Starting as a spiritual plant master, may I eventually become the master of all lands.

Song Chuan could spend the night outside the city, but that would offend these three people.

These disciples from powerful sects may seem friendly to you on the surface, but who knows what they might do if you refuse their requests?

"Quack," Zhuang Xiuya patted her neck and said:

"Fellow Daoist Meng, it's not safe for you to go outside the city alone. Recently, a group of rogue cultivators have been roaming around Daicheng, specializing in murder and robbery. You may have already been targeted since you entered the city."

After saying that, Zhuang Xiuya took out a token and waved it around. The front of the token had a long-handled spoon drawn on it, and the back had the words "long spoon" written on it.

It was the identity token of the Changshao faction.

This was to tell Song Chuan that their identities were genuine and that it was safe to stay with these disciples from major sects.

Song Chuan thought for a moment and nodded.

These three people are using both soft and hard tactics; if I don't agree, it wouldn't be a wise move.

Zhuang Xiuya smiled with satisfaction: "Then it's settled. I'll have Junior Brother Yu send you a few of my Senior Brother's specialty spiritual dishes later, so you can try them for free."

Then, she led the two of them out of the room.

Song Chuan sat cross-legged on the bed again, secretly thinking that he was glad he had already finished refining the Black Horn Hammer and the Flowing Light Ring on the way, and had also become familiar with the three talismans. This gave him some confidence.

Half an incense stick later, Yu Banji indeed brought over several spiritual dishes.

At a glance, Song Chuan saw half a braised goose, a steamed fish the size of a palm, a vegetarian dish, and a pot of tea.

Yu Banji said with a grin:

"This is our restaurant's signature dish, 'Old Zhang's Goose.' Whether the ordinary people of Daicheng can get a taste depends on Chef Zhang's mood."

The fish is a specialty of Daicheng called "Chilin Fish," which was the emperor's favorite. But even the emperor couldn't eat this fish; it was a sacred fish with the appearance of a dragon.

As for this pot of tea, it's a specialty of Daicheng called "Daughter Tea," which still retains the fragrance of young girls.

Yu Banji was talking animatedly to the incense burner, without looking at Song Chuan or the food.

This eye disease is quite serious! Song Chuan found it somewhat amusing.

"Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist," Song Chuan said, bowing.

"Please enjoy your meal, fellow Daoist. This table of spiritual dishes is worth five spirit stones. I'll come and call you again when we set off later."

After Yu Banji finished speaking, he walked out of the room.

As Song Chuan looked at the half-braised goose, a rich aroma of meat wafted over him.

The aroma of meat carried a faint trace of spiritual energy. And the "Chilin Fish" also seemed to possess a subtle spiritual aura.

This kind of spiritual vegetable was never seen in the family. Song Chuan swallowed hard and began to eat it in large bites.

I must say, the culinary skills of this long spoon pie are truly exceptional. The ingredients were definitely not frozen with magic; they were incredibly fresh.

He tasted the "daughter's tea" with its "young girl's fragrance" again, and it was indeed unforgettable.

After a satisfying meal, the fatigue of the past few days vanished.

He touched the beads and began to meditate.

……

The third quarter of the hour of Zi (11:45 PM).

Song Chuan, Zhuang Xiuya, and the other two appeared in a clearing in the woods southeast of Daicheng.

The moonlight was faint, and all was silent.

The four of them squatted on a tree, gazing intently at the clearing where some vines resembling wild grapes were growing.

On the way here, the three of them had already explained to Song Chuan that they were here to pick a spiritual plant called "King Corpse Flower".

This flower has no stem or leaves; it is a parasitic plant that is extremely difficult to cultivate artificially. Normally, you can't even tell where its roots are. I really don't know how these three people found it.

The Corpse Flower blooms only once every ten years or so, and each time it blooms, it adds one more petal. Each petal is seven or eight feet long, larger than a normal person's body.

Moreover, from the moment this flower blooms, it emits an extremely foul odor that attracts carrion-eating insects and beasts from within a radius of several miles to gnaw on it and pollinate it.

This flower has a great effect on awakening the intelligence of these insects and beasts and giving rise to demonic energy.

What's even stranger is that although this flower blooms only once every ten years or so, it withers in less than half an hour.

Originally, Zhuang Xiuya and the others planned to use a talisman to cut off the stench when the flower bloomed, so as to prevent insects and beasts from becoming agitated and attracting others.

Another person was responsible for guarding the area; if the talisman failed to completely block the smell, this person would drive away the insects and beasts. The remaining person focused on harvesting the fruit.

With Song Chuan around, two people can harvest the fruit, making it even faster.

Zhuang Xiuya also said that, according to their observation, this giant corpse flower should be about to bloom its fifth petal.

Each petal of the King Corpse Flower can be used as the main ingredient in a medicinal pill called "Corrupted Heart Pill," which is quite expensive.

What the three of them didn't know was that Song Chuan was a first-tier spirit plant master.

Although I have never seen the King Corpse Flower, I am very familiar with its habits.

This flower only begins to bloom after it has grown for two hundred years!

Two hundred years is the dividing line between first-tier and second-tier spiritual plants.

First-tier spiritual plants are typically one to two hundred years old and are primarily used as ingredients for pills by Qi Refining cultivators.

Between two hundred and five hundred years, they are second-tier spiritual plants, which are materials for Foundation Establishment cultivators' elixirs.

As for third-tier spiritual plants, they are five to eight hundred years old and are used as elixirs for Core Formation cultivators.

Fourth-tier spiritual plants are all thousands of years old and are used as ingredients for Nascent Soul cultivators' elixirs.

Although the Corpse Flower is a rare, putrid spiritual plant, it is still a solid second-tier plant. Song Chuan had only ever seen three second-tier spiritual plants in his great-aunt's herb garden.

No wonder these people valued this flower so much and gave it to them as a reward of thirty spirit stones.

Each petal of this Great Corpse Flower can sell for one hundred spirit stones, or even more.

Song Chuan was speechless. Zhuang Xiuya seemed generous, but in reality, she had still subtly schemed against him.

However, he wasn't there specifically to do missions with others. As long as he didn't cause any unexpected problems, getting thirty spirit stones for free would be a big profit for him.

About fifteen minutes later, the vines under the tree suddenly trembled, followed by a faint, putrid stench, like the smell of a corpse, which was nauseating.

The roots of this giant corpse flower actually grow parasitically on these vines on the ground.

"Junior Sister Zhuang, hurry!" Old Goose Zhang immediately shouted.

Before Zhuang Xiuya could answer, she simply clapped her hands and slapped the four talismans she had prepared into four different directions in mid-air.

The talisman vibrated slightly, then released four white light shields that formed an airtight circular space around the area.

"A breath-locking talisman!"

Song Chuan stared at the four talismans, secretly astonished. These were mid-grade first-tier talismans, and this woman had given him four at once. Truly worthy of being a disciple of a major sect!

Soon, he smelled an even stronger stench of decaying corpses. All four of them held their breath.

But then a tremor ran beneath the vines, and six blood-red petals stretched out at lightning speed.

The petals grew in the wind, and in a few breaths, each petal became the size of a normal person.

In the center of the six petals is a huge, sunken hole filled with countless bright red protrusions, which looks quite eerie.

The inner walls of these protrusions and holes are covered with sticky pollen, and the putrid smell emanating from here is even stronger.

Once scavenging insects enter the hole, their bodies become covered in pollen, thus becoming the means for the King Corpse Flower to propagate. It's incredibly strange.

Six-petaled corpse flower!

Zhuang Xiuya and her two companions were overjoyed. They thought that five petals was already quite good, but six petals would be a huge harvest.

Song Chuan was also shocked; this was the first time he had ever witnessed the blooming process of a second-tier spiritual plant.

As for how many petals this Great Corpse Flower will grow to, no one in the cultivation world can say for sure.