Spirit Bamboo

"Chirp chirp!"

Within the Qingfeng Spiritual Land.

Fang Yuan shouldered a verdant spiritual bamboo, running like the wind, with an army of Spirit Birds and Red-eyed White Birds behind him.

Although the most troublesome Red-eyed White Bird King's hatred had been drawn away by that Iron-feathered Black Eagle, Fang Yuan, the 'thief', had not escaped the Bird King's notice. With a screech, numerous white birds swarmed him.

"Damn it, my clothes…"

To protect the spiritual plants, Fang Yuan had no choice but to rely on his Iron Cloth Shirt Qi Gong, enduring the white birds' claw and beak attacks again and again. Before long, his clothes were completely ruined, leaving him nearly naked.

Of course, the most critical factor was the spirit birds' assault, which left many bloody gashes on his body.

"Flower Fox Ferret, aren't you going to act?"

After rushing down the peak, Fang Yuan dodged and weaved, heading towards the white mist. Suddenly, he roared again.

"Caw caw!"

A flash of lightning.

A white figure pounced with lightning speed, grabbing a Spirit Bird Red-eyed White Bird by the neck. With a crisp snap, the bird's head twisted at a strange angle. It was clearly dead.

"Haha… well done!"

Seizing this opportunity, Fang Yuan plunged into the thick fog, finally letting out a long breath.

"Caw caw… caw caw…"

The Flower Fox Ferret dropped the Spirit Bird and scurried around the spiritual bamboo, wagging its tail with a fawning expression, acting just like a little puppy.

"Heh heh… you know how precious this spiritual bamboo is, don't you? How many wounds did I get protecting it… hiss…"

Fang Yuan gasped and unceremoniously tore off the remaining strips of cloth, using them as bandages for his wounds.

"If it weren't for the excellent hemostatic medicine left by Master, which won't leave scars, my good looks would be completely ruined…"

While grimacing as he bandaged himself, he glared hatefully at the nearby Spirit Birds. "Good… tonight we'll have roast bird meat…"

Fang Yuan hid in the thick fog, hearing the faint screams of the Giant Eagle in his ears, and felt a sense of relief.

"I never expected… that the Red-eyed White Bird King would have a berserk ability. If this black Giant Eagle hadn't scouted ahead this time, I would have been next…"

He thought with schadenfreude, "Farewell, brother Eagle. I must take my leave!"

Without a second thought, he grabbed the spiritual bamboo and Spirit Birds, and with the Flower Fox Ferret, quickly vanished into the dense fog.

Secluded Valley.

Ever since he had established his authority last time, the entire deep mountain had become almost a forbidden area for noble families. With Zhou Wenwu watching the outside, it was a scene of peace.

Fang Yuan arrived in the valley and headed straight for the plantation. After finding that the few mechanical traps and small arrangements were all intact, he finally relaxed.

Although the plantation was relatively hidden, the spirit rice, spirit tea, and other items within were extremely precious, so he couldn't afford to be careless.

"Later, I'll transplant these to the Qingfeng Spiritual Land, and the Secluded Valley will just be a place to live. That would be much better. For now, I can only be extra careful, set up traps, and have the Flower Fox Ferret guard it at all times…"

Fang Yuan first went to the tea garden, inspected it, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the Heart-Questioning Tea Trees were unharmed. He thought dejectedly.

In the past, he was just an ordinary person. If these things were exposed, it would inevitably attract covetous eyes, and he would have nowhere to die. But now that his Martial Dao was nearing completion and he had condensed internal force, it was enough to suppress them.

As long as the Heart-Questioning Tea's miraculous effect of increasing Spirit Yuan wasn't leaked, the rest were minor troubles for him.

"But if I can avoid it, I should try to avoid it…"

Fang Yuan's expression turned serious, and he quickly pondered. "For true protection, the Flower Fox Ferret is the most reliable. Or perhaps setting up a few deadly traps near the plantation, like raising venomous creatures, preferably something as potent as the mutated Pearl-tailed Snake… Of course, legend has it that cultivators can set up formations, harnessing the power of heaven and earth with infinite mystery. But that's the least likely… I'll put that aside for now…"

Even if he moved to the Spiritual Land in the future, necessary defenses would still be needed. Fang Yuan was already considering it.

"The most effective method would truly be the legendary formation techniques, but with insufficient conditions now, I can only settle for the next best thing…"

With the Heart-Questioning Tea leaves, combined with the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony, his Spirit Yuan progressed at an astonishing rate, enough to meet the entry requirements for any Spirit Master or Alchemist.

However, such figures were only in legends. Fang Yuan couldn't learn them even if he wanted to, so he could only roll his eyes.

"Huh?"

He was somewhat surprised when he arrived at the Crimson Jade Rice field.

In the rice field, the crimson jade-like seedlings were growing vigorously, showing promising momentum.

Beside them, a row of tender sprouts like emeralds had also emerged, full of vitality.

"Jade Grass! This thing really is easy to grow!"

Fang Yuan was delighted. He squatted down and looked at the blades of Jade Grass. "Flower Fox Ferret, do you want to eat this?"

"Caw caw?!"

The Flower Fox Ferret looked conflicted. Then, it hugged the spiritual bamboo beside it and refused to let go.

It was as if it was saying it would rather gnaw on bamboo than eat grass.

"Haha… you clever little thing!"

Fang Yuan smiled slightly. "When the spiritual bamboo comes out later, will there be any less for you?"

Bamboo, unlike other plants, grows from divided roots. If planted correctly, bamboo shoots will break through the soil in spring, and within a few years, it will grow into a bamboo forest. Among the many Spiritual Plants, it's considered one of the most cost-effective.

Otherwise, Fang Yuan wouldn't have been so excited upon seeing it, not even bothering to look at the other treasures of the Red-eyed White Bird King, and directly choosing this.

"Hmm, it'll be here!"

He walked around the plantation, finally choosing to plant the Spirit Bamboo next to a small hill built with several bluestone blocks. He also specially dug a water channel.

Creak...

A gentle breeze blew, rustling the leaves of the Spirit Bamboo, producing a soft sound. Several buds were about to bloom, with pure white flower spikes faintly visible.

"It looks like the chance of it surviving is very high..."

Fang Yuan washed his hands, his face filled with relief. He then looked at the description of his Planting Skill in his status panel:

"Planting Skill [Level 3] -- You are an undisputed expert in the field of planting, your hands possess incredible power. Crops planted by you have a very small chance of undergoing beneficial trait mutations!"

He had deeply experienced this "very small chance."

Previously, only one tea tree in the entire plantation had mutated, and the rate was indeed pitifully low.

But that single tea tree, the mutated Heart-Questioning Tea, when combined with the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony, actually had an incredible miraculous effect of increasing Spirit Yuan. It was as if everything was predestined.

At this moment, Fang Yuan had other plans in mind.

This Spirit Bamboo, Spirit Rice, and Spirit Grass were all things that could be planted in large quantities. If the numbers were piled up, as long as luck wasn't extremely bad, mutations would eventually be induced.

What would happen if mutations occurred on top of Spirit Seeds?

The outcome of this made Fang Yuan very expectant.

"It's just... the level of these specialties is much more troublesome to upgrade than skills! My Black Sand Palm and Eagle Claw Hand progressed at lightning speed during practice, but only the specialty category always hits a bottleneck. It seems some condition must be met to enter the next level..."

Fang Yuan looked regretfully at his Medical Skill and Planting Skill.

The proficiency of both these specialties had reached 99.99%, but they were stuck, unable to advance that last bit.

This state immediately made Fang Yuan recall his previous bottleneck.

If he hadn't obtained the Spirit Seed, his Planting Skill wouldn't have broken through the Level 3 barrier.

"Could it be... that the advancement of these two specialties is also related to this? Medical Skill needs growth, requiring continuous healing of the sick and saving people, or perhaps breaking through some difficult and complicated cases. As for Planting Skill, it needs a higher-level Spirit Seed?"

Although specialties couldn't be directly converted into combat power, their support in other aspects was unparalleled. Even Fang Yuan attached great importance to them.

"Alright, time for tea!"

After finishing everything, he clapped his hands and brought the Flower Fox Ferret to the simple dwelling.

A cup of Sitting-Forgetting Tea cleansed his mind, making him forget himself and the world.

Feeling strands of clear and bright energy seeping into his brow and crown, causing his Spirit Yuan to slowly increase, Fang Yuan fell into a dazed state.

"Chirp chirp!"

After a period of meditation, Fang Yuan got up feeling refreshed. He noticed the Flower Fox Ferret running to his feet, looking anxious.

"Hmm? This is truly strange..."

Given the Flower Fox Ferret's nature, it always remained entranced for longer than Fang Yuan after drinking tea. This time, it was somewhat unexpected.

"Chirp chirp!"

Seeing Fang Yuan ignore it, the Flower Fox Ferret became even more urgent. It suddenly tugged at Fang Yuan's trouser leg, signaling him to follow.

"What is it... it discovered something?"

Fang Yuan's expression sharpened, and he followed the Flower Fox Ferret out of the Secluded Valley.

After crossing a small hill, he let out a surprised sound, finally understanding what the Flower Fox Ferret had found.

In his sight was a patch of bushes, now mostly flattened. A huge and magnificent black Giant Eagle lay upon them, with a massive wound on its wing. Its eagle eyes were like lightning, filled with fierce wildness. Upon seeing Fang Yuan, it let out a threatening screech.

"Big Black Eagle, it actually escaped..."

Fang Yuan clicked his tongue in wonder and took a couple of steps forward.

"Chirp chirp!"

The Black Eagle flapped its wings, but after a couple of struggles that stirred up a gust of wind, it heavily fell back to the ground.

"This... what should I do? Kill it? Or leave it be?"

Fang Yuan looked at the eagle, appearing somewhat hesitant.

But the Flower Fox Ferret immediately jumped out, raising its paws and gesturing.

"You want me to save it?"

Fang Yuan was indifferent to healing the sick and saving people... no, saving the eagle. After all, strictly speaking, he not only snatched its opportunity but also inflicted the Eagle Claw wound on its head himself. It seemed he should offer some compensation.

"Saving it isn't a problem, but look at it... how am I supposed to save it?"

Fang Yuan took a couple of steps forward, and the Black Eagle immediately raised its head and chest, preparing to peck.

"Chirp chirp!"

The Flower Fox Ferret twisted its little head and darted to the Black Eagle's side, chirping as if explaining.

And as it gestured and pointed, the Black Eagle tilted its head, and the ferocity in its eyes lessened considerably.

Fang Yuan watched this scene, his mouth gradually widening: "This is insane... You're a ferret, how can you speak bird language?"