After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

Chapter 116 Commendation Conference

What truly silenced the entire audience was the confrontation between Chu Yunfeng and Su Qingxue.

As soon as Chu Yunfeng stepped onto the stage, the surroundings fell silent.

He was still dressed in white, holding a long sword, and his aura was even sharper than it had been a few months ago.

His opponent this time was no weakling either; it was Zhao Tieshan, a well-known disciple.

Zhao Tieshan possesses dual earth and metal spiritual roots, making his defense extremely solid. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he set up a defensive spell, with a light golden shield surrounding his body and earth-elemental spiritual light faintly flowing beneath his feet.

However, Chu Yunfeng only used three sword strikes!

The first sword strike, a fusion of gold and fire, cleaved a crack in the pale gold protective shield.

The second sword cut widened the gap, and the cracks spread.

The third sword strike completely shattered the protective shield, and the sword tip stopped a foot in front of Zhao Tieshan's chest, steady and unmoving.

Zhao Tieshan had no choice but to admit defeat and bowed respectfully.

The audience was silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers.

Lu Qingchen stood in the crowd, watching the white-robed youth on the stage sheath his sword. But what he was thinking about was something else entirely: the spiritual energy condensation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining was much higher than that of the third level.

These three sword strikes may seem casual, but in reality, each strike is precise, with the force and speed perfectly timed.

Su Qingxue's techniques presented a completely different picture.

Her water-based magic flowed like clouds and water. She unleashed a Azure Water Technique, and layers of water curtains spread out, seemingly soft but actually containing a continuous, subtle force.

The opponent's attack fell into the curtain of water, like a mud ox sinking into the sea, and could no longer make a ripple.

Occasionally, she would casually launch a water arrow in retaliation, the timing of which was both cunning and precise, making it impossible to defend against.

The duel between the two took place in the final.

The golden fire sword energy collided with the water curtain, creating a clash of fire and water that produced a cloud of white mist.

Neither could gain the upper hand, and they fought for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

In the end, Chu Yunfeng barely pierced through Su Qingxue's water curtain with a golden fire sword qi that was condensed to the extreme, and won by a narrow margin of half a move.

The cheers from the audience lasted for a long time.

Standing on the gentle slope, Lu Qingchen watched Chu Yunfeng sheathe his sword and bow, and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

His judgment in choosing this prodigy was truly excellent.

However, when the reward for the top rookie was brought out on stage, Lu Qingchen's gaze lingered for a moment on the porcelain bottle labeled "Breakthrough Pill".

Breakthrough Pill.

It can help Qi Refining cultivators break through the critical bottleneck of the seventh level of Qi Refining, a hurdle that many people have been stuck on for years without making any progress.

Chu Yunfeng was already a top-grade dual-spiritual-root, and now that he has obtained this Breakthrough Pill, he probably won't encounter any significant obstacles before reaching Foundation Establishment.

Are you envious? Of course, a little.

But then he thought, the faster Chu Yunfeng cultivates, the more profound his cultivation will be each day.

This Breakthrough Pill helped Chu Yunfeng, but Lu Qingchen was also indirectly a beneficiary.

After the assessment, Lu Qingchen planned to have a meal with Li Si and the others before returning directly to Qingmu Manor, but he was stopped by someone after leaving the square.

"Junior Brother Lu."

Su Qingxue walked down the stone steps behind her, wearing a moon-white long dress, her black hair tied up with a jade hairpin, still with that aloof and cold appearance.

She stopped in front of Lu Qingchen and said bluntly, "I've never had a chance to thank you in person."

Lu Qingchen was taken aback: "Thank me?"

"Regarding the Soul-Eating Disease."

Su Qingxue's voice was not loud, but she spoke each word very seriously, "Do you know that if it weren't for those few mutated spirit rice plants in your field, I and several patrolling spirit envoys would probably have been severely punished this time?"

"We Spirit Patrol Envoys are responsible for patrolling and supervising. With such a big incident in the Spirit Fields, if the harvest is reduced on a large scale, the sect will investigate and I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my position as a Spirit Patrol Envoy."

"It was your few mutated spirit rice plants that allowed the Spirit Plant Hall to prepare the medicine in time, minimizing the losses. In the end, the sect only fined us three months' salary as a minor punishment, which did not affect our future employment."

Lu Qingchen then realized.

He never imagined that solving the Spirit Erosion Disease would not only save the harvest of the seven villages, but also incidentally preserve Su Qingxue's position as a Spirit Patrol Envoy.

He shook his head: "Senior Sister Su, you flatter me. I was just lucky to grow those few disease-resistant spirit rice plants. In the end, it has little to do with me."

Su Qingxue looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

The smile was faint and fleeting, but it was definitely there.

"Whether it was luck or skill, I'll remember this favor."

She didn't say anything more, nodded, and turned to walk back.

After taking a few steps, he turned his head and said, "If you ever need any help with spiritual plants in the future, feel free to come to me."

O

Lu Qingchen stood there, watching her figure disappear at the end of the stone steps.

Unexpectedly, those few spirit rice plants also helped this prodigy. Sometimes, such favors are formed unintentionally.

He had just turned around and taken a few steps back when Wang Ming, Li Si, Qian Wanliang, and Zhao Ming came over from the side.

Wang Ming winked and lowered his voice, "Su Qingxue? What does she want with you? When did you two become so close?"

"It's nothing."

Lu Qingchen replied truthfully, "She said she owed me a favor and came to thank me."

The group paused for a moment, then tacitly clicked their tongues in agreement.

Qian Wanliang rolled his eyes: "If you don't want to talk about it, just say so. There's no need to make up such nonsense."

"Su Qingxue owes you a favor? She's a genius with dual spiritual roots, what favor does she owe you? To teach her how to farm?"

2

After saying that, the group burst into laughter.

Wang Ming chimed in, "Exactly! I could believe you if you said Chu Yunfeng owed you a favor, but Su Qingxue absolutely wouldn't!"

Lu Qingchen shook his head helplessly.

He was telling the truth, but it seemed they didn't believe him.

Fortunately, Wang Ming and his group didn't press the matter further and quickly changed the subject.

Li Si took the initiative to speak, saying that he had achieved a pretty good ranking in the rookie assessment and received some spirit stones as a reward, so he would treat everyone to dinner today.

"Well done, Lao Li! The iron tree has blossomed!" Wang Ming couldn't help but praise.

The group went to the small restaurant next to the cafeteria with ease.

Same old spot, same old dishes.

Li Si was unusually generous and ordered several more jugs of Lingmi wine, saying that they wouldn't leave until they were drunk.

Wang Ming and Qian Wanliang naturally didn't stand on ceremony, while Zhao Ming continued to eat in silence, occasionally interjecting with a comment.

Lu Qingchen sat to the side, slowly sipping his wine, watching them bicker and joke around, and just smiled.

Since Li Si wants to treat us, let him. It's just a matter of a few spirit stones anyway, so let's not dampen his enthusiasm.

It was already evening of the second day when they returned to Aoki Village.

Lu Qingchen went to the spirit protection field as usual.

Inside the cave, the azure light of the earth vein spirit embryo remained stable, and the seed of the Vermilion Fruit finally sprouted a little shoot, raising a small mound on the soil surface.

The newly planted premium rice in the fields has also sprouted, a tender green expanse.

He watered the plants, cast a spirit-nurturing spell, and then went back inside.

On the fifth day after his return, Zhao Demao had Wang Fu call him to the main room.

This time, his expression was much stranger than before. He spoke directly, "Manager Lu, the sect will be holding an awards ceremony in a few days to recognize this year's outstanding disciples. The list has been released, and your name is on it."

Lu Qingchen was stunned for a moment.

"A commendation meeting?"

"In recognition of your contributions to the fight against the Corruption Disease."

Zhao Demao's tone carried an undisguised envy.

"The rookie assessment has just ended. Every year after the assessment, the sect holds an awards ceremony to recognize the top rookie disciples. This is a tradition."

"At the same time, if someone makes outstanding contributions to the sect, they will also be awarded on stage. This year, your name happens to be among those who suffer from the Soul Erosion Disease. The sect has already made a record of it."

"The first and second place winners in the rookie assessment are just participating in the assessment and getting a ranking. You, on the other hand, have genuinely solved a huge problem for the sect."

"The Spirit Plant Hall reported your name, and I heard that Hall Master Su personally gave his approval."

Lu Qingchen remained silent.

He received five hundred spirit stones, a Qi-cultivating pill, and a mutated seed from the Spirit Plant Hall, thinking that was his reward.

Unexpectedly, there was also a public commendation ceremony—now it's probably impossible for him not to become famous.

In the future, when he moves around the sect, there will be no shortage of people who will recognize him.

"A disciple with five spiritual roots can receive repeated commendations from the sect."

Zhao Demao looked at him and shook his head: "Manager Lu, I, Zhao Demao, can only envy your luck."

"With these rewards, your status in the sect will be quite extraordinary in the future."

"Although my spiritual root is somewhat inferior, as long as I have the support of the sect's resources, I may still be able to break through that bottleneck."

Lu Qingchen smiled and didn't say much, only asking about the time and place of the commendation ceremony.

Zhao Demao told him that the sect's commendation ceremony was scheduled for one month later, and the Spirit Plant Hall would send someone in advance to inform him of the specific arrangements.

Lu Qingchen nodded in agreement and returned to the end of the manor.

The following month passed by in a regular and uneventful manner.

In the ordinary spirit fields, after the previous season's Jade Spirit Rice was harvested, eleven acres of paddy fields entered a fallow period.

Lu Qingchen planted a crop of fertilizer grass in the fallow field. This plant's root system can fix nitrogen and nourish the soil, and when turned into the soil, it becomes natural green manure.

He continues his daily inspections, checking the growth of the fertile grass to ensure the soil fertility steadily recovers.

The seven acres of Qingyuanling grassland consume less nutrients than rice paddies, have a shorter fallow period, and the second crop was planted in no time.

This season, without any earth vein spirit embryos secretly absorbing spiritual energy underground, and with the daily watering by the Dew Condensation Technique, the seedlings are growing much better than in the same period last season.

This season, Lu Qingchen did not waste his Dao Stele cultivation to infuse the Azure Origin Spirit Grass.

The last season's spirit initiation was a last resort—the spiritual field had its spiritual essence drained by the earth's veins and the spiritual embryo, and it simply wouldn't grow properly without spirit initiation.

Now that the earth's energy has recovered, we can meet the sect's standards with just the Dew Condensation Technique and basic fertilizers, so there's no need to go to any extra trouble.

Every strand of cultivation on the Dao Stele is precious and should be used wisely; those in the Spirit Protection Field are the truly valuable ones.

Everything was as usual in the protective field.

The earth vein spirit embryo quietly breathes in and out within the cave, its emerald light stable and warm, its roots slowly extending within the cave's boundaries, not yet crossing them.

Lu Qingchen checks the area every three days and trims the burrs near the edge of the stone slab in a timely manner.

The new season of premium rice has sprouted in the rice paddies, and its growth is much more vigorous than that of ordinary rice outside.

Each plant has undergone deep purification treatment, resulting in dark green leaves and thick stems.

The premium spirit rice harvested last season is enough to last for a while, and once this batch is harvested, there will be a continuous supply of food.

The effects of consuming premium spiritual rice three times a day are gradually becoming apparent. The accumulation of spiritual energy in the dantian is slightly faster than normal cultivation, and it is gentle and long-lasting with no side effects.

Lu Qingchen was very satisfied with this kind of gradual and silent accumulation; it wasn't fast, but it was steady.

All three seeds of the Zhu Guo have sprouted, and the seedlings have grown to half a foot tall. The leaves are reddish-brown with a ring of light gold stripes around the edges, and they shimmer faintly in the sunlight.

The chrysanthemum mushroom has grown to the size of a palm, its entire body is milky white and slightly transparent, and when you get close, you can smell a very faint medicinal fragrance.

The golden orchid is growing the fastest, already a foot tall, and the golden halo around the edges of its leaves is becoming increasingly prominent. Soon, the first batch of leaves will be harvested.

These three types are all mutated seeds distributed within the Spirit Plant Palace. Any one of them would make ordinary spirit plant growers envious. Now, they are growing peacefully in his protective spirit field, unseen by anyone.

Lu Qingchen didn't miss a single day of his cultivation practice.

With the dual assistance of the Earth Vein Spirit Embryo and the Azure Jade Marrow, his daily cultivation efficiency was 10-20% faster than before, and the pure Qi in his dantian steadily increased from 216 strands to more than 240 strands after more than a month.

It's still a bit short of the 324 strands required for the fourth level of Qi Refining. At this rate, it should be able to reach the peak of the third level of Qi Refining in another month or two.