Transplanting the Spirit Fruit Tree

At this moment, this white-robed Carefree Sect disciple, who looked meek and somewhat dull-witted, was none other than Du Yucheng, who had brutally killed his former fellow cultivators in this demonic beast cave several months ago.

Yet before these Foundation Establishment seniors, his face had once again taken on his characteristic honest and simple expression. His eyes occasionally darted among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, with none of the fierce savagery he had displayed when killing Wu Ziyuan remaining.

After escaping the pool that day, Du Yucheng had not returned to Qinghe County. Instead, he had traveled several thousand li to Mount Guyang, the Carefree Sect's mountain gate, and directly offered up news of this Water Spirit Fruit Tree to the sect.

However, so as not to draw attention, he had not mentioned how the Liu Family had organized several Qinghe County clans to come here for Demon Hunting. He had merely claimed that he had accidentally entered this pool and discovered the Water Spirit Fruit Tree and the Black Feathered Python.

A Water Spirit Fruit Tree was a spiritual treasure capable of affecting the Carefree Sect's very foundation, its value impossible to measure. The news Du Yucheng brought had even alerted True Person Guangling, the Carefree Sect's administrative Sect Leader.

After learning of the matter, True Person Guangling had dispatched Tian Qinghu that very day, along with a group of sect disciples, to bring Du Yucheng back to this pool.

This time, they had not only come to kill the Black Feathered Python occupying this place. The Carefree Sect had also sent a Mid-grade Level 2 Spirit Planter Master, intending to transplant the Water Spirit Fruit Tree directly into the sect's Spiritual Medicine Garden.

Among all the Five Elements Spirit Fruit Trees planted in the Carefree Sect's Spiritual Medicine Garden, only a dozen or so were Thousand-year old and capable of bearing fruit. Finding a mature wild Five Elements Spirit Fruit Tree in the wilderness was an unexpected delight for the Carefree Sect.

Normally, a Five Elements Spirit Fruit Tree had to reach a Thousand-year old before it began bearing fruit. Generally, a Spirit Fruit would mature once every hundred years. If planted in high-grade spiritual land and carefully tended by a high-grade Spirit Planter Master, the time required for the fruit to mature could be shortened.

It was precisely by firmly controlling the two main ingredients of the Foundation Establishment Pill, Five Elements Spirit Fruit and Jade Marrow Golden Ganoderma, that the Carefree Sect had dominated the Wei State Cultivation World for thousands of years.

After arriving at the Carefree Sect, Du Yucheng had not only smoothly joined the sect as an Inner Disciple by offering up this Water Spirit Fruit Tree, but had also received several hundred Spirit Stones as a reward.

Furthermore, True Person Guangling had promised him that if Du Yucheng could cultivate to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining before Sixty years old, the sect could provide him with a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Though in True Person Guangling's eyes, Du Yucheng's talent was ordinary. Even after joining the Carefree Sect and gaining more cultivation resources, reaching the Ninth Level of Qi Refining before Sixty years old would not be easy.

Although he had now been promised a Foundation Establishment Pill in the future, that was a matter of several decades later. Du Yucheng, with his mediocre Spirit Root aptitude, would most likely never receive it.

The sect only needed to spend a few hundred Spirit Stones and take in one insignificant additional disciple in exchange for a Five Elements Spirit Fruit Tree. To the Carefree Sect, this was simply a business deal that yielded ten thousandfold profit from a single investment.

It was under True Person Guangling's meticulous arrangements that this Floating Cloud Mountain Range Mission for the Carefree Sect members had come about.

For this Water Spirit Fruit Tree, the Carefree Sect had not only sent Tian Qinghu, a Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but also Li Yungong, a core disciple whose combat strength was comparable to Foundation Establishment Late Stage, along with Cheng Ziyan at Foundation Establishment Layer 4 and Wei Shaoyun at Foundation Establishment Second Layer.

So long as they did not encounter a Level 3 Demonic Beast or a Golden Core Master, the four of them together made this mission practically foolproof. This showed just how much the Carefree Sect valued this Water Spirit Fruit Tree.

Tian Qinghu sensed the fluctuations of spiritual power inside the cave, then said with a smile, "There truly is a Level 2 Water Vein here. No wonder a spiritual treasure like a Water Spirit Fruit Tree could be born here."

Other than Du Yucheng, the Qi Refining Cultivator, everyone else nodded after hearing this. They were all Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and the moment they had entered the cave, they had already sensed the Spiritual Energy pouring from the underwater spiritual vein.

Led by Du Yucheng, the group of five quickly arrived in the depths of the cave and saw the target of their mission: the Water Spirit Fruit Tree.

Several months had passed, yet the Water Spirit Fruit Tree, gleaming with blue Spirit Fruits, remained just as dazzling as ever. Once Du Yucheng saw that it was safe and sound, the stone hanging over his heart finally dropped.

He knew perfectly well that from the time they had left the Carefree Sect and returned to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range, his fate had remained in the hands of the Carefree Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators before him. If he failed to lead them to the Water Spirit Fruit Tree, then in the next instant, he would likely become one of the skeletons outside.

"Haha, it truly is a mature Water Spirit Fruit Tree. So long as we bring this Spirit Fruit Tree back safely, Martial Uncle Guangling will certainly reward us handsomely."

Looking at the Water Spirit Fruit Tree before him, shining with blue light, Tian Qinghu smiled broadly and continued, asking Cheng Ziyan beside him, "Junior Sister Cheng, take a look at this Water Spirit Fruit Tree. Are there any problems with it? Can it be transplanted now?"

Cheng Ziyan stepped forward and carefully examined the Water Spirit Fruit Tree. Then, frowning slightly, she said to the others:

"This Water Spirit Fruit Tree is already five chi tall and is probably around two thousand years old. It seems that one Spirit Fruit on the tree matured not long ago, though I do not know where it went. The other Spirit Fruits still need nearly a hundred years before maturing. It can be transplanted at any time now."

"Nephew Du, when you discovered this tree, did you see that mature Water Spirit Fruit?" Tian Qinghu's expression changed, and he asked Du Yucheng behind him with a somewhat darkened face.

The moment Du Yucheng heard this, panic surged through his heart. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and explained, "This disciple only happened to stumble into this place by chance that day. I did not see any mature Spirit Fruit. That Black Feathered Python guarded this place day and night. With this disciple's meager cultivation, how could I possibly steal a Spirit Fruit right under its nose? If all you Martial Uncles and Elders do not believe me, you may inspect this disciple's Storage Bag."

After saying this, Du Yucheng quickly dumped everything from his Storage Bag in one heap. Spirit Stones and miscellaneous items scattered across the ground, clattering endlessly.

Cheng Ziyan swept a glance through the contents of Du Yucheng's Storage Bag and confirmed that he truly had no Water Spirit Fruit on him. Seeing how frightened he had become, she said somewhat pityingly:

"Senior Brother Tian, that mature Water Spirit Fruit was probably already consumed by the Black Feathered Python. That Black Feathered Python has cultivated here for many years; it must have come for this Spirit Fruit as well."

"Look at how timid this brat is. How could he possibly dare snatch food from the Black Feathered Python's mouth? Even if you gave him two more guts, he would not dare deceive us." Li Yungong glanced at Du Yucheng, who was kneeling on the ground, and spoke with some disdain.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wei at the side also chimed in, "Senior Sister Cheng is probably right. It is just a pity that we failed to obtain that mature Water Spirit Fruit. If we could have gained one more Water Spirit Fruit, the sect would surely have granted more rewards for this mission. We can only say that our luck was not quite good enough this time. Fortunately, the Water Spirit Fruit Tree is already in hand, so the mission can still be considered complete." After speaking, he sighed regretfully.

After hearing them out, Tian Qinghu nodded thoughtfully and said indifferently to Du Yucheng on the ground:

"Nephew Du, what are you doing? I was merely asking casually. You have rendered great service to the sect this time, and Martial Uncle Guangling has also instructed me to take better care of you along the way. Get up quickly. What sort of appearance is this, kneeling on the ground?"

Only then did Du Yucheng rise somewhat blankly. Still frightened, he stood off to one side at a loss until Cheng Ziyan before him pointed to the ground. Then he grinned foolishly and began gathering up the items that had fallen there.

Only after hearing Cheng Ziyan and the others did Tian Qinghu's expression ease slightly. Smiling at Cheng Ziyan, he said, "Junior Sister Cheng, the transplanting of the Water Spirit Fruit Tree will depend on you, our Level 2 Spirit Planter Master."

"Senior Brother Tian is too courteous. It is my duty to the sect. How could this little sister dare speak of hardship?"

After saying this, Cheng Ziyan nodded. She first took out a Level 2 Formation Array and sealed the spiritual workings around the Water Spirit Fruit Tree's roots. Then she produced a Level 2 Magic Tool unique to Spirit Planter Masters, carefully dug the entire Water Spirit Fruit Tree out from underground with its roots intact, and cautiously used Level 2 Talismans to temporarily seal the whole tree.

The group carefully carried the Water Spirit Fruit Tree out of the cave. After the five emerged from the pool, Tian Qinghu patted his Storage Bag and released a Green Small Boat only three cun long. The Spirit Boat swelled in the wind, instantly growing to two zhang in size, and Tian Qinghu stepped onto it with the tip of his foot.

The others followed him aboard the Spirit Boat. Tian Qinghu formed a hand seal with both hands, and the Spirit Boat instantly transformed into a streak of green light, flying a hundred zhang away in the blink of an eye.