Ginseng Doll

Liu Yuanchen studied the method for condensing an Astral Force Seed, then mobilized his blood and qi, gathering it at the Guanyuan acupoint.

Blood and qi fell within the category of "essence." To wield the power of blood and qi, one naturally had to use the Lower Dantian.

The method was simple as well: gather a mass of blood-and-qi power and repeatedly hammer it like iron, making it increasingly solid.

A fist-sized mass of blood-and-qi power was tempered for two Shi Chen before shrinking into a ball of energy the size of a longan.

Yet this level of blood-and-qi power was still far from sufficient.

Even with Liu Yuanchen's abundant blood and qi, condensing an Astral Force Seed would likely take one or two months.

As evening drew near, Liu Yuanchen had no desire to keep stubbornly grinding away at the Astral Force Seed.

As the last ray of the setting sun vanished, Black Mist once again shrouded the eastern mountains.

Liu Yuanchen left the cave abode and headed toward Bluestone Mountain.

The moment he entered the Blessed Land, the density of spirit qi within startled him.

The spirit qi density in the Blessed Land had already been comparable to that of the Azure Elixir Sect's mountain gate.

One had to know that the Azure Elixir Sect's mountain gate had numerous spirit-gathering formations laid down.

Blackcloud Ridge's spirit vein was originally only fourth-grade low-tier, yet the spirit qi density at the Azure Elixir Sect's mountain gate had reached the level of fourth-grade mid-tier.

Even Songyun Peak, where the sect cultivated third- and fourth-grade spirit plants, had piled up every kind of spirit-gathering formation it could, yet its spirit qi density had not surpassed fourth-grade mid-tier.

But now, the spirit qi density within the Blessed Land was already comparable to fourth-grade high-tier.

On second thought, it made sense.

The Blessed Land monopolized a Spirit Nexus and was an almost completely sealed space.

Spirit qi constantly poured from the Spirit Nexus, with nowhere else to go but remain in the Blessed Land.

After accumulating for such a long time, it was only natural for the spirit qi density within the Blessed Land to become outrageously high.

Still, no matter how much spirit qi accumulated, the possibility of reaching fifth-grade was extremely low.

After all, the previous accumulation had merely been a quantitative change, while reaching fifth-grade was a qualitative transformation.

Even if quantitative change could bring about qualitative transformation, such a transformation could not be completed overnight.

Liu Yuanchen looked at the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling. It had originally been only three inches tall and borne six leaves, with the uppermost leaf smaller than those below it.

Now, the fifth and sixth leaves had grown as large as the leaves beneath them.

Two tiny new leaves had appeared at the top of the sapling, and the entire sapling had grown slightly taller.

Seeing the sapling grow, Liu Yuanchen felt a surge of excitement.

The faster the sapling grew, the sooner it could bloom and bear fruit.

He had always been thinking about Ginseng Fruit. Eating one could grant forty-seven thousand years of life.

This sapling was not the mother tree. For Heaven-and-Earth Spirit Roots like the Ginseng Fruit Tree, the offspring were usually far inferior to the mother tree.

But no matter how inferior it was, it had still grown from a seed produced by the mother tree. It should retain some of its effects.

Even if eating a Ginseng Fruit borne by a descendant tree could not grant forty-seven thousand years of life, gaining several thousand extra years should not be a problem.

Moreover, if the descendant tree's Ginseng Fruit was less effective, perhaps it would also need less time to bloom and bear fruit.

With his current circumstances, as long as he did not die halfway through, reaching the Spirit Platform Realm in the future would not be a problem.

Spirit Platform Realm cultivators had lifespans of a thousand years, while wood-attribute cultivators generally lived somewhat longer, perhaps around ten percent longer.

Of course, most cultivators did not live to the limit of their lifespan.

The lifespan limit was, in truth, the time required for the vitality of one's physical body to completely drain away.

Cultivators could not avoid conflict. Once they suffered relatively serious injuries, they would lose some vitality, and their lifespan would naturally decrease along with it.

Ginseng Fruit inherently had the effect of extending one's lifespan. Even merely smelling one could let a person live for three hundred and sixty years.

With a Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling in his possession, he would always gain some benefit to his lifespan.

If he found some lifespan-extending pills in the future, it was not impossible for him to hold on until the first batch of Ginseng Fruit ripened.

The only cause for concern was that Blackcloud Ridge's spirit vein was too low-grade, which might affect the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling's growth.

Awakening from his pleasant visions, Liu Yuanchen sensed that the spiritual power fed back by the sapling had also increased somewhat.

Every hundred breaths, the spiritual power it fed back was equivalent to one-ninth of a Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

It was not obvious when sensed outside, but within this Blessed Land, he could feel it clearly.

He inspected the situation in the Blessed Land again. The various spirit plants he had planted nearly twenty days ago were all growing extremely well.

Golden-Thread Rice in particular had already grown over a foot tall. It would begin heading in just one or two days.

From his experience, with abundant spirit qi, Golden-Thread Rice took three months from sowing to harvesting.

To reach the stage just before heading required a month and a half, which was half its life cycle.

The Golden-Thread Rice in the Blessed Land had been planted less than twenty days ago, yet it was already about to head.

By that calculation, it could be harvested in around another twenty days.

From sowing to harvest, it would take only around forty days.

That growth rate was more than twice as fast as outside.

As for the other spirit plants, Liu Yuanchen lacked sufficient planting experience to accurately determine how far along they had grown.

Soon, he noticed that a patch of empty land had appeared at the edge of the Blessed Land.

The additional empty space was not much, only half an inch wide.

He immediately thought of something and carefully measured the entire Blessed Land.

His face soon filled with delight. "Just as I expected, the Blessed Land has expanded. Its diameter is now three zhang and one inch.

"Grand Immortal Zhenyuan once said while preaching that a Blessed Land and an Earth Immortal grow together. They share prosperity and hardship alike.

"If one side grows rapidly, the other can also benefit.

"But if one side grows slowly, the other's growth will also be held back."

"Although I do not know what kind of growth he meant, a breakthrough in cultivation must count as growth.

"When I opened the Blessed Land, I was at the fourth level of the Qi Nourishing Realm, and its diameter was already three zhang.

"Later, I broke through to the fifth level of the Qi Nourishing Realm, so the Blessed Land would naturally grow somewhat as well."

Amid his delight, Liu Yuanchen took out the White Jade Ginseng he had acquired earlier.

He dug a pit beside the Spirit Spring and buried it inside.

Nourished by the Spirit Spring and planted close to the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling, it should gain some benefit to its growth.

Less than a quarter of an hour after planting the White Jade Ginseng, it showed new changes.

The spirit qi within the Blessed Land continuously surged toward the White Jade Ginseng.

A Spirit Qi Wind actually appeared around the White Jade Ginseng.

The spirit qi density in the Blessed Land had reached fourth-grade high-tier.

The White Jade Ginseng was only a first-grade mid-tier spirit medicine, yet it could absorb so much spirit qi.

Liu Yuanchen observed it with Divine Sense and sensed only that the quality of the spiritual power within the White Jade Ginseng was steadily rising. It already showed signs of advancing.

If that were all, it would be normal enough.

Previously, at the Earth Vein Spirit Eye in the wolf den, the spirit qi had been only first-grade high-tier, so the White Jade Ginseng had been able to absorb very little spirit qi.

It was like someone who ate chaff and swallowed vegetables every day suddenly being presented with a grand feast of delicacies and allowed to eat freely.

It was only natural for it to eat more in one sitting.

The spirit qi in the Blessed Land was relatively gentle, unlike the violent spirit qi within the Earth Vein Spirit Eye.

Even if it absorbed some extra spirit qi, there would be no harm.

Liu Yuanchen sensed the White Jade Ginseng's vitality again. The ginseng that had originally looked like white jade now appeared emerald green in his eyes.

The spirit qi absorbed by the White Jade Ginseng was rapidly transformed into vitality.

That emerald-green vitality was continuously gathering toward the center.

He had noticed earlier in the wolf den that the vitality within this White Jade Ginseng was gathering together, as though it were nurturing something.

It simply could not be nurtured there due to the thin spirit qi.

Now that it had entered the Blessed Land, where spirit qi was exceedingly abundant and the Spirit Field soil was highly unusual, it seemed about to successfully nurture it.

Liu Yuanchen watched from the side, quietly awaiting the result.

After about one Shi Chen, an emerald-green point of light emerged where the White Jade Ginseng's vitality had gathered.

The point of light seemed on the verge of becoming tangible. It appeared that a transformation was about to occur.

Yet no matter how much spirit qi the White Jade Ginseng absorbed afterward, or how much vitality it transformed, the point of light would not change.

Soon, the spirit qi absorbed by the White Jade Ginseng stopped transforming into vitality and instead began to gather together.

Before long, the White Jade Ginseng advanced to first-grade high-tier.

Although he did not know what this White Jade Ginseng had been trying to nurture, there was no doubt that this attempt had failed.

Left with no choice, it could only advance in grade.

However, the emerald-green point of light within the White Jade Ginseng had not been damaged. There should still be another chance in the future.

After breaking through to first-grade high-tier, the entire White Jade Ginseng began growing at an astonishing speed.

It had originally been only six or seven inches long, but in the brief span of a quarter hour, it grew to a foot in length.

The stalk exposed above the ground also grew slightly taller.

It was stretching out its branches and leaves when all its branches and leaves suddenly bent in one direction, as though bowing in salute.

The direction in which it bowed was precisely where the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling stood.

Liu Yuanchen was shocked. The Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling was at least at the level of a divine tree. Among plants, its status was equivalent to that of divine beasts among demonic beasts.

But the crucial point was that White Jade Ginseng was a plant and possessed not the slightest intelligence.

Even upon seeing a divine tree, it should not have reacted.

He used his Divine Sense to inspect the White Jade Ginseng inside and out, yet found no trace of a soul, nor any energy resembling Divine Sense.

Without a soul, it was absolutely impossible for it to possess intelligence.

"Nothing unusual happened when I first planted the White Jade Ginseng in the Blessed Land.

"This abnormality only appeared after it absorbed spirit qi and advanced in grade.

"In other words, its current abnormal state is likely related to its previous frenzied absorption of spirit qi and its advancement."

Liu Yuanchen recalled some legends concerning ginseng-type spirit plants. "Whether in my previous life or this one,

"whenever ginseng is mentioned, there are always legends of Ginseng Dolls.

"A so-called Ginseng Doll should be a Wood Spirit transformed from a ginseng-type spirit plant.

"These things possess intelligence and can run and jump.

"Some of the ancient texts I read before recorded Ginseng Dolls.

"Ginseng-type spirit plants that grow into human forms are more likely than other plants to develop intelligence and produce Wood Spirits."

"Once a ginseng-type spirit plant transforms into a Ginseng Doll, it is innately superior to other Wood Spirits.

"According to the legends, ordinary Wood Spirits can only roam about with their incarnations, while their true bodies remain plants.

"To let their true bodies move freely requires an extremely high realm.

"But Ginseng Dolls are different. Their Wood Spirit incarnations and true bodies are naturally one and the same.

"As long as they become Wood Spirits, they can take their true bodies out for a stroll."

"This White Jade Ginseng is rather extraordinary and already possesses a trace of spirituality.

"If I use the Enlightenment Secret Art to enlighten it, could it directly become a Ginseng Doll?"

With that thought, Liu Yuanchen's heart stirred with excitement.

"This White Jade Ginseng already possesses spirituality. Its frenzied absorption of spirit qi just now may have been an attempt to nurture the simplest Spirit Body.

"Once it crossed that threshold, it would develop intelligence.

"Although it ultimately failed to nurture one successfully, it is still only one step away."

"If I use the Enlightenment Secret Art on it and let it develop intelligence, the loss to the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling should be very small.

"At the very least, it would be far less than enlightening an ordinary spirit plant.

"Besides, this White Jade Ginseng is only first-grade high-tier."

Although he did not want to run around causing trouble, nor did he currently need a helper for battle,

alchemy and cultivating the Blood-and-Qi Tempering Technique required a great deal of time. He could not keep traveling back and forth between Yujin Mountain and Bluestone Mountain.

Good Spirit Fields had to be nurtured. The Spirit Fields within the Blessed Land still needed someone to tend them.

Leaving them unattended like this forever was not a solution.

According to the legends, Ginseng Dolls possessed considerable intelligence. With a little training, one would be quite useful for miscellaneous work in the Blessed Land.

With that thought, Liu Yuanchen made up his mind to enlighten this White Jade Ginseng.

He recalled the contents of the Enlightenment Secret Art. After a long while, he opened his eyes.

Spiritual power surged within his body. In his Sea of Consciousness, the Immortal Seed took on the form of the Ginseng Fruit Mother Tree.

Streams of emerald-green energy surged from the phantom image of the mother tree.

They passed through his meridians and ultimately gathered at Liu Yuanchen's fingertip, condensing into the shape of a Ginseng Fruit.

Yet this "Ginseng Fruit" was only the size of a soybean and entirely emerald green.

Liu Yuanchen pressed his fingertip against the root of the White Jade Ginseng, and the "Ginseng Fruit" melted directly into it.

He sensed the changes in the White Jade Ginseng's vitality. After the "Ginseng Fruit" merged into the White Jade Ginseng, it went directly to the green point of light the White Jade Ginseng had previously condensed.

Then, the "Ginseng Fruit" continued to shrink and drilled into that emerald-green point of light.

After the two merged, the White Jade Ginseng once again began frantically devouring spirit qi.

A Spirit Qi Wind appeared within a one-foot radius around it.

A vast amount of spirit qi flowed into the White Jade Ginseng, transforming into vitality once more before finally merging into the emerald-green point of light.

This time, the point of light began to change.

The point of light, originally only the size of a grain of rice, began rapidly expanding.

After more than a hundred breaths, it had grown to the size of a longan. Its shape also began changing, gradually taking the form of an infant, clearly different from the baby-like form of a Ginseng Fruit.

The White Jade Ginseng absorbed spirit qi faster and faster, while the infant also grew rapidly.

A quarter hour passed, and the infant had already grown to the size of a fist.

The White Jade Ginseng's true body had completely disappeared, yet the infant continued devouring spirit qi.

Then, the infant's rate of absorbing spirit qi gradually slowed before finally stopping.

At this moment, the little child had already grown to a foot tall.

He wore a red bellyband and had a topknot tied up with red cloth.

His skin was snow-white, and his whole body was chubby.

Aside from the topknot, he looked exactly like the little boy holding a carp in New Year paintings.

Liu Yuanchen leaned closer to inspect him and could actually hear his faint breathing.

A moment later, he stretched lazily and opened his eyes.

His two black-pearl-like eyes darted about as he curiously examined everything around him.

When he saw Liu Yuanchen, he actually hugged Liu Yuanchen's calf and affectionately rubbed against it.

Having lived two lives, Liu Yuanchen had only ever heard of Ginseng Dolls and had never seen one before.

He bent down, picked him up, and asked, "Little one, can you speak?"

The Ginseng Doll looked utterly confused, as though he did not understand what Liu Yuanchen was saying.

Liu Yuanchen then transmitted his voice with Divine Sense. This method directly conveyed his thoughts to the other party and did not involve language.

As long as one's intelligence was not too low, one could at least understand most of its meaning.

A moment later, the Ginseng Doll also gave off a fluctuation of Divine Sense. "Mother."

.