Hermit in the Mountains

In three days, five thousand plum blossom saplings were planted. Gu Changsheng told the villagers to rest for a day before continuing to go up the mountain to help plant more trees.

A week later, six thousand plum blossom saplings had filled the land behind the mountain. Gu Changsheng also planted one thousand sweet bamboo, golden thunder bamboo, golden jade bamboo, and agarwood trees on the mountainside.

During this period, Gu Changsheng received several phone calls from Li Anlan, who invited him to the Jingxinyuan at the foot of the mountain to discuss the planting of Chinese medicinal herbs and cooperation matters, but he declined each time, saying he didn't have time.

On the day the villagers left after planting 10,000 saplings, Yang Qingshan introduced his Qingshan Homestay to Gu Changsheng, as well as his idea of ​​acting as an agent for the sale of handicrafts and bonsai.

Gu Changsheng did not give Yang Qingshan a clear answer, saying that they would discuss cooperation when there was a finished product.

The night after the 10,000 saplings were planted, dark clouds obscured the moonlight over the wooden house. Gu Changsheng walked alone toward the back mountain.

He sat cross-legged on a large, protruding rock at the top of the back mountain, his hands outstretched and crossed. The moment his hands moved from side to side, a voice rang out in the pitch-black night.

"Gathering rain... Imprint..."

As the voice rang out, a magic seal appeared in the void in front of Gu Changsheng and slowly unfolded, its diameter increasing to fourteen meters before stopping.

"Rain is coming—"

As the two words were spoken, the enormous magic seal and spiritual patterns began to rotate, and an invisible vortex began to pull at the water molecules in the surrounding air.

Before long, a miniature cloud with a diameter of fourteen meters gathered three meters above the plum blossom sapling.

Water molecules become so concentrated that they turn into mist and clouds, and under the guidance of the Dharma seal, they collide and merge together.

When the mass of water molecules increases and exceeds a certain critical value, they are affected by gravity, and raindrops begin to fall freely, resulting in localized rainfall.

Sparse raindrops pattered and scattered across the ground, splashing water droplets that carried soil and quickly fell onto the surrounding soil, wetting it.

The rain gradually intensified, pattering heavily against the ground. Dust was swept up by the air currents generated when the raindrops hit the ground and then fell back down.

After watering for two minutes, Gu Changsheng dispelled the 'Rain Gathering Spell' and scanned the area in front of him. With the help of the dappled moonlight, he could vaguely see the damp soil and the raindrops hanging on the saplings.

He didn't water them too much, just enough to ensure the saplings wouldn't dry out. The next day, he would use magic to bring rain, and the traces of the rain would disappear, allowing the soil surface to dry out and reducing the risk of exposure.

Gu Changsheng usually chose to use the "Rain Gathering Technique" on cloudy nights in order to reduce the exposure of abnormal phenomena on the mountain.

He looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly penetrating through the clouds and atmosphere to reach outer space.

Although the "rain-gathering technique" he used only covered an area of ​​seven meters in radius, current satellite camera technology can capture the ground conditions and even your face. Are you scared yet?

We must not only consider whether anyone on the ground has gone up the mountain and discovered anything unusual, but also be wary of satellites in outer space.

The day his location was photographed by satellite and an anomaly was detected, it attracted the attention of relevant departments, and sending people to conduct an on-site investigation would cause trouble.

Gu Changsheng was prepared to be discovered. What he needed to do was delay the discovery and make himself stronger so that he would have more say in the future.

If he didn't want to be discovered, he could only hide in the deep mountains and forests and live in seclusion. He was just a cultivator, not an immortal. How long could a person stay in seclusion in the mountains for a year or ten years?

He currently has a lifespan of 30 years, a full 180 years. Subtracting the previous 30 years, he still has 150 years left to live.

With his current lifespan exceeding that of some ancient dynasties, he could witness the rise and fall of a dynasty and several generations.

Whether his mind will become twisted, whether he will develop inner demons, whether he will have evil thoughts during this period... all of this is unknown.

A semi-secluded state is a safer choice; half worldly and half carefree, one can observe the changes in the world and comprehend the laws of heaven and earth.

Clearing his mind of distractions, Gu Changsheng walked and stopped, using the "Rain Gathering Technique" to water all ten thousand saplings he had planted.

Back in the cabin, I sat cross-legged on the wooden bed in the bedroom, held my breath, and emptied my mind to enter a meditative state.

A tiny current of energy appeared above Gu Changsheng's head, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the power of the moonlight. Strands of spiritual energy flowed into his sea of ​​consciousness and into the nine-inch-sized 'Withered and Flourishing Dao Tree'.

As spiritual energy entered, the Dao Tree stretched its branches and leaves, and strands of life and death energy flowed towards the canopy, strengthening the Dao Fruit.

Nine days have passed since the last "seed transformation," and the seventh seed transformation is about to begin. The "Dao Fruit" is accumulating energy in preparation for the "seed transformation."

At midnight, after refining six strands of "Emperor's Essence" and ordinary moonlight power;

At dawn, when the yin and yang of heaven and earth converge, one gathers and refines the primordial yang 'purple qi,' sits in meditation to consolidate one's realm, and calms one's thoughts.

As he exited his meditative state, Gu Changsheng checked the 'Power of Withering and Flourishing' in his sea of ​​consciousness, which had reached thirty-five strands, not far from its storage limit.

When the storage of "Power of Withering and Flourishing" in his sea of ​​consciousness reaches its limit, it means that his cultivation has entered the final sprint stage of "Seed Transformation". This day is not far away.

After finishing his morning exercises, Gu Changsheng insisted on feeding his three pets spiritual liquid to observe whether there were any changes in their bodies. However, as usual, there were no changes, so he sighed.

"Take your time, there's no rush!"

He patted the big yellow dog's head, waved, and gestured to the three pets, "Go play by yourselves!"

"Woof woof woof..."

"Coo coo coo..."

"Moo—"

The three pets could only sense their owner's sadness, but couldn't understand why. After responding, they turned and left.

Gu Changsheng glanced at the medicinal herb field and saw that the herbs were growing well. He then turned back to the wooden house and devoted himself to studying the method of alchemy.

While Yang Dashan and others were planting saplings, Gu Changsheng occasionally went into the mountains to find materials for refining Peiyuan Pills. He also hand-rubbed the pills twice, and sealed the 108 Peiyuan Pills for three to six days.

It wasn't that he only managed to make 108 Qi-Nourishing Pills, but rather that the raw materials he collected could only produce that many pills. The herbs in the medicinal field weren't old enough, so the pills made from them were less effective and couldn't meet his experimental needs.

In front of the fireplace in the living room, Gu Changsheng sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, his hands folded over each other and placed on his lower dantian, his palms holding a wooden box containing a pill.

He cleared his mind of distractions, making his mind clear and free from sorrow or joy.

A wisp of "withered power" flowed down his arm and into the pill in his palm.

He didn't deliberately use his divine sense to observe or judge when to inject the "Power of Glory," relying entirely on his intuition.

The "Power of Withering" was extinguishing the medicinal properties of the pill. At some point, while Gu Changsheng was unconscious, he had an epiphany. With a thought, he naturally sent a wisp of "Power of Glory" into the pill in his palm.

Just as the last trace of medicinal power in the shriveled pill was about to lose its last breath, the "Power of Glory," containing the vitality of life, burst forth like rainwater irrigating parched land, unleashing a powerful surge of life from the last trace of medicinal power.

The shriveled pill regained its moisture and plumpness in the middle.

Gu Changsheng snapped out of his unconscious state and scanned the pill in his palm with his divine sense, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.