Uncle Nine: Scattering beans to create soldiers? I'm using plants and trees to create soldiers.

The backyard of the mortuary.

Several spiritual materials were already laid out on the table.

Looking at the items Lin Xuan had picked out, Uncle Jiu couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You have a really good eye, kid. You picked out the three best items first."

As he spoke, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone becoming more casual: "The quality of the ingredients in the back is just average. They're mostly herbs and seeds that are still alive, nothing special."

"Master is joking~~" Lin Xuan quickly shook his head upon hearing this, "What you brought back is neither ordinary nor extraordinary. As long as it is a living plant, it will be useful to me."

This isn't a compliment.

To outsiders, the quality of spiritual materials depends on their age, medicinal properties, and appearance.

But once it's in his hands, as long as there's still a glimmer of hope, there's a possibility of nurturing, enlightening, and passing it down through generations!

Uncle Nine glanced at him, his smile deepening.

"Okay, take a look first. Besides these herbs and seeds, I have some other materials here, I'll give them to you later."

"Thank you, Master." Lin Xuan felt a warmth in his heart and solemnly cupped his hands in thanks.

Uncle Nine waved his hand, his expression indifferent, and said, "Stop with the formalities. If you really want to thank me, then focus on your cultivation and don't waste your resources."

Lin Xuan nodded in agreement, then reached into his Qiankun bag.

Soon, a palm-sized blue flower appeared in his hand.

The flower petals were a deep blue, with a faint sheen at the edges.

The flower stamens are slender and droop slightly, emitting a very faint fragrance that invigorates the spirit.

Lin Xuan's gaze fell upon it.

A semi-transparent light curtain, visible only to him, then appeared.

Water Spirit Flower

Grade: White

【Characteristics: Resilient to water, enlightened by tranquility】

[Survives Out of Water: Extremely resilient, it can survive even after being removed from water. If given a large amount of energy, it can grow rapidly.]

[Cleansing and Enlightening: The fragrance of flowers can clear the mind and slightly enhance comprehension.]

Growth rate: 85%

[Daoguo: The Purification Mantra]

......

Upon seeing this panel, Lin Xuan's eyes lit up immediately.

"It can even enhance comprehension?"

A surge of emotion welled up within him.

In the practice of cultivation, the greatest fear is getting stuck at a critical juncture and failing to grasp the essence.

Some techniques are so subtle that they seem so close yet so distant, yet some people remain stuck for months or even years without truly understanding them.

Although the Water Soul Flower panel says "Slightly Enhanced", even a slight increase in comprehension is precious!

If this Water Soul Flower could be planted all over the entire mortuary, quantitative change would lead to qualitative change!

Seeing him staring intently at the Water Spirit Flower, Uncle Nine explained, "This flower is just average. It's only a bit resilient and is a basic ingredient for refining the Heart-Clearing Pill. However, the seeds are quite difficult to produce; it's possible that only one out of a dozen plants will produce seeds."

At this point, Uncle Nine paused, a subtle expression appearing on his face: "One of your uncles has quite a few. I got seven or eight from him; that should be enough for you."

Lin Xuan's eyes flickered upon hearing this.

This thing is not only incredibly resilient, but most importantly, it enhances one's comprehension!

However, this "living well away from water" trait is quite useful.

Its ability to survive even after being removed from water means it can be made into a portable plant-based magical artifact.

For example, the Water Spirit Flower Wreath or something.

A little water sprayed daily is all it takes to keep it alive.

When worn on the head, the fragrance of flowers lingers, constantly refreshing the mind and aiding in comprehension.

If I can obtain the method for refining plant-based magical artifacts in the future, and then refine this Water Soul Flower again, the effect will definitely be even better.

As for the seeds, Lin Xuan was not worried.

While others might only have one seed plant out of a dozen, in his hands, with the power of the system's enlightenment and his Dao Qi's nourishment, perhaps three to five plants could produce seeds.

Moreover, as the flowers are continuously produced, the quality will only improve with each generation.

"nice one."

Lin Xuan gave a soft compliment and carefully placed the Water Soul Flower aside.

Seeing how much he cherished it, Uncle Nine's smile deepened. He didn't disturb him, but simply drank his tea quietly.

Lin Xuan reached his hand into the Qiankun Bag again.

Soon, a medicinal herb resembling an orchid was taken out.

The roots and stems of this medicinal herb are crystal clear, as if covered with a thin layer of frost. The leaves are long and slightly curled, with a faint blue luster flowing through the veins.

Upon closer inspection, a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafts through the air, like a mountain spring washing over a stone wall, its coolness penetrating the nostrils.

Lin Xuan glanced at it.

【Cold Spring Dendrobium】

Grade: White

【Special Feature: Nourishes and moisturizes the blood vessels】

[Nourishing the Meridians and Collaterals: Its mild and moistening properties can nourish the meridians and alleviate damage caused by the erosion of Qi.]

Growth rate: 90%

[Dao Guo: Formula for Nourishing Meridians Elixir]

......

"prescription?"

Lin Xuan's eyes lit up again, and his heart warmed slightly.

Compared to medicinal herbs alone, prescriptions are much more precious.

Once a medicinal herb is used up, it's gone.

However, a mature medicine formula can be continuously refined as long as there are enough medicinal materials.

Moreover, with the system at his disposal, the medicinal herbs not only grow faster, but their medicinal potency also far surpasses that of ordinary herbs!

The pills refined from this material will be even more effective!

The Nourishing Vein Elixir is also very suitable for him now.

As he acquires more and more Taoist techniques and receives more and more feedback from plants and fruits, the Qi purging his meridians will become stronger and stronger.

With the aid of the Meridian Nourishing Elixir, one will have fewer concerns when cultivating in the future, and will not have to worry about damaging the meridians and affecting the progress.

Uncle Nine then spoke up, "This thing is suited to growing in cold, shady places, and our mortuary doesn't have such a place. But luckily, it's almost fully grown, so I just brought it back."

He paused, then added, "By the way, this stuff can be made into a medicinal liquid, and the prescription is quite simple. I also picked up some of the corresponding herbs and formulas."

As he spoke, Uncle Nine opened another storage bag and dumped it onto the table.

slam-la-

More than ten kinds of medicinal herbs appeared on the table, filling a small area.

Lin Xuan looked at the table full of medicinal herbs, his lips twitching involuntarily. He asked in a low voice, "Master, did you get all these herbs from Uncle-Master? You...you didn't fight with that Uncle-Master when you took these herbs, did you?"

Uncle Nine remained expressionless and waved his hand: "No, he's very willing."

But involuntarily, I recalled the scene from that day.

That day, he arrived at his junior brother's cave. They first exchanged pleasantries and drank two cups of tea.

The junior brother even asked his senior brother with a smile why he had time to come over, and whether he was missing any pills.

Then Uncle Nine started picking out things.

First, he dug up the seven or eight best-looking Water Spirit Flowers from his junior brother's herb garden, roots and all, and the smile on his junior brother's face froze.

Then he took a fancy to the Dendrobium nobile, not only picking all the nearly mature plants, but also sweeping up the accompanying medicinal herbs.

My junior brother's face had turned a little pale.

When Uncle Nine asked for the prescription again, his junior brother jumped up from his chair, pointed at his nose, and yelled, "Lin Fengjiao! Are you here to visit or to ransack my house?! I've painstakingly raised you for three years, and you just come and take it all away! You even took the prescription!"

Uncle Nine remained expressionless, simply asking slowly, "Who protected you when you broke through your bottleneck last time?"

The junior brother's momentum immediately weakened by three points.

Uncle Nine added, "When your apprentice was injured by evil spirits last time, who rushed to his rescue overnight?"

The junior brother's lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

In the end, Uncle Nine "reluctantly" took less, but still put the prescription in his pocket.

As he was leaving, his junior brother was so angry he was jumping up and down. Standing at the entrance of the cave, he shouted at him, "Lin Fengjiao! Don't ever come back again! If you do, I'll unleash my dogs on you!"

Uncle Nine waved his hand without turning his head, leaving behind the words: "Forget about the dog. Your black dog wags its tail more enthusiastically when it sees me than when it sees you."

The junior apprentice was so angry he almost fainted.

Thinking of this, Uncle Nine picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled slightly.

Looking at Uncle Nine's nonchalant demeanor, Lin Xuan's face flashed with suspicion.

Is what his master said true?

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Lin Xuan took the prescription from Uncle Jiu and read it carefully.

The prescription is indeed quite simple. The main ingredient is Dendrobium nobile, supplemented with several common herbs for nourishing the blood vessels. The preparation method is also not complicated.

I wonder if these two formulas are the same? I hope Daoguo's formula is better, so the medicine will be more effective...

Lin Xuan placed the Dendrobium nobile aside and took out the third spiritual herb.

This is a small grass that is entirely light blue.

The grass leaves are slender with slightly whitish tips. The whole plant is not tall, but it grows extremely upright.

"This stuff is a material for making incense sticks, and it was also obtained from your uncle."

"Of course, I also grabbed some other materials for making incense sticks. We're going to make incense anyway, so it saves us the trouble of buying them."

As Uncle Nine spoke, he waved his hand, and many more materials appeared on the table.

There was dried wood powder, solidified resin, ground stone powder, and a small bundle of dried grass stems that also smelled of sandalwood—a total of seven or eight different things.

Lin Xuan's eyes twitched violently when he saw it.

"Master... are you sure you didn't fight with Uncle-Master?!" Lin Xuan gasped, his eyes darting between his uncle and Ninth Uncle, as if trying to glean some clue from his face. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"He's no match for... cough," Uncle Nine coughed, forcibly changing the subject, "You don't need to worry about that. Just take the materials and practice diligently. Once you've learned alchemy, refine some good pills and give some to him later."

Lin Xuan sighed. It seemed that he would definitely repay this senior uncle's favor when he came across good materials or pills in the future.

Otherwise, Master would probably get a severe scolding.

He shook his head and focused his attention on the spiritual herb in his hand.

His gaze fell.

【Concentrating Herb】

Grade: White

【Special trait: Concentration and nourishment of the spirit】

[Nourishing the Mind and Spirit: The pure energy of herbs and trees can nourish the spirit and relieve mental fatigue.]

Growth rate: 95%

[Dao Guo: Formula for Concentrating the Mind]

......

"A formula for calming the mind?"

Lin Xuan looked at the panel, his expression showing a hint of surprise.

The system also includes a recipe for making incense sticks?

Actually, making incense sticks is relatively simple. Usually, it involves gluing together spices and fixing them in place to create incense sticks.

He had previously obtained a piece of agarwood from Boss Zhang in Qingmu Town, intending to make incense sticks upon his return.

Unexpectedly, before the incense was even made, the ingredients were already overflowing...

"Since Master has already brought it back, let's make incense sticks first."

Incense sticks have many uses and are consumed quickly. They are indispensable for chanting scriptures, meditation, nourishing the mind, invoking deities, setting up altars, and worshipping ancestral masters.

Lin Xuan composed himself and took out the last white-grade item from his Qiankun bag.

A string of gourd vines.

The gourd vine was about the length of an arm, and its body was bluish-brown.

A few tender leaves hang from the vine, their edges adorned with faint golden lines, and several tiny gourd-shaped buds, the size of grains of rice, hang from the vine nodes.

It looks ordinary, not much different from the wild gourds growing on the ridges of fields in the countryside.

But as soon as Lin Xuan's gaze fell upon it, his expression suddenly hardened.

【Different species of gourd vine】

Grade: White

【Special Features: Absorbs Qi and nurtures the spirit, preserves the soul and stores the essence】

[Qi-Absorbing Gourd: The vine can absorb various energies from the surrounding environment, such as spiritual energy, yin energy, and incense smoke, to fuel the gourd's growth.]

[Nourish the Soul and Contain the Spirit: The gourd that grows from it is naturally close to the soul and can nurture remnants of the soul and spirits.]

Growth rate: 55%

[Dao Guo: The Art of Spirit Preservation]

......

"Spirit-storing technique?"

Lin Xuan looked at the Dao Fruit on the panel and couldn't help but gasp.

What was born from this thing was also the "Spirit Absorption Technique"!

The entry was almost identical to the one he had seen on the dragon and phoenix jade pendant.

He subconsciously touched the dragon and phoenix jade pendant in his arms, and a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

This gourd vine itself possesses two characteristics: [Qi-gathering gourd] and [Soul-nourishing and spirit-concealing], which can enhance the gourd's soul-nourishing effect!

Now, the Dao Fruit matches the inscription on the jade pendant.

If the Dragon and Phoenix Jade Pendant is used to enhance it, the effect of the "Spirit Absorption Technique" will be greatly improved!

The Soul-Nourishing Gourd.

The Soul-Capturing Gourd.

It's even possible that in the future, they could be refined into magical artifacts specifically for nurturing the spirits of ghost soldiers, ghost servants, and plants.

Lin Xuan stared at the several tiny gourd-like shapes on the vine, and seven figures flashed through his mind...

Words,

If his gourd vine continues to grow and multiply, and is further enhanced with various Daoist artifacts, it might actually produce several gourd babies...