorough and clear. This is the correct way to have a serendipitous encounter.

The siblings' choices also aligned with their approach: one in the Earth Hall and the other in the Flame Hall, both paths allowing them to cultivate to the late Qi Refining stage within the Qingheng Sect without ever leaving their homes. Moreover, Dongfang Lieming of the Earth Hall could provide his brother with alchemy materials, while his brother could provide his sister with cultivation resources—a perfectly calculated move.

Once they truly cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining, a rogue cultivator family that only occasionally produces a Foundation Establishment cultivator will find it difficult to deal with a disciple of the Qingheng Sect. At that point, the two siblings will be free from all constraints.

"Was this Yanghua given only to me, or did the other senior brothers also receive one?" Chen Guang thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask another question.

Dongfang Lieming, on the contrary, showed some helplessness: "Senior brother, firstly, these are Zhan Yang flowers, how can there be so many? Secondly, there are only four Lingnong people nearby who raise Thousand Needle Wrens. Senior brother is the first person I have visited. In the end, I am just one person. It is already a great fortune to receive guidance from senior brother. How dare I be half-hearted?"

"Alright, then I agree. Tomorrow I will go to my junior sister's spirit field. I wouldn't say I'll give you guidance, but I will have some insights. There is one thing I need to clarify: the spiritual objects in the spirit field within that formation do not belong to me. I cannot take you in before I have the master's approval. However, you are free to look at my other spirit fields as you wish," Chen Guang said softly.

"Then I thank you very much, Senior Brother." Dongfang Lieming smiled and bowed to Chen Guang.

The two chatted for a while longer before Chen Guang saw Dongfang Lieming off, naturally taking the Zhan Yang flower with him.

"I need to practice the Return to Spring Evolution technique more. Even though the Zhan Yang Flower is difficult to cultivate, I have to try. Having a continuous supply of Zhan Yang Flowers is completely different from only getting two plants. And what's most useful to the Thousand Needle Wren is the fruit! That is, the seeds of the Zhan Yang Flower, not the flower itself."

Chen Guang watched Dongfang Lieming walk away, knowing that his reputation for breaking through once a year had spread, and that was the benefit he was getting.

Otherwise, how could a Thousand Needle Wren, which has not yet been raised and whose cultivation level is the lowest among the spiritual farmers who raise Thousand Needle Wrens, receive such favor from the other party?