Cultivation begins with harvest.

Chapter 251 The Crimson Heart Mantra

In the end, Chen Guang managed to buy three Vermilion Fruit seeds, guaranteeing they would be viable. They would be delivered in a few days, as the seeds were still at the Cang family's old home.

It's harder to buy Vermilion Fruit from other places. The stewards of the Earth Hall have the task of planting Vermilion Fruit. Chen Guang lives in Tianyuan and no longer needs to fulfill his obligations, so he no longer has the opportunity to plant Vermilion Fruit. Vermilion Fruit has been quite expensive so far. The fact that it appears in the Wanwu Side Hall is already a favor.

However, independent cultivator families will definitely have such spiritual plant seeds that can enhance cultivation. In the late stage of Qi Refining, they will start to use the [Zhu Xiu Dan] made from Zhu Guo to enhance their magic power. Otherwise, the doubled magic power required for each level of cultivation would consume most of the cultivator's time.

This trip has almost used up all the Suiyuan. Let's go to the Scripture Hall. After that, we'll stay in Tianheng Plain and cultivate spiritual plants for a year.

Chen Guang toyed with a somewhat dark-colored lamp. The patterns on the glazed lamp body would occasionally twist restlessly, showing that this magical artifact was extraordinary.

In addition, I also need to buy the following spiritual plants: *Huangteng*, *Ziqi Huagai Guo*, *Ningshen Hua*, *Sanyan Mi*, *Lingmi Dao*, and *Zuteng*.

Seeds or materials of common spiritual plants needed for cultivation, such as Black Horn Grass, Moonlit Robe, and Blood-Headed Ophiopogon japonicus; and seeds of other plants such as the Mist-Swept Butterfly and the Crimson-Headed True Smoke Turtle.

They also bought a lot of the Three Wonders Fruit and some basic spiritual items needed by Xuanxiang, truly emptying Chen Guang's surplus spiritual item accumulation. Suiyuan was also completely depleted and urgently needed to replenish its resources through Chanzhi.

Navigating the Azure Cloud Boat and traversing Xingfeng Market, Chen Guang arrived at the entrance of the Scripture Hall for the first time, following the guidance recorded in the jade slip. It resembled a small town, with a huge stone gate at the entrance and a simple square, reflecting the overall style of the town.

"Which senior brother is it?"

As night fell, a faint, albeit not very strong, light emanated from the edge of the plaza, enough to make out Chen Guang. Two cultivators, exuding an air of scholarly refinement, then approached.

"I'm here to choose a cultivation method," Chen Guang said, taking out his identity token to state his purpose.

The two were surprised by Chen Guang's cultivation level, because cultivators who could produce such a token were usually at the late stage of Qi Refining, and the mid-stage of Qi Refining was extremely rare, let alone the fifth level of Qi Refining.

They themselves clearly revealed their cultivation level as the seventh level of Qi Refining.

"Come with us." The two cultivators walked ahead, their attitudes more serious, but still not much better. Chen Guang didn't mind, and instead took the initiative to strike up a conversation and ask some questions. Sure enough, the two disciples of the Scripture Hall perked up and began to explain to Chen Guang why these questions existed, rather than giving him the answers.

"It's definitely different. If it were a Taoist priest, he would just tell you how to do it directly. But the Scripture Hall seems more concerned with the root causes of why this problem has become a problem in the first place."

Asking just a few simple questions made Chen Guang feel he had gained a lot. They didn't give him the answers, but Chen Guang knew how to find the answers and even had several more ideas.

It's no wonder that the Taoist priest of the Sutra Repository highly regards the disciples and healers of the Sutra Hall. To put it bluntly, when it comes to the theory of cultivation, even Taoist priests can't compare to the disciples here. Many of the Qingheng Sect's classic texts have been selected and revised layer by layer by these disciples.

For example, the formula for Qi Nourishing Pills changes roughly every thousand years. Qi Nourishing Pills are a highly sought-after item that cultivators cannot avoid, and all related materials are pushed to a position of moderate price and extremely high consumption. However, there are always periods when supply cannot meet demand or when the pursuit of greater medicinal effects causes prices to rise, at which point the formula will change. Whether for sale or personal use, the formula always follows the increase in medicinal efficacy or the decrease in price, eventually becoming unrecognizable. After that, the main ingredients are replaced, and a new stable period begins. This process may take tens of thousands of years, or at least two or three thousand years.

Jingwentang would collect all the processes and results of these formula changes. By organizing these processes, they would naturally become familiar with the theories. Some alchemists did not understand why certain materials should be added to a particular formula, which materials were more suitable to be substituted, and which materials were irreplaceable.

The same applies to cultivation techniques. Can techniques from tens of thousands of years ago be directly applied to the present? Perhaps the advantages of that time will become huge flaws that everyone knows now. They know the most about which ones can be changed and how to change them.

Indeed, they are very experienced.

"Alright, you can go in now. Senior Brother Qin is inside. You can go in by yourself." The two disciples from the Scripture Hall escorted Chen Guang to the front of the stone building and were about to leave.

"Gentlemen, I have learned a great deal from our conversation. I wonder if I can come to you again if I encounter any problems in the future?" Chen Guang asked sincerely.

The two disciples exchanged a glance and frowned. "We only have time to chat with you today because we're on duty. We're usually very busy reviewing and proofreading documents—"

"Gentlemen, I'm planning to refine some Zhu Xiu Dan, but I'm still a bit hesitant, so I thought I'd come and ask for your advice in a few days. If it can help me, I'm afraid I won't be able to use up all the Zhu Xiu Dan by myself in the future." Chen Guang spoke very frankly, and the two disciples of the Scripture Hall indeed changed their expressions.

"If that's the case, then it's feasible."

"We do need Zhu Xiu Dan. This pill is in high demand outside, unlike the Qi Nourishing Pill. The Qi Nourishing Pills bestowed by the sect are not enough. With Zhu Xiu Dan, we can get more work done every day."

"Let's leave a trace. If you're planning to come, just let us know in advance so we can ask for leave."

Then the taller man took out a jade plate, which was much smaller than Chen Guang's, but it still surprised Chen Guang.

"This is a [message disc] that requires Zhu Xiao's cooperation to craft. It uses the tail mountain to transmit messages without going through the mortal world. Yours is a bit special; it's also connected to the underworld. You can exchange short messages by leaving a trace. If it's too long, you'll have to bear the cost of your own magic power, so keep it as simple as possible." The tall man explained, then remembered, "My name is Gao Wen, and this is Zhang Shengyuan."

Chen Guang also took out his candle-shaped letter plate and branded the other party's letter mark: "I am Chen Guang, residing in Tianheng Plain. If there are any spiritual plants that need to be planted, I can also help."

The two were somewhat tempted, but nodded and left anyway.

He put away the letter tray and looked back at the stone building. The stone building was old and covered with moss and vines, and its dampness made people frown. A lazy voice sounded: "Just tap your identity token on the stone door to come in. If you see a cultivation technique you like, just make a copy yourself. You only need one. The blank jade slip is on the right side of the door. If you want to leave, just go."

Chen Guang did as instructed. The stone door opened, and there were many jade slips piled up on the right. He picked one up at random, examined it, put it in his pocket, and walked into the stone building. The scene in front of him was much more elegant. There were blue walls on both sides, and the antique shelves next to the walls were made of some kind of unknown wood that emitted a fragrance. Jade slips were displayed on them.

He immediately realized that this was something he could look at at will, so he picked up the jade slip on the far right and began to read it.

The "Red Heart Technique" requires maintaining a pure, enthusiastic, and benevolent state of mind during its cultivation. The most distinctive feature of this technique is that in the later stages of Qi cultivation, it will form a companion spell called "Red Heart Mind Realm." There is no distinction between high and low mental states, but it has extremely strong additional auxiliary abilities.

For example, Bing Xin's mental state can help people maintain sufficient calmness and not be disturbed by external things.

The Pure Heart Realm makes it easy to enter a state of complete concentration, making it difficult to become lazy or have distracting thoughts. At the same time, those who enter this realm are more likely to comprehend the Great Dao.

This technique is quite interesting. While the mental state doesn't usually offer direct assistance to cultivation, its auxiliary capabilities are excellent. Cultivators who achieve something in their mental state are often more likely to escape danger and are less likely to get lost in various desires or be swayed by emotions. Apart from a few extreme mental states, most mental states are stable and offer significant benefits.

The drawback of the "Red Heart Mantra" is also obvious: it requires the person to maintain a high degree of compatibility with their will at all times. Otherwise, once there is a conflict, the magic power will go out of control and even backfire on the mind. It can no longer be described as a double-edged sword. Chen Guang is confident that he can achieve purity of mind, enthusiasm or truth and goodness at a certain time, but it is too difficult to combine the three.

"Nine volumes?!"

When Chen Guang saw the total number of volumes in the "Red Heart Manual", he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The Qingheng Sect's division of volumes follows a pattern: odd-numbered volumes are cultivation volumes within a realm, and even-numbered volumes are advancement volumes for breaking through to the next realm. Doesn't nine volumes mean that one can cultivate to a level higher than the Nascent Soul realm?

However, upon seeing the requirements of the "Red Heart Manual," he felt relieved. Such a person cultivates purely and wholeheartedly. Once successful, he will naturally roam freely in the heavens. However, the fact that this technique was placed at the very entrance stirred up waves in Chen Guang's heart, making him unable to calm down. He put back the ancient "Red Heart Scroll" and reached for the next jade slip.

"Qingyuan Youming Yixu Sword Manual".