Cultivation begins with harvest.

Cao Fang said, "Actually, another problem with the fire peach tree is that it needs to hibernate to get through the cold period. If it doesn't hibernate, it will have a great impact on the following year, causing slow budding and delayed flowering; the flowering period will be disordered, and there will be less fruit. However, the fire peach tree's requirement for low temperature is really exaggerated. It needs to be very precisely controlled within a very small fluctuation range. I can't do that, so I can only let them not hibernate and force them to get through the winter."

"This used to be an acre of fire peach trees, but now only these few remain. The empty part of the land, some of them died from self-immolation due to the high temperature; and some of them froze to death when I tried to make them hibernate normally but the temperature was too low."

Chen Guang understood.

The spirit fruit tree is fine in the wild, able to flower and bear fruit, which shows that it is the result of a two-way interaction with the environment. But it is different when planted in the spirit field.

One major problem with deciduous fruit trees is that they need to hibernate to survive the cold season. Complete leaf loss means that they have entered a state of complete hibernation.

There are three reasons why deciduous fruit trees hibernate.

First, get through the cold period.

Secondly, it accumulates various special substances to prepare for growth in the coming year.

Thirdly, it ensures that the flowering period is orderly and stable.

The Fire Peach Tree is special because it is a spiritual plant that requires a continuous heat source. If it gets too cold, it will freeze to death; if it gets too warm, it will "go to bed but not be able to sleep," which will greatly affect its condition next year.

But its temperature requirements are too demanding. If it's a little too high, it won't hibernate; if it's a little too low, it will die. Chen Guang had never seen the helplessness in Cao Fang's voice before.

This is a living ancestor.

In a sense, the fire peach tree is a model of "easy to care for". When it takes more than a year to bloom and several years to bear fruit, it will enter a shallower dormant state that is more easily affected. During this period, the slightest breeze will cause the flowers to wither and the fruit to fall.

Therefore, high-grade spirit fruit trees are rare due to their higher rank, and the fact that a single fruit is easily miscarried is like a human pregnancy lasting several months before attempting to ride a horse, climb a mountain, or fight a war.

Therefore, high-grade spiritual fruits have a long gestation period and are very delicate, resulting in extremely high value.

The fact that even a first-tier spirit fruit tree could leave Cao Fang speechless with despair speaks volumes.

"Actually, I'm not necessarily better off. The troublesome thing about spirit tea trees compared to spirit fruit trees is that spirit fruit trees can actively reduce production to ensure fruit production. But spirit tea trees, except during their decline period, either produce or don't produce at all. If not taken care of properly, it's impossible to reduce production to guarantee a harvest. Fire peach trees can still do that," Chen Guangxi thought to himself.

Seeing that Chen Guang was sympathetic, Cao Fang felt much better. It seemed that Chen Guang had some basic knowledge, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so quickly. Entrusting Chen Guang with the care was the right choice.

"Secondly, there are two more troubles: loosening the soil and watering. These fire peach trees of mine are not completely dormant, so the soil needs to be loosened a little more frequently and the amount of water needs to be increased a little more. But you must pay attention to the amount. During this period, the spirit fruit trees need a little of everything, but not too little. Too little will affect the vitality of the fruit trees, and too much will easily cause diseases such as root rot. This is something I must tell you." Cao Fang's expression became serious as she carefully told Chen Guang about the time intervals and degrees of loosening the soil, watering, and changing the fire bricks. She even asked Chen Guang to repeat it before she felt a little relieved.

Chen Guang had some knowledge of the spirit fruit tree, which allowed the process to be completed in just over half an hour, greatly exceeding Cao Fang's expectations. Otherwise, she would have had to recount the whole story, wasting a considerable amount of time.

"Actually, the best way to water it is with a combination of Flame Mist and Hundred Trees Dew Spell. Direct watering has too much of an impact on the Fire Peach Tree. The Flame Mist spell keeps the temperature close to that of the Fire Peach Tree, and the amount of water it provides is just right. But I can't ask anything more of you," Cao Fang said regretfully.

"You mean that?"

With an innocent expression, Chen Guang stretched out his palm, and red mist rose from his palm, changing freely in his hand. At the same time, Chen Guang was slightly distracted and cast the Hundred Wood Dew Condensation Spell on the water channel. The spell, originally used to extract the life force of plants, was simplified to pump water. After being applied to the Flame Mist Spell, it immediately became part of the Flame Mist Spell, increasing the humidity just right. Even though Chen Guang increased the temperature, it did not evaporate much.

It can transform into a spear in an instant, or become as gentle as the wind; it can grow larger or smaller, become hotter or cooler, and its moisture can diffuse out and then condense back into water droplets...

All these changes reveal their exquisite nature.

Cao Fang stared wide-eyed at Chen Guang's performance, momentarily at a loss for words.

Every time she uses this combination spell, she needs to be on high alert. She must first adjust the Flame Mist spell before absorbing water. The Flame Mist spell, which is temperature-sensitive, requires a lot of skill to incorporate water. Even with a long period of practice, Cao Fang cannot drastically change the temperature or shape of the Flame Mist spell after absorbing water.

But Chen Guang did it with ease; he had only been practicing for a few years.

Chen Guang chuckled smugly. His "Flame Control Technique" had been mastered, and this influence extended to the Flame Mist Technique. The "Flame Control Technique" was a technique for manipulating flames, and the Flame Mist Technique itself was an extension of the flame diffusion spell. After Chen Guang got the hang of it, he quickly became proficient and could perform all sorts of intricate operations.

"Haha, senior sister, I may not be very talented, but I do have some talent in certain spells."

Looking at Chen Guang's smug expression, Cao Fang exclaimed in amazement, "It seems that you, fellow Daoist, are only lacking in aptitude, but your talent is very high."

A cultivator's spiritual root aptitude has a significant impact.

Firstly, it affects the efficiency of spiritual energy refining, which is directly related to cultivation speed.

Secondly, it affects the interaction between heaven and humanity.

The concept of "interaction between Heaven and Man" can be simply explained as the degree of affinity between Heaven and Man and oneself. A person with a "D" aptitude is like touching something through a thick quilt; it's not clear, and you can't see what's inside. A person with a "B" aptitude is like touching something solid through a light veil; although the view is blurry, you can at least see it and perceive the vague outline of the Great Dao of Heaven and Man.

The most obvious example is that when studying the Five Elements magic, one can quickly get started.

However, this is only a matter of divine inspiration, not the whole story. Good aptitude is like being good-looking; everyone makes a good first impression, making it easier to learn new spells.

In Cao Fang's view, Chen Guangruo and others were simply too difficult to get started with.

For cultivators with high aptitude, improving their skills after entering the sect is like gaining a good impression, which is a plus, making it easier to get acquainted and improve quickly. However, some people may not have high aptitude but have great talent. Just like someone who is not good-looking may seem a bit distant at first, they can easily win favor once they get to know each other.

In Cao Fang's eyes, Chen Guang was a representative of someone with poor aptitude but high talent.

It also has extraordinary potential.

"It's just that I happen to be good at one or two things," Chen Guang said seriously, putting away his smugness.

Cao Fang, however, thought Chen Guang was just being modest, and her goodwill towards him grew even stronger.

"By the way, Senior Sister Cao, you mentioned before that it would take a month to go to the Cang Clan's Fanglin? I remember that the sect has some precious horses with the bloodline of demonic beasts. Even if the terrain is complicated, it is not difficult to travel three to five hundred miles a day. Does it really take that long for a round trip?" Chen Guang asked.

Cao Fang quickly shook her head: "Of course not. Going to the Cang Clan's Fanglin and staying for two days, half a month is more than enough. The reason I need to go for so long is because there will be an auction at the Dongdu Market. I want to go and see it, which will inevitably take up more time."

Dongdu Market?

Chen Guang was suddenly moved.

Ten thousand miles east of Ziling Peak lies the Mortal City Kingdom, whose spiritual veins are inadequate. This is why cultivators consciously gathered a large number of mortals there, resulting in a massive amount of mortal energy. Mortal energy is poison to Qi Refining cultivators, but it has mysteriously become one of the important sources of human energy for Foundation Establishment cultivators. After purification, mortal energy with a single attribute becomes human energy with wonderful uses.

Cleansing away greed and restlessness, refining the spirit and soul—the essence of worldly desires.

Tempering and refining magical artifacts sharpens them, dispelling the fear and trepidation within—the [Golden Armor Aura]

The [Imperial Aura] can save someone from rampaging magical power and calming a chaotic mind.

……

These are all things that can be obtained after the special refinement of ordinary qi. There are also true qi with the same abilities in the world, but the production capacity of ordinary qi is much more stable. However, these qi cultivators cannot easily come into contact with them.

Without a solid foundation to stabilize one's Dao heart, worldly desires can lead one to neglect the future, seeking only the present and focusing on pleasure and travel; the aura of war can intensify one's bloodlust and violent impulses; and the aura of imperial lineage can make one arrogant, complacent, and gradually devoid of humanity...

Under the same conditions, popularity is easier to obtain, but it has side effects on one's Dao heart; true Qi is generally harmless, and even if it has side effects, it will not affect one's Dao heart, but it is also more difficult to obtain. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

As cultivators are closer to the mortal city-states, they are more susceptible to the effects of scattered purified human energy and worldly influences, which reduces their cultivation efficiency. Therefore, in this intermediate zone, the Qingheng Sect only provides some administration without taking specific control, making it a place for independent cultivators to establish their power. This is because the Qingheng Sect maintains basic order here but does not interfere in specific operations. At most, the Guanglin Hall cooperates in development, which is even more beneficial to them.

Between Ziling Peak and the Mortal City Kingdom, there are more than thirty special regions that have formed some spiritual veins and produced some cultivation resources. However, Foundation Establishment resources are extremely scarce, except for two special families: the Dongfang Clan of Chaxi and the Zhao Clan of Dongdu.

The Zhao family is stronger, with Foundation Establishment level cultivators in each generation to govern the clan; the Dongfang family occasionally experiences a break in the lineage, but overall, compared to other families that occasionally produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator, these two families have a significant lead. They have each established their own independent cultivator markets, namely Chaxi Market and Dongdu Market, one holding an auction every five years and the other every three years. Both are measures to maintain and expand their influence, and there are quite a few good items there, which Chen Guang has heard of.