65: Chapter 65 Qi Gathering Grass

Finally, and the matter he was most anxious about in his heart, was to find the spirit cleansing grass that could alter his Spiritual Root.

His Spiritual Root Aptitude was not high. Although bolstered by traits like Cultivation and Sword Heart Clarity, his Cultivation Speed far surpassed his peers, he was ultimately constrained by the Spiritual Root itself. Even if he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, his future Cultivation Speed would gradually slow, and he might even find it difficult to reach higher Realms.

Only by using the spirit cleansing grass to reshape his Spiritual Root and improve his Aptitude could he break these shackles, allowing his path of Immortal Cultivation to go further, completely shedding the shortcomings of his Innate deficiencies.

...

Qingyun Tower.

Every New Year, many fellow townspeople from Beihai Prefecture would gather on the second floor.

At this moment, the private room was already brightly lit, with tables and chairs neatly arranged, covered with fine wine and exquisite dishes.

Inside the private room, over ten Disciples wearing Outer Sect robes of the Heavenly Sword Sect sat together.

Although they had joined the Heavenly Sword Sect for many years,

due to their Spiritual Roots and poor Cultivation resources, they all remained in the Outer Sect.

Even Lin Yao, with the highest Cultivation among them, was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Most of the others were at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, and there were even a few still at Qi Refining Level 3.

Usually busy with their own Cultivation within the Sect, they rarely had the chance to gather like this. Now, they were chatting and laughing merrily, catching up on recent events, the atmosphere very lively.

Among them, some had made Breakthroughs in their Cultivation, others had received desired missions. Their words were filled with expectations for the new year.

"Have you heard? Last year, Senior Brother Hu Nan performed a great service! The lead on the evil Cultivator that Fairy Qingling killed was reported by him. In the end, he received the 'Gale Sword Technique' and a reward of ten Spirit Stones!"

"That's right! I was near the Mission Hall at the time and saw Fairy Qingling reward him!"

"It's a shame I didn't know Li Cheng was that evil Cultivator!"

"That Gale Sword Technique is something only Inner Sect Disciples can Cultivate!"

"Ten Spirit Stones are equivalent to more than a year of our stipend!"

"Among us fellow townspeople, only Senior Brother Hu Nan has such an Opportunity, to gain Fairy Qingling's appreciation. Truly amazing!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, their words full of admiration and envy. Many muttered that if they had the chance, they must ask Hu Nan for advice to see if they could also obtain some Opportunity.

Just then, the wooden door of the private room was gently pushed open, and Hu Nan's figure slowly walked in.

The previously noisy room instantly quieted for a moment. All eyes turned to Hu Nan. Then, everyone stood up, warm smiles on their faces, quickly stepping forward to surround Hu Nan, offering greetings and congratulations.

"Senior Brother Hu, you've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for so long!"

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Hu Nan! Performing a great service last year and receiving Fairy Qingling's reward, you're truly the pride of us fellow townspeople from Beihai Prefecture!"

"Exactly! Senior Brother Hu Nan, this is a heaven-sent Opportunity for you. You can't just let it pass. Today, you must treat us all, let us share in your good fortune!"

Everyone spoke over each other, their tones warm, smiles genuine, mixing sincere congratulations with a bit of teasing.

Surrounded by the crowd, Hu Nan's expression remained calm. He bowed slightly to everyone, his tone respectful and gentle: "Thank you all for your congratulations, fellow townspeople. A minor Opportunity, not worth mentioning. Since you all have spoken today, it's only right that I host. Please, enjoy yourselves to the fullest."

Seeing Hu Nan so agreeable, everyone cheered. They hurriedly pulled Hu Nan to sit near the head of the table. Some busied themselves pouring him spirit wine, others picking choice dishes for him.

After several rounds of drinks, the conversation gradually shifted from greetings and congratulations to recent Sect affairs.

Some fellow townspeople spoke of their troubles with difficult Cultivation Breakthroughs, while others boasted about the easy missions they had received.

Hu Nan set down his wine cup and asked, "Fellow townspeople, our gathering today is quite rare. I wonder if any significant events have occurred within the Sect this year?"

Hearing Hu Nan's question, everyone stopped their chatter and began speaking, one after another.

One Disciple spoke first, his tone casual: "What major events could there be? It's the same as every year, the monthly Outer Sect assessments."

"Exactly!" Another Disciple chimed in, his tone carrying a mix of anticipation and apprehension. "But what's different this year is that the Sect has already set the rules. Next spring, they will hold an Outer Sect Grand Competition. It's said the rewards are extremely generous, including a large number of Spirit Stones, Spiritual Plants, Spirit Treasures, and even the chance to receive guidance from an Inner Sect Elder, or even directly promote to Inner Sect Disciple!"

These words caused an immediate uproar. Everyone began discussing animatedly.

Some rubbed their hands eagerly, determined to make a name for themselves in the competition;

others wore troubled expressions, lamenting their insufficient Cultivation and feeling they could only watch from afar;

still others calculated quietly, thinking how to use this year to improve their Cultivation and strive for the competition's rewards.

Hu Nan listened quietly, nodding slightly. He didn't interject much, just silently noted this information—the Outer Sect assessments, and even next year's Outer Sect Grand Competition, though not closely related to Qin Changsheng's current plans, were still important Sect developments that might prove useful later.

Just as everyone was heatedly discussing, Zhang Han suddenly stood up and said, "Everyone, what you're talking about is all routine, nothing particularly new. However, I did hear about something that might be an Opportunity for many of us."

The room instantly fell silent again, all eyes focusing on Zhang Han.

Lin Yao quickly pressed, "Zhang Han, stop keeping us in suspense. What is it? Tell us quickly!"

Zhang Han smiled and slowly said, "I also learned this by chance from the market. This year, Fairy Qingling is recruiting people specifically to plant Qi Gathering Grass."

"Qi Gathering Grass?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise, their faces filled with astonishment and confusion. "Why would Fairy Qingling suddenly recruit people to plant Qi Gathering Grass?!"

"Although Qi Gathering Grass isn't considered a rare Spiritual Plant, it's a core material for refining Qi Gathering Pills, with extremely high demand. It's just that planting it is quite tedious and consumes a lot of Spiritual Qi. Ordinary Disciples are reluctant to take it on."

Zhang Han nodded and added, "I'm not clear on the specific reason either. I only know Fairy Qingling has specially designated a spirit herb garden with abundant Spiritual Qi. She will also provide Qi Gathering Grass seeds and basic planting tools. Anyone willing to plant will be rewarded with three Spirit Stones once the grass matures!"

"If the planting goes well, there might even be additional rewards from Fairy Qingling."

The private room erupted in discussion again. Some were tempted but wary of the tedious planting and Spiritual Qi consumption;

others directly shook their heads in refusal, thinking it better to do missions for quicker rewards, not worth spending time planting Spiritual Plants.

And at this moment, in a quiet Outer Sect courtyard, Qin Changsheng also opened his eyes.

When the words "Fairy Qingling," "planting Qi Gathering Grass," and "Qi Gathering Pill material" reached his ears, an irrepressible joy appeared on Qin Changsheng's face.

Over the past few months, Qin Changsheng had also had Hu Nan purchase Qi Gathering Grass on a large scale.

However, after buying it a few times, he discovered that the Qi Gathering Grass seemed to have been bought out.

Trying to purchase Qi Gathering Grass had also become very difficult.

"Qi Gathering Grass!" Qin Changsheng murmured to himself, a note of excitement in his tone.

His primary goal this year was to collect enough Spiritual Plants to refine Qi Gathering Pills, aiding his push towards the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Now, with Fairy Qingling recruiting people to plant Qi Gathering Grass, it was practically a heaven-sent Opportunity!

He possessed the Golden Trait [Cultivation].

This trait not only increased his Cultivation Speed but also enhanced Spiritual Plant planting. At harvest time, he could actually harvest five Qi Gathering Grass plants.

"Qi Gathering Grass matures in about half a year," Qin Changsheng quickly calculated in his heart.

He only needed to plant for half a year to harvest enough Qi Gathering Grass.

With so much Qi Gathering Grass, he could quickly break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining, and even have a chance to reach Level 10 Qi Refining Stage.

This was practically an Opportunity tailor-made for him. He wouldn't need to spend a lot of time buying Spiritual Plants in the market, nor worry about insufficient quantities.

He only needed to go to Fairy Qingling's spirit herb garden to plant, and he could easily obtain the Spiritual Plants needed to refine Qi Gathering Pills.

At the same time,

the others were still discussing Fairy Qingling's Qi Gathering Grass matter endlessly. Some were tempted but hesitant, others outright refused. Amidst the laughter and chatter, the lively atmosphere of fellow townspeople gathering was in full swing.

Hu Nan's gaze, however, turned to Li Hu.

Because he noticed Li Hu had been drinking continuously since the gathering started, not speaking at all, and his mood didn't seem good.

One must know, in previous years' gatherings, Li Hu had been very active.

"Li Hu, what's wrong with you?"

"Why haven't you said a single word at this year's gathering?" Hu Nan asked.

Everyone's eyes also turned to Li Hu.

Zhang Han even asked, "Li Hu, do you have something on your mind?"

"Sigh!" Li Hu let out a heavy sigh before saying, "Someone robbed me of a High Grade Yellow-rank Magical Artifact longsword!"

"What?"

"A High Grade Yellow-rank longsword?"

"How could you be so careless?"

"Who took your Magical Artifact?"

Many Disciples asked in quick succession.

Li Hu took a big gulp of spirit wine before speaking. "Remember a month ago when we went together to explore that Secret Realm?"

"Of course we remember!"

"We all had quite some gains!"

"We even killed a Qi Refining Level 3 demon wolf!"

"What does that have to do with the High Grade Yellow-rank Magical Artifact longsword?"

Everyone asked.

"Inside that Secret Realm, I found a High Grade Yellow-rank Magical Artifact longsword!"

"That sword, its blade was gleaming and cold. But who would have thought, someone else snatched it halfway!" Li Hu finished and took another drink.

"Senior Brother Li, who took your longsword?" Zhang Han pressed.

"It was the Great Chieftain of the Black Wind Stronghold!" Li Hu gritted his teeth, his tone carrying a mix of fear and helplessness. "You've all heard of the Black Wind Stronghold's Great Chieftain. He's at Qi Refining Stage 7, ruthless in his methods, and commands a group of desperadoes. They usually rob passing Cultivators near the Black Wind Stronghold!"

"I never expected he would also sneak into the Secret Realm and happen to see me with the Magical Artifact."

He paused, then said slowly, "I was no match for him at all. He saw my low Cultivation at a glance, directly struck to push me back, and snatched that High Grade Yellow-rank Magical Artifact sword!"

"If I hadn't run fast, I probably would have lost my life in that Secret Realm. I could only watch helplessly as he took what should have been my Magical Artifact."

As his words fell, the private room plunged into silence. Everyone's faces were filled with regret.

A High Grade Yellow-rank Magical Artifact, even among Inner Sect Disciples, could be considered a rare treasure. Especially a Magical Artifact sword, perfectly suited for Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples' Cultivation. Such an Opportunity, actually missed by Li Hu—anyone would feel regret.

"That Black Wind Stronghold Great Chieftain is truly despicable!"

"The Black Wind Stronghold Great Chieftain is already at Qi Refining Stage 7!"

"We're no match for him!"

"When we're stronger in the future, we'll go settle the score with him!"

"Right, right! Let's Cultivate hard and then help Senior Brother Li get his Magical Artifact sword back!"

Everyone was very indignant.