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

"The root systems of your few spirit rice plants are recovering faster than I expected."

Once, Shen Yao squatted by the field, dug up the soil to look at the root system, and said with a hint of surprise.

"Perhaps it's Elder Sun's spiritual fertilizer that's effective," Lu Qingchen said casually.

Shen Yao nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Old Sun would come to visit every few days.

He comes at unpredictable times; sometimes it's early morning, sometimes it's evening.

Each time they come, they don't say much. They squat down to look at the leaves, dig up the soil to check the roots, stand up, clap their hands, and leave.

Lu Qingchen had gotten used to it and didn't bother him anymore.

......

In the blink of an eye, ten days have passed, and the day of the Spirit Plant Hall's assessment is drawing ever closer.

That evening, Old Sun came again.

He stood by the field for a while, then suddenly said, "Your spirit rice plants are recovering quite well."

Lu Qingchen was watering the plants when he heard this and looked up: "It's all thanks to the spirit fertilizer provided by Elder Sun."

Old Sun didn't respond. After a moment of silence, he said, "Come with me."

Without hesitation, Lu Qingchen put down the water ladle and followed Old Sun up the mountain.

In the Dingmao No. 3 medicinal herb garden, Old Sun walked to a corner and pointed to a broken ceramic pot: "I've been trying to grow this 'Seven Star Grass' for three months, but it hasn't grown. Try it and see if you can save it."

Lu Qingchen squatted down and took a look. The grass in the pot was drooping, its leaves were yellow, and its stems were limp and lying on the soil, as if it was about to die.

He looked up at Old Sun, who was silently watching him with no expression on his face.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Old Sun, I'm not sure about this herb."

"Give it a try, it's okay even if you can't save him."

After finishing his sentence, Old Sun turned and went back into the house.

Lu Qingchen squatted in front of the pot of Seven Star Grass, pondering it over and over in his mind.

He knew that this was likely Old Master Sun testing him.

To save or not to save?

He bit his lip, staring at the dying blade of grass, two voices fighting in his head.

One person said, "Don't be a show-off. What if they see through your act? How will you explain it?"

Another said, "This is an opportunity! With the Dao stele on your person, you can't hide it forever."

"Why not take this opportunity to show off and shift the blame to the spirit? After all, your spirit is indeed getting better, so if you say it's because of the spirit, no one can find out."

Lu Qingchen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes showed determination.

Let's take a gamble.

With the Daoist inscription on his person, he couldn't possibly remain unremarkable forever.

If any flaw is suddenly revealed in the future, it will only arouse suspicion.

Why not take this opportunity to proactively showcase your talent in the path of spiritual plants and seize the initiative?

He brought the Seven Star Grass back to the edge of his spiritual field and placed it in a shady spot.

The next morning, Lu Qingchen went to the Sutra Repository.

In a miscellaneous record documenting the deeds of Lingzhi Fu throughout history, he came across a unique account.

There was once a spiritual herb grower whose spiritual body was incomplete when he first entered the field. After years of tending to spiritual herbs and spending his days and nights with plants, his spiritual body was eventually restored on its own after several decades, and his spiritual light greatly increased.

Although no specific name was given, the existence of such a case suggests that it is not impossible.

Lu Qingchen read that passage several times, and felt much more at ease.

He put the books back on the shelf, left the library, and headed towards the sacred field.

When Shen Yao arrived, she saw the potted plant and paused, "Isn't this Seven Star Grass? Why is it so wilted?"

"Old Sun asked me to save him."

Lu Qingchen squatted by the pot, gently poking at the soil with his fingers. "It hasn't grown for three months. Let's see if we can save it."

Shen Yao became interested and squatted down to watch with him.

She reached out and pinched the leaves, then dug into the soil to examine the roots: "The roots aren't completely dead yet, there's still hope."

The two of them then started to think about it together.

Shen Yao, after all, had been cultivating spiritual plants for five years, and her experience was far richer than Lu Qingchen's.

She suggested changing the soil, adjusting the watering frequency, and improving soil aeration, and Lu Qingchen followed her suggestions one by one.

Every morning, Shen Yao would appear on time at the edge of the field and squat with Lu Qingchen in front of the pot of Seven Star Grass, studying the changes in the root system, the color of the leaves, and the moisture of the soil.

The two worked and discussed things at the same time. Sometimes they would argue and bicker when they disagreed, but neither of them got angry.

You've watered too much here.

Shen Yao pointed to the water ladle in his hand, "Seven-star grass is susceptible to waterlogging, so watering it once every three days is enough."

"The book says once every two days," Lu Qingchen retorted.

"The book is dead, but the grass is alive. Look at these leaves, they're slightly yellow, that means there's too much water." Shen Yao picked up a leaf to show him.

Lu Qingchen leaned over to take a look, and it was indeed true.

He nodded and put the ladle down.

Shen Yao's lips curled up slightly, as if she was laughing at him, but she didn't say anything.

On the fifth day, the few surviving roots began to grow new, white, fibrous roots, like a baby's fingers.

"There's hope."

Shen Yao squatted by the basin, her eyes sparkling.

Lu Qingchen also went over to take a look, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Every night, he would use a tiny amount of his cultivation to activate the Spirit Pointing Technique, carefully nourishing the root system.

The light bead inside the stele visibly shrank, consuming about the size of a glass bead.

If even this person can't be saved, then I'm afraid no one in the entire sect can be saved.

By the seventh day, the wilted leaves slowly unfurled. Although they were still yellow, they were at least no longer as lifeless as before.

On the eighth day, a new sprout emerged from the top, tender green and as small as a needle tip, but it had indeed sprouted.

The two squatted by the pot, staring at the new sprout for a long time.

"He's alive," Shen Yao said.

"He's alive." Lu Qingchen nodded.

Shen Yao turned to look at him, her eyes filled with curiosity: "How did you do that? I've been farming for five years and have saved many dying spiritual plants, but this is the first time I've seen it work so quickly."

Lu Qingchen's expression remained unchanged: "I can't really explain it. I just did it according to the method we agreed on. Changing the soil, controlling the water, and ensuring ventilation were all things you taught me, Senior Sister. I didn't do anything special."

Shen Yao stared at him for a few seconds, as if recalling the events of the past few days.

Indeed, they did everything together, and she didn't see Lu Qingchen use any special methods.

But the Seven Star Grass survived, and it survived remarkably quickly.

She hummed in response and didn't press further, but something still felt off.

......

Once he was certain that the Seven Star Grass had truly come back to life, Lu Qingchen took it to Elder Sun.

Old Sun was watering the rock vine in the herb garden when he heard footsteps. He looked up, his gaze falling on the potted plant, and the water ladle in his hand paused for a moment.

The leaves of the seven-star grass have unfurled. Although they are not yet lush enough, they are a complete transformation compared to how it looked a few days ago when it was on the verge of death.

The new shoot at the top is a tender green, glistening in the sunlight, like a newborn baby.

Old Sun put down the water ladle, walked over, squatted down, and looked at it for a long time.

He didn't touch the grass, he just looked at it, his gaze as focused as if he were examining a work of art.

They actually managed to revive the kid!