Immortality Cultivation: Fellow Daoists, please live for two more episodes!

Next, Shen Ye planted all the Spirit-Guiding Grass seeds he could collect in the hollow behind the mountain.

There are three sources of seeds: the remaining stock from Liu Yinyin's place, a few seeds picked up casually in the ruins of the secret realm, and loose seeds obtained from the old fox.

The bits and pieces, pieced together, were barely enough to cover that small patch of mud.

During the day, he cultivated with Liu Yinyin, and at night he went to the back mountain alone to manage things.

It would have been better if he hadn't planted them at all; once he did, Shen Ye discovered a strange thing.

While tending to the spiritual plants in the valley, he casually circulated his spiritual energy twice. As a result, the spiritual energy in his dantian increased by 20-30% more than it had in the cave.

The efficiency was so high that even Shen Ye himself was taken aback.

Using the same time and the same techniques, the spiritual energy that takes a whole day to cultivate in a cave can be obtained in half a day on this broken land.

That's strange.

He had personally explored the valley before coming here; the spiritual energy was so thin that even spirit insects wouldn't stay there. The shielding array was also the most basic type, and it couldn't possibly have the effect of gathering spiritual energy.

Where did the extra spiritual power come from?

Shen Ye didn't delve into it further, but he kept it in mind.

Over the next few days, he would first check the concentration of spiritual energy in the valley before going to the back mountain each time.

Three days later, he confirmed that the spiritual energy was increasing.

It's rising very slowly, but it is definitely rising.

In the small patch of muddy ground that had been soaked in the spiritual liquid, a thin, almost invisible layer of spiritual mist had already emerged.

The Spirit-Attracting Grass is what attracts spirits.

This thing has the effect of gathering spiritual energy. You can hardly feel it when it's a single tree, but when dozens of them are crowded together on a patch of mud, it's a different story.

Moreover, they were all cultivated using the Life-Generating Bottle, making them 20-30% higher in quality than those circulating outside. Dozens of them gathered together are equivalent to forcibly creating a miniature spiritual field on barren land.

The more he plants, the denser the spiritual energy becomes, and the faster he can cultivate here. The faster he cultivates, the more energy he has left, and the more he can plant.

This is a positive cycle.

Moreover, it's a positive cycle that only he can initiate; without the life-giving bottle, no one else can even take the first step.

Thinking of this, Shen Ye looked at the gray, muddy ground beneath his feet with a different gaze.

After returning home that night, he took out all the remaining seeds and doubled the planting area the next morning.

…………

The life-giving bottle condenses about one drop of spiritual liquid every three days.

Shen Ye used the drops carefully, half a drop was enough to activate each plant, and the other half was saved for the next batch.

Half a month later, the first batch of spirit-guiding herbs grew.

He selected the best-looking plants and compared them with the same variety he had previously exchanged with the old fox.

The spiritual grass cultivated by the Life-Generating Bottle has a spiritual energy content that is 20% to 30% higher.

After pondering for a while, I attributed the cause to the quality of the spiritual liquid. I decided not to delve too deeply into things I couldn't understand and to focus on what I could do first.

Most of them were left for Liu Yinyin to use in dual cultivation. A few of the best-quality plants were taken to the trading area to test the waters.

Instead of offering a price directly, they still opted for bartering, and they still sought out seasoned veterans.

The other person took the Spirit-Guiding Grass, flipped it a couple of times, raised an eyebrow, and immediately plucked a leaf, placing it on the tip of their tongue to test it.

After trying it, the way she looked at Shen Ye changed.

It was no longer the casual warmth of last time. Instead, it was a gaze Shen Ye was very familiar with—the look in the eyes of someone accustomed to buying and selling, upon seeing a stable supply of goods.

"Brother, this quality is worth at least twenty points a plant outside. You're trading it for my two broken bottles?"

Shen Ye remained expressionless: "Then give me a few more packets of seeds."

The seasoned veteran readily agreed. Much more readily than last time. The amount of seeds he received in return doubled, plus a few everyday items.

As he was leaving, the old fox called him back.

"brother."

"Your item is good, but in the outer sect, having too many good items isn't necessarily a good thing, you know what I mean?"

Shen Ye turned around and glanced at him.

The seasoned veteran chuckled, saying nothing more, but tapped the counter twice with his finger: "It doesn't matter if the quality is a little off. A little off will sell faster, and it won't stand out."

Shen Ye didn't answer and turned to leave.

What he remembered was not the sentence itself, but what it revealed: goods of too high quality would attract unwanted attention outside the market.

From now on, we can't ship to the high-end market anymore, at least not openly.

…………

The news spread fastest among the lower-ranking disciples.

A few days later, someone came to inquire: "Is the Spirit-Attracting Herb sold in the trading area of ​​better quality than the ones allocated to inner disciples?"

Shen Ye heard this and adjusted his actions accordingly.

The quality of the spirit-guiding herbs delivered to the old hand was reduced from "two or three out of ten good" to "just a little bit better," just enough to make people feel it was worth the price, but not so good that it would tempt them.

This path is meant to be taken slowly and steadily; it cannot be rushed.

At the same time, he planted three new seeds: Healing Grass, Qi Gathering Flower, and Spirit Valley Root, running three lines simultaneously.

Adjust the distribution of the elixir according to the records in the "Illustrated Records".

Healing Grass requires the least amount of spiritual elixir and has the shortest growth cycle; Spirit Valley Root requires the most, but has the largest market; Gathering Qi Flower is in the middle.

The three kinds of medicinal herbs grew one after another.

The quality of this healing herb is particularly good. Its hemostatic and tissue-regenerating effects are almost twice as fast as those available on the market.

Shen Ye recalled the price he had seen in the trading area before: thirty spirit stones for a bottle of the most ordinary healing pill.

The bundle of herbs in his hand, if sold directly as herbs, wouldn't even be worth five spirit stones. But if a pill refiner could turn it into a medicinal pill...

There are no alchemists in the outer sect of Shuiyue.

Not now.

He suppressed the thought and focused on the task at hand.

This time it's not a barter system; it's a formal sale.

The price is 20% cheaper than existing products, and the quality is 20% better.

The first few buyers were all lower-level disciples. They bought the products, tried them, and then spread the word.

A senior disciple at the fifth level of Qi Refining named Zhao Hu had a fractured arm. After using Shen Ye's healing herbs, his recovery speed was nearly twice as fast as before. In front of several people, he said:

"This grass is even better than the grass that the inner disciples plucked."

After he said that, many more people came to Shen Ye to buy herbs.

Shen Ye did not rush to increase the quantity.

Only a fixed quantity is taken out each time, and once it's sold out, the stall is closed, and any extras are stored.

It's not that we're reluctant to sell, it's that selling too quickly would expose our production capacity.

Once the production figures are revealed, he will no longer have control over what happens next.

…………

In addition to the monthly offerings, outer disciples also have a mandatory annual task.

In the early stages of gas refining, the most arduous tasks are usually assigned, such as moving ore.

The mine tunnels were narrow and poorly ventilated, and the ore contained a faint stale gas. After carrying too much, one's whole body ached and one could not sleep well.

In the early stages of Qi cultivation, one's constitution is weak and cannot withstand such exertion; each time one returns covered in dust and dirt.

But no one can refuse.

Failure to meet annual targets will result in deductions from monthly payments; failure to meet targets for two consecutive years will lead to immediate removal from the program.

Shen Ye is now at the third level of Qi Refining.

After several months of dual cultivation, my cultivation level has increased by another level. According to the rules, it's time to move.

However, this time someone spoke up for him.

Zhao Hu went to the mission hall to say hello and changed Shen Ye's mission from moving ore to organizing the medicine warehouse.

Shen Ye neither declined nor made a special trip to express his gratitude.

An old disciple at the fifth level of Qi Refining wanted to help a disciple at the third level of Qi Refining find an easier job, which wasn't a big deal in the outer sect.

But the fact that Zhao Hu was willing to do this favor shows that those few healing herbs had already helped Shen Ye accumulate a small amount of goodwill among the lower-level disciples.

Murder and plunder make people fear you; farming and selling medicine make people need you.

Those who fear you will watch for your weaknesses, while those who need you will shield you from trouble.

Which one is more cost-effective? No need to overthink it.