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

"This land... can grow anything in three months?"

He squatted down, pinched the soil, and looked around. The more he looked, the less hope he felt.

The round-faced young man said that most people have to go through the test two or three times to pass, which seems to be true.

Just as he was worrying, he suddenly remembered something.

That day, while weeding in the Dingmao No. 3 medicinal herb garden on Panlong Peak, the dark-skinned, barefoot old man said something to him as he was leaving—

"Young man, remember that my surname is Sun. If you ever reach the Qi Refining stage and become interested in the Dao of Spiritual Plants, you can come to Panlong Peak to find me."

Old Mr. Sun.

Lu Qingchen's eyes lit up.

Instead of taking your chances in the wasteland, why not give it a try?

At worst, I'll be rejected; there's no real loss.

He quickened his pace and headed towards Panlong Peak.

......

The No. 3 medicinal herb garden on Dingmao Mountain at Panlong Peak was as quiet as when he last visited.

In the spirit field, the rock vines are growing well, their dark green leaves enveloped in a faint earthy yellow spiritual light.

The steelgrass has been completely eradicated, leaving only a few newly sprouted shoots that haven't yet grown into a significant size.

The thatched hut remains, and Old Sun is squatting on the edge of the field checking the growth of the rock vine.

He was wearing a faded coarse cloth short jacket, barefoot, and carefully examining a seedling of rock vine in his hand. He didn't even look up when he heard footsteps.

"Who?"

"Master Sun, this is your disciple Lu Qingchen. I came to remove the Steel Bone Grass a few days ago."

Lu Qingchen bowed respectfully.

Old Sun raised his head, glanced at him, and his gaze lingered on him for a moment.

"You've reached level one of Qi Refining? You've passed the 100-day assessment?"

"Thanks to Elder Sun, I earned a few spirit stones while weeding here last time, and bought a Marrow Essence Pill, which allowed me to draw Qi into my body before the assessment."

Old Sun grunted in agreement, dusted off his hands, stood up, and said calmly, "Speak, what is it?"

Lu Qingchen explained his purpose: he wanted to become a spirit plant grower and pass the Spirit Plant Hall's assessment, but the barren land at the foot of Mingfa Peak had thin spiritual energy and poor soil quality. He wondered if Elder Sun could provide a spiritual land.

After a moment of silence, Elder Sun said calmly, "What I said the other day—that you had reached the Qi Refining stage and were interested in the Dao of Spiritual Plants, and that you could come to me—was true."

He turned around and pointed to a vacant lot at the foot of Panlong Peak: "That piece of land has been abandoned for several years. The spiritual energy is average, but it's better than your wasteland. If you have the ability to grow something there, it's yours to use."

Lu Qingchen looked in the direction he was pointing—the land was at the foot of the mountain, backed by the mountain wall, facing south, flat, and not very large, about two or three acres.

The ground was covered with weeds, but the soil looked much better than the wasteland at the foot of Mingfa Peak.

Overjoyed, he repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you so much, Elder Sun! I will definitely plant them well and will not let you down!"

Old Master Sun waved his hand: "Don't thank me too soon. That land has been abandoned for several years. The grass is taller than a person and there are stones everywhere. You have to clean it up yourself. If you can't grow it well, you still won't pass the Spirit Plant Hall's assessment."

"Disciple understands!"

Old Sun added, "On the first and fifteenth of each month, come to the herb garden and help me with half a day's work; that's considered rent."

"Of course!"

Lu Qingchen agreed without hesitation.

Old Sun said no more and turned back to the thatched hut.

Lu Qingchen stood on the edge of the field, gazing in the direction of that wasteland, and let out a long breath.

He touched the seeds in his arms, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Starting tomorrow, we'll clear the land and start planting.

......

In the evening, Lu Qingchen returned to the outer disciples' residence.

Each person has their own small room, which is simple but much better than the rooms in the Fairy Seedlings—at least they have their own space.

He put away the seeds and farm tools, lit the oil lamp, sat cross-legged on the bed, and opened the "Qingmu Yunling Jue" that he had copied during the day.

The first sentence of the cultivation method catches the eye:

"Green wood is the source of life, and the essence of life lies in gathering energy and nourishing vitality. Plants and trees have spirits, and heaven and earth have their own way. To draw upon the life force of all things with one's own wood energy is the way of the essence of life in green wood..."

Lu Qingchen read it three times before he roughly understood the meaning—the core of this technique was not to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen himself, but to use his own wood-attribute spiritual power as a guide to draw out the vitality of plants and trees, and then nourish himself.

The more lush the vegetation, the stronger the life force it provides, and the faster the cultivation process will be.

Humans and plants complement each other.

"No wonder the cultivation levels of those who cultivate spiritual plants are generally not high..."

Lu Qingchen pondered, "The spiritual energy is all used to nourish the plants, so naturally one's own progress is slow. But if the plants are well-nourished, the vitality they generate back is much faster than arduous cultivation."

He nodded, having made up his mind.

He has a Dao stele and the cultivation level of the Wheel of Reincarnation, so he has no worries about an unstable foundation.

If the plants are well-nurtured, they will replenish life, and the cultivation speed can be increased even further.

Moreover, cultivating too quickly may not be a good thing—Chu Yunfeng's words on Mingfa Peak today have been weighing on his mind.

How can someone with five low-grade spiritual roots be faster than someone with four spiritual roots?

His performance during the 100-day assessment had already caught the attention of some people. If his cultivation level were to rise rapidly in the future, it would be more than just a matter of being noticed a few times.

One or two times can be attributed to chance, but who would believe it after a while?

"The cultivation speed needs to be slowed down and kept within a 'reasonable' range."

He secretly pondered, "As for the extra cultivation points from the Dao Stele, I might as well use them all on tempering my spiritual root and spiritual body."

"With a healthy spiritual root, cultivation speed will naturally increase; with a perfected spiritual body, farming will also be more advantageous. Either way, it's about building a solid foundation, so you can't lose out."

Having figured this out, he felt reassured and reopened the "Azure Wood Spiritual Essence Manual," studying it word by word.

......

After finishing reading "The Spiritual Essence of Green Wood", Lu Qingchen opened "General Theory of Spiritual Plants", the first chapter of which was about the cultivation method of Jade Spiritual Rice.

From seed selection, soaking, and seedling cultivation, to transplanting, fertilizing, and irrigating, and then to pest control, weeding, and harvesting, every step is meticulously recorded.

He was so engrossed in watching that he didn't realize it was already late at night.

The moonlight outside the window was like water, and Yuxin Peak was hidden in the darkness, with only a few lights shining sporadically.

Those lights might belong to Li Si and Wang Ming, or to other disciples who have passed the test, or perhaps to those who are still worrying about tomorrow.

Lu Qingchen closed the book, blew out the oil lamp, and lay down on the bed.

He thought of Sun Han.

I wonder how he is doing in the mine, whether he is eating on time, whether he is being bullied, whether he... has given up cultivation.

He had considered inquiring about Sun Han's whereabouts, but as a newly initiated outer disciple, he hadn't even passed the Spirit Plant Hall's assessment yet, so how could he possibly find someone in the mine?

Even if we find it, what then?

With his current abilities, he's still struggling in the mire himself, so how can he help others?

"First, let's cultivate the land properly."

He told himself, "I'll think about other things once I've established myself."

The moonlight outside the window was as clear as water, and the faint chirping of insects could be heard in the distance.

Lu Qingchen turned over, closed his eyes, his mind sank, and his consciousness fell into the depths of his sea of ​​consciousness.