Cultivation begins with harvest.

The moment Cao Fang saw Chen Guang, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, what kind of formation is this?"

In his words, he clearly regarded Chen Guang, who was at the first level of Qi Refining, as a peer.

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist Chen is actually a member of some immortal cultivation family? No wonder I've never seen Fellow Daoist Chen helping people harvest spirit rice." Cao Fang's thinking was clearly quite quick.

"Cough, cough." Chen Guang neither admitted nor denied it. "Are these Dingzhen tea trees? Or are they two seedlings?"

A single Dingzhen tea tree seedling is worth over 700 catties of spirit rice, and the combined value of two seedlings is definitely better than 1,500 catties of spirit rice. This made Chen Guang look at Cao Fang with some suspicion.

Cao Fang, without blushing or skipping a beat, looked at the ice mist array several times with reluctance before turning her head: "Because these two tea trees were not bought from a shop, but from a senior brother. As you know, Dingzhen tea trees are afraid of both cold and heat, drought and waterlogging. These two trees were already a bit sickly. That senior brother was afraid that if he continued to raise them, they would cause problems, so he gave them to me at a low price."

Chen Guang's gaze sharpened. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the two Dingzhen tea trees had already developed some crown shape, clearly indicating that they had been nurtured for some time. Facing Chen Guang's gaze, Cao Fang remained fearless.

"I need to take a look first," Chen Guang said.

"Let's go to your yard. I can't carry these two tea trees; they're not light at all," Cao Fang said when Chen Guang didn't immediately refuse.

Chen Guang did not refuse, and took the pot to examine it carefully.

Apart from the main trunk, the branches and leaves of the Dingzhen tea tree have a hazy, misty feel, and when you touch them, they have an unreal texture.

The leaves of the Dingzhen tea tree in Chen Guanghuai's house showed signs of withering, and the leaves were small with semi-circular or irregular flat, yellow, water-soaked spots on the edges.

"It's not just that they can't grow and raise them properly, they've also contracted diseases," Chen Guang complained.

The Lingcha tea tree is extremely beneficial, as it can absorb as much of the supply as the market can handle, but the difficulty lies in its difficulty in cultivation.

Jade Heart Grass is delicate, but it can grow wildly as long as it is not affected by the environment. Therefore, a spiritual energy array can solve all problems and free Chen Guang from the tedious care of Jade Heart Grass.

The cultivation of the Lingcha tree takes a long time, and different strategies are needed for different stages.

Until the first flowering and fruiting, the Lingcha tree is in its seedling stage, which lasts for three years. During this period, it is easily affected by the environment, similar to Yunxin grass, but with a slightly higher lower limit. During this period, the water absorption efficiency is low, so it is necessary to resist drought, protect the seedlings, shallowly cultivate and weed, and lightly prune the crown.

Then comes the maturation period of several or even ten years. During this period, the spiritual tea tree has more urgent requirements for spiritual energy, water, light, and temperature. It begins to produce a large number of leaves and has a great need for spiritual energy and special substances. The crown needs to be deeply pruned to replenish its consumption. This stage is prone to pests and is extremely troublesome.

Next comes the aging period, when it begins to decline, usually around the thirtieth year. For the Lingcha tree, this is basically the end of its lifespan. Just like an old person, its yield decreases and it develops many problems. Its fate is basically to be squeezed dry and then recycled as waste.

The Dingzhen tea tree in Chen Guang's arms was infected with disease when it was still a seedling. Due to the drought, the leaves began to wither and shrink. Although it could still be saved, it looked like it would take a long time. Chen Guang was very worried about the quality of the tea leaves when it matured.

Planting a spirit tea tree will yield benefits at least four years later, and will affect the benefits for the next twenty or thirty years. This is why Chen Guang is dissatisfied. Unless it dies halfway through, it will take twenty or thirty years to raise, and it will be in poor condition from the start. His worries are not unfounded.

Therefore, it is only spirit farmers in the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining who start to cultivate spirit tea trees. There is no difficulty in it, so why would it become Chen Guang's first target?

Cao Fang quickly explained, "This is just a minor ailment. With enough water, we can use the Hundred Woods Dew Condensation Spell or water it with some spiritual liquid. As you know, seedlings have difficulty absorbing water and are susceptible to drought. Too much water can kill them, while too little water can cause them to dry out. Since Fellow Daoist Chen specifically requested a spiritual tea tree, it should be able to handle this, right?"

"I'm worried about the impact on quality. It looks like the small blight will affect us for quite some time," Chen Guang said with concern.

Cao Fang said, "So I brought two plants here, one as a control, and I only need to take good care of the other one. This one is in very good shape. I haven't done a bad job of meeting the requirements of over a thousand catties of spirit rice, have I?"

Chen Guang glanced at the Dingzhen tea tree in Cao Fang's arms and agreed with her assessment, but said he would need to take a closer look.

The two arrived in the courtyard. Chen Guang carefully examined the two Dingzhen tea trees, using his knowledge to test them first, trying to find any problems before touching them with his magic.

A phantom light screen, visible only to himself, appeared.

Spiritual Plant: [Dingzhen Tea Tree]

Grade: Tier 1 Top Quality

Attributes: Cloud/Spirit Tree/Perennial

Category: Semi-arbor/Medium-leaf variety/White tea

Description: The Dingzhen tea leaves produced after it matures have a calming effect on the mind and slightly concentrate the spirit, but they are prone to local diseases and attract special insects that cause pests.

In its early stages, the tree's water absorption efficiency is low. To ensure drought resistance and seedling protection, shallow cultivation and weeding are necessary, and the crown should be lightly pruned. [Hidden Dew True Peony] can be used to promote normal water absorption and growth, and to prevent two early-stage diseases: small leaf spot and white spot. In its mature stages, the tree has a high demand for vital energy, water, light, temperature, humidity, and the unique spiritual energy of the cloud soil. Using a large amount of high-quality cloud soil can meet its needs. Regarding the spiritual energy, it can be indirectly and slowly supplemented with the excrement of [Thousand Needle Wren]. Raising Thousand Needle Wrens can control all types of pests affecting Dingzhen tea trees. In its aging stages, high-quality cloud soil, Thousand Needle Wrens, and [Qingxia Cloud Qi] can be used to ensure continued high-quality growth and tea production.

Suitable for cultivation in clay soil, with oil-rich clay soil being the best choice.

The Wind-Calming Incantation, the Flaming Mist Technique, and the Transformation into Emerald Bee Incantation are important and highly effective spells for resolving various diseases and pests.

Unlock the next level of cultivation content: 0/50 (Number of tea leaves picked for excellent quality)

"Hmm?" Chen Guang discovered that the description of the Dingzhen tea tree was not only more detailed, but also had higher requirements.

Other spiritual plants require maturity, which means they are of acceptable quality. Excellent quality is a higher requirement than acceptable. However, for Dingzhen tea trees, it is only the minimum requirement.

So far, Chen Guang has unlocked four qualities: Inferior (rewards but not counted as attempts), Qualified, Excellent, and Superior. Excellent quality is not difficult to obtain, but it also represents hard work and dedication.

Cao Fang watched Chen Guang nervously from the side, fiddling with the hem of her black robe. Although she appeared focused, she seemed somewhat distracted and anxious.

Chen Guang adjusted his breathing slightly and activated the Earth-Wood Interaction, instantly feeling the same way as the Dingzhen Tea Tree.

"There are some minor ailments, but they only slightly affect the root system. It's not too late to mend the situation; the impact isn't significant. It is indeed lacking water. The potting soil is purple spirit soil, but it has a natural aversion to tea seedlings. In fact, purple spirit soil itself is prone to drought and doesn't retain water well. If a tea seedling encounters purple spirit soil, it's truly a case of 'swallowing a bitter pill.'"

Overall, even the Dingzhen tea trees that look more diseased only appear to be severely diseased on the outside, but the internal damage is still minor and can be saved.

Chen Guang tried another one that looked good, and it was about the same. This one also had some minor rot and disease, but the problem wasn't as serious as the previous one; it just looked impressive on the outside.

Presumably, that senior brother didn't have a connection with earth and wood, but he saw that the problem was quite serious. Based on his experience, he realized that the spiritual tea tree's foundation wasn't actually affected much. After trying to save it without success, he decisively sold it to cut his losses. If it were any more serious, it would be difficult to sell it to someone else.

Chen Guang stared blankly at the purple spirit soil in the basin, wondering how to tell Cao Fang to extract a little more resources.

Cao Fang then spoke up quietly: "That senior brother is quite honest. Taking purple spirit soil from the spirit field requires reporting to the branch building and paying money. This is part of the cost, but that senior brother didn't include it in his calculations."

After a pause, Cao Fang looked at Chen Guang, her expression becoming relaxed: "Fellow Daoist Chen, if you don't want others to see your expression in the future, you'd better practice how to be 'expressionless.' It's the simplest way to hide your thoughts. Your eyes and brows should always be filled with joy."

Chen Guang didn't know what to say. He could naturally understand Cao Fang's subtext: You bastard, I can tell you're satisfied. You still want to swindle more money out of my pocket, don't you!

"Then I'll accept it. I'll present the Blood Sutra in a couple of days," Chen Guang said.