The Path to Immortality: Starting with the Growth of Bubble Fruits from the Ground

The flying boat landed at the foot of the mountain.

After Steward Liu took out a jade talisman, the clouds surged to both sides like ocean waves, and a road about ten feet wide appeared in front of the two of them.

"Let's go."

Zhou Mu followed behind Steward Liu, climbing the steps.

"The spiritual energy here is so gentle! Could it be the effect of the formation...?"

When Zhou Mu stepped onto the steps, he didn't feel the same way he did when he first entered Willow Bamboo Peak. The spiritual energy of Wanhua Mountain was like a summer evening breeze, making Zhou Mu feel exceptionally comfortable.

Zhou Mu looked around, but all he could see was a vast expanse of white, and he couldn't make out anything.

Before long, a pavilion appeared before them, and a man in black sat inside, standing out conspicuously in the thick white fog.

The man looked to be no more than forty years old. He was wearing a dark Taoist robe, with a wooden hairpin inserted horizontally on his head. A few strands of hair hung down in front of his forehead. His face was stern, and his eyes were extremely bright.

When Zhou Mu looked over, he saw the man looking down at a booklet, his fingers long and slender with distinct knuckles.

"Senior Brother Zhao, I didn't expect to see you here."

Manager Liu seemed to know the man in black quite well. After exchanging greetings, he handed over the jade talisman.

"Haha... Of course I knew you were coming, that's why I'm waiting here."

Although Senior Brother Zhao looks rigid and serious, he is not like that at all when he opens his mouth.

"Greetings, Uncle Zhao." At Steward Liu's prompting, Zhou Mu stepped forward and bowed.

Senior Brother Zhao waved his hand, looked him up and down, and said with a hint of teasing, "Besides, it's been so many years since Uncle Qin recommended a spirit plant master. Of course I have to come and see who it is that made him personally speak up for me."

"Uncle-Master Qin?"

Zhou Mu was shocked. This Senior Brother Zhao was actually the Mountain Lord's disciple. Such a person would actually be waiting here just to wait for him and Steward Liu.

However, his next sentence completely broke Zhou Mu's defenses, and he realized just how unreliable this person was.

After looking Zhou Mu up and down, Senior Brother Zhao raised an eyebrow and said, "This kid's aptitude isn't that great, but he's quite good-looking, with delicate features. Could he be my Uncle's illegitimate son?"

Zhou Mu was stunned for a moment, unsure whether to nod or shake his head. Manager Liu coughed beside him.

Senior Brother Zhao laughed heartily and patted Zhou Mu on the shoulder: "Just kidding!"

After saying that, Senior Brother Zhao winked at Zhou Mu, his eyes full of certainty.

Zhou Mu was certain that this person was indeed waiting at the mountain gate out of curiosity.

At this moment, Senior Brother Zhao waved his hand, and Zhou Mu's identity jade token flew out and landed in his palm.

Senior Brother Zhao carved a lotus flower mark on the jade tablet and then returned it to Zhou Mu.

"Alright, from now on, you are the Spirit Plant Master of Wanhua Mountain."

"Come with me, let's go see where you'll be working."

The clouds and mist cleared to the right of the pavilion, revealing a path. Senior Brother Zhao went first, followed closely by Zhou Mu and his companion.

Zhou Mu looked back and saw that the clouds and mist behind him were churning and swallowing up the pavilion and the road he had come from.

After half an incense stick had burned, the path came to an end. Zhou Mu saw that neither Senior Brother Zhao nor Steward Liu stopped and walked directly into the clouds.

The clouds gathered behind him as Zhou Mu surveyed the medicinal herb garden he would be in charge of.

"This is... a greenhouse?"

Zhou Mu looked up and saw a huge circular dome overhead, with clouds swirling and covering the entire medicinal garden.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the entire medicinal garden in minute detail.

Except for a small wooden house in the corner and a wooden fence, the entire medicinal garden was deserted.

Zhou Mu looked at the spiritual field inside the wooden fence, which was about twenty acres in size.

"Zhou Mu, this is a Grade D medicinal garden in Wanhua Mountain," Uncle Zhao said slowly as he walked up to Zhou Mu. "There are a hundred such medicinal gardens in Wanhua Mountain."

Zhou Mu turned to ask, "Uncle-Master Zhao, what should I plant here in the future?"

Earlier on the path, Steward Liu had specifically instructed Zhou Mu via telepathy that this Uncle Zhao disliked formalities and that it was best to treat him like an ordinary person.

"Of course, Wanhua Mountain grows medicinal herbs," Uncle Zhao said with a hint of pride. "The Grade D medicinal garden grows the main ingredients needed to refine first-grade pills."

"What you need to plant here are the main ingredients of Peiyuan Dan and Ningxue Dan: Huangyacao and Tieguteng."

As he spoke, Uncle Zhao handed Zhou Mu a package: "These are seeds of Yellow Tooth Grass and Iron Bone Vine. Wanhua Mountain only provides them for one season. You'll need to reserve them yourself for the next season."

"Yes, Uncle-Master." Zhou Mu took the package and put it into his storage bag.

"This book is about the rules you must follow and the benefits you can receive at Wanhua Mountain," Uncle Zhao said, taking out three more books. "The other two are gifts from your Uncle Zhao; they contain most of the knowledge about cultivating first-tier spiritual herbs."

"Take a closer look; it will help you gain a foothold in Wanhua Mountain."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master." Zhou Mu quickly accepted the books, inwardly marveling at Uncle-Master Zhao's generosity. These two secret manuals on spiritual herbs might not even be available in the market.

Exchanging for it within the sect requires 100 points, which is much more expensive than many Qi cultivation techniques.

"Alright, that's settled then," Uncle Zhao patted Zhou Mu on the shoulder and said seriously, "Zhou Mu, you're on your own from now on. If you get kicked out of Wanhua Mountain, Uncle Qin will lose face big time."

"Understood, Uncle-Master."

---------

After Uncle Zhao left, neither Zhou Mu nor Steward Liu were in a hurry to leave. Less than half a day later, Steward Liu decided to help Zhou Mu plant the spiritual herbs before going back.

"Zhou Mu, watch carefully. I will only teach you this 'Earth Trapping Technique' once."

Zhou Mu retreated to the corner of the wooden house, where he saw Steward Liu make a hand seal and point to the ground.

Twenty acres of spiritual soil surged up at the same time, the dark brown clods of soil broke up and flattened on their own, and even the gravel and grass roots in the soil were sifted out.

In just a dozen breaths, twenty acres of spiritual fields were laid out flat and evenly underfoot.

Zhou Mu also firmly remembered the incantation of the "Earth Collapse Technique" and some insights imparted by Steward Liu.

Manager Liu continued, "Plant the grass seeds and vine segments."

Zhou Mu took out yellow sprout grass seeds from his storage bag.

The grass seeds were as small as sesame seeds. He walked along the ridge of the field and scattered them evenly on the ground.

After scattering the grass seeds, Zhou Mu took out the vine segments of the Iron Bone Vine, hundreds of grayish-brown vine segments, each with a slightly raised node bead in the middle.

He squatted down and pressed each vine joint into the soil, with the joint facing upwards and only a small part sticking out.

Manager Liu stood to the side watching, explaining the key points of planting medicinal herbs, until Zhou Mu pressed the last piece into the soil.

"Move aside."

Once Zhou Mu had retreated behind him, Steward Liu casually waved his hand.

A dark, shiny thundercloud appeared above the spirit field. This thundercloud seemed to appear out of thin air, pressing down extremely low, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring within it.

Zhou Mu subconsciously took half a step back, and the torrential rain of spiritual energy lasted for the duration of two incense sticks before it stopped.

"Let's go. You can live in the Medicine Garden or the Central District from now on, but you must not lose your identity jade token, otherwise you won't be able to get in."