Sword Grass

After returning home, Lu Xuan took the nearly dried-up Spirit Seed from his robes and examined it closely.

The withered Spirit Seed was long and slender like a sword, grayish-black in color. Perhaps because much of its vitality had drained away, its form looked slightly shriveled.

Although Xu Wan had already told Lu Xuan that she and Zhang Hong had once planted another identical Spirit Seed without success, Lu Xuan had great confidence.

After all, as long as he successfully planted this withered Spirit Seed, he would be able to learn its subtle needs through its real-time status, check what was lacking and make up for it. There was a very good chance he could cultivate it successfully.

Once the thought came to him, Lu Xuan acted on it. He found a small empty patch in the Spirit Field and circulated the Earth Guidance Art. A tiny crack appeared in the Spirit Soil, just large enough to accommodate the withered Spirit Seed.

After burying the withered Spirit Seed, Lu Xuan continued to activate the Earth Guidance Art, gathering the faint Spiritual Energy within the Spirit Field and guiding it toward the Spirit Seed.

After absorbing several experience packs, the Earth Guidance Art had undergone a qualitative change. Not only could it alter the terrain within a localized area, it could also slightly guide the flow of Spiritual Power in the Spirit Field.

Once the faint Spiritual Power in the Spirit Soil merged into the Spirit Seed, Lu Xuan gathered his mind on the withered Spirit Seed with some unease.

A thought flashed through his mind.

"Sword Grass, Second Grade Spirit Seed. After the Spirit Plant matures, it will be like a sword blade, sharp and resilient, a natural material for refining Flying Swords."

"I feel like I'm about to dry up. Let a great rain of Spiritual Energy come and moisten me to my heart's content!"

After digesting this thought, Lu Xuan was overjoyed.

Sure enough, just as he had expected, after planting this withered Spirit Seed, he had not only learned the corresponding Spirit Plant's information, but also clearly understood the Spirit Seed's detailed needs.

He immediately circulated the Spiritual Energy in his body. Above the withered Spirit Seed, hazy water vapor appeared in an instant. Immediately after, strands of Spirit Rain fell drop by drop and seeped into the soil.

The Sword Grass Spirit Seed, like a long-parched field meeting sweet rain, greedily absorbed the Spirit Rain.

After one round of Spirit Rain, Lu Xuan used his Spiritual Sense to examine the Sword Grass Spirit Seed and found that it was still in a withered state.

"More. I want more. The more water, the better."

"You're just a mere Second Grade Spirit Seed. My Qi Training Stage 3 cultivation still can't satisfy you?"

Lu Xuan gave a derisive laugh. Already incomparably familiar with the Spirit Rain Technique, he cast another round of Spirit Rain almost instantly.

"More. I want more!"

Lu Xuan snorted coldly. Little thing, watch me moisten you to death!...

After seventeen rounds of the Spirit Rain Technique, Lu Xuan clenched his teeth tightly and once again circulated the Spiritual Energy in his body.

Above the Sword Grass Spirit Seed, Spiritual Energy surged for a moment, then quickly vanished without a trace. Not a single drop of Spirit Rain fell.

"There's none left. Truly not a single drop left."

He staggered to his feet, feeling only dizziness and swelling in his head, with stars flashing before his eyes.

This was the negative effect of overusing Spiritual Energy.

Although his cultivation had already stabilized at Qi Training Stage 3 and was much deeper than before, no amount of Spiritual Energy could withstand such continuous, nonstop use.

He gathered his mind on the Sword Grass Spirit Seed.

"More. I want more..."

Lu Xuan shuddered and hurriedly moved far away.

However, so many rounds of meticulous moistening with the Spirit Rain Technique had not been without effect. He sensed that the Sword Grass Spirit Seed in the soil had become much fuller, with a lively and vigorous appearance.

Two days later, aside from the basic care of the other Spirit Plants, Lu Xuan had placed all his focus on this Second Grade Sword Grass Spirit Seed.

After who knew how many rounds of the Spirit Rain Technique, the Spirit Seed's real-time status finally changed.

"Sword Grass, Second Grade Spirit Plant. During cultivation, it requires a certain amount of Spiritual Energy. In addition, it also needs to be nourished by Sword Qi from time to time to stimulate its growth."

"It needs to be nourished by Sword Qi. As expected of a Second Grade Spirit Plant, its requirements are clearly on a different level. I imagine the main reason Zhang Dage and the others failed lies here. After all, Spirit Seeds are generally rather delicate. Who would lose their mind and use Sword Qi to stimulate one?"

Lu Xuan came to a sudden realization. He understood where Zhang Hong and the others had failed in planting it, and felt even more fortunate that he could grasp a Spirit Plant's real-time status at any moment.

As for Sword Qi, he had the ready-made Gold Metal Swordplay himself.

The Spiritual Power in his body circulated. Under Lu Xuan's mental control, a fine strand of golden Sword Qi nimbly drilled out from his finger, passed through the Spirit Field's soil, and struck the Sword Grass Spirit Seed.

In an instant, Lu Xuan seemed to hear the Spirit Seed in the soil let out a faint Sword Cry. Immediately afterward, the golden Sword Qi seeped into the Spirit Seed, leaving a shallow golden line on the surface of the grayish-black seed.

He followed the same method and sent out three more strands of golden Sword Qi, leaving marks on the Sword Grass Spirit Seed. Only after learning that the Sword Qi was already sufficient did he stop.

Only after the golden lines on the Spirit Seed disappeared could he use new Sword Qi to nourish the Sword Grass Spirit Seed.

"It has finally been planted successfully and has begun entering its growth stage."

"I wonder what kind of Light Orb reward a Second Grade Spirit Plant can bring..."

Through his Spiritual Sense, Lu Xuan sensed the subtle changes in the Sword Grass Spirit Seed and let out a sigh of relief.

He felt more and more deeply the importance of grasping a Spirit Plant's real-time status.

"Perhaps I can go to the Marketplace, or to the stalls of Rogue Cultivators, and look for some more Unknown Spirit Seeds?"

"Although Spirit Plants and Spirit Seeds that appear in the wild aren't common, it's not as if they don't exist."

"After Spirit Plants naturally mature, there is a certain probability that they will produce seeds. They can also be seized from other cultivators or Demonic Beasts, not to mention those strange and bizarre Secret Realms. It wouldn't be surprising for anything to appear there."

"Perhaps other cultivators also have some Unknown Spirit Seeds in their hands. To them, if the type of Spirit Seed is unclear, its value is difficult to assess, and it is also hard to plant successfully."

"But I'm different. I can know the planting conditions of a Spirit Seed. As long as I can satisfy them, the possibility of success is extremely high. In addition, I can also harvest Light Orb rewards."

The more Lu Xuan thought about it, the more feasible he felt the method was. But the moment he thought of the few Spirit Stones he had left in hand, he quickly calmed down again.

"Seeking to buy Unknown Spirit Seeds is, in the end, a gamble. Although my odds of winning are fairly high, I still can't say it's a sure win. More importantly, I don't have enough Spirit Stones to step into the game."

After all, when buying wild spirit seeds, first, there was no certainty they could be planted; second, there was no knowing what grade they were. If he bought First Grade or Second Grade ones, that would be fine, but if he bought ungraded ones, he might even take a loss.

"I'll wait until Zhang Dage and the other cultivators who went to the Reclamation Secret Realm come back. The grades of the spirit seeds produced in the secret realm will be more reliable, and at the same time, the quantity and variety circulating outside will be greater."

In Lu Xuan's impression, when he usually wandered around the market, he rarely saw stalls selling wild spirit seeds. Even when there were any, they were basically varieties well known to cultivators. Traces of Unknown Spirit Seeds were almost impossible to find.

He decided to let nature take its course. On ordinary days, he would accumulate more knowledge of Spirit Plants and pay closer attention in the market. If he discovered any Unknown Spirit Seeds, and if he had enough Spirit Stones on hand, he would do his best to pick them up.

The Spirit Plants in the courtyard right now were still more important.

The twenty stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass were growing extremely well. Their leaves, fully nourished by the spirit rain, stretched out lazily, while specks of fluorescent light reflected under the sunlight, flickering like stars.

The Red Cloud Pine had grown about another two inches taller. The fine red needles on the tree had become even denser, and under the stimulation of the Fireball Technique, it seemed like a hedgehog covered in red spines.

As for the Eclipse Moon Fruit, it had entered the stage of rapid ripening.