After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

Chapter 117 Award Recipients

He wasn't impatient; he just wanted to proceed steadily.

He became increasingly proficient in using the Concealing Spirit Technique, and the ability to suppress his aura had become second nature.

He deliberately kept the Hidden Spirit Technique running while walking around the manor every day, so that outsiders would always see him as an ordinary Qi Refining Level 2 Spirit Plant Master.

A month from now, a Spiritual Master will be present at the commendation ceremony, which will be a good opportunity to verify the true quality of the Hidden Spirit Technique.

The practice of the Green Wood Sword Technique has never stopped.

As he became more proficient in the first level of "Condensing Qi into a Sharp Edge," his sword qi could now fly from his fingertips to a distance of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and its solidity had also greatly improved, leaving a half-inch deep sword mark on the rocks behind the house.

It can unleash two sword energies in one go without dissipating. Although the second one is weaker than the first, it can still form a continuous attack.

The second layer, "Sword Qi Residue," also attempts to conceal a wisp of hidden force within the sword qi, which, upon impact, lingers within the enemy's body, causing continuous damage.

This step is much more difficult than the first level. It took more than half a month of repeated attempts to barely get to the point. Success was possible only once or twice out of ten attempts, and it was far from stable.

After each workout, his arm muscles would ache unbearably, but he wasn't in a hurry; he would just slowly work on them.

As for the Spirit Plant Hall, the investigation into the Spirit Corrosion Disease continues, but progress is slow.

The identity of the rogue cultivator who was silenced has never been found out. The old scar on the tiger's mouth of his left hand is not uncommon among rogue cultivators, and this clue alone is not enough to pinpoint his origin.

Those two Foundation Establishment cultivators vanished without a trace, never appearing near the sect again after that encounter.

Wu Decai was thoroughly interrogated in the court of law enforcement and confessed to several cases of reselling seeds in his early years, but none of them were related to the Corrosive Spirit Disease and were old grievances.

He ultimately paid a heavy price for his actions, being stripped of his sect disciple status and exiled to a remote mining area for life.

Meanwhile, during the investigation of the seed bank, the Spirit Plant Hall discovered that in recent years, several batches of seeds of unknown origin had entered the sect's seed supply system through different channels. The quantities were small, but the types and handlers involved were different.

This method of infiltration and dissemination demonstrates that the person behind the scenes is extremely patient and quite familiar with the sect's procurement process.

Palace Master Su Mingyuan judged that the other party had retreated and gone into hiding after the incident of the Soul-Eating Disease, and it would be difficult for them to make any breakthroughs in the short term. Therefore, he ordered the investigation to be carried out in secret, and everything seemed normal on the surface.

Outside the territory of the Qingxuan Sect, deep within a cave shrouded in gray mist year-round, several blurry figures sat around a stone table.

Although it was said to be a group sitting together, only one person sat in the main seat at the stone table, while the others stood with their hands hanging down in the shadows, their faces obscured.

The man in the main seat was wearing a large black robe with the hood pulled down low, revealing only a section of his pale chin.

On the stone table in front of him lay an open jade box, inside which were a few shriveled seeds with faint grayish-white spots on their seed coats—these were the diseased red ginseng seeds from that batch.

"The Soul-Eating Disease at Qingxuan Sect has been resolved."

The man in black robes spoke softly, but with an unsettling chill: "At least two months earlier than expected."

""

A figure in the shadows bowed slightly: "My lord, we have uncovered some clues. This matter is related to a farm called Qingmu Manor under the Qingxuan Sect."

"According to the information sent back from the inside, the Spirit Plant Hall discovered a batch of mutated spirit rice that has developed its own resistance in Qingmu Manor. It was based on this that the medicine was formulated to treat the symptoms."

"Aoki Manor".

The man in black slowly slurred those three words on his tongue, "Who was the one who cultivated that batch of mutated spirit rice?"

"It's still unclear who it is, but I heard it's an outer disciple with low-grade five spiritual roots."

There was a moment of silence around the stone table.

The man in black robes suddenly chuckled softly, a sound like sandpaper scraping against a stone slab, sending chills down one's spine.

"A low-grade Five Elemental Roots? Interesting."

He raised a hand, his pale, slender fingers tapping lightly twice on the edge of the jade box. "The Spirit-Eating Insects I cultivated were not produced using ordinary methods."

"Ordinary medicines simply cannot kill him. Even if the elders of the Spirit Plant Hall of the Qingxuan Sect personally intervened, they would not be able to concoct a suitable prescription in less than several months."

"And yet, a mere outer disciple with low-grade five spiritual roots managed to defeat him with just a few mutated spirit rice plants?"

He paused, a hint of amusement in his voice: "Whether he did it unintentionally or intentionally, this person is not simple."

The man in the shadows tentatively asked, "Does Your Excellency mean 97?"

"Bring him here."

The man in black robes said calmly, "I want to see for myself what's so special about this low-grade five-elemental-root spirit plant cultivator."

""

"If it's just a coincidence that it could break my Soul-Eating Insects, then so be it; if not..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but gently closed the jade box with a dull thud.

"Understood."

"7

The person in the shadows bowed and silently retreated into the darkness.

The cave fell silent again.

The man in the black robe leaned back in his chair, his pale fingers tapping the stone table absently.

"interesting."

He muttered to himself, his tone as if he were appraising an interesting object, "Truly interesting."

Life at Aoki Manor remained peaceful as always.

Besides tending to the spirit fields, Sun Han spends his days studying the book "Basic Theory of Spirit Plants".

He ate most of the light-colored Lingling rice that Lu Qingchen gave him, and his energy and spirit were much better than when he first arrived. His face finally had some color back.

Lu Qingchen had said that he would help him find a bone-healing elixir if he had the chance in the future. He didn't urge him verbally, but he kept it in mind.

Since Zhou Ming delivered the Spirit Fertilizer Pill last time, his attitude has become much more sincere.

.

Occasionally, we'd bump into each other on the field ridges and exchange farming tips, mostly about fertilizer management and pest and disease control.

During a casual chat, Zhou Ming brought up how he had suffered quite a few losses when he first came to Qingmu Village, implying that he knew Sun Zhiyuan's character and that Lu Qingchen should be careful.

Lu Qingchen simply nodded without saying anything more.

He appreciated the good intentions, but he never let his guard down.

Sun Zhiyuan has been unusually quiet this past month.

When we meet on a regular basis, they still act indifferent, exchanging a few polite words without revealing any hidden meaning.

Lu Qingchen knew that this quiet was only temporary—Sun Zhiyuan had been able to refrain from making a move before, and he would certainly not act rashly now that Lu Qingchen was about to take the stage at the commendation ceremony.

Quietness doesn't mean giving up; it might just mean waiting for a more suitable opportunity.

However, with the protective array of the spirit field in place, Sun Han keeping an eye on things at the end of the manor, and the fact that he is now registered in the sect, the other party will have to think twice before making a move.

Zhao Demao's attitude has also changed a lot. Occasionally, he would walk to the end of the village with his hands behind his back, check on the growth of the spiritual fields, and say a few words of encouragement.

Once, he stood on the edge of the field, looking at the fertile, fallow field, and remarked, "Your field is getting better and better; it's no worse than those old fields in the village."

Lu Qingchen just smiled and didn't reply.

It's good to cultivate spiritual fields well, but it's not necessarily good to cultivate them too well.

A month passed quietly amidst the daily routines and trivialities.

Three days before the commendation ceremony, Lingzhi Hall sent someone to inform us of the specific time and arrangements.

Lu Qingchen had the only clean outer disciple's robe washed in advance, and then called Sun Han over to give him some instructions on protecting the spirit field. He then boarded the spirit carriage and headed to the sect.

When they arrived at the sect, there were still several hours before the commendation ceremony was to begin.

As soon as Lu Qingchen reached the vicinity of the Spirit Plant Hall, a disciple came up to him and said that Vice Hall Master Zhou wanted him to go to the meditation room first.

In the quiet room, Zhou Yuandao was sitting behind his desk, flipping through a booklet. When he saw him come in, he put down the booklet and gestured for him to sit down.

Zhou Yuandao got straight to the point, his tone still neither warm nor cold, "The person presiding over this commendation ceremony is Master Liu from the sect. He is at the Spirit Mansion Realm and rarely shows his face. The fact that he was chosen to preside over the ceremony shows that the sect has set a high standard for this award."

He looked at Lu Qingchen and continued, "But don't get complacent just because you attended one awards ceremony."

"To be honest with you, the commendation ceremony itself won't give you many substantial rewards. The Spirit Plant Hall has already given you spirit stones and pills."

"The significance of the commendation ceremony lies not in the rewards, but in the exposure."

"From today onwards, the sect's higher-ups—not just the Spirit Plant Hall, but also the hall masters and elders of the other peaks—will know your name."

"But how long this impression lasts depends on your future performance. If you are unremarkable in the next few years, this commendation ceremony will just be an old record on the roster, and no one will mention it again."

"But if you can continue to produce results, this commendation ceremony will be a stepping stone, allowing higher-ups to see you and value you more quickly."

To put it simply, the commendation ceremony opens a door for you; whether you can walk through it is up to you.

Lu Qingchen said respectfully, "Disciple understands, thank you for your guidance, Master."

Zhou Yuandao glanced at him and nodded.

Everything that needed to be said had been said. Although this disciple's spiritual root was somewhat lacking, he was not stupid, so there was no need for him to explain things too clearly.

He waved his hand, telling Lu Qingchen to go back and prepare properly.

Lu Qingchen bowed and left the quiet room.

As he walked down the corridor, he went over Zhou Yuandao's words in his mind again—although this cheap master usually ignored him, these words were truly from the bottom of his heart.

He straightened his clothes and walked towards Mingfafeng Square.

When Lu Qingchen arrived at the square, the commendation ceremony was already in its final preparation stage.

Mingfa Peak Square was much livelier than usual. Several rows of temporary viewing platforms were set up on both sides of the bluestone road, and disciples from various peaks and halls gathered in twos and threes.

Even before the commendation ceremony began, the square was already buzzing with discussion.

Lu Qingchen did not push forward, but stood at the edge of the square, leaning against the railing.

Before long, Li Si, Wang Ming, Zhao Ming, Qian Wanliang and a few others arrived, and they met up at their usual spot by the square.

"Who do you think will be honored today?"

Wang Ming was in high spirits, shading his eyes with his hand as he peered out from the high platform. "Chu Yunfeng definitely has a chance, he got first place in the rookie assessment, and Su Qingxue should be a shoo-in too."

"And that thing—the cure for the Soul-Eating Disease."

Qian Wanliang interjected, "I heard from the people of the Spirit Plant Hall a few days ago that the disease in the seven villages had been tried by the Spirit Plant Hall for many days without success. In the end, it was only thanks to the mutated spirit rice produced in that one person's field that it was suppressed."