Insect Pest

The thought flashed through Lu Xuan's mind, and he felt something strange arise inside him.

The Spiritual Power that had been calm and peaceful suddenly surged, darting wildly through Lu Xuan's meridians.

Only after half a quarter hour did the uncontrolled Spiritual Power gradually settle down.

Lu Xuan carefully sensed the changes within his body, and a trace of joy rose uncontrollably on his face.

His cultivation had risen by a great deal all at once, equal to three months of bitter cultivation on an ordinary day. He was now only a hair's breadth from breaking through to Qi Training Stage 3.

"I've been transmigrated here for so long, and my Golden Finger has finally arrived."

Lu Xuan was beside himself with joy. In his previous life, both his mind and body had only been ordinary, and the aptitude and background of this body he had occupied were also thoroughly Common. If he had no cheat, who knew how he would be able to scrape by in the Cultivation World?

A piece of information surfaced in his mind, and through some mysterious sense, he understood everything about this White Light Orb.

For any Spirit Plant or spirit herb he personally planted and cultivated, after it matured and was harvested, he would obtain a White Light Orb reward. From the White Light Orb, all sorts of things could be opened, such as cultivation, Magic Tools, cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, and more.

How abundant the reward was depended on many factors: his degree of participation during the Spirit Plant's growth, the Spirit Plant's type, grade, appearance at maturity, and so on would all affect the size of the White Light Orb's reward.

Only he could see and touch the light orb. Outsiders could not see it. When picking Spirit Plants that he had not personally planted, he could not obtain a light orb reward.

"In other words, as long as I successfully plant a Spirit Plant, aside from the Spirit Plant itself, I can also obtain an additional light orb reward?"

"Doesn't that mean double the harvest, double the happiness?"

Lu Xuan looked at the Spirit Firefly Grass and Eclipse Moon Tree growing sturdily in the soil, as if he could see White Light Orbs flashing toward him one after another.

"I, Lu Xuan, can have today's achievements because I've always relied on my own hard cultivation and diligent care of Spirit Plants."

Lu Xuan could not help thinking this.

He sensed that ever since the White Light Orb appeared, the many Spirit Plants in the Spirit Field had also undergone some inexplicable change.

As if blessed by sudden inspiration, Lu Xuan focused his mind on a stalk of Spirit Firefly Grass beneath his feet.

An almost imperceptible Progress Bar appeared above the Spirit Firefly Grass. The Progress Bar was nearly full, indicating that this stalk of Spirit Firefly Grass was about to enter complete maturity.

A piece of information flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.

"Just nourished by spirit rain and fully satisfied, only the neighboring roots beside it are too big and too long, squeezing it a little."

What was this, the Spirit Plant's real-time state? With doubt in his heart, Lu Xuan gathered his mind on a nearby stalk of Spirit Firefly Grass.

Its Progress Bar was likewise more than half full, and the same information flashed through his mind.

The neighboring Spirit Firefly Grass was in quite good growing condition, but it also felt that its neighbor's roots were too long and too big, occupying its growth space.

"Well, there's nothing to be done about that. The Spirit Field is only this large, so I can only make you put up with it, roots piled upon roots."

Lu Xuan sighed.

Whether it was the growth Progress Bar or the real-time state, both were no small help to him. They allowed him to grasp the Spirit Plants' growth needs, adjust the details, and make them mature faster and better.

Looking at the Progress Bar that was about to reach the top, he wished he could immediately cast the Spirit Rain Technique and ripen the Spirit Firefly Grass.

But he also understood the principle that too much was as bad as too little. Proper nourishment was greatly beneficial to Spirit Plants, but if he nourished them too frequently, it would be no different from pulling up sprouts to help them grow.

Even if they matured, if their appearance was poor, it would also affect the White Light Orb's reward.

Thinking of this, Lu Xuan's urge to ripen the Spirit Firefly Grass and obtain the light orb reward instantly vanished.

Just as he was about to return to the house, he thought of something and turned toward the west side of the courtyard.

Since he could learn a Spirit Plant's real-time state, then would the Spirit Firefly Grass eroded by the fine black threads also reveal the truth?

He held his breath and focused, gathering his mind on that stalk of Spirit Firefly Grass tightly wrapped in fine black threads.

Its Progress Bar was not much different from the previous two, and was also about to fill up.

A piece of information poured into Lu Xuan's mind.

"A Spirit Firefly Grass eroded by Black Sprout Insect Larvae, in worrying condition. If not dealt with in time, the vitality within its body will be completely sucked away by the Black Sprout Insect, reducing it to withered grass."

"Black Sprout Insect Larvae..."

Lu Xuan murmured to himself, and the heart that had been hanging in suspense dropped by a small half.

Knowing the origin of the fine black threads made things much easier. At the very least, he no longer had to be like a headless fly, with no direction for a solution.

Hearing this name, he felt it was somewhat familiar. He hurried back into the house and pulled out a thick book.

Common Harmful Demon Insects and Their Solutions.

It recorded over a hundred kinds of common demon insects that might harm Spirit Plants during the process of planting spirit medicines, as well as the handling suggestions left by the book's author.

Lu Xuan flipped through page after page and quickly found detailed information about the Black Sprout Insect.

"Black Sprout Insect. The adult is as thick as a little finger, comes and goes like the wind, and loves to devour the branches and leaves of Spirit Plants."

"When laying eggs, it leaves them on Spirit Plants. After the eggs hatch, the larvae grow by absorbing the vitality of the Spirit Plants. Once the Spirit Plant's vitality is exhausted, they automatically leave and seek their next target."

"Solution: adults require a cultivator at Qi Training Stage 3 who is also skilled in offensive spells to deal with them safely."

"Unless one's Spiritual Sense is sharp, eggs and larvae are extremely difficult for Qi Refining Low Stage cultivators to detect."

"Because the larvae's targets are too small and are also linked together with the Spirit Plants, handling them can very easily affect and harm the Spirit Plants. Therefore, one needs considerable attainment in certain specific spells and minute control in order to resolve the problem."

Lu Xuan closed the book and shut his eyes in thought.

"To avoid harming the spirit plants corroded by the larvae, the spell used has to meet two conditions."

"First, it has to have enough killing power. Second, its area of effect has to be controllable."

Because he came from a lowly background, and his cultivation was only at Qi Training Stage 2, he currently knew only two low-grade spells.

One was Spirit Rain Technique, mainly used to nurture spirit plants, and the other was Fireball Technique, used for self-defense.

But with both spells, he could use them without mastering them; he was completely unable to achieve precise control.

Besides, neither spell looked like it met the specific requirements for clearing out Black Sprout Insect Larvae.

In the early stages, Spirit Rain Technique could only serve to moisten spirit plants. Lu Xuan estimated that if he cast the spell, not only would the Black Sprout Insect Larvae be completely unharmed, they might even become more excited...

As for Fireball Technique, its killing power was enough, but if one fireball went down, the result would be the Spirit Firefly Grass and the Black Sprout Insect Larvae perishing together.

"Looks like I still have to go to the Marketplace and seek help. Spend money to avert disaster, then."

"Fortunately, I can treat the illness with the right medicine. Saving even a little counts."

Lu Xuan touched the somewhat shriveled cloth pouch at his waist and sighed faintly.

"Little Brother Lu, are you home?"

Amid the thud, thud of knocking, a bright voice came from outside the courtyard.

Immediately afterward, a gray-black grass rope slithered over from the corner of the courtyard and lightly tapped Lu Xuan's knee.

It was precisely the Grass Puppet staying in the courtyard. Sensing that someone was about to intrude into the Spirit Field's range, it warned Lu Xuan.

"They already stopped outside the door for a while and even called out in greeting, and only now do you warn me? If they really had ill intentions, the house could be stolen from under your nose and you still might not react."

Lu Xuan looked at the Gray-Black Grass Rope withdrawing and could not help rubbing his forehead.

That voice sounded familiar. It belonged to one of the few cultivators Lu Xuan had come to know since crossing over.

"Coming, Zhang Dage!"

He replied, went to the courtyard gate, and opened the main door.

A tall cultivator with an honest, simple appearance walked in.

The visitor was named Zhang Hong, with cultivation at Qi Training Stage 3. He lived next door to Lu Xuan, had a Cultivation Partner at Qi Training Stage 2, and was raising a six- or seven-year-old child. When Lu Xuan had first arrived, Zhang Hong had given him quite a few pointers, sparing him many crooked paths.

"Zhang Dage, please come inside for a cup of hot tea."

Lu Xuan led Zhang Hong toward the house.

Zhang Hong turned his head to look at the well-growing Spirit Firefly Grass and Eclipse Moon Tree on both sides of the Blue Stone Path, then nodded.

"Little Brother Lu, you've cared for these two kinds of spirit plants quite well. Looks like in a while, you'll have a good harvest."

"It's just so-so. It can't compare to those spirit plants in your family's Spirit Field, Zhang Dage."

After Zhang Hong took his seat, Lu Xuan brewed him a cup of hot tea.

In the tea bowl, two or three tender green tea leaves floated up and down, spinning without stop.

Zhang Hong did not mind. He understood Lu Xuan's cultivation and family resources. Being able to offer a cup of tea with spirit tea in it was already quite courteous.

"As expected of Clear Rain Tea. Drinking it feels as though a misty drizzle is moistening the heart. Only here with Little Brother Lu do I get the chance to drink such a cup of fine tea."

"At home, your sister-in-law doesn't allow anything. Boring."

Zhang Hong carefully savored the effect brought by the spirit tea, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Thinking of the frustration he suffered at home, he could not help patting his thigh.

"There's no helping it. Sister-in-law has to prepare for Xiao Yuan's future, so naturally she can only calculate every grain and thread carefully."

"That's true."

Zhang Hong sighed. "Sometimes, I really do envy you, Little Brother Lu. All alone, without the pressure of supporting a family."

"You can live however you want, without quarreling over trivial chicken feathers and garlic skins, tea, rice, oil, and salt, and without worrying whether a child can grow up healthy and smoothly, or considering what cultivation method he should practice and what sect he might enter in the future."

"How carefree!"

"If Zhang Dage really became like me, I reckon you'd start thinking again about how happy it would be to have a wife, a child, and a warm bed at home."

Lu Xuan said with a smile.

"You brat. So young, yet you understand so much."

Zhang Hong had only been sighing casually. He laughed, then changed the subject.

"I came to find you this time because there's something I wanted to tell you."

"I learned through other channels that the Wang Family, a major family in the Marketplace, happened to obtain information about a secret realm. It's just that the secret realm lies far out in the Wilderness, so after some time, they'll recruit several hundred to a thousand cultivators above Qi Training Stage 2 to go and reclaim the secret realm."

"I wanted to see whether you had any thoughts about it. If you do, you can make preparations early."

"Reclaiming a secret realm?" Lu Xuan murmured, sinking into thought.

"I'll go over and take a look this time. The appearance of a New Secret Realm does carry no small amount of risk, but the gains will also be proportional to the risk. If I keep staying in the Marketplace planting spirit plants, it'll be hard to even maintain the family's normal expenses."

"As for you, Little Brother Lu, my personal suggestion is that you go and have a look. After all, there will be Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Wang Family charging at the very front. With our strength, it'll be hard for us to encounter those powerful Demonic Beasts and spirits."

"Most importantly, Little Brother Lu, you're still young. Being a Spirit Plant Master may be stable, but the resources you can obtain are limited, and your strength will improve slowly. If you spend too long planting spirit plants, your spirit will also be slowly worn away, and it'll be rare for you to have that sharpness to take another step forward."

Zhang Hong looked at Lu Xuan, who had lowered his head in thought, and offered a suggestion.

Lu Xuan nodded lightly. Indeed, what Zhang Hong said made a lot of sense. Reclamation Secret Realm carried a certain degree of risk, but it was still within a controllable range. Moreover, the appearance of a new secret realm often meant enormous profits. Even if he only got a mouthful of leftovers, it would take him a long time to fully digest them.

If this had been before, perhaps there might still have been the slightest possibility that he would agree.

But now, with the appearance of the White Light Orb, that tiny possibility had vanished without a trace.

Going out to take risks was, in the end, for the sake of obtaining cultivation resources, then coming back to exchange them for pills, cultivation techniques, Magic Tools, and so on. But all of that—he could get it just by staying home and planting Spirit Plants!

It was safer, the returns were greater—farming was just too sweet!

He pretended to ponder for a while, his expression conflicted, before finally raising his head and saying to Zhang Hong with apology in his eyes, "Zhang Dage, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I, Lu Xuan, have always been cautious and afraid of trouble. On top of that, my cultivation is low, and I don't have any spell techniques or methods I'm especially good at. If I went out, I'm afraid it'd be all too easy to go and never return."

"So I only want to stay at home, guard this small patch of Spirit Field, and quietly plant some Spirit Plants."

"As for the future, we'll just take things one step at a time."

Seeing that Lu Xuan had made up his mind, Zhang Hong could not help but sigh.

"Your way of thinking isn't wrong either. Reclamation Secret Realm may not be too risky, but that doesn't mean there's no danger at all. If even a little bit slips through the cracks and lands on Qi Refining minor cultivators like us, it could cost several lives."

"It's just that I have no choice but to go out and try my luck. Xiao Yuan can't be like me, cultivating some wild, back-alley cultivation method."

The two fell silent for a while. Zhang Hong sat for a bit, then rose to take his leave, reminding Lu Xuan to look after his little brat more.

Lu Xuan nodded in agreement, watching Zhang Hong leave before closing the courtyard gate.

"With the appearance of the White Light Orb, I should avoid putting myself in dangerous situations as much as possible from now on."

"If I don't have ninety percent confidence... no, ninety percent confidence is the same as zero confidence. If I don't have complete confidence, then I shouldn't casually go out and take risks."

Lu Xuan gazed at the Spirit Firefly Grass and Eclipse Moon Fruit beside the Blue Stone Path, feeling utterly assured.