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

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Mu had already spent seven days in the herb garden.

That day, he stood by the spirit field, looking at the thunderclouds above, and couldn't help but smile.

"The Lesser Cloud Rain Technique has finally been mastered; the mission for the first half of the year is now secure."

More than half a year has passed since Zhou Mu's Lesser Cloud Rain Technique broke through to the minor completion stage. A few days ago, after he used up the last major completion-level fruit, this spell finally broke through to the major completion stage.

Both kinds of spiritual plants in the herb garden are harvested every six months. Zhou Mu was worried that the yield would not meet the standard, but now he is finally relieved.

In addition, Zhou Mu has truly experienced the benefits of Wanhua Mountain in the past few days. The spiritual energy is rich and pure, and quite gentle, making it easy to refine.

Since breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, his cultivation level has been close to the limit of the four spiritual roots. Zhou Mu's self-refined mana after a month of hard work is still less than that of two Qi Cultivation Pills.

If he wanted to increase his magical power, the only options besides consuming pills were the Bubble Fruit.

But it's different at Wanhua Mountain. The magical power that one refines each day is equivalent to one Qi-cultivating pill, which amounts to thirty-six bottles a year, nearly eight hundred spirit stones.

This is more than Zhou Mu's previous harvest in a season in the lower-level area.

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Zhou Mu left the herb garden and flew towards the Inner Affairs Hall.

The Zhou family's ancestral worship ceremony is in two days. If he wants to leave the sect, he still needs the approval of the Internal Affairs Hall, which is a rule of the sect.

Inside the inner hall, Zhou Mu said to Steward Liu, "Steward, I need to go back to the Zhou family to retrieve my travel permit."

Manager Liu looked surprised: "The Zhou family wants you to participate in the ancestral worship ceremony?"

He knew the nature of those families very well; in their eyes, those with poor aptitude were even worse than outsiders.

Zhou Mu repeated exactly what Zhou Ye had said that day.

After listening to Zhou Mu's words, Steward Liu frowned slightly: "It seems that the Zhou family has ill intentions, but now that you are a member of Wanhua Mountain, the Zhou family will not dare to touch you."

"I'm just curious, what did you go there for? Wasn't it a waste of time?"

Zhou Mu understood that Steward Liu wouldn't give him the pass unless he explained it clearly.

"I want to bring two people back, and also my parents' inheritance."

That was Zhou Mu's real purpose; otherwise, he wouldn't bother with the Zhou family.

"I see," Steward Liu nodded, then handed Zhou Mu a jade talisman: "You are an internal affairs disciple, and the pass is only valid for ten days. If you haven't returned to the sect by then, you know the consequences."

Zhou Mu was well aware that the internal affairs disciples had signed contracts with the sect, which was essentially a disguised labor contract.

If he doesn't return to the sect by the appointed time, he will be considered a traitor and placed on the sect's wanted list.

At that time, all the cultivators in the Qin Kingdom will be willing to capture Zhou Mu and come to the Wandao Sect to receive a reward.

"Here are a few items for you, consider it an advance. You just need to make up the points within a year."

Manager Liu handed Zhou Mu three talismans and three black spheres.

Zhou Mu accepted it, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, Steward."

Go early and come back early.

After Zhou Mu left, Steward Liu pondered for a moment before leaving the Internal Affairs Hall and heading to Liuzhu Peak.

But Steward Liu was unaware that after he left, Li Gang also left the Internal Affairs Hall.

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"Looks like I'll have to get these little guys some 'Spirit-Nourishing Pills' to eat."

In the intermediate zone, Zhou Mu looked at the earthworms with their bellies sticking out in the spiritual rain and decided to spend some spirit stones to help them advance to the next level.

That evening, Zhou Mu returned to the lower-class district.

"Xiao Zhou? Come in quickly."

When Old Wang saw Zhou Mu, he looked surprised.

"I brought you some good stuff."

In the courtyard, Zhou Mu took out several earthenware pots from his storage bag and gently placed them on the ground.

Old Wang looked at the tender seedling in the earthenware pot with a puzzled expression.

"Huh..."

Old Wang noticed something was wrong and squatted down to examine it closely.

"This is top-grade Huangjing rice and medium-grade Xueya rice? You made this?"

Old Wang's face stiffened, his eyes widened, and he asked in disbelief.

Old Wang's appearance secretly pleased Zhou Mu. He remained calm and said indifferently, "Of course it's me."

"A gift for me?"

"It wasn't a gift for you, why would I bring it?"

Old Wang stood up, clapped his hands, and looked at Zhou Mu with a gaze that seemed to see right through him.

"Tell me, what happened?"

Seeing that Old Wang had seen through him, Zhou Mu simply spoke frankly and recounted his return to the Zhou family.

Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in Old Wang's eyes: "You want the shopkeeper to protect you, don't you?"

Zhou Mu nodded.

"You need to understand, the shopkeeper is a businessman. What do you have that would make him make a special trip for you?"

"For the next three years, I will sell all my Huangjing rice and Xueya rice to him. In addition, I can guarantee that the Xueya rice next season will also be of the highest quality."

Old Wang looked at Zhou Mu with surprise, but he didn't ask Zhou Mu why he was so confident.

"Your conditions are not bad. Right now, he really doesn't have a stable channel to purchase top-quality spiritual rice."

The production of top-grade spiritual rice in the Wandao Sect is far less than that of the middle and lower grades. It is basically consumed internally. Whether it is exchanged for points or sold in the sect square, the price will not be lower than the purchase price in the market.

Low production resulted in a lack of stable purchasing channels, leaving the market's chamber of commerce with little choice but to rely on luck to acquire goods.

This is precisely Zhou Mu's confidence; no matter who he sells it to, he won't lose money.

When do you plan to leave?

"It should arrive in half a day, early tomorrow morning."

"Okay, you wait here, I'll have Wang Ping come over first."

As he spoke, Old Wang took out a communication talisman, said a few words, and then the talisman transformed into a ray of light and flew towards the outer gate, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

While waiting, Zhou Mu helped Lao Wang transplant the tender seedlings from the clay pot to a corner of the yard.

After the two finished their work, Wang Ping used his flying sword to land in the courtyard.

"Go to the Lieyang Chamber of Commerce and tell your third master to wait for you at the boundary marker first thing tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping looked at his grandfather with a puzzled expression. Just as he was about to ask more questions, his grandfather pushed him onto the flying sword, leaving him no choice but to take off and disappear into the night.

"Third Master? The shopkeeper is your younger brother?"

Zhou Mu exclaimed in surprise, realizing that he had figured out a lot. He had previously felt that the relationship between Old Wang and the shopkeeper was unusual, but he never expected that they were brothers.

Old Wang stopped hiding it and spread his hands: "Yes, he is my own brother."

"and you?"

Zhou Mu was even more surprised. His younger brother even had Foundation Establishment subordinates, so how come Old Wang was so miserable, being a low-level spirit farmer in the Myriad Dao Sect?

"Just like you," Old Wang rolled his eyes and continued, "I was also an outcast of my family, except that I escaped with Wang Ping and came here, and even joined a sect."

"So that's how it is."

Zhou Mu suddenly realized why Old Wang had taken such good care of him back then.

It turns out we're all like-minded people.

The two chatted for a while longer before Zhou Mu returned to his residence next door.

The next morning, when Zhou Mu was about to leave, he found Old Wang already standing at the door waiting for him.

"Old Wang, what's going on?"

Old Wang smiled, revealing a set of big white teeth: "Of course we'll go together. I'm just killing time anyway, so I'll go with you."

"Besides, the ancestral worship ceremony is such a fun event, I'll go and join in the fun."

"All right."

Zhou Mu felt a warmth in his heart, understanding that Old Wang was worried, but Zhou Mu did not refuse, since he had already made sufficient preparations.

The two set off, and when they arrived at the sect's boundary marker, the shopkeeper had already arrived, and Wang Ping was also there.