Intelligence from the Front Lines

Liu Yuanchen dug out several pine nuts from the bottom of his storage bag and nurtured them with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art.

These pine nuts were seeds of the Yellow-Scaled Pine, which was also a type of charcoalwood.

This tree grew extremely quickly. In an environment rich in spiritual energy, a planted seed needed only one year to reach four or five zhang in height and the thickness of an adult's arm.

The Yellow-Scaled Pine was not particular about the soil where it took root. The main reason it could become a spirit plant was its ability to absorb the free spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

In truth, this was an ability possessed by all spirit plants.

Most of the spiritual energy needed for wild spirit plants to grow came from absorbing free spiritual energy.

It was simply that this method of absorbing spiritual energy was inefficient, causing spirit plants to grow slowly.

That was why the Divine Farmer Art contained all manner of methods for tending spirit fields, to accelerate the growth of spirit plants and increase their yield.

The Yellow-Scaled Pine was not picky about where it grew and could even be planted in ordinary farmland.

For a low-grade spirit plant, this was an exceptionally fine trait.

Its only flaw was that its pine nuts contained very little spiritual power and could only be eaten as ordinary nuts.

Thus, Liu Yuanchen did not plant these pine nuts in a spirit field. Instead, he planted them directly along Reflecting Moon Creek.

The creek water also contained considerable spiritual power. Though it was not as stable as a spirit field, it would certainly not hinder the Yellow-Scaled Pines' growth.

Five days later, the pine nuts sprouted.

Much like the rice seedlings before, the instant the pine saplings broke through the soil, Liu Yuanchen could see what lay around them.

Even the range was the same as when the Golden-Thread Rice seedlings had emerged. He could only sense scenes and sounds within a radius of one chi.

Two months later, the Golden-Thread Rice cultivated with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art finally matured.

Its stalks were far sturdier than those of ordinary Golden-Thread Rice, and even its ears were over one chi long, nearly comparable to those grown in the Bluestone Mountain Spirit Realm.

In terms of yield for a single harvest, the Golden-Thread Rice cultivated by the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art could already rival that of the Bluestone Mountain Spirit Realm.

There was still quite a gap in growth speed, however. These few Golden-Thread Rice plants had taken roughly two and a half months from planting to maturity.

In the Bluestone Mountain Spirit Realm, that process took only around forty days.

Still, these few Golden-Thread Rice plants possessed some remarkable special traits.

First, the grains they produced had vitality far surpassing that of ordinary Golden-Thread Rice.

If these grains were used as seeds, future yields would also clearly exceed those of ordinary Golden-Thread Rice.

It was hard to say how many generations this special trait could last.

To preserve it indefinitely, every generation of seeds would need to be cultivated with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art.

If this continued, it might be possible to cultivate Golden-Thread Rice with stable high yields and formidable vitality.

At that point, it could be considered a new variety of spirit grain.

Of course, the odds were exceedingly small. Even if it was not like finding a needle in a haystack, it was still like finding a needle in a pond.

After the ears matured, the rice stalks remained a lush green.

Moreover, the vitality within the stalks was extremely robust.

This surprised Liu Yuanchen somewhat. Before and after maturing, the vast majority of spirit grains drained the spiritual power from their stalks.

After Golden-Thread Rice bore grain, even if its stalks did not wither, their vitality would become extremely weak.

Even if the stalks were left standing and allowed to continue growing, it would be difficult for them to produce ears again.

When spirit grain was planted on Yujin Mountain, the stalks would be uprooted directly, whether they had withered or not.

Yet these few stalks had clearly not reached the end of their strength.

Liu Yuanchen wanted to see just how much potential they possessed, so he merely removed the ears and left the stalks to continue growing.

The few Yellow-Scaled Pines cultivated with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art had now grown to nearly two zhang tall, somewhat faster than expected.

His previous guess had indeed proven correct: the taller a spirit plant grew, the wider its scouting range became.

Now, with a mere thought, Liu Yuanchen could see everything within ten zhang of the saplings.

Unfortunately, this scouting range only worked above ground.

Underground, he could only sense the area around the roots, nowhere near a range of ten zhang.

Still, these Yellow-Scaled Pines were the same as the earlier Golden-Thread Rice Plants.

As long as the distance between Liu Yuanchen and them exceeded ten li, he could no longer sense what was around the spirit plants.

From comparing the Golden-Thread Rice Plants and Yellow-Scaled Pines, he could confirm that the scouting range of spirit plants cultivated by the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art was related to the size of the plant, not its grade or species.

The upper limit of Liu Yuanchen's sensing distance from these spirit plants remained ten li, likewise unrelated to the plants' grade or species.

He silently thought, After more than two months of work, it was not all for nothing.

Though I still don't know what determines the upper limit of the sensing distance, I've more or less figured out the special effects of the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art.

Afterward, Liu Yuanchen used the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art again to cultivate the newly harvested rice seeds.

These grains were already second-generation seeds that had undergone cultivation, and their vitality far surpassed that of ordinary Golden-Thread Rice.

After being cultivated once more with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art, the vitality within the grains was noticeably stronger than even that of the first batch of Golden-Thread Rice.

He also wanted to see whether repeated cultivation would improve the scouting ability granted by the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art.

Just after planting the Golden-Thread Rice, he received a message.

Taking out the Communication Jade Talisman to inspect it, he found that there was another alchemy assignment.

Aside from the first three months, there had been relatively few alchemy assignments afterward, only a few batches each month.

He activated the defensive formation around his cave dwelling, then set off on foot for Azure Pill Peak.

Upon reaching the summit of Azure Pill Peak, he heard two Alchemy Masters whispering to each other.

One of them, a middle-aged cultivator who looked to be in his early forties, sighed. "This defeat at the front lines left one of my two friends dead and the other injured."

The other appeared somewhat younger, perhaps only in his thirties.

"Is that true? Some of my clansmen are at Golden Ao Mountain too. What is the situation there now? Has Golden Ao Mountain fallen?"

The middle-aged cultivator shook his head. "The sect sent several Condensed Origin Realm cultivators to guard Golden Ao Mountain and used the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein to set up dozens of layers of formations.

"If they tried to storm it head-on, those Demoncloud Sect evil cultivators could all die and still never take it."

"This defeat came because the Demoncloud Sect evil cultivators took a risk.

"The Demoncloud Sect dispatched a large number of experts. Under cover of the Black Mist that sealed off the mountain at night, they risked infiltrating to a point a hundred li south of Golden Ao Mountain.

"Our side sent people to attack Gray Goose Lake. After fighting fiercely for more than half a day, they withdrew toward Golden Ao Mountain.

"The Demoncloud Sect evil cultivators seized the chance to strike, cutting off their retreat.

"The enemy outnumbered us, and the evil cultivators had been waiting in comfort for exhausted troops. Of the cultivators we sent to attack Gray Goose Lake, sixty to seventy percent were lost."

Hearing this, Liu Yuanchen felt somewhat worried.

If the Azure Elixir Sect lost this battle and the Demoncloud Sect took Golden Ao Mountain in the aftermath, then Bluestone Mountain would become Demoncloud Sect territory.

If he wanted to enter or leave the Bluestone Mountain Spirit Realm afterward, he would have to risk being besieged by evil cultivators.

Not to mention that he would eventually need the Spirit Realm to merge with new Spirit Nexuses, gather six Spirit Nexuses, and advance into a Blessed Land.

After completing his alchemy assignment, Liu Yuanchen headed directly for Golden Sun Peak west of Azure Pill Peak.

He intended to ask his Eighth Uncle about the specific situation at Golden Ao Mountain and, while he was there, see if he could obtain some high-quality magic artifacts.

The magic artifacts sold publicly by the Artifact Refining Hall were truly hard to describe.

Golden Sun Peak was the location of the Artifact Refining Hall. The Azure Elixir Sect had only one natural Earthfire Eye, and it was located on Azure Pill Peak.

Artifact refinement also required earthfire, so they could only use formations to draw a small amount of earthfire from the Earthfire Eye on Azure Pill Peak to meet their refining needs.

That was why the sect had placed the Artifact Refining Hall beside Azure Pill Peak.

As the steward of the Artifact Refining Hall, Liu Qingyuan naturally resided permanently on Golden Sun Peak.

After sending Liu Qingyuan a message, Liu Yuanchen headed straight to the entrance of his cave dwelling.

Liu Qingyuan emerged from the cave dwelling to greet him. "Yuanchen, come in and have a seat."

They had not met for only a few months, yet Liu Qingyuan had become much more haggard, with several strands of white now at his temples.

After entering the cave dwelling and taking a seat, Liu Yuanchen asked, "Eighth Uncle, I heard disciples from the Elixir Hall say that Golden Ao Mountain suffered a crushing defeat. How is the situation now?"

At the mention of this, Liu Qingyuan sighed repeatedly. "The situation is not too serious. Golden Ao Mountain is protected by many layers of formations, so the Demoncloud Sect does not dare launch a direct assault."

"You know that the Demoncloud Sect is stationed at Gray Goose Lake.

"There is only a small, high-grade first-order Spirit Vein there, not enough to support even a few wandering cultivators.

"The Demoncloud Sect has stationed over a thousand cultivators there. That small Spirit Vein is of no help at all.

"The resources those evil cultivators need must all be transported from the rear, so their expenditure is naturally enormous."

"Golden Ao Mountain, meanwhile, lies atop the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein. There are several Spirit Nexuses nearby, and its spiritual energy is inexhaustible.

"If this war drags on, our Azure Elixir Sect will naturally hold the advantage."

"Yet we also have hidden dangers. Golden Ao Mountain lies within Blackcloud Ridge, where Black Mist covers the land at night.

"Wherever there is Black Mist, there are records of Eerie Creatures appearing.

"Though there have not been many such records in recent years, with one appearing only once every twenty years or so on average.

"But if one does appear, the disciples guarding Golden Ao Mountain may all lose their lives."

"The sect does not dare drag this out indefinitely either. It wants to wear the Demoncloud Sect down as quickly as possible.

"That is why it occasionally sends people to attack Gray Goose Lake, consuming as many Demoncloud Sect resources as possible."

"Since the war began, there have been more than thirty such offensives aimed at draining Demoncloud Sect resources, and every one of them went smoothly.

"Who could have expected the Demoncloud Sect to transfer more than two thousand evil cultivators from the distant rear this time?

"The cultivators attacking Gray Goose Lake were caught in a pincer attack and suffered grievous losses."

Liu Yuanchen recalled the conversation between the two Alchemy Masters. It was much the same as what his Eighth Uncle had said.

"Among the cultivators surrounded this time, were there any from our Liu Family?"

Liu Qingyuan nodded. "If there had not been, why would I be this worried?

"For this attack on Gray Goose Lake, every one of our Liu Family clansmen took part.

"Seven went, and only three returned."

Liu Yuanchen was startled. "The losses were that severe? Who came back?"

Liu Qingyuan's face was full of bitterness. "The Supreme Elder, Yuan Si, and Yuan Qi returned. Every other clansman who took part in the battle died.

"If the Supreme Elder had not rescued him with all his strength, Yuan Si likely would not have made it back.

"To save Yuan Si, the Supreme Elder was badly injured as well.

"Yuan Qi, on the other hand, was not seriously hurt during this trip."

Liu Yuanqi was a cautious person, and he had no particularly outstanding qualities. It was not surprising that he had escaped unscathed.

What Liu Yuanchen had never expected was that Liu Yuansi had actually survived.

"How are the Supreme Elder's and Second Brother's injuries?"

Liu Qingyuan sighed softly. "The Supreme Elder is of your great-grandfather's generation and was already advanced in years.

"This time, he suffered severe injuries again. Even if he pulls through, his lifespan will inevitably be greatly reduced.

"According to the message Yuan Qi sent back, Yuan Si was seriously injured.

"An elder on Golden Ao Mountain who is friendly with our Liu Family has stepped in to help. We still do not know how he is doing now."

Liu Yuanchen was not worried about the Supreme Elder or Liu Yuansi.

The family still had the Family Head, a Sea of Qi Realm cultivator. Even if the Supreme Elder died, the family would not face the danger of destruction.

As for Liu Yuansi, whether that fool lived or died would only affect the family's future, not its present.

What Liu Yuanchen cared more about was whether Golden Ao Mountain could hold. This concerned the growth of the Bluestone Mountain Spirit Realm.

"What is the situation at Golden Ao Mountain now?"

Liu Qingyuan shook his head slightly. "It is not good. There were originally only a little over a thousand sect cultivators stationed at Golden Ao Mountain.

"This time, six or seven hundred were lost, leaving fewer than a thousand cultivators.

"More than three thousand evil cultivators have gathered at Gray Goose Lake.

"The cultivators at Golden Ao Mountain can only defend passively and do not dare leave the protection of the formations at all."

Hearing this, Liu Yuanchen felt a chill in his heart.

The cultivators at Golden Ao Mountain were being suppressed, but they did not seem to be in immediate danger.

Yet once the evil cultivators gained the upper hand, there would be no need for them to keep guarding Gray Goose Lake.

They could send a small number of experts to infiltrate the outskirts of Azure Elixir Sect territory and plunder the various markets.

For example, Qinghe Town and the Liu Family's Dongyang Lake.

As long as they sent a few Sea of Qi Realm experts, they could sweep through them completely.

"If the sect does not send reinforcements, the evil cultivators at Gray Goose Lake will have no one to restrain them.

"They could easily cross several hundred li of wasteland and enter the Qingshui River region to pillage freely.

"When that happens, our Liu Family, along with the neighboring Chen Household and Zhang Clan, could all face the danger of extermination."

Liu Qingyuan's expression turned cold. "I had not considered that. Now that you mention it, there really is danger.

"Several thousand li of wilderness lie between the Demon Cloud Sea and Gray Goose Lake.

"But Gray Goose Lake and Qingshui River are separated by only around five hundred li.

"That little stretch of wilderness cannot stop those evil cultivators at all.

"I must quickly send word to the Family Head and have them gather the clansmen and prepare defenses early, so they do not suffer devastating losses."

"Does the sect leadership intend to issue another summons?"

Liu Qingyuan nodded slightly. "I asked several elders friendly with our Liu Family about it earlier. The Guard Hall's deputy hall master proposed summoning disciples again.

"They do not seek to maintain an advantage, only to at least remain evenly matched with the Demoncloud Sect evil cultivators.

"The sect leadership has already decided to issue another summons, but the scope of the summons has not yet been determined."

"Furthermore, some elders proposed ceding part of the benefits from the Golden Ao Mountain Spirit Stone Vein in exchange for Iron Cauldron Mountain's assistance.

"But the proposal is highly controversial, and the leadership has not made a decision."

Liu Yuanchen pondered to himself. Paying a price to draw Iron Cauldron Mountain into the conflict was indeed quite a clever strategy.

The matter of the Golden Ao Mountain Spirit Stone Vein could not possibly be hidden from Iron Cauldron Mountain.

Within tens of thousands of li, the three major powers—the Demoncloud Order, Azure Elixir Sect, and Iron Cauldron Mountain—restrained one another, while all the other small and medium powers were vassals of those three.

Now that the Demoncloud Sect and Azure Elixir Sect were fighting each other to a bloody standstill, Iron Cauldron Mountain watching from the side left neither side at ease.

If the two sides fought until both were badly weakened, Iron Cauldron Mountain would reap the benefits.

The Azure Elixir Sect was especially vulnerable, situated in the middle. If the Demoncloud Sect offered Iron Cauldron Mountain some promise and the two joined forces to attack the Azure Elixir Sect, the danger of sect annihilation would be right at hand.

Before Iron Cauldron Mountain could collude with the Demoncloud Sect, they should directly cede some benefits in exchange for Iron Cauldron Mountain's aid.

That would avoid the danger of being attacked by both sides while also reducing casualties in dealing with the Demoncloud Sect.