Female Cultivators Only Slow Down My Farming

A delicate female cultivator stood before him, inviting him to her home in the gentlest, most melodious voice. It was impossible for Lu Xuan not to feel the slightest stir in his heart.

He forcibly suppressed his eager thoughts and consoled Wang Shi.

"Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. Are you sure strange noises appeared in your home?"

"I've heard it more than once—a particularly eerie sound. It was terrifying to listen to. My heart is still thumping nonstop."

Wang Shi lowered her eyes, her slender, fair hand pressing against her chest.

Following her movement, Lu Xuan glanced over and saw a vast expanse of snow-white, voluptuous flesh.

"...Sister-in-law, are you testing a Spirit Plant Master with this?"

He muttered inwardly and continued questioning Wang Shi.

"Did Big Brother Wang leave you any Magic Tools or Talismans for self-defense? And did you set up any Defense Formations or the like in the courtyard?"

"We have all of those."

At the woman's words, Lu Xuan furrowed his brows slightly.

"Since Big Brother Wang left you protective Magic Tools and Talismans, and you have an Array Formation for protection, why did you come looking for me?"

"Your cultivation is at Qi Training Stage 2, while mine is at Qi Training Stage 3. You're also only a Spirit Plant Master and aren't skilled in Combat Arts. The two of us are about evenly matched."

"Sorry, but I can't help you. I suggest you either go find Big Brother Wang or stay at home. Rely on the Array Formation and Magic Tools until Big Brother Wang returns."

Lu Xuan spoke without the slightest courtesy.

"But... I'm just a weak woman. I'm scared to stay home... Little Brother Lu..."

Wang Shi spoke timidly, looking utterly pitiful.

"Bang!"

Her answer was the sound of the courtyard gate slamming shut.

Unwilling to give up, Wang Shi pleaded a few more times outside the courtyard. Lu Xuan remained unmoved and went straight into the house.

Before long, peace returned to the area outside the courtyard.

Lu Xuan listened carefully. Seeing that no sounds came for a long while, he finally relaxed.

He couldn't determine whether what Wang Shi had said was true or false.

If it was true, and strange noises had indeed appeared in her home, going inside might put him in danger. Besides, if a lone man and woman stayed together under one roof and Wang Shan returned to find them, it would be difficult to explain.

If it was false, then Wang Shi was either trying to seduce him or plotting something against him.

The possibility that it was false was far greater than the possibility that it was true. After all, there was no reason for her not to seek help from her Qi Refining Stage 5 husband, but instead come asking an unfamiliar Qi Training Stage 3 cultivator.

"Heh, female cultivators!"

"They only slow down my farming!"

Lu Xuan sneered and cast the matter to the back of his mind.

The next two or three days passed peacefully.

As Lu Xuan observed things in his spare time, neither Wang Shan nor Wang Shi showed anything unusual, and neither came looking for him.

He didn't know whether they had already dealt with the so-called strange noises or whether the whole thing had been completely fabricated.

With no one disturbing him, Lu Xuan was perfectly content to enjoy his peace and quiet. Every day, he cultivated Spirit Plants and watched the Three-tailed Red-Whiskered Carp fight over Spirit Rice beside the Spirit Spring Pool.

From time to time, he teased the Cloud Stepping Lynx Young Beast. The Young Beast occasionally cried out, still making that strange, squeaky voice with an unmistakably rough and deep quality.

After several days, under Lu Xuan's meticulous care, another four Spirit Firefly Grass plants entered full maturity.

Two were of Good Grade, one was of Superior Grade, and one was of Perfect Grade.

Based on the thirteen mature Spirit Firefly Grass plants, Lu Xuan could also see that obtaining a Perfect Grade Spirit Firefly Grass was no simple matter.

He asked himself whether he had already cultivated them to the best of his ability, yet the chances of producing Perfect Grade remained quite low.

The four Spirit Firefly Grass plants brought four faintly flickering White Light Orbs.

Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass plant and obtained Six Months of Cultivation.

As the thought flashed through his mind, the spiritual power within Lu Xuan surged sharply, and his Qi Training Stage 5 cultivation became even more stable.

Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass plant and obtained a First Grade Talisman, Explosive Flame Talisman.

As the White Light Orb was absorbed, a thought flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.

A crimson Talisman appeared in his hand. Strange patterns were drawn across it, connected together to resemble a blazing flame. Held in his hand, it gave off a faint scorching sensation.

Lu Xuan put it into his Storage Bag.

He had never minded having more Talismans. Although a First Grade Talisman was only equivalent to one strike from a Qi Refining Low Stage or Middle Stage cultivator and had limited lethality, using many of them together produced an entirely different effect.

When Qin Ming, then at Qi Training Stage 4, had ambushed him, the many Talismans he had accumulated had played a crucial role.

Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass plant and obtained the Earth Guidance Art.

As the thought flashed through his mind, Lu Xuan gained a deeper understanding of the Earth Guidance Art's principles, casting speed, and control, as though he had performed it hundreds or thousands of times in an instant.

He vaguely felt that his mastery of the Earth Guidance Art had already reached the Great Accomplishment Realm.

At the smallest scale, he could precisely alter terrain down to the size of grains of sand. If he had enough spiritual power, he could even cause the earth's crust to tremble.

The Talisman and spell obtained from the two Superior Grade plants came as no surprise to Lu Xuan.

He lowered his head and looked toward the final White Light Orb. This orb had been left behind by the Perfect Grade Spirit Firefly Grass, and Lu Xuan held much greater expectations for it.

Harvested one Spirit Firefly Grass plant and obtained a First Grade Treasure, Thunderfire Pearl.

The White Light Orb vanished, and a pearl the size of an infant's fist appeared before Lu Xuan.

The pearl was fiery red, with many dark-red lines across its surface. Within it, faint flashes of lightning could be seen.

"Thunderfire Pearl, First Grade Treasure. When used, it can instantly unleash a surging force of thunder and fire."

"The thunderfire power within the pearl can only be used a limited number of times. Once depleted, it can be recharged in certain special spiritual-energy environments."

"A consumable treasure that can also store thunderfire spiritual power. But judging by its appearance, finding a suitable place to recharge it won't be easy."

Lu Xuan looked at the Thunderfire Pearl in the center of his palm and thought to himself.

This Thunderfire Pearl was unlike a conventional Magic Tool, which was durable and long-lasting. Although it was consumable, it differed from a one-use Talisman. It could be used more times and recharged for repeated use.

That made its value far higher than that of a Talisman of the same grade.

"As expected of a Perfect Grade Spirit Plant. An ungraded Spirit Firefly Grass actually produced such a First Grade Treasure from its Light Orb."

The First Grade Split Silver Blade had only been assembled after opening countless Eclipse Moon Fruits. Although the Thunderfire Pearl before him was slightly inferior in value to the Split Silver Blade, it had been obtained from just one mature Spirit Firefly Grass plant.

This showed just how important Perfect Grade Spirit Plants were.

Among this batch of mature Spirit Firefly Grass, Lu Xuan had obtained only four Perfect Grade plants.

One had given him One Year of Cultivation, one had produced a Second Grade Talisman, Myriad Sword Qi Talisman, and one had yielded Grass Spirit Essence Liquid containing a vast amount of the essence of plants and trees.

This new plant refused to be outdone, producing a treasure like the Thunderfire Pearl.

Compared with mature Spirit Firefly Grass of other grades, the cultivation rewards varied according to quality, ranging from three, six, to nine months. The other rewards were mainly First Grade Talismans and Unranked Spells. The best had been the First-Rank Spell, Gold Metal Swordplay.

"I have to work harder at farming. It's not as if I'm coveting some Perfect Grade reward."

"I simply want to experience more of the weighty harvest that comes after painstaking cultivation."

Lu Xuan put the Thunderfire Pearl into his Storage Bag and steeled his resolve.